Journal of a 105-Drinks' (7-Day) Cruise to the Mexican Riviera on the Carnival Panorama with Pics

[IntrepidFromDC]

Fantastic writing and review!  Thanks for doing it, I laughed and learned.  The irony was smooooth.

Edited July 3 by IntrepidFromDC

[vanislandcruisers]

May 1^st – Day 5 of the Cruise, Day 6 of our Trip – Mazatlán, Mexico – 9:30am – 5:30pm

 

 

 

This would be our 4^th time to Mazatlán on a Cruise and on 2 occasions we did Stone Island through an Excursion Company, and the other time we took a Taxi to the Golden Zone, wandered the area a little and then spent several hours at Lucky B’s Cantina & Grill where we had some of the BEST Shrimp we’ve ever had.

 

Prior to the Cruise we intended on making Mazatlán a ‘day-of’ decision as to what we were going to do, but decided, when were in Puerto Vallarta the night before,  that we were going to do what we had been leaning towards, which was walking down to Playa Sur Embarcadero, taking the walk-on Ferry over to Stone Island, and setting up camp at one of the Beach Bars, and Rick and Leslee said they would join us.

 

We were up at 7:15am and after showering and getting ready for the Day we headed up to Deck 11 for a quick smoke. While making our way down towards the Vista Restaurant we used the Hub App and requested a Table for 2 for the Port Day Breakfast and received a Notification that our Table was ready seconds later. 

 

We don’t know if the Port Day Breakfast wasn’t well attended this morning and there was an abundance of food left over or they thought we were both eating for 4 people because what we ordered and what we got were two different things.  We both ordered the Port Day Express Breakfast which consisted of 2 Eggs any style, Hickory Smoked Bacon, Sausage, Orange Juice, and our choice of Bread/Pastries. We each received 3 Eggs, Double the amount of Bacon and Sausage, 2 Hash Browns, 2 Pieces of Ham, a Scoop of Corn Beef Hash and 4 Pieces of Toast. Conclusion #906 – Is my Grandma in the Galley making Breakfast for us?

 

ALL THE FOOD was really good but…..

 

 

Once we were done, we showed our Gratitude to the Team that took care of us, and then made our way back up to the Cabin to grab what we needed for the Day. While there we went out onto the Balcony to take some Pics of our approach into Mazatlán.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we went down to the Lobby/Atrium Bar for 9:30am to meet Rick and Leslee. The 2 previous times we went over to Stone Island, in 2010 and again in 2019, we used to a local Tour Company for the Excursion and it included a Boat Tour of the Bay Area, Transport over to and back from Stone Island, Transfer to and from the Ferry Terminals, an All Inclusive set up at the Molokay Restaurant and Bar, and a choice of 2 Activities (Horseback Riding, Banana Boat Ride, etc). We never took advantage of the Activities and one Boat Trip out near the ‘Birdsh*t Islands, let alone two, was more than enough so we did some research and decided to venture over to Stone Island on our own.

 

Once we debarked, we took the Shuttle from the Ship over to the Terminal and after walking through the Terminal and out onto the Street we turned left on the road called Emilio Barragan. It was about a 4 to 5-minute walk down to Playa Sur Embarcadero and once there we could see the Baja Ferry Terminal across a Gravel Parking Lot next to the Water.

 

 

We paid our $ 3.00 US R/T fare and boarded a small boat that held 12 to 14 people and as soon as were seated we were on our way. Once on the other side and passed the Snake, Lizard, Monkey, and Iguana Photo Ops we headed off towards the Path to the Beach. At the start of the Path, we were met by a Rep for the El Velero Restaurant bar and he invited us to set up on the Beach in front of the restaurant with the promise of  a Table for with Chairs and an Umbrella, 4 Loungers, Table Service where we could order of their Food and Drink Menus and have the Orders brought to us at our Table on the Beach, an Order of Chips and Salsa to share and a Welcome Margarita or Beer for each of us.

 

 

We pretty much had the Beach to ourselves when we first arrived but that would change as the morning and afternoon went along. This was our set-up at our Table:

 

 

It was GREAT way to spend the Day and the Service was top notch as were the Drinks and Food. The major difference between the Private Excursions that set us up at the Molokay Restaurant and this location was the exposure to Beach Vendors. Conclusion #907 – They were plentiful. At Molokay we were located behind a ‘roped off’ area with a Security Guard at the Entrance who would not allow Beach Vendors in while here we were out in the open and easily approached.

