Carnival Panorama 9/4 Thoughts/Review/Musings

[FlyandCruise]

 

I havent written one of these before - but it was an interesting cruise so i thought i would put down my thoughts. Sorry if this is a bit long.  

 

Embarkation Day:

We had the first available check in time of 10:30.  We drove to and parked at the port.  There was plenty of parking when we arrived just after 10am.  It was a quick jaunt to the many porters who quickly took our bags and we were headed straight into the building.  The first document and health screen took maybe 5 minutes to het to a table and then super quick through that and security.  We headed into the check in line which was the longest part of check in.  That line only seemed to continue to grow longer and longer as we watched it after we checked in.  There was a separate suites line and they converted the Captains (platinum and diamond) lounge into a suites long.  While this didn't really affect boarding for us, i found it a little annoying.  If they are able to make a line for suites they certain could maintain doing so for platinum and diamond (in my opinion this has been one of the better benefits they offer), especially if you were arriving later in the day.  Once checked in we waited for a bit over an hour before boarding began.  All in all the process was fine if not a little chaotic, which is a pretty standard embarkation at Long Beach.

 

Dining:

We did a lot of specialty dining on this cruise so i will talk about those individually.  I agree with other folks that the buffets were not outstanding but I think we're fine. They didn't have all the spaces being used as we were not full but there were still plenty of options IMO.  The way that it is laid out does seem like there is less but i was ok with it.  The Deli was standard and good. The pizza and Guys burgers were excellent as always . Iguana was very good for both breakfast and lunch (the taco salad was a fun addition i hadn't had on the ships before).   I think the desserts in the buffet were much better then i remember.  The were mostly different cakes that they sliced for you when asked and the quality seemed better. We tried Mongolian Wok and the Pasta bar which were both good.  One other note is that i am not a big breakfast eater but usually really like their hasbrowns... and i didn't see any at all.  I may have just missed the days they had them but thought that was strange.

 

We ate a couple times in the main dining room.  The menu has certainly been downsized which I thought was fine.  All of the food we ordered was good. I don't think we had anything that was really a miss and nothing that was really amazing either. Sea day brunch was a highlight. The fried chicken was excellent (crispy and juicy - I was actually a little surprised). 

 

Steakhouse:  

We ate here the first night.  The service was ok - not as warm and good as previous visits but perfectly fine. The food was all very good but the dinner took an extremely long time (nearly 3 hours).  This may have been some bad luck on our part because there were parties that came in after us who had finished their entire meal before we had entrees.  Something obviously happened to ours because when it finally came out it was already plated. Everyone else's entrees come out to the table in these cast iron pans that they then plate at the table. We were truly the only ones that came out already plated.  The real bummer was that our food was cold. The manager did offer to take it back (she asked us how everything was - i didn't seek her out) but i declined as it had been a very long wait already at this point and everything was still very tasty, just not hot.  The free bottle of wine helped pass the time 😉 and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. We were still only the third cruise and they may just need to get back into the swing of it. 

 

Teppanyaki:

This was very fun. It really is dinner and a show. The service was great and the chef was very entertaining. The food here is above average but not fantastic.  I would come again and would recommend doing it at least once. 

 

Sushi:

The food here was very good and the service was very good again.  Is it the best sushi I have ever had, no.  But it is really good Sushi on a cruise ship. 

 

JiJi Asian

The food here was excellent.  I was a bit blown away with how good everything was, especially after having the decent but not great Mongolian Wok.  Apart from the Steakhouse (which is just comparing apples and oranges) i think this is the best food we have had on Carnival.  

 

Ports:

 

Not much to report.  They were what we expected.  We have sailed this itinerary several times and been to PV a bunch outside of cruising.  We just walked around and had a lovely day.  We did something similar in Mazatlan.  Something to note is the vendors around the cruise terminal in Mazatlan were extremely nice and not pushy at all.  I usually can't stand flea markets and shops like that because I don't like the constant bombardment.  All of the vendors were so friendly.  As you can expect in Mexico it was quite hot and humid in both ports. 

 

We had planned an excursion for Cabo that was cancelled due to the day changes before the cruise. The hours were quite early for a port day (7am-1pm) so we decided we were going to stay onboard that day.  Due to TS Olaf - they cancelled Cabo which turned out to be great for us because they added more things to do onboard.

