Cruise #25 – Carnival Panorama

This was the 7 day Mexican Riviera, round trip from Long Beach, on the Carnival Panorama. Suzi and I were celebrating 2 anniversaries. August 27th was our 31st anniversary since we met and August 29th was our 29th Wedding Anniversary.

The Panorama is a Vista Class ship and is one of our favorite ships of all we’ve sailed on. So many options for dining!

This was purely a getaway vacation. Perfect timing as the week after, the Panorama was interrupted by Hurricane Kay. We drove ourselves to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal by 10:00 AM. Got checked in and onboard by 11:30. Booked the same stateroom as the last trip, Stateroom 9216. Off to the buffet on Lido deck, where I was re-acquainted with my favorite device, the handwashing station. Place your hands in two cylinders and they start to spin and spray jacuzzi temperature soap and water for 12 seconds. Thus, I call it the “Hand Spa”. There are several on the Lido Deck and I’m pretty sure I used all of them.

If you read my previous review of the ship, the other piece of “tech” I like is the elevators. Each elevator is assigned a letter. You select the Deck from the panel in the lobby, then the system will tell you which elevator “letter” to go to. Each member of the party should make a selection so the system can determine how many elevators are needed. Our first journey on the Panorama was after the industry pause, so there were only about 50% of capacity. This time, it was fully booked, so there was a little confusion as Decks 3, 4, 5 and 10 could get rather busy and require more elevators. The only real downside was on disembarkation day. Too many people wanted to self-disembark, us included, that since only 1 person was hitting the button, elevators were far and few between. When they did arrive, many were full. This is the first time we’ve ever chosen to self-debark and may not again.

As expected, the weather was hot and humid. We knew that going in so did not book any excursions. We got off in Puerto Vallarta to walk over to the Mall. We stayed on the ship in Mazatlán and Cabo.

We did not eat in the MDR. Instead, we ate primarily in the buffet. On anniversary night, I splurged and got a pound and a half lobster from the Seafood Shack. We also enjoyed the included lunch from JiJi’s and who can pass up Guy’s Burger Joint or Blue Iguana Café!

We find the buffet a great alternate. I’m a casual guy, always in dress shorts. If a menu posted for the MDR looks really good, we’ll give it a go. The meals offered just didn’t appeal that much to either of us.

A “benefit” of hot and humid weather also brings the chance of a thunderstorm. A few cruises back, we were able to sit on our balcony and watch lightening across Banderas Bay when leaving Puerto Vallarta. What a sight! Fortunately, we were given the same show but a bit further away. Same the the next evening. Wonderful to see Mother Nature in action.

Disembarkation, as stated earlier, was not well organized. The walkway is on Deck 4 Midship. Only those guests whos group was called could go to Deck 4. Good luck getting an elevator. When there was an elevator it was either full or… when it got to Deck 4, it was so congested, you could not exit the elevator, rendering it unavailable for other passengers waiting to go to Deck 3 or 5. Going forward, we will stick with the latest possible disembarkation time and relax on the Lido Deck.

Currently getting ready for the next cruise. We will be flying into Rome where we will staying 4 nights before heading to the Regal Princess for a 15 day journey across the pond to Florida.

Cruise #22 – Mexican Riviera

7 Day Mexican Riviera on Carnival Panorama. Stateroom 9216. Round Trip from the Port of Long Beach. September 18 – 25, 2021

Finally, back where we belong after a very rough year and a half of no cruising. As you’ve read, we have done this itinerary several times, so this post is more about the ship and the experience than about the ports. Due to the pandemic, we did not book any excursions or wander off the ship too much.

We’ve done four Carnival Cruises in the past:
Our Honeymoon cruise on Jubilee
Our first cruise to the Caribbean
Our first cruise to Europe (Mediterranean)
Family Vacation to Catalina and Ensenada

We’ve always had a great time but once we got hooked on Princess, we really didn’t look towards any other cruise line. Until now.

Due to the relocation of the Ruby Princess, our Sept 18, 2021 cruise got canceled. Since I already had the time off work, we scrambled to find a replacement.

Since we live in Long Beach, when the Carnival Panorama made its return to sailing, it made all the local news channels. Even Doug Parker from Cruise Radio and Sheri from Cruise Tips TV were there. It was doing the same 7 day itinerary and offered one on Sept 18th. PERFECT and BOOKED!

We made our way to the ship and parked at the cruise terminal parking structure. We arrived about 10:30 as some passengers were still debarking the ship. The staff let us in where we had to show our vaccination cards along with a negative COVID test done two days prior. The COVID test was super easy. Did the Rapid Antigen test at a CVS nearby. The test was self-administered under the watchful eye of the technician. We did the test at 4:00 PM and had the results by 5:00 PM. Negative!!!!

