RCLcruiser2012

13 hours ago, DennysDad said:

Icon of the seas 

 

Day 5

 

Pools Closed EVERY SINGLE DAY of this trip. Usually 2 per day. Due to poop or vomit in a pool. Each time this happens it requires the pool to close for minimum of 4 hours for cleaning. Always involves the one large pool. This makes all of the small pools so crowded you physically cannot get in 

 

This is a result of parents who let their non potty trained toddlers in the pools. Many don't even get in with their children. They put life vests on children too young to walk and talk and dump them in a pool, then say I'll be right back after I get a drink. One child swallowed so much water 2 days in a row that she single handedly shut down the large pool 2 days running. Amazing she is even still alive. If she didn't vomit, she would be dead. But the parents allowed this to happen the next day all over again. Lifeguards say and do nothing. 

 

No parents want to spend their time in the kids pool at back of ship, so they take there toddlers who are not potty trained where the parents want to swim. Not were non potty trained children should be and/or are safer.

 

It's endless. By every afternoon there are hundreds of people in tiny little pools because the rest are closed and empty. All deck chairs in center of ship are empty. Everyone clumps together around a pool the size of a hot tub.

 

Children have even pooped and closed the swim up bar. Why children are even allowed in a swim up bar makes no sense at all. They swim around and dive underwater around concrete barstools. Zero thought to safety by parents, lifeguards, or Royal Caribbean.

 

This cruise is an unbelievable experience. Nobody gives any thought to the other passengers. And a large percentage don't seem to give any thought to the safety of their children. 

 

Never Ever Ever Again!

Royal Caribbean wants to be Disney Cruise Line. They are failing misserably. 

Oh this is bull crap. Adults only area! Hopefully Royal is reading this. Rules need to be enforced period. I have a child and I am pissed for you. 

1 hour ago, StephPS79 said:

 

Having sailed both RCI and Carnival several times recently, since the pandemic, I 100% think Carnival's food is several steps above Royal Caribbean.

 

Food is subjective.

It IS so subjective! 🙂 I cruised in the fall (forgot about that bc it was a short cruise) on Royal and the food was amazing. No complaints. So this Panorama cruise it felt like night and day.  I am curious how say Princess, Celebrity, or Holland's food is post pandemic. 

1 hour ago, pc_load_letter said:

 

I think Carnival's problem with their food is that a great number of their ships have been configured for the old school, Hometown Buffet style of buffet and lots of people now want "food court" style options.

 

You ask, do people who rave about Carnival food, eat real food, is a pretty classless statement. PLENTY of people enjoy Guys burgers, the mexican food and for me, I love Shaqs chicken.

 

But yeah, the buffet is lacking. I even think the deli is lacking. I find the carvery options to be generally good. They've always had good salad bar options and desserts have always been do-able to me.

 

Do the main entree sections fail sometimes....YES. But sometimes I have good options. Some asian noodles were good. The jerk chicken is good.

 

Sorry to see you go but I am sure the other lines will suit your needs in the future.

Sorry but even my husband who isn't picky like me wondered what happened to the food!  We were on Panorama.  Guys, Italian, and Mexican was good/fine.  It really was the MDR & buffet that was a major disappointment.  He ordered some seafood entree and there was 2 shrimp!  That was the main dish.  Our entire table complained about the famous lava cake. It was not cooked properly and funny how the 1st night it was in a big dish and then the other nights it was a small dish. Just a few examples.  I did have a few great dishes but more often than not everthing was eh. 😞 These small cutbacks and less quality food people have definitely noticed. We had the best cruise though- excellent staff, awesome ship, fun activities!!!  

Just now, mz-s said:

 

It was so much better a few years ago, just before COVID and during the initial restart. After that things went south very quickly.

That is so disappointing to hear.  I've cruised other cruise lines but this is our first cruise since Covid.  Hopefully they make changes.  These cost cutting measures....

On 4/9/2024 at 10:04 AM, mz-s said:

 

My personal experience is that the food on Carnival is severely below the pre-COVID standard. I get attacked on here when I opine further so I shan't.

YES!  We were SO disappointed with the quality. Do the people that rave about Carnival food eat real food. The buffet was the most pathetic I have ever soon.  

The midnight buffet is and never will be like it once was. It is in line with the lunch buffet. Pitiful. 🤮 The cost cutting measures are apparent but there is nothing we can do. Maybe the beards will listen to their customer base. 

On 3/24/2024 at 2:52 PM, orangedec10 said:

We recently returned home after cruising on the Panorama for a 7 day cruise. I read a ton of helpful reviews leading up to our sailing and hope to pay it forward by sharing my thoughts and experience!

