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Great West coast experience

Carnival Panorama Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 6
Helpful Votes: 140

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5
Carnival Panorama

7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 15, 2023

Ship: Carnival Panorama

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 5201

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Fantastic Mexican Riviera adventure with a cruise director that was out of this world

Embarkation

4 out of 5
We purchased Faster To The Fun package and were given a 12:00 time slot. A day before we got a text from Carnival stating that all the time slots were being pushed back by 1 hour. So our time slot became 1:00-1:30, however our driver had a really hard time navigating Long Beach terminal signage, so we wound up getting there at 1:45. It took us over an hour to board, as it seemed like there were at least 2000 passengers ahead of us.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
We ate at both main dining locations Horizon and Vista, and food was exceptional in both places. Lido buffet was decent. Serenity salad bar was by far our favorite, with Guy’s Burger Joint running a close second and Blue Iguana close behind (make sure you get in line 10-15 prior to opening as it took us 20-30 minutes to get burritos). Very dissatisfied with El Capitano’s Pizza. They had 3 ovens going at one time with 6 pizzas in each one and they always seem to burn at least 20-25% of them (crust was black).

Horizon and Vista Restaurants

5 out of 5

The food was superb, the service exceptional

Pizzeria del Capitano

2 out of 5

Not sure why the pizzas were constantly burnt. Maybe cook a few less at a time and avoid the hot spots in the back of the oven? Too many pepperoni pizzas made every night, with the staff passing them out all the way back to the end of the line of 15-20 people waiting. Some people jumped at a chance of having any pizza just to avoid waiting

Havana Bar & Pool

5 out of 5

Very quiet and secluded area where one can relax and enjoy the infinity pool with 2 hot tubs without crowds. Great drink specials and accommodating staff.

RedFrog Rum Bar

5 out of 5

Inventive drinks

Lido Marketplace

3 out of 5

Same breakfast items everyday. Omelets were good. For lunch I’d recommend deli sandwiches

JavaBlue Cafe & Shake Spot

5 out of 5

Great selection of drinks and deserts. You need to try spiked shakes, so good. Lines are super long though

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

4 out of 5

I found the food too salty, but my 3 companions didn’t mind it. You have to try Trashcan Nachos - you won’t regret it

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

The best burgers you will find anywhere. My favorite was Chillus Maximus lol

BlueIguana Tequila Bar

5 out of 5

Great drinks, friendly staff

BlueIguana Cantina

5 out of 5

Great tacos and burritos but lines are so long

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

SportsSquare

5 out of 5

Tons of things to do

Sky Ride

4 out of 5

Great fun, except when the track was jumping so hard the staff had to rescue the riders

Beach Pool

4 out of 5

Always busy. Love movies at night and deck parties there, especially the silent parties

Carnival Waterworks

5 out of 5

Fun for all ages

Tides Pool

4 out of 5

Crowded except at night

Entertainment

5 out of 5
The performances were one of the best ones I have seen with the exception of maybe Disney ships. Musicians were world class. DJs had the right tunes , getting everyone in the groove. Comedy shows were top notch. Chris the Flying Scotsman was out of this world - mind blown!!!!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Absolutely the best

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
I love the Vista/Horizon/Panorama Havana area layout (I wish they wouldn’t downgrade it for Mardi Gras). The only knock I have is the diesel engines exhaust is atrocious with soot covering the entire back deck - forget about going barefoot or wearing white. We threw out so many clothes that wouldn’t get cleaned.

Cabin / Stateroom

2 out of 5
There are only a few Havana balcony cabins on the ship which accommodate 4 guests, and this one was located right behind the Ocean Bar. Needless to say we would get woken up by 5am by dropsies and other scraping sounds. The balcony was unusable because of the soot from the chimney/exhaust - too bad because it was triple the size of a regular balcony and cost so much extra

Ports of call

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

5 out of 5
Our longest shore stay, for the first time ever we were able to book 2 excursions on the same day. Loved the Majahuitas beach cove with great food and drinks, also the boat crew’s performance was unbelievable. Rhythms of the Night was exceptional with a serene dinner setting right by the water!
Thumbs Up

Mazatlan, Mexico

5 out of 5
Our excursion to an “exclusive” beach and use of mini speed boats was awesome. Don’t believe the 5mph maximum speed of these boats (as listed in the literature), we were flying. The only negative was a constant aggressive sales people trying to sell you junk at the beach
Thumbs Up

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

3 out of 5
If anyone talks about Cabo, they always praise it. We found it dirty with miles and miles of sides of the road covered in trash - it’s as if we were driving through a landfill. The camel ride was nice but a total tourist trap with them charging $42 for each picture or $200-300 for a package
Thumbs Up

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

3 out of 5
Poor signage
Thumbs Up

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
We had to get to the airport for 11:08 and had no problem getting off the ship in 10-12 minutes
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11 Comments

Tropicgal    1 year ago

Whaaaatttt? Threw out clothes? You simply call their guest services after your cruise. The cruise line was very generous with us
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Sogmoore    1 year ago

Great pix and thanks for sharing
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Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing
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javawoody    1 year ago

Thanks for the review
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willwork4cruz    1 year ago

Great review. Glad you had fun. Sorry about the soot but it probably wasn’t from diesel. Cruise ships burn trash.
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Dumfy75    1 year ago

Thanks for a good review. Shame about the issue with soot on the balcony, but sounds like you had a great cruise apart from this.
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KonaDrew    1 year ago

When you purchase FTTF your one of the first to board regardless of the time on your boarding pass..They usually start boarding between 11:00 and 11:30..You would be allowed to board after platinum,diamond,and suite guests..Sorry to hear no one informed you of this..Glad you a great cruise..
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Itspeace4me    1 year ago

Thank you for sharing.
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AuntPinkie    1 year ago

Appreciate your detailed feedback. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.
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cruising2004    1 year ago

Thank you for the detailed review. Glad you had a wonderful time on your cruise. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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Carnivalfoodie    1 year ago

Love the details
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