Detailed Photo Review of Carnival Panorama 8 Night Mexican Riviera New Year’s Cruise 12/30/23

[deladane]

We skipped dessert, and took Ian upstairs to Camp Ocean for the open play time in Dr. Seuss Bookville.  This room was outside of the regular camp rooms, and was basically open all day/evening for parents to play with their children.  This was the only option for kids under age 2 who were too young to enroll in Camp Ocean, so most of the toys were for babies.  

 

 

There was a huge wall filled with multiple copies of every Dr. Seuss book.

 

 

Ian ran right in, grabbed a xylophone, and started to play.  He felt right at home!

 

 

We had about 20 minutes to play with him there until Camp Ocean officially opened for the day at 10am.  The drop off process took a really long time.  One of us should have waited in line while the other played with Ian in Bookville, but we didn’t realize a huge line had formed out by the elevators until it was too late and we had a bunch of families ahead of us.  It was finally our turn to approach the desk at 10:20am.  They made sure we had our Bat Phone and that Ian was wearing his name tag, they took our bag of diapers and wipes, they opened the gate and told Ian to come in, and that was that!  We didn’t realize he would be swept away so abruptly so we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.  At daycare drop off, we have a routine to say goodbye, sort of like Ian’s version of a secret handshake.  We give him a big hug, then 3 kisses (one on each cheek and one on the lips), and then a high five.  Then we reassure him that “Mommies/Daddies always come back” (something his teacher said to reassure kids with separation anxiety at the start of the school year, and it seemed to stick so now all the kids in his daycare class say it to the teacher instead of the teacher saying it to them!).  None of that happened today at camp drop off and we were afraid it would backfire, but we just went with the flow and trusted the counselors knew what they were doing.

[deladane]

We knew we wanted to try the Sky Ride and Ropes Course, and that we needed to do it while Ian was at camp because he is obviously way too young to participate in those activities.  We went straight up to the entrance, which was right above us at deck 12 midship.  The line for the Sky Ride was pretty short so we decided to start there.  They have little signs along the way to tell you how long the wait is from that spot.  We were lined up to the 15 minutes sign.

 

 

It actually ended up taking closer to 30 minutes to reach the front of the line.  There was a man around 70 years old who got stuck and stopped pedaling.  Each track has 2 cars- 1 that is out on the track doing the course, and the other that is being unloaded and reloaded with the next rider.  The staff had to get into one of the 2nd cars to come up behind the man who got stuck, and then gently push him the rest of the way around the track.  It was actually interesting to see what they did when someone can’t finish the course on their own.  

 

When the people before us got called on to the scale, the Bat Phone rang.  Uh oh!  Camp Ocean was calling to say that Ian was upset and crying for me.  I knew that abrupt drop off would backfire!  He was in a strange place and he didn’t get the reassurances that he is used to when we leave him in childcare.  I told them to give him cars and trucks to play with because he is currently obsessed with anything with wheels.  I said we were about to get on the Sky Ride and that we would be down to get Ian in 10 minutes.  They said they would call back if needed. 

 

When it was our turn, they asked each of us to stand on a scale.  It had a big light on top that turned green to indicate we were under the 250 pounds max weight limit (and I assume if we were over that weight, the light would have turned red).  We assumed they ask everyone to get on the scale, even if they are obviously under the limit (like the super skinny teenager who went on the ride right before us), so that way they don’t insult anyone by picking them out to get on the scale.  Don’t worry though, the scale does not give a read out of your weight.  It just lights up green or red.

 

Next, they asked us to put any belongings into a basket.  I was hoping to take a photo while on the ride.  My phone has a wrist strap that I can secure around my wrist so if I dropped it, it would just dangle from 3 inches down from my wrist and there was no risk of it falling to a deck below or into the ocean.  But nope, no phones or cameras or water bottles or purses or anything else was allowed on the ride.  My general philosophy on cruises is “photo or it didn’t happen” so that was a bummer.  No worries though, there are 2 cameras on the course to take your photos as you are pedaling.  I made sure to find them before I started the course so I would know where and when to look up and smile.  

