Crawling out from under a cruising rock ... need some opinions

[PaddleAddict]

2 hours ago, LaRue1975 said:

I think you should definitely consider the Panorama this time and save the Caribbean for your next cruise. The Panorama is the crown jewel of the Vista class ships, I have been on her 5 times in the last two years. We took our 9 year old grandson on his first cruise on the Panorama in October 2022 and are taking him again this August. He had the time of his life on the ship, we didn’t do that much in the ports other than a day pass to the Marriott in PV which he loved. This year we are going with our friends and their two grandsons and have excursions booked. 
 

The Panorama has the Sky Zone trampoline park which the Vista does not plus Guys Smokehouse & Brewery and the Teppanyaki Grill. The Teppanyaki restaurant was so much fun, the Chef was very entertaining and our grandson had a blast. We have it booked again with the three boys. The kids club is fantastic, he wanted to go every day. The water park, Sky Zone and Sky Ride were huge hits and so were the deck parties, they are kid friendly. The money you save on airfare will be more money for the ports, excursions and specialty dining. You will also need at least one night hotel if you sail out of the East Coast. Plus all the hassle of flying and dealing with airports, it is so easy to drive to the port and no weight limits on your bags! 😜

 

I love the Caribbean and enjoy the ports more but the Panorama and the ease of sailing from your home port would make it an easy choice for me. We do plan to take him to the Caribbean on an Exel class ship for his 13th birthday. Have a great time whatever you decide, Carnival is great for family cruises, they are serious about their Fun Ship reputation! 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! My boys will flip for a trampoline park, had no idea that was on the ship.

[ninjacat123]

32 minutes ago, PaddleAddict said:

Thank you for this tip about the kids club! I assume that is fairly early on embarkation day?

Yes, the time and place for the meet and greet (it probably is called something else) should be on the Hub Ap. If not, ask at Guest Services after you board. I think you can pre-register your kids through your Cruise Manager. My DDs are 21 and 23 so it’s been awhile.😜

[LaRue1975]

8 hours ago, PaddleAddict said:

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! My boys will flip for a trampoline park, had no idea that was on the ship.

Sky Zone is awesome, there is an extra charge but it is reasonable. They have regular sessions during the day and glow in the dark ones in the evenings. Those are a bit more but the kids get a souvenir glow in the dark t-shirt and it’s pretty wild with loud music. My grandson loved the staff, they made it super fun with lots of kidding around. The Rock & Glow deck party is fun too, I brought a bunch of glow in the dark baseballs from the Dollar Tree for him to share with his new friends and they had a ball tossing them around. 
 

They can have dinner with the kids club too, he would have gone every night if we let him, lol! They serve it in a roped off area in the buffet and they’ll take them directly from the club or you can just check them in at the buffet at 6. Then you can have a nice quiet kids free dinner. The water park and slides will be a huge hit with your boys too. They have them on all the ships but the ones on the Vista and Panorama are bigger and better than the older ships. Plus you are closer to Long Beach than LAX so you can save gas, another good reason to choose the Panorama! 😜

[PaddleAddict]

11 hours ago, LaRue1975 said:

Sky Zone is awesome, there is an extra charge but it is reasonable. They have regular sessions during the day and glow in the dark ones in the evenings. Those are a bit more but the kids get a souvenir glow in the dark t-shirt and it’s pretty wild with loud music. My grandson loved the staff, they made it super fun with lots of kidding around. The Rock & Glow deck party is fun too, I brought a bunch of glow in the dark baseballs from the Dollar Tree for him to share with his new friends and they had a ball tossing them around. 
 

They can have dinner with the kids club too, he would have gone every night if we let him, lol! They serve it in a roped off area in the buffet and they’ll take them directly from the club or you can just check them in at the buffet at 6. Then you can have a nice quiet kids free dinner. The water park and slides will be a huge hit with your boys too. They have them on all the ships but the ones on the Vista and Panorama are bigger and better than the older ships. Plus you are closer to Long Beach than LAX so you can save gas, another good reason to choose the Panorama! 😜

This is such great advice, I can't thank you enough!

[PaddleAddict]

Alrighty folks, I think you've convinced us to forego the cross-country flights and allure of the Caribbean Seas for the convenience of no flying and the draw of a very cool new ship. We will get back to the Caribbean as soon as we can but for this summer, I think it's the Panorama for us! Can't thank everyone enough for the valuable input!

[Butterbean1000]

On 4/15/2024 at 7:48 PM, kew1031 said:

I don't have young kids, but Id' take the Magic any day, probably the Eastern route, because Cozumel and Belize have been done several times. I have been on the Panorama and it's the same class ship as the Vista. Bigger than Magic, but I love the Dream Class ships.

Same here about the Dream class especially for the Cloud 9 Thermal Suites.