I had some time off between holidays, so I decided that this cruise would be a great little get away for me and my son. We had just gotten back from Panorama a month earlier (7 night Mexican Riviera) and Carnival sent me some really cheap offers through email and I couldn't resist. We booked the three night from Long Beach to Ensenada, Mexico. We really liked the ship and it is in great shape. The last dry dock was pretty extensive and the ship emerged refreshed, renewed, and renamed as the Carnival Radiance (formerly Victory) This ship just started to sail this route a few cruises prior to ours, and so we had realistic expectations that the staff and crew would still be working out the kinks. (especially due to Covid Protocols) Everything worked out well and the food, staff, and ship itself all met our expectations quite nicely. All of the common areas were redone and they added some new spaces including the Heroes Tribute Bar as well as Shaq's Big Chicken. New paint, carpets, and refreshed common areas gave the ship a really updated feel that reminded me of the Panorama in many ways. We stayed on deck 6 (inside cabin) that was quite spacious and well appointed. It had the standard Carnival room style and everything was in good working order and clean.

The food on this trip we found to be quite good in the dining room as well as the casual eating places like Guy's, Shaq's, and Blue Iguana. We didn't do any of the speciality restaurants on this short trip, so I will reserve any comment on them. The main dining room food was prepared well, served well seasoned, and was for the most part very good. The menu was the same as our cruise last month on Panorama, but I think executed better on the Radiance. The MDR service was well orchestrated ( a bit slow sometimes) but friendly, attentive, and professional. The Sea Day Brunch is one of our favorite meals on Carnival and this certainly didn't disappoint on Radiance. We really didn't frequent the buffet other than to grab a quick sandwich at the deli or utilize the salad bar. The buffet area is really small on this ship and could get a bit crowded. We did eat at Pig and Anchor BBQ one afternoon and it was just OK.

We are not really big show/entertainment people, so we didn't catch any of the theater or lounge acts. As a result, I will not comment on much in the realm of entertainment other than to say that the cruise Director (Ryan Rose) was professional and his staff was fun and friendly. They do push out too many announcements that can be annoying at times however. Read more