ScottsSweetie

18 minutes ago, tm_aw_love said:

Another thing that I noticed several times in the buffet was that they had staff going around collecting all of the serving utensils and another person right behind them replacing them. This should at least help a little with those worried about the self serve buffets; and, although, I can't confirm how often that is happening, I saw it several times. 

I have seen this reported elsewhere on this site - it must be an extra precaution being taken now. It is not a bad idea.

Forgot to say - disembark was awesome! We were given luggage tag #3 (Platinum early disembark), but were not in a hurry to get in the car and drive home. I got tags #18 instead and we had breakfast and relaxed. The all clear for all numbers was given right before 10:00am, so it appears that it went swimmingly for all involved. You're welcome, 9/11 cruisers!! 😄

Cleaning - more than usual and all the time! You could hardly finish a drink or a plate before someone was taking it and hovering in the area to clean your table once you've left. 

Ship - in great condition, which was expected since she's still really brand new. We had a room in the back on deck 7, and we walked our booty's off! When I book this ship again I will definitely book mid-ship because it was a lot of walking. Forgot to say in the food portion of the review - between the meh food and all the walking I LOST 2 POUNDS on this cruise - never have I lost weight before on a cruise! Never an issue finding a lounger. We rode the Sky Ride, did the ropes course and played 2 rounds of mini golf - all good!

Staff & Entertainment - we enjoyed Lee and his entertainment staff. He may not be everyone's cup of tea but I think he does a great job (we sailed with him in 2017 on the Sunshine also). The Panorama Rockband (as they are listed in the activities - their band name is Rubber Duck) is not to be missed. They have quite the eclectic playlist - country, pop, rock - even some rap. They are FUN! The violin trio that plays in the atrium are great also - and just as eclectic. The biggest response I heard to them was after a Metallica song. The one disappointment in entertainment is the Pig & Anchor set-up. The musicians are set up back in the corner far away from the bar. There is no way to enjoy the musicians unless you enter the restaurant part of the facility. We visited one night to have a couple beers and listen to the music - sat at a high 2-top just off the bar area. We were given the stink eye when we ordered beers and told the server we would not be dining, and we had trouble getting him to come back so we could order another round - so we left.

Masks - I will say that compliance with the mask policy is around 80% - 85%. There are workers at all entrances of the buffet making sure everyone is masked (and will give you one if needed). Of course, once you sit at the table it comes off - I would say compliance here is 100%. Also, compliance in elevators was around 100% - I never saw anyone entering or exiting an elevator without a mask. In the comedy club and show lounge, it's a bit lower. They have people at the door reminding you to mask, and there are pre-recorded announcements every few minutes reminding you that it is a mandatory mask area and you are required to "sip and cover". Of course, there are lots of people who ignore this. It is not a requirement to wear a mask while walking around the ship - but I would say that about half of people do.

All in all, despite losing a port, food being meh, and DH and I taking turns not feeling well, we had a good cruise and surely will be on the Panorama again in the near future. Any questions, please ask away!

14 minutes ago, rj59 said:

Are you able to find out if the skipped port is due to the propulsion problems they've been having? If that's going to happen on every cruise, then I'd be inclined to cancel my Panorama in October. It's also possible due to damage from Hurricane Olaf, which hit Cabo directly on Thursday. 

We skipped Cabo because of Tropical Storm Olaf - it was not yet a hurricane. It would have been unsafe to operate the tenders. Also, after getting of the ship and reading about the hurricane it appears that Cabo closed the port as part of their preparations pre-hurricane. It had nothing to do with the propulsion issue.

Food - meh. We had breakfast one morning at Blue Iguana - all other mornings at the buffet. It was fine. I really missed the fruit. They have no berries, no watermelon, no pineapple. Fruit is always a big part of my breakfast on ship as I find it's the best opportunity to save those calories! I did find the watermelon slices on the Blue Iguana salsa bar on the next to last day. For lunch we sampled Pig & Anchor, mongolian wok, the deli and Guy's. We sampled the gelato a couple of days. Dinner was a real disappointment for us this time. Firstly, we always have assigned dining as we love to chat with our wait time. Despite the dining room being very empty they just have no time for chatting as they used to. We saw our head waiter in the breakfast area one morning and had a nice long chat with him. He has been with Carnival for 20 years, so he has experienced all of the changes that we have. For instance, he told us that there is now no bar service in the DR (save the damn shot people coming around every night). He says they really don't have the time to perform bar service, but they also are being graded by how much alcohol they sell. Dining times varied from about an hour to hour and a half (the second night was the longest). We were so disappointed in the food - we had very few things that we commented that were very good. I almost never finished a plate of food. I had chocolate melting cake twice - once it was great; once it was so overcooked there was no melted part. DH had it twice also - once it was great, and once it was so undercooked that it was completely soup.

