Panorama MDR and Production Shows

[jrtmouse]

I sailed the Panorama back in April 2022. The ship itself is beautiful and very well laid out. I'm thinking of sailing again but curious to hear if 1) the quality of the food is decent in the MDR (because it was Denny's grade in 2022) and 2) if the quality of the shows has improved. The two primary singers were absolutely AWFUL and needed to be replaced, some of the back up singers had fantastic voices but hidden behind the wretched front vocals (ask anyone one of the people sitting near us at any of the shows, all of us looked at each other in shock at the horridness.

 

Anywho, any updates you could provide would be much appreciated. 

[mz-s]

shows will likely be the same so the show itself won't be any better - the singers and dancers may or may not be better.

Edited December 30, 2023 by mz-s

[mz-s]

Regarding food - Carnival recently released new MDR menus which are getting good reviews. I haven't tried them yet. I am hopeful! Like you I was not happy with the food on my last Carnival cruise.

[TiredTrucker]

My buddy just got off Panorama today and told me he felt the food had really gone downhill since he sailed last (pre covid).  He wasn't aware of the post-covid cuts before sailing either and felt the overall cruise experience had "gone downhill bad" with the food at the top of his list. 

 

His first text to me after disembarking was "Carnival got bad", but that's just a friend's secondhand opinion so take it with a grain of salt. 😉

Edited December 30, 2023 by TiredTrucker

[tonit964]

Food is very subjective. I was on Panorama a couple of months ago and I thought the food was very, very good everywhere on the ship. I didn’t care for the included outside Pig & Anchor BBQ though. 
 

I thought the production type shows were excellent, they were Soul Bound, Rock Revolution and Celestial Strings. 
The Panorama Rock band was very good too. Very high energy and got everyone up and dancing in Ocean Plaza. 

[TiredTrucker]

3 minutes ago, tonit964 said:

I didn’t care for the included outside Pig & Anchor BBQ though. 

Anything in particular that was wrong with it?

 

I'm going in March and looking forward to trying the P&A BBQ.

[tonit964]

5 minutes ago, TiredTrucker said:

Anything in particular that was wrong with it?

 

I'm going in March and looking forward to trying the P&A BBQ.

Definitely give it a try! 
If I remember correctly, I got the pulled pork, brisket, Mac & cheese & potato salad. The brisket was kinda dry and the Mac & cheese was just average, I thought it would be really good. Potato salad was just average. Nothing bad about it but that was the only time I went. 
I can’t comment on the pay items because I didn’t try those. 

[VentureMan_2000]

36 minutes ago, TiredTrucker said:

Anything in particular that was wrong with it?

 

I'm going in March and looking forward to trying the P&A BBQ.

We ate there on our Carnival Glory cruise.  I recommend it.  Wife loved the pulled pork and Slaw. 

We eat a lot of chicken at home, so didn't even bother trying it.  It looked good on other's plates.

I had the beef and Mac.  Beef was a little dry... I should have asked for a fatty piece.  Mac wasn't cheesy enough for me but was fine.  Potato salad was average... not bad, but nothing to brag about.

Can't go wrong with sausage and baked beans.
 

[john91498]

1 hour ago, TiredTrucker said:

Anything in particular that was wrong with it?

 

I'm going in March and looking forward to trying the P&A BBQ.

 

I thought it was very good. I especially like the sides.

[jrtmouse]

3 hours ago, TiredTrucker said:

My buddy just got off Panorama today and told me he felt the food had really gone downhill since he sailed last (pre covid).  He wasn't aware of the post-covid cuts before sailing either and felt the overall cruise experience had "gone downhill bad" with the food at the top of his list. 

 

His first text to me after disembarking was "Carnival got bad", but that's just a friend's secondhand opinion so take it with a grain of salt. 😉

Interesting. That's too bad.  Back in April 2022 I felt the food wasn't anything to write home about. I can't say it was awful, it just wasn't "cruise spectacular" like many others I had been on. I gave them the benefit of the doubt then and chalked it up to the C*. Upon reading many reviews from others here on CC I soon realized there seemed to be an issue across the entire cruise industry as far as getting back up to speed. We sailed RCCL Navigator of the Seas last year and there were nights I just passed on the MDR entrees all together, and that cruise was more money for a shorter period of time too!  I'm not going to sit and eat something that's so-so when there's a ship of other things available. I'm looking to sail with a different set of family members and thought Panorama was such a beautiful ship, I'd check to see if the few complaints I had a few years back would still be valid. 

And yet, I feel cruise prices are pretty hefty right now, so I'm confused as to why quality isn't picking up speed again. 

 

Thanks for the feedback. 

