Carnival Panorama Review
Carnival is never satisfied with the status quo. They just seem to delight in exceeding customer expectations. Our recent sailing aboard Carnival’s newest ship, Carnival Panorama, was our 131st cruise, and our eighth with Carnival. A Carnival cruise is a true value proposition, with competitive cruise fares bringing a cruise vacation into the budgets of just about any household. But, while a Carnival cruise can be a real bargain financially, it would be a mistake to assume that you have to compromise on quality or service.
The Itinerary
Embarkation (Long Beach), At Sea, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, At Sea, At Sea, Disembarkation (Long Beach)
The Ship
The latest in the Vista-Class ship series, Carnival Panorama can carry 4,008 guests cared for by an international crew of 1,450. The 133,000-ton vessel has all of the latest technology to keep guests comfortable and safe. There are eight forward elevators, four midship and four aft, each with its own set of stairs. The new style elevators took a little getting used to. No longer do you get into the elevator before choosing your desired deck. You select your destination from an electronic panel in the elevator lobby, then you will be instructed as to which elevator to occupy. There are no deck buttons inside the elevator. It is hard to say whether this new system works better than the previous, but it does seem to work.
Like other Vista-Class ships, shipboard activities take place primarily on Decks 4, 5, 6 and 10. Muster stations are located on Deck 4.
Accommodations
We occupied one of the 753 balcony cabins (#6392) with ours being located on Deck 6 aft. Our stateroom was nothing out of the ordinary and comparable, if not an exact match, to the balcony cabin we had on Carnival Vista in 2017. At 185 sq. ft., the cabin is small, but very well designed and has plenty of storage space. The large sofa is comfortable and, in some cabins, will convert into a bed. The stateroom bed can be configured as two twin beds or a king-size and we chose the latter. We found the bed to be quite comfortable. The nightstands have built-in lamps, but no USB charging ports.
Balcony Stateroom
The small desk does have two USB charging ports, two 120v US-style outlets and a single 220v European-style outlet. A small desk drawer holds a captive hair dryer. There are spacious shelves over the desk, great for holding camera gear or other devices. A small padded cube serves as a seat and is stowed under the desk.
There are three closets, two for hanging clothes and a third with shelves and drawers. A small electronic safe can be used to protect jewelry or cell phones, but is not large enough to hold a laptop, or even a large iPad. One of the closet doors has a full-length mirror. Kudos to Carnival for offering real wooden hangers as opposed to the cheap, plastic “captive” hangers used on NCL and some other lines.
The bathroom is small, but functional, with a shower stall utilizing a shower curtain rather than glass door. There are six glass shelves (3 on each side of the vanity) providing enough room to store all of your lotions and potions. We found the hand towels and face towels to be a little thin and cheap feeling, but the bath towels were thick and fluffy. Only conditioning shampoo and body wash are provided (in canisters inside the shower) along with a small bar of soap at the sink. If you require body lotion or hair conditioner, you will need to bring your own.
There is a large, flat-screen HD television on the wall opposite the bed with a fair amount of programming. The only news channel was CBSN, no Fox News or CNN. There were a couple of Discovery-network channels and on demand movies (some free, some at a fee). Most of the TV programming was CCTV Carnival-oriented programming.
Our balcony was small and equipped with two chairs and a small table. The balcony door is the hinged variety, meaning it will rattle the walls of your cabin when your neighbor allows their door to slam shut, as our neighbors did repeatedly. A sliding glass door is preferred, in our opinion.
Everything in our cabin worked as expected. HVAC was excellent. The only obtrusive noise came from the neighbor’s balcony door, and noisy kids running and screaming through the hallways. There was no noise from the public spaces located on Deck 5 just below us. Overall, our cabin was quite comfortable.
Food and Dining
This is one area where Carnival really does exceed expectations. We have noticed steady improvement in food quality and overall dining experience over the years. Carnival has expanded its specialty dining offerings on Panorama to include a new Teppanyaki grill and the new Carnival Kitchen experience.