 

I happen to enjoy looking at ‘What’s for Sale?” and I especially enjoy the bartering/negotiating that goes on when we are interested in something. In this case Dee and I were looking for a wooden Stingray Carving. We swam with the Stingrays in Grand Cayman on our first Cruise together in 2008 on the Carnival Freedom and when we were in Belize in 2010 on the Carnival Dream, we bought a wooden Stingray Carving that we absolutely LOVED to commemorate our 2008 Swim. Unfortunately, our oldest Grandson accidentally snapped the Tail off the Stingray on one of his visits to our Place when he was 3 or 4. We bought a replacement on a later Caribbean Cruise but just didn’t have as much LOVE for the ‘replacement’ as we did for the OG.

 

The 1st Beach Vendor who approached us got a “NO Gracias” from the 4 of us for the “CEEEGARRRSSS” and the “MAREEEEWANNNNA” sales pitches and when I asked him ‘if he had any Stingray Carvings?’ he reached into his Knapsack and pulled one out. It wasn’t one that really turn our Cranks and the price he was asking caused our Cranks to seize. I told him to come back if he ‘wanted a sale at a reasonable price to come back later and if not to Have a GREAT Day.’

 

There was a parade of Sunglasses, Wraps, Silver Jewellery, CEEEGARRRRSSS & MARRRREEEEWANNNA, and Beach Food Vendors stopping by our Table, but they were not aggressive, were all very pleasant, polite and accepted “No Gracias” as an repsonse very nicely.

 

Finally, a Vendor who was little older than most and was super nice and friendly, stopped by and he only had Carvings and he had some beauties. We asked him if he had any Stingray Carvings and he pulled out a couple, but it was the first one he showed us that we fell in LOVE with Conclusion #908 – We didn’t tell him that. It was gorgeous and much larger in both height, length and width and with much more detail than the OG so I asked him “How much?” and he said, “How much you pay?” My answer of “1 US Dollar” had him laughing but not accepting. We went back and forth on pricing for about 5 minutes before I told him that ‘despite him going from $ 75.00 to $ 50.00 we would pay $ 25.00 and that was our Final Offer.’ He said, “Too Low” so I told him to ‘continue his selling along the Beach and we’d be here all day and to come back if and when he wanted our money.’ Dee was giving me the gears saying, ‘that’s the one she wanted’ and ‘we should have just paid him the $ 50.00’ and ‘we wouldn’t find one she liked as much again’. In my best Arnold Schwarzenegger Voice, I said “HE’LL BE BACK”.

 

The Drinks continued to flow so we thought it was a good idea to order some food which we did. We all ordered and shared an assortment of Dishes ranging from Shrimp to Fajitas and everything was very tasty.

 

As the day went along the Beach became quite busy and there was a very large number of Locals enjoying the Beach and a Day of Sunshine and we wondered with it being a Wednesday, and only 4 days away from Cinco de Mayo, if many of the Beachgoers had taken some time off with the upcoming Holiday and Celebration.

 

 

 

 

Over the next few hours, we continued to keep our Waiter busy with Margarita Deliveries to our Table, Dee and Leslee took a couple of wading trips into the water to cool off  –  Conclusion #909 – I didn’t wade into the Water as I peed in the Bathrooms at the Restaurant – and we enjoyed ourselves while checking out the goods being offered for Sale by the Vendors until we were interrupted by a familiar face.

Our Stingray Carving vendor, who we had got a really good feeling from the 1^st time he was by our Table, arrived with an “I’M BACK” and looked at me and said “You say you Pay $ 35.00”. I started laughing and said “No, I said $25.00” and with a smile added “But since you tried to trick me it’s $ 20.00 now.”  He laughed and said that is “Gringo Price. How about Mexican Price?” and I said “$ 15.00” Eventually I said, “I told you we’d pay $ 25.00 and that’s what we’ll pay” and he said “OK.”

