Day 4 - Mazatlan, Mexico
This morning, Carnival Panorama is docked at the Port of Mazatlan, a very industrial port mostly used for container ships. As such, there is not much to see or do near the port. Fortunately, Carnival offers a variety of shore excursions including All-Day Beach Resort Getaways, Zip Line, ATVs and more. You can see the entire selection here. If you opt to go on your own, you can take a free shuttle to the cruise terminal building where other choices are available.
Complimentary Shuttle To Cruise Terminal
The Cruise Terminal at the Port of Mazatlan is sort of a jumping-off place for shore excursions but also has a fairly large souvenir marketplace inside.
Cruise Terminal
Inside the terminal building you will find dozens of small vendor shops and kiosks, most of which are selling the same stuff. Here you can find items like souvenir magnets, t-shirts, knick-knacks, unlicensed NFL caps, jewelry, clothing, leather items. Most of these items, I am sure, are made in China. We collect refrigerator magnets and we did not have one for Mazatlan, so we were on a quest to find the perfect souvenir magnet.
Marketplace Inside Cruise Terminal
When you exit the cruise terminal, you will find more of what? You guessed it…vendors! For the most part, they sell the same stuff as inside the terminal building. And, if you walk about 50 yards through the parking lot, there is an even larger building filled with more local merchants! So, when it comes time to stock up for your next garage sale, this is the place!
Colorful Mexican Souvenirs
Of course, there’s more than just souvenir shops here. There are also a few pharmacies selling cheap prescription drugs without the need for a prescription. I have purchased prescriptions before in Mexico with good results. You may need to know the actual chemical compound of your prescription in some cases because the same drug from the same manufacturers may have different brand names, or no brand name at all in Mexico. You should also know that it may not be legal to bring these drugs back into the US.
You will also find several local tour operators selling a variety of tours (see below). Some of these can be a very good value. We overheard a group of 9 book a van for an all-day local tour for $20 per person. Remember, however, that when you “do your own thing” in a port, it is your responsibility to get back to the ship before it sails. If you hire a taxi for a tour and the taxi breaks down 30 miles from the ship, the ship will leave without you. On the contrary, when you book your tours through the ship, the ship will wait for your tour to return, even if there is a delay.
Reasonable Taxi Rates in Mazatlan
You will also find a few vendors selling food at the terminal and soft drinks. Rickee found her favorite, Dr. Pepper for $2 a bottle and brought three bottles back to the ship. Dr. Pepper is not available on Carnival ships since they only offer Pepsi products.
Rickee Gets Her Dr. Pepper
We spent the afternoon by the pool watching The Lion King on the big screen and just being lazy because some days you just want to do nothing. I had another Guy’s Burger Joint burger (the best cheeseburgers on any cruise ship).
This evening, we wanted to try the Alchemy Bar. We have been hearing so much about how great the drinks are there, we wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I mean, after all, it’s just a bar, right? Turns out, the hype is for good reason. This place fills up fast and remains full through the night. We arrived before they opened, about 4:45pm, and there were already other patrons seated at the bar. Basically, Alchemy Bar is a Martini bar. If you want a Bud Light, move along. If you want a Bloody Mary, or a frozen drink with an umbrella, go elsewhere. Because, when Zoran Dimitrievski arrives on the scene, the show begins with splashes of vodka, gin, fruit juices, nectars and other ingredients being combined to make the best damn drinks you have ever had!
Alchemy Bar - Deck 5 Midship
You can select from a wide variety of specialty drinks listed on the backlit menu, or, request a custom concoction. Rickee started with a Lemon Drop Martini ($10.95) and I ordered a Moscow Mule ($10.95). Both were very good. Rickee said her Lemon Drop was the best she has ever had (and, she has had a quite a few over the years).
Menu at Alchemy Bar lights up
Lemon Drop Martini at Alchemy Bar
But, our favorite drink of the night was the Cucumber Sunrise, which Zoran tells us is the most popular cocktail at Alchemy Bar fleetwide. This was a delicious mix of vodka, muddled cucumber, watermelon nectar, fresh squeezed lime juice and a splash of orange juice. It might be the best cocktail I have ever had and Rickee agrees.
alchemist Zoran Dimitrievski
Cucumber Sunrise
After two pretty stiff drinks at Alchemy Bar, we though it best to have a little food in our stomachs before going to the evening show. Fortunately, Bonsai Sushi is located right across from Alchemy Bar, so we grabbed a couple of seats at the Sushi Bar and each ordered one of the Noodle Bowls ($7 ea). You can choose from Ramen or Udon noodles and we ordered the Udon. Then, you can add beef, chicken, mushrooms or even add a hard boiled egg. The bowl of noodles arrives in a little pot filled with a steaming, rich vegetable broth. There are more than enough delicious noodles and meat (if you add meat) to satisfy a substantial appetite. It was really delicious and a great value. We have not had anything at Bonsai Sushi yet that was not tasty.
Udon Noodle Soup at Bonsai Sushi
We arrived in line for the evening show, Rock Revolution, at about 6:55, five minutes before they opened the doors. The line to get in was already massive, so we did not get the seats we wanted, but still had good seats on Deck 4. Plan to arrive by 6:40 to get in line if you want the best seats for this 7:30 show.
Rock Revolution features music from 1969 and it was the best rock-themed production show we have seen on any cruise. We were entertained with excellent vocals, great dance choreography and live musicians on drums, guitar and horns backing up some really great taped music. The show has all the visual stimulation you could ask for with laser lights set to the music, and even one number with lighted drones floating overhead. Very cool! Carnival has really stepped up their entertainment since our last Carnival cruise in 2017.
Rock Revolution
Tomorrow, Carnival Panorama will be docked in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