 

Jason let me pick which bike I wanted so I opted for the one on the inside.  Biiiig mistake!  The staff helped me slide the seat forward enough that my feet could reach the pedals, then they counted us down and said “Go!”  Within the first few seconds on the track, I had to pedal uphill and it was a lot harder than I expected.  Jason’s track started with a gradual downhill slant, so I wished I was on that bike.  Mid-pedaling, I looked up at the camera to smile.  I didn’t see a flash go off, which was weird because usually on roller coasters at amusement parks, there is a flash for the cameras during the ride.  Odd, but I couldn’t focus too much on it because I had lots of pedaling to do.  Then, my nerves kicked in.  I never really thought that I had a fear of heights, but I guess it’s been a few years since I have done something thrilling like this and fears have developed with age.  I kept telling myself over and over that I would be fine, I wouldn’t fall off, thousands of other passengers have done this ride before me and no one died, everything would be okay.  I tried to look out and enjoy the views, but really I just spent the whole time focusing, pedaling, and breathing.  After I curved around the aft of the ship, there was a steep drop where I really picked up speed.  I think had I started with a downhill drop at the beginning of my course, that would have given me momentum and the uphill climb at the end would have been easier.  Jason kept stopping and waiting for me to catch up, so we pedaled side by side for the last part of the course.  Just a little bit before the finish, there was a second camera, so I paused to fix my hair and smile.  Again, no flash from the camera.  And that was it.  We returned to the starting platform, the staff helped remove the harness, and we got off the ride.  Jason said we should do it again later in the cruise and I could start on the outside bike, but I said no way was I ever doing that again!  It was definitely more thrill than I could handle and once was enough for me!  Later in the day, and several times through the rest of the cruise, I checked the Hub app to see my photos from the Sky Ride, but nothing ever appeared.  I was actually most annoyed about that.  Obviously those cameras weren’t working, and surely the staff knew that.  If that was the case, I wish they would have taken a photo of me sitting in the bike at the start line so at least there would be some proof that I did it, but nope!  So now you will just have to trust me when I say I gave it a try, but one and done!

 

We ran back down the flight of stairs to pick up Ian from Camp Ocean, and sure enough, he was happy and playing with cars and had no memory of being upset or crying a few minutes earlier.  I know my kid so well!  We signed him out of camp because it was almost time for the Noon Years Eve party in the atrium.  This was a “family event” as the counselors put it, which meant that they would not take the kids at camp down to the event and they expected parents to get their kids and bring them down.

[Kingsmom]

On 1/13/2024 at 1:53 PM, jerseygirlinAZ said:

 

I would schedule an Uber ahead of time.  Our flight was at 10:55 and we almost made it.  But again, we took an off-the-clock Uber driver.  

Thanks for the feedback.  I went ahead and changed to the later flight.  We now leave at 3pm versus 12pm.  Even though it cost more, I think the peace of mind will be worth it.  

[deladane]

12 minutes ago, Kingsmom said:

Thanks for the feedback.  I went ahead and changed to the later flight.  We now leave at 3pm versus 12pm.  Even though it cost more, I think the peace of mind will be worth it.  

 

Don't even question it!  Peace of mind is worth A LOT!!  You don't want to spend your whole vacation worrying about the logistics of catching your flight home, so if it means spending a little more money to know things will go smoothly, I say it's totally worth it!

[deladane]

When we got down to the atrium, we could see the funnel looked like a starry night sky.  The event had a space and astronauts theme.

 

 

There was a table set up where parents could pick up some crafts for the kids, so we got our goodies and found a spot to sit down.  Ian doesn’t really like coloring, but he liked putting the stickers on the paper.

 

 

The entertainment staff did a good job hosting the event.  They played Simon Says and Musical Chairs with the older kids, but Ian just hung out with us.  

 

 

 

They handed out sparkling cider, and did a count down at noon.  I was expecting balloons or confetti or something to fall down from deck 5, but that didn’t happen.  Nonetheless, it was a nice way to let the kids enjoy some of the New Year’s Eve fun without staying up past their bedtimes.  I don’t remember Noon Year’s Eve being a ‘thing’ when I was a kid, so as a parent now, I appreciate it.

 

The event was over by 12:05, so we went up to the deli for lunch.  Luckily, it wasn’t crowded at all.  I got a meatball sandwich, and it was as delicious as I remember from my 2019 cruise.  Ian even ate half my sandwich!

