2 Cruises in 1- our first and last Carnival cruise

Item: Carnival Panorama
Rating: 4.2
Author: DaddysBoy

Carnival Panorama Cruise Review

DaddysBoy

Contributor Level: Purser

83 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 34

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 04, 2021

Ship: Carnival Panorama

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 6344

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 3 years ago

Review summary

Not our first cruise, but most likely our first and last with Carnival. We feel as though we get more for our money with other lines. We paid just as much for this cruise as we do with other lines. Our overall experience with Carnival however was not as good as their competitors.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Embarkation was a chaotic mess!! Leading up to the cruise we received lots of communication about check in times. Carnival made statements that if you show up at a time other than what is listed on your ticket you will be asked to wait outside the terminal until your scheduled time. This is false!!!! We arrived a few minutes early and were spotted by a staff member who asked if they could help. When we told her we were just looking to see what time we were supposed to go in, we were promptly told “that doesn’t matter, they are taking anyone regardless of check in time”. This created HUGE lines inside and outside the terminal. This could have easily been avoided had they just done what they said they were going to do.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Lido was terrible. The food was poor quality and actually made my companion Ill. If we went we had to either get salad or a grilled cheese/ham and cheese from the sandwich venue. If he ate anything from the buffet it would make him Ill.

Cucina del Capitano

1 out of 5

Neither of us were impressed. Our appetizers were ok. We had the Arancini and Nina’s Meatball. Our main course is we’re things took a nose dive! I had the Melanze (Eggplant Parm) and it was DISGUSTING!!! I was a dish of chopped eggplant swimming in water and olive oil, with a ton of cheese on top. It had been baked to the point that it was a soupy, grey-ish mess. I couldn’t eat it!! My companion had the Cavatelli and it was ok. Sides were Fingerling potatoes and Spaghetti and they both were ok. Dessert was decent. The Sorbetto Di Limone was good, but the Biscotti was not. We also had Italian Coffee which was charged to the our Cheers package and it was very good.

Alchemy Bar

5 out of 5

AMAZING!!!!!!! The staff were top notch, service was impeccable, and the drinks were all wonderful. We spent every evening here. A special shout out to Nader!!!!! They knew our favorite cocktail and they kept them coming. By the end of the cruise they had our folio number memorized.

Ji Ji Asian Kitchen

5 out of 5

Ji Ji’s Asian Kitchen is a MUST and was hands down the best food on the ship!! Our entire meal was fantastic!

Guy's Burger Joint

3 out of 5

Not great, not terrible. It was a mediocre burger at best. I had In N Out in LA after the cruise…I would choose In N Out over Guy’s Burger.

Bonsai Sushi

4 out of 5

This was good. Nothing spectacular, but I would have gone back. We ordered it to go and ate in our room.

BlueIguana Cantina

3 out of 5

Breakfast burritos were decent but not great. It was just ok.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Cabin was very large for inside. It was more square shaped with plenty of room.

Ship tip

The ship is beautiful. Food is not good. Pay for specialty dining if you want a decent meal.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Mazatlan, Mexico

5 out of 5

Mazatlan was a pleasant surprise. We enjoyed walking through town to the Malecon. We would visit again.

Thumbs Up 0

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

3 out of 5

Didn’t see anything but the port. The terminal and area around it was ok. Only there for a brief time.

Thumbs Up 0

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

5 out of 5

Puerto Vallarta was great. We were there just about a week after a Hurricane so things were a bit out of sorts in Old Town. We can’t wait to go back at a cooler time of the year. It was VERY hot and humid.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

In similar fashion to embarkation this was a chaotic mess. We ended up just walking off before our muster was called because we had transportation to catch. Had we waited we would have missed our airport shuttle. It was just a horrible disembarkation experience.

15 Comments

LucieBD 3 years ago

I agree 100%. I'm sure it has something to do with the pandemic, but I had the same experience on the September 25 sailing.

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sirrider 3 years ago

I can't relate to this. I've been on over 20 Carnival cruises. I keep going back because I've been very satisfied.

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willwork4cruz 3 years ago

Everyone has different opinions on the same experience. I was on the same cruise. Lindo buffet does seem small but there are two buffet areas, each with different foods. Many people do not notice that. If you add them together, it is a good size. Not sure what "poor quality" ingredients means. Everything is homemade. Was the flour, sugar, salt, eggs, etc poor quality? Lots of variety of foods and locations to choose. If you don't like the taste, don't eat it. If you ate something you didn't like on a cruise, it is your own fault.

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CurlyCruiserYAY 3 years ago

I’m thinking this was a fluke. Carnival is amazing.

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DaBrowns 3 years ago

Hope this is just a one off. I read a lot of positivity on this ship and we go in November. It’s also our home port so we will frequent it quite often, unless…..

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javawoody 3 years ago

Thanks for the review

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izrgreen 3 years ago

Thanks for sharing your experience

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cruising2004 3 years ago

Thanks for sharing

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sharrhar 3 years ago

What cruise lines are you preference??

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msxenia 3 years ago

We had a very similar experience. We are huge Carnival fans, but the Panorama cruise we took August 28th left me questioning our loyalty. The lido food was just bad and limited. Even the MDR was lacking. We sail again this month out of our home port of Galveston, hoping they have improved a bit more.

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jallaway 3 years ago

Jameeh, I have been reading much better reviews lately. We were on the cruise right before his and our experience was pretty close to what he's saying. I also lost a day due to something I ate and there's a pretty good chance it was from the Mongolian grill.

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DebandMarkC 3 years ago

If you didn’t like the buffet food on Carnival you’re going to HATE the food on MSC

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jameeh 3 years ago

They've must have improved their embarkation & disembarkation process since you sailed, thank goodness. Other reviewers aren't having the same experience. Hope your next cruise better meets your expectations.

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hollysmomtravel 3 years ago

Find it difficult to believe that EVERYTHINF from the buffet made hi. I'll. But I understand not wanting to eat from there again

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Curt34 3 years ago

Thanks for the review. Sorry it didn’t meet your expectations.

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