Live- Radiance 4 night Catalina & Ensenada

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West coasters as well (San Diego). We enjoy Radiance. I actually like it better than Panorama.

 

We were long time Imagination\Inspiration folks and was worried what would arrive after their retirement. We enjoy the ship alot and will be on it again next month.

 

Tentaively excited for Firenze as well.

[notscb]

Ensenada (continued)

Y'all, we had a DAY. If you have a chance to book the Ensenada tequila and beer tasting excursion, I'd 10/10 recommend it. It's a late start in the day (11:30), but for two stops for tastings plus a "surprise" stop (in lieu of shopping) that included another tasting, I'm impressed.

 

Overall, we were able to sample 7 different tequilas , all 100% blue agave, 4 beers (one flight essentially), and another 7 types of mezcal. I thought I was going to fall asleep after the first seven shots, but somehow I made it through. Our tour guide, Selena, was very kind and very entertaining and stuck with us at each stop. The second stop was at the brewery - Olympo-where we were able to order food and take in the view from that side of town.

 

 

Our guide had told us that the third stop would be a "surprise" and it turned out to be a great addition to the day that they are trying to get permanently added to the tour. The additional tasting costed us nothing, and I suspect they'd like us to tell Carnival about how great it was so they can add it.

 

Did I mention some of the chasers that came with the mezcal? No? Well, that's because I tried to ignore them. They had crickets (dried and seasoned) as well as worm salt (apparently, there are worms on the agave plants that they crush up and mix with something to make this) along with orange wedges. Yikes.

 

 

I was thankful that they added the stop, as the original plan was to do shopping along the main shopping district which felt uncomfortable. If you make eye contact with any of the vendors, they'll approach you and follow you a bit to get a sale. I didn't feel unsafe, but i definitely didn't feel in the mood for that.

 

 

The excursion costed less than $50, so I'd say it was a great deal.

 

Back at the port, we had security board our bus to check for our carnival room cards and went through security before boarding the ship. What's really unique about where were docked is the sheer amount of sea lions that are just hanging out near the bow of the ship, and sleeping on the pier.

 

 

Tonight is Deal or No Deal in the liquid lounge, and the love and marriage show which is always a good time.

[notscb]

2 hours ago, deelightfull said:

Happy to see the Radiance getting some review attention. 

Thanks!! When I booked this cruise I had gone searching for updated info on these boards or a recent live and hadn't seen one, so I figured it'd be a good opportunity to try my first live.

[notscb]

Ensenada Eve

Tonight has been a really nice time onboard. Our departure was delayed to a bit after 5 as what was clearly a carnival excursion got back super late-the group that came through the terminal building was easily 30 strong.

 

 

Dinner in the MDR was really good and I had the alligator beignets (which is really the main reason I went to the MDR vs other options). The service was quick and I was in and out within about 35 minutes, and the food was all good with the exception of my dessert which wasn't cooked long enough this time!

 

 

Kudos to the thread on the MDR currently going on and to whoever recommended the spare ribs. I enjoyed them very much and the corn was amazing-I need to figure out that recipe.

 

Deal or No Deal was up first and I wasn't lucky in getting called up or having a winning board. The CD was noticeably absent and had a substitute who was funny, but really rushed it along. All was said and done about 10 minutes early, which was fine but felt strange. Special thanks to the bar staff in the lounge, they really know what they're doing (and they seem incredibly busy).

 

 

The love and marriage show was up next after a quick FaceTime call home. Our CD was hosting and he did an excellent job keeping the room engaged and making the experience fun for all. I really appreciated his quick wit and how he really went out of his way to give kudos to the longest married couple, a couple of 61 years.

 

 

I'll wrap up with a few random shots of things going on. There's an 80's party in the atrium tonight but my East coast sleep schedule isn't going to let that happen for me. Tomorrow is a sea day and I'm looking forward to relaxing with my kindle for the majority of the day. It's very cold tonight, and the ship is definitely rocking despite the weather otherwise seeming clear.