 

 

[deladane]

Camp Ocean hosted the Dr. Seuss parade at 1pm.  That seemed like weird timing as that is the time that most little kids take their naps.  Going on the cruise, this was one of the top things that I definitely wanted to do with Ian.  Starting a few weeks before the cruise, we read him lots of Dr. Seuss books at bedtime.  I wanted him to recognize the characters and be excited to meet them, so we read those books over and over until he knew their names.  It wasn’t ideal that the parade was at nap time, but there was no way we were missing it, so we just crossed our fingers that Ian would adapt and not have a meltdown from being overtired.   

 

The parade started in Ocean Plaza.  First, they gathered all the kids on the dance floor and started getting them hyped up.  They taught them how to march together, and they taught them a little chant: Dr. Seuss is on the loose!  To this day, Ian sometimes randomly says the chant and it is so cute!  Next, they told the kids to line up and march in a circle around the dance floor.  As they passed the stage, the kids could pick up a bell and streamers to hold during the parade.

 

 

At daycare, Ian doesn’t usually participate when the other kids are jumping and dancing around.  He is more reserved and has always been more of an observer than a doer, so I wasn’t sure how he would respond to such a festive event.  He impressed me so much and made me so proud as he really embraced it and was having so much fun!  Just look at that smile!!

 

 

Once all the kids had their supplies, Deon came out to introduce all the characters.

 

 

First up was Thing 1 and Thing 2:

 

 

Then came Sam I am:

 

 

 

[deladane]

I expected to see The Cat in the Hat, but he wasn’t there.  Deon led the parade, followed by the 3 characters and then all the kids and their parents.  We marched through the ship from deck 5 aft at Ocean Plaza, all the way through the promenade.  Ian LOVED it!  He had so much fun ringing his bell, shaking his streamers, and running through the halls of the ship (poor kid has such short legs that he had to run to keep up with the big kids who were marching haha).

 

 

 

Even the funnel in the atrium had a fun Dr. Seuss theme!

 

 

I can only imagine what the other people on the ship thought.  Not everyone has kids in Camp Ocean, so I am sure many of them had no idea about this parade, but there’s no way they missed now because it was sooo loud!  Those were some excited kids!  The parade continued down the atrium stairs to deck 4, and into the Liquid Lounge forward for story time.

 

 

They reintroduced all the characters, and then announced that a special guest was on his way…

 

 

The Cat in the Hat arrived!

 

 

[deladane]

Ian was thrilled!!  He was so excited to see all these characters from his books at home, right there in front of him.  

 

 

For story time, the team from Camp Ocean dressed up and acted out the book “Read Horton Hears a Who.”  They had so much energy and did a great job of keeping the kids excited, entertained, and getting the kids involved with yelling out different lines in the book and animal sounds.  This was definitely worthwhile as Ian had a blast, and it was totally worth postponing nap time so he could attend.

 

 

 

Story time ended at 1:45pm, so the whole thing took 45 minutes (including the parts before the parade).  We went straight back to the cabin for Ian’s nap.

 

I took this photo 30 minutes later.  Does this look like a child who wants to take a nap…

 

 

Unfortunately, Ian refused to nap. He kept singing songs and saying “It’s not nap time. It’s wake up time.”  In an attempt to give him some alone time so that maybe he would settle down, I sat outside on the balcony for a bit.  It was a beautiful afternoon, with sunny skies and temps had warmed up to the low 70’s.  

 

 

Looking forward:

 

 

Looking aft:

 

 

Actually, that photo shows a good view of the bump out from the Lido buffet which gives extra shade to some of the deck 9 balconies.

 

By 3pm, it was obvious that Ian was never going to fall asleep for his nap.  I think all of the excitement from the morning had a big impact on him, and now he was having some FOMO and he didn’t want to fall asleep and miss out on the cruise ship fun.  We knew this had the potential for disaster.  I can only think of a handful of days in the last 2.5 years when Ian didn’t take a nap, and none of them were good days.  This was New Year’s Eve and Jason and I were hoping to leave Ian at Camp Ocean for Night Owls so we could enjoy the festivities, but without his nap, that left our evening plans in jeopardy.

 

I took a shower, and while I was drying my hair, Jason took his shower.  At home, Ian has only ever taken a bath.  When we booked the cruise, we knew there wouldn’t be a bathtub in the cabin so we tried to give him a shower, but he hated it.  I think he was afraid of the water coming from the handheld shower head.  I bought a mini swimming pool to bring on the ship and planned to blow it up to use as a bathtub.  The shower has a curtain so this was the only reason I was happy to not have glass doors because we would have space for the swimming pool.  Maybe it was the new environment, but when Jason went to shower, Ian said “I come!” and he let Jason give him a shower.  That was a pleasant surprise and definitely made things more convenient! 

