Carnival Radiance Itinerary

What Carnival Radiance's Autumn Mexican Riviera / Baja Season Is Actually Like

Carnival Radiance spends the fall shuttling out of Los Angeles on short Baja hops, with two Hawaii marathons wedged in like a very long plot twist. Here's the honest rundown, before you pack a parka for Cabo or flip-flops for Ensenada.

Weather and sea: mostly lovely, occasionally moody

The Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially runs May 15 through November 30. That covers every departure through the November 28 sailing, so expect the odd itinerary tweak on those. The November 28 14-night is the sneaky one: it leaves two days before the season ends, then spends most of its trip, including the return leg, in December. The sailings departing December 12 and later fall entirely after the season ends. Cabo San Lucas, at the southern tip of the peninsula, is the warm stop. Weather2travel puts its average daily highs at 84°F in November and 81°F in December, with sea temperatures of 81°F and 75°F. Ensenada sits far up the coast, so that's the port where you'll be glad you brought a layer. Baja's dress code is basically "sun, but make it a sweater." The sea is pleasant rather than bathwater, so treat the pool deck as "brisk" and call it character.

What's sailing, and where

Our database doesn't record ports for these sailings. The ports below come from third-party listings (Cruise.us, CruiseSheet, TaoTicket) and should be checked with Carnival before you book. Every sailing starts and ends at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, which is the "Los Angeles" in these listings.

What the ports are actually worth

• Cabo San Lucas: The glamour stop. Go for the Arch and the water-taxi boat rides. It's usually a tender port, so allow extra time getting ashore.
• Ensenada: A working Mexican city, not a resort. It's good for fish tacos, a wander along the waterfront, and the La Bufadora blowhole. Carnival's Ensenada Bay Village, a shoreside project with an investment of more than $26 million, is expected to open by 2028, subject to the progress of construction. So for now, it's the classic version.
• Santa Catalina: A small, pretty island town. It's best for a lazy day of coffee, golf-cart rentals and a stroll, and you'll probably tender in.

Which length suits whom

The 3- and 4-night sailings are quick taster trips. They work for first-timers, couples on a long weekend, and anyone testing whether cruising is their thing. The 5- and 6-night Cabo sailings are the sweet spot, because you get real sun plus enough sea days to actually use the ship. The Radiance carries 2,984 passengers across 12 decks, so there's plenty to do. The 14-night Hawaii runs are a different animal. They spend about four sea days each way, and you only get a handful of island stops. Book them for the Hawaii part and a long, lazy stretch at sea, not for beach bingeing. If you're planning two weeks onboard, the cabin size guide is worth a look before you commit to an inside box.

Holiday crowds and pricing

Thanksgiving week (the Nov 22 sailing) and the Christmas and New Year's departures (Dec 20, 26 and 30) are the busy ones, and fares tend to be higher then. For a sense of the range, Cruisebound lists the November 3 5-night sailing from $264 per person for an interior cabin. It lists the November 28 14-night Hawaii sailing from $1,510 per person for an oceanview cabin (listing). Both fares exclude taxes and port fees, and they move, so check the live price before you book.

What to pack

• Layers: shorts and swimsuits for Cabo, and a sweatshirt or light jacket for Ensenada, Catalina and breezy evenings on deck.
• Sun protection, because Baja sun doesn't care that it's November.
• Closed-toe shoes for Ensenada's uneven pavement.
• Passports, which are the simplest option for any Mexico sailing.

The ship itself

This is a Sunshine Class ship, refurbished in 2022. Its latest CDC Vessel Sanitation Program score is 96 out of 100, from the July 9, 2026 inspection. You can check how that compares on our CDC inspection lookup, or see everything we have on the Carnival Radiance ship page.