 

We only had $ 20.00 and $ 50.00 Bills left so I asked him if he ‘had change’ and ‘not in Pesos’ and while he was searching in his Knapsack, he pulled out a wooden Palm Tree Carving with Branches/Spears that were threaded so they could easily be removed/inserted as needed. We are kicking ourselves now for not buying it as we have 7 Adult Palm Trees on our Property as we live in one of the few spots in Canada where Palm Trees can grow/survive as long as they are properly acclimatized.

 

He didn’t have enough American change so he said he ‘would go get change’. I told him to ‘give me the Carving and I gave him $ 20,.00 to go get change.’ He said “You said you pay $ 25.00” I said “Yes but I not giving you 2 @ $ 20.00 Dollar Bills or a $ 50.00 dollar Bill. You get change for the 20.00 and then we’ll settle up.” He went off to get change while we all admired the Carving and when he came back he gave me 4 @ $ 5.00 Dollar Bills and I said “OK we said $ 25.00. I already gave you a $ 20.00 Bill so here's a $ 5.00 dollar Bill which makes $ 25.00” He said “Gracias” wished us well and started to leave before I started laughing and said “Wait a Minute!” He turned around and I said “I only paid you $ 5.00.” He started to say “No, you gave me…” before his Voice trailed off and he realized what I had done. He had a HUGE smile on his Face as I gave him the $ 20.00 Bill and said “You should sell on the Beach. You come and sell with me” Conclusion #910 – Still kicking ourselves for not looking into buying the Palm Tree Carving off him.

 

Around 3:00pm we decided to make our way back to the Ship, so we settled up with our Waiter, packed up our Stuff and walked down the Beach towards the Ferry Dock. We were able to walk right on and we were on the other side within minutes.

The walk back up the road towards the Cruise Terminal was HOT, HOT, HOT so we walked on the far side of the road where the structures on that side were providing some shade over the Sidewalk.

 

Once back at the Port we did a little shopping in the Shops and then took the Shuttle across the Dock Area and got back on the Ship with a Plan to freshen up and then meet at the P&A when it opened at 4:00pm.

 

When we opened the Door to our Cabin, we were met with this – our 4^th Towel Animal of the Cruise...

 

Conclusion #911 – This Towel Animal, along with one other, always gives us a chuckle with the pose.

 

We started on our Quest for the Cheers! 15 with our 4:08pm Order at the P&A and put in a 3-hour Session, which included a Round of Coffees/Fruit Drinks for the P&A Staff from Java Blue Café, before it was time for Dinner.

 

We were very much looking forward to tonight’s Dinner because Spaghetti carbonara was on the menu and it is one of our favourites. We requested a Table at 7:15pm and were at our Table for 4 by 7:30pm.

 

 

Dee and I didn’t need the Main Entrée Menu this evening as we went for an Appy ONLY Meal this evening. I had and LOVED the Shrimp Cocktail, Caesar Salad, Pasta Fagioli Soup, and the Spaghetti Carbonara. Dee went with the Pasta Fagioli Soup, the Girod Street Salad and the Spaghetti Carbonara. For Dessert I went with the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake Mickey Mouse Style while Dee went with ice Cream.

 

Our Meals were GREAT, the Service was On-Point, and we were in and out in under 90 minutes and after saying Good Night and showing our Gratitude to our Wait Staff we headed back to the P&A for a couple of Rounds.

 

Around 10:30pm I moved down to the Casino for a little Blackjack and where I I was joined a little later by Dee, who had stopped by the Alchemy Bar with Rick and Leslee for a Martini or two. Leslee was playing the Slots and after we were there for a little while Rick came over to say he “was hitting the Hay.” A little while later Dee decided she would head over to a Slot Machine to keep Leslee company. I coloured up my chips around 11:30pm and went over to find Dee and Leslee. They said they were going to “play” for a little while, so I decided to go grab some Pizza and head back to the Cabin.

 

Dee and Leslee ended up heading back up to the Alchemy Bar and closed it and then took what was left of their Deal Closers to the Smoking section on Deck 5….

 

 

…before joining Johnny, Dorisa and their Crew in the Limelight Lounge for some Drinks and Dancing.

 

 

Dee’s last drink was ordered at 1:04am and she arrived back at the Cabin around 2:00am saying her and Leslee had “SO MUCH FUN” and then proceeded to pound one of the Big Bottles of Water in the Cabin.

 

As far as our Cheers! 15 Count went, we finished the Day with 13 Drinks each putting for a Total of 26 positioning us at +14 for the Day and +54 for the Cruise.