[john91498]

I had no problems with the Sky Ride, but that Rope Course was a bear! Darn little kids made it look so easy...lol...

[mitsugirly]

On 1/11/2024 at 4:47 PM, deladane said:

I bought this hanging shoe rack a few years ago, and it works great as extra shelves on a cruise:

 

 

 

 

 

We are thinking about booking this same cruise and I managed to come across your terrific review and now following along. 

 

The picture above...oh em gee! I have one of those hanging shoe racks and ...why haven't I thought of this yet???? THANK YOU SO MUCH! I will now be bringing mine along on every cruise (I'm thinking whitey tighties and socks! lol)

 

Also, does the FTTF supposed to have your luggage at the room earlier? I have never purchased it in the past but now that you mentioned that (and the opportunity to drop things off early with early access to the room) I'm considering looking into it. 

[deladane]

9 minutes ago, john91498 said:

I had no problems with the Sky Ride, but that Rope Course was a bear! Darn little kids made it look so easy...lol...

 

Seriously!!!  We never got a chance to try the ropes course because it was closed for the last 2 sea days, but honestly, I wasn't that upset about it lol  Jason would have loved to try it but I was happy to have the excuse to skip it after being so nervous on the sky ride!

[deladane]

8 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

 

We are thinking about booking this same cruise and I managed to come across your terrific review and now following along. 

 

The picture above...oh em gee! I have one of those hanging shoe racks and ...why haven't I thought of this yet???? THANK YOU SO MUCH! I will now be bringing mine along on every cruise (I'm thinking whitey tighties and socks! lol)

 

Also, does the FTTF supposed to have your luggage at the room earlier? I have never purchased it in the past but now that you mentioned that (and the opportunity to drop things off early with early access to the room) I'm considering looking into it. 

 

Hi Kim!  So glad you found my review and glad to have you reading along!  

 

Too funny that you ever thought to use your shoe rack shelves for cruising!  It is definitely worth the space in the suitcase to bring it along as it's very convenient.  I can never find enough shelf space.  I stashed all sorts of stuff in there- my cardigans, small purses, water bottles, shoes, whatever I could fit!

 

Yes, FTTF is supposed to include "express luggage" delivery, meaning they are supposed to expedite our bags to our cabin.  We definitely did not have that experience though, so I guess there are no guarantees.  Everyone else in cabins near us got their bags first and they did not have FTTF or priority marked on their luggage tags, so who knows!  Here is a link to the FTTF information from the Carnival website, in case you wanted to look into it for your cruise... 

 https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1374/~/faster-to-the-fun-(fttf)

[edspec]

The Suess Parade looked amazing.  What a nice job for the littles, (and their parents).  I also liked the Noon Day Eve, something I'd never heard of until this review.

That's great about the acceptance of the shower.  FYI DCL ships all have tubs, older HAL has tubs in OV or above, and Carnival has tubs in the deluxe OV on newer ships. It doesn't sound like you'll need that info though 🙂

[mitsugirly]

1 hour ago, deladane said:

 

Hi Kim!  So glad you found my review and glad to have you reading along!  

 

Too funny that you ever thought to use your shoe rack shelves for cruising!  It is definitely worth the space in the suitcase to bring it along as it's very convenient.  I can never find enough shelf space.  I stashed all sorts of stuff in there- my cardigans, small purses, water bottles, shoes, whatever I could fit!

 

Yes, FTTF is supposed to include "express luggage" delivery, meaning they are supposed to expedite our bags to our cabin.  We definitely did not have that experience though, so I guess there are no guarantees.  Everyone else in cabins near us got their bags first and they did not have FTTF or priority marked on their luggage tags, so who knows!  Here is a link to the FTTF information from the Carnival website, in case you wanted to look into it for your cruise... 

 https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1374/~/faster-to-the-fun-(fttf)

 

Me too! (Finding your review after your shameless plug I went looking and was glad to see it was the Panorama!)