[TiredTrucker]

13 minutes ago, jrtmouse said:

Interesting. That's too bad.  Back in April 2022 I felt the food wasn't anything to write home about. I can't say it was awful, it just wasn't "cruise spectacular" like many others I had been on. I gave them the benefit of the doubt then and chalked it up to the C*. Upon reading many reviews from others here on CC I soon realized there seemed to be an issue across the entire cruise industry as far as getting back up to speed. We sailed RCCL Navigator of the Seas last year and there were nights I just passed on the MDR entrees all together, and that cruise was more money for a shorter period of time too!  I'm not going to sit and eat something that's so-so when there's a ship of other things available. I'm looking to sail with a different set of family members and thought Panorama was such a beautiful ship, I'd check to see if the few complaints I had a few years back would still be valid. 

And yet, I feel cruise prices are pretty hefty right now, so I'm confused as to why quality isn't picking up speed again. 

 

Thanks for the feedback. 

 

I agree the Mexican Riviera does seem pricey right now.  I have family just back from RCCL and they said food was better on Carnival so hopefully you will enjoy the food more on Panorama.

[TiredTrucker]

Just an update after talking a bit more with my buddy, he mentioned the food and food presentation were not what they were expecting but that the food was still good, just not great.  Wait times at the MDR were bad but the service was "stellar".

 

This was an Xmas cruise and first for them on Panorama but they have been on other full cruises in the years past, mostly Carnival but some Royal.  Given prices and quality they are going to try out the other lines before doing another Carnival unless they get a great deal. 

 

Can't speak for most shows because they had a toddler that kept them too busy. 

 

Hope that helps you out some. 

[Mike45LC]

Took the Panorama five months ago, food was good -- MDR, Buffet and Italian. 

 

Production shows:  The lead singers were very good, as were the dancers.

Comedians were terrible.  Too much anti-oldsters!

 

[hptraveler2]

We will be sailing on the Panorama on the March 2nd departure and returning on March 9th 2024. Somewhat off topic but I was wondering if anyone has information regarding the time of arrival at Long Beach and the start of disembarkation on the first sailing back from repairs?  BTW after 35 cruises on most of the lines we found the Panorama to one of our favorite ships. We sailed March 2023 and found the entertainment very high quality throughout the ship and the food to be just as good as Princess or NCL. Perhaps we're easier to please and look for the positives! Thanks

[jrtmouse]

On 12/31/2023 at 4:44 PM, TiredTrucker said:

Just an update after talking a bit more with my buddy, he mentioned the food and food presentation were not what they were expecting but that the food was still good, just not great.  Wait times at the MDR were bad but the service was "stellar".

 

This was an Xmas cruise and first for them on Panorama but they have been on other full cruises in the years past, mostly Carnival but some Royal.  Given prices and quality they are going to try out the other lines before doing another Carnival unless they get a great deal. 

 

Can't speak for most shows because they had a toddler that kept them too busy. 

 

Hope that helps you out some. 

 

I'd say this is exactly how we felt, food meh, but with stellar service. It was after our cruise on Panorama we tried Navigator of the Seas. As mentioned before, more expensive and the food was REALLY not good. My brother was less than impressed on RCCL Allure of the Seas as well, both physical condition and food quality. Personally, after having been on a number cruises before, several on Carnival, at least one on RCCL, Princess, and NCL, it was just surprising considering Panorama was one of their newest ships.

 

Certainly after sailing that old *** Navigator of the Seas, we decided we'd stick with newer ships and steer clear of anything less than 7 days. I think you get a different kind of service on anything but.

 

People talk crap about Carnival all the time but I've never had a bad experience. While on Navigator, there was a group of people talking absolute smack of Carnival. My wife asked if they had ever sailed Carnival and they replied no!  LOL 

 

With that said, I really do think Panorama is a magnificent ship, well thought out, and sails beautifully. While the MDR food didn't knock my socks off and the lead singers of the shows at the time were seriously off tune, I was just hoping to hear of some improvement. West Coast cruise ship options are quite limited so we can't afford to be overly critical.

 

Thanks again everyone for your input. 

[jrtmouse]

On 1/1/2024 at 1:41 PM, hptraveler2 said:

We will be sailing on the Panorama on the March 2nd departure and returning on March 9th 2024. Somewhat off topic but I was wondering if anyone has information regarding the time of arrival at Long Beach and the start of disembarkation on the first sailing back from repairs?  BTW after 35 cruises on most of the lines we found the Panorama to one of our favorite ships. We sailed March 2023 and found the entertainment very high quality throughout the ship and the food to be just as good as Princess or NCL. Perhaps we're easier to please and look for the positives! Thanks

 

I would agree, Panorama is definitely one of our favorite ships as well. While the entertainment at the very least should be entertaining, having the lead singers seriously off tune isn't pleasing to ears (and it clearly wasn't to many others in the audience). I would like to think those people are long gone since we sailed early 2022. As far as food goes, I'd have to say in general, it was better on the Panny than RCCL Navigator of the Seas. Since sailing that RCCL ship, I'm sure the MDR on Panny isn't so bad after all. Here's a positive for ya, who would have thought that line of beautiful cakes in the buffet area would have been edible and delicious!  🙂