Carnival guests can enjoy a variety of delicious dining options without spending any extra money on food. The Vista and Horizon restaurants are the large, traditional dining venues on board and offer early, late or Anytime Dining times. Lunch and dinner menus change in these restaurants each day. You can eat very well on Carnival without spending an extra dime on food. In addition to the main restaurants, you can enjoy the best cheeseburgers at sea (or on land, for that matter) at Guy’s Burger Joint on Deck 10 midship. Carnival’s pizza is legendary in the cruise industry and is available 24-hours-a-day at Pizzeria del Capitano (Deck 10 aft). We agree, it is among the best we have had on a cruise ship. And, for $5, you can have your pie delivered to you anywhere on the ship!
Pizza at Pizzeria del Capitano available 24 hours a day
There is a nice room service menu with a few complimentary items, and some that carry a small charge.
Bonsai Sushi (Deck 5 midship) is one of the best spots to stop in for a light lunch or dinner. This á la carte restaurant is a great value with an eight-piece Spicy Tuna Roll offered for only $5. Make sure to try one of the noodle bowls for a real treat.
Spicy Tuna Roll at Bonsai Sushi
A new must-try venue is the adjoining Bonsai Teppenyaki. The two teppenyaki-style cooking tables fill up fast, so make sure you get reservations in advance. Dinner is $32/pp and it is a bargain for the massive amount of food, and the great show. This might be the best teppenyaki dinner we have had… anywhere.
The Menu at Bonsai Teppanyaki
Even though we did not dine here on this sailing, we have enjoyed JiJi’s Asian Kitchen on Carnival Vista. We did get a chance to re-visit Cucina del Capitano Italian restaurant on Panorama and were pleased to find the food and atmosphere to be as good as we remembered. JiJi’s and Cucina del Capitano are located on Deck 11 aft.
We enjoyed a special Valentine’s Day lunch at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse (Deck 5 midship). The $38/pp dinner menu here is another one of Carnival’s great dining values.
Our only real disappointment was with the lunch and dinner offerings at The Lido Marketplace buffet. The breakfast buffet, however, is quite extensive and good. The best offering at lunch is the Marketplace Deli where they make sandwiches to order. However, the French fries here were cold and stale. You are better off going to Guy’s Burger Joint for your fries.
Neither Rickee nor I are big on seafood, so we did not try the Seafood Shack (Deck 10 aft), but the lobster rolls served here did look quite good, I must admit. Another venue we did not try was Guy’s Pig and Anchor BBQ. At lunch, the BBQ here is free, but there are different á la carte offerings at dinner time and we heard nothing but good things about the BBQ.
If you enjoy cooking and want to combine a learning experience along with dinner, check out Carnival Kitchen. This new concept allows you to cook right alongside Carnival’s chefs in a special kitchen outfitted with individual cooking stations. After preparing a few dishes under the watchful eyes of the chefs, you will enjoy a sit-down dinner prepared for you by the chefs. There are several different ethnic-themed dinner and lunches offered here. Make sure you book in advance, because space is limited to 14 people per session.
The ultimate dining experience on Carnival is the Chef’s Table ($95/pp). The Chef’s Table is restricted to 14 guests per evening, so space is very limited. Reservations in advance are highly recommended. Chef’s Table guests are asked to meet on Deck 3 where a Sous Chef meets and greets them. Then, guests are led through the dining room and into the main galley. After everyone thoroughly washes their hands, the show begins.
Amazing Technique and Presentation at Chef’s Table
Guests stand around a prep table where Sous Chefs prepare a variety of Amuse Bouche treats. A bottle of Möet Champagne circulates around the room filling guest’s glasses as we watch the incredible culinary techniques used in making these delicious tastings.
After champagne and a few small tastings, we are moved into a very nice dining room just off the main galley. Then the multi-course meal begins. There were eleven courses in all, and all of the dishes were beautiful, delicious and meticulously presented.
