It's finally embarkation day aboard Carnival Radiance. I have my passport, driver's license, boarding pass, negative Covid-19 test, and weekend bag. I boarded the ship in Long Beach, California, and parked my car right at the port. I do recommend watching your phone navigation closely so you don't miss the exit, which leads right to the port. It was a bit tricky. I missed it and had to go over a long bridge and go all the way around to try again...lol. I still got to the port on time. I gave myself enough time to get to the port and to allow for traffic. Once you park your car and go to the ground level of cruise parking, the entrance to the Carnival ship is straight ahead. There was a guide present, checking for my boarding pass and negative test. Then I went to another table to get checked in by another Carnival guide. Everyone was pleasant, professional, and had smiles on their faces. Then I walked up this ramp a ways to another photo check-in station for security purposes and then a final check-in at the counter, with a security photo also. Then, I sat for about 5 minutes and it was time to board the ship. Carnival lets you choose your boarding time so I chose between 11:00 and 11:30 since I normally eat lunch during that time. The rooms would not be ready until 1:30pm so it's normally a good time to grab lunch. I am taking a 3-day Baja Mexico Cruise, with one day at sea and then a stop in Ensenada, Mexico, and then back to Long Beach. This is a recap video of my first day getting settled into my interior stateroom, the sail away party, dinner (since I'm vegan I had the Indian cuisine each night), Bingo play, and the evening stage performance. Oh! There is a great opportunity to see dolphins during the sail away party too! I was at the right place at the right time to catch that moment.
Cruising is a great way to have an all-inclusive vacation experience (room, food, entertainment, and shore excursions) no matter how long you want it to be. It's a safe way to travel solo, with friends, or with someone you love. Carnival Radiance is a renovated ship so it was recently put back out to sea. If you have never cruised before, a weekend getaway is a great way to figure out if it's a vacation experience for you. There are many cruise lines to choose from and I recommend giving them all a go! Then, you can narrow down your favorites for future cruises. Enjoy! Day 2: Day at Sea, of my 3-Day Baja Mexico cruise, is on the way!