Bar Service - never had a problem getting service. This was our first time having Cheers (booked under the elusive RU1 code). We don't normally drink a lot, but did take advantage of having drinks included on this trip. Must tell you this story - we visited the Alchemy Bar early on the first elegant night. There were two women sitting at the bar - we sat at the outer ring on the end (on the low bar area). We notice that one of the women has her hands over her face and appears to be not feeling well. All of a sudden, she THROWS UP all over the bar in front of her. Her companion starts trying to get her up and moving back to their room, which took a while. The bar staff, meanwhile, immediately jumps into action. They tore that bar apart! First off, about 3 or 4 officers in their dress uniforms show up to monitor the situation. The staff then proceeded to strip everything off of and out of the bar, including emptying and sanitizing all of their ice bins. We were allowed to stay and finish our drinks since we were at the outside bar while of course other patrons were turned away. We were sure that this would be the cleanest bar on the ship when they finished - it was quite an impressive show, and I felt so bad for the bar staff. Please don't be the person who does this!

When I booked this cruise, we really thought it wouldn't happen and I was just fishing for the OBC. Imaging our surprise when we actually started on the date announced. I figured California would be several months behind any cruising beginning in Florida, but obviously I was wrong. Since I didn't really expect it to happen I never really looked into private excursions, so we ended up booking excursions through Carnival. Since things were changing so quickly, and I figured the excursions would be capacity controlled a little more than normal we just decided that was the best thing to do here.

In Puerto Vallarta we booked the Local Flavours and Traditions tour. This tour involved a tour through the city with some narration and then a trip up an down a mountain, on a dirt road - a week after a hurricane came through. I'm a girl who doesn't like driving on the highway on a mountain, so it was a little rough for me. This was actually held at a new location, so not the villa on top of the mountain with the gorgeous sights promised, but it was a beautiful place. Actually at the bottom of a mountain next to a rushing river - very tropical. The original tour mentions a pool for swimming and hammocks for lounging - this place has a pool, but it's not open. No lounging areas either. Margaritas and beer were provided - bottled water available for a fee. We made salsa, guacamole, a tostada and an enchilada. Masks were worn on the bus with pretty much 100% compliance but once seated at the tables (shared by 4 people) masks were not required. This was a nice excursion. Please don't forget to tip your tour guides (and realize that there will be several). Tips were left in a basket for the entire staff to share (there were probably 7 or 8 people between the chef, wait staff, bar staff, etc.). Also tips for the bus driver and tour guide on the bus.

In Mazatlan we booked the Mini Speed Boat tour. We had fun on this one - I have seen these offered in several locations and wanted to do it for a while. We had a really nice tour of the downtown area, the malecon and the main tourist area (I think called the Gold district?). Upon arriving at the marina we were delivered to the beach and split into 2 groups - our group had about hour and a half at the beach first and then our boat tour which was a little over an hour. Vendors were plentiful but were required to stay behind a rope line, so unless you're in the front row of chairs you won't be bothered. They accepted our "no thank you" easily when we walked the beach. The water was horrible as they had just recovered from a hurricane - so much mud and silt churned up. Too bad as it was a great temp to play in. Drinks were included and available from your beach chair (don't forget to tip!). Lunch was included inside the restaurant. The boat portion of the tour was great. If you own your own boat you will probably not like this tour, but we really enjoyed it. The tour stays in the canal (no open ocean). For most of it you play follow the leader at a fairly slow pace, but you do reach a really big area where you are able to open up and go as fast as you want for about 15 minutes or so. It was a lot of fun. This tour takes a bit of a nose-dive at the end when you are let off the bus to visit a jewelry store on the malecon, where your tour guide will give you a sticker with his name on it (so he gets his kickback?). Had a bit of a walk on the malecon (maybe 10 minutes) and then back on the bus.

