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

[deladane]

We finished breakfast by 10:30, so since the bars weren’t open yet, we decided to go to the pool.  Jason took Ian to the bathroom to change him into a swim diaper and bathing suit, so I sat in our chairs, scrolling through social media on my phone.  Suddenly, this big guy strolled over, right in front of me!

 

 

 

He walked across the shaded area, through the rails on the fence, and plopped himself down in a sunny spot on the grass next to our chairs.  That was unexpected since we were inside the area of the resort, but maybe he came from out on the beach?

 

 

When Ian got back from getting changed, I brought him over to see the iguana, and then we realized there was a whole koi pond over there.  Ian got a kick out of saying “Hi!” to the fish!

 

 

 

[deladane]

By now, it was 11am, so Jason went off to find a bar to get us some drinks, while I hung out with Ian.

 

 

He was ready to go in the pool, so I took him over there, but wow!  That water was COLD!!  No wonder the pool was empty all day!  Guests staying at the hotel must have already figured it out that the water in the pool is freezing and while it is beautiful to look at, it is terrible for swimming!  Maybe it warms up naturally in the summer, but in early January, when the air temperatures were forecast to reach a high of 75 degrees, it was way too cold.  There was a long series of 3 long steps that spanned the width of the pool, so Ian had a blast walking back and forth in the ankle-deep water.

 

 

Side note:  We enrolled Ian in swim lessons last summer, but he hated it and cried every time.  Living in Phoenix, nearly everyone has a pool so it is very important that he learns to swim ASAP to decrease his risk of drowning.  The nightly news over the summer seems to constantly air stories about toddlers falling into backyard pools and drowning.  It’s scary stuff and we don’t want to become a statistic, so we will start up Ian’s swim lessons again in the spring.  Hopefully now that he’s a little older, he will make some progress and start enjoying it.  In the meantime, we made sure to keep close watch over him today with all of this time in the pool.  He is in this annoying stage where he is too big for the infant pool safety floats we used to use, and too small for the toddler ones.  I have a puddle jumper for him, but he’s still too small for it and he doesn’t weigh the minimum weight yet, so I left it at home and just made sure we were always within arm’s reach of him while he was near the pool.

 

Speaking of our responsible parenting… this is when Jason returned with our drinks LOL  Good timing!  He got a pina colada for himself, and a strawberry daiquiri for me.

 

 

 

 

While tasty, the drinks weren’t very strong.  We realized quickly that there’s an easy solution for this… ask the bartender to make the drinks stronger!  Since it’s an all-inclusive, we could have asked for a shot on the side and poured it in the drink to make it stronger, but then it gets too liquidy and loses the slushy consistency.  For our next round, we just said something to the bartender and he was much more generous with the pours.  Problem solved!  

 

 

Now that we were happy with our drinks, I left Jason and Ian to play in the pool while I walked around the grounds to take some photos.  While it made for a cute photo, this picture is a bit deceptive- Ian only lasted a few seconds on that lower step before retreating to the ankle-deep water on the top step haha

 

 

[deladane]

Right near where we were sitting, there was a set of stairs running up along the side of the pool.

 

 

I climbed up and found a jacuzzi up there.  The hotel policy is that the jacuzzis are only for adults, so we didn’t bother using them because Ian couldn’t go in with us.  It looked like a nice place to hang out though, especially with the great views, and I’m sure the water temperature was more tolerable than the swimming pool!

 

 

 

 

Staying up at the top of the stairs, I walked past the jacuzzi to an overlook with a view of the beach.  The building on the far right was where we ate breakfast.

 

 

Looking back in the other direction, I could see all the other hotels along the beach.  The views are amazing no matter which hotel you pick along that beach.

 

 

[deladane]

Turning back the way I came, I walked back down the flight of stairs.

 

 

Alongside the staircase is a hallway that goes underneath the jacuzzi.  Be careful of this guy- he spits water at you as you walk past him!

 

 

There were also bathrooms in that hallway, located conveniently next to the pool and jacuzzi.

