pghsteelerfan

Great start to your review!  We just sailed on Panorama last October and did the 8-day, same as you.  Our itinerary had to be rearranged due to Tropical Storm, then Hurricane Lidia.  Instead of our first port being Cabo, we had a sea day.  La Paz and Mazatlan were as scheduled.  We missed Puerto Vallarta but went to Cabo instead for one full day and were in Cabo again the next day for a half day.  We loved Panorama, nice layout.  The largest ships we've been on prior were the Conquest Class so wasn't sure how we'd feel about being on a ship as large as Panorama but we really thought the layout was designed well and it never felt crowded/or were sailing with almost double the amount of passengers we're used to.  I'm looking forward to following along for the rest and thank you for taking the time to do a review.  I've done reviews in the past but failed to do one for Panorama.  We just took in the cruise this time. 

I've been looking forward to your review!  I still don't get on CC that often, never seem to have the time.  LOL!  But so glad I found it.  As usual, I'm really enjoying it.  So far, your weather is opposite of what ours was but don't think your itinerary got rearranged due to a hurricane either.  Loved your pics of all of Panorama's venues - sure miss her and I'm hoping to do it again, need to get to PV.  I'm definitely with you about sea days, lots to do but we get so bored.  That's probably one of the reasons we aren't cruising as much, too many 7-day cruises with only 3 ports and that's just not for us.  We've been doing short beach trips to NC, went to Myrtle, FL, and NOLA with friends, and 2 weeks in Hawaii in 2017.  Sorry they didn't have the ship ornament on your cruise either.  I'm beginning to wonder if they even have them at all.  I check Ebay at least every few days and never see any for Panorama, Vista, or Horizon but they seem to have the other classes.  I'm definitely looking forward to the rest and sure hope the weather got better for you guy.  Oh, it's so nice to "meet" Karl, he seems like such a nice kid & he and Sakari are so cute together. 

On 11/13/2023 at 6:56 PM, Jamman54 said:

Patti continues to explore the Pointe Seraphine shopping area…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love St. Lucia, one of my favorites!  I really thought Valor and Liberty towered above the port area but Venezia looks huge in comparison!  I did see at the beginning that Venezia is very similar to Panorama (Vista & Horizon) and we were just on Panorama but to see the size from that angle - wow!  I love the new St. Lucia sign!  This is one place I'd love to get back to. The southern itinerary out of San Juan was our favorite, the scenery of the islands is just spectacular.  I'm really enjoying following along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Dana!  I really enjoyed your review and reliving part of our cruise!  We just got back from an unscheduled, emergency trip to PA for a week since my dad ended up having triple bypass surgery.  All good and he's such a trooper, no one there can believe he's 91!  We got back this weekend and can finally get back on CC. 

We did the self-debark and they had us waiting down on Deck 5 (outside).  Luckily it was a nice, sunny and warm day since it seemed to take forever for them to call our number.  Sometime between 9:30 and 10, a couple others out there with us who were also still waiting for their numbers to be called said we should all just go now and that's what we did.  LOL!!!  The lines had really died down so I don't know why they were weren't calling numbers.  We took an Uber from our hotel to board Panorama and it was that Uber driver that told us it can be hard to get an Uber when getting off the ship on Sunday's.  We were thinking about getting a cab but then after going to Deon's debarkation talk, we decided to just get the transport through Carnival to the airport.  We caught the tail end of the towel animal demonstration while we were waiting for the debarkation talk.  We normally don't attend, but our head waiter strongly suggested it and, well, it was Deon.  We really enjoyed him and the debarkation talk was actually fun/entertaining.  I'm kind of kicking myself for not doing a review this time but it had been so long.  I wasn't able to get screen shots of all the menus (had forgotten at first) and even forget what we had for dinner some nights - didn't get pics.  Hopefully the next cruise.  I don't know when/where our next cruise will be yet but may do one that goes to Aruba/Curacao since that would be some new places for us.  We had Magic booked in May 2020 out of Miami that went to HMC, Grand Turk, Aruba, and Curacao.  Hope to find that itinerary again.  I still miss the itinerary out of San Juan, my favorite. Thank you for taking the time to do another review - I've always enjoyed yours. 

On 1/30/2024 at 11:46 PM, willdra said:

 

Oh you got to go on the longer cruise! I wanted to do that one, but our vacay dates didn't allow it. Maybe this year it will work out! 😍

Yes, it was the longer cruise BUT there were a few hiccups.  First, we sat in the same back-up you guys did when entering the port but when our Uber driver dropped us off, no porters to be found.  We were walking around for about 10 minutes until we found them.  They were still carting off luggage from previous cruise.  Panorama was late getting in the morning we boarded (fog), so that probably had something to do with it.  Love the "heart attack hill" - truth!  LOL!!!  The fuel barge was also late so when we were supposed to sail away, Panorama was still getting fuel.  We left @ around 8PM but wow, seeing Long Beach lit up after dark, that beautiful sunset - not a problem for me.  Also, due to the tropical storm that became Hurricane Lidia, they changed the itinerary.  Two sea days at the beginning, La Paz and Mazatlan as scheduled, we missed PV (Hurricane hit in that area, think just south) and went to Cabo instead and had a full day.  We had a bonus half day (morning) in Cabo as well, then a sea day before returning to Long Beach.  We had great weather in ports, rain was ahead of us and it apparently rained in La Paz the day before we were there, then rain in Mazatlan the day before as well. 

