Within 24 hours of Panorama's 7 day cruise, already regret it.

[Itried4498]

36 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

They are sailing all the ships now, and we were told so IN CAPITAL LETTERS. And they are having staffing problems which lead to other problems. That cannot be denied. 

 

There was a rush to sailing all the ships and at full or near full capacity when they were not ready to do that adequately.

 

I strongly disagree.  I disembarked the Panorama the same day the OP embarked.  There's absolutely NO evidence to support that the ship is woefully understaffed, or that staff is woefully undertrained.  The majority of staff have been with the ship for months (many since last July), and staff coming aboard are experienced.  

 

Carnival sold tens (hundreds?) of thousands of rock-bottom fares.  Many, if not most, of the people who purchased them are first-time cruisers.  A lot of them are large families traveling together, large parties looking to have a good time, etc.  As I previously posted, much of the "chaos" will subside after a day or so when people learn how to navigate the ship. where "stuff" is, how to make reservations, etc  But there's nothing you can do about the people who are there to party, the Chinese-speaking tourists who rearrange the tables around the windows within the buffet area and then play cards all day.  These are people who wouldn't be traveling if not for the rock-bottom fares... you have to tolerate them, or wait it out until "traditional" cruisers return.

[Cruisesfun65]

9 minutes ago, Itried4498 said:

the Chinese-speaking tourists who rearrange the tables around the windows within the buffet area and then play cards all day.  

 

That's a thing??

[icft]

2 minutes ago, Cruisesfun65 said:

 

That's a thing??

I have seen a few groups on Lido playing cards. But those I have seen have never been at busy times. It has usually been at ports when most folks are off the ship. Since they haven't been inconveniencing anyone else I haven't though anything of it.

 

We sail out of New Orleans mostly so it has often been older folks playing bourré.

[pc_load_letter]

I did not notice any more "blue cards" on our cruise in March than normal. Certain nothing I could quantify.

 

I would say that those who are not experienced with cruising are staying well away from cruises.

 

All one needs to do is look at the news for the latest "outbreak" or listen to Fauci talk about the next strain.

 

I tell people I went on a cruise and I get that pulled back, scrunched up face with the comments "it's safe to cruise", "aren't you afraid of covid"...or the usual..."cruise ships are gross".

 

I think the lines are trying to bring back their core cruisers and it's not there yet. Close, but some ships are still below capacity. I think first time cruisers will come back when testing is done away with, vax mandates dropped, kids clubs fully  open are all implemented.

[ScottsSweetie]

11 minutes ago, pc_load_letter said:

I did not notice any more "blue cards" on our cruise in March than normal. Certain nothing I could quantify.

 

I would say that those who are not experienced with cruising are staying well away from cruises.

 

You would think that people would not be cruising for the first time right now, but I'm not sure that's true.

 

JH has been highlighting one ship each weekend and giving stats on the passengers on the ship. On May 7 he highlighted the Elation out of Jacksonville, and his numbers reflected 906 blue cards and 821 total for red, gold, plats & diamonds. On April 30 he highlighted the Miracle out of San Fran, with 1035 blue cards and 991 total for all others. I noticed more blue cards on my personal sailings since the restart than I had seen in recent cruising pre-covid. I say "wow" to myself almost every week when he posts these numbers, as I am not sure that I would be cruising for the first time in this atmosphere. However - the marketing campaigns for almost all lines included the fact that you couldn't go anywhere else and have everyone vaxxed and negative tested, so people may have indeed felt safe cruising for the first time.

[Itried4498]

3 hours ago, Cruisesfun65 said:

 

That's a thing??

 

Yes it was.  Large groups rearranged tables and sat directly in front of the windows playing cards literally the entire day.  Very few people remained onboard the ship at port, so it wasn't much of an issue midweek, but definitely impeding during sea days.  Thankfully, few people know about Pig & Anchor...

 

 

[Itried4498]

3 hours ago, icft said:

I have seen a few groups on Lido playing cards. But those I have seen have never been at busy times. It has usually been at ports when most folks are off the ship. Since they haven't been inconveniencing anyone else I haven't though anything of it.

