Monday, April 1, 2024

Carnival Radiance Cruise Ship Review First-hand Expert Review

carnival cruise long beach to ensenada

Some come to sample the fresh seafood cuisine, while others enjoy shopping for crafts and whale-watching. If you are cruising from Long Beach, California, to Ensenada, compare excursion itineraries and allow time to explore the port. During our day in port, we chose to explore the town on our own. We’ve visited Ensenada and the wine country many times, so we enjoyed visiting a local museum, lunch at Muelle 3 and strolling through town. I’m sure if we did a longer cruise, there would be more family time, but with just three days my son opted to hang with the other teenagers on board. It’s your cruise ship bible and we carried it with us and constantly referred to it throughout the day and evening.

carnival cruise long beach to ensenada

Night Catalina & Ensenada CruiseDetails

There are more than 20 shore excursions you can book when you buy your cruise or while you are on the cruise ship. Excursion options range from nearby wine country tours of Valle de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Valley), to surfing, kayaking, food tours and lots more. Spa Cloud 9 rooms are located at the forward of the ship, on Deck 10 (Panorama Deck) and Deck 11 (Spa Deck), giving guests close access to the gym, spa and thermal suites. One downside to the otherwise clutch location of these rooms is that port side Cloud 9 Spa rooms on Deck 11 are located directly below the ship's Camp Ocean kids club. Expect to hear running and stomping nightly until the kids club closes late into the night. New venue for the fleet is "Big Chicken" - ship version of the land-based restaurant chain operated by Carnival’s "Chief Fun Officer" Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal - retired professional US basketball player).

Night Baja Mexico CruiseDetails

For a luxury hotel that won’t break the bank, I recommend the Westin Long Beach, which is currently the #1 hotel on Tripadvisor. Travel insurance is designed to cover unexpected medical emergencies and events such as trip cancellation, lost, stolen or damaged luggage by an airline or cruise line, and other related losses incurred while traveling. You can book your 3 Day Baja Mexico cruise from long beach with Carnival via our affiliate link with Cruise Direct for as little as $154 and you’ll never have to pay a booking fee. During our cruise, we had a bit of rain on day one and it was a tad chilly for the waterslides for us. Carnival has a waterpark called WaterWorks and it includes a twister waterslide, a double straight slide, two mini slides and a spray park. We traveled in March, which can be hit or miss as far as weather.

carnival cruise long beach to ensenada

CCL-Carnival Cruise Line starts sailing from San Francisco CA with Carnival Miracle

You’ll also find lots of fun activities happening on the Lido Deck — we caught a hairy chest contest that was fun and funny to watch. The busiest spots for lunch seemed to be the Burger Joint and Blue Iguana Mexican Cafe, both located on the Lido Deck. Unlike a road trip where you are moving from location to location — on a cruise, there is no need to constantly unpack and pack again, change hotels, or drive from place to place. Below you’ll find some helpful tips for cruising and some of our favorite moments on our 3-Day Baja, Mexico cruise from long beach to Ensenada.

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The largest are the Captain's Suites (505 ft2 / 47 m2 plus 150 ft2 / 14 m2 terrace, max capacity 5 passengers). According to Ensenada Tourism, "Each U.S. and Canadian citizen may return to the U.S. with $400 worth of merchandise, provided it is for personal use." It is illegal to offer police officers a bribe if you are pulled over. If you are stopped for any reason, follow the officer to the nearest precinct to pay the fee. Though you do not require a tourist card in Ensenada if your stay does not exceed 72 hours, you must present your passport upon re-entry into the United States. Onboard, you’ll also find the Mirage Piano Bar, Illusions Nightclub (18+), Shangri La Lounge, Dream Bar, Atrium Lobby Bar, Alchemy bar where they specialized in martinis and cocktails and have a casino.

CCL's Carnival Radiance staterooms and halls flooded due to ‘burst water line’

These rooms have a more relaxing color palette in their decor and come with great perks, including unlimited free access to the onboard thermal suite – a new Radiance feature -- often well worth the price of the upgrade on its own. On board, Radiance has WaterWorks for the young and young at heart as well as SportSquare, Seuss at Sea and the Serenity Adult Only Retreat. The ship also offers spa treatments at Cloud 9 Spa and arts and crafts at Make it with Michael's, among other activities. NKOB cruise (May 2013) - Valor was the ship for the "New Kids on the Block" - music-themed voyage booked by 3000+ lady fans of the pop group.

Other Carnival Cruise Line cruise ships

Carnival Cruise Line Opens New Deployment from Long Beach - Cruise Industry News

Carnival Cruise Line Opens New Deployment from Long Beach.