I never really payed any attention to our CD's (Jorge Saldano, the comedian, was our CD on Glory in 2010) but we had Deon "Woo Woo" and I tell ya, he was GREAT!  Now I understand how a cruise director can really have an influence on the entire cruise.  He actually did the whole life jacket demonstration at the beginning of the sail away party (normal time in the afternoon when we were originally scheduled to sail out).  We sat on those benches just to the left of where you were for sail away.  We just reported to muster station, checked in, and were on our way to Lido.  I felt the same way about Jorge Saldano.  Saw him twice and both nights were the same.  We sat in back and I dozed off too.  LOL!!!  Do you know if they had Panorama ship ornaments on your cruise?  Didn't have them on ours, checked every day.  Someone did tell us that due to the fog, they didn't get all the shipments in for our cruise. 

I loved the whole cruise, even with the hiccups and was really impressed with Panorama.  The largest ships we've been on prior to that were the Conquest Class (Glory, Valor, & twice on Liberty).  I wasn't sure how I'd feel sailing with almost twice as many people but the layout of Panorama was so nicely done that it never felt crowded.  Hope to cruise again and soon - I missed it!  Our last was 2015 on Liberty out of San Juan.  Had two booked (2020 and 2021) but both were cancelled.  The 2021 was to be out of San Juan on Fascination, but Carnival had to sell her. 

I'm really enjoying your review, just as I have the others I have read.  I need to get caught up, haven't been on CC since shortly after Covid shut everything down.  Thanks for taking the time to do these!

On 2/1/2024 at 10:29 AM, deladane said:

We still had a few minutes before it was time to go downstairs for dinner, so we decided to check out the “secret deck.”  I kept meaning to go out there all week, but it is extremely windy when the ship is at sea, so we never had a chance until now.  The secret decks are located all the way forward on most of the upper decks on this ship, and anyone can access them if you know where to go.  Since we were on deck 9, we walked all the way forward, then turned the corner to the hallway with the forward-facing cabins.  There aren’t many doors up there so it was easy to find the door out to the secret deck:

 

 

This deck was above the bridge, so it is bigger than the other secret decks and extended out beyond the sides of the ship.  We were the only people out there, so it was a nice place to take some photos of the port area while we were still docked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a staircase leading up to the secret deck on deck 10, but we didn’t go up there, much to Ian’s dismay.

 

 

It was now 5:27pm, so we went back inside through this door to get down to the MDR for dinner.

 

 

We tried going out one of the nights while we were at sea and couldn't see a thing.  One of those things I totally forgot to do while it was light.  So glad you went out and got pictures!  I'm really enjoying your review and loved all of the zoo pictures.  Those steep pathways remind me of a park which was formerly a golf course until 2019 that is a mile up the road that I walk to often.  The former golf cart paths are used as walking trails and some of those hills are steep.  No beautifuly painted walls along the sides, just trees, grass, & weeds. 

Looking forward to this one - love your reviews!  I haven't really been on CC since Covid & haven't cruised since 2015 until last October when we cruised on Panorama.  You boarded her the day we were kicked off.  😂

I've used Shutterfly for years, have done 7 cruise vacation photo books and always loved the quality.  I just started working on my 8th since we cruised this past October.  I'm curious to see if the quality is still the same since 2015 was the last time I did one.  I'm really hoping but saw this post to get some other ideas just in case, so will be following. 

17 hours ago, Crusin Karen said:

Hi Holly! Good to see you posting again! 👏👍I’m still loving the Liberty! I had just been thinking of your Google earth pictures! Last cruise pre Covid was magic. Loved her so booked for last June but was switched to Venezia. Just cruised her for 2nd time 1/6-1/14 and I’m booked on 3 more. Not in a position to cruise from anywhere except home port now so Venezia will be my home away from home! I am looking into NCL escape winter ‘25 so we’ll see! 

It's definitely been a while!  We were on Panorama out of Long Beach, CA, this past October for 8-day Mexican Riviera with the bonus stop in La Paz.  Loved it but didn't do a review.  We had two cruises booked that ended up cancelled.  May 2020 on Magic and Oct/Nov. 2021 on Fascination out of San Juan.  Booked Panorama in May 2021, shortly after the Fascination cruise was canceled, and it was here before we knew it and I had nothing planned!  LOL!!!  We loved it and loved Panorama, although larger ship with 2x as many passengers as we're used to but the layout of Panorama was done really well so it never felt crowded.  And now seeing Jamman54's review of Venezia, it is definitely the same layout with a few differences in style mainly and the closed in Lido pool.  Is your email still the same one you had when we were last corresponding?  If not, mine is dgieh at comcast dot net.  🙂

On 10/20/2023 at 12:12 PM, Jamman54 said:

