Detailed Photo Review of Carnival Panorama 8 Night Mexican Riviera New Year’s Cruise 12/30/23

[riktishaw]

4 hours ago, deladane said:

We pulled over at the beach at 10:20am and the guide explained that we had the option to exit the bus here to go to the beach, or we could stay on until the next stop downtown.  She said the buses would come every 20 minutes, but that if you wanted to go to the beach, you should get off now because after leaving downtown, the bus would return back to the ship and not stop at the beach again.  Nearly everyone got off the bus here.  I tried to get a sneak peek at the beach, but I couldn’t really see much from the bus.

I know you said you couldn't see much--but did you hear of or notice on the way back if there were any amenities at the beach? Stores? Restaurants? Do you know the beach's name?

[deladane]

2 minutes ago, riktishaw said:

I know you said you couldn't see much--but did you hear of or notice on the way back if there were any amenities at the beach? Stores? Restaurants? Do you know the beach's name?

 

Actually, on the way back, we are on the other side of the road and I didn't even see the beach.  It wasn't quite a highway, but it was a high speed road, and it made sense why the bus only stops at the beach going south as it's on the right side of the road, and going north probably doesn't have access to cut over to the beach.

 

I honestly don't know anything about that beach, but maybe @KarmaCruisers can chime in??

[tootsiescurly]

21 hours ago, jerseygirlinAZ said:

 

You were very wise not to swim with the whale sharks.  We did this (well, tried to do this) as our eight-year old had her heart set on it.  Hubby and I went back and forth and back and forth on it.  (He had a bad feeling.)  I did a ton of research and asked for feedback in multiple forums/facebook sites, especially regarding our daughter.  Ultimately, we decided to give it a go.

 

We booked ahead of time for 10 a.m., knowing that the time could change a bit due to regulations.  The day before our tour, I got a call from the company saying that their turn was at noon.  We could either go or cancel.  (Should have cancelled, but more on that in a minute.)  I was a little concerned, but it seemed like we'd still have plenty of time to make the ship, so we decided to go.  

 

The next morning, I got a text saying they had a cancellation for the 10 a.m. tour.  Would we want to go then?  (This seemed shady to me as we actually requested the 10 a.m. tour, but they said they didn't have a turn til noon.)  No matter ... yes, we'll go at 10.

 

Checked in at 10 as instructed.  Guide said we were waiting for a few more people.  We asked if we could grab a quick bite and be back at 10:30.  Guide said to be back at 11.  Hmmm.

 

Got back to the meeting site at 10:40.  Waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Didn't go out on the boat until almost 1 p.m.   Texted the tour guide who I had been in touch with and expressed my concern about making it back to the ship on time.  He texted me back in ALL CAPS that back to the ship is guaranteed.  

 

So, after waiting around for three hours, it was suddenly rush, rush, rush.  They put 14 of us on the boat and started throwing out lifejackets for everyone to wear.  We took off really fast and the boat kept slamming against the waves.   My daughter was singing a made-up song about the whale sharks, which was really cute.  I, however, regretted getting on that boat.  It was not a nice ride.

 

We rode out really far to where the sharks were supposed to be.  After a long time, the crew finally spotted some.  By now, the water was really rough and the weather was cloudy.  The crew handed our snorkel gear, some of which did not have clips to attach the tube to the goggles.  The y offered wet suits and fins, but there was not space to put any of that stuff on in the crowded boat.  One lady was vocally complaining about how it was not safe for any of us to be out in that water.  Most people just brushed her off.

 

The two-man crew only spoke Spanish, which was fine except that the tour said we'd have an English speaking guide.  I can speak a tiny bit of Spanish so I could understand a bit of what they were saying.  There was a bilingual couple on board with us that translated some things, especially when things got dicey.

 

The first four people got ready to get into the water with the whale sharks.  They were the least concerned about the conditions and couldn't wait to get in.  The got in with the guide, went under the water, lost some snorkel gear, and called immediately for the boat to come get them.  They got back in the boat and the "captain" asked who was next.  Every single person on the boat declined to get in the water after that.  