 

Also! I found my area. Deck 3 portside has a non-smoking area with some nice deck couches and chairs and is a really great place to sit out of the sun while still getting great views. I'm very excited to have found this space thanks to a helpful crew member.

 

[Journey11]

Great review. Beautiful pictures. I’m glad you are enjoying your cruise.

[OceanZena]

I'm really enjoying your review. After doing so many repeat sailings on the 4 day Bahamas itinerary, I decided on a whim to book the Catalina/Ensenada on Firenze for next year and this review has made me really excited for it now. Love the pics too!

[notscb]

Sea Day

Morning y'all! It's our final full day on the radius ce, and we're "at sea" for the day. And by "at sea," I mean hanging out off of the coast of Cali doing what feels like zero.zero knots in circles, which I honestly don't mind.

 

Folks are a bit quieter this morning and the mood on the ship is overall very chill, partially because folks were clearly up very late dancing and partially because it's literally freezing - I'm considering wearing jeans on deck and there's nobody in the aft pool.

 

 

The Sea day brunch was in the aft dining room this morning and was relatively busy. I waited no more than 10 minutes after check in on the app, and they were very accommodating when I asked to be seated near a window.

 

Honestly, the brunch was just OK. The cut of steak they use is pretty tough and not very good, and the eggs are the same as the eggs at the buffet. The French toast is amazing as always, though, and made it worth coming down for.

 

I hit the gym afterward and had a very interesting time trying to do the elliptical while the ship was moving so much- it's definitely calmed down since but it's a very rocky day out here.

 

They've got comedy this afternoon and some other activities, but honestly I'm looking forward to finding a quiet spot to enjoy the rest of the afternoon reading before the chaos that will be tomorrow- especially flying back across the country.

 

Have a nice one, y'all, and thanks to everyone who has been following along! If there's anything you want me to grab a photo of or check out, let me know!

[notscb]

Sea Day (continued)

Well y'all, it's been fun. And cold- very cold. But that didn't stop me from claiming a spot at the serenity deck and reading for a few hours this afternoon! The sun even peeked out this afternoon for a bit, but wasn't really enough to make a huge difference in the temp. The ship has been rocking all day, which I don't mind, but I've seen a lot of folks with those behind the ear seasickness patches on.

 

 

The afternoon activities have been fun, especially the noon comedy show and the ice carving demonstration on the lido deck.

 

 

I was hoping they'd do a sea day tea, and after hunting in the app for a while I was able to find it! Held in the aft dining room (upstairs area), it was a quiet way to spend some time and enjoy fresh baked goods and some delicious strawberries. 10/10 can't miss this activity, especially since it seems like so many folks don't even know it's happening.

 

 

The ship was relatively quiet this afternoon, and I suspect some folks were napping after having a bit much tequila yesterday in Ensenada.

 

 

Dinner at the lido buffet was... Disappointing. The food was cold (and not just one thing-I had a plate of cold food). Thankfully, the lido deli saved the evening and I had a delicious sandwich. Sitting by the window, we definitely saw some whales and an occasional dolphin.

 

Oh-I almost forgot! After comedy this afternoon we all headed up for lunch which was an absolute disaster of lines and people. I think it was the first time the Pig and Anchor BBQ has been open this entire trip (from what I've seen, don't quote me on that) and there were lines around the back of the ship for it. Definitely not worth the wait. Have I mentioned I'm obsessed with the Shaq's sauce though, because I am.

 

 

 

Tonight's show is "soul bound" and so far it seems like it has a spooky theme which I'm looking forward to. There's three comedy shows tonight, but we'll see if I can get my cabin packed up and get to those or not.

 

Debrkation starts tomorrow at 7:30 and my flight leaves out of LAX at 1:20, so wish me luck 😁

 

[LibertyBella]

I am from the East coast, and also took this same Carnival cruise a few years back, but first we stopped in LA for a few days and toured Hollywood, Beverly Hills, La Brea and Disneyland, and then booked a private car to take us down to the port.