 

Crew:

Simply put, they were excellent.  Extremely friendly and efficient.  They all seemed genuinely happy to be back. I think we often get what I call the ‘forced polite’ from the crew, (this is not a dig.  They have an extremely hard job and being that friendly to thousands of people, not all of whom are friendly back must be exhausting) but not this time.

 

Ship:

There were some highs and lows.  We were sailing (from asking a few crew members) with between 2500-2600 people, or 60-65% capacity.  There were times when this was very evident, like in food lines etc.  There were also times where i cant imagine what it must be like with a full ship.  The casino always seemed to be packed. They have removed the bar in the casino but it was still incredibly smokey.  The limelight lounge was always at capacity it seemed as well.  On the comedy shows, the timing of them was very odd to me. On other ships there are usually a couple later shows so you are able to see the main show plus a couple of these.  This wasn't the case on this ship, with the latest comedy show at 9:45 (at the same time as the main show).  They did have two later ones in the main theater with each comic doing 10 minutes but not their full shows.  It was just a bit odd IMO.

 

The Liquid Lounge (main theater) is so bizarrely designed i cant quite wrap my head around it.  Its rather small and the main section is just chairs set up. There are no tables there or anywhere to set your drink. We also found them to be quite close together and pretty uncomfortable.  We sat further back in the set seats which at least have a cup holder and a little leg room.  I think that this space was initially meant to also be transformed into the club at night which is why it was designed that way, though that wasn't the case. They had the club in the limelight - so it just made it seem very bizarre. I had similar feelings about the shops (specifically the carnival and liquor shops - not the jewelry). They were small and kind of awkward.  

 

Other than that the ship is very nice and I really liked it.  The outdoor spaces are great.  We did the ropes course and slides and mini golf and ping pong etc and all was super fun.

 

Platinum/Diamond Perks:

You have to pick these up now yourself.  The water for example, you just pick up at any bar and the cost is credited to your Sail and Sign.  I thought this was great and actually preferred it. Less waste and you get it when you want rather than when they decide.  They didnt have pins on our cruise. They said they werent delivered. I was a little bummed about that because i thought it would be cool to have one from the first cruise back for us.  

 

Final Thoughts:

 

We had an excellent vacation overall and a ton of fun.  The crew was spectacular.  We are considering booking the Christmas cruise on her.  Happy to answer any questions and if you made it this far - thanks!

 

 

 

[FlyandCruise]

I realized i didnt mention masks at all.  I think that should be a testament to how much of a non-factor they were.  Most people seemed to wear them all the time and almost everyone when they were required.  It didnt diminish the experience for me at all. 

 

 

[JGB]

thank you for the thoughtful review...we sail dec 18 6 days cabo

do you know if casino was 24 hours when not in port.(or slots 24 hours when not in port)

John

[FlyandCruise]

2 hours ago, JGB said:

thank you for the thoughtful review...we sail dec 18 6 days cabo

do you know if casino was 24 hours when not in port.(or slots 24 hours when not in port)

John

Not quite 24hours but they will stay open until the wee hours.  At one point I heard they will stay open until 5am  - but I think they close earlier if not enough people are playing. 

[mexicobob]

Good review. Thanks for posting.

How was your cabin? bathroom? etc?

 

[FlyandCruise]

2 hours ago, mexicobob said:

Good review. Thanks for posting.

How was your cabin? bathroom? etc?

 

Our cabin was good but Carnival standard.  The new tv’s In the room seemed big and there was plenty to have on in the background while napping.  The balcony was a good size I think and some great sunset views.  We were in 7267 on the starboard side of the ship.  It was right by the forward elevator bank which made it very convenient.  
 

An interesting note about the public bathrooms on the ship.  They were much smaller then on any other ship I have been on.   They were all also bright yellow inside.  It was pretty strange really.  

[mondello]

@FlyandCruise Thank you for posting, really good review. I never cease to be amazed at how good the stewards and waitstaff are. Funny commenting on the restrooms, guests on the Mardi Gras have posted they had trouble even finding the restrooms. Not good when you gotta go!

[Jeafl]

Thanks for taking the time to post this!  We are on the Panorama on October 9, and reading your review just ramped up the excitement!

 

Did you go to the specialty coffee place?  Were there any late night snacks anywhere?

[FlyandCruise]

17 minutes ago, Jeafl said:

Thanks for taking the time to post this!  We are on the Panorama on October 9, and reading your review just ramped up the excitement!

 

Did you go to the specialty coffee place?  Were there any late night snacks anywhere?