 

One lady who didn't get into the water wanted a video at least since she paid for the tour.  So the first mate, I guess, got in and took a video for her while he swam with the whale sharks.  Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and we are WAY far out in the Sea of Cortez.  First mate gets back in the boat and the water is really rough now.  One guy is puking over the side of the boat.  White cap waves are tossing the little boat we're in.  Captain moves all the people around to more evenly distribute the weight, puts on his lifejacket, and slowly tried to maneuver the big waves.  Tick, tick, tick.

 

Once the waves started to smooth out, we started hauling butt back to shore.  We were watching the clock the whole time, terrified that we wouldn't make the ship on time.  Just when we thought we had a decent chance, the motor of the boat died.  My heart SANK.  Our fellow passenger who was bilingual (and not a cruise passenger) said we were out of gas.  I almost died.  Thankfully that wasn't the case.  The boat was taking the waves and crashing down so hard that the battery disconnected.  They were able to fix it though and we continued toward shore.  Tick, tick, tick.

 

We were told we'd be let off at a dock closer to the ship and a van would be waiting for us. (Nine of the 14 of us were cruise passengers.) Not the case.  The boat dropped us on a beach.  No one helped us off or secured the boat.  My husband got injured getting off the boat.  We grabbed our stuff and ran toward the road.  Ship leaves in 10 minutes.  Thankfully, we found a van taxi.  Husband flagged him down and our party of three and the party of four that went in the water got in.  As we drove off, we saw that the other couple trying to make it back to the ship was able to get a taxi as well.  (We would have invited them to join us, but they were behind us and there was no room.)

 

As we were driving to the ship, the tour operator called me to see if we still needed the van.  I lit him up.  Told him it was the worst excursion ever and that we might miss the ship.  Thankfully, we made it with five minutes to spare.  As we were getting out of our van, we saw the other couple pulling up as well.  So, we all made it, but it was really scary for a bit there.

 

As we walked onto the ship, my husband kissed it, lol.  As I was walking onto the ship, the crew member said, "watch your step" and I immediately tripped and fell on me knees.  Ugh.  I was so exhausted and just trying to get on board.  My knee still hasn't healed, but at least we didn't miss the ship.

 

So, moral of the story?  Trust your instincts.  (I almost cancelled twice.)  And listen to your partner when they say they have a bad feeling.  Sorry to hijack your review, deladane.  

My husband and I have been diving in La Paz many times. There are many reputable tour operators there. It is surprising you could not find one. We used the Cortez Club or Fun Baja to go diving. Both operations are top class. We never felt unsafe. They both delivered what we expected. 

[jerseygirlinAZ]

10 minutes ago, tootsiescurly said:

My husband and I have been diving in La Paz many times. There are many reputable tour operators there. It is surprising you could not find one. We used the Cortez Club or Fun Baja to go diving. Both operations are top class. We never felt unsafe. They both delivered what we expected. 

 

We weren't going diving.  We were to swim with the whale sharks.  I did a lot of research and booked with a company that had high ratings on all the travel sites.  Unfortunately, we never saw any of the people from said company because they apparently farmed us out to another company.  (All of the people on our tour booked through different companies.)

 

I'm glad you've had good experiences.  Hopefully we'll have one in next time.

[tootsiescurly]

6 hours ago, deladane said:

 

I vote that you should take the Carnival excursion and come back to tell us how it went!!!  I agree that is probably the easiest and most reliable way to get to Balandra as a cruise ship passenger.

Balandra is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!

[tootsiescurly]

3 minutes ago, jerseygirlinAZ said:

 

We weren't going diving.  We were to swim with the whale sharks.  I did a lot of research and booked with a company that had high ratings on all the travel sites.  Unfortunately, we never saw any of the people from said company because they apparently farmed us out to another company.  (All of the people on our tour booked through different companies.)

 

I'm glad you've had good experiences.  Hopefully we'll have one in next time.

They have the same excursions. Fun Baja makes the trip during the season on a regular basis. Swimming with the whale sharks is usually a snorkeling excursion.

[MEUB1112]

Outstanding cruise review, enjoying every post!