 

 

At the far side of the hallway was another set up stairs, which led up to the same jacuzzi.

 

 

There was also a pretty waterfall feature up there.

 

 

I could see Jason and Ian were still walking around in the pool, so I continued on with my tour.

 

 

This photo shows a good view of the swim up bar at the pool where we hung out all day.  We never saw them open this bar, but maybe they only use it on weekends or in the summer when it’s warm enough that more people are in the pool?

 

 

[deladane]

I walked back through the original corridor we used to access the beach and pool area, and into the lobby.  Sorry for the blurry photo- that’s what happens when I am snapping pictures as I walk!

 

 

This was the pool right across from the reception desk.  By now, more people were sitting on the loungers (it was totally empty when we arrived at 9am), and it sounded like there was someone hosting a game of some sort.  He was speaking in Spanish over the microphone so I didn’t follow what he was saying.

 

 

This smaller pool was off to the side of the big pool.  It was packed with kids, so maybe this is where the kid’s club takes the kids to swim??  You had to be 4 years old to use the kids club at the hotel, so once I knew Ian wasn’t old enough, I didn’t really look into the details.

 

 

Just beyond those pools, there is a sand volleyball court.  It was tucked away between some buildings with hotel rooms, and was surrounded by lush palm trees, giving the court lots of shade.

 

 

This little shark slide looked like fun.  I meant to bring Ian back here, but we never got the chance.

 

 

[deladane]

I was just looking back at the map of the hotel.  I wish I had continued walking beyond the volleyball courts because apparently there was another area for kids with water slides and a big pirate ship, and Ian would have loved playing back there.  Now that I think of it, I did see photos of that area when I was researching prior to the cruise, but that day, I totally forgot about it and we never found this area.  Here are some of the photos from the hotel’s website…

 

 

 

 

After the volleyball court, I doubled back the way I came.  In my photo of the lobby, you can see 2 archways at the far side of the lobby.  I walked through the archway and discovered this swing set and play structure.  How fun!

 

 

There was also a water feature that poured water down from overhead.

 

 

Right next to it was another small pool with 4 water slides.  I found it so interesting that this hotel had so many different pools in different areas.  It really helped to spread out the guests and the hotel never felt crowded all day.  If it weren’t for the line at the buffet this morning, I would have wondered if anyone was actually staying here!

 

 

There was also a smaller water slide for little kids…

 

 

[deladane]

Just to the side of the water slides, there was a pathway which led back to the pool where Jason and Ian were hanging out.

 

 

By now, Ian had given up on the cold water and opted instead to walk along the ledge.  Those little toddler footprints were just too cute not to snap a photo!

 

 

I was happy to see my baby again, but he didn’t look so thrilled to see me!  #Toddlers!

 

 

It looked like there were a few people up on top using the jacuzzi, but the regular pool was still empty, and the swim up bar was still closed.

 

 

Ian wanted his sunglasses so he could look like mommy and daddy…

 

 

 

[vanislandcruisers]

Thanks again for taking us along!!!...almost convinced to check this place out on our Cruise in April.

Did the 'Pours' from the Bartender from  Round 2 and beyond get better?

[deladane]

7 minutes ago, vanislandcruisers said:

Thanks again for taking us along!!!...almost convinced to check this place out on our Cruise in April.

Did the 'Pours' from the Bartender from  Round 2 and beyond get better?

ooohhh yessss! 🍹 

[TrqoisWtrs]

On 1/15/2024 at 9:54 AM, deladane said:

Yes, that means when someone is taking the elevator alone, they have 1 extra button press to say they are a party of 1, but the vast majority of people using the elevators have at least 2 people in their party, if not more, so this would save button presses for all of those people.  It would also eliminate the issue of groups being split up between multiple elevators because it would know to assign you to an elevator with enough space for your group (unless you had a group of 18+ people which exceeds the elevator capacity… but does that ever really happen?!)  And obviously, it would eliminate the issue of people only pressing the button once for a group of 6 (or however many people) because you have to tell them the number of people in your group first, before selecting your destination deck.  But hey, what do I know?