 

Next up will be our 9^th time in Cabo San Lucas

 

 

Edited July 5 by vanislandcruisers

[vanislandcruisers]

On 6/28/2024 at 2:44 PM, sid_9169 said:

Who the heck gets a KISS tattoo (including an individual picture of one of the members) and then can't even name a single song by them? Something tells me that after the spitting incident you kept your distance from this schmuck for the rest of the cruise...

 

I'll give you my top three, in no particular order: Strutter, Black Diamond, 100,000 Years...

We agree Syd...Dee, who is on the Ferry right now on her way over to Vancouver to see the Rolling Stones at BC Place with her Daughter and who is a BIG Music fan, was very disappointed in his answer.

 

And as far as "keeping my distance" you are right. I remained upwind from and out of spitting distance from the non-KISS Fan for the rest of the Cruise.

[vanislandcruisers]

On 7/2/2024 at 9:29 AM, 4hunters said:

All caught up again and great stuff as usual, Jim!  Thanks for all the laughs and not just a "lol" which everyone knows isn't really a laugh out loud - just something you text back to someone after they've said something mildly amusing... 😉

 

Thanks again 4hunters....Once I am done this one I will start on the 5-day Celebrity Cruise we did the morning we got off of this one....It was a different Cruise for sure...couldn't Tender at the 1st Port (Catalina Island) due to Weather Conditions...the trip up to San Francisco was very rough however our Port Day in San Francisco was PERFECT Weather wise and Adventure wise...and then because of the Weather going up the Coast after we left SF on our way to Victoria we were about 10 hours late arriving in Victoria so Dee and I decided to Debark (with Celebrity's Permission) there and take a Taxi Home instead of going over to Vancouver and having to get up early and Taxi to the Ferry and then take the Ferry back to the Island and then Taxi Home...we ended up inviting 2 guys from northern England who we met on the Ship to come and stay with us for a few Nights as they were disappointed with the Cruise and weren't flying back to England for a few days...we invited a bunch of our Friends over and had a BIG Bar-B-Q for them and  the night of the Bar-B-Q was the Night (June 3rd) the Northern Lights were very visible to us and in a lot of Canada and the States... Mother Nature put on a Show for us and we so happy our new Friends enjoyed themselves and got to see it...turned their week around for sure.  

On 7/2/2024 at 8:08 PM, pinto18 said:

Waiting for the Stone Island DIY day..( thats our go-to in Mazatlan) 

 

 

 

pinto18 - We LOVED doing Stone island this way...I don't know that we''d ever do anything organized in Mazatlán again...We LOVED the last time we were there when we did the Golden Zone on our own and this visit to Stone Island was perfect for us...So easy to do!!!!...would like to check out some of the other Bars over there...What Bar is your 'Go to'?

[vanislandcruisers]

On 7/2/2024 at 8:42 PM, IntrepidFromDC said:

Fantastic writing and review!  Thanks for doing it, I laughed and learned.  The irony was smooooth.

Thanks so much IntrepidFromDC!!!!....Dee and I have been following along on your adventures...and have been taking Notes from your NYC/Venezia Trips as we will be making our very 1st visit to NYC in October (5 Nights & 4 days) and will be on the Carnival Venezia for an 11 Night Cruise. 

 

Thanks again!!!

[vanislandcruisers]

On 6/28/2024 at 2:44 PM, sid_9169 said:

Who the heck gets a KISS tattoo (including an individual picture of one of the members) and then can't even name a single song by them? Something tells me that after the spitting incident you kept your distance from this schmuck for the rest of the cruise...

 

I'll give you my top three, in no particular order: Strutter, Black Diamond, 100,000 Years...

 And Sorry...I wrote "Syd" in my 1st reply to you instead of 'sid'...my bad

[pinto18]

18 minutes ago, vanislandcruisers said:

us...So easy to do!!!!...would like to check out some of the other Bars over there...What Bar is your 'Go to'?

We always go to Lety’s ..it is further down , keep walking till you see the sign. Great food ..and drinks ! One thing ( as you mentioned) about Stone Island is that it seems to be a place locals and other Mexicans go with their families ..more of an authentic experience than Cabo I think . 

