Our Marvelous Mouse agent Jaclyn Vercillo had the opportunity to check out the new Carnival Panorama! Let our experts help you plan your next cruise vacation!
The last time I was on a Carnival Cruise ship I was nine years old and believe it or not I came home with a 1st place trophy for a bikini contest. Now I know what you are thinking, but this was the early 90’s people. I heard “Bikini Contest in 5 minutes” and I raced to my room to grab my T-shirt that had a body with a bikini on it. Needless to say I beat out quite the crowd of contestants and my family was left with a fond and hilarious memory.Flash forward to almost 30 years later, I stepped onboard Carnival’s new ship the Panorama for the Feast of Fun and the ship naming ceremony. I truly didn’t know what to expect because I have been an avid DCL and Royal Caribbean Cruiser and in all honestly I have viewed Carnival as a cheaper “party cruise” boat. Well from the moment I stepped onboard, I started to eat crow. I was completely blown away but the decadence of the ship and all it has to offer. When we walked in we were swept through the Casino where they have a 2 story tall Panoramic screen (see what they did there) with floating stingrays hovering over the bar area. It was stunning. I then headed into the shop atrium to enjoy the music and see what was available. Well if diamonds and jewelry are your thing (they should be) then this is your stop, and gents the watch selection will make your mouth water. Beauty shops and Swarovski items are also glimmering throughout the shopping plaza. It’s 3 stories so give yourself some time to shop. They also have an adorable candy shop for the kids with a Dr. Seuss theme.
Speaking of kids, I snuck away to check out the tween and teen centers. Parents get ready to not see your kids at all on your trip because these areas are kid heaven. They also have a full arcade for kids and wait for it…they have the indoor trampoline park Skyzone ON THE SHIP! That was a first for me and I think it will be enjoyed by big and little kids.
Next I headed to the outside pool decks for the ship naming ceremony and the beautiful Vanna White did the honors as the ships Godmother. Emeril Lagasse also made an appearance since his culinary works will be on future ships and Guy Fieri came out since his restaurant is on the ship. It was quite the crew.
After the ceremony we roamed around the ship and had fantastic appetizers from the restaurants on the ship. Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse is beautiful, I ate a ton of sushi from Bonsai Sushi, and the pulled pork sandwich from Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse was incredible. With a full belly I decided to head into the piano bar and listen to some wonderful music.
Next up we sat down to a 3 course dinner. The menu featured a wide variety of cuisine from each restaurant but since I already had sushi, pulled pork sandwiches, and rock shrimp tempura, I decided to go the Italian route. First, can I talk about the bread basket?! It was incredible and on par with any fine dining restaurant I have been to. The Focaccia bread melted in your mouth and the butter was served with a little olive oil and sea salt. For my appetizer I had Il Capitano’s Signature Arancini which also melted in your mouth and my main course was Cavatelli with veal and pork shank bolognaise. Now I am Italian and have been to some of the best restaurants in Italy, and I have to say this pasta was amazing! There is a difference with handmade pasta and it showed in this meal and the sauce was amazing. My only downfall was dessert. You guys I was too full to eat it! But it looked beautiful and my fellow travel agents looked like they were enjoying it!
A few other highlights from this ship that delighted me were the Carnival Culinary Experience, the Havana Bar, the kids waterslides and play area, as well as all the live entertainment and shows. The Carnival Culinary experience looks amazing and I was able to meet the chefs. The kitchen is beautiful and you can enjoy gourmet cooking classes with wonderful wine pairings. Perfect date night while the kids are in the kids club! The Havana Bar was beautiful and had fantastic music. And the live entertainment and shows will blow you away! I don’t want to give away too much but you will be on the edge of your seat.
A major highlight for me was the Hero Bar in honor of those who are currently serving or have served our country. It’s a beautiful space and what a great way to meet up with other service members, or for people like myself, to drop in and thank them for their service.
Last thing I will touch on are the accommodations. What I loved about this ship was that they had a large quantity of suites and larger rooms for families. It’s often hard to accommodate larger parties but the Carnival Panorama has taken care of that. The rooms are not cramped at all and the theming is spectacular. But I have to say on this ship, you won’t be spending much time in your room with everything they have on board!
I was really impressed and I am lucky it’s home port is so close to me. Thank you Carnival Panorama for broadening my travel horizons!
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