Brilliant.  Super simple and works much better.  That's like my suggestion...why can't they hand out our S&S cards at muster station?  Our muster station is already printed on the boarding pass, so when you board just go do your muster and pick up your card.  But instead lets just keep using this ridiculous system of leaving them at the cabin and making announcements ad naseum paging those people that can't be bothered to do their muster.  And then having to stop bar service and all that.  But what do I know? 😜

[Jeafl]

I think we will check this place out when we are in Mazatlan in September.  We've already done the city tours so this looks fun!

 

[pghsteelerfan]

On 1/15/2024 at 11:11 AM, deladane said:

Just beyond the display case is a set of doors leading outside to the Lanai.  

 

 

This was one of my favorite parts of the ship.  Nearly the whole length of the ship on both the port and starboard sides, there is an open deck with nice padded loungers, dining tables, big round sunbeds, access to some of the specialty dining restaurants, and more.  The far forward section is blocked off for the crew members’ outdoor access, and the far aft section is reserved for passengers staying in the Havana cabins.  There is also a smoking section on the forward starboard side.  I love that deck 5 is always peaceful and relaxing, with no loud music or activities like on the Lido deck.  I also love that it is closer to the water level so we had a beautiful view of the ocean.  Sometimes it is so easy to forget that we are on a ship and not just a land-based resort, so it’s nice to spend some time with direct ocean views.  And the best part of the lanai?  It was never crowded!  I think a lot of people forget about this outdoor space and gravitate towards the Lido pool area, or maybe go up to Serenity.  Whenever we came down here, we had no trouble finding a lounger, and it was always quiet and fairly empty.

 

 

Since the deck extends out further than the balconies, you get a good view of the balcony cabins from here.  Of course, that means that when you are on your own balcony, it is never fully private as someone can possibly see you if they are looking up from deck 5.  Buyer beware!

 

 

 

Something to keep in mind when selecting your cabin on this ship:  I personally would never want a cabin on deck 9 midship where you are directly below the Lido pool, but there is one very slight advantage (at least for me).  If you look closely, you can see in the photo below that part of the upper deck extends out further than the balconies.  That bump out is from Lido deck, so the cabins below it on deck 9 have an extended roof above them, likely providing more shade than a standard balcony.  For me, that is a plus since I usually hide from the sun (as much as I love sunshine and sunny days, the sun does not love me and my fair skin!)  If you prefer more sun on your balcony and you pick a deck 9 cabin, make sure you are further forward than where this bump out begins, somewhere midway between the forward and midship elevators).

 

 

Funny you posted this pic, our balcony was one of those with the extended roof above us.  We were on the opposite side of Panorama and the Red Frog Rum bar was directly above us.  Never had any issues with a lot of noise and that was a concern.   

I'm really enjoying your review and, as always, your pictures are beautiful! 

[deladane]

18 hours ago, cruisin*tigger said:

Brilliant.  Super simple and works much better.  That's like my suggestion...why can't they hand out our S&S cards at muster station?  Our muster station is already printed on the boarding pass, so when you board just go do your muster and pick up your card.  But instead lets just keep using this ridiculous system of leaving them at the cabin and making announcements ad naseum paging those people that can't be bothered to do their muster.  And then having to stop bar service and all that.  But what do I know? 😜

 

Good idea!  Maybe the powers that be should read this thread!

[deladane]

17 hours ago, Jeafl said:

I think we will check this place out when we are in Mazatlan in September.  We've already done the city tours so this looks fun!

 

 

We thought it was definitely a fun way to spend the day!  I hope you enjoy your time there too!

[deladane]

16 hours ago, pghsteelerfan said:

Funny you posted this pic, our balcony was one of those with the extended roof above us.  We were on the opposite side of Panorama and the Red Frog Rum bar was directly above us.  Never had any issues with a lot of noise and that was a concern.   

I'm really enjoying your review and, as always, your pictures are beautiful! 

