Panorama

[Dee Dee7]

Returned from a cruise on Carnival panorama. The ship is beautiful and not like the older Carnival ships. The food was a big disappointment. The best food was up at the deli in the Lido and also the pizza that was offered on the ship freshly baked. Very disappointed in the entertainment also. Mostly game nights. How does everyone else feel?

[3Sisters]

@Dee Dee7 I'm glad you appreciated the ship! Carnival Panorama seems like a lovely ship from what I have seen in the photos. I happen to agree with you that the food in the Lido deck is always consistent and the pizza is always delicious. Unfortunately the choices in the MDR can be really inconsistent. Some items are more foolproof than others, but I try to avoid seafood in the MDR mainly because it gets tough so quickly when overcooked or sitting under a heat lamp for an extended period of time. There weren't nightly shows offered in the theatre? I'm so used to cruise lines offering a nightly theatre act. It would be so foreign to me to have it any other way. What were the game nights like?

[euroguy]

@Dee Dee7 I can not tell from your post how many times you have cruised with CCL or from any other lines as well. Additionally I'm not sure how long your cruise was as since the Firenze is now at Long Beach the Pnorama is doing primarily shorter cruise (5 days and under) with the exception once in a while.

I personally have cruised on 15 different CCL ships out of its fleet of 25 and some multiple times. 4 months ago I was on the Mardi Gras and in 50 days will be on the Firenze. I have been on the Panorama as one of those 15 ships. 

The point of me sharing the above, I believe I'm very experienced in the processes and experience of CCL. 

With that said, yes the Panorama is a really nice and a large ship. 

Regarding the food, you made a pretty broad stroke of the brush saying that the food was horrible.... 

1. Did you eat in the MDR? 2. What types of food did you order? 3. Did you let anyone know about the food you didn't like? 4. Did you eat at any of the specialty dining?

I do remember prior to covid how the food in the MDR was for the most part pretty good then immediatly after covid nose dived, now CCL has come out with its new menu and frankly many of those dishes where really good. The roasted duck was delicious. Rudys was on top of its game and hands down amazing.

The buffett has always been hit or miss, Guys burgers good, blue iguana good, pizza good.

I find it hard to believe that all the food minus the deli and pizza was the only good food on the ship, but then again I'm unsure how you rate food nor the type of food you find pleasing.

About the entertainment and shows CCL offers 1 show per night usually shown at 2 different times, one of the spectacular shows is the Celestial which is a really great show which I first saw on the Panorama.  Yes CCL does have game shows at different times throughout the cruise as fillers and provide a different form of entertainment. Additionally CCL specializes in comedy shows, both 18+ and R rated. Most other cruise lines don't even have comdy shows. CCL flys headliners in for them. I have been to many of them and most are truly hilarious and worth attending. 

I'm really confused for your disconnect to the entertainment. 

Do not misunderstand my points or questions, as I'm not saying everything is 100% perfect nor great, but not everything is horrible or bad either. I try to enjoy the things I liked and the move on from the not so great and find something else to enjoy to shift the pendulum. 

Do you think you will sail with CCL again?

Edited July 13 by euroguy

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy Thanks for your feedback here! You did a great job of breaking down @Dee Dee7's post. I agree that everyone has their own definition of excellent food and horrible food. I know CCL's included restaurants are good enough. Some are more excellent than others, particularly the specialty restaurants. I haven't have horrible food onboard a cruise before, but I have had mediocre food. You have to figure out what you like/dislike onboard and then stick with that. I'm also very accustomed to the evening shows and I'm surprised that this guest didn't really experience those onboard. I find that rare and uncommon, particularly for a CCL itinerary. Other cruise lines could do food better, but it really all depends on your standards and price point. For the budget I stick to, CCL more than checks the box!

[euroguy]

On 7/17/2024 at 9:54 AM, Kendall James-Vargas said:

@euroguy Thanks for your feedback here! You did a great job of breaking down @Dee Dee7's post. I agree that everyone has their own definition of excellent food and horrible food. I know CCL's included restaurants are good enough. Some are more excellent than others, particularly the specialty restaurants. I haven't have horrible food onboard a cruise before, but I have had mediocre food. You have to figure out what you like/dislike onboard and then stick with that. I'm also very accustomed to the evening shows and I'm surprised that this guest didn't really experience those onboard. I find that rare and uncommon, particularly for a CCL itinerary. Other cruise lines could do food better, but it really all depends on your standards and price point. For the budget I stick to, CCL more than checks the box!

@Kendall James-Vargas from what ive heard CCL offers the most inclusive good options on their ships and ive also heard offers some of the better quality foods from the mainstream cruise lines. I personally can confirm this as I have only been on CCL. But  I can say ive had some fantastic food on ship and of course some not so great but I've always found respectable food available at one of the many good offerings.

Whats your experiences been on other lines?

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy I think the quality is good enough! For the price point I don't think it needs to be any better either. Yes, luxury liners have higher quality food products but that is to be expected. One thing I value about the line is that if you want a high quality experience you can dine at a specialty restaurant! There are so many specialty dining options onboard too. I think RCL is very comparable in food quality, but I have enjoyed the diversity on MSC Cruises. Costa Cruises also does a great job at diversifying the culinary options. It could be because both lines serve guests from all over the world. The US dominant lines typically offer foods geared towards the picky Western diet, unlike other European based lines. I find the food quality and standards to be higher on the European based lines.