[KarmaCruisers]

6 hours ago, deladane said:

 

Actually, on the way back, we are on the other side of the road and I didn't even see the beach.  It wasn't quite a highway, but it was a high speed road, and it made sense why the bus only stops at the beach going south as it's on the right side of the road, and going north probably doesn't have access to cut over to the beach.

 

I honestly don't know anything about that beach, but maybe @KarmaCruisers can chime in??

Coromuel Beach.

[mitsugirly]

12 hours ago, tootsiescurly said:

My husband and I have been diving in La Paz many times. There are many reputable tour operators there. It is surprising you could not find one. We used the Cortez Club or Fun Baja to go diving. Both operations are top class. We never felt unsafe. They both delivered what we expected. 

 

Since you are a diver, I was wondering if you could recommend dive shops at Cabo, Mazatlan and PV as well? We do DSD when we vacation (we've done 21 of them so far) and looking for a place while on vacation this time. So as not to hijack this thread, if you want to post over on my thread, it is located HERE.

[deladane]

12 hours ago, MEUB1112 said:

Outstanding cruise review, enjoying every post!

 

Thank you!!  Welcome back!  How was your cruise??

[LaRue1975]

12 hours ago, KarmaCruisers said:

Coromuel Beach.

Thanks for the name, I found it. Deladane, I am just catching up, so enjoying your report, especially since I was along for the ride. Our group had a wonderful excursion booked through Carnival for La Paz, I think it was similar to the misadventure jerseygirl experienced but on a yacht. I thought it was going to be the highlight of our cruise but we were crushed to find notices in our mailboxes the afternoon before that it was cancelled due to inclement weather. When we arrived in La Paz we were even more disappointed as the weather at the port was beautiful. 🤷‍♀️

 

Because we now didn’t have anything planned we all rode the bus into town, walked around for an hour and came back, it was a total bust. I learned that 10 is too big of a group to wander with, lol! We were in Havana so it was nice to get extra time to enjoy that but I wish we would have all gone to the beach instead. If I had researched ahead of time we would have gone to the beach for a few hours and then checked out the town. After reading jerseygirl’s story I now realize Carnival was responsible in canceling our excursion, guess it could have been worse than wandering aimlessly around town for an hour! 😜 Here is the link for the beach, it looks nice. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150771-d11913448-Reviews-Playa_El_Coromuel-La_Paz_Baja_California.html

[deladane]

Ian napped until 6pm, at which point we woke him up because we were afraid he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.  Unfortunately, we missed our 5:30pm dinner in the MDR, but we thought Ian could use the rest after so many missed naps and short nights of sleep over the last few days.  I really wished dinner was at 6pm like it was supposed to be because 5:30 is just too early on port days.  I will share the MDR menus here, even though we didn’t get to go there…

 

 

 

 

We decided to go up to the Lido buffet and see what they had for dinner.  We entered through the midship elevator bank, but that first section of stations was closed because they were using it to feed the kids in Camp Ocean.  This was another reason I was annoyed that they moved the fixed early dining time to 5:30pm.  Camp Ocean didn’t open for dinner until 6pm, so what did they expect us to do?  If we wanted Ian to eat with camp, we either had to miss our own dinner in the MDR, or we had to bring him to dinner for 30 minutes but not let him eat anything, and one of us would run him up to camp and hopefully get back in time before the appetizers came to the table.  The timing really made no sense, so we never ended up bringing Ian to dinner with camp.

 

 

 

Ian said he wanted pizza tonight so we got him a margarita pizza.  

 

 

I wasn’t really in the mood for the options at the buffet, so I got my favorite deli option, the meatball sandwich.  I noticed they had the shrimp and crab cakes from Emeril's menu from the MDR, so I decided to try one and I thought it was fantastic.  

 

 

[deladane]

We dropped Ian up in Camp Ocean and went to the Liquid Lounge to find seats for the Rock Revolution production show.  The doors opened at 7, and when we arrived at 7:15 there were still plenty of open seats. 