You can read our full Chef’s Table review here.
Bars and Lounges
As with most new cruise ships, there’s no shortage of bars and lounges aboard Carnival Panorama. Drink prices are in line with other mainstream cruise lines. A Crown Royal will cost you about $8, fancy drinks are about $11. Carnival offers their Cheers! drink package which basically gives you unlimited drinks for $51.95/per person/per day (if you purchase prior to sailing). Of course, every adult staying in your stateroom is required to purchase the Cheers! package, and, there’s no sharing of drinks.
For The Best Martini Cocktails, Go To Alchemy Bar
Rickee and I simply don’t drink enough to justify the Cheers! package, but a lot of Carnival guests take advantage of this program. And, Carnival’s Cheers! package is about half the price of some other cruise line drink packages.
We found the service and drinks in all of the bars to be good, with only once exception. We waited for over an hour to order a drink in Piano Bar 88 one evening, and nobody ever came to wait on us. And, the place was nearly empty! Other than that one experience, bar service was excellent. Our favorite bar was Alchemy Bar on Deck 5 midship. The Cucumber Sunrise is our new favorite cocktail!
Entertainment
This is where we felt Carnival has undergone the most improvement. In the past, Carnival’s production shows have always left us wanting for more. They seemed to be plagued with poor audio, lackluster choreography and average overall performances. We were very pleasantly surprised by two of the production shows on Panorama: Celestial Strings and Rock Revolution were both excellent shows.
The main floor (Deck 4) of the Liquid Lounge now features a center section made up of padded chairs that can be rearranged so that the performers can move about in the audience. This is where you will find your best seating and sight lines, but you have to get in line early for a good seat.
Celestial Strings features the most elaborate costumes and the taped music is backed up by the ship’s own trio of violinists.
Rock Revolution is a celebration of the biggest hits from 1969. Once again, Carnival musicians back up the taped music and computer controlled drones dance overhead during “Lucy In The Sky with Diamonds”.
The acoustics and/or sound system has been vastly improved over what we remembered on Carnival Vista. We enjoyed both shows immensely.
One of our favorite entertainment venues on Carnival is the Punchliner Comedy Club, held in the Limelight Lounge on Deck 4 aft. During a seven-night cruise, guests will enjoy four different top-level comedians and we have yet to see a bad one. Carnival does comedy better than any other cruise line, period. Each comedian performs a PG-rated show in addition to an adult (no kids allowed) show. And, in the adult shows, there’s no holds barred.
Activities
There is no shortage of activities going on all over the ship on sea days or port days. Under the energetic leadership of Cruise Director, Emma Nixon, the crew does its best to keep everyone having loads of fun. While on the subject of cruise directors, Emma Nixon has to be one of the most visible and energetic ones with whom we have ever sailed. She is literally a bundle of energy, and her enthusiasm is infectious.
If you enjoy trivia contests, as we do, there are multiple ones going on all over the ship at various times throughout the day. There’s bean bag toss, hairy chest contests poolside, and dozens of other off-the-wall activities. If you are cruising with your kids, Camp Carnival staff will keep them occupied throughout the day with a variety of fun activities.
To stay in shape, there is a huge fitness center with all of the latest cardio equipment and weight machines, as well as free weights. An adjacent fully-equipped Serenity Spa and Salon can deliver any massage treatment you may desire, or hair and nail treatments.
The two swimming pools are always popular on sea days, especially when the skies are clear and the weather is warm. The Beach Pool (Deck 10 midship) is the larger of the two and has movies playing throughout the day on a huge video screen. The Tides Pool (Deck 10 aft) is smaller, but is quieter and more relaxing. There are plenty of loungers at both pools and the upper decks surrounding the pool. The best place we found for quiet lounging in the sun (or shade) was The Lanai on Deck 5 forward. This little known spot goes virtually unnoticed and has the only padded sun loungers we found on the ship.