We had heard that all passengers over 12 years old were vaxed and everyone had to show a negative test. Everyone seemed to be following the masking guidelines. A little after 12:00, they started the boarding process. The anticipation was growing.

Walking towards the ship on the gangway was just an incredible feeling. Seeing the crew cheering us as we stepped aboard was phenomenal. One of the first things you notice is how awesome this ship is. As I recall, this ship was only in operation for three months when the pandemic hit, so it was like being on a brand new ship!

The Atrium is great! The fluted video screen could keep you mesmerized for hours but too much to do.

After watching Doug Parker’s video on the ship, I was looking forward to the elevators. Yes, I said elevators. You see, on the newer Vista class ships, you select the deck you want from outside the elevator. There are several touch panels that display each deck. You select where you want to go. Each elevator is designated by a letter, so… You want to go to the Lido Deck, simply press Deck 10 Lido and it will tell you which elevator to go to. The letter above each elevator will light up to help you locate which one. Once you board the elevator, your deck is preselected.

What’s really nice, in regards to COVID, if multiple parties all want to go to the Lido Deck, the system will send more elevators, so you are all not trying to cram into one. Just wait and yours will be there soon.

We were able to drop off our carry-on’s before the 1:30 PM designated time. Here is a shot of our stateroom. Spacious and very comfortable.

We headed up to the buffet. This ship, and I assume the other Vista class ships were outfitted with, what I called, Hand Spa’s. Basically, you place each hand into a cylinder and it start spinning with a warm soap solution for 12 seconds. You dry your hands and you are all sanitized and ready to eat. I wanted to bring one of these home!

Due to the reduced capacity, I believe 60%, not all serving stations were being utilized, but it was all self-service (except for the bacon. Rationed and every other day…) Good selection and we found plenty.

The food choices on the Panorama were absolutely phenomenal. We never set foot in the Main Dining Room (MDR). we did, however, take a look at each of the two MDR’s and found them well designed. If it were a longer itinerary, I’m sure we would have tried them.

You have Blue Iguana Café, Guy’s Burger Joint and Guy’s Pig and Anchor. Blue Iguana and Guy’s Burger is included with the base fare. Pig and Anchor is ala carte at dinner time but they do offer an awesome buffet for lunch at no additional cost. Pulled Pork, Chicken, Baked Beans, etc.

Also available for lunch at no extra cost were selections from Cucina Del Capitano and Mongolian Stir-Fry at Ji Ji Asian Kitchen. I did have Pasta for lunch one day and I was impressed.

One of our favorite hangouts was the Havana Bar. Very nicely decorated and generally quiet during the day. They have karaoke, then a really talented Latin Band in the evening.

If you happen to follow Sheri from Cruise Tips TV, you know that her husband and son always travel together but are usually in the background. In fact, you usually see them in her vlogs and photos from their backsides. They like to keep a low profile and don’t use their names. I can respect that. Sheri is Cruise Tips TV!

So I was waiting for my wife, Suzi, near the Blue Iguana Café and I saw a family of three from the backside and I knew it had to be them. I texted Sheri and sure enough. it WAS them. I think it was day 5 while Suzi and I were having a Pina Colada in the Ocean Plaza that I saw them again, so we said hello and introduced ourselves. She called me one of the OG’s of her YouTube channel. It was nice to meet Mr. Cruise Tips and their son (who shall remain nameless out of respect).

As I said at the top of the article, we did not plan any excursions due to the pandemic. The ship did suffer from a propulsion issue that kept us from attaining top speed, so the itinerary was reversed. Instead of Cabo, Mazatlán, then Puerto Vallarta, we did PV first and Cabo last.

It was very hot and humid in all three ports. In PV, we ventured all the way across the street the PV Shopping Mall. At the entrance, you had to have your temperature taken and had to sanitize your hands. As we were sailing out, we did catch a bit of a rainbow.

In Mazatlán, we took the tram to the port entrance and ventured out for a bit of a walk. The city painted a blue line that you could follow into the downtown area. We never made it all the way due to the heat. We felt safe as there were police or security personnel on every corner. Here we are heading out of the port.

As for Cabo, short stay and didn’t want to hassle with the tender, so stayed on board. Due to my work and scheduled vacation days, we knew we were coming back at the end of October, so didn’t miss anything.

All in all, great trip. Would highly recommend Carnival Panorama to anyone and will definitely sail on her again. The food was great. The comedy in the Punchliner was great. It was just a wonderful cruise and exceeded all expectations.