The early bird gets the people-less pictures! 😁

Exactly!!!  🙂  Tried to "like" the post but that doesn't seem to be working at the moment.  Really enjoying your review and Patti's pictures!  I'll be entertained for a while.  🙂

11 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Hey Holly! So great to see you posting here again. We've missed you! We've cruised quite a bit post Covid,  so you have quite a bit to catch up on. We just got back from the Celebration so another review will be going up shortly. Good to see you're dipping your toes back into cruising. Do you have any more planned? 😃

I've missed everyone here too!  I was thrilled the other day when I hopped on and saw a lot of familiar names.  This was our first cruise since Covid.  We were booked on Magic in May 2020 (out of Miami to HMC, GT, Aruba, & Curacao), which obviously was canceled.  We also had the Fascination booked out of San Juan for Oct/Nov. 2021 which was also canceled, not directly due to Covid but because Fascination was sold.  We took the full refund for Magic and got vouchers for the airfare which we needed to use by end of 2022, but that summer United extended that to the end of 2023.  Shortly after the Fascination cruise was canceled, I found the Panorama 8-day that included La Paz and booked that in May 2021.  We currently have no cruises booked but our normal habit is booking cruises 3 months (or less) from the sail date.  We want to go on one that goes down to Arbua/Curacao but now I'd really love to to the Panorama again.  They will be offering more 8-days cruises that include La Paz regularly in 2025.  We didn't get to Puerto Vallarta but did end up with an extra half day in Cabo due to a hurricane.  Just wish Carnival would put another ship down in San Juan to do that itinerary again at some point - that was our favorite. 

1 hour ago, mitsugirly said:

 

Those were the most amazing pictures!! I'm so excited now! The ship looks amazing too and I can't wait. Thanks so much for sharing them. 

Thank you and so glad they got through without any issues.  Panorama is definitely an amazing ship and even though we prefer smaller ships, we wouldn't hesitate to sail on her or her sister ships again.  I still want to to that same 8-day itinerary with La Paz again.  Happy to share and thank you too, for always sharing your trips and beautiful pictures with all of us. 

On 10/18/2023 at 1:46 PM, Crusin Karen said:

Oh!!!! Haven’t been on CC in a few days. Was just wondering if you were still on Venezia and I found your review. I am SO EXCITED for this!     👍👏🤗👍👏🤗 Great you booked another cruise on her; I’ll be on January 8 day, March 11 day and May 11 day. Wish at least ONE of them was same cruise as yours! 😥 YEA for you and Patti! 😎

Hi Karen!  It's been a while - so happy to see you here too!  We haven't cruised since our 2015 Liberty cruise out of San Juan (land vacations instead & the Covid shutdown).  I haven't been on CC since shortly after the 2020 shutdown.  Been keeping myself active and spending a lot less time on the computer but looks like I'm getting addicted to CC again.  So happy to find Jamman54's review and so happy to see you and a few others I feel I know too! 

So happy I found your review!  I've just started.  I haven't been on CC since right after the Covid shutdown and have been doing a lot of walking in our neighborhood (it's pretty large) and doing 5K's which keep me motivated to keep walking.  I don't want to sit and rust, as a good friend's mom puts it.  LOL!!!  We finally cruised again this past October on Panorama, the 8 day out of Long Beach.  I was on CC twice a few months prior, briefly, looking in the Ports of Call section for things to do in La Paz (not much info).  I just happened to get on here again the other day seeing if anyone knew if ship ornaments for Panorama actually exist.  I wasn't able to get one on our cruise, they didn't have any.  Checking Ebay practically ever day since our cruise, I've never seen one for Panorama (or Vista & Horizon, all Vista Class ships). While doing the search, I saw Mitsugirly's post asking about the Panorama/same itinerary we just did & saw Deladane has a review of Panorama, same itinerary.  Just browsing through, I found yours!  So glad, I always enjoyed your reviews and looked forward to them and really looking forward to this one (just started).  We haven't been on a cruise since our last Liberty cruise out of San Juan in 2015!  We have been on other vacations, just not cruises.  We had two that were canceled due to Covid but have been on other vacations, so we haven't been deprived. 

12 hours ago, mitsugirly said:

  @pghsteelerfan thanks for all the detailed information!!! I messaged you. I can't wait to see your pictures. 

I got it!  Saw this morning but so much running around today and figuring out HOW to share those Shutterfly links to the pics.  You can no longer email them to yourself but I think I got it figured out.  Will reply with those links after dinner.  🙂

9 hours ago, deladane said:

 

Thank you!  Oh yes, I would have been nervous about hearing lots of noise overhead in that cabin, so I'm glad it was quiet for you.  Did you find that the overhang provided extra shade compared to a regular balcony?  And did the overhang impact your view?

We've been right under Lido on our Valor and our second Liberty cruise and it really was never an issue. On the Liberty cruise, my husband did say he could hear the deck party after our day in Barbados going late but I fell asleep and didn't hear a thing.  We could occasionally hear chairs being moved around, but it was usually fairly quiet at night.  We did get a little extra shade on the balcony and I noticed in my pictures that you could always see it, but for some pictures I just worked around it.  Attached a pic so you could see what it looked like.  This was when we were sailing into Mazatlan before the ship turned and docked. 