 

We went in the middle of the Summer, and it was pretty warm and beautiful.  My husband actually went scuba diving in Catalina among all that kelp. It is very walkable, and we enjoyed our visit there, as it reminded us of historic beach towns like Cape May, NJ, and Galveston, TX.

 

Ensenada is a bit tourist-oriented with many vendors. We went to see the blowhole, and the famous Riviera del Pacifico, the historic hotel where they claim the Margarita was invented.

 

This is a great little getaway cruise with nice stops and an enjoyable sailing experience.  If I lived a bit closer, I would be happy to sail it again!

 

Thanks for sharing as your report brings back some special memories.

[notscb]

Sea Day (continued)

Just wanted to post a few photos from tonight

 

 

 

 

[notscb]

Debarkation Morning

The accountement for debarkation came faster than I had anticipated, about 6:50am. It was an open call for all who were doing self-assist debarkation and I had started hearing people moving around (loudly) around 6am.

 

Let me tell you kind folks-I was out of my room at 7:00, up the stairs to deck 3 by 7:05, walking off of the ship by 7:05, through customs by 7:10 and landside at the terminal (past customs) by about 7:15. 

 

The ship was mostly quiet-which was a very strange experience. They had the lobby on deck 3 roped off so folks couldn't wait or mingle there waiting for their turn.

 

 

 

I kid you not, it took all of 15 minutes to get off the ship, through customs and to be waiting for my lyft.

 

 

Now, we should talk about airport transfers.

Most folks will say to just uber/lyft at long beach, but I have to tell you kind folks that both are about $57/one way (not including tip), which is obnoxiously expensive. Carnival was still selling airport transfers at the pier for $36/pp, so when my first lyft canceled I decided to just go for it (since I'm so early for my flight anyway).

 

 

I wish I would have stayed onboard longer and maybe gotten something to eat, but the nerves I was experiencing walking up to the lido told me it'd be best to get to the airport first, because what if my gate doesn't exist or something?

 

I forgot to mention that there were two separate lines-one for those with passports (customs is using facial recognition) and another for folks with birth certificates. The passport line is always, always faster and was about an hour faster debarking the Dream in December as well. For those considering not cruising with a passport- get your passport.

 

Thank y'all for joining me on my first live, and on my much needed break away from real life. I'll be posting some random photos that didn't make it and such later this afternoon or tomorrow.

 

Many, many thanks to the wonderful staff of the Carnival Radiance- all of whom were kind and went above and beyond at every interaction.

 

[OceanZena]

Thanks for sharing the info on airport transfers. I will take that advice when I do this same sailing next year. I didn't think a Lyft/Uber would be so expensive to LAX. Yikes. So i'll definitely be getting the airport transfer through Carnival to save money.

The passport info is also helpful. I just have a BC and it took nearly an hour to debark in Pt. Canaveral on my last sailing. To go from your cabin and through customs in only 15 minutes sounds wonderful so I will be renewing my passport this year.

I'm interested in hearing how your travels to LAX and flight back home went as I too am planning on flying back to the east coast the same day of debarking. I won't be flying out the same day as boarding though...that really took guts lol. 

[notscb]

Debarkation Day

I'm actually really glad that I chose the carnival transfer versus waiting for a lyft. I was on the bus for about a half hour, maybe 45 min, before it left but we still got to LAX by 9:08. Another bus pulled in before we left and some folks ended up getting directed to that one, so if you're trying to do it this way make sure you get off the shipe early. Los Angeles traffic is known to be awful as well, so give yourself some buffer time.