Cruise #12 – Mexico and Sea Of Cortez 2016

10 Day Mexico and Sea Of Cortez. September, 2016 on Crown Princess. This was a very bittersweet cruise. The Three Musketeers were booked. Suzi and I in Lido 214 and Cuz in Lido 210.

Unfortunately, after we all booked the cruise, Cousin Jerry called to let us know he had the most aggressive form of cancer. At the end of January, 2016, he passed away. We had made arrangements with Princess to do a burial at sea so, technically, all three of us boarded the ship. Please click here for more about the burial at sea.

Our first port was San Diego where we had booked the Old Town Trolley Tour. The average temperature in San Diego in late September is 71 degrees. Not close. 105… No one got off the bus and away from the air conditioning.

The next day was our Memorial for Cuz. Although we were saddened, of course, we knew this is what Cuz wanted, so we were walking on Deck 7 aft, with Cuz and his hot pink Cairns, Australia baseball cap (which we take on all of our cruises now), when we passed by one of the Lotus Spa staff members. She stopped us and said “What a beautiful box! What’s in it?” So…. Suzi told her…

Next stop, Cabo San Lucas. We booked the El Arco and Coastal Cruise excursion. This was a good sized catamaran that took us around Lands End and up the Pacific. And… Provided Daiquiri’s and Margaritas. The heat stayed with us from San Diego, so we were thirsty. Since Suzi rarely drinks, I got hers! Nice.

Next port was La Paz. The port city is Pichillingue and there is nothing there other than a few vendors. We booked the Highlights of La Paz excursion.

It gave us a good tour of the city with free time on the Malecon before returning us to the ship. Temperature was somewhere around 100 degrees.

Next port, Loreto. This was a tender port. We booked the Loreto Walking Tour. Had we known how small the town was, we probably would have gone out on our own, but live and learn. This ended up being our favorite port in all of Mexico.

We walked up to the central square and saw a group performing a dance. (No… This isn’t Hawaii…)

Really hot out. After the tour broke at the church, we headed back to the ship. We were both really thirsty. We stopped by a market where Suzi got a water and I got a beer. As I’m guzzling it down, I look at my watch. It’s 10:15 AM…

After a day at sea, Puerto Vallarta. We hadn’t been here since our Honeymoon.

We did the City Highlights tour. After taking us around Banderas Bay, we ended up at Canto Del Mar Restaurant for a beverage. The margarita that changed my life. Since Suzi passed on hers, I had two. WOW! I had no idea what was in it… Special tequila? Special mix? Had no idea (until a future cruise…)

After two more sea days, back home to Los Angeles. The Crown Princess and Ruby Princess are twins, so enjoyed everything about it.

Cruise #1 – Mexican Riviera 1993

Suzi and I got married in August of 1993. Suzi had been on a re-positioning cruise from LA to Vancouver for the 1986 World’s Fair with her family, so when it came time to plan our honeymoon, a cruise was at the top of our list.

We chose Carnival Jubilee, round trip Los Angeles to Mexican Riviera. It was 7 days and included stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.

Since my Best Man and his wife never really had a honeymoon, we asked if they could go with us. They scraped and saved enough to join us. All we could afford at the time were Outside staterooms waaaayyyy up near the bow of the ship on the lowest passenger deck.

Back in 1993, you could invite family and friends on board to hang out prior to setting sail, so we had quite a few people join us.

Time for the sail away Party! Two words – Run Twizzlers. Okay, three words Complimentary Rum Twizzlers!!!! Those were the days. Standing on the open deck, waving at our family and friends in the parking lot as they fade into the distance.

I lost count at the number of times I had been to the port in San Pedro. My Dad grew up there and my Aunt lived there with her family, so we visited may times, especially the area known as Ports Of Call. Seeing it From the channel, riding high on the deck of a cruise ship, was breathtaking.

The addiction to cruising had begun.

Our first port was Puerto Vallarta. The four of us took an excursion to the hotel site where they filmed The Night of the Iguana. Afterwards, we walked around town. It was a bit scary when we went by a bank and saw a man in military camouflage, holding a machine gun. Other than that, I had no idea how tropical it was.

Next stop, Mazatlan. No excursion, just walked to a tchotchke shop and bought some souvenirs.

Cabo… It was a Tender port and we arrived at 8:00 AM and scheduled to leave at 12:00 PM. We opted to stay on board, where our friends spent a few minutes on shore.

Dining was our favorite memory. even though it was 25 years ago, we remember our waiter. Dinzel. Great service and lots of fun!