 

I just showed Sakari the picture of the shoe rack...she's laughing and yep, we are going to bring it next time (I currently have it in the living room closet holding our winter hats, gloves and scarves) I feel on top of the world with this new discovery! Seriously! The way it just flattens down makes it perfect. You are my hero! 😄 

 

Thanks for the link to the FTTF info. I'm going to check it out. 

 

Did you think the Panorama seemed overly crowded? Especially since it was a holiday. I'm getting to the point where I'm wanting to sail smaller ships just because of the crowds (and I know this is not a small ship) but, as I stated in my review, I want to go somewhere NEW! This would be new for us so that outweighs everything...I suppose 😄  But, we would be going during that dreaded, overly crowded, everyone's gotta get away Spring Break. So, I figured it would be something like your New Years cruise. I have read others say that the ship flows nicely. I guess that's an added plus to convince me. hehe

 

I can't wait to see the ports! Carry on....I'm excited to continue reading! Oh, congrats on the little! He's a cutie! I remember those days back when I started cruising with Sakari at the ripe age of 3!

[karriec]

1 hour ago, john91498 said:

I had no problems with the Sky Ride, but that Rope Course was a bear! Darn little kids made it look so easy...lol...

I agree.  The Sky Ride was fun but I thought I was going to die in the ropes course.

[mkcurran]

45 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

Me too! (Finding your review after your shameless plug I went looking and was glad to see it was the Panorama!)

 

I just showed Sakari the picture of the shoe rack...she's laughing and yep, we are going to bring it next time (I currently have it in the living room closet holding our winter hats, gloves and scarves) I feel on top of the world with this new discovery! Seriously! The way it just flattens down makes it perfect. You are my hero! 😄 

 

Thanks for the link to the FTTF info. I'm going to check it out. 

 

Did you think the Panorama seemed overly crowded? Especially since it was a holiday. I'm getting to the point where I'm wanting to sail smaller ships just because of the crowds (and I know this is not a small ship) but, as I stated in my review, I want to go somewhere NEW! This would be new for us so that outweighs everything...I suppose 😄  But, we would be going during that dreaded, overly crowded, everyone's gotta get away Spring Break. So, I figured it would be something like your New Years cruise. I have read others say that the ship flows nicely. I guess that's an added plus to convince me. hehe

 

I can't wait to see the ports! Carry on....I'm excited to continue reading! Oh, congrats on the little! He's a cutie! I remember those days back when I started cruising with Sakari at the ripe age of 3!

If you can swing it, a Havana cabin is the way to go. Exclusive pool area. 

But I've been on 

Panorama and found it not too crowded. 

[deladane]

1 hour ago, edspec said:

The Suess Parade looked amazing.  What a nice job for the littles, (and their parents).  I also liked the Noon Day Eve, something I'd never heard of until this review.

That's great about the acceptance of the shower.  FYI DCL ships all have tubs, older HAL has tubs in OV or above, and Carnival has tubs in the deluxe OV on newer ships. It doesn't sound like you'll need that info though 🙂

 

Thanks for the tub info.  We were in a deluxe OV on the Carnival Dream in 2019, so I knew those have a tub, but we really wanted the balcony.  I'll keep all of that in mind for future cruises though 🙂

 

The Camp Ocean team did a great job at all the events!  If a 2 year old is still talking about it weeks later, you know it must have been fun!!

[deladane]

1 hour ago, mitsugirly said:

 

Me too! (Finding your review after your shameless plug I went looking and was glad to see it was the Panorama!)

 

I just showed Sakari the picture of the shoe rack...she's laughing and yep, we are going to bring it next time (I currently have it in the living room closet holding our winter hats, gloves and scarves) I feel on top of the world with this new discovery! Seriously! The way it just flattens down makes it perfect. You are my hero! 😄 

 

Thanks for the link to the FTTF info. I'm going to check it out. 

 

Did you think the Panorama seemed overly crowded? Especially since it was a holiday. I'm getting to the point where I'm wanting to sail smaller ships just because of the crowds (and I know this is not a small ship) but, as I stated in my review, I want to go somewhere NEW! This would be new for us so that outweighs everything...I suppose 😄  But, we would be going during that dreaded, overly crowded, everyone's gotta get away Spring Break. So, I figured it would be something like your New Years cruise. I have read others say that the ship flows nicely. I guess that's an added plus to convince me. hehe

 

I can't wait to see the ports! Carry on....I'm excited to continue reading! Oh, congrats on the little! He's a cutie! I remember those days back when I started cruising with Sakari at the ripe age of 3!

