Just off the Panorama (10/23-10/30), quick review!

[klfhngr]

We're in our 50's and traveled with 2 other couples. One couple were newbies, other couple has about 5 cruises under their belt and we have about 20.

 

Embarkation: We were part of group A5. We arrived at port at about 11:30. Parked our vehicles, checked our luggage in. Did the whole process in about 30 minutes! It was quick and great!!!! No complaints! Got our 4 bottles of wine onboard, they never checked nor asked. Newbies were expecting the worse in regards to getting on,due to some reviews, but they were amazed at how fast we got on. Once on board, the staff was amazing! They were all so happy to see us!

 

Cabin: We upgraded for 200 more to the premium balcony 8470. The layout is sort of a pain in the butt, the long hallway feels cramped. But the views and the size of the balcony is awesome!!! We were able to entertain all 6 of us with no problem! Could've fit about 4 more easily! Wife did NOT like the room, I was ok with it. If we travel alone, we'll get the regular balcony, if in a group, we'll book this one again.

 

Ship: The ship looks great!! Still looks new, super clean! Easy to navigate! Staff throughout the ship was super friendly! We hung out by the pool. At first it seems small, but for now, with limited capacity, it seems to work. Not sure what's going to happen once it's at 100%!!! Enjoyed not having a large crowd!!! No lines for anything! Food, drinks, shows, etc., walk right in!! Pizza had a line late night, but that's normal!

 

Food: I know this is subjective, so this is my opinion. We attempted to try different stuff, but it's hard to do that with so many options.

The Steakhouse was ok. Food was good, somewhat salty. Service was ok, but nothing outstanding! Our group felt the same way.

Gigi's: Have to admit, this was our favorite! The soups, the different dishes, etc.!! At first, we didn't think that it would be enough food, we were wrong!!! The chef's know how much to make for a small group! Some in our group thought that some of the dishes were salty, we didn't notice that here.

BBQ: It was ok. The fact that knowing that this is an option is great! If you like BBQ, I think you'll enjoy.

Deli: We had it on last day and wish we made more visits! Sandwiches were great! 

Pizza: It was hit and miss, but how can you go wrong with pizza?! The service was the part that was lacking.

Lido Buffet: It was also ok, but still many options. Food wasn't terrible, so not sure what some people are complaining about. 

Dining Room: We enjoyed most meals! The lobster was pretty good, we had too many tails to count! The steak that's offered every night is not good at all, stay away from it if you can!  Yes, dishes are MUCH smaller than before, but you can order more or get a soup and salad, and I guarantee that you'll be filled!

 

Piano bar was fun. The Havana Club was awesome! The vibe, the band, etc.! We got to talk and enjoy interacting with the band while they played, lol!! Chino on percussion killed it! The brewery on board was probably our favorite hangout! Good beers and really good drinks!!! Should've spent more time here! Alchemy Bar was ok. I heard great things about it, but it was ok. Atrium bar is a cool place to hangout. The 3 violin players were awesome!!! I heard that they played Metallica, so I yelled it out. One of the players told me that they played 3 of their songs then proceeded to play one! They later played a Nirvana song! Great players!!!

 

Puerto Vallarta: We hired a driver for $30 pp, I negotiated after walking out of all the madness. He had an agenda, but I told him that I've been here many times and that we had our own list. He said ok. We asked to have breakfast where the locals go. He took us to a place by the church, it was great! We ate and drank some great food, chilaquiles, tacos, beans, etc. Our bill was $9!!! We then went to the Malecon, shopping, beer run. We then headed to the jungle to El Eden. Hung out there and had some drinks. Be careful, a little kid got bit by a leach! We then did a tequila tasting, it was great info but the tequilas were not that great. We then headed back and asked for a good dinner place where the locals go. He took us to a really nice restaurant. We had ceviche, huge shrimps, drinks, etc. Our bill was $30! Our friend had a huge snapper, he said it was great! We then headed back to the ship and hung out by the ship to have a few drinks. We must've been the last ones on the ship. Back in the day, this area was hopping, this time, there was no one hanging out!