On 1/22/2024 at 11:04 AM, deladane said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew that the Baja Peninsula was in a desert climate, but I had no idea they had this many cacti!  I live in Phoenix.  I see cactus every day, but rarely do I see so many cacti so close together.  It was beautiful!

 

 

 

I have the same picture from the bus window of the cacti!!!  They handled the shuttle busses differently than they did on our cruise.  Due to the change in our itinerary because of the tropical storm that became Hurricane Lidia, we had two sea days at the beginning, La Paz and Mazatlan as scheduled, then two days (the second a half day) in Cabo.  We missed Puerto Vallarta due to the hurricane.  On that second sea day at the beginning is when you could get tickets for the busses.  Tickets were available on Deck 10, just inside the pool area at 2PM but the line started forming at 1:30.  We wanted the earliest time so I got in line for our tickets.  We got the time I wanted, fortunately.  There were a lot of complaints about that and the confusion.  So glad you got to sleep in a little and didn't have a long wait.  Maybe that's one of the issues the Carnival worked out because a lot of people were complaining about that whole fiasco.  LOL!  I'm really enjoying your review and beautiful pictures.  I used my phone for most of my pictures too!

On 1/24/2024 at 6:35 AM, mitsugirly said:

 

Hi Holly!! Good to hear from you...its been awhile. 

 

Thanks so much for your review from the Panaorama! I can't believe you didn't do a complete review. Sorry you didn't make it to PV but at least you made it to the other ports. Yeah, no review this time.  We actually had this one booked in May 2021.  We had Magic booked in May 2020 and Fascination in Oct. 2021 out of San Juan, but both were cancelled.  We took full refund for Magic and got airline vouchers that we needed to use originally by the end of 2022 then United changed it so we had till the end of 2023, that worked out PERFECTLY!  We moved the down payment from Fascination to Panorama when I saw they had itineraries with La Paz added.  So it was the longest wait since we usually book 3 months (sometimes less) in advance.  Last year we found our cat (only one left out of the 4 we had last time we cruised in 2015) had potential heart issues and no way was I going to leave him for a vacation if things were "iffy".  We lost one at the very end of our 2 week HI trip in 2017, even though we had a pet sitter come every day.  She was more experienced with dogs and kind of dropped the ball, but I never should have left for that long.  So I never want to go through that again if I can help it.  I wasn't able to get our cat into the pet cardiologist until August and then it took our vet pulling some teeth to get the appointment.  They were booked through October.  So the "heart issue" was just a structural issue common in cats.  It's a false tendon in his heart chamber/ventricle - whatever, causing a "clicking" sound/murmur that was originally thought to be a "galloping rhythym" which our vet said "isn't good".  I'm not too familiar w/heart issues.  So now that the cruise was a go, it didn't leave me much time for planning.  Glad we changed the insurance to cancel for any reason when we made the final payment a couple months prior.  When we got back, I was uploading pictures to the computer and busy with every day things then by that time, the holidays were coming up so I never got around to organizing my pictures or anything and am just now getting started.  I have the Fun Times but forgot to get screen shots of the menus, you now, the kind of stuff everyone really wants to see.  LOL!!!  But definitely kicking myself for not doing a review.

 

Wow the bathroom situation in La Paz sounds like a nightmare for someone like me...I go a lot...probably from drinking so much pop. LOL  The desert there sounds really cool. I can't wait to see it. That will definitely be a different experience (and pictures for me 😄 )  I drank a lot of coffee that morning and then water, so no bathroom is a problem for me too!  LOL!!! 

 

Mazatlan: What did you think about Deer Island? I liked Deer Island.  Water was warm.  When we were there in Jan. 2000, we were at the beach you can see from the island on the mainland - water was FREEZING!  I have seen that mentioned while I was googling things in Mazatlan and put it on "my list" to check out. Did you feel it was worth the money to just spend a few hours there?  I'm mixed on that, kind of "yes" and "no".  The tour was 5 hours so was thinking we'd have plenty of beach time, like with Spencer Amrose's Jalouise Beach break in St. Lucia.  We spent about 45 minutes in a bus, some of that was waiting to leave because a few were late getting to the bus.  The boat ride from the marina was over a half hour, each way but they did keep those drinks flowing, to and from.  Then the bus ride back.  I think we had a little over 2 hours at the beach.  Lunch was served as well.  Was that enough time? I'd have preferred at least 3 hours, but that's just me.  I do wish that they would include actual times (bus ride, boat to island, actual beach time).   Was there any snorkeling there? When we were there, the water wasn't rough but a little too choppy for good visibility to snorkel. That tropical storm that became a hurricane had just moved through that area the day before our visit and they told us it rained pretty much all day the previous day. But I do know Deer Island can have potentially good snorkeling, just not when we were there. Pretty beach?  I thought it was pretty, loved the views toward the Mazatlan mainland, but I've been to much prettier beaches.  Definitely a different view looking to the mainland and all of the high rise hotels along the beach on that section of the mainland. Any place to explore in that area?  They seemed to have wanted us to stay in that general area, probably due to time limits to get back/for lunch and all.  I believe there are trails on the island, but we stayed in the general area they wanted us.