 

Thank you!  Oh yes, I would have been nervous about hearing lots of noise overhead in that cabin, so I'm glad it was quiet for you.  Did you find that the overhang provided extra shade compared to a regular balcony?  And did the overhang impact your view?

[deladane]

Picking up where we left off…

 

Jason was ready for a refill, so I left him to play with Ian while I went to the bar for another round of drinks.  On the way there, I noticed someone was parasailing over the water!  I don’t know if it was from a private vendor or through the hotel, but I watched them land on the beach in front of the hotel.  From my experience on the Sky Ride on the ship, I wasn’t so sure I could handle parasailing, but it was fun to watch someone else do it!

 

 

The bar near the dining area had no one else in line, so I walked right up and asked the bartender to make a strawberry daiquiri for me and a pina colada for Jason, but to make them extra strong.  He said it was no problem and made the drinks very quickly.  It looked like he poured half a bottle of rum into the blender, so our request was definitely granted!  I could get used to this all-inclusive experience!

 

 

When I got back to where the boys were playing, I told Jason about the other pool with the 4 water slides just down the hall from us.  We packed up our stuff and went over there so Ian could play on the slides.  I was so proud of him for going down the big water slides.  He has never been on a water slide before, and he is just learning to hold his balance upright when going down the small slide in our backyard, so this was a big leap for him.  We started with me putting him a third of the way up the slide, and Jason stood in the pool to catch him.  Then each time, I put him a little higher up, and after a few rounds, he felt confident enough to climb up the stairs on his own and go down the whole slide.  Way to go Ian!  

 

 

 

We stayed here for a little while, and only one other family ever came by.  It was so nice to basically have the pools to ourselves all day!

 

 

At around 1:30pm, we started to get hungry again.  We wanted to head back to the ship around 3pm, so we decided to get changed back into dry clothes and go to the buffet for lunch.  At this point, there wouldn’t have been much time to go back in the pool after lunch anyway, and it is more comfortable to eat in dry clothes.

[deladane]

We got to the lunch buffet at 1:45pm, and there was no line to get in and hardly anyone was seated at the dining tables.  I’m not sure if we missed the rush (lunch opened at 1pm), or if we beat the rush, or maybe people just skip lunch after having a big breakfast?  Anyway, as expected, they had all of the typical Mexican food options available at the buffet, plus there was a big salad bar.   

 

Salad bar:

 

 

 

 

 

Hot food options:

 

 

 

Bread station:

 

 

[deladane]

I had some veggies, pasta, and a quesadilla.

 

 

Of course, Ian stole most of my pasta LOL

 

 

After lunch, we tried getting Ian to go down into the sand, but he wasn’t interested.  We hoped he would have a chance to splash around in the ocean, but he preferred not to get messy in the sand.  Oh well, maybe next cruise!

 

 

I don’t know where all the hotel guests disappeared to, but hardly anyone was down on the beach.

 

 

With it getting later in the day, we brought our borrowed towels back to the front desk to exchange for the blue cards, then went over to the reception desk to check out.  They cut off our wristbands, returned my $30 USD cash deposit, and we were free to leave.  Overall, we had a great experience with the day pass at Hotel Playa Mazatlan, and we would definitely consider coming back if we return here on a future cruise.  It is located close to the cruise port, so it is easy to get there by Uber or a taxi.  The food was plentiful and fresh.  There was never a line at the bar, and the drinks were all good (especially after we asked to have them made stronger).  There were multiple pools to explore and things to do, so if we do return, we could have a totally different experience by going to the other side of the resort, or maybe even convincing Ian to go down to the beach.  It never felt crowded, and as day pass holders, we never felt out of place amongst the guests staying overnight at the hotel.  Sure, it wasn’t as fancy as some of the newer resorts, but it also only cost $50 per person, so we can’t really complain about that!  I do think it would feel a little small if we were staying there for several days as hotel guests, and I imagine the food would get repetitive after a while, but for a short 6-hour day pass visit, there was more than enough variety.  Overall, it was a great day!