 

There were folks on the bus who had talked about also trying to get a lyft but the app canceling their ride. From what I've experienced, I think this has to do with the type of lyft ordered. If you go one step higher, drivers are more likely to accept the ride versus a base fare for such a long ride. I had two cancel before just deciding to see if I could get on the bus.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, some folks scheduled really, really early flights out of LAX. The family sitting behind me said multiple times (while on a phone call home on speakerphone) that if they arrived at 9:30 they wouldn't make it. Hearing that made me feel better about flying in the day of, because at least I gave myself some buffer today with a 1:20pm flight out.

 

Upon arrival to LAX, the bus stops at terminal 1 and lets folks off, then proceeds to terminal 5 where everyone else gets off.

 

I can't stress this enough-if you haven't heard about or gotten yourself TSA Pre-check, please do yourself a favor and get it done. It takes less than a week to get in most cases and makes the airport experience so much better. At my home airport, we show up an hour or less before our flight and are through security in about five minutes. At LAX, I was through security (at 9:15 in the morning, remember)........ In 5 minutes.

 

Yes. LAX Friday morning T5 security check in 5 minutes.

 

The flight home was uneventful besides flying around some neat storm systems, and my connection was simple and all running on time. If this were winter months on the east coast, I would have considered getting a refundable airbnb reservation just in case, but in May I wasn't too worried.

 

 

It was a long day, to be fair. I was up at 5:30am onboard due to the noise of other families getting ready, and I made it back to my home by 11:45pm.

 

Oh! Did I mention that due to our southwesterly departure I was able to see the radiance from the air? If you sit on the left side of the plane and get lucky (most flights from lax depart this way due to the wind off of the ocean), you'll get a neat view of the port of long beach on the way out.

 

 

[deelightfull]

Ooooh, I do like that shot!

[kelkel2]

Thanks for doing a live review. I’m sure they’re a lot of work but I really enjoyed it! 

[4hunters]

Thanks again for the review.  I really enjoyed it! 🙂

 

-Scott

[lazydayz]

Loved your review.  Thanks and welcome home.

[pppiglet]

We're doing this cruise in July.  How do you get the early number tender tickets for Catalina so we can get off the ship early?  Do you have to have an excursion booked?

[notscb]

53 minutes ago, pppiglet said:

How do you get the early number tender tickets for Catalina so we can get off the ship early? 

 

On your Catalina day, they'll start giving out tender numbers on the lido deck between blue iguana and guys burgers ( I think they started this around 7:30/8am). If you grab a ticket you just wait for your number to be called, otherwise you have to wait until general which might be around noon.

 

If you have an excursion, they handle it for you and you just meet up where they tell you to.

 

Enjoy your trip in July!

[can't wait 2 cruz]

Will be on the Radiance tomorrow!   Thank you for the live.  You answered some of my questions and I have a better feel for the ship already.

 

[sfaaa]

I also used Carnival LAX-LB-LAX round trip shuttle last year. Very efficient and painless.

[pppiglet]

On 5/13/2023 at 5:57 PM, notscb said:

 

On your Catalina day, they'll start giving out tender numbers on the lido deck between blue iguana and guys burgers ( I think they started this around 7:30/8am). If you grab a ticket you just wait for your number to be called, otherwise you have to wait until general which might be around noon.

 

If you have an excursion, they handle it for you and you just meet up where they tell you to.

 

Enjoy your trip in July!

 

Thanks so much! 

[msmonaj]

On 5/13/2023 at 5:57 PM, notscb said:

 

On your Catalina day, they'll start giving out tender numbers on the lido deck between blue iguana and guys burgers ( I think they started this around 7:30/8am). If you grab a ticket you just wait for your number to be called, otherwise you have to wait until general which might be around noon.

 

If you have an excursion, they handle it for you and you just meet up where they tell you to.

 

Enjoy your trip in July!

 

[msmonaj]

Such a comprehensive review, and really good photos… we may book for July if it’s not too late and I don’t know this ship. Nothing on the roll call! Thanks for your time, I am much more hopeful about our experience.

 

[notscb]

14 hours ago, msmonaj said:

we may book for July

 

If you do, have a great time!