Carnival Radiance Cruise -- March 2022 (Day 3)

Despite taking melatonin and my 8-hour sleep aid again, it took a good long while to fall asleep. I think I was fretting about getting suckered into the fancy photo shoot and worrying about how we'd fit the viewing into our schedule. Also wasn't sure whether we were going to get off the ship or not. Totally playing it by ear till the last minute. The day before (sea day), Jed and Paea had indicated interest in getting off the ship just to get away from the crowds and sensory overload. I get the feeling that they, like Allan, are all a bit more introverted than I am. 

We met up for breakfast around 9:00am, and although there were a lot of people at the Lido buffet, it was nowhere near full. We got good seats by the portside windows, and got views of people starting to trickle out through Deck 0. At that point we were still undecided about whether to stay or get off. I had prepared either way, printing out a map of Ensenada and familiarizing myself with the walking directions to get to the main tourist area. 

Once the ship started to empty, Paea and Jed decided that it wasn't so bad after all, and opted to stay on board. So after breakfast, we donned our swimsuits and hopped into the hot tub on the Serenity deck-- so peaceful and quiet! Allan wasn't interested and opted to go back to the room to get some rest-- he'd be back up once the bar opened ;-) So the 3 of us just relaxed and enjoyed the warm sun, cool air, and massaging jets. Jed even tried out the two water slides, since the lines were empty! 

Afterward, I made my way to the Pixels gallery, where I figured out that you can't purchase digital prints off the Hub app on your phone-- you have to purchase them from the iPad kiosks (so odd! Why is this not just directly available on your phone??) I watched with amusement as Tiago (the comedy club announcer) led a round of trivia for the approximately dozen people hanging out in the lobby bar. 

I met up with Paea and Jed (and evnetually Allan) for lunch. They opted for non-buffet fare, like the deli and Guy's burgers. I should have done the same. Instead, I went for the cajun-themed buffet food, which, uncharacteristically, was terrible. Meat was overcooked and sides were oversalted. But at least the desserts did not disappointed! It was all chocolate-themed, so I grabbed the larger dinner plate instead of the smaller dessert plate, to better fit 4 samplings of dessert :-D 

After lunch, Paea went back to his room to relax, while Jed, Allan and I hung out in the lobby bar to partake of trivia. Jed left after an hour, while Allan and I hung around for more. We befriended some of the guys in the couch next to us ("ZZ Top" and his friends, from Glendora-- not far from us!) and just had a grand ol' time. 

At 4:00pm we met Iryna at the Dreams Studio where she put on a slide show on the computer (hooked up to the large screen TV) showcasing all of our pictures. A few were very good, some were cheesy, and some were downright funny-- like the shot of Allan kissing my cheek, and me making a face that looks like I'm trying to get away, LOL! Some of the poses were awkward, and it showed on our faces! We ended up selecting 3 of our favorites and ordering a package that included 10x13 prints and digital versions of those 3 pics. 

Afterward, we headed over to the Red Frog Bar for some karaoke! Must be popular because the line just to sign up was long, despite arriving right on time at 4:30! It took almost an hour till it was my turn. With the crowd hopping, I decided to go with "Redneck Woman". Allan took pictures of me, and a pic of one of my "fans" waving her arms in the air to my singing :-) 

Final dinner in the MDR-- so sad! I opted for the cheese plate and chocolate martini for dessert-- and the servers wrote my name in the chocolate sauce that gets swirled in the glass before the drink is poured. Awww! 

After dinner, Allan decided to retire back to the room to rest some more. We would have liked to catch Doug's last show, but after the hullabaloo that was the oversized, loud crowd from last night, we decided to skip it. I'm sad that we didn't get to say one last goodbye to Doug, get our picture taken with him, and buy some merchandise to support him, but hopefully he'll be performing on land somewhere nearby (LA?) and we can make the drive down to see him. Methinks paying crowds will be a lot less rowdy than Carnival cruise crowds ;-) 

Instead, Jed, Paea and I opted to check out the piano bar, which was FREEZING. I was a little disappointed that it was basically just a performance rather than a lively sing-along that I'm used to from other Piano Bar shows on Carnival. Maybe it was because he decided to do a Broadway theme. He was a good singer, but not a good performer, because often times the piano was too loud and drowned out his singing. Or maybe it was just technical difficulties. In any event, Broadway songs aren't all that exciting or sing-along-ready, so that was a bit disappointing. 

Afterward, we visited Iryna again to check out our final prints (she had to touch up some of the photos) and give the "ok" as well as pay for it so I could claim the products the next day. 

From there, the 4 of us trooped over to the sushi place again for some late-night grub. Jed and Paea split the sushi boat-- it was a LOT of food. 3 pieces of nigiri each, two rolls, salad, and miso soup. I got a few pieces of nigiri and the yuzu custard. The custard was delicious (and had an interesting texture) but the portion was way bigger than expected-- especially for only $2!? 

And that was that! Back in our rooms by 11:30pm, where I began packing up to get ready for debarkation the next day...