 

Woohoo!  No one ever tells me I'm their hero!  I think I got mine at Ross Dress For Less for $5, so you might want to look around.  For $5, it's worth it to have a dedicated one in your cruise packing stash instead of having to empty out one you are already using.

 

I was also worried about it being super crowded on the ship during a holiday week, but it really wasn't that bad.  The line for burritos at Blue Iguana was never more than 5 people on port day mornings.  I got pizza on Lido a few times and again never had more than 5 people ahead of me in line.  We showed up to the main theater within 5 minutes of showtime and always easily found a seat.  It almost made me wonder where all the people were?  The one time I can say we had an issue was with the MDR- it was very crowded and they had to squeeze chairs into places they normally wouldn't, just to get everyone seated. But other than that, it wasn't an issue. 

 

I have been reading your reviews since the very beginning, so I remember those early days when Sakari was so young.  Looking at Ian now, only a little younger than she was back then, it's so impressive how great she always was with snorkeling and being in the water with her mermaid tail!  I hope Ian learns to swim at that level soon so we can start taking more exciting excursions!

[deladane]

1 hour ago, karriec said:

I agree.  The Sky Ride was fun but I thought I was going to die in the ropes course.

 

haha comments like that make me very happy we opted to do the sky ride first!!  We originally thought we'd do both things back to back, but since camp called us on the Bat Phone, we had to get Ian ASAP and never got a chance to go back and do the ropes course.  Maybe that's for the best! lol

[mitsugirly]

10 hours ago, deladane said:

 

Woohoo!  No one ever tells me I'm their hero!  I think I got mine at Ross Dress For Less for $5, so you might want to look around.  For $5, it's worth it to have a dedicated one in your cruise packing stash instead of having to empty out one you are already using.

 

I was also worried about it being super crowded on the ship during a holiday week, but it really wasn't that bad.  The line for burritos at Blue Iguana was never more than 5 people on port day mornings.  I got pizza on Lido a few times and again never had more than 5 people ahead of me in line.  We showed up to the main theater within 5 minutes of showtime and always easily found a seat.  It almost made me wonder where all the people were?  The one time I can say we had an issue was with the MDR- it was very crowded and they had to squeeze chairs into places they normally wouldn't, just to get everyone seated. But other than that, it wasn't an issue. 

 

I have been reading your reviews since the very beginning, so I remember those early days when Sakari was so young.  Looking at Ian now, only a little younger than she was back then, it's so impressive how great she always was with snorkeling and being in the water with her mermaid tail!  I hope Ian learns to swim at that level soon so we can start taking more exciting excursions!

 

We don't have a Ross Dress for Less but I'll check around. Maybe they have one on Amazon for cheap as well. 

 

Good to hear it didn't feel crowded. Hopefully, if we pick this cruise (which I feel like we will) it will feel the same for us. 

 

I'm hoping your little will follow in Sakari's footsteps (or swim fins in this case) as well. How neat would that be for ME to watch HIM grow up like you have Sakari. So cool! He's at the age I started introducing her to the water/pool and she started swimming at 3 years old and was fearless by 4 (gosh remember the 2 story jump into the ocean at Roatan's LFK without a lifejacket? Eek!)

 

11 hours ago, mkcurran said:

If you can swing it, a Havana cabin is the way to go. Exclusive pool area. 

But I've been on 

Panorama and found it not too crowded. 

 

Where do you find the Havana cabin at? I only see a Cloud 9 Spa Balcony with the balconies. Maybe it's not an option on my cruise?

[deladane]

1 hour ago, mitsugirly said:

We don't have a Ross Dress for Less but I'll check around. Maybe they have one on Amazon for cheap as well. 

 

Good to hear it didn't feel crowded. Hopefully, if we pick this cruise (which I feel like we will) it will feel the same for us. 

 

I'm hoping your little will follow in Sakari's footsteps (or swim fins in this case) as well. How neat would that be for ME to watch HIM grow up like you have Sakari. So cool! He's at the age I started introducing her to the water/pool and she started swimming at 3 years old and was fearless by 4 (gosh remember the 2 story jump into the ocean at Roatan's LFK without a lifejacket? Eek!)