The Coffee Place/ Shake spot was in 5 Aft right next to the Ocean Plaza where they have a lot of the trivia and games. Its a decent size and the line was never to long. There is also a bar just opposite that makes a great espresso martini 😉.  

 

Late night snacks were the deli until 11, the pizza and then 'good eats - late night snacks' in the aft buffet That i think went until 1 (i was in bed by then). The deli and pizza were yummy but the late night snacks left something to be desired.  There were no burgers or hotdogs that we have found most other ships, just a couple warm sandwiches (think grilled cheese and a meatball sandwich) - that looked pretty unappetizing honestly and a couple cold salads.  We skipped them and went for the Pizza - which was great. 

[tm_aw_love]

19 hours ago, FlyandCruise said:

 

I havent written one of these before - but it was an interesting cruise so i thought i would put down my thoughts. Sorry if this is a bit long.  

 

Embarkation Day:

We had the first available check in time of 10:30.  We drove to and parked at the port.  There was plenty of parking when we arrived just after 10am.  It was a quick jaunt to the many porters who quickly took our bags and we were headed straight into the building.  The first document and health screen took maybe 5 minutes to het to a table and then super quick through that and security.  We headed into the check in line which was the longest part of check in.  That line only seemed to continue to grow longer and longer as we watched it after we checked in.  There was a separate suites line and they converted the Captains (platinum and diamond) lounge into a suites long.  While this didn't really affect boarding for us, i found it a little annoying.  If they are able to make a line for suites they certain could maintain doing so for platinum and diamond (in my opinion this has been one of the better benefits they offer), especially if you were arriving later in the day.  Once checked in we waited for a bit over an hour before boarding began.  All in all the process was fine if not a little chaotic, which is a pretty standard embarkation at Long Beach.

 

Dining:

We did a lot of specialty dining on this cruise so i will talk about those individually.  I agree with other folks that the buffets were not outstanding but I think we're fine. They didn't have all the spaces being used as we were not full but there were still plenty of options IMO.  The way that it is laid out does seem like there is less but i was ok with it.  The Deli was standard and good. The pizza and Guys burgers were excellent as always . Iguana was very good for both breakfast and lunch (the taco salad was a fun addition i hadn't had on the ships before).   I think the desserts in the buffet were much better then i remember.  The were mostly different cakes that they sliced for you when asked and the quality seemed better. We tried Mongolian Wok and the Pasta bar which were both good.  One other note is that i am not a big breakfast eater but usually really like their hasbrowns... and i didn't see any at all.  I may have just missed the days they had them but thought that was strange.

 

We ate a couple times in the main dining room.  The menu has certainly been downsized which I thought was fine.  All of the food we ordered was good. I don't think we had anything that was really a miss and nothing that was really amazing either. Sea day brunch was a highlight. The fried chicken was excellent (crispy and juicy - I was actually a little surprised). 

 

Steakhouse:  

We ate here the first night.  The service was ok - not as warm and good as previous visits but perfectly fine. The food was all very good but the dinner took an extremely long time (nearly 3 hours).  This may have been some bad luck on our part because there were parties that came in after us who had finished their entire meal before we had entrees.  Something obviously happened to ours because when it finally came out it was already plated. Everyone else's entrees come out to the table in these cast iron pans that they then plate at the table. We were truly the only ones that came out already plated.  The real bummer was that our food was cold. The manager did offer to take it back (she asked us how everything was - i didn't seek her out) but i declined as it had been a very long wait already at this point and everything was still very tasty, just not hot.  The free bottle of wine helped pass the time 😉 and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. We were still only the third cruise and they may just need to get back into the swing of it. 

 

Teppanyaki:

This was very fun. It really is dinner and a show. The service was great and the chef was very entertaining. The food here is above average but not fantastic.  I would come again and would recommend doing it at least once. 

 

Sushi:

The food here was very good and the service was very good again.  Is it the best sushi I have ever had, no.  But it is really good Sushi on a cruise ship. 

 

JiJi Asian

The food here was excellent.  I was a bit blown away with how good everything was, especially after having the decent but not great Mongolian Wok.  Apart from the Steakhouse (which is just comparing apples and oranges) i think this is the best food we have had on Carnival.  

 

Ports:

 

Not much to report.  They were what we expected.  We have sailed this itinerary several times and been to PV a bunch outside of cruising.  We just walked around and had a lovely day.  We did something similar in Mazatlan.  Something to note is the vendors around the cruise terminal in Mazatlan were extremely nice and not pushy at all.  I usually can't stand flea markets and shops like that because I don't like the constant bombardment.  All of the vendors were so friendly.  As you can expect in Mexico it was quite hot and humid in both ports. 