[deladane]

We walked down to the street and I requested an Uber back to the port. It took him about 12 minutes to arrive and it cost 120 pesos (nearly twice what we paid this morning but it was still only $7 USD, so we were happy with that).  

 

 

As soon as we got in the car and drove away, Ian fell asleep.

 

 

We usually try to keep him awake for short car rides because those quick 10-minute naps in the car on the ride home will totally destroy our chances at a good long nap in his crib.  This time, we just let him sleep.  Despite some crazy moments, he was such a trooper for most of this cruise, and if he needed a nap right then, he could have it.  

 

We passed the Mazatlan letters along the beach on the drive home.  This was the only port when we didn’t have a chance to take our touristy photo with the letters, so this was the best I could do…

 

 

[deladane]

The Uber dropped us off outside the gates of the port, and we walked past all the shops again.  Unlike this morning, the shops and restaurants were much more lively now, but we didn’t stop to look around because we wanted to get Ian back to hopefully finish his nap.

 

 

There was a short line for the shuttle, but we didn’t wait too long before we could find seats.

 

 

Then the shuttle drove us the 2 minute ride, past the shipping containers and over to the ship.

 

 

 

There she is, waiting right where we left her!

 

 

[deladane]

We got back to the cabin at 4pm, and this little sting ray was waiting to greet us.  

 

 

Jason put Ian in his crib in hopes he would take a nap, while I stepped out onto the balcony to take some more photos.

 

 

 

After an hour of trying to get Ian to nap, we admitted defeat.  Sure enough, that short nap in the Uber destroyed our chances at a good long nap in the crib.  With fingers crossed that the short nap was sufficient and we wouldn’t have a repeat of New Year’s Eve, we released Ian from his crib, gave him a quick shower, and went out to the balcony to watch a beautiful sunset as we sailed away from Mazatlan. 

 

 

 

The sunsets on this cruise were truly spectacular, and tonight was another prime example!

 

 

 

 

 

[deladane]

For a while, I thought we would see the elusive green flash because the skies were crystal clear.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, just as the sun was about to hit the water line, some clouds gathered at the horizon and there was no green flash.

 

[deladane]

The sun went down just in time for us to head down to the MDR for dinner.

 

 

 

For my appetizer, I had the shrimp cocktail and the BBQ beef spring roll.  Both were good but nothing special, although at least they were served as expected and as described on the menu.

 

 

 

[deladane]

I had the eggplant parmigiana for my entree.  It was tasty, but I wished they plated it over a bed of spaghetti.

 

 

The short nap didn’t phase Ian… he was having a great time watching Cars on his phone and stealing bites of food from my plate.

 

 

I had the cheese plate for dessert.  Imagine my surprise when this is what they brought me…

 

 

I’m sorry, but that just looked sad.  On our 2019 cruise, the MDR dessert cheese plate looked like this:

 

 

They had the same 5 varieties of cheese, but the pieces were significantly larger, they included fresh fruit, and several pieces of bread.  I was really trying not to be too critical of all the cutbacks that we noticed throughout the week, but it was getting hard to ignore.

 

None of the evening entertainment for tonight appealed to us.  After so many long, busy days and late nights in a row, we decided to go right back to the cabin after dinner.  We put Ian to sleep, and we called it a night and went to sleep right along with him.  

 

Up next: Puerto Vallarta

[VictorWI]

1 hour ago, deladane said:

I had the eggplant parmigiana for my entree.  It was tasty, but I wished they plated it over a bed of spaghetti.

 

 

The short nap didn’t phase Ian… he was having a great time watching Cars on his phone and stealing bites of food from my plate.

 

 

I had the cheese plate for dessert.  Imagine my surprise when this is what they brought me…

 

 

I’m sorry, but that just looked sad. 

 

Wow, that is sad. 😞 I get that they probably tossed a lot of cheese as they used to give you quite a bit but they could make it look more presentable and keep the fruit and bread. I found a picture of one from 2016 that looked exactly like your 2019. 🙂