 

 

I prefer to sit in the upper level of the theater.  I’m short, so if I sit downstairs where there’s no slant to the floor, the person in front of me always blocks my view.  The seats upstairs had a steep stadium seating, so I had a great view, even if it meant I was further from the stage.  That technique has always worked well for me on all of my cruises because the performers usually just stay up on the stage, or maybe they walk down the aisles briefly, but I could always see what was happening below.  With Rock Revolution, the whole stage extended out into the seating area downstairs, so it was hard to see what they were doing from upstairs.  Of course, we could hear the songs just fine, we just couldn’t see the performance for that part of the show.  This photo gives you an idea of what I mean…

 

 

Theme of Rock Revolution was Summer of 1969 and Woodstock.  It didn’t have any plot, just a bunch of songs sung concert-style, including Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In, Come Together by The Beatles, Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel, Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin, and You Make Me So Very Happy by Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

 

 

 

One of my favorite parts of the show was the use of drones and lasers during Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.  It was so unique and definitely not something I have seen done on a cruise ship before.  It was very hard to capture a photo just using my iPhone camera, but this will give you an idea of how it looked…

 

 

.

The show was 45 minutes, then we went back to the cabin to pack our bags for getting off the ship tomorrow.  We still had some time before we had to pick up Ian at camp, so we went down to the piano bar for the 9pm show with Mat (spelled with one ‘T’). 

 

 

I usually love going to piano bars.  I’m not a very good dancer, so the club isn’t for me, but sitting in a chair, singing along to some of my favorite music is my idea of a wonderful night.  Unfortunately, we thought Mat missed the mark as a piano bar entertainer.  His voice was good, and he knows how to play the piano, but there’s more to it than that… especially on a cruise ship, where piano bars usually have a certain kind of vibe.  His song selection was very low-energy.  He claimed he likes to alternate ballads with upbeat songs but his upbeat songs were not sing-along songs.  He played “Isn’t She Lovely” by Lionel Richie, “1999” and “Purple Rain” by Prince, and “When September Ends” by Green Day.  We like all of those songs, but they aren’t good sing-along piano bar songs.  Most people barely know any lyrics beyond the chorus, and those songs are far from “upbeat.”  Maybe things got better later in the night, but we couldn’t stay out late when traveling with a toddler.  

 

We left at 9:30 to get Ian from Camp Ocean, and beat the line to pick up before they start charging at 10pm.  Then we went back to the cabin and all went to bed to rest up for another fun day in Mexico tomorrow.

 

Up next: Mazatlan!

[deladane]

10 minutes ago, LaRue1975 said:

Thanks for the name, I found it. Deladane, I am just catching up, so enjoying your report, especially since I was along for the ride. Our group had a wonderful excursion booked through Carnival for La Paz, I think it was similar to the misadventure jerseygirl experienced but on a yacht. I thought it was going to be the highlight of our cruise but we were crushed to find notices in our mailboxes the afternoon before that it was cancelled due to inclement weather. When we arrived in La Paz we were even more disappointed as the weather at the port was beautiful. 🤷‍♀️

 

Because we now didn’t have anything planned we all rode the bus into town, walked around for an hour and came back, it was a total bust. I learned that 10 is too big of a group to wander with, lol! We were in Havana so it was nice to get extra time to enjoy that but I wish we would have all gone to the beach instead. If I had researched ahead of time we would have gone to the beach for a few hours and then checked out the town. After reading jerseygirl’s story I now realize Carnival was responsible in canceling our excursion, guess it could have been worse than wandering aimlessly around town for an hour! 😜 Here is the link for the beach, it looks nice. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150771-d11913448-Reviews-Playa_El_Coromuel-La_Paz_Baja_California.html

 

Oh no!  That must have been so disappointing that they cancelled your excursion with almost no notice!  Did they give you the option to rebook something else?  Maybe one of the ship excursions to the beach?  I watch the TV show Below Deck, and there have been several times that the weather is sunny and beautiful, but the yacht doesn't leave the dock because the seas are too rough, and the swells would toss the boat around so it is unsafe.  Maybe that's why they cancelled your tour- not because of the weather, but because of rough seas?  If so, you are better off missing the tour!

 

[Jeafl]

On 1/21/2024 at 7:02 PM, jerseygirlinAZ said:

 

You were very wise not to swim with the whale sharks.  We did this (well, tried to do this) as our eight-year old had her heart set on it.  Hubby and I went back and forth and back and forth on it.  (He had a bad feeling.)  I did a ton of research and asked for feedback in multiple forums/facebook sites, especially regarding our daughter.  Ultimately, we decided to give it a go.