Posted: Thu, 05 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

La Bufadora is considered to be the second-largest marine geyser in the world. The Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico Carnival Cruise is one of the most affordable cruises and vacation options out there! Once you arrive in your cabin, check out the "Fun Times" to see which activities you want to attend. Whether you are arriving on a personal vehicle or a paid transportation, there will be plenty of porters collecting your luggage by the parking lot.

Between the buffet, main dining room, three specialty restaurants and six eateries, there's no shortage of places to eat on Carnival Radiance. And we love that, in typical Carnival fashion, the majority of the onboard eateries are included in the price of the cruise. That said, expect long lines during peak times for popular spots such as Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, Pizzeria del Capitano, and Big Chicken. If it were just my husband and I cruising together, we would've opted to stay onboard and enjoy the empty ship since we've already been to Ensenada before. However, since it was our cousin's first time, we ventured out with him! Ensenada's biggest attraction is the blowhole in La Bufadora.

Hiking Lifestyle Travel

It is important to note that the "Sail and Sign Cards" are no longer handed during check-in. Instead, they are left outside the door of your cabin and while waiting, your printed boarding pass will be used to make purchases. For any cruises listed, Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. Next tables show the rescheduled maiden voyages (all canceled) in 2021 by destination, with lowest prices (in USD) based on Inside Cabin double occupancy rates. On July 7, 2020, CCL-Carnival announced that is currently evaluating shipyards with proper drydock capabilities to complete the Carnival Victory-Radiance refit project.

The Port of Ensenada is located on the Baja Peninsula, approximately 80 miles south of San Diego, California. Most cruise lines operate motorcoach transfers from the San Diego airport to Ensenada. Ask your Vacations To Go cruise counselor for more details. Couples, solo cruisers, families and friends could be found throughout the ship. Radiance is perfectly set up to appeal to partiers, sun bathers, day drinkers, night owls and quiet folks, all just looking for an easy and fun escape.

Carnival Cruise Line Opens Departures From Long Beach - Porthole Cruise and Travel

Carnival Cruise Line Opens Departures From Long Beach.

Posted: Thu, 05 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The boat's new homeport and cruise itineraries were announced in November 2018. When we say that Carnival Miracle takes you to another world, we mean that in every sense. Not only does this ship visit stunning destinations, but features incredible onboard spaces inspired by elements of fantasy. Escape from reality as you take in a show at the Phantom Lounge or a dance at Dr. Frankenstein's Lab. To lose yourself in a song, find your way to Sam's Piano Bar.

Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Rates are in USD and valid for US and Canadian residents only. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. This is a fun itinerary for a weekend getaway, but after experiencing a 3-day cruise, we all agreed that we’d love to try a longer cruise. Between the teen club for my son and all the fun things to do onboard, there just wasn’t enough time to experience it all plus enjoy some downtime. If you're looking to travel solely to Ensenada from Long Beach, Carnival Cruise is your only option.

In mid-August 2020, Carnival announced that the Victory ship will be taken out of service through early-May 2022. The drydock project was first delayed by 2 months then further postponed (CruiseMinus). Carnival Radiance has a redesigned WaterWorks park (with the new waterslide AquaTunnel) and SportSquare (outdoor complex with suspended ropes course). Following the reconstruction in 2020, on Carnival Radiance will be added new dining, beverage and entertainment venues. These include Guy’s Pig and Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse (by Guy Fieri), Fahrenheit 555 (steakhouse), Bonsai Sushi, Cucina del Capitano (Italian restaurant), RedFrog Pub, Piano Bar 88.

According to the announcement, the project is expected to be completed in 2021-Q1. Carnival Radiance's Maiden Voyage was rescheduled from November 8, 2020, to May 2, 2021, and a total of 25x cruises (November 8, 2020, through and including April 24, 2021) were canceled. Until early-2013, the liner offered 7-day Southern Caribbean cruises from homeport San Juan (Puerto Rico). In 2013, Valor replaced the Destiny ship (now Sunshine) in PortMiami. Follows the complete list of Carnival Victory lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults. Often referred to as the "Love Port," Ensenada, Mexico, attracts more than 4.5 million vacationers every year.

The other vessel from this class was the old Destiny ship - renamed Carnival Sunshine after an extensive refit in 2013. Carnival Victory was christened by godmother Mary Frank - wife of Howard Frank (Carnival Corporation's Vice Chairman). The inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on October 15, 2000 (leaving from NYC New York). The first drydock refurbishment was in 2007 ("Fun Ship 1.0"). For the first time, these best-selling Fun Ship 2.0 upgrades were implemented on Carnival Magic (2011) and Carnival Breeze (2012). Thanks to its stunning coastline, Ensenada will give you plenty of postcard-worthy moments…, and it couldn’t be easier to get there.

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