Willdra's Peculiar Carnival Panorama Oct 16-23 Cruise

[willdra]

 

 

[willdra]

When I made it back up to Serenity, W and I watched planes take off and land at the airport. We also watched kids slide down the water slide, and I was so close to grabbing a tube and going for it! It looks like so much fun.

 

 

 

We stayed out until the streetlights came on, and we could hear thunder. We still had a couple of hours until dinner, so we watched one of the free movies on demand on the tv. There are some decent free movie choices along with the paid options. I also took a look at the evening activities. I was gonna try my best to hang out for a while that night, and not cash in after dinner. No promises tho. I'm old.

 

 

 

8:15 actually came thru quick. It felt like we had tons of time at first, but actually we didn’t. The ship was still in port when we got to dinner. Everyone showed up, and we talked a lot and stayed well after we were finished eating. That’s how you know the table is good when people linger and don’t rush out like their shorts are on fire. For food I did the Mango Cream, Beef Tenderloin, and Bitter and Blanc with a side of Butter Pecan Ice Cream. The Bitter and Blanc was warm and fluffy like a blanket of sweet wonderfulness. I wish I was hungrier, so I could’ve eaten more.

 

 

 

We left the dining room then walked around a little. The 2 for $20 T-shirt sale was happening but I didn’t see any shirts that I liked enough. Absolutely nothing was going on that night that interested us, either.

 

W and I did go to alchemy bar tho. This time I got The Remedy.  It looked really good when W had it the other night, and I was not wrong. It’s quite tasty.

 

 

 

After that, we promenaded a little then went back to the cabin. I stayed out as long as I possibly could. 

 

Before I fell asleep, I thanked God for all the manufacturers of sunblock. That little tube, bottle, or can has the ability to make or break your whole vacay. Don’t leave home without it. I have seen grown men in pure agony and reduced to a pile of useless ash (W) when they forgot it.

 

[willdra]

43 minutes ago, blarko said:

Is it wrong that I’m REALLY enjoying your photos of the food? 🤣🤣

 

Not at all! Food is my favorite! 🥰

[smellywax]

Thanks for posting a photo of the breakfast arepa! I have yet to see one during my past cruises (they were either not open or didn’t have any) and my husband is Colombian and we love them. Are they good? Is the Havana bar area still open for non Havana cabin guests? Love your review and I will never understand why the ship changes times but isn’t the same as the arrival port 🤷‍♀️…and I worked for the company. Looking forward to the rest!

[nwcruiselover]

This is the first review of yours that I have read, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.  I love all the pictures and your writing style.  Thanks for taking us all along with you on the beautiful Panorama.  I’m looking forward to the rest of your cruise!

Edited December 7, 2021 by nwcruiselover

[willdra]

On 12/3/2021 at 10:44 AM, RollingMeadows said:

Looking forward to more!

 

Thanks for following me! 😃

[willdra]

On 12/3/2021 at 10:53 AM, TravelGirlinDallas said:

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! This is what I needed today! So glad you are back!! I have missed your hilarious reviews.

It’s good to be back! Thank you for laughing! 😜

[willdra]

On 12/3/2021 at 12:45 PM, pinto18 said:

I love your reviews and got very excited when I saw this..then I realized we were on the same cruise! If I would have known I would have stalked...ummm...kept a lookout for you guys

🤣🤣🤣 It would’ve been fun to connect and LOL. I really loved this cruise! 

[MistyRo76]

Loving your review so far! 

 

A couple questions:

I've noticed on yours and a couple other post-Covid reviews I've read that in photos of the main dining room's (and other sit down venue's) dishes, the portions seem quite a bit smaller than I remember them to be on my last cruise (which has been 2 1/2 years at this point....so don't count on my memory to be accurate). Did you find the portions to be smaller? This is more just out of curiosity than anything...I have no concern of going hungry on my next cruise! 

The color in your photos look so vibrant...they are really breathtaking! Do you mind sharing what kind of camera you use? 

 

Thanks and excited to read along with the rest of the journey! 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

1 hour ago, MistyRo76 said:

The color in your photos look so vibrant...they are really breathtaking! Do you mind sharing what kind of camera you use? 

I was going to ask the same thing, but I wondered if it was a photo-editor you were using to get such brilliant photos.