For adults wanting an escape, check out Serenity on Deck 15 forward. On sea days, Serenity can get very crowded, so it is best to get there early. If you shell out for one of Carnival’s adult-only Havana staterooms/suites, you have semi-private access to the Havana Pool on Deck 5 aft. The Havana Pool is much less crowded than either of the two other pools and features two large hot tubs on either side of a beautiful infinity-edge pool overlooking the back of the ship. On sea days, however, the Havana Pool loungers can fill up, too. There is a Havana Bar serving guests in this area as well.
Carnival Waterworks is popular with kids of all ages. The main attraction here are the two water slides. The Red Slide is a more sedate, leisurely trip down a slide as you sit comfortably in an inner tube. The Blue Slide is a bit more intense where it is just you and the slide. Neither slide is super aggressive, like some we saw on NCL Encore, but they are both fun.
The SkyRide is located on Deck 12 midship and is one of the most fun things you will ever do on a cruise ship. After you get strapped into one of the little Sky Bikes, you begin pedaling your way around the track that suspends you more than 100 feet above the ocean. The bikes are very easy to pedal and there are some unexpected dips and turns along the way to make the ride quite exciting. Here’s a tip: to avoid long lines, go to SkyRide on a port day when most people are off the ship.
Right across from SkyRide is the Ropes Course. This was the first cruise where we have tried the Ropes Course and I am really glad we did. This was quite challenging at first. It is a little unsettling when you step out onto a rope that is only 1” in diameter, especially when you are 25 feet above the deck! Of course, you are wearing a safety harness that would prevent any injury should you slip off one of the obstacles.
Carnival’s new Sky Zone also looks like a ton of fun if you love jumping on trampolines. We did not check it out on this cruise, but certainly will the next time.
If you are in the mood to do some shopping, you will find a lot of Fun Shops on Decks 4 and 5 forward surrounding the Panorama Atrium. You can find everything from liquor to candy to jewelry to sundries and logo gear in the Fun Shops.
Ship’s photographers are all over the ship to take photos in the evenings and photos can be purchased through a unique digital ordering system at Pixels on Deck 4. No more hunting through hundreds of thousands of printed photos. Walk up to one of the iPads at Pixels, enter your stateroom info, and you can see all of your photos. You can even purchase digital versions of your photos (thank you Carnival).
Itinerary
This Mexican Riviera itinerary has only three ports of call. Cabo San Lucas is the first port and is an excellent spot to take a whale watching excursion. Of course, there are many resorts where you can spend the day lounging at the beach, or poolside. Or, take the tender into the marina and just walk around the seaside shops, bars and restaurants.
Puerto Vallarta is one of our favorite ports where you can hop in a taxi just outside of the port security area and go to Malecon, a pedestrian walkway with tons of shops, restaurants and bars lining the ocean front.
In Mazatlan, there are dozens of shore excursions offered. If you go on your own, you can grab a taxi into the Old Town to do a little shopping, or, there is a sizable shopping market right at the port cruise terminal.
Service
We found every crew member to be pleasant and willing to serve, with only one small exception. One evening, before dinner, we sat in Piano Bar 88 for nearly an hour and nobody ever came over to take a drink order. We noticed several other guests having the same issue. There was a bartender, and there was a waitress, but nobody ever approached us. Other than that one small incident, everyone one else was super nice, pleasant and willing to go out of their way to serve.
Summary
Carnival knows exactly what they are doing. They understand their customers and continue to deliver a product that keeps people coming back year after year. Our first Carnival cruise was in 2002 and we have seen steady improvement with each subsequent cruise. Yes, Carnival is getting better. The entertainment is better than it was in 2017. The food quality and variety is as good or better than it was in 2017. The activities are as good or better than in 2017. Should I continue? Carnival just keeps getting better and better. And, all of this at very competitive prices that make Carnival one of the best values in the cruise industry. I look forward to our next Carnival cruise, hopefully on the new Mardis Gras.
