katstoy

Thanksgiving on the Panorama 2022 while Thursday was still an elegant night, they moved what is usually the second elegant night menu (lobster and prime rib) to the first elegant night and added a Thanksgiving menu for the second elegant night.  I've done two Thanksgiving cruises and the turkey dinner is waaay better in the Lido than the MDR as the have a whole bird they carve for you rather than a pre plated turkey roll.  

In the past when we've had OBC as part of the booking it has been split 50/50 between the two of us in the cabin.  My next cruise I will be rooming with my 16 month old grandchild as the built in babysitter.  Will the OBC still be split between us and if so can i make purchases off his card, such as build a bear and items in the shops so long as he is with me when I do?  

They had it twice last November, one each on the last two sea days.  Out itinerary stopped in Cabo first and had two sea days on the end.  I was at Alchemy every night before dinner and had asked about the class on the second night.  On Wednesday night Oscar asked if I was still interested and had me sign up - first on the list for the Friday class.  Class was fun and was six martinis in by 2:00 in the afternoon!!

OK folks, here's the report on the scooter rented from Scootaround on the Panorama out of Long Beach.

I made the reservation on line and they asked specific details about the cabin type I had (Havana Cabana) and they followed it up with a phone call during which we confirmed that the scooter I was renting was narrow enough to fit through the door of a standard cabin.  I had less than an inch of clearance on either side.

As I was struggling to get the darned thing into the cabin my stateroom attendant said I could just leave it in the hall.  I did that during the day but brought it in each night to charge.  I was fortunate that there were no interior cabins across from me so could do that.  I was able to get past the attendant service carts and another scooter from someone down the hall who also left their scooter in the hall with no problem.

Getting it into the room was a chore as the hallway is not wide enough to drive it in at a straight angle.  You had to line it up perfectly and do multiple forward and backward adjustments to get it through the door as you had little clearance on either side.    Bring a doorstop to hold the door as wide open as possible.  I used a towel that worked - sometimes.  If you can get a cabin that has no cabins opposite yours and faces a hallway so you can drive straight in do it.

As for my original question, parking was never an issue.  Either I found an out of the way corner at the bars and showrooms and in the dining venues they either showed me where to park or took it from me once I was at a table.  The hallways and public areas are wide and I only took out one small piece of molding when I cut a corner too close.  The only other issue was having to wait for an almost empty elevator as only about four to six other people could fit in there with the scooter.

Having the scooter made the cruise so much more enjoyable as I was able to get to whatever venue I wanted to without pain or issue.  As an aside - just glad they didn't have DUI checkpoints on board!!!

This happened to me in November.  Booked for me and my DD under her name as we got a better rate using her past guest number than mine.  We had OBC as this trip was rebooked from a Covid canceled one and also had the cheers package.  When the trip finally arrived she was not able to go.  My TA said if I cancelled her I would get a refund of her fare, but then would have to pay the then going rate which was about double what I actually paid for the two of us.  TA said just have her be a no show.

So I checked us both in the two weeks before as if she was going.  I went to the pier by myself and when I checked in they asked if she was with me and I told them no, she is coming separately.  I was told by the TA and folks in this group not to tell them she was not coming, but that we were travelling separately.  Got on the ship no problem and did not have to pay any extra in the fare difference.  I did, however, lose half of the OBC (her half) and have not yet seen a refund on her fees, port taxes or cheers.  But since those fees are way less than the fare difference, if I don't see a refund I'm fine.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Had a great trip.  Are too much.  Drank too much.  Learned that afternoon naps are a good thing.  Would I book the Panorama again?  Absolutely!

RANDOM NOTES

Shopping - was really disappointed with the Carnival logo stores.   Instead of one large store it was broken down into four smaller ones.  I collect shot glasses and the ornaments that look like mini ship models and they had neither.  No glassware that said Panorama, just Carnival or a "fun" slogan.  I like the ones that are ship specific.  Also had practically nothing for kids (other than Dr. Seuss t-shirts) in the way of Carnival logo gear.  I would have bought the sh*t out of that stuff for my grandson.

