Carnival Newbie Here

[Coffeeluvr05]

We have an upcoming sailing on the Panorama in February with family and the hubs and I normally sail on Princess.  I am wondering what differences I should expect on the Panorama?  Do waiters walk around and take drink orders or will I have to always go to a bar and get it myself?  One of the things I was wondering about is the service level.  Shouldn't really be any different, right?  I had assume that the main differences would be just a younger crowd, more kids (probably not so many in February though), lots of families, etc. 

 

Will there be a lot of standing in line for food venues?  

What are great things for 8-10 year old kids on the ship?

Tell me everything!

 

Really looking forward to a new experience and seeing the grandkids have some fun!

[MeganGC1983]

5 minutes ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

We have an upcoming sailing on the Panorama in February with family and the hubs and I normally sail on Princess.  I am wondering what differences I should expect on the Panorama?  Do waiters walk around and take drink orders or will I have to always go to a bar and get it myself?  One of the things I was wondering about is the service level.  Shouldn't really be any different, right?  I had assume that the main differences would be just a younger crowd, more kids (probably not so many in February though), lots of families, etc. 

 

Will there be a lot of standing in line for food venues?  

What are great things for 8-10 year old kids on the ship?

Tell me everything!

 

Really looking forward to a new experience and seeing the grandkids have some fun!

There are bar waiters everywhere, and I find, if you take care of them, you won’t go thirsty. On our last cruise, we were standing in line at a busy bar and a couple jumped in front of us. Our bar server came over, took care of us and we had drinks before the clueless line jumpers. 
In February, there will be more kids than Princess but not as many as in June or March. Camp Ocean is great for kids. Gives them activities and friends, and you get free time. 
There will be lines for buffets and some things, but not too bad. My advice, go with the flow and enjoy. 

[Woody14]

16 minutes ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

I am wondering what differences I should expect on the Panorama?  Do waiters walk around and take drink orders or will I have to always go to a bar and get it myself?  One of the things I was wondering about is the service level.  Shouldn't really be any different, right?
 

Will there be a lot of standing in line for food venues?  

 

Was on the panorama in early July, the ship was full 4684 passengers (according to the cruise director)

line ups were never really long for food.  the only really long line up was getting off on Cabo day, the line was huge but it moved pretty quick.

 

There are several places to eat during the day so people get spread out a lot and eat at different times.

 

There were definitely waiters walking around taking orders, on deck the service seemed slow to me so I mostly went up to the bar.
 

Service overall - I can't compare to Princess as I have never been, but compared to many others I have been to it seemed to me the service level was down a step, maybe there were just less staff but it seemed not as good as I have come to expect on Celebrity (my favourite line).     Don't get me wrong the staff were generally really good and friendly (still remember names, preferences et all) but it was just a service level thing.  I would give overall service a 3.75 out of 5.

 

[csm5986142]

24 minutes ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

Do waiters walk around and take drink orders or will I have to always go to a bar and get it myself?  One of the things I was wondering about is the service level.  Shouldn't really be any different, right?  I had assume that the main differences would be just a younger crowd, more kids (probably not so many in February though), lots of families, etc. 

 

We do have a few school days off around Presidents Day in February, so depending on the date, you might see a bit more kids/families.

Yes, waiters will absolutely offer/get you all the drinks you want.

I have not sailed Princess (we primarily do Carnival, and have tried NCL a few times, and HAL) but from friends/family who have, they tell me the music is louder and the crowd a bit more lively, but that is easy to avoid if it is not your thing.

[Buckeye_Siggy]

your kids will spend all their time at the Camp Ocean and never want to leave.

I have been on a few lines and have had many a discussion with others who have cruised with kids.

Disney is the undisputed king for the kids. Carnival is miles ahead of the rest and in second. Going back to early 2000's with my younger brothers to the last ten years with my own children - your kids are going to have a blast.

As they get older though, its a bit tougher on the teenagers.  They dont do quite so well.

[TheSeagoer]

Just now, Buckeye_Siggy said:

your kids will spend all their time at the Camp Ocean and never want to leave.

I have been on a few lines and have had many a discussion with others who have cruised with kids.

Disney is the undisputed king for the kids. Carnival is miles ahead of the rest and in second. Going back to early 2000's with my younger brothers to the last ten years with my own children - your kids are going to have a blast.

As they get older though, its a bit tougher on the teenagers.  They dont do quite so well.

It’s a beautiful ship.  All ships are a little different but basically the same. Enjoy

[Coffeeluvr05]

Thanks for all the responses everyone!  How is the MDR food and service?

[redsox1584]

20 minutes ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

Thanks for all the responses everyone!  How is the MDR food and service?

I enjoy Carnivals MDR food the most out of the 3 mainstream lines. I was on the Horizon (Panoramas sister ship) last year and I thought the food was very good for the most part. If you don’t like something, they are more than accommodating to bring you something else. 
 

I also enjoy all of the free food options like Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana. 

[farjar]

There are many free activities for kids  The waterpark has two large slides, a drench bucket and splash toys plus a rope course.  The kids can also play miniature golf, ping pong, corn hole, billiards, basketball and soccer.  Movies are also shown on an outdoor poolside movie screen.  Adults can ride the sky ride.