 

We sail out of New Orleans mostly so it has often been older folks playing bourré.

 

Card games are still a popular socializing activity especially among older ethic groups, and Los Angeles is home to some of the largest ethic groups in the country.  Few people are going to pay the average pre-COVID cruise fare and spend the entire week playing cards.... but depressed fares make it a lot more attractive.

[pc_load_letter]

1 hour ago, ScottsSweetie said:

You would think that people would not be cruising for the first time right now, but I'm not sure that's true.

 

JH has been highlighting one ship each weekend and giving stats on the passengers on the ship. On May 7 he highlighted the Elation out of Jacksonville, and his numbers reflected 906 blue cards and 821 total for red, gold, plats & diamonds. On April 30 he highlighted the Miracle out of San Fran, with 1035 blue cards and 991 total for all others. I noticed more blue cards on my personal sailings since the restart than I had seen in recent cruising pre-covid. I say "wow" to myself almost every week when he posts these numbers, as I am not sure that I would be cruising for the first time in this atmosphere. However - the marketing campaigns for almost all lines included the fact that you couldn't go anywhere else and have everyone vaxxed and negative tested, so people may have indeed felt safe cruising for the first time.

 

Interesting stats but without the ability to compare to 2019 (pre-covid), it's very difficult to make any conclusions about first time cruisers now vs then.

[ashkir]

On the cards - the staff will give you cards to play in lido lol. Just ask for a deck of cards and they'll give you some.

 

Updates:

 

1) Lee Mason is gone! 😮  We haven't seen him all trip. Someone new is the director.

2) Soulbound was amazing!!! 

3) Bar manager decided to push back and they're going to keep a little over half the bar charges because they were "physical products" but nullified the tip that was half the bar charge. (Somehow we tipped 50% on top of the already existing 18%). We asked to see the receipt and signature they couldn't produce it. 

4) To make up for it, a manager from guest services gave us comped tickets to the steakhouse and italian restaurant with sincere apologies. 

5) They brought by a construction worker today and opened a few holes in the room to do some repairs and fixed it. Nothing big, they were very thorough and gave us a very clear heads up about them needing to do construction work. Very nice about it. 😄 He fixed our door, our table, and patched a hole I didn't know existed in the bathroom! 

 

Much better today for breakfast and dinner at vista. Crowds were so much better.

 

Around big crowded areas staff will break it up and make it so that people can travel through. 

Edited May 10, 2022 by ashkir

[Eli_6]

When I went on a cruise out of Galveston in about February, almost everyone I saw had either a blue or red card...mostly blue.  I absolutely think that the super low fares are attracting new cruisers. 

 

I also recall John Heald posting a few months back stating that x percentage of cruisers on their ships were first time Carnival cruisers. I don't recall the exact percentage, but I do recall that it was MUCH higher than I would have thought. 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Eli_6

[scoobysnacks70]

15 hours ago, Itried4498 said:

 

Card games are still a popular socializing activity especially among older ethic groups, and Los Angeles is home to some of the largest ethic groups in the country.  Few people are going to pay the average pre-COVID cruise fare and spend the entire week playing cards.... but depressed fares make it a lot more attractive.

I'm middle-aged and white and still love cards and dominoes lol.  We usually go to the library to play if we do

[cruisingguy007]

19 hours ago, Itried4498 said:

 

I strongly disagree.  I disembarked the Panorama the same day the OP embarked.  There's absolutely NO evidence to support that the ship is woefully understaffed, or that staff is woefully undertrained.  The majority of staff have been with the ship for months (many since last July), and staff coming aboard are experienced.  

 

Carnival sold tens (hundreds?) of thousands of rock-bottom fares.  Many, if not most, of the people who purchased them are first-time cruisers.  A lot of them are large families traveling together, large parties looking to have a good time, etc.  As I previously posted, much of the "chaos" will subside after a day or so when people learn how to navigate the ship. where "stuff" is, how to make reservations, etc  But there's nothing you can do about the people who are there to party, the Chinese-speaking tourists who rearrange the tables around the windows within the buffet area and then play cards all day.  These are people who wouldn't be traveling if not for the rock-bottom fares... you have to tolerate them, or wait it out until "traditional" cruisers return.

