Our Mom recently turned 85, so in celebration of her reaching this great milestone, my sisters and I took her on a four-day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico aboard Carnival Radiance. This boat sails from Long Beach, California. Mom was thrilled, though a tad anxious, given that this would be her first time, hence worried about getting seasick. Everyone else was just excited, anticipating the big day!
Carnival Radiance-Our Fun Boat
It was barely four weeks to the next sailing date and the ship, which has a capacity for 2,900 passengers, was almost fully booked. The cabins at midship, where it is most stable and least prone to rocking sensation, have been taken, so we were relegated to the next best location – the aft or the back of the ship. Carnival Radiance has been refurbished top to bottom during the pandemic, it’s one of the newer ships in Carnival’s fleet. It also has a crew of more than 1,100.
Port of Entry
We needed a passport and proof of vaccination for admittance to the ship. Check-in times were assigned to avoid crowds but this didn’t seem to work because the lines were still long and slow at the port of entry. Social distancing was impossible so we made sure to keep our masks on. It got hot and tiring after a while. The room’s air conditioning was bad. What a relief it was when we finally made it to the ship.
Food Galore
We entered the Carnival Radiance at Deck 5, at the Atrium, to festive music and a bar already in full swing. The fun begins!
We made our way straight to Deck 9 where free food and cold drinks were being served. It was so refreshing!
Soon after we retired to our rooms at Deck 7 to unpack. It was a good-sized room with adequate storage space, a safe, and a closet for hanging long dresses. Mom was a little tired, so we skipped the sail away party on the top deck. We heard the jolly director’s voice on the loudspeaker so we also joined in clapping and the cheers. We were on our way!
We rested in the room for a bit and purchased WI-FI service, each phone costing us $50 for 4 days. Having done that, we took off to enjoy our first fun night at sea
Bar, and Entertainment
It was almost full when we went to the comedy bar on the first night. We were seated facing a wall with TV monitors so we can see what was happening on the stage. It was not as funny as expected just entertaining. The next night though we went early, we were seated close to the stage.
We went next to the Piano bar, and this was the place where quiet folks like us enjoyed. The pianist was playing and singing some familiar tunes and we even sang along with him.
Cruise Elegant Night, Casino Night
The second night is the elegant night on board the high seas. Dress slacks and shirts are suggested for men or even a suit or tuxedo For women cocktail dresses elegant skirts and blouses, or an evening gown. This night, we were supposed to meet the Captain and get a photo with him but it was canceled. Our photos were taken by Pixels with a set-up background. We dined at the Sunset where there is a more formal table setup.
Cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts, shorts, and flip-flops were not permitted in the dining room.
The casino is big for a mid-size ship. It had a variety of slots and tables. My brother tried his “beginner’s luck” but unfortunately it didn’t work. He lost $40.00 but at least he had some drinks and experienced how to gamble.
Other Dining Options
Casual dining is included in the price of the cruise. The Lido Marketplace with a wide variety of food is the place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
An endless buffet…the salad bar, there were at least 5-6 mixes for the main dishes, desserts, coffee, juices late-night pizza, and 24-hour ice cream. It was delicious dining!
In addition to the Lido buffet is the popular Big Chicken of Shaq O’Neal, where there were choices of chicken sandwiches, crispy chicken strips, or fried chicken.
Another celebrity chef, Guy Fieri of Food Network has his Guy’s Burger Joint which offered hot burgers and hand-cut fries and we enjoyed eating it at the poolside.
For an additional amount, you can enjoy sushi at the Bonsai Sushi. Cucina del Capitano, above the buffet area, has Italian dishes.
Ensenada
The cruise included a 1-day tour of Ensenada. It was hot that day so we stayed on the boat. We just took some photos of the port from the ship.
The Sun Deck, The Pool, and the Onboard Waterpark
There are two family pools, one for the kids and another for the adults. We didn’t dive into the pools because while there was no crowd in the morning, it was still too cold, but come midday when the temperature was higher it was already full.
We lazed on the deck, breathing the fresh but cold sea breeze, sipping a drink or simply looking around.
There are a lot of amenities, and cruisers never ran out of fun things to do whether with friends you meet at the ship or with family. Not so many though tried the high curved slide and rope course.
We tried staying for the Dine-In Movie, the big screen by the poolside but did not finish watching the movie.
Day at the Gym and Health Spa
We decided to explore the gym and the spa. We tried the spa’s demo of the hot stone and bamboo massage. We booked the hot stone massage for I hour. It was so good and very relaxing, I even dozed off, the masseuse woke me up when it was done.
The gym has a lot of facilities. We did not intend to exercise just tried on the equipment. My brother-in-law guided my brother (who is legally blind) with the equipment. He was amazed at how the equipment moved and how he can use them.
Time to go home
The journey ended on the 4th day. There was an orderly disembarkation at the Lido.
The cruise was all worth the fun. It was an enjoyable experience. The only downside was the wi-fi. We paid for the top package but sometimes the internet was really slow or non at all.
Shall we do it again? Soon but maybe with a different destination.
Thank you for reading.