Havana - I had a Havana cabana and it was soooo nice to walk out about fifty feet and be at the pool.  Never a problem finding a chair or lounger.  Deck 5 was my happy place -- Havana, Java Blue and Alchemy!

Using a scooter - I used a scooter for this trip as I have knee issues for long distances.  I did not have nor need an accessible room, the scooter was a "transportable" one that was with Carnival's dimensions to fit in the room.  But, boy, was it a pain the ass to get in and out of the room!  The room steward said I could leave it in the hall, which I did during the day.  I only brought it in at night to charge.  Bring some sort of doorstop to hold the door open, it's a tight squeeze into the room.  The hallways were pretty easy to maneuver, but I may have ripped off some molding from  a corner when I took it too close.  It's funny how many people stop dead in their tracks as they're walking.  Fortunately I was keeping my distance  and did not run into anyone.   

Elevators - they may be smart, but people are stupid.  The first few days people were just getting into any elevator that showed up and were not paying attention to where it was going.  Maybe I take back that the elevators were smart.  There were many, many times where one elevator was set for multiple floors and no way could it hold all those people.  I would press the "handicap" button before selecting the floor and it would still assign me to an already full elevator.  No way could the scooter fit in with all those people.  There were times when I pressed my floor about three times, along with the handicap button, and I would be assigned to the same elevator.  No way would three scoters or wheelchairs fit in the same elevator.  Lots of times my assigned elevator would arrive already full of people.  Had to call another one (and sometimes two) to finally get one.

Disembarkation - Two hints:  check you GD luggage the night before and don't stand in the way in the elevator lobby!  They started called the self disembarkation folks at 8:00 by muster station.  People with large suitcases blocking all sorts of hallways.  I checked my large suitcase the night before, left my room at 8:30, got a coffee at Java Blue and found a nice comfy seat and waited patiently for my luggage tag to be called.  They started calling luggage tags at 10:00.  By then the crazy rush to get off was over and I had no waiting to get off the ship.  Another tip - pay for a porter (it's whatever you tip them) to carry your luggage out of the terminal.  They exit a special lane and you don't have to wait in the long customs line.  It's worth every penny of that tip.

ENTERTAINMENT

I did not attend any of the production shows, but did see some comedy, deal or no deal and the love and marriage show.  There was always either a trivia contest, karaoke or a band going on in Ocean Plaza.

Punchliner Comedy - saw three shows in the Limelight lounge and one in the Liquid Lounge.  The Limelight has a decent set up, but there are some seats that are blocked by large poles.  At the beginning of the cruise you could arrive within about 10 minutes to showtime and still get a seat, but by the end of the week you needed to ger there at least 20 minutes before showtime.  Saw one show in the Liquid Lounge, the main showroom, where they had both comedians perform.  You could get there about 10-15 minutes before showtime and still get a seat.  Like the other lounge there are seats with blocked views.  Saw all four comedians they had during the week and all were pretty good, laughed at each show.     

Deal or no Deal - never played this before, and and it was fun.  You buy cards, I bought 3 for $50.00, and play along with the person who gets called up on stage.  You play along and open the cases on the card as they open cases on stage.  The goal is to have the amount in that case on your card match the amount of the case on the stage.  If you have two matches you win a bingo card for the last sea day game, three gets you $30 in casino fun play, four and you win $50, and the prizes keep going up the more you match.  They play two games on the same cards.  I won a bingo card and the $30 in casino play.  There were a couple of people who won $100.

Love and Marriage Show -  This one is always amusing.  They need to get some new questions though, been asking the same ones for years.  You could tell that some of the couples who had cruised before were anticipating those questions and appeared to have already worked out their answers.  Loved the couple who have been married for 52 years!

OTHER INCLUDED FOOD

Pig and Anchor BBQ - this was not open on embarkation day.  I was really looking forward to it.  It was open on the first sea say as I could smell it on deck five, but alas, did not partake.

