Great Mexican Riviera Cruise on Panorama

Item: Carnival Panorama
Rating: 4.3
Author: cabogal

Carnival Panorama Cruise Review to Mexico

cabogal

Contributor Level: Purser

9 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 63

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 15, 2020

Ship: Carnival Panorama

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8438

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

All in all, we enjoyed the cruise, but have done this itinerary many times. We took this cruise because we wanted to experience the new Vista class, Panorama. The ship was nice and new, but we didn't care for this class ship. We'll stay with the smaller ships. This is a great ship for families with children as there is so much for them to do. Being we are retired, we'll stick to the "old people" ships and cruises - lol!!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Our check in time was 1:00 - 1:30 and that is when we arrived. We were on board in less than 30 minutes. Easiest embarkation with no waiting!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Buffet was lacking in lunch options and food was just okay. We ate breakfast in the MDR, which was very good, hot and plentiful. MDR for dinner was good and food arrived hot. We ate at the Steakhouse and thought the food was very good. Our favorite meal was at Cucina del Capitano - the cavatelli with veal/pork ragu was excellent! I thought the free lunch at Pig & Anchor was over rated. The pork was dry and the sides were meh. I had better mac & cheese at the buffet and the BBQ sauces were thin and tasteless. The Seafood Shack was okay - we had the fish & chips and clam strips. Nothing special, but the price was good. All in all we felt that the food was good. The lunch buffet lacks in options probably because there are many free lunch options at the specialty restaurants.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

We didn't use the pools as the weather was cool and windy. The hot tubs were full of kids - not our thing. I did the Skyride, which was worth standing in line for and my husband did the water slide. There were lots of things to do every day and the Cruise Director, Emma and her staff were excellent!

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The stage shows were great - especially the Rock show with the drones and lasers. We didn't like Celestial Strings as the background music was so loud it was hard to hear the vocalists. The bass vibrated through our heads so we had to leave. We really loved all the music in the atrium and the Ocean View plaza. The comedians were good.

Children's Programs

No kids with us.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The staff, everywhere, were excellent! They were friendly, helpful and seemed to enjoy being on the Panorama.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

The ship was clean and well-maintained. We did not like the layout of the Vista class ship. It seemed that all the areas were scaled down to make room for more staterooms/passengers. The stateroom was smaller and there was less closet space than other class ships. The hallways were narrower as well as the stairs. The public restrooms were smaller with only 2 stalls and 1 sink. The Liquid Lounge was smaller and the seating was not good. In order to get a good seat that was not blocked by a pillar, you had to get there when the doors opened. The seats on the main floor were chairs with no cup holders. The tables in the dining room were so close together that a table for 2 ended up being a table for 4. However, the buffet area seemed to be larger with lots more seating. The ship lacked the "awe factor." It didn't have the glass elevators in the atrium and was small and lacked seating. The entire ship had sparse, modern decor and had lots of plastic and just felt like it was built on a tight budget.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Bed & pillows were comfortable. It was smaller than we are used to, but had enough space for the 2 of us. However, I think it would be hard to get 3 or 4 people in that room. Our steward kept our room clean. The balcony was also smaller. The cabin was in a good location - close to the stairs and elevator, but no noise from those areas.