 

Aww, yes, I love that we are continuing the tradition and now you get to watch my kid grow up!  Now what would really take it over the top is if we get to watch Sakari get married, have her own kids, take them on cruises, and see them growing up on CC too!!  When will she write her own reviews??  I forgot to say it in my last reply but OMG, how is Sakari driving already?!  I DO remember the photo her jumping from that platform in Roatan!  Crazy how time flies!!

 

1 hour ago, mitsugirly said:

Where do you find the Havana cabin at? I only see a Cloud 9 Spa Balcony with the balconies. Maybe it's not an option on my cruise?

 

The Havana cabins are on Aft Deck 5.  There aren't very many of them, so assuming you are looking for spring break 2024, they are likely sold out.  If you want to consider them for future cruises, keep in mind that the balconies aren't like regular balconies with a direct view of the ocean.  The deck 5 promenade is closed off to anyone not in a Havana cabin, but it does continue to wrap around the ship and forms a walkway between your balcony and the edge of the ship.  The balconies aren't very private because people can walk by right in front of you.  They do have really large balconies with different furniture than a standard balcony, but just be aware about the walkway so you aren't surprised!  Look around here on CC and I'm sure someone has posted photos of what I mean.

[mkcurran]

2 hours ago, mitsugirly said:

 

We don't have a Ross Dress for Less but I'll check around. Maybe they have one on Amazon for cheap as well. 

 

Good to hear it didn't feel crowded. Hopefully, if we pick this cruise (which I feel like we will) it will feel the same for us. 

 

I'm hoping your little will follow in Sakari's footsteps (or swim fins in this case) as well. How neat would that be for ME to watch HIM grow up like you have Sakari. So cool! He's at the age I started introducing her to the water/pool and she started swimming at 3 years old and was fearless by 4 (gosh remember the 2 story jump into the ocean at Roatan's LFK without a lifejacket? Eek!)

 

 

Where do you find the Havana cabin at? I only see a Cloud 9 Spa Balcony with the balconies. Maybe it's not an option on my cruise?

Havana sells out quickly. 

I loved hanging out on the outside areas on deck 5. Peaceful and not nearly as packed as the lido. Also, the coffee shop is nearby, so sodas are easy to get. 

[deladane]

When Nino cleaned our cabin that morning, he left us a New Year’s Eve themed top hat and headband.  I thought it was a nice touch that it featured the Carnival whale tail.

 

 

 

There was nothing for Ian to wear but that was okay because we brought our own hats from home, not knowing something would be provided.  In the end, it turned out that Ian took Jason’s top hat and wouldn’t wear the hat I brought for him… toddlers! **eye roll**

 

 

We finished getting dressed for the evening and went down to the atrium around 4:30pm to take some professional photos.  With Ian being so resistant to taking photos on my phone, I thought maybe the professional photographers would get him out of his shell.  We went to the only backdrop that was set up because we were definitely there very early.  The photographer really tried to get Ian to smile, but he just wasn’t having it.  He kept trying to run away and was starting to cry.  Okay, let’s pivot and try asking a fellow passenger to take our photo.  This lady was so sweet and understanding.  She just kept snapping photos in hopes that she’d capture one useable picture.  Her techniques worked!  Ian never smiled, but at least she got a few pictures of him looking at the camera, so I guess that’s the best we could hope for!

 

 

 

Hoping to snap Ian out of his mood, we let him walk around the atrium.  He still wouldn’t smile, and he looked pretty miserable, but at least he wasn’t crying.

 

 

A second backdrop station opened up so we went over there to try again with the professional photographer.   Ian was still being uncooperative so we coaxed him over to sit in a chair to the side, and Jason and I took a few photos of just the 2 of us.  When I saw them in the Hub app, I could see the stress in our faces and it just wasn’t worth purchasing.  

 

Here is our over-tired toddler, waiting for us to finish taking photos…

 

 

[deladane]

Ian was just so tired and being very uncooperative, trying to run away from us and throwing himself on the floor crying.  He never usually throws tantrums so we knew it was because he was tired.  That skipped nap was really hitting hard!  We were counting the minutes for the dining room to open, and we went straight to our new table as soon as the doors opened at 5:30pm.  We saw Raf right when we got to the table and asked how fast we could get chicken nuggets for Ian because he was screaming that he was hungry.  Raf called over to his assistant Eva and told her to run down and get the nuggets right away.  It was so nice of them to take care of us like that and Eva returned with the nuggets in a few minutes.  Ian inhaled his food extremely fast, so he was definitely hungry!  Before our appetizers arrived, Ian’s eyes were drooping and his head was bobbing.  It wasn’t long before he fell asleep on the high chair tray!

