A great way to spend Thanksgiving!

Item: Carnival Panorama
Rating: 4.6
Author: DataScoop

Carnival Panorama Cruise Review to Mexico

DataScoop

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 28

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5

7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 20, 2021

Ship: Carnival Panorama

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9247

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

The ship was a pleasure to sail on, and the crew was attentive and caring. We had a great cabin and thoroughly enjoyed the ports and the activities. We booked another cruise the day we returned.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Quick and Easy. Drop off luggage with porter, review documents, have picture taken, and walk up the ramp. From curb to onboard was about 35 minutes. Very efficient.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Teppanyaki restaurant was our favorite. Guy's Burger Joint was a close second (and the burger joint is included). The Lido Buffet had very good food as well. The steak in the main dining room was a little disappointing, but not bad.

Bonsai Teppanyaki

5 out of 5

Great food and loads of fun (and flames).

Alchemy Bar

5 out of 5

Great hand-crafted cocktails. I ordered off-menu and they made me a delicious variation of a raspberry infused Moscow Mule.

Ji Ji Asian Kitchen

5 out of 5

Reasonably priced specialty restaurant. Great asian food. The duck was perfect.

Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse | Brewhouse

5 out of 5

Excellet BBQ. Free at lunchtime on some days; check the calendar and try it out.

Seafood Shack

2 out of 5

The lobster roll was much more bread than lobster (it looked nothing like the picture). Since they were charging for it, I expected better.

Horizon and Vista Restaurants

3 out of 5

Food and service were ok, but nothing really special. We thought the food on the Lido deck was better than the main restaurant on most days.

Havana Bar & Pool

4 out of 5

Great karaoke spot

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

The burger joint was one of the highlights of the ship and a must-have on all future carnival cruises for us.

BlueIguana Cantina

3 out of 5

Breakfast burritos were good, but the chicken sausage and the tortilla were a little bit dry.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

The ropes course and the fitness center were a lot of fun, and a great workout.

Cloud 9 Spa

4 out of 5

Go on the spa tour the first day to get the manager's special. It was a very good 90 minute massage with hot stones at a very good price.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

"Say Play", the violin trio were fantastic. The stage shows were pretty good.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Cruise director Lee and his staff made it fun for everyone. The wait staff and housekeeping were top-notch.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship was kept impeccably clean by a dedicated crew. It was apparent that they took their jobs seriously.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

We had a beautiful balcony cabin one floor below the Lido deck. We could hear other cabin doors open and close (the balcony doors are on a spring, so they can close quite hard), but overall the cabin was very quiet, clean, and comfortable.

Ship tip

There is a small buffet in the Ocean Plaza area that serves up a different selection of food than they do on the Lido deck. It's worth walking by to see what they're serving.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

3 out of 5

Embark & debark only. Nothing much to say about this one.

Thumbs Up 1

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

5 out of 5

Had a great time on the zip line tour. Very physical; lots of hiking up steep hillsides.

Thumbs Up 0

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Smooth and orderly debarkation. We carried our own bags to speed things up. We left our cabin shortly before 9:00, and had about a 45 minute wait in the lounge (we were in the 3rd group they called). Customs is so much easier these days. With facial recognition, all you do is look at a tablet and you're on your way.