[vanislandcruisers]

10 minutes ago, pinto18 said:

We always go to Lety’s ..it is further down , keep walking till you see the sign. Great food ..and drinks ! One thing ( as you mentioned) about Stone Island is that it seems to be a place locals and other Mexicans go with their families ..more of an authentic experience than Cabo I think . 

Thanks so much!!!...Have heard really good things about Lety's!!!

[4hunters]

21 hours ago, vanislandcruisers said:

 

Thanks again 4hunters....Once I am done this one I will start on the 5-day Celebrity Cruise we did the morning we got off of this one....It was a different Cruise for sure...couldn't Tender at the 1st Port (Catalina Island) due to Weather Conditions...the trip up to San Francisco was very rough however our Port Day in San Francisco was PERFECT Weather wise and Adventure wise...and then because of the Weather going up the Coast after we left SF on our way to Victoria we were about 10 hours late arriving in Victoria so Dee and I decided to Debark (with Celebrity's Permission) there and take a Taxi Home instead of going over to Vancouver and having to get up early and Taxi to the Ferry and then take the Ferry back to the Island and then Taxi Home...we ended up inviting 2 guys from northern England who we met on the Ship to come and stay with us for a few Nights as they were disappointed with the Cruise and weren't flying back to England for a few days...we invited a bunch of our Friends over and had a BIG Bar-B-Q for them and  the night of the Bar-B-Q was the Night (June 3rd) the Northern Lights were very visible to us and in a lot of Canada and the States... Mother Nature put on a Show for us and we so happy our new Friends enjoyed themselves and got to see it...turned their week around for sure.  

 

Quite an adventure getting home but glad it all worked out for the best. Also, very nice of you guys opening up your home! 😊

[vanislandcruisers]

May 1^st – Day 6 of the Cruise, Day 7 of our Trip – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – 6:30am – 2:30pm

 

 

 

This would be our 9^th stop in Cabo San Lucas and we have had some very memorable stops in CSL; some more memorable than others Conclusion # 912 – TEQUILA.

This is an excerpt from our Journal in 2023 (not posted on Cruise Critic) of our most recent experience in Cabo in February of 2023 on our 3^rd stop in CSL within 2 weeks during our Carnival Panorama and Carnival Miracle Cruises:

 

Day #4 on the Carnival Miracle - Day #2 in Cabo San Lucas

 

The last Water Shuttle back to the Ship was scheduled to leave at 2:15pm so, being mindful of that, we all agreed that we should get back to the other side of the Marina where we are closer to the Tenders.

 

Vinny and Pauly grabbed a Land Taxi while Dee and I finished up our Beers, settled up our Mango Deck Tab, and waved in a Water Taxi for the Ride back to the Pier Area.

We had made plans to meet Vinny and Pauly at Senor Frog's next to where we would catch the Water Shuttle (Tender). And once there we saw them, and they were sitting with a couple of Ladies who, as it turned out, were on the same Cruise as us.

 

The shirt I was wearing said 'MORALLY FLEXIBLE' on the front and as soon as we sat down and were introduced to the 2 Ladies Vinny and Pauly were sitting with one of the Ladies said "I Love your Shirt. I need to get one like that." I said "Thanks" and didn't think anything of it.

 

There was a very sharply dressed, Rolex-wearing, elderly couple at the Table next to us who were sitting quite stoically while staring straight ahead and I assumed, correctly, that they were on the Cunard Ship. In all our Cruises, I don't recall us being in Port with a Cunard Ship, so I started asking them a bunch of Questions which they were more than happy to answer. They were 1 month in to a 4-month Cruise and Dee was trying to listen to my conversation as well as somewhat pay attention to the conversation at our Table.

 

We had laughed as we were walking from the Wharf to Senor Frog's when we saw the long length of the slow-moving lines for the Water Shuttles back to the Cunard Ship. Conclusion – It was both the longest, lengthwise, and shortest, height-wise, Water Shuttle Line we have ever seen. One of the things that Grandpa Cunard said was that the ‘passengers on their ship were very old and not much fun’ and they were ‘averaging 1 death/week onboard.’

 

Initially I found it odd that they were at a Senor Frog's but when the Lap Dances for a Birthday Girl and a 'Bride to Be' started Grandma Cunard got the biggest smile on her face, got her Phone, got up, turned around, and recorded the whole