[crzndeb]

@willdraEnjoying your review. I will be solo on the Panorama next week, and although I was on the Vista for 33 days in 2016, it’s nice getting little tidbits on this ship. My last Carnival cruise was in 2019, taking the Splendor to Singapore. Lee was also the CD on that ship, so it will be nice seeing him again.  

[Lem_On_Ade]

Willdra's back! Oh, how I've missed you

[BeachyGirl64]

Willdra - your review could not have happened at a better time for me!  I was all set to do my first solo, my first B2B, and my first Havana cabin on the Horizon for 5 & 11 Dec when I found out it was cancelled two days before I was flying out.  The shock of my trip being cancelled was a little overwhelming since I had planned this trip since Summer 2020. After being denied a cruise, it was a breath of fresh air and truly a blessing to find your review.  Thank you for sharing yours and W's adventure with me and lifting my spirits 😊 

 

 

 

 

 

[atxlady]

Thank you so very much for such a delightful review. I have truly enjoyed reading it and have laughed out loud a few times. I hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

Cheers.

[RenoNanaOz]

On 12/2/2021 at 7:26 PM, willdra said:

W and I went out to promenade. The pool was my fave. It just really made you feel like you were Hollywood royalty for a minute. This place is so nice we didn’t really even know how to “be” here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love the old school Hollywood vibe. Also LOVE your writing style.

[cynt]

Welcome back Willdra! Enjoying your review as always. Your review is feeding my cruise addiction. You can stretch this one out until next week when I board the Liberty OTS. 

 

And like someone else said if I ever see you on a cruise we will definitely be cruise besties. Some of the stuff you and your husband experience are my husband and I to a "T". LOL!!! Sending good vibes your way!

 

Thanks again for posting a review. 

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by cynt

[monykalyn]

Omg I love your reviews-great engaging writing style and gorgeous pictures. 38 days until our Panorama cruise! 
And holy heck I feel ya on the hot flashes!  I noticed they are worse when I don’t get my Vitamin D (or is that just my excuse to book vacays in tropical areas 🤣)

Our port order is same as yours, my in laws winter in PV so I think we are hanging out with them. Totally unsure what to do in the other ports so really looking forward to your excursions and reviews!

 

Blue Iguana breakfasts and sea day brunch are what I’m so looking forward!

[willdra]

Mazatlan

 

 

First and foremost, this day was my birthday!!  I woke up early with the sun shining brightly in my eyes, even tho W supposedly “fixed” the curtain the other night. The curtain on our balcony window had this little metal bar at the end which prevented the curtain from closing all the way. It left almost an inch of space between the curtain and the wall on the end. An inch doesn’t seem like much but when you are at sea with no trees or anything to help block the sun, that inch turns into a mile. Especially when the sun rises in your face. Life is hard.

 

We got up and washed the baboon off of us. For some reason I was as hungry as a hostage that morning, so I didn't waste too much time daydreaming. After I opened my presents from W, we rolled up to the Lido deck to eat. I wanted cereal, but the way my lactose intolerant stomach is setup, they would have to clear the back of the bus behind me on our excursion, open up all of the windows, and maybe sink the bus into the ocean. Draw your own conclusions.

 

W and I split up and went on our divide and conquer breakfast mission per usual. I skipped the milk and cereal, much to the delight of my future bus passengers, and chose to hit the Blue Iguana for my faves. Something was off with the arepa tho. My arepa tasted like it had its feelings hurt, cuz it wasn’t chosen for a team first, so it wasn’t even gonna try to be good. It tasted like 2 days ago.  When this happens, I could ask, and they will make them fresh, but who’s got time for that on port day? "Not I" said the cat.

 

 

We ate our mixed bag breakfast then scurried on down to get off of the ship. At the elevator, there was a gentleman pushing the button on the panel, but it kept buzzing instead of dinging. I asked him where he wanted to go, and I pressed the floor for him. Otherwise we would STILL be there waiting for him to get it. Bless his heart. He was like "Thanks! I still can’t figure this thing out!" We got on the elevator, and on the next couple of stops, some peeps got on wondering how to get to the gangway. We explained that you can’t just go down to 0 forward from the Aft. From where we were, we had to get off at 1 or 2, walk forward, then go down to 0. Everyone acted like they understood. Until we stopped on Deck 1. We got out, but they wanted to try to go down to 0 Forward from there, so they stayed on the elevator. Now remember, the elevator can't be directed to a floor from inside. The floor selection has to be made before hand. I guess some people learn by riding the elevator and hoping someone pushes their floor somewhere, so Vaya con Dios. I am determined to be unbothered on my birthday. So far so good. 