 

Mazatlan: We went to Lety's on Stone Island. It was ok, not as good as that last few times. We had some shrimp, drinks, shots, coke, etc. Bill was about $40. Be careful here too. Carlos said I want to give you a free shot. So he gave one to me and to a friend. He then charged me 12 bucks! He then proceeds to say, oh, those double shots that I gave you. So one is free and the other is the regular fee!! What a crock and a crook! I was pissed off and told him! As we were leaving, he approached me and apologized and gave me a free one. We then headed to the golden zone, papa's and beer, drank at a place next door then headed back to ship. The small tour only costs us $3 pp. 

 

Cabo: I was just there in July, so we had an agenda based on the limited time that we had there. We walked the Marina, then walked out and shopped. We then did a tequila tasting, it was a cool hangout spot and we purchased some tequila. We then went to Los Paisas tacos, which were the bomb! We then hopped on a van and headed back to the ship. 

 

Props to the following:

Our waiter Putra and his helper Alfred! Putra was amazing! The kindest and friendliest waiter that we've had in years!! He made sure that we were happy with our food and amount of food that we ate, lol!!! If we told him that we wanted to see a show later, he had our meals brought out super fast!! He really enjoyed talking about life in general, his family, home, etc. I feel so bad for them at how hard they work. 

Omer at the brewery was awesome!!! We got to know a lot about him and him about us!! The service he provided was awesome! Vitali, Nikolai and Bro were also awesome, these guys work hard to make us happy!!!

Our cabin steward Eric was awesome! Our room was kept tidy, he was very friendly and enjoyed talking!!!! Sometimes we had to run so that he wouldn't engage us (if we were running late). I feel as though they miss people, miss having true conversations, having friends, etc. So when we could, we'd talk for about 5-10 minutes just to spend some time with him.

 

The bad: Not really too much. By the pool, they try to push the 4 beers really, really hard! Be careful, this is why: First stop after get on the ship at Red Frog, I ordered 1 Bloody Mary and 1 IPA. The girl asked if I wanted the 4 beer special. I kindly said no, I'll just take 1 and 1. The other bartender made the Bloody Mary, he then started pouring 1 beer, 2 beers. I said, wait, I only wanted 1! She turns around and said, sir, you said 4! I said NO, I never said 4, I told you no!!! The other bartender tells here to cancel my order. 30 minutes later I'm in my cabin and notice a $46 charge and a $14 charge. I'm thinking, what did I get so far? So I headed to Guest Services. To make a long story short, one charge was for 1 Bloody Mary and 4 beers! The other charge was for 1 Bloody Mary and 1 beer! She charged me for both! I explained what happened to the Guest Service person, and he noticed that I was upset. He said that he didn't understand why she did this but that he would be emailing her manager. Anyhow, be careful and look at your charges!

 

All in all, everyone onboard was kind! The guest on board were all great, seems like everyone wants to get back to normalcy. Many wore masks, there was a small minority that didn't. Also, I noticed many people not washing their hands when exiting the bathroom!! That was gross!!! On some occasions, I'd say 'forgot to do something!' None came back, lol! 

 

We'd go back on the Panorama in a heart beat! We selected to be last off the ship and were off at about 1030. Debarkation was a BREEZE!!!! No lines, nothing! No customs was the best part!!! Just showed our face and walked straight out!

 

Another great cruise under our belt! BTW, the newbies are hooked on cruising, lol!!

 

Feel free to ask any questions, I'm sure I left some stuff out!

[JGB]

Thank you for your assessment.

We are on a December sailing 2 days in Cabo and 1 in Ensenada. I could do without that last port but I may use that time for the Sky Ride Ropes course etc

Did you avail your self of any of those?

JGB

[woodey]

thanks ..I am on in 2 weeks...

[klfhngr]

57 minutes ago, JGB said:

Thank you for your assessment.

We are on a December sailing 2 days in Cabo and 1 in Ensenada. I could do without that last port but I may use that time for the Sky Ride Ropes course etc

Did you avail your self of any of those?

JGB

You're welcome!

 

My wife and her friend did both, I think I was too heavy, lol! They loved both, said ropes was scary a little bit. Ride not scary.