 

Did you happen to see a group causing trouble during your cruise? I've heard some grumblings of a boom-box bumping group that was causing havoc all week and a report of a couple who was supposedly jumped by this same group at the end of the cruise and required hospitalization. The Mrs. finds a lot of this stuff on bookface but I can't always be sure it's accurate and/or not not exaggerated. I'm trying to sneak a cruise in this summer with just me and  the kids and all these drama stories aren't helping lol.    

[Itried4498]

1 hour ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Did you happen to see a group causing trouble during your cruise? I've heard some grumblings of a boom-box bumping group that was causing havoc all week and a report of a couple who was supposedly jumped by this same group at the end of the cruise and required hospitalization. The Mrs. finds a lot of this stuff on bookface but I can't always be sure it's accurate and/or not not exaggerated. I'm trying to sneak a cruise in this summer with just me and  the kids and all these drama stories aren't helping lol.    

 

I didn't, but it wouldn't have surprised me.  I did see a much poorer etiquette than normal... things like lots more people than normal blaring their music via speakers, a strong stench of weed on the deck some evenings, etc.  On Sunday, a group of young (probably middle school aged) girls removed their coverings and began twerking in a string bikini while one of their mothers filmed (TikTok performance?) screaming at anybody walking by who appeared to be watching (something like 'perverts...they're just little girls.')   It's like flying Spirit Airlines... 

 

The great news is (a) the cruises are cheap (the next few Panorama cruises are sold out, but when interior rooms open up there's a special CA resident rate of around $550 all-in for two adults); (b) if you like people watching, you'll have a blast; and (c) none of this has to impede of your vacation -- you'll still have a great time.  Especially for $550.

[RollingMeadows]

If I were active duty, my home port would be Long Beach and my assigned ship would be the Panorama. It's not perfect, but it's Carnival and it's good enough for me. We'll be in the pack of passengers waiting to board as you get off. We even have the exact same room as last time, so maybe the steward will still be there and assigned to us. If he is, we're so unmemorable he'll have no memory of it. 🤭 I've had cruises from heck and it sounds like this one was such a cruise for you. Hang in. I hope it gets better.

[Illbcruzn4life]

4 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Did you happen to see a group causing trouble during your cruise? I've heard some grumblings of a boom-box bumping group that was causing havoc all week and a report of a couple who was supposedly jumped by this same group at the end of the cruise and required hospitalization. The Mrs. finds a lot of this stuff on bookface but I can't always be sure it's accurate and/or not not exaggerated. I'm trying to sneak a cruise in this summer with just me and  the kids and all these drama stories aren't helping lol.    

Thats why I love the havana area. Dont have to deal with that stuff too often

[cruisingguy007]

1 minute ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Thats why I love the havana area. Dont have to deal with that stuff too often

 

Fortunately I have my awesome kids, unfortunately, my little guy is well under 12 so it will be quite a while until we will be "allowed" in. 😞  

[Zippeedee]

On 5/9/2022 at 6:27 PM, Cruisesfun65 said:

 

That's a thing??

On another cruise line, transatlantic cruise, the large Chinese group parked the older people in their wheelchairs at every buffet window table. They would come and go, play cards and hold every table.

[Illbcruzn4life]

3 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

On another cruise line, transatlantic cruise, the large Chinese group parked the older people in their wheelchairs at every buffet window table. They would come and go, play cards and hold every table.

Let me go out on a limb and say it was on NCL

[Joebucks]

On 5/8/2022 at 5:47 PM, icft said:

I guess roaches and broken furniture in your room is the norm for some of you, but I find that unacceptable and would not consider myself "petty" for complaining. Nor would I consider it inappropriate to complain about being charged $50 in error and having to stand for two hours to get it fixed.

 

Given the litany of problems I think the OP has been very gracious. One or two things are "stuff happens" but this list is just beyond the pale.

 

In these times one expects some problems, but there is a limit beyond which complaining is totally appropriate for anyone with a spine.