 

Our tour that day was the Mazatlan Shopping and Highlights. Luz and Daniel were our guides for the day. When we rolled out into the city, the time changed on my phone and watch again. Again y'all. We were now on ship's time. Whatever that was. I'm convinced at this point that this was a game of survival of the fittest. This constant time change could be a way of thinning the herd, and leaving those who couldn’t keep up, behind. Well played Carnival. Well played.

 

[willdra]

As the bus wheeled thru Mazatlan, Luz was giving us history and highlights. When we got to the Shrimp Ladies that sell seafood, Luz got off and brought shrimp samples back on the bus for us to see. She told us that the medium size was $10/pound. Ummmm, I don’t care if it was $0/pound, I am not trying to buy shrimp that someone has used for show and tell. Honey Bunches of No.

 

 

These were taken thru the bus window

 

Our first official "get off the bus" stop was the Catedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción. First of all, that's an extremely long name for a church. Second, it was incredibly beautiful and hot!! There was only "natural" air conditioning being utilized. If you go on this tour, take a little battery powered fan in your bag. You won't be mad about it. Unless you forget the batteries. Don't do that.

 

 

[willdra]

Next we stopped on a side street in "New Mazatlan" to shop. Daniel, our driver, did a lot of maneuvering, honking, and fussing to park right in front of a jewelry store that they wanted us to shop in. The jewelry store had restrooms and they provided a free beer, soda, or water when you walked in. W asked for the beer, and it was already in a cup. It was also warm. He kinda looked at it like somebody handed him a honey badger (smart man), and now that I think about it, I'm not sure what happened to it after that. It just sorta disappeared. Poof, and it was gone. 

 

After we used the facilities, and browsed the shop long enough to be polite, we walked down to a Farmacia to buy drinks. This took a while because there was a lady in there asking for something for her husband's intestinal disturbance. The clerk said "This is like Imodium, but the ingredients are different". She said "I don’t understand". Again, he said "The ingredients are different". Blank stare. She said "I don’t know what you are saying". I lost it when he said "The word ingredients sounds the same in English and Spanish. This has different stuff". She said "oh it’s different? But I want Imodium. This is different?" He said "yes". She said "oh it’s different, but it’s the same?" "Also yes". I guess she partially understood, cuz she purchased it, and mercifully left. 

 

I don’t know about y’all but when stuff like this happens, I gotta LOL. I can't hold it in, and I don't want to.  Ma’am what????

 

After that much needed laugh, we walked down the street, window shopping mostly. Since we've spent so much time not cruising, I forgot how much I dislike being yelled at, and constantly bombarded with people trying to sell me stuff. We were drowning in this river of rudeness. This was just on the sidewalk. If we even looked like we wanted to go into a shop, the peddlers were on us like white on rice. Shoving hats, shirts, cigars, and baby iguanas in our faces. No gracias. Ok. New rule. From now on, make eye contact with no one. Nope, not her either. 

 

[willdra]

When our time there was up, we toured the city some more on the bus, pausing here and there for picture opportunities. Our last stop was the Cliff Divers. I knew it was gonna be "interesting" when a guy met our bus, spoke briefly with our tour guides, then led us over to the "official" Cliff Diver viewing area They waited for as many people as possible to come over and watch. Then they made a point to tell us that the divers don't have regular jobs with benefits. They don't get paid for anything else. Their job is to dive for us. Alrighty.

 

The diver was cued up. Then he performed an extremely graceful dive. I will admit, it was beautiful. At the end of the dive, everyone was asked for a tip for the diver. Wait no, it was more of a demand. They sorta swarmed around our group. I had to tell the "leader" that I needed to get cash from my husband, cuz I didn’t have any on me. Y'all know he tried to follow me over to where W was. I had to give him my most serious "run up, and get done up" look for him to halt, and back up 4 steps. W gave him some money, then we reboarded the bus. I didn’t mind tipping the diver at all, he was amazing. It was the aggressive request for me. Eso no me gusta. 