Guys Burgers - do not see what all the fuss is about.  It's a burger, nothing special.  Personally I think the burgers at sea day brunch are much better.  As the BBQ wasn't open on embarkation day had a burger for lunch.  Tried the pig patty which was a cheeseburger with bacon on it.  It was good, but not the OMG good that you read in most reviews.  Let's put it this way, didn't go back to get another one the entire trip.  The fries were actually pretty good.

Pizza - this one was really disappointing.  I am a pizza fan; even a bad pizza is a good pizza.  Had pizza only once on this trip.  The line was not too long, about maybe 10 people deep, but moved v e r y  s l o w l y.   The pizza was not that great.  It's a thin crust (which I love) but the sauce was kind of bland and not enough cheese on it.  I'm usually down for pizza a few times per trip, but only had it once.  If there was no line, then maybe I would have got it again.  But it was not worth waiting in any sort of line for.  Also the line was in an awkward place, cut across a main entrance from the elevator lobby and an entrance for bar/wait staff.  Those poor folks had to constantly swerve around people waiting in line.  

Deli - Had the corned beef reuben, and it was pretty good!  could have used a bit more meat though, but it was tasty and hit the spot.  Maybe next time I'll order two and add the meat from the second one to the first one.  

2 hours ago, clemsonlori98 said:

My family will be cruising on the Panorama in April '23.  First time sailing out of Long Beach.  We are in a suite.  If the line splits up in the building, do you have to still go to the end of the line anyway?  

There are separate lines to enter the building.  The suite line was first, then the current boarding time line, then two later boarding time lines.  You'd just need to get into the suite line.  My guess is that line is longer earlier in the day, but when I was checking in there was no long queue for the suite check in line.  They has lots of reps at the front entrance helping you to get into the correct line.  I'd start with one of them first to see what line to get in.

BARS AND DRINKS

I had the Cheers package and definitely put it to good use!

Java Blue - the coffee in the Lido Marketplace is swill.  So every morning made my way to Java Blue for a decent latte or cappuccino and would bring that to breakfast or brunch.  If the line at Java Blue was too long, I'd just go to the Ocean Plaza Bar and they can make the same coffee drinks.  The staff at both places were always very friendly.  Got a vanilla elder flower cup cake one night.  It was tasty but kind of dry.  The frosting was not overly sweet.

Havana Bar - As I had a Havana cabin my day drinking mostly occurred at the Havana Bar.   My personal favorite was the La Buena Vida cocktail.  Each day they had a drink special that was $1 off the regular price.  The bartenders were nice.

Liquid Lounge/Limelight Lounge - Saw a few shows in each (review to come) and ordered cocktails.  Noticed that the waiters did not appear to be very happy nor friendly in either venue.  One was pretty much downright rude to a lady sitting next to me.  She asked for a glass of water and was told there was a dispenser at the bar and she could get it herself.

Pig and Anchor Brewhouse - only had drinks there a few times.  The ale was good, as was the bloody mary.  The bloody mary was topped with tons of bacon, olives and lemon/lime, which was too much to have more than one.  The blackberry bourbon fizz was ok, but the bourbon blackberry drink that Diego created for me at Alchemy was way better.

Alchemy Bar - The crowning glory of the ship!  Every night before dinner I'd make my way to Oscar, Amel and Diego - and the rest of the ABDS - at Alchemy to commence the evening drinking.  Three very talented and friendly bar tenders.  One night I asked for something with watermelon and vodka from each.  Each made a watermelon martini, but each one was slightly different.  All were delicious, but I think Amel won that round!  By the end of the week they knew what I liked and would make me something that I would have never thought to order but ended up liking.  Diego made a mean bourbon blackberry something and Oscar turned me on to the porn star cocktail.  Took the Alchemy class on the last sea day which was a lot of fun.  Was six martinis in by 2:00 in the afternoon! 

