Exposure to cigarette smoke is unforgivable Carnival, after all we know about it's dangers in 2023. Ship is way too small for this many people, along with pools, hot tubs, Heroes(sports bar), Atrium, buffet, and every show. Expect to wait on line for everything. I seriously would not go on this ship again if they offered it for free.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
As with most Carnival ships, they have this down better than Norwegian. 10:30am Board, was on in les than an hour.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food was OK. Not 3*, but not 2, so I would say 2.5. You only have a choice of lido deck buffet or Vista sit down restaurant in back of ship; unless you pay more. Hard to find a table at either during peak hours, especially for 5 adults. Vista seats you relatively quickly, but you'll wait an hour for your food. Much better w 8pm or later. The Rum Bar and Tequila Bar on the open Lido deck actually had very good rum and tequila, best on any ship I've been on. I'm a bit of a high end rum snob and they had Fleur de Cana 18, amongst others, as park of the regular drink package. The atrium bar, and most others, had a decent Aberfeldy 16 for scotch lovers.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Fitness center better than expected, but I went only once.
Biggest problem by far was the Casino. They allow smoking and it is ridiculous. Carnival has a strict no smoking ANYWHERE on the ship policy, and only in a designated outside smoking area, because they realize smokers are OK w poisoning themselves, but shouldn't be allowed to poison others; that is, UNLESS you want to spend more money, then Carnival thinks it's OK to poison whomever you'd like, as they'll allow you to smoke in the casino. They say it's only when actively playing games(Not that that even matters), but most were not and they were watching sports bc the Heroes bar was too crowded; no one was telling them not to. I used to be a smoker 40 years ago, and can handle a little; but this was ridiculous; like we were back in the 70's. In order to get to the Vista restaurant upper level, or Heroes bar to watch a game, you must go thru the casino. everyone was complaining. The ventilation was awful and it would go up the hallways in each direction, and was still strong in the overcrowded Heroes bar. I cannot believe Carnival allows this to happen in this day an age. The absolute worst part of this trip. I like to play craps because the "Entertainment" just doesn't do it for me and this was unbearable.
The 2 Pools and Hot Tubs are waaay too small for the amount of people. Always overcrowded where people have to sit in middle. Too many kids. Serenity deck only has hot tubs, and they were crowded too. Overlooks the separated area with pools and hot tubs empty, or maybe 2-3 people in them, but you have to pay way more for that. The atrium is almost SRO; any event there, is a standing event. This ship was way too small for the amount of people on it. They obviously wanted to maximize their revenue with jamming too many in.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
One comedian was actually very funny, one was just OK, the other 2 were just not funny, although some others thought they were. The Deal Or No Deal ($50/3cards) and Bingo($48) are just plain revenue generator money sucks for Carnival and are expensive for what you get. They dangle huge prizes but your chance of winning them is rare or non existent. If you add all the money they generated, they should award someone the grand prizes every time; but then it wouldn't be a money suck for them. In both cases, the people selling the cards or sheets, said they had never seen anyone even come close to winning. That's a money suck. My wife and adult children just thought it was fun, so I kept my comments to myself(Until now). The stage shows were like a low end Vegas show.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As always, very attentive. No problem anywhere.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
As I mentioned, the ship is way too small for the amount of people on it. The Casino cigarette smoke is over powering in the casino(Even at the Craps table where the vent is!) and waifs up and down the hall way to the heroes bar and beyond. You must walk through it to get to the back of the ship on that floor. The Heroes Bar is the only place to watch sports, is very small, and fills up so fast, you can't even stand to watch the game(Football). People are literally in the hallway, Can't see the TV's, and trying to listen(And you have to deal w/the aforementioned cigarette smoke!). Its a joke, its so small. I had 10 guys trying to watch the game on my cell phone at another bar(Only bc my wifi actually worked then). If you have 5 or more people in your party, find a buffet table first, because there are not enough tables during peak hours. You wait on long lines for just about everything on the ship and every event is overcrowded.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
This was my 3rd cruise and this was the smallest cabin. But the deck was nice, especially when we opened it up to 6284's deck, the other cabin that had our adult children in. I spent a lot of time on that 16' deck avoiding all of the above and enjoying the ocean; especially morning coffee. The bed was comfortable(I'm 6' 300lbs) and big enough for my wife and I. The shower was the smallest of any ship too, and will be very frustrating if your big, and or, tall. Water pressure is a trickle, and the curtain kept sticking to me.
Ship tip
Pick another ship, unless you like crowds and cigarette smoke; or can afford the exclusive area.
Excellent excursion to the private beach. Poncho was great and food on the beach was some of the best on the whole trip. Beach is like pea gravel, so bring your sand shoes.
Went to VIP beach and pool condo resort. Pools were very nice, with large iguanas. Beach was OK with a lot of merchants. Buffet was good. Bus ride back with tequila a big hit with my family!
My favorite. Harbor is beautiful as is sunrise. Went on luxury boat with whale watching and snorkeling. Saw a bunch of whales and snorkeling was best on trip, but not comparable to anything on the Caribbean side.
I work at a casino just south of the Vegas strip and don’t like cigarette smoke myself, however, I would never not expect cigarette smoke in a non-tribal casino. The top 3 addictive hobbies all in 1 place is clearly a successful trio (gambling, smoking, drinking). I can’t imagine that the only way to get to the restaurant is to walk through the casino. What about families who shouldn’t have kids in there?
I’m sailing in May. First cruise in over 17 years. I’ve been on RC twice and CCL once. Looking forward to this. I hope the crowds aren’t too bad. (Who am I kidding, it’s May!)
It sounds as if, Carnival fixed everything you complained about. You will still have complaints. You probably would blame the weather on Carnival, enjoy your vacation with your family, life is short and since you said you smoked 40 years ago. We are seasoned in life and know that life's going to throw you a curve, just learn how to hit it or stay at home. Where you control things, when our wives allow us to.
This is what happens when everyone complains about those that smoke ……. They set certain areas for smoking only so now everyone that smokes is crowed into small crowded areas …… when smoking was permitted on one’s balcony things like this wasn’t an issue .
Appreciate your detailed feedback. Since the Panorama is a Vista class ship, you should have been able to transit the ship on deck 5 thereby avoiding the smoky casino. Sorry you were disappointed with your sailing.
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