 

 

On the bus and unbothered, we slow rolled past a few other picturesque spots on the way back. Most of my shots were taken from the bus so they’re not as clear. I managed to get decent ones on our other stops, therefore I was content. When we got back to port, they let us out at the beginning of the “shopping plaza”. I did find some very unique masks there, and the merchants were much calmer. I bought a few for me and some for gifts, since we may be wearing these things much longer than I thought.

 

 

[willdra]

 

When we were done shopping, we had to take the shuttle from the shopping building to the ship. I don’t think they let the guests walk back to the ships. It’s very industrial at this port, and maybe dangerous to walk. It wasn't a bad thing, it was actually good to see business business-ing.

 

 

Back on board, before we went thru security, I remembered that I had a Sprite in my backpack. I stepped to the side to take it out. I was gonna throw it away, but there weren’t any trash cans. I walked up, handed the agent my card to scan me back onto the ship, and asked where I could throw the drink away. The security agent said "just keep it". Huh? Oh ok. What just happened? I had no idea, but I was not asking anymore questions! I put it back in my bag, sent my bag thru the scanner, and held my breath (cuz I never know when the enhanced security gawds will bless me) as I walked thru the body scanner. No dings or buzzes, and I was golden.

 

By this time, I was so hungry my stomach was touching my back. W wanted Mongolian Wok which is in Ji Ji Asian Kitchen, for lunch, and I wanted to do Cucina del Capitano. It’s free during lunch, and you can create your own pasta dish from a list of choices that they give you on a slip of paper. On port days they close at 2:30, and it was 2:18, I already knew that I wanted lasagna, so we ran up there. When I walked in, they handed me the selection card, I checked the lasagna, salad, and bread on my card, and quickly gave it right back to the server. She actually said, "Wow you're fast, you already know what you want". Oh yeah. We play no games when it comes to our meals.

 

My food came out fast and I was already knee deep into my lasagna when W came over with his stir fry. We ate as quick as we could, cuz we knew the staff was ready to get us in and out of there. We should’ve actually just gotten it to go and sat in the Lido Dining Room. But hunger had my brain in the figure 4, and I didn't think of it until later. After we scarfed everything down, we took a few pictures on Deck 11, while we were up there. I was falling asleep walking around, and since we didn’t have anything planned, we ran down to deck 2 to saw some logs. Vacay naps are like winning a record-breaking Powerball. Cha ching!

 

 

 

[willdra]

That night we were going to the Chef's Table, so we had to rest our stomachs. When we woke up, we got ready quick. It started at 6 and the meeting spot was the Heroes Tribute Bar. Meeting in that bar is not a great idea cuz there are always peeps there watching sports. It was also the MLB playoffs. Seats where? We found our hostess, and checked in with her. They asked us to stay in the area, as they waited for everyone to show up. By 6:11 we were still waiting for someone to show up. Why? 

 

 

Right around 6:16 they gave up waiting and got us started. Good. The other 4 people never showed up. The Chef's Table was held in the Carnival Kitchen where they have food classes and demos. Everything is setup all cool, and I was super interested in how it had changed now that we have to treat everyone like they have the heebie jeebies.  

 

For starters, everyone had to wash and sanitize their hands upon entry. Next, instead of 1 table, we had a few tables setup with place cards to distance us. We stood at our assigned tables for the first part of the experience, then we went to sit at the big table for the rest. All throughout the presentation, we were provided with all of the wine that we could drink. That's one of my favorite parts.

 

[princess76021]

On 12/5/2021 at 5:17 PM, willdra said:

SEA DAY 1

 

W set his alarm for 9am. He got up, then I got up. I smelled like a hippopotamus, so I hopped in the shower right quick to wash that off. Icky. I don’t know about y’all, but the shower is usually where I have tons of thoughts. My brain is always like “There’s a million things I haven’t done but just you wait”. So it occurred to me in the shower that we didn’t find out how the platinum benefits worked during COVID. There’s a QR Code to scan for VIFP benefits on a paper in the cabin, but it doesn’t tell me how to redeem the water or drinks. What’s the tea with VIFP Carnival? We will see.