 

We booked ahead of time for 10 a.m., knowing that the time could change a bit due to regulations.  The day before our tour, I got a call from the company saying that their turn was at noon.  We could either go or cancel.  (Should have cancelled, but more on that in a minute.)  I was a little concerned, but it seemed like we'd still have plenty of time to make the ship, so we decided to go.  

 

The next morning, I got a text saying they had a cancellation for the 10 a.m. tour.  Would we want to go then?  (This seemed shady to me as we actually requested the 10 a.m. tour, but they said they didn't have a turn til noon.)  No matter ... yes, we'll go at 10.

 

Checked in at 10 as instructed.  Guide said we were waiting for a few more people.  We asked if we could grab a quick bite and be back at 10:30.  Guide said to be back at 11.  Hmmm.

 

Got back to the meeting site at 10:40.  Waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Didn't go out on the boat until almost 1 p.m.   Texted the tour guide who I had been in touch with and expressed my concern about making it back to the ship on time.  He texted me back in ALL CAPS that back to the ship is guaranteed.  

 

So, after waiting around for three hours, it was suddenly rush, rush, rush.  They put 14 of us on the boat and started throwing out lifejackets for everyone to wear.  We took off really fast and the boat kept slamming against the waves.   My daughter was singing a made-up song about the whale sharks, which was really cute.  I, however, regretted getting on that boat.  It was not a nice ride.

 

We rode out really far to where the sharks were supposed to be.  After a long time, the crew finally spotted some.  By now, the water was really rough and the weather was cloudy.  The crew handed our snorkel gear, some of which did not have clips to attach the tube to the goggles.  The y offered wet suits and fins, but there was not space to put any of that stuff on in the crowded boat.  One lady was vocally complaining about how it was not safe for any of us to be out in that water.  Most people just brushed her off.

 

The two-man crew only spoke Spanish, which was fine except that the tour said we'd have an English speaking guide.  I can speak a tiny bit of Spanish so I could understand a bit of what they were saying.  There was a bilingual couple on board with us that translated some things, especially when things got dicey.

 

The first four people got ready to get into the water with the whale sharks.  They were the least concerned about the conditions and couldn't wait to get in.  The got in with the guide, went under the water, lost some snorkel gear, and called immediately for the boat to come get them.  They got back in the boat and the "captain" asked who was next.  Every single person on the boat declined to get in the water after that.  

 

One lady who didn't get into the water wanted a video at least since she paid for the tour.  So the first mate, I guess, got in and took a video for her while he swam with the whale sharks.  Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and we are WAY far out in the Sea of Cortez.  First mate gets back in the boat and the water is really rough now.  One guy is puking over the side of the boat.  White cap waves are tossing the little boat we're in.  Captain moves all the people around to more evenly distribute the weight, puts on his lifejacket, and slowly tried to maneuver the big waves.  Tick, tick, tick.

 

Once the waves started to smooth out, we started hauling butt back to shore.  We were watching the clock the whole time, terrified that we wouldn't make the ship on time.  Just when we thought we had a decent chance, the motor of the boat died.  My heart SANK.  Our fellow passenger who was bilingual (and not a cruise passenger) said we were out of gas.  I almost died.  Thankfully that wasn't the case.  The boat was taking the waves and crashing down so hard that the battery disconnected.  They were able to fix it though and we continued toward shore.  Tick, tick, tick.

 

We were told we'd be let off at a dock closer to the ship and a van would be waiting for us. (Nine of the 14 of us were cruise passengers.) Not the case.  The boat dropped us on a beach.  No one helped us off or secured the boat.  My husband got injured getting off the boat.  We grabbed our stuff and ran toward the road.  Ship leaves in 10 minutes.  Thankfully, we found a van taxi.  Husband flagged him down and our party of three and the party of four that went in the water got in.  As we drove off, we saw that the other couple trying to make it back to the ship was able to get a taxi as well.  (We would have invited them to join us, but they were behind us and there was no room.)