After returning to the ship, it was around 5:00pm when the captain made the announcement that there would be no Cabo San Lucas stop the next day. If you are an experienced cruiser, when the announcement comes into your cabin you know something is up - if it's the captain then you really know it's a big announcement. We allowed ourselves time to sulk and then got over it - because what else are you going to do?

DH and I sailed on 9/4 on the Panorama. Originally itinerary was 1 sea day - Cabo San Lucas - Mazatlan - Puerto Vallarta - 2 sea days - return. About 3 days before sailing the itinerary was completely reversed. Then, due to Hurricane Olaf our Cabo San Lucas stop turned into a sea day. C'est la vie.

Embark was a mixed bag - I chose an 11:30 check-in time. We got in line at 11:40 - there was one really long line. No line for people arriving early or late so no confirmation if they are adhering to check-in times (the people right in front and behind me had the same as me). We reached the building at 12:00pm. At 12:25 we entered the actual check-in line after 2 document checks and security. We boarded approximately 12:40. I really did not expect it to take an hour with a capacity controlled appointment.

Upon boarding, we went to muster, where our names were checked off the list. That's it. No life vest instructions, no demonstration. Nada.

No rhyme or reason that I can tell. We have around 20 Carnival cruises - I have cruised twice without DH (many years ago). He has much better pp rate offers than I do; however, we just got back from a cruise and now I have the elusive RU1 offer which he doesn't have. 🤷‍♀️

4 hours ago, phoneman69 said:

Just hung up with a Carnival recording that was a reminder of all documents required for boarding. The Negative Covid-19 test in my case is 72 where i am boarding Sept 12th. The recording accurately reflected the 72 hour requirement. Boarding pass, proof of Vaccination Card and Negative Covid-19 test. I have never received a call like this before. I wonder if Carnival is doing this for all sailing ?

Boarding Horizon Sept 12th  

I get on the ship tomorrow - never got a call.

1 hour ago, BoozinCroozin said:

My other post was deleted. I guess being blunt and honest is not good for a forum for pre-conceived notions by people.

 

Here is from someone and their group that absolutely loves the buffet!

 

https://www.facebook.com/JohnHeald/posts/6278097742232734

 

Yeah, I saw that too. My take on this is that I see supply line issues here in my own stores, from groceries to furniture to appliances. I would expect to maybe see less choice and maybe less stations open due to capacity. However, I do expect the offerings that they have to be good and tasty (at least to the level of pre-covid). We don't do the buffet a lot due to other options, but occasionally we will eat there. I'll see for myself in two days!!

4 minutes ago, gentlehyena said:

I feel certain it is under investigation by the CDC, the ship is listed as Yellow https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html Not stopping me from cruising! They could have gotten it from a hotel or anywhere before they got on the ship.

That is only for covid - not any other illnesses or diseases.

1 hour ago, AlabamaPoolBoy said:

Panorama

 

It makes more sense to me for the cruise lines to be releasing the covid data from their cruises so their customers can make an informed decision.  We went on the Mardi Gras expecting their to be new covid cases.  We have another Carnival cruise scheduled in a few months and I expect there to be new covid cases on that ship.  What I want to know is the number of cases from previous cruises so I can make an informed judgment on the risk.  If the CDC is tracking that data, they should release it on their website.

Well, you can keep wanting that, but Carnival has made it clear that they are reporting to the authorities the info required, and they are not going to do anything more.

Just now, mondello said:

So, is just getting the ship back on schedule the change OP was referring to?

I'm thinking that the port changes, or port hour changes he is referring to have something to do with a mix of the propulsion issue and Hurricane Nora.

But the ship arriving in Long Beach at 8:00am is the piece that I'm interested in, lol.

7 minutes ago, DAllenTCY said:

Just announced by the Captain, we will stop in Cabo San Lucas tomorrow from 7 am to 4 pm and then proceed to Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday 10 am - 7 pm.

Due to this change, the ship is now expecting to return to Long Beach at 8 am on Saturday.

