A Mother's Day Family Cruise on Carnival Radiance

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Aug 5

In May 2025, Amanda and I returned to Carnival Radiance for a three-night cruise from Long Beach to Ensenada. Our first sailing on the ship had been in February 2022, when an unusually low post-pandemic fare introduced us to the convenience of cruising from our home port. This time, the reason for traveling was Mother's Day—and Daniel joined us.

The itinerary was nearly identical, but traveling as a family made it a different experience. Instead of treating the cruise as a quick getaway for two, we were learning how well a short Baja sailing worked with a toddler.

Jason, Amanda and Daniel aboard Carnival Radiance overlooking the Long Beach cruise terminal.

Our Mother's Day weekend itinerary

The cruise followed Carnival's familiar three-night Baja schedule:

• Friday, May 9: Depart Long Beach at 4:00 p.m.
• Saturday, May 10: Day at sea
• Sunday, May 11: Ensenada from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Monday, May 12: Return to Long Beach at 8:00 a.m.

Mother's Day fell on our day in Ensenada. The Friday-to-Monday schedule made the trip easy to fit into a long weekend, and leaving from Long Beach again removed the need for flights, airport transfers or an additional hotel stay.

Why we chose another balcony cabin

We booked a balcony cabin, as we normally do when cruising. We may not spend long periods sitting outside, but having a private place to get fresh air is valuable—especially when traveling with a young child and wanting a break from the crowds elsewhere on the ship.

A balcony also provides flexibility during naps, early mornings and the moments when one parent remains in the room. It lets the cabin feel connected to the destination rather than becoming only a place to sleep.

Amanda walking hand in hand with Daniel in a tuxedo aboard Carnival Radiance.

Carnival Radiance with a toddler

Returning to the same ship allowed us to experience Carnival Radiance from a new perspective. Activities that had barely registered when we cruised as a couple became much more important when traveling with Daniel.

The Dr. Seuss character experiences were among the most visually memorable parts of the weekend. Daniel could participate in simple activities around the ship, while we still enjoyed the relaxed pace of a sea day and the convenience of having meals, entertainment and our cabin close together.

A three-night sailing can be a useful introduction to cruising with a toddler. It is long enough to settle into the ship but short enough that the logistics do not become overwhelming. If something does not go perfectly, home is only a few days away.

Daniel meeting Sam-I-Am during a Dr. Seuss family activity on Carnival Radiance.

Jason, Amanda and Daniel posing with Thing 1 and Thing 2 aboard Carnival Radiance.

The Dr. Seuss breakfast was worth the add-on

We also reserved the Dr. Seuss-themed breakfast for Daniel. It was an inexpensive add-on and one of the easiest family activities to recommend from the cruise.

The appeal was not simply the meal. Daniel had time to interact with the characters in a setting designed for young children, while the colorful Seuss-themed breakfast foods made an ordinary morning feel like an event. At his age, that combination mattered more than an elaborate production or an activity intended primarily for adults.

For families cruising with a toddler, the breakfast offered good value without requiring a large commitment of time or money. Daniel enjoyed the character encounters, and watching his reaction made it worthwhile for us as well.

Formal black-background portrait of Jason, Amanda and Daniel during their Mother’s Day cruise.

Celebrating Mother's Day at sea

The cruise gave us a simple way to make Mother's Day feel like an occasion. Amanda did not have to plan an elaborate trip or spend the weekend moving between hotels and airports. Once we boarded in Long Beach, the accommodations, meals and activities were all in one place.

We also took advantage of the opportunity to have family portraits made aboard the ship. Those photographs became more meaningful than a typical cruise souvenir because they captured this particular stage of traveling together while Daniel was still very young.

Jason and Amanda at the Ensenada waterfront sign with Carnival Radiance in the background.

Arranging a La Bufadora tour in Ensenada

After arriving in Ensenada, we went into town and arranged transportation at the shuttle stop rather than purchasing an excursion in advance. We joined a tour traveling south of the city to La Bufadora, the well-known marine blowhole on the Punta Banda peninsula.

Booking after arrival gave us the flexibility to decide what we wanted to do once we were ashore. It was also a straightforward option for reaching an attraction outside the walkable center of Ensenada without arranging a private vehicle.

Amanda and Daniel together at a coastal overlook near La Bufadora in Ensenada.

Visiting La Bufadora

The ride to La Bufadora felt long for the amount of time we ultimately spent at the destination. After leaving the bus, we walked through the corridor of shops and food stands leading toward the blowhole, made our way to the viewpoint, had lunch and then returned to Ensenada.

La Bufadora is one of the area's most recognizable attractions, and it can be worthwhile for a first-time visitor who wants to see it and mark it off the list. Our honest assessment, however, is that the destination itself did not justify the lengthy round-trip bus ride for us.

The marketplace and lunch added more to the outing, but we would not consider the excursion essential on every visit to Ensenada. Travelers with limited port time—or families deciding how long their toddler will tolerate a bus—should weigh the travel time against other things they could do closer to town.

Would we take the La Bufadora tour again?

Probably not, but that does not mean we regret going. We saw the landmark once, explored the surrounding shops and experienced a part of the Ensenada area we had not visited on our earlier cruise.

That distinction matters when reviewing shore excursions. Something can be worth doing once without becoming an experience we would repeat. On a future Ensenada visit, we would be more inclined to spend the day exploring restaurants, historic bars, the waterfront or other places closer to the port.

Final thoughts

Our Mother's Day cruise on Carnival Radiance showed why these short sailings work so well for Southern California families. We could drive to Long Beach, unpack once and spend the weekend together without making the trip unnecessarily complicated.

The ship was familiar, but traveling with Daniel made the experience new. The balcony gave us useful private space, the sea day allowed us to settle into family cruising, and the Dr. Seuss breakfast and character activities provided memorable moments designed for young children. La Bufadora was worthwhile as a one-time excursion, even if the long bus ride made it unlikely that we would repeat it.

Most importantly, the cruise gave Amanda a Mother's Day weekend that felt special while remaining easy to plan. For us, that combination is one of the strongest reasons to keep returning to cruises from Long Beach.