Just a bit of background info…we typically sail out of Florida and on Celebrity. We had an airline credit and points to use on Carnival, so the Panorama out of Long Beach it was!  We haven’t sailed with Carnival since before our son, who is 5 was born. We steered clear for sometime because of the poor reviews and “party” vibe. We also found most of the ships to be a bit dated in comparison. Fortunately, the Panorama exceeded our expectations! The ship is clean, modern and had enough quiet spots that you could tuck away and escape from the crowds if you wanted. We also sailed during Spring Break and while the ship was full and there were lines, overall I felt like most passengers just wanted to have fun and were respectful of others. The vibe was definitely more “chill” then I’ve experienced sailing out of MIA during Spring Break.

 

A few things to note if your sailing from the west coast for the 1st time - yes, it really is chilly on day 1 and 2! Bring a sweatshirt or light jacket.  There’s no rushing the embankment process…the reviews are legit. Stick to your boarding time and don’t bother arriving early!

 

We stayed in a spa room and enjoyed the quiet hall way. No running kiddos or loud neighbors! 
 

Our son loved the water park and sports deck area. He also enjoyed a few of the Cat and the hat activities and did the build a bear activity. He left the cruise declaring Carnival as his favorite! 😂  I suppose on demand soft serve helped tip the scale!

 

We bought the cheers package on board. After the 1st day, we decided for us it was worth it. Loved the atrium bar and found the drinks strongest there! Hubby loved the bloody Mary’s at the Pig and Anchor. Also hint…cheers covers milkshakes!!!
 

Now let’s talk about the food. The good….the pizza was delicious as was guys burgers. We also tried the tepynaki and felt rushed, but the experience and food was excellent. The so so…..we ate at Ji Jo’s kitchen and the Italian place. Both were just OK. Big portions though and if that’s your thing you may really enjoy both. The bad…the MDR was just terrible. So slow for sub par food. One night my husband ordered a Cajun pasta and it literally came out with one tiny shrimp and one sliver of sausage. He asked for more toppings and they delivered on that but….not a great experience. We ordered wine with dinner and didn’t get it until desert. We also tried the sea day brunch at MDR and while that was quicker, the food was just not good.  Also…this may seem very picky but I thought the no bread basket thing at breakfast or dinner was just cheap. Who doesn’t want a few options for a dinner role or croissants at bfast? Yes, while you could order a danish or croissant with your breakfast, it came so slowly it was nearly time to leave. First world problems I suppose! 
 

It’s also worth mentioning that Panorama is a bit like Disney. You must have your cell with you and you must download the app. 🤦‍♀️ Sorry to be a Karen, but I want to unplug while cruising and I don’t want to carry my phone with me! Please give me a paper menu!!!!

I did some research prior to sailing on the ports of call and was a bit hesitant based upon the current travel warnings. That said, we opted to get off the ship at all three stops and we’re thankful we did. We never felt unsafe or nervous. Cabo was our favorite port of call. We went whale watching and loved every minute of the experience! We also had a Mexican breakfast at a restaurant near the marina and it was great! Just be prepared to ignore all of the vendors, stay in the beaten path or take an excursion and enjoy!

 

 

We said the same thing about the food!! I am glad you notice the bread basket too.  I missed having more than one option and fresh bread.  Sliver of sausage and shrimp. Spot on.  The crazy small sides was ridiculous.  The teeny tiny buffet was just as disappointing. Sea day brunch was okay and no fruit?  How do you have brunch with no healthy options except a yogurt parfait?  I hoped you filled out your survey. All and all a great spring break cruise!  The ship was beautiful!  

32 minutes ago, MEUB1112 said:

Fair assessment, we were the Panorama right before the vid thing hit, had a great time, didn't cruise again until a year ago spring, on different Carnival ships. There were definitely changes we noticed. Menus were smaller and staff seemed smaller. Not sure if it's because folks found other careers due to the vid. Still fun, but different. 

I have heard a lot of previous cruise employees have found different  careers so it's been a struggle across all cruise lines. 

Hello! We are in our 40s with a tween. We have cruised several times- 3 with Carnival, Royal, and Norweigan.

Pros: The ship is beautiful! She is well maintained. Staff was fantastic. Room steward did an excellent job. She was always cheerful. Our waiter was fantastic. He was attentive. I loved the Italian restaurant and the pizza. All of the onboard activities was great. Slides, sky rider, and ropes course was a hit. Trivia and bingo is always fun. No rowdy crowdy- lots of families! 🙂

Cons- Food. This is so subjective so no screaming at me. We were unimpressed with the SMALL buffet. What happened?!? Covid cuts or because there is other complementary dining. If you like heavy food and only 1 option of vegetables you will enjoy the buffet. There is a salad bar- eh. Deli too. I miss the big spread. Dinner at buffet was disappointing. Similar items as MDR too. The famous melting cake was like runny batter. 😞 We did enjoy many MDR dinner options but again giving 2 pieces of broccoli or cauliflower is not going to cut it. The broccoli soup had no brocolli but was like water. Tasty but not going to cut it. No variety in desserts. Bread basket? What happened to choosing bread for dinner and now it's only 1 option. 