 

We had planned an excursion for Cabo that was cancelled due to the day changes before the cruise. The hours were quite early for a port day (7am-1pm) so we decided we were going to stay onboard that day.  Due to TS Olaf - they cancelled Cabo which turned out to be great for us because they added more things to do onboard.

 

Crew:

Simply put, they were excellent.  Extremely friendly and efficient.  They all seemed genuinely happy to be back. I think we often get what I call the ‘forced polite’ from the crew, (this is not a dig.  They have an extremely hard job and being that friendly to thousands of people, not all of whom are friendly back must be exhausting) but not this time.

 

Ship:

There were some highs and lows.  We were sailing (from asking a few crew members) with between 2500-2600 people, or 60-65% capacity.  There were times when this was very evident, like in food lines etc.  There were also times where i cant imagine what it must be like with a full ship.  The casino always seemed to be packed. They have removed the bar in the casino but it was still incredibly smokey.  The limelight lounge was always at capacity it seemed as well.  On the comedy shows, the timing of them was very odd to me. On other ships there are usually a couple later shows so you are able to see the main show plus a couple of these.  This wasn't the case on this ship, with the latest comedy show at 9:45 (at the same time as the main show).  They did have two later ones in the main theater with each comic doing 10 minutes but not their full shows.  It was just a bit odd IMO.

 

The Liquid Lounge (main theater) is so bizarrely designed i cant quite wrap my head around it.  Its rather small and the main section is just chairs set up. There are no tables there or anywhere to set your drink. We also found them to be quite close together and pretty uncomfortable.  We sat further back in the set seats which at least have a cup holder and a little leg room.  I think that this space was initially meant to also be transformed into the club at night which is why it was designed that way, though that wasn't the case. They had the club in the limelight - so it just made it seem very bizarre. I had similar feelings about the shops (specifically the carnival and liquor shops - not the jewelry). They were small and kind of awkward.  

 

Other than that the ship is very nice and I really liked it.  The outdoor spaces are great.  We did the ropes course and slides and mini golf and ping pong etc and all was super fun.

 

Platinum/Diamond Perks:

You have to pick these up now yourself.  The water for example, you just pick up at any bar and the cost is credited to your Sail and Sign.  I thought this was great and actually preferred it. Less waste and you get it when you want rather than when they decide.  They didnt have pins on our cruise. They said they werent delivered. I was a little bummed about that because i thought it would be cool to have one from the first cruise back for us.  

 

Final Thoughts:

 

We had an excellent vacation overall and a ton of fun.  The crew was spectacular.  We are considering booking the Christmas cruise on her.  Happy to answer any questions and if you made it this far - thanks!

 

 

 

We were on the same sailing and I would say that your review is spot on. I would agree with basically everything that you said except for the cake station in the buffet... we found the cakes to be a bit dry and not all that flavorful... but tastes are different. 

 

And to echo/emphasize a couple of your thoughts:

1. I would have to agree 1000% that Jiji was AMAZING, and was probably some of my favorite food all cruise. 

2. As a non-smoker with relatives that smoke, the casino was almost difficult to walk through as it was soo filled with smoke. 

3. The liquor store and Carnival shops were small with a pitiful selection when compared to other ships that I have been on. 

 

I would also like to add a little to the specialty dining for any that are wanting to know; as we tried a couple that you didn't:

 

Cucina del Capitano - Kids LOVED the spaghetti, and I found the pork chop to be particularly good. Being Italian, I wouldn't say it is the best I have ever had, but it is definitely better than most of the chain restaurants that you would eat at. 

 

Pig & Anchor - We had particularly high hopes for this, and while the food had a good flavor, a few of the items just weren't even warm, they were actually pretty cold, which was even more disappointing considering they weren't all that busy. 

 

Also happy to answer questions. 

[FlyandCruise]

How could i forget about Carnival Kitchen!?:

 

We did Carnival Kitchen twice.  We did the Tailgate Party and the Pasta Class. 

 

Tailgate Party:  The class was scheduled for an hour and was the last class of the day. It really should have been scheduled for 2 - 2 1/2 hours.  We made chicken poppers, soft pretzels and empanadas. We were in stations of 2. There was the head chef, another chef and a waitress/helper walking around and helping out.  