 

Cabo: Who did you use for the Land's End tour to the arch and snorkeling? We did the excursion through Carnival.  Was it a Carnival excursion?  Yes.  How was the snorkeling? WE didn't do any snorkeling on the tour, we just took the boat ride out to see the arch and rock formations.  It was about 45 minutes long.  The time we snorkeled was the Jan. 2000 cruise.  Water was freezing then.  I only lasted about 20 minutes, not a fan of cold water.  I've seen a few snorkeling pictures here and there and it looks like they have some different types of fish to see in this part (compared to what we are used to seeing in the Caribbean...like a black and white spotted puffer!!!!) Do you know where they took you to snorkel? Was it over close to Pelican Rock? Or the sea lions?  When we were there in Jan. 2000, the snorkeling was along those rocks, near Pelican Rock and the sea lions.  I believe it's in the same spot.  How did you feel about Medano Beach? I've seen that mentioned in tours I've looked up online as well. Any snorkeling there? Pretty beach? Places to explore?  We liked Medano Beach.  We went down to the right (when facing the water) and got an umbrella.  Just enjoyed the beach there, didn't really go exploring since it was mainly hotels along that stretch.  It was pretty, water a very pretty blue, clear, and warm while we were there.  The bottom is all sand, no rocky areas where we were.  There is a rocky area down at the far end (way down to the left if facing the water).  Might be snorkeling there but I don't know.  It does get crowded right around that water taxi drop off/pick up area.  How far of a boat ride is it on the water taxi there?  We just took the water taxi after our tour to see the arch.  Think it was only $10 (thinking per person).  Very short ride, like 10 minutes.  There is a drop off/pick up area and they run back and forth throughout the day.  Do you know if the water taxi takes you to Lovers/Divorce beach?  Yes, they'll take you anywhere I believe. Even out to see the arch/other rock formations.  Are they just running back and forth all day? Yes, the ones to Medano Beach do. Or do they wait for you while you are at the beach? That, I'm not sure since we didn't do that.  You can set a pick up time, which we did. We prepaid so when they came back, they called out to us.  But we could have just taken the water taxi there and got any of them for the return trip.  I'm so confused on how this all works. I've seen videos of people taking the water taxi and said they waited on them while they were at the beach...but I just can't imagine since they would be losing money if they weren't continuously running. Is the beach you are talking about right next to town and Land's End a snorkeling beach? Yes.  Do you know what it's called?  According to Google Earth, it's called "Playa Publica Cabo San Lucas", translates to public beach (don't know any Spanish, only a few words and I know playa is beach and publica is public.  LOL!

 

So glad to hear it never felt crowded. A lot of people seem to be saying that. I keep telling myself I'm going to go back to cruising smaller ships because of the crowd...but yet here I am on another big ship. LOL  They have an 80's deck party?  Yes!  Woo Hoo! Sakari will love it. We really enjoyed it!  So glad that's something Sakari will love!  Can't believe she's no longer a little "munchkin", time really flies!  Heck, my niece and nephews are all now out of high school!  That time flew!!! Did you feel it was cold out on the deck during this? We actually didn't, it was rather warm (at least it was in October) and kind of muggy.  It was chilly inside the ship (the air conditioning), but outside it was nice.  Had to change back into shorts.  Or by deck, did you mean it was inside somewhere?  Was it actually up on the open deck?  It's held on the lido deck, right at the main pool.

 

Where can I find your pictures?  I just got them uploaded into Shutterfly albums.  Needed to do that anyway since now that the holidays are over, I need them set up to start working on my photobook for our cruise.  Send me a link (if you have to on my blog).  I can definitely attach the links (have it broken down by each day, that way it should avoid confusion on which port is which).  Is there a particular spot in your blog to attach them?  From memory, I know there is a section for comments but can't remember now if that's under each individual review or if there is a general area.  I just want to get them where you can find them.  🙂  I bet they're beautiful!  I did get a few good ones, nothing spectacular like the beautiful pictures you get.  Most were actually with my phone, love how the colors are true to what it actually looked like, compared to my good camera.  Yea, we've still been having fun as well with land vacations and absolutely LOVE them. So much exploring to do.  I really need to get caught up on your blog!  I think the last one I saw was one of your trips to Cozumel and did see the St. Thomas one where your whole family went.

 

Oh my gosh...a film camera. I remember those days and impatiently waiting for them to come back to see if they were any good or not. I do not miss those days. LOL  Me either!  Now I'm free to take as many as I want.  LOL! 

 

Our cruise is March 30-April 7.  I'm not sure what the weather there is like in April but seeing as how Cabo and La Paz are more desert, guessing you shouldn't have to worry about too much rain. It was nice on the Jan. 2000 cruise (sunny/warm) but the water was cold.  I do remember the water in Puerto Vallarta was warmer but that is further south.  I understand about the whole spending time away from the computer these days. I've been doing the same until I started searching for another cruise/vacation to do. Now I'm immersed in everything I can soak up and looking up everything.  I wish I'd have made more time to spend on the computer researching!  I don't think I was on CC more than twice, both times in the ports of call section trying to research La Paz before our cruise, and then it was only for about a half hour each time.  It might have been my timing but did go over to the Carnival section for a few minutes and didn't recognize the names but since I've just been on, you've posted, Deladane has a wonderful review of her Panorama cruise going, and I even noticed Jamman54 commented on your post.  I need to get back into it - now to find more time. 

