- This is a cruise ship tour of Carnival Radiance.
My name is Doug Parker, host of Cruise News Today
and in this video
we're gonna take a deck-by-deck tour of Carnival Radiance.
Now this was the third Carnival ship
to undergo the Sunshine Class treatment,
the first one being Carnival Destiny in 2013.
That was named Carnival Sunshine.
Then Carnival Triumph in 2018, named Carnival Sunrise.
And then finally, Victory going to Radiance.
Now there were a lot of changes that took place
during this $200 million refurbishment,
especially in the areas of food and beverage.
Radiance is 101,508 gross registered tons,
has a guest capacity of 2,984,
and comes in at 893 feet long.
And as of 2022, the vessel is sailing short cruises
down to Mexico from Long Beach, California.
We'll start the tour on deck number three.
Below deck three there really isn't a lot shaking
with the exception of where you get on and off the ship
in some of the ports, also the infirmary,
and decks one and two have staterooms.
deck three has over 40 brand new staterooms.
This used to be the first floor of the theater.
Now the first floor has been moved up to deck number four
and it's a two-deck theater instead of three.
There are three banks of main elevators
on Carnival Radiance.
You'll have the forward bank, which is six,
the midship bank, and the aft bank,
as well as those four glass elevators
that transit the main lobby,
which is kind of cool and gives you
that "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" type vibe.
Now walking out of the theater and going aft,
you'll see certain design elements
that went from emerald green
to more of a modern contemporary resort-like pattern,
doing away with a lot of the Joe Farcus design elements.
Joe was the main design architect for almost all
of the Carnival Cruise Line ships up until 2011.
And actually a side note, he has a really good book out
called "Design on the High Seas,"
kind of giving you a look behind the curtain
on designing these ships.
A good read, and I'll link to that in the notes below.
Walking aft, you have the guest services desk,
and seating on the starboard side,
and then the shore excursions desk,
and more seating on the port side.
This is the big atrium here
that was in the same spot as Carnival Victory,
just transformed a lot,
again, taking away those green colors
and making it more of an airy feel, I guess,
like light blues and everything.
The four main glass elevators are still in the atrium
and gives you cool views up and down.
You can take 'em all the way to the top of the ship,
if you like.
If you'd like to get some fresh air, there are doors
on both the port and starboard side of the atrium area
that lets you access the outside.
Also a cool spot to watch the pilot boat
pick up the river pilot when the ship is leaving port.
This spot is open pretty much around the clock,
except when it's very windy, though,
sometimes they'll partition it off.
Both main dining rooms on Radiance are two decks high,
but the midship dining room is a little smaller
and that's because during the refit
they took about a quarter of the midship main dining room
and they partitioned it off, turning it into a steakhouse.
So it's now Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse.
Of course the steakhouse is an extra for fee venue,
so that's F-E-E, on Carnival Radiance.
And that's about $42 per guest at the time of broadcast.
So dividing the midship dining room
and the aft dining room is the galley.
So if you wanted to go from one dining room to another
you'd either have to go up a deck or down a deck
to go to the dining room you're trying to get to
because it's blocked off,
with the center section being the galley there.
Also worth noting that the aft main dining room,
that's the one that you can get some really killer views,
especially sunset views,
if your dining is at the right time.
So if you wanna sit by a window,
may be worth asking the maitre d' on embarkation day,
maybe slipping him a 20 or so
to get you some prime seating.
Up to deck four we go.
You have the main show lounge, which is two decks.
Now outside of the main theater here on deck four
is the Pixels Photo Gallery and also the Java Blue Cafe.
This ship has a hybrid of digital photos
and actually photos they still print out the physical copy.
And then Java Blue Cafe, which is Carnival's coffee shop
that has its own dedicated space here.
You can find coffee, boozy drinks, energy drinks,
as well as donuts and such.
Heading aft from Java Blue,
you have the main dining room there, the midship one
and then the Punch Liner Comedy Club,
which is also called the Limelight Lounge.
This is one you'll want to get to early.
If there's a 10 o'clock show,
you might wanna line up around 9:30
because it gets tight in there
and if you don't get a good seat
you'll be watching them perform on the screen
without a view of the actual comedian.