[TiredTrucker]

12 minutes ago, jrtmouse said:

 

I'd say this is exactly how we felt, food meh, but with stellar service. It was after our cruise on Panorama we tried Navigator of the Seas. As mentioned before, more expensive and the food was REALLY not good. My brother was less than impressed on RCCL Allure of the Seas as well, both physical condition and food quality. Personally, after having been on a number cruises before, several on Carnival, at least one on RCCL, Princess, and NCL, it was just surprising considering Panorama was one of their newest ships.

 

Certainly after sailing that old *** Navigator of the Seas, we decided we'd stick with newer ships and steer clear of anything less than 7 days. I think you get a different kind of service on anything but.

 

People talk crap about Carnival all the time but I've never had a bad experience. While on Navigator, there was a group of people talking absolute smack of Carnival. My wife asked if they had ever sailed Carnival and they replied no!  LOL 

 

With that said, I really do think Panorama is a magnificent ship, well thought out, and sails beautifully. While the MDR food didn't knock my socks off and the lead singers of the shows at the time were seriously off tune, I was just hoping to hear of some improvement. West Coast cruise ship options are quite limited so we can't afford to be overly critical.

 

Thanks again everyone for your input. 

Thanks for your input also.   We are excited to sail her in March.  I'm confident we'll have a great time, mediocre food notwithstanding.  From everything I've been told she is a popular vessel. 

[TiredTrucker]

6 minutes ago, jrtmouse said:

 

...who would have thought that line of beautiful cakes in the buffet area would have been edible and delicious!  🙂

 

Not anymore.   😉

 

Rumor is they are displays now and that they serve sheet cakes in those flavors. 

[geckoaz]

I am on panorama right now. They cut the cakes in front of you..great vaiety. The mdr has smaller portions but good. Choc melting cakes smaller and often not much melt. But i see lots of banana splits being served..not on menu. Later this year panorama will be in dry dock. To change production shows and restaurants sometimes take place during that time. The game shows like deal or no deal with play along are packed. I have never had a bad cruise in 20 cruises. 

[staceyglow]

8 minutes ago, geckoaz said:

I am on panorama right now. They cut the cakes in front of you..great vaiety. The mdr has smaller portions but good. Choc melting cakes smaller and often not much melt. But i see lots of banana splits being served..not on menu. Later this year panorama will be in dry dock. To change production shows and restaurants sometimes take place during that time. The game shows like deal or no deal with play along are packed. I have never had a bad cruise in 20 cruises. 

The banana split is on the kids menu, but a grownup can certainly order it. 

[Worldly_Idiot]

8 hours ago, geckoaz said:

I am on panorama right now. They cut the cakes in front of you..great vaiety. The mdr has smaller portions but good. Choc melting cakes smaller and often not much melt. But i see lots of banana splits being served..not on menu. Later this year panorama will be in dry dock. To change production shows and restaurants sometimes take place during that time. The game shows like deal or no deal with play along are packed. I have never had a bad cruise in 20 cruises. 

EDIT! ---   I found this via google:
Previous Dry-Dock:  2023        Upcoming Next Scheduled Dry-Dock:  2024
The Carnival Panorama has returned to service after a dry-dock that started in November 2023 and finished in late December 2023. The ship's first cruise back was Saturday, December 23, 2023. This time out of service was to take care of mechanical issues that affected the ship's cruising speed. 
2024 Dry-Dock: 
The Carnival Panorama has a scheduled dry-dock in 2024 from 9/9/2024 - 10/11/2024. As of this time, per John Heald, there is no impact to this dry-dock. 

Original Post:
It'll be in Dry Dock again? It just got out.. do you know what they need to do to it next time?

Edited January 6 by Worldly_Idiot

[mz-s]

12 hours ago, Worldly_Idiot said:

EDIT! ---   I found this via google:
Previous Dry-Dock:  2023        Upcoming Next Scheduled Dry-Dock:  2024
The Carnival Panorama has returned to service after a dry-dock that started in November 2023 and finished in late December 2023. The ship's first cruise back was Saturday, December 23, 2023. This time out of service was to take care of mechanical issues that affected the ship's cruising speed. 
2024 Dry-Dock: 
The Carnival Panorama has a scheduled dry-dock in 2024 from 9/9/2024 - 10/11/2024. As of this time, per John Heald, there is no impact to this dry-dock. 

Original Post:
It'll be in Dry Dock again? It just got out.. do you know what they need to do to it next time?

 

The drydock last month was purely to repair the propulsion issues.

 

The drydock later this year is the ship's first scheduled maintenance drydock.