 

I REALLY hope they have some ship ornaments on the Panorama. Yes, we do collect them. We have 2 ships missing from our collection (Epic because we've done her twice and our Joy cruise...which they were out). I've done the same thing...checking ebay and Amazon and can't find either one. I've even posted on here for someone to check and haven't got a response (even in roll calls). Maybe some day I'll run across one. If they have any on the Panorama, I will get you one!  If they have the ship ornaments, that would be great if you could grab one for me too.  I'll definitely be happy pay for it and the shipping. .I know they've gone up in price but not sure what the exact price is. I think the ship model was $59 and they used to be $35.  I got the ship model anyway, have one for each of our now 8 cruises.  This one has a lot more detail than my others.  Heck, our last cruise was almost 9 years ago now!  The only other ornament I don't have is Festivale, our first cruise in 1992 (honeymoon) and I don't even know if they had the ship model ornaments then.  I was FINALLY able to get a model on Ebay about 10 years ago.

 

Hi Kim!  Sorry I didn't get back to you right away.  I am so disorganized right now it isn't funny.  LOL!!!  Now that the holidays are over, I've been doing the spring cleaning of our house.  Basically everything in this house I can reach gets washed, dusted, or polished.  I had to get the pictures into Shutterfly albums so I can get you links, so getting them ready to get you the links helped get that done.  🙂  I separated each album by day of the cruise, plus or one day prior (we went to a beach in San Pedro for about 2 hours since our flight got in around 11AM).  I've been needing to get them into Shutterfly albums so I can do my photobook. 

I'll answer your specific questions (will hi-light in red).  I can give you my email if you'd like if you have any more questions, have questions on individual pictures, etc.  Its dgieh at comcast dot net.  So happy to be back in touch with you and Dana (deladane) too!

. 
 

On 1/15/2024 at 11:11 AM, deladane said:

Just beyond the display case is a set of doors leading outside to the Lanai.  

 

 

This was one of my favorite parts of the ship.  Nearly the whole length of the ship on both the port and starboard sides, there is an open deck with nice padded loungers, dining tables, big round sunbeds, access to some of the specialty dining restaurants, and more.  The far forward section is blocked off for the crew members’ outdoor access, and the far aft section is reserved for passengers staying in the Havana cabins.  There is also a smoking section on the forward starboard side.  I love that deck 5 is always peaceful and relaxing, with no loud music or activities like on the Lido deck.  I also love that it is closer to the water level so we had a beautiful view of the ocean.  Sometimes it is so easy to forget that we are on a ship and not just a land-based resort, so it’s nice to spend some time with direct ocean views.  And the best part of the lanai?  It was never crowded!  I think a lot of people forget about this outdoor space and gravitate towards the Lido pool area, or maybe go up to Serenity.  Whenever we came down here, we had no trouble finding a lounger, and it was always quiet and fairly empty.

 

 

Since the deck extends out further than the balconies, you get a good view of the balcony cabins from here.  Of course, that means that when you are on your own balcony, it is never fully private as someone can possibly see you if they are looking up from deck 5.  Buyer beware!

 

 

 

Something to keep in mind when selecting your cabin on this ship:  I personally would never want a cabin on deck 9 midship where you are directly below the Lido pool, but there is one very slight advantage (at least for me).  If you look closely, you can see in the photo below that part of the upper deck extends out further than the balconies.  That bump out is from Lido deck, so the cabins below it on deck 9 have an extended roof above them, likely providing more shade than a standard balcony.  For me, that is a plus since I usually hide from the sun (as much as I love sunshine and sunny days, the sun does not love me and my fair skin!)  If you prefer more sun on your balcony and you pick a deck 9 cabin, make sure you are further forward than where this bump out begins, somewhere midway between the forward and midship elevators).

 

 

Funny you posted this pic, our balcony was one of those with the extended roof above us.  We were on the opposite side of Panorama and the Red Frog Rum bar was directly above us.  Never had any issues with a lot of noise and that was a concern.   

I'm really enjoying your review and, as always, your pictures are beautiful! 

Hi Dana!  It's been a LONG time!  I'm still around, just haven't been on CC for a quite some time!  We were finally on a cruise this past October - Panorama and the same itinerary that you just did, well, that's what was scheduled.  Our cruise was affected by Hurricane Lidia, so there was an itinerary change.  We ended up with 2 sea days at the beginning, missing Cabo since it wouldn't have been safe to tender; La Paz and Mazatlan were as scheduled; we missed Puerto Vallarta but it was replaced with Cabo.  We got a bonus 1/2 day in Cabo the next day, sea day, then back to Long Beach.  But still -  I loved it.  I want to do this one again.  Our last cruise before that was our Liberty cruise out of San Juan in 2015, so it's been a while.  We've still been vacationing, just not a cruise until last year.  Haven't been spending time on the computer and that's the reason I haven't been on CC - but I need to get back with it.  I am so glad you did a review and I'm looking forward to reading it.  I did notice you have a son now - congratulations!  He is just adorable!!!