Stepping outside of the lounge and walking aft,
you'll walk into the main dining room.
Now one of these main dining rooms
are used for anytime dining,
and the other is used for traditional dining.
Up to deck five, the back of the ship,
they added more staterooms back here,
some aft balconies, some balconies, and interior rooms.
Otherwise not much shaking back here,
but as we walk forward, we'll see the Piano Bar,
which is enclosed in this really cool glass room.
Also, the Alchemy Bar is right to,
if you're coming out of the Piano Bar,
you'll basically dead end right into the Alchemy Bar.
And if you keep walking forward,
you're gonna have the Red Frog Pub.
There's games in here also, of course a big bar,
plenty of seating, live music at night as well.
There's a lot happening in this entire area.
Making our way forward is Bonsai Sushi,
which is located right off the promenade.
Here you can sit down at a table
or sit against the sushi bar where the chef
prepares your fresh sushi rolls right in front of you.
This is an a la carte specialty venue.
It's not too pricey.
It's probably a few bucks each for like a spicy tuna roll
or whatever you want to get there.
The casino is right in the middle of deck five
on both the port and starboard side,
with the casino bar in here as well.
You'll have table games, slots, electronic tables,
coin pushers, and that infamous cash claw,
which I did win $500 a couple of sailings ago.
In fact, if you've ever won anything from the cash claw,
let me know in the comments below.
Although I probably blew the $500 trying to win another 500.
On the port side, just forward of the casino
is the Heroes Tribute Bar.
This used to be the sports bar on the ship
and it still kind of is a sports bar.
There's TVs and stuff in here.
But it's more themed around paying homage
to both the men and women who have served
and currently serving and their families.
Also a place to meet and chat.
There are themed drinks in here
and it's a very patriotic space overall.
This used to be the EA Sports Bar.
Just opposite on the starboard side is the Warehouse Arcade,
where if you aren't careful, you can rack up a big bill
playing basketball, air hockey or trying to win an iPad.
They do have power hours, so be on the lookout for that.
That's basically where the whole arcade is half off,
which means cheaper games.
We also have Cherry on Top outside of the arcade
and then a bunch of shops.
If you want a watch, booze, a shirt, a model ship,
a diamond ring, chances are you'll find it all right here
either on the port and starboard side of deck five.
Now all the way forward is the upper deck,
or the cheap seats of the show theater.
I joke when I say cheap seats,
because if you're someone who likes to sample the show
and then maybe duck out after a little bit, like me,
this is the perfect place to sit and bail
if you aren't digging the Playlist Productions show.
Other events held in here though
are the Love and Marriage show,
the military gathering, and the Welcome Aboard show.
Decks six, seven and eight are all stateroom decks.
We'll go up to deck nine.
Nine F is where you'll find the new edition
to Carnival Cruise Line as of 2021, Big Chicken.
It first debuted on Carnival's Mardi Gras.
And then Radiance is actually the second ship to get it.
Now Big Chicken is included in the price of your cruise.
It's basically a fried chicken joint
with your fried chicken sandwiches,
the hot Nashville chicken, chicken tenders,
all the fixings and sides.
It's open for both breakfast and lunch as well.
It's a concept that was designed by NBA superstar,
Shaquille O'Neal.
He actually has a few of these venues around the country.
The breakfast and lunch here, super solid.
In fact, the honey chicken biscuit for breakfast, love that,
and the hot chicken sandwich are both my favorites.
Now just opposite of Big Chicken is Pizzeria Del Capitano.
There's also an aft pool back here along with two hot tubs.
Good little place to eat as well behind the hot tubs,
and on either side, the port and starboard side,
if maybe the lido deck buffet area
is a little bit too crowded.
Even if it's raining, you can still duck in
because it is covered and shaded.
Also a pool bar back here as well over on the port side.
Walking forward, you'll come to the lido deck Marketplace.
That's the buffet.
In this area you'll find the buffet stations.
There's like four of 'em.
Carnival Deli on the port side,
and Seafood Shack on the starboard side.
Carnival Deli is included in the price of your cruise,
whereas the Seafood Shack on the starboard side
has an a la carte menu.
Now this area was refurbished since Carnival Victory
and it's only one single deck.
