Post Review - Carnival Radiance Feb 2 -5. A Carnival do-over.

[1st]

Thanks for writing this. I am enjoying your post. 🙂

[carohs]

Aww thanks. I will finish but I got some kinda cruise crud and I've been out most of the last two days. 

[carohs]

I think I'm finally starting to get over this head cold. I had a fever over 104 at one point. To be honest it was probably covid. Felt like it with the coughing and body aches. Let's continue our saga..

[carohs]

Day 2. Sea Day. I woke up early today, just a few minutes after sunrise. Usually, I would groan and attempt to fall back asleep but this morning I got out of bed and stepped into the balcony. I think I was just excited for Sea Day.

[carohs]

I inadvertently woke up L merely by moving around and grabbing my coat. We went to Java Blue to beat the lines and then headed to breakfast. I grabbed Huevos Rancheros and a pastry while L got an omelet. I was excited because the Huevos were pre-made and hot. On Spirit, these were made to order, so the line was long, and the beans and tortilla would get cold by the time the eggs were done frying. This time was much improved. We then went exploring. I’m not a morning person, so I didn’t think to document with pictures as we walked along. We found Serenity and enjoyed the ocean views for a while.

[carohs]

 

 

 

[carohs]

[carohs]

We also looked through the hub app and picked out the events we really wanted to attend. Today’s agenda was settled on: Deal or no Deal, Spa time, Lady’s Pamper Party, Teatime, Comedy, Dinner, and more Comedy. About halfway through card sales we took the elevator down to Liquid Lounge to get our cards. That done with time to spare before the game started, L had a craving for chips so we went in search of some sort of salty snack. Guys was closed, and the Deli was still running an omelet station. At last, we found fries at Big Chicken all the way in the aft of the ship. The fries were seasoned well and cut thin. L was happy. Back at Liquid, we went for our first round of drinks of the day and found a great place to sit upstairs with an unobstructed view of the screen and a table for our provisions.

[carohs]

[carohs]

L didn’t win at Deal or no Deal. I won a bingo package but opted not to claim it. Bingo was scheduled at the same time as the pamper party and that took precedence. We headed back to the room and got ready for spa time complete with our books this time. Even being a Sea Day, we found two available loungers. As we approached a lady was settling into one, leaving the two empties on either side of her. I promptly asked if she wouldn’t mind if we sat together and she kindly obliged by moving over one. I’m not embarrassed to say that after waking up early, having breakfast and a drink, we fell asleep a little bit. I did make a dent in my book too though. I kept an eye on the time, and we scooted over to the pamper party when it was time.

[carohs]

 

 

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I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but the party transpired as advertised. They squirted a little bit of the Elemis product for each step of the 5 step DIY facial onto the back of our hands. She gave us all the info on how to apply the product, and in which order for what reason while the product was being distributed. We all then applied it to our own faces at the same time. At the end she passed around a pamper party specials flyer, to which she encouraged “oohs” and “aahs” as she read the specials aloud for deeper discounts. She said book it now at this price before you leave. If you didn’t book it with her then, even if you show your paper, she wouldn’t have been able to give you the discounts at a later time. L and I discussed this and thinking about what our appointment included in Ensenada, we decided to book the ship’s massage special and change our massage appointment in port to facials. Unfortunately, deciding what we wanted to do made it so we were last in line and had last choice in available appointment times. We ended up with 3:30 the next day, an hour before all-aboard.

[carohs]

Here is the flyer. Rather than 60 minutes, she upped it to 75 minutes and rather than pick n choose 3, she included all 5 treatments plus the hot stones or bamboo add-on for only $109.  They make it seem like 5 treatments, but really if you think about it, it’s just one full-body massage minus your legs. What sold me vs Ensenada Massage was the inclusion of the skin brushing, hot stones, and the extra 15 minutes. Stay tuned for the Day 3 recap for a comparison between the on and off ship spas. If you’re interested in the BIOTEC, that was also offered for $109. They said it wouldn’t include the entire list, but rather they would do an HD facial image and personalize your treatment. The deals from the pamper party were much better than the opening tour deals, and something you should look to attend if you would want to book any of these treatments on the ship. Even if you don’t book a treatment, the party itself was fun and informative. For comparison’s sake, I’ll upload the regular spa price list as well.

 

[carohs]

[carohs]

We headed back to the stateroom with faces glowing and to get ready for teatime. I guess I was hungry from having skipped lunch and forgot to get pictures again. L remarked how delicious all the desserts were. It seems like they only pass the cucumber sandwiches and salmon bites once, and even if you just want more water you have to get someone’s attention. After tea, we went to Alchemy Bar to try some cocktails that caught our attention from looking through the menu the night before. We got a Sunrise and Sunset (just like the MDRs, heya). The bar was already crowded but we had some time to waste before limelight’s doors would open. We had fun people watching as people walked past all dressed up for elegant night while we waited for our drinks.

[carohs]

 

Cucumber sunrise, purple sunset

[carohs]

Drinks in hand, we walked out to deck 4 and explored a mysterious set of stairs. This ship seems to be full of doors that are okay to open but you may not think to go through. For example, there’s a viewing deck all the way forward on deck 10 but very few people would have cause to walk past all the staterooms or think to open that last door. Knowing that’s there now, I could see saving the money on a balcony cabin and just booking an inside spa cabin. OTOH balconies are nice to have too.

[carohs]

Open stairs from deck 4, from deck 3 you have to go through a door. 

 

Deck 10 secret area

[carohs]

Mustache-guy entertained us with some PG comedy. I always say being able to be funny and keep it PG is the true test of a good comedian. And I got another cocktail. Well maybe I found him funny because of the second cocktail.  Either way life was good as we headed to dinner. Tonight, I got the prime rib while L got the sirloin. I know, I know.

[carohs]

 

 

 

Showtime 

 

[carohs]

After dinner we headed over to Limelight Lounge for the late night comedy showcase. Unfortunately because of late dining we missed out on the 80s glow party. It's too bad but L isn't a dancer anyway. In hindsight I didn't care for the second comedian. Every single one of his jokes were based off either race or sex. He started out by saying he was going to represent for the guys and the ladies but spent the majority of his time on the guys. He did have the lounge laughing and barking so I may be alone in my opinion. 

[carohs]

Before turning in I went onto the balcony for fresh air. And boy was I ever glad I did. It's always exciting when you can catch a glimpse of sea life, this evening I believe I saw a dolphin. Yay!!

[carohs]

It's not the best picture, but is it ever from a moving cruise ship in the dark, trying to focus from deck 10 onto an incredibly fast swimming dolphin?

[MEUB1112]

48 minutes ago, carohs said:

Open stairs from deck 4, from deck 3 you have to go through a door. 

 

Deck 10 secret area

The secret balconies are awesome!

[carohs]

20 hours ago, MEUB1112 said:

The secret balconies are awesome!

Aren't they? I had heard about them but hadn't researched it. It was super awesome to find one all on my own.