 

While I was getting ready, W checked us into Sea Day Brunch on the app. 5 minutes later, our table was ready. When the table is ready, the app gives you the option to click "I'm on my way" or "cancel". If you select "On my way", they will hold the table 10 minutes. W cancelled the first time cuz his wife wasn’t quite finished with her hygiene yet. She really needs to get her life together. After 10 minutes of playing “Where’s my, should I,  and what do I?” W’s lethargic wife was ready. He checked into the app again, and this time there was an immediate “your table is ready” message, and we were on our way.

 

We got to the restaurant, and there was a small line outside of the restaurant. The hostess at the door said that we had to wait to be escorted to our table. I asked W what our table number was, and he said ”It wasn’t on the app”. A few minutes later, it was our turn to be seated, so the hostess asked for the table number, and W said “we didn’t get one” to that the server replied, "You have to have it".  W opened the app and magically it was there, so he says "Oh I guess we did get one". Me: Eye roll. I’m going to have to give him less things to do in the morning. Apparently one job is now too many. Especially if that job requires reading or looking for something. Or maybe I'm getting punk'd. This might be his diabolical way of making sure that I do everything. Hmmmmm.

 

As I pondered this, we were led to the table. Speaking of pondering, I was today years old, when I found out that not everyone has an Internal Monologue. I have had one my entire life, and I swear I don’t know if I could survive without my internal ongoing narrative. I have whole adult conversations in my head, where I think about things like possums, cake, and catfish ALL OF THE TIME. My inner voice is the right combination of razzmatazz and ravenclaw realness, and I'm stunned that some peeps don’t have it.

 

When we sat down, we got coffee orders in right away, then we scanned the code for the menu. You will be pro QR code scanners by the end of your cruise. Surprisingly, there were still people who had to be shown how to do it. Alright Mrs. Hazel. Get it together. Don’t leave the cabin without your phone, or you may not be able to order food or drinks. It’s 2021 (almost 2022) out here. It’s ok to learn how to do more with your phone than playing solitaire and calling Mrs. Myrtle.

 

I pulled up the menu, and holy what the heck Batman! The Sea Day Brunch menu was completely new! The first pass thru didn’t reveal anything familiar or welcome to me. Cuz. New. This must be payback for me talking about Mrs. Hazel and Mrs. Myrtle! I'm sorry y'all! I took a deep breath, then went back to the top and slow scrolled back thru. This time I started to see some light. I locked my eyes on the House Specials section and made my choices. Now I understand how W felt when he had to go sit all the way down to consider the Diet Coke vs. Pepsi change. I hope this isn't a theme.

 

Here's the new menu:

 

 

hey there!!  so glad to be aboard with you guys!

thanks for allowing me to join in.  

missed you guys

hugs

nicki

[willdra]

By the time we got to the end, I didn’t have anywhere in my body to put any more food. I was so full. I felt like the guys that you see on tv in the hotdog eating contest.  Owwwwww. 

 

Those little dishes that they prepare don’t look like much at all, but they add up in your stomach.  Especially since the whole thing lasts a little over 3 hours. 

 

Here is our menu. The Chef told us that each ship creates their own Chef's Table menu, so there may be variations on other sailings. 

 

 

We were entertained halfway between with some magic tricks

 

We also received a free group photo at the end. Here we are, full, fat, and fabulous! 

 

 

 

We ate so many meat dishes, that I had a whole meal stuck between my teeth when it was over. It felt like I could feed a small family. Since it would've been frowned upon for me to dig out my dental floss and start flossing at the table, I pressed on.

 

Oddly, this Chef's Table group was very quiet. We are used to laughing and talking to the other guests during the whole thing (especially after the wine starts flowing). This time everyone pretty much kept to their significant other. This maybe another side effect of COVID (or a side effect of everyone else only drinking water). At the conclusion of this outrageous gastronomic undertaking, W and I rolled out of there and walked around a little, to see if we could burn off some of that food. It didn't work. 

 

The comedy show that we wanted to go to started at 9:45. We didn’t have time to change, so we just dropped stuff off at the cabin, and went on over. There were lots of empty seats available. There was no need to rush. The comedian was good. We laughed a lot. After the comedy show, we were wiped all the way out. Man (and woman) down! We went back to the cabin, and yada yada yada, we didn’t leave again until the next day.

 

Before I fell asleep, I said a prayer thanking God for Pepcid A. C. and Tums (and that we remembered to bring both). After a meal like that we needed alla the antacids. Heartburn is a b**ch.