What To Know Before Sailing on the Carnival Radiance
The Carnival Radiance sails year round from the Port of Long Beach, located minutes from the heart of Los Angeles. The cruise ship underwent a stellar $200 million renovation in 2021, making her a great choice for potential cruisers who are interested in 3- and 4-night voyages to Ensenada and Catalina Island. Here are my tips and tricks for a fun sailing on board. If you’re looking to save on your next Carnival Cruise, check out CruiseCritic for the best deals, and for more personal help, reach out to us here to plan your next cruise.
#1: Arrive the Night Before Your Cruise If Flying In
The Carnival Radiance sails out of Long Beach, which is a great city to stay in the center of before your cruise the next morning. My favorite activities include a harbor cruise, where I learned a lot of history (who know there was a massive oil reserve beneath the harbor?), the Aquarium of the Pacific, and even just walking around the port. If you’re interested in booking an activity pre-cruise, or during your cruise, I recommend Viator for saving some money. I’ve always had great experiences with their vendors.
During my several cruises out of the Port of Long Beach, I’ve stayed at a number of hotels. The Renaissance Long Beach was a good use of a free night certificate from Marriott, but I’ve also enjoyed the Hyatt Centric Long Beach - The Pike. Both are walking distance from tons of activities, restaurants, and are even walking distance to the ship in the morning (a long walk, so keep that in mind). Even closer to the ships, but without much walking distance nearby, is the Hotel Maya (which is a DoubleTree in the Hilton Honors program) or the Queen Mary, which is the bonafide ocean liner from a different time in cruising.
Flying in early allows for the inevitable flight delay to not ruin your cruise. Especially if you’re coming from somewhere prone to weather delays, it’s a great idea to build this into your trip budget. As for the day of disembarkation, I would recommend a flight after 11 AM, but I’ve made a 10 AM flight out of LAX after getting off a Long Beach cruise in the past!
#2: Download the App To Check In, Save, and Use On Your Carnival Radiance Cruise
The Carnival Hub app is a pretty good piece of tech, though maybe not as integrated for pre-cruise planning like Royal Caribbean’s app. You can save money by booking activities pre-cruise (even things like internet packages). Before you arrive in port, it’s good to check in with your passport information, credit card, and more to speed up the boarding process when you arrive.
#3: The Free Food On Board Is Really Good
I was incredibly impressed with the free dining on board my Carnival Radiance cruise- Shaq’s Big Chicken and Guy’s Burger Joint were big standouts to me. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the buffet, and the main dining room was hit or miss. But, they did have a small New York strip steak each evening available, which I found to be cooked to my liking and had no complaints. Overall, there was less of an emphasis on paid dining on board than on Royal Caribbean, though there were still options. Fahrenheit 555 was the ship’s deluxe steakhouse, though I didn’t get to try it. I did try Bonsai sushi a number of times, as I felt that the a la carte option was great for a good cut of tuna that was freshly made. Well done, Carnival!
#4: There’s Plenty To Do On Board
The Carnival Radiance truly lives up to the “Fun Ship” name. There was high quality live music throughout the ship (much more than on Royal Caribbean) and lots of activities throughout the day. The tone really was set by Deion, the cruise director, at the sailaway celebration, and continued throughout the cruise. Overall, I loved the crew on this ship and it really made my vacation!
#5: Ensenada IS Worth Exploring
Many folks drag on Ensenada as a port, but I happen to love it. Some of the street food found in downtown Ensenada is amazing- DO NOT MISS La Cartera Guerrerense, as she has the best ceviche I’ve experienced, ever. Anthony Bourdain even agreed (RIP!). Another cool spot is Hussong’s, which allegedly invented the margarita and retains its 1800s saloon feel. Definitely worth a drink! There are other more touristy restaurants like Papas & Beer which I’ve skipped during my visits. Further afield, the Bufadora is probably worth seeing once, though it’s a long drive from port. I’m excited for my next visit to try out some of the wineries off shore!