It used to be a two-deck buffet
with a little barbecue section up on top on deck ten.
But don't worry, the barbecue didn't go too far,
because right upstairs is the Italian restaurant
Cucina del Capitano.
That's where dinner is $18 per person
and lunch is included in the price of your cruise.
And then on the very back of deck 10
is Guy Fieri's Pig and Anchor Barbecue,
which is also included in the price of your cruise
but it tends to have limited hours,
normally like from 11-to-2 or somewhere in there.
Not not open too long like the burger joint
where it's a consistent 12-to-6 every day.
As you make your way out of the buffet and go forward
you'll have the lido deck pool
and the massive Dive-in Movies screen.
Also two food favorites out here,
Guy's Burger Joint and the Blue Iguana Cantina.
Both of those venues are also included
in the price of your cruise and are open daily.
And the Blue Iguana Cantina
does serve a mean breakfast burrito,
so you'll want to check that out.
Normally it opens around 7:00 AM every morning.
The watering holes, the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar
and the Red Frog Rum Bar are both also located
out here by the pool.
As well as plenty of seating and shade
on both deck nine and up to deck 10 as well,
you'll notice there's a tiered
almost stadium-style seating arrangement here by the pool
where it kind of goes up from deck nine up to deck 10
and then up to the water park.
These stadium-style seats
are actually good for nighttime viewing too
because when they have the movies playing
on the Dive-in Movies screen,
grab a blanket, some popcorn,
and there you go, you have an evening.
Alright, up to deck number 10.
There's a designated smoking area
up here on the starboard side.
There's also additional seating on deck 10
if it's a little too packed for you down on deck nine,
whether it be at this aft pool or the midship pool,
so you can hang up here.
Also a good spot to people watch.
This deck 10 area, primetime seating
and a good bird's eye view.
You'll find the WaterWorks water park
is also up here on 10,
where you can take the stairs up to 14
and board one of the two slides if you want to.
Now forward of the pool area, just more staterooms.
Both decks 10 and 11 all have those Cloud 9 Spa staterooms,
which give you spa access throughout your cruise
and a few additional amenities,
like slippers and upgraded bath soaps and stuff like that.
So up to deck 11 forward, we have the fitness center.
Nicely done and positioned up here for a great workout view.
Especially if you come up here really early on a sea day
you pretty much have the gym all to yourself.
The Cloud 9 Spa is in this area as well.
You'll find treatment rooms, a salon,
as well as a thermal suite,
which has like a steam chamber, a sauna,
the waterfall showers, things like that.
It's not as large as some of the other thermal suites
on the Carnival ships, but for this ship,
only operating short three and four night cruises,
it serves its purpose.
Deck 11 aft is the jogging track
to get your miles in, in the morning preferably.
And in the middle of the jogging track is SportSquare.
Here you'll find the basketball court
and a ropes course.
One deck up above SportSquare,
on deck 12 is where you can play some mini golf.
They have also installed an ADA accessible elevator here,
if you have trouble with the stairs.
It's a fun golf course when it's not windy, although windy
can make it a little more challenging too for your swing.
Also some great views up here,
especially when you're leaving port.
Deck 12 forward is the adults-only Serenity area.
"No kids allowed," they say.
Carnival Radiance has a two-deck Serenity spot,
like a few other Carnival ships,
kind of all of one deck and half of the other deck
because it's divided by the kids' club on one deck.
This ship did not get the major Serenity treatment
like Carnival Sunshine did back in 2013
with the massive waterfall and the big freshwater pool,
but instead just a refreshed area.
Now if you're looking for the kids' club,
which is Camp Ocean, Club O2 and Circle C,
all three of those are located on deck 12 forward.
If you're looking for the water park entrance
for those two slides, that's located on deck 14.
Also two elevators in the forward bank
go all the way up to deck 14 as well.
One thing I will say about this ship
is Carnival seemed to learn
from the past Sunshine Class ships
what worked and what didn't, and evolved from there.
What do you think about Carnival Radiance?
Would you personally book it, or have you sailed it?
Let me know in the comments below
and thank you so much for watching.
Hey, it's Doug Parker and thanks for watching
the Cruise Radio YouTube channel.
You can find more interviews, ship tours and stories
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Thank you so much for watching.