 

As we were driving to the ship, the tour operator called me to see if we still needed the van.  I lit him up.  Told him it was the worst excursion ever and that we might miss the ship.  Thankfully, we made it with five minutes to spare.  As we were getting out of our van, we saw the other couple pulling up as well.  So, we all made it, but it was really scary for a bit there.

 

As we walked onto the ship, my husband kissed it, lol.  As I was walking onto the ship, the crew member said, "watch your step" and I immediately tripped and fell on me knees.  Ugh.  I was so exhausted and just trying to get on board.  My knee still hasn't healed, but at least we didn't miss the ship.

 

So, moral of the story?  Trust your instincts.  (I almost cancelled twice.)  And listen to your partner when they say they have a bad feeling.  Sorry to hijack your review, deladane.  

Thanks for sharing this.  It sounds like my worse nightmare so I am taking it off my bucket list.

[KarmaCruisers]

We actually liked hanging in the piano bar with Mat..but we couldn’t help but laugh because he was a SPITTING image for Diego from the movie, Blow.

we figure Mat was a Spaniard maybe

[deladane]

32 minutes ago, KarmaCruisers said:

We actually liked hanging in the piano bar with Mat..but we couldn’t help but laugh because he was a SPITTING image for Diego from the movie, Blow.

we figure Mat was a Spaniard maybe

 

Oh how funny.  I haven't seen that movie but I'll have to look up the actor on IMDB.  

[MEUB1112]

4 hours ago, deladane said:

 

Thank you!!  Welcome back!  How was your cruise??

Outstanding, thank you!

[Tssweety]

On 1/21/2024 at 9:13 AM, deladane said:

 

I only ever saw the lime flavor.  Maybe they have other more popular flavors that they only give out upon request?  Does anyone else know?

They have chocolate for the mudslides and chocolate type drinks!

Still taste  gross to

me.

lol.

 

[Sadebud]

Excellent review @deladane as always!  Congratulations on your expanded family too!  Thank you for taking your time to share your vacation with us.  I am a long time lurker of your reviews, and I always appreciate them.

[Waynehazle]

We are in the Panorama right now! Amazing ship, incredible time 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Hi Dana!  It's been a LONG time!  I'm still around, just haven't been on CC for a quite some time!  We were finally on a cruise this past October - Panorama and the same itinerary that you just did, well, that's what was scheduled.  Our cruise was affected by Hurricane Lidia, so there was an itinerary change.  We ended up with 2 sea days at the beginning, missing Cabo since it wouldn't have been safe to tender; La Paz and Mazatlan were as scheduled; we missed Puerto Vallarta but it was replaced with Cabo.  We got a bonus 1/2 day in Cabo the next day, sea day, then back to Long Beach.  But still -  I loved it.  I want to do this one again.  Our last cruise before that was our Liberty cruise out of San Juan in 2015, so it's been a while.  We've still been vacationing, just not a cruise until last year.  Haven't been spending time on the computer and that's the reason I haven't been on CC - but I need to get back with it.  I am so glad you did a review and I'm looking forward to reading it.  I did notice you have a son now - congratulations!  He is just adorable!!!

[deladane]

4 hours ago, Tssweety said:

They have chocolate for the mudslides and chocolate type drinks!

Still taste  gross to

me.

lol.

 

 

That's good to know that they also have chocolate.  Even if it still tastes gross, a lime straw in a mudslide sounds horrible!! lol  Why can't they just make them with no flavor?  I assume the ingredients in the straw have an unpleasant flavor they are trying to hide, but still... 

[deladane]

3 hours ago, Sadebud said:

Excellent review @deladane as always!  Congratulations on your expanded family too!  Thank you for taking your time to share your vacation with us.  I am a long time lurker of your reviews, and I always appreciate them.

 

Thanks for saying hi!  I'm glad to have you here following along!

[deladane]

3 hours ago, Waynehazle said:

We are in the Panorama right now! Amazing ship, incredible time

 

Oh yay!  I'm so glad you are having a great time!!  You all look so cold, bundled up in hoodies and towels!  Hopefully the temps warm up for you as you sail further south!