Oh, forgot to add - the only downside was that if you collect the ship ornaments, the one that looks like the cruise ship model, good luck.  LOL!!!  They didn't have them on our cruise, we were told that they didn't get some of their shipment in due to the fog delays and the ship ornaments were one of those items.  I've checked on Ebay practically every day since and nada.  It's weird, I see the ship ornaments for most of the others ships, just not Panorama, Vista, or Horizon - all Vista Class ships.  That's actually why I'm on here, I was going to ask if anyone else who'd been on Panorama was able to get them or even if they just saw them for sale. 

On 1/21/2024 at 2:46 PM, mitsugirly said:

We just booked the Panorama to the Mexican Riviera and I'm super excited! This will be the first time we have ever cruised to the Mexican Riviera. 

 

So, any of you that have reviews, blogs and/or websites for the Panorama OR the ports in the Mexican Riviera, please give me a link. I'm ready to soak up as much information that I can about this ship and the ports and love reading the reviews (especially if there's pictures involved) 😉 

 

Itinerary:

Day 1: Long Beach (Los Angeles) | Departs at 4:30 PM

Day 2: Fun Day At Sea

Day 3: Cabo San Lucas | 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Day 4: La Paz | 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Day 5: Mazatlán | 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Day 6: Puerto Vallarta | 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Day 7-8: Fun Day At Sea

Day 9: Long Beach (Los Angeles) | Arrives at 9:00 AM

Hi Mitsugirly!  It's been a while since I've been on CC but we just did that same exact itinerary on Panorama this past October!  I didn't do a review anywhere but can try to tell you a little about it.  First of all, we LOVED it!  Our itinerary was switched around due to Tropical Storm Lidia, which became a strong hurricane.  The new itinerary was two sea days at the beginning, La Paz and Mazatlan as scheduled, then instead of Puerto Vallarta (hurricane hit just south of there), we went from Mazatlan to Cabo and had one full day and another half day in Cabo.  The last day was a sea day then back to Long Beach. 

La Paz is a new port, we didn't have anything books since the available tours didn't interest us.  We just wanted to experience the town.  Since it's a brand new port, there are still some wrinkles to iron out but I think it is going to be a great addition for a regular port stop.  We took the bus transport into the town and walked around.  Only one souvenir shop that we could find, mostly restaurants.  For the bus transport, we had to get in line for tickets and that was at 2PM.  Line formed a half hour early.  I was able to get tickets for the earliest time, which we wanted. 

We just walked along the Malecon.  Got T-shirts at the one souvenir shop right along the Malecon and a magnet from one of the many local vendors that set up along the Malecon.  The one major issue - no public bathrooms.  From talking to other passengers, to use a bathroom at one of the restaurants, you had to purchase (meal or drink).  There were bathrooms at the bus terminal where you're dropped off and picked up but they charged.  The one bathroom that was free was the handicap access and the line was very long.  Someone on our roll call said they eventually opened them up. ???  We ended up taking the bus back to town earlier than planned and just spent the rest of the afternoon on the ship & enjoying the skyride and ropes course (no line).  There is the option to take the bus to the beach and then another bus to the town after.  If you take the bus to town first, you need to take the bus back to the ship then get another bus to the beach.  We did not know that ahead of time.  So I loved La Paz, beautiful and has great potential, the only issue was the bathrooms.  I tried talking my hubby into stopping in a bar and getting a drink and he just said we'd have to "go" even worse.  Oh, forgot to mention, it's desert there so on the transport bus (if you end up taking it), you'll see the large saguaro cactus - lots of them.  It's desert meets ocean - really cool. 

In Mazatlan, we did Carnival's excursion to Deer Island.  The excursion was 5 hours but only about 2 hours at the beach at Deer Island.  You need to take a bus to a marina, then from the marina a boat out to Deer Island.  Food/drinks provided and drinks were flowing on the boat to/from.  They were serving both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.  We just stuck with the beer, which was good.  There is a little mall-type area right at the port, so when we got back from the tour, the bus dropped us off there.  There is a transport from the mall to the ship but we got some shirts & other souvenirs at the shops at the mall area before getting back on the ship.  Sailing in and out of Mazatlan is just beautiful!  It's a rather large city but still beautiful.  We were there, years ago (Jan. 2000) and that time we just did the Gold Zone shopping and beach break.  There is also a Malecon over in the area where the Gold Zone shopping and hotels are, we saw it from the bus, looked really nice. The scenery of Mazatlan, around the city, is lush and green. 