 

 

 

This is a twist of words. No one is saying these things are acceptable. What some question, is if the response is necessary (or if it really happened as claimed). No one is "having" to stand in a guest services line for 2 hours. Nor do we believe it was truly that long. I wouldn't be caught dead at guest services at the beginning unless it's something major like I can't get into my room. You have the whole trip to dispute it. We don't always need everything solved NOW. 

 

If my room had roaches, I would have respectfully told housekeeping, who nearly always greets you asap. Knowing them, they would have sincerely apologized, and resolved it without issue. 

 

Does this place not have the late night eats? I can't remember being on a cruise where the lido buffet didn't have snacks from 11-1?

[CruiseMGM]

On 5/9/2022 at 10:18 PM, ashkir said:

<snip>

4) To make up for it, a manager from guest services gave us comped tickets to the steakhouse and italian restaurant with sincere apologies. 

<snip>

 

Sounds like things are definitely looking up! We didn't go to the Italian restaurant on our cruise in April, but the Steakhouse was FANTASTIC (IMO). Dress up a little bit (long pants or skirt and nice top, NOT tux or tie unless you want to) and enjoy the experience! I'm certain you'll enjoy the food. Of course, food is very subjective, but DH had the filet, I had the filet and lobster tail, absolutely delicious. If you like mushrooms, the mushroom appetizer was delicious, as was the shrimp cocktail. We didn't have the smoked oysters but enjoyed watching the presentation at other tables. And finally, we weren't fans of the Caesar salad, though, the dressing was a little too fish for us (it was that way in the Main Dining Room, too). 

Best wishes!

[baelor]

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

What some question, is if the response is necessary (or if it really happened as claimed).

Much better!  Ask people to settle for flat-out incorrect advertising, claim they should just deal with incorrect charges by scoping out guest service line length over the course of the cruise, and accuse the OP of lying!

 

Is there any better way to promote the reputation of this forum as helpful and welcoming?  I think not.

Edited May 11, 2022 by baelor

[Illbcruzn4life]

3 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

This is a twist of words. No one is saying these things are acceptable. What some question, is if the response is necessary (or if it really happened as claimed). No one is "having" to stand in a guest services line for 2 hours. Nor do we believe it was truly that long. I wouldn't be caught dead at guest services at the beginning unless it's something major like I can't get into my room. You have the whole trip to dispute it. We don't always need everything solved NOW. 

 

If my room had roaches, I would have respectfully told housekeeping, who nearly always greets you asap. Knowing them, they would have sincerely apologized, and resolved it without issue. 

 

Does this place not have the late night eats? I can't remember being on a cruise where the lido buffet didn't have snacks from 11-1?

Was on the Horizon 2 weeks ago. Nothing available after 11pm except pizza. Buffet was 100% closed down except for the soft serve. Deli closed at 11pm.

[staceyglow]

On 5/9/2022 at 8:20 AM, ontheweb said:

And she still will be getting free meals.

But no bacon.

[MrMarc]

On 5/10/2022 at 12:25 PM, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Did you happen to see a group causing trouble during your cruise? I've heard some grumblings of a boom-box bumping group that was causing havoc all week and a report of a couple who was supposedly jumped by this same group at the end of the cruise and required hospitalization. The Mrs. finds a lot of this stuff on bookface but I can't always be sure it's accurate and/or not not exaggerated. I'm trying to sneak a cruise in this summer with just me and  the kids and all these drama stories aren't helping lol.    

I think this was on the May  30th cruise.  There were a number of groups of "kids", but one in particular seemed to be a real problem.  From what I understand there were 3 fights onboard, including one in the dining room.  From my point of view, something was just "off" on this cruise.  I have cruised many times, but never had to call security about being  harassed by other passengers (2 times).  The quality of the food and service just wasn't normal, and there was basically a strange "vibe" to the cruise.  From our group elsewhere I know that I am not the only one who noticed this.  Someone reported a crew member describing the passengers as feeling "on edge."  So I would not judge any other cruise based on this one.  I've been on over 20 cruises and have never experienced anything like it and do not expect to again.

[sanmarcosman]

34 minutes ago, MrMarc said:

I think this was on the May  30th cruise.  

I think not 😉