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS

Wow!  I did not know what I was missing!  I have usually enjoyed the MDR so never felt the need to pay more for a dinner.  On this trip, however, I had a bunch of OBC from covid cancellations so figured I'll use Carnival's money for the specialty dining.

Cucina del Capitano - ate there the first night.  Was able to get a reservation at the time I wanted no problem that same day.  The place was practically empty.  I had the meatball appetizer, tomahawk pork chop and a side of spaghetti.  It was good, not the best, but really good.  Kind of like an Olive Garden on a really good day.  I had the apple pie type thing with ice cream for dessert.  I will definitely do Cucina once on my next seven day or more cruise.

Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse - OMG now I know what all the fuss is about.  I was truly surprised at the quality of the steak.  I had the shrimp cocktail, spiced rubbed rib eye, mashed potatoes and cheesecake.  One shrimp in the cocktail was the equivalent size of all of the shrimp in the MDR cocktail combined!  The steak was awesome, tender and flavorful and pretty darn close to a steak you'd get at Mortons or Flemings.  The mashed potatoes were ok.  The cheesecake was a bit disappointing.  I've seen rave reviews about it but it was kind of off.  The texture was ok, but it did not taste like the typical New York style cheesecake, it wasn't tart enough.  I was too full from dinner to eat more than a few bites of the cheesecake anyway.   I would definitely do the steakhouse again once on the next cruise.  Although I did make by reservation prior to sailing and the recent price increase, there were still plenty of empty tables at dinner.  

JiJis -   This place was so good, ate here twice!  Was able to get same day reservations as well.  First time has the hargow appetizer, the Mao's roast pork and hakka noodles.  All were very delicious.  The hargow, however, had a minced filling instead of whole shrimp which is what I expected.  Still tasted good, though.  The roast pork was hidden below a blanket of spinach.  The sauce it is in was awesome.  Second time, which was the last night of the cruise, had spring rolls, sweet and sour shrimp and wide noodles.  Really didn't' see much difference between the two noodle dishes.  The shrimp dish was excellent.  I also really liked the three sauces they set out, especially the spicy garlic one.  Both times had the rose creme brule for dessert.  It was very good, and tasted just like plain creme brule (which is what I prefer) the side of ginger ice cream complemented it well.  JiJis will definitely be a place for at least one dinner on the next cruise.

16 hours ago, 1kaper said:

Where do you sail from?

This was out of Long Beach, CA.

FOOD - LIDO BUFFET

I am usually not a big buffet person, but on this trip that seemed a better option than the MDR.  Had Thanksgiving dinner in the buffet for the sole reason that there was an actual roasted turkey that they carved for you instead of the turkey roll served in MDR.    That turkey was moist and delicious!  They had what were called "stewed" potatoes that looked and tasted like they could be called mashed potatoes if someone mashed them a couple of minutes longer.  At least you could tell that they were real potatoes and not instant.  Just added some butter and did the rest of the mashing on my plate.

Could not find any stuffing or turkey gravy however.  They did have cranberry sauce.  The gravy they had was a white gravy.  

Seemed like they also had other offerings from the MDR in the buffet.  They had chicken wings that were awesome!  Had a couple of helpings of those wings!  

Ate breakfast in the Lido four times all because of the omelet bar.  Best breakfast on the ship, a fresh, made to order omelet.  Each day in the buffet line there were potatoes, ham and sausage - no bacon.   Only on one day did they have actual breakfast sausage, the other days it was either Italian sausage or Polish sausages - neither of which goes well with breakfast. 

Only had lunch on one day and it was ok.  The choices were Caribbean or Mexican food.  The chicken mole was actually very good, the carne asada and pork chop were just ok.    

Coffee in the buffet was horrible.  Glad I had cheers and got from Java Blue each morning.

The cakes during lunch everyday are truly amazing.  Only had cakes on two days, but boy were they good.  Tip - get a big plate from the food line (rather than the smaller plate in the cake line) and small slices of any or all the cakes.  You're welcome.