Our first day in Cabo we had the tour to Land's End (famous Cabo arch) in the morning.  We were also in Cabo during that 2000 cruise and that time, we took and excursion through Carnival, which they still offer, that is a combo snorkel and sail.  We snorkeled first, about an 1 - 1.5 hours then we sailed around and past the arch.  Water was cold then so I didn't last snorkeling, but water much warmer in October.  Since we'd done that before, we just took the tour that goes out to the arch - we wanted pictures.  After that, we took a water taxi to Medano Beach for a couple hours.  After that, we went back into town and had margaritas at Cabo Wabo.  After that, souvenirs and back to the ship.  We didn't overnight in Cabo so the could open the casino and Fun Shops. 

The next morning we just took the water taxi to town and walked to another beach that you can see from the ship.  We didn't take our snorkels with us but wish we had.  That beach is right next to the town (10 minute walk from where you get off the water taxi) and it's between the town and the Land's End formation that the arch is at the end of.  Best way I know how to describe it.  You'll see it from the ship, there is a large, blue wall that's painted with fish, turtles, other sea life.  It wasn't crowded at all when we were there but there were others there. 

There is so much more to do in these ports, just can't do it all on a cruise stop.  Since it was Mexico, we opted for excursions through the cruise line and mainly to insure our safety.  We never felt unsafe. 

The largest ships we've been on before Panorama were Carnival's Glory, Valor, & Liberty, all Conquest Class ships.  So Panorama was the largest ship we've been on.  I wasn't sure if I'd like her or not but we both LOVED her.  Even though there was almost twice as many people than we're used to sailing with, it never felt crowded.  There was a nice flow to it.  We loved Guy's & Blue Iguana (of course) and we also tried the Pig and Anchor (only open certain days).  That was very good - loved it.  Our CD was Deon "Woo Woo" and he was great.  This is the first time a CD had an impact on our cruise.  We hadn't planned on it but ended up ended up hanging out for the 80's deck party.  We just stopped at Red Frog for a drink after the Punchliner show but ended up sticking around for the whole thing.  On our cruise they also had the Halloween party and same thing, after comedy, stopped for drinks and ended up sticking around. 

Boarding wasn't perfect.  Even though our hotel was pretty close to the cruise terminal, it took a while to get there since traffic was backed up.  I'm not sure, but there may have been something else going on.  The ship also got in late due to heavy fog that morning so that may have been part of it.  We had the earliest boarding time for non-priority but it took us forever to get find a porter to drop our luggage off.  We finally found them and made our way into the terminal.  The porter issue may also have been since the ship was late and people from previous cruise had just gotten off.  Once inside the terminal, the line was long but moved quickly.  Oh, and because Panorama got in late, we didn't end up leaving until around 8PM.  That was because the fuel barge was also late getting to the ship so we couldn't leave till she was fueled up.  That worked in my favor since we had a beautiful sunset and the views were awesome.  We just hung around outside on the ship until we had to go in and get ready for dinner (late seating).  Getting off the ship was much easier. 

Now I'm wishing I had done a review!  LOL!!!  I have some of the pictures up on FB and could always add more to that.  This is our first cruise since our Liberty cruise in 2015 (had two booked that ended up cancelled) and then other land vacations in between.  We've done 2 weeks in Hawaii; a week in New Orleans with friends; Hollywood Beach, FL for 3 days then a week after that with friends in Kissimmee; & Myrtle Beach; and a few 3 - 4 day trips to the beaches in NC, so we've still been having fun. 

I really think you'll love the itinerary - the scenery is very different from the Caribbean but you'll love it.  Since Carnival is no longer sailing out of San Juan, which was our favorite, this is one cruise I would not hesitate to book again.  Just wish we could have gotten to Puerto Vallarta (were there in 2000 as well) but would have loved to have seen it again.  I only had a film camera then (remember those?), so really don't have many pictures from that trip at all.  Hopefully I can talk hubby into the Panorama again.  When is your cruise?  I'm already looking forward to your review.  I need to get caught up on those - so many I haven't gotten to yet!  I'm not spending as much time on the computer anymore, I'm out and keeping active.  Been doing a lot of walking and have gotten into 5K's (keeps me motivated to keep my butt moving).  I don't want to sit and rust.  LOL!!!
 

It's been so long since I've been on CC, so I'm very happy I got on today and found your review.  I've enjoyed everything you have to this point and am really looking forward to the rest. 

On 12/10/2020 at 11:01 AM, TTEllis said:

I think we may be talking about two different types of sea shells. I'm referring to the ones that are actually worth bringing home. The big conch shells out off the beach about 30-40 yards. They're sitting in about 6 inches of sand and are still sitting out there for a very good reason.

Next time you're on the island head over to the Marriott walk north on the beach look out in the water and see all those conch shells sticking up out of the sand, go pick one up and let us know how it goes. Thanks.

Yep, definitely think we are.  😉  Was thinking if the OP's lady wasn't picky and didn't mind the little ones on the beach that there were plenty.  I collected a small baggie of those and I really like them.  Have them with other memorabilia from those trips.

We did the Mexican Riviera way back in 2000 on a competitor.  The cruise was a gift from my husband's parents that his whole family took together.  I loved all of the ports and that is an itinerary I'd love to do again, so that or an 8 day southern to Aruba/Curacao will probably be one of our next cruises once cruising resumes.  But the 8 day to the Eastern isn't bad either.  We've been to all of those ports and love them all.