 

 

At least with Ian napping at the table, Jason and I could enjoy our meal.  The night of the first sea day is always a formal night, but they also had a special menu specifically for New Year’s Eve.  None of those options appealed to me so I just ordered off the regular formal night menu.

 

 

 

 

 

For my appetizers, I ordered the lobster bisque and the spiced pork poppers.  The lobster bisque was tasty, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected.  It didn’t have any pieces of lobster meat in it, but that didn’t really surprise me.  I was expecting a cream base but it was more like a tomato base, like Manhattan clam chowder instead of New England style.  It tasted lobster-y and was served nice and hot, so I enjoyed it even though it was different than I was expecting.

 

 

The spiced pork poppers were a miss for me.  Usually when pork is paired with apples, it is a sweet dish.  In fact, Carnival used to serve a similar pork chop dish on the old menu they had available every night in the MDR.  This appetizer really should have been called SPICY pork poppers, not SPICED.  They definitely had a kick to them and I wasn’t expecting that, so I only took one bite and I was done.

 

 

[deladane]

I ordered 2 entrees tonight.  The filet mignon was excellent!  It was cooked perfectly- rare as I ordered it.

 

 

I also ordered the pappardelle, and this was another dish tonight that was served differently from what I was expecting.  The description said “butternut squash, portobello ragu, pine nuts, pecorino,” so I was expecting a mushroom sauce because of the “ragu,” or maybe possibly a butternut squash puree sauce.  This dish was served with an alfredo cream sauce, with diced pieces of squash and slices of whole mushrooms.  It was delicious, but very different from what I expected.

 

 

Ian woke up before dessert came and he wouldn’t stop crying.  We decided we needed to get Ian out of the MDR as he was likely bothering the tables around us.  Raf saw us getting up to leave and we explained we would need to skip dessert to take Ian back to the cabin.  Raf suggested he get our dessert to go and we could take it back to the cabin, which was so nice of him.  Jason took Ian back to the cabin, and I waited a few minutes for Raf to bring our desserts with lids over the plates.

 

Sometimes when Ian wakes up from a nap, he is cranky and he needs some time to snap out of it.  Tonight, he was at a whole different level!  He was hysterically crying, angry, refused to have a diaper change, and would not go to bed for an hour.  It was miserable.  Our original plan was to drop him off at camp and go see the 7:30pm production show Soulbound in the main theater.  That plan was out the window.  It was after 8pm by the time Ian finally calmed down.  We considered taking him to camp at that point because he was wide awake (thanks to his power nap through dinner), but we decided to just put him to bed and hopefully he would get a good night of sleep.  Of course, Ian had other plans!  He wouldn’t settle down and he was having so much fun running around the cabin and playing with the NYE top hat. 

 

 

 

While Ian burned off some energy, I packed up the bags for tomorrow in Cabo and Jason and I took turns getting ready for bed.  Ian finally fell asleep at 9:30pm.  We were about to go to sleep when we remembered we still had our desserts from dinner!  I got the Triple Chocolate dessert.  I’m not really sure what it was supposed to look like on the plate, and what was going on with the colorful frosting.  By the time it got back to the cabin and sat on our counter for 2 hours, it looked very messy, but I don’t know if that’s what it was meant to look like.  Either way, it was delicious!

 

 

We went to sleep right after that.  This meant that we did not get to enjoy any of the NYE festivities on the ship.  I was very disappointed at how tonight went.  I have never been on a cruise ship for NYE before, and I was really excited for the big deck party at midnight.  Had the calendar worked out that NYE fell towards the end of the cruise, I think things would have played out differently.  With this being our first full day, Ian was still adjusting to life on the ship and to the drastic change in his routine.  We knew that cruising with a toddler would be very different from when we used to cruise as just a couple, and this was one of those moments.  I think this was the first time I ever missed a production show on a cruise, but I know for sure that it was definitely not the first time I’ve fallen asleep before midnight on NYE!

 

Up next: Cabo San Lucas!