 

David

Thanks for that update - guess our embark on 9/4 won't be as delayed as we thought!!

14 minutes ago, rs45thompson said:

That is what I am wrestling with at the moment.  I don't know.

That's reasonable. Everyone should make the decision that makes the most sense for their family and their situation - best of luck.

It's just so very frustrating to read all the posters here who knew what the protocols were before getting on the ship, decided to get on the ship anyway, and then they come here and complain about everything that they knew about ahead of time.

9 minutes ago, CharmedLifer said:

Did you all see this re Covid cases on board 8/21 cruise?

 

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2021/08/articles/disease/carnival-panorama-the-latest-fun-ship-with-covid-19-aboard/

A. Consider the source.

B. THIS IS NOT NEWSWORTHY! Every single ship will have positive cases of Covid.

C. There are so many inaccuracies and distortions in this article it would be laughable except that there will be people who believe every word. The most egregious is leaving a passenger alone "in a sub-standard hospital in Belize and sailing on to the next port". So they should have kept the passenger on the ship even though they required more medical intervention that the ship's doctors can handle? And everyone knows Belize is not going to have hospitals like ours. He also says 42 crew tested positive over 2 weeks on Vista?? That was addressed by Carnival - and I believe it was 27.

D. Consider the source.

5 minutes ago, rs45thompson said:

Just my opinion but I think they need to get rid of the doors that you have to push the button, they need to have the crew serve at the buffet, they need to enforce mask wearing except outside, they need to ask passengers to washy washy as they enter the restaurant or buffet, they need to implement social distancing in the restaurants and shows.  I think if they do these things they will see their numbers (whatever they are) go down.  Again, just my opinion.

And if they don't do all of these things - are you still going to sail in October (as is listed in your signature below)?

7 minutes ago, DGNewton said:

Wall i guess for us July 24th cruisers we aren't sick by now so be it?   Although the smell was terrible at certain parts of the hallways on deck 8 midway.

So much for transparency about illness on Carnival

Always seems after the fact.

So if you sail, be smart how  to travel.  We will mask up inside,m wash frequently.  We spray and wipe down our own room too.  Must have a balcony to flush the air a bit.

I feel for the crew that need the income.

Prayers for this industry and form of vacation - it is the best type of vacation our opinion,

Sailing Saturday on the Disney Fantasy and the Carnival Horizon Oct. 30th so we hope.

Well, they can't notify you in advance of someone becoming ill. 😏

And I'm sure they weren't diagnosed with this on the ship so there would have been no way to tell anyone at that time.

7 minutes ago, ngrund said:

 the point is that Carnival could and should have taken steps that would greatly reduce the chances of passengers being exposed-

 

For me, the most egregious thing Carnival is doing is not eliminating the self service buffet and  as reported not allowing space between seated parties while dining

 

Yes, it would appear that Carnival's protocols could be improved. But the poster seems to want Carnival to be Celebrity. And if one believes that Carnival's protocols are not adequate - and everyone here at CC has had access to all of that info since the restart - then one should not cruise Carnival.

1 hour ago, dalenjen said:

here is a list based off the two other cruises we have taken this year with Celebrity:

1.mandate social distancing, block off every other chair

2. provide masks so you can switch yours out. We brought extra but none were provided

3. Contact tracing. On Celebrity (and Royal also) they make you wear a Tracelet to quickly identify everyone you came into contact with, test them and isolate those infected. Carnival has no contact tracing at all

4.More hand sanitizers. they were few and far between

5. Decrease bottlenecks and crowding. there were many times that social distancing COULD NOT be done due to the set-up of seating and the structure of the lines Carnival created (if you havent been on the Mardi Gras yet you do not realize that pretty much everything is on 3 decks that are all inside with no open spaces except on top or in the smoking section on the side)

 

So yes that is what I would say is just a few things they COULD HAVE done but did not.

 

Its all i will have to say on this because I feel I am having to explain why I got Covid instead of just being able to feel crappy because I GOT COVID ON THIS CRUISE (our 32nd cruise to be exact with 9 more booked) we will cruise again very soon but I can only say that Carnival is not handling the Cruising During Covid well at all

 

I'm sorry that you have covid. I've had it also - it's no fun. I hope that your wife continues to be negative. 