We couldn't hear any announcements. It needs to come through in the room or cruise director needs to speak louder. People didn't get quiet for announcements even when the captain came on. Crazy. I liked our cruise director though.

Excursions- 5 stars! 

23 hours ago, PattiPB said:

Thanks for the detailed review! We embark next weekend and can't wait!

 

We did the Pride last year, too. Barcelona to Dover was FANTASTIC!

We leave this weekend too! 👐

Thank you very much for this excellent review!!!

This was a great review!  Thank you so much. We are due to leave in a week.  I appreciate the transparency.  We have an 11-year-old.

I am under the max weight for water slides. Do they have a red light/green light like water parks or do you have to actually get on a scale?

19 hours ago, rockmom said:

Thanks, looking forward to another fun vacation on Navigator. 

I am going on the 8th!  Have fun!!

On 8/9/2023 at 1:17 PM, zimmerman said:

I’m 48 and intending to head straight for the water slides on our next cruise. I think we’re early boarders (11:30) so hoping to head straight for the slides before the masses arrive.

 

will the slides be open immediately after embarkation?

I am 40 too and am afraid I will be the only "old lady"  This board is encouraging. Who cares!! 🙂

July 10-12 cruise**

Disembarking- 8:17 got in line to get off the ship. 9:07 done and waited for valet. We were going to wait until the last minute to leave but glad we didn't. Passports are much quicker! Embarkation- Arrived at 11:20. Done with check in and waiting started at noon. 
Easy process! Got on the ship at 1:30. Coast guard was inspecting so took a little longer....

Room- The perfect size for us. Clean. Beds comfy and slept decent. I would not want a 3rd person in there though. Bathroom not remodeled but clean. Forgot how small those showers are. Shower curtain sucks you in. Lol We had an ocean view- 6th floor

Main dining room- I liked my entree on the 2nd night. 1st night eh. Nice dining room. Sat by window both nights by ourselves. Dining room looks equivalent to other cruise lines. Waiter good. Buffet- Okay to good. You will not go hungry. I miss all of the windows in the buffet area. It felt dark. Not a ton of seating inside either.

Theater- Quaint. The stage was definitely old and small. The performers was talented especially the dancers. We enjoyed the shows. However, clearly not the same caliber as other cruise lines.

Normal activities maybe a little less.

In a way it was nice because you could find chairs anywhere but at the same time kind-of missed allll of the people. The updated lounges was cool to hang out. The Keys on the water had a great view!

It was weird not being packed to the hilt at sail away. Fun music. No band or belly flop.

There was things we missed bc it is obviously not going to be the same. It's like we said the little things you notice. If I was in Florida and wanting a quick getaway yes. They weren't as organized as some things either.

Port was eh. There was NOTHING. You HAVE to book an excursion or take a taxi. Nothing grabbed our attention. Took a taxi and did some shopping. It was HOT. The cruise director was even saying how hot it was.

Water IS gross on board. Again, there is nothing at the port so A) taxi to the shops or beach. B) Book an excursion $15 round trip to go shopping. 

P.S. Cruise director was awesome. 👏

Thank you for the review thus far!  I appreciate your honest review!  Sounds like a wonderful time. I LOVE you room!  The food is absolutely pitiful.  I can't believe you were served corn on the cob and instant potatoes in MDR.  They have said across all cruise lines the food has gone downhill but if you are a foodie it really stinks!!  

Look at deck plans and see what is above and below the cabin too.

Would you know ever since I posted the website has worked 10x better.  No kidding. You can't make this up. Strange............I figured it out, FB was open on another tab which is usually the case.  I close it and now it is night and day... Maybe will help someone else.  😆

Great review!  Thanks for the honesty!  No cruise is all sunshine and rainbows.  Glad you had a great time. 

I can't be the only one.  Every time I try to click on a new link it spins forever or won't load period.  I have had this problem for weeks.  The entire page won't load at all sometimes!  Anyone else notice how slow the site has been but maybe due to updating?? 

$500 on my first CCL cruise years ago!

$500 on my first Carnival cruise years ago! 

$500 on my first Carnival cruise years ago! 

That would be frustrating.  Did you ask for a refund on board?  You certainly didn't get what you are paid for.