[Woody14]

5 minutes ago, redsox1584 said:

I enjoy Carnivals MDR food the most out of the 3 mainstream lines. I was on the Horizon (Panoramas sister ship) last year and I thought the food was very good for the most part. If you don’t like something, they are more than accommodating to bring you something else. 
 

I also enjoy all of the free food options like Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana. 

I loved the other food options like Guys, Pig & Anchor, Blue Iguana & the Pizza.   I did not enjoy the main dining experience however, for me I enjoyed it the least of all the lines I have been on.   But hey food is very subjective.

[csm5986142]

44 minutes ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

How is the MDR food and service

 

I admit I am not a foodie, but I love all the food options for the most part (not a huge fan of buffets in general).

There is an Indian Vegetarian meal on the menu every night in the MDR that I order about 3 times per cruise (on a 7 or 8 day cruise).  And I'm not a vegetarian, I just love it that much.  If you like Indian food (slightly spicy) I highly recommend it.

[Coffeeluvr05]

How about the complimentary coffee on board?  and do they offer non-dairy creamers like almond milk?  Or are we going to have to always buy specialty coffee?  I'm used to pretty good coffee.  The kids will have a room in the family harbor so I think they get access to a good coffee bar there.

[TheSeagoer]

35 minutes ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

How about the complimentary coffee on board?  and do they offer non-dairy creamers like almond milk?  Or are we going to have to always buy specialty coffee?  I'm used to pretty good coffee.  The kids will have a room in the family harbor so I think they get access to a good coffee bar there.

Ship coffee sucks. They have a coffee place on deck 5 I believe .

[csm5986142]

49 minutes ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

How about the complimentary coffee on board?

 

I'm pretty easy going, I drink the complimentary coffee and don't even add anything (so I'm not sure about the creamers) but I will say a lot of people here don't like it.

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

Thanks for all the responses everyone!  How is the MDR food and service?

I'm a picky eater admittedly but I didnt like the Mdr food and I've done 3 carnival since restart. It's my biggest complaint. I did 6 nights of pay restaurants on vista plus lobster night. Their pay restaurants imo are bargain priced and just as good as more expensive lines.

 

On the flip side I loved their pizza and it's made from scratch. My favorite is white pizza with no sauce. Rcl pizza is a frozen crust and sauce and cant be changed. Carnivals is from scratch. JiJis is not on all but such a bargain for the price. Italian I hear is good though I dont eat pasta. Of course guys but it didnt seem quite up to pre covid but beats rcl free burgers. Carnival free lunches are one of the best parts imo.

 

Mdr dinners... are a no from me. My steak was always full of gristle etc. I'd splurge a few nights for dinner. 

[ChuckF]

MDR food is nothing to write home about.  But, most of the time the service is pretty good. Did cruise on the Breeze over last New Years with grandkids (5 & 8 ), and our waitress was superb with the kids.  They couldn't wait to see Grace every night.  

 

Absolutely do Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana for lunch at least once each.

 

Kids weren't vaccinated, so they couldn't do Camp Ocean.  But had blast on WaterWorks and shore excursions. 

[TheSeagoer]

12 minutes ago, ChuckF said:

MDR food is nothing to write home about.  But, most of the time the service is pretty good. Did cruise on the Breeze over last New Years with grandkids (5 & 8 ), and our waitress was superb with the kids.  They couldn't wait to see Grace every night.  

 

Absolutely do Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana for lunch at least once each.

 

Kids weren't vaccinated, so they couldn't do Camp Ocean.  But had blast on WaterWorks and shore excursions. 

I concur. Guys and Blue Iguana.  Very good

[lazydayz]

For the most part, the free coffee on Carnival is worth what you pay for it.  Highly recommend you check out the coffee place onboard.  They will have almond milk.  
 

As to the MDR, we find it varies greatly by ship.  We truly enjoyed it on the Liberty last month, but hated it on the Mardi Gras in May.  Give it a try, and see how it goes.  We usually book a few specialty dinners on each cruise.  The food, service and ambiance are way better than the MDR experience.  
 

The Panorama has been getting really good reviews.  Carnival is a great cruise line for kids.  Two of our three grands prefer it over Royal.

[Colorado Cruzer]

The Panorama in March wasn't good for food quality or service as well as bar service. We ate at the spcialty restaruants mostly and they were ok, not great. It could be the ship is more staffed now but our trip had long lines for everything, only one side of the buffet was open at any given time so waiting on food/dressings to be refilled was annoying.The line for those burnt/dry guys burgers was 20 people deep all day long, same for pizza. It took 15 - 20 minutes to wait at every bar for a drink. We had one day on deck 11 where a server actually came by often but that was it for drink service.  I won't book a large ship like that again unless they figure out the visa/staff issue due to the service level we received.

[TheSeagoer]

33 minutes ago, Colorado Cruzer said:

The Panorama in March wasn't good for food quality or service as well as bar service. We ate at the spcialty restaruants mostly and they were ok, not great. It could be the ship is more staffed now but our trip had long lines for everything, only one side of the buffet was open at any given time so waiting on food/dressings to be refilled was annoying.The line for those burnt/dry guys burgers was 20 people deep all day long, same for pizza. It took 15 - 20 minutes to wait at every bar for a drink. We had one day on deck 11 where a server actually came by often but that was it for drink service.  I won't book a large ship like that again unless they figure out the visa/staff issue due to the service level we received.

I had excellent service everywhere on board. Why would you not expect a line?