 

Pasta:  This one also scheduled for an hour and was truer to the time.  There was also classes after ours so they pushed the pace a little faster than the first class. They had some extra stations set up because i think they had some no shows, so everyone got their own station which was great.  They were really helpful and engaging. 

 

At the end of each class you get enjoy your spoils. They take your email and send you the recipes.  You also get a red spatula as a gift each - though ours were unbranded (i think i had previously seen them branded Carnival Kitchen).  They did 3 classes each sea day and 1 class on port days plus the chefs table almost every night.  They didnt have any of the dinner classes where you cook your full meal and then eat at the table after (not really sure why).  It was $30pp per class and well worth it imo. 

[sanmarcosman]

5 minutes ago, tm_aw_love said:

Pig & Anchor - We had particularly high hopes for this, and while the food had a good flavor, a few of the items just weren't even warm, they were actually pretty cold, which was even more disappointing considering they weren't all that busy. 

This was true for us on Panorama in February 2020 as well. Several of the outlets served lukewarm or room temperature food. The breakfast burrito at Blue Iguana had cold scrambled eggs. It was the only downside on the Panorama. Once we figured out to ask for hot foods to be served very hot in the MDR things got even better there. We learned from this and we will have a good time next month on our Halloween cruise on Panorama.

Thanks OP for sharing your cruise with us. You have us in the best mood for  our Panorama Halloween.

[CruiseMGM]

Thank you so much for this review. We're on the Panorama in April with a bunch of family members and it will be our first Carnival cruise.....we've sailed mostly HAL and Celebrity, with a smattering of NCL and RCCL in the past. We've never sailed from Long Beach.

 

I noticed that you drove up from San Diego, we'll be driving in from Las Vegas and wondered about the parking at the pier. I've been a little stressed thinking about that, as we'll have 2 cars. How was your parking experience? Do you recommend a particular time we should get there? We'll be staying in Long Beach overnight pre-cruise.

 

Thank you so much!

[momof3cruisers]

7 hours ago, CruiseMGM said:

Thank you so much for this review. We're on the Panorama in April with a bunch of family members and it will be our first Carnival cruise.....we've sailed mostly HAL and Celebrity, with a smattering of NCL and RCCL in the past. We've never sailed from Long Beach.

 

I noticed that you drove up from San Diego, we'll be driving in from Las Vegas and wondered about the parking at the pier. I've been a little stressed thinking about that, as we'll have 2 cars. How was your parking experience? Do you recommend a particular time we should get there? We'll be staying in Long Beach overnight pre-cruise.

 

Thank you so much!

Sailed out of Long Beach many times. The parking is very easy. We generally have gotten to port between 10:30 and 11:30 and had no problems at all. Take that stress off your plate. Nothing to worry about. 

[zzdoug]

On 9/16/2021 at 4:25 PM, FlyandCruise said:

 

I havent written one of these before - but it was an interesting cruise so i thought i would put down my thoughts. Sorry if this is a bit long.  

 

 

 

No need to apologize. In fact, long is good. It takes effort to document your trip and it is a service to the community. I always appreciate trip reports and this was very informative and well detailed. Thanks!

Edited September 29, 2021 by zzdoug

[DANCING GRANDMOMMY]

On 9/28/2021 at 2:33 PM, CruiseMGM said:

Thank you so much for this review. We're on the Panorama in April with a bunch of family members and it will be our first Carnival cruise.....we've sailed mostly HAL and Celebrity, with a smattering of NCL and RCCL in the past. We've never sailed from Long Beach.

 

I noticed that you drove up from San Diego, we'll be driving in from Las Vegas and wondered about the parking at the pier. I've been a little stressed thinking about that, as we'll have 2 cars. How was your parking experience? Do you recommend a particular time we should get there? We'll be staying in Long Beach overnight pre-cruise.

 

Thank you so much!

The pier parking is $23.00 a day. $161.00. For the around the same price you can get a hotel the night before that includes parking and shuttle to and from the ship. I like the Hotel Current. In February we are going on a 14 day cruise and are staying at The Pacific Inn is Seal Beach. If you are coming in two cars I assume you will each need hotel rooms. 

[DAllenTCY]

I believe it was $20 x 8 = $160 in my case.

 

Arrived Saturday Aug 28 at 1:30 pm and left on Saturday Sept 4 at 10 am.

 

Charged for 8 days.

 

David

[rideroftheseas]

Thank you for your great review, we are sailing on her in February, and are trying to get all our ducks in a row.  Can you tell me which nights are formal nights, please and thank you!

 

Sherry