FOOD - MAIN DINING ROOM

This was the most disappointing aspect of the trip.  The service from the staff was great, but the food was, in a word, meh.  Only had two dinners and two sea day brunches in the dining room

On the first elegant night was looking forward to prime rib and lobster tail.  Unfortunately both had little flavor and were not served very hot, but lukewarm.  I had the fettucine carbonara as an appetizer and that was served at a nice temperature and was good.  Creme brule for dessert was also good.  

Second night had the pumpkin chorizo soup, which was good and served hot.  The two entrees, leg of lamb and wiener schnitzel were almost cold.  The veal had a good taste but was kind of dry.  The melting cake for dessert was wonderful as always.

The entrees just didn't seem up to par with prior trips, the most recent being January of this year on the Radiance.

And now, for one of my pet peeves.  I wish they would stop the dinner shows for my time dining.  It completely interrupts the flow of dinner and it seems like it is an imposition on the already busy staff.  I wish we could truly know if the staff enjoys performing or if they truly are putting on a "show" faking their enjoyment.  To me it seems demeaning, just let them do their jobs as waiters.  For those who have never cruised before it is fun the first few times you see it, so keep it in the set time dining where the timing of the show can be based on the general flow of dinner as all are seated at the same time.  OK, off my soapbox now.

For one brunch I had the ham eggs benedict, cheese grits and bacon.  The grits and bacon were good, eggs benedict kind of like the dinners - meh.  Second brunch had the voyage burger, cheese grits and bacon.  The burger was good and just what I needed to counteract the prior night at Alchemy.  I think the voyage burger is way better than the Guys burger, too.

EMBARKATION

My scheduled arrival time was 11:00 to 11:30, but due to some detours and the need for a Starbucks on the way to the pier, didn't get there until noon.  I live about 60 miles from the pier.  Just a little bit of traffic getting into the terminal parking structure.  Maybe about three to four cars in line ahead of us to pull a ticket to get in on each lane.  Took maybe 5 minutes to get into the drop off lane.  Dropped off my big suitcase and then went to pick up the scooter.  

I reserved from Scootaround who has an office right outside the parking garage.  You walk right past it to get to the terminal.  Pick up was quick.  They showed me how it worked and how to charge it and within 5 minutes was on my way.

The line into the terminal went from the doors back abound to the left to almost the entrance to the Scootaround office - maybe 200 people in line.  I went to an employee at the front of the terminal to see where I supposed to go as I was an hour late.  He directed me to the end of the "current" line which was the aforementioned 200 or so.  Got to the end of that line and was inside the building within 25 minutes.

As I got closer to the building noticed that there were actually 4 lines:  one for suite, platinum and diamond, the "current" check in time line (12:30 -1:00) and two more for later check in times (1:00 -1:30 and 1:30-2:00).  Once inside the building saw that Carnival took some hints from Disneyland as there was more line inside that went back and forth about about five times before you got to the check in agent. 

After checking in and going through security I was able to board right away as my boarding group had already been called.  (Remember I was an hour late.)  There were lots of people sitting on the benches waiting for their boarding group to be called.  Lots of them.  From the time I picked up the scooter until I was on board was just about an hour.  I've had quicker and way longer embarkation times, so this was good.

So my long awaited, covid cancelled twice cruse on the Panorama finally happened!  This trip was supposed to start in April of 2020 with my adult daughter and I in a Havana cabana.  Got canceled and moved to April 2021, then canceled and moved to November 2022.  Life, in the meantime, went on, and my DD got married and had my first grandchild about 8 weeks ago, so she was no longer going to come with me.  Mama flew solo.  So with the cheers package in hand, and a scooter under my butt (those knees are no longer what they used to be) I spent a wonderful week on the Panorama and lived to tell the tale.  Short answer is that the ship was great and looking forward to booking again with the entire family.  My reviews in the the following posts listed by topic. 

I was on the Panorama for Thanksgiving and opted for the buffet for hand carved turkey as I knew that the MDR would be serving the turkey roll.  The turkey in the buffet was delicious and moist!  However, there was a lack of the "traditional" sides.  Could not find any stuffing and the gravy was white and not a turkey gravy.  The potatoes were called "stewed" potatoes.  They tasted good and looked like almost mashed potatoes (just needed to mash them a bit more).   

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

 I also attached a ribbon on the basket to easily identify my scooter. 

Great idea!  Now I need to think of something to attach.  A pinwheel maybe so I can be entertained as I move along perhaps.  Something that won't be taken, however.

The one I rented will fit in the cabin.  I'm just wondering what I do with it when I'm outside the cabin and either eating or watching a show.

Ok, I've decided that yes, I am getting old, and that yes, for my next trip I am renting a scooter due to hip and knee issues.   I can walk short distances, but the long ones - from my aft cabin to the bow showroom - I will need the scooter.  Anyone know if there are "parking" areas for the scooters at each venue?  I can drive to the main showroom but would be able to walk to find a seat, same with the restaurants.  Is there a place to park, kind of like leaving your stroller at Disneyland, for the scooters?

12 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

Don't forget that no-show is just that.  Don't tell anyone at the port that she is not coming, just that she is not with you.  This has caused some problems for people in the past.

 

Good idea!  Thanks for the tip!  Even if she is the main person under whom the booking is made there should be no issue with me boarding "earlier" than her, correct?

Just an FYI - you will be charged sales tax while you are still in Long Beach.  It's less than 1.00 per drink.  Once you are out in international waters you are no longer charged.

You can get any drink on board with the Cheers package.  Sodas, specialty coffees, milk shakes, bottled water and the larger bottles of water in the main dining room.  I like those large bottles as I take the "leftovers" back to my room so I always have bottled water.

I also find that if you tip your server or bartender you will get better service.  Yes, you already paid the 18% charge when you bought the package, but it's nice when a bartender sees you walking up to the bar, nods their head at you and automatically starts making your cocktail!  I've also had servers bring me two drinks at time but they wait the 5 minutes between drinks to put the slips in.

Have a week long cruise coming up and my DD may not be able to go.  I, however, am going no matter what.  This trip was booked in both 2020 and 2021 and both cancelled due to Covid.  Here's the problem.  We got a better rate under my DD's VIFP number than mine.  I paid for the entire trip and it's paid in full, including the Cheers package for both of us.  And, yes, she's ok with me going without her.  My TA (who is pretty much useless on this subject) advised to just have her be a no show at the port.  She did not know if they will keep the rate the same or charge me the current going rate since the booking is not under my name.  I know if I go solo that I will be paying for two travelers even though it's just me; that's not an issue.

So, here are my questions:

1.  Anyone have any experience with the person who's name the booking is under is a no show - did they adjust the cruise fare on you?

2.  If they did adjust the fare did you have to pay it right then and there?

3.  I know port fees and taxes are refunded, how about the cost of her Cheers package?  Does that get refunded?

4.  We have OBC from covid cancellations.  Will I lose all of it?  Half of it? Or none of it?  I know from prior experience that OBC gets divided up between the passengers in the stateroom.  How does it work for a no show?

Thanks in advance!

My DD and I are booked on a 7 day cruise.  She, however, will no longer be able to come as she will have just delivered a baby about a month before we sail.  I have no issue going solo but what is the best and cheapest way to handle it?

The reservation is under her VIFP number as we got a better rate under her number than mine.  We also prepaid the cheers package as I bought it in 2021 when they were offering an additional 20% discount on it.  This cruise was initially booked for 2020, then 2021 and both canceled due to Covid.  So I am definitely going on in in 2022.

If I take her name off the reservation now will they charge the the current rate on the room versus what I've already paid?  I know I'll be paying for double occupancy even though I'm going solo.  Cruise is paid in full.  Will they also refund her cheers package price?  Of if I wat until embarkation and she is just a no show will they change the room rate and refund cheers?  I know port fees,  taxes and gratuities for her will be refunded no matter what.