No one here is asking you to explain why you got Covid. But you cannot be sure that you got it on the ship.

Just now, crewsweeper said:

By 5% of the population I assume you mean supposedly 5% of the ship passengers.  Not crew. Be aware that mask are NOT 100% effective.  Only N95 masks protect against you transmitting 95% of the virus and other respiratory germs you may have. Possibly less to those wearing without any viruses, and then only when not wet from breathing.  Wet masks of all types can allow viruses to cling to the masks.  Plus negative test today doesn't equate to negative test tomorrow.  Vaccines in and of themselves do not prevent people from getting the virus.  They do help in reducing the severity of symptoms and need for hospitalization.  Key word here is REDUCE/ not ELIMINATE!

 

But without adequate tracing, dalajen will never know whether he contracted his from hanging around the ship venues, his cabin steward, his spouse, a bar tender who sneezed, someone in the elevator, etc..

 

Let's just hope he continues to improve.

Yes, I know all of those things. But in regards to the crew, I do believe that they are required to be somewhere above 90% vaccinated per the CSO recommendations that the cruiselines are operating under.

And he also won't know if he got it before he got on the ship, either. MY DH tested positive 10 days before I did and of course we're told people can be contagious before that positive test. Most people will never know where they got it from, so it's not verifiable to blame it on Carnival.

2 hours ago, Goldenaero5 said:

Online there is an article reporting that multiple people contacted covid during this sailing. I hate to take the word of one passenger (that reported to an online outlet)and wondering if you noticed this as well or if there is any truth to it? I realize that there is probably going to be a few cases on any sailing as covid isn't going away anytime soon but just curious what you may have noticed. Also what you thought of the safety of the protocols. Thank you for any insight you may have.

40 minutes ago, CruisefunSAN said:

I was on that sailing and didn't notice anything. Apparently if there is COVID case on board, Carnival wasn't made it public. But I also doubted the accuracy of that online article. In Mazatlan and Cabo, I did hear the PA asking for some people to contact customer service desk right before ship's departure time, I thought that was because some body didn't make it back to ship on time. And I didn't see any ambulance at those ports too. SO that online thing is most likely a speculation, not fact. 

Their status is yellow on the CDC cruise ship color status, which is the third out of 4 levels (green, orange, yellow, red). It was orange while it was crew only. EVERY SINGLE SHIP across all brands that is sailing with passengers right now (as opposed to being crew only) is yellow status. There will be positive covids on every single sailing for the near future.

59 minutes ago, dalenjen said:

yeah i would be interested to read anyone else (besides me) who got Covid on the Mardi Gras TA or not..Carnival is keeping their numbers hidden and its getting people sick

What would you do differently if Carnival had given you numbers? You already said that you were taking extra precautions in social distancing, so I am curious as to what you would have done. And would that change if Carnival said "we have 2 covid cases" or if they said "we have 10 covid cases"? 

If everyone has negative tests before boarding, and only 5% of the population is unvaccinated (and that's mostly children), and people are masked, and you are social distancing - please explain to me what else can be done?

6 hours ago, DAllenTCY said:

If you are driving to Long Beach, there are 4 lanes of traffic approaching the terminal.  The left lane sign says "PARKING".....however, that leads into the Queen Mary parking lot which is closed.  

Lots of cars went to the end and then either cut into the next line or had to circle back around.  The far right lane is for picking up or dropping off, yet cars managed to cut in at the front, too.  Once past the ticket dispensing machines THE 2 MIDDLE LANES ONLY, make an immediate left into the parking structure.  There were plenty of open spaces; however, exiting traffic was backed up to level 2 with very slow movement.

 

David

 

So, should we drop off luggage (and one person) first before entering the parking structure, or can we just park there and take our luggage with us if easily managed?

And thanks for this info!

41 minutes ago, DGNewton said:

Is this posted in any Carnival ligature?  

I've heard of people being turned away with wrong test and want to be sure when we check in.

You won't be there to represent us, but Carnival will.

So would appreciate the help if you could find documentation.

I'm getting too old to be correct anymore....seems to miss a lot.

If not, I'll write to them......

Thank You for your help and post as this is good information to know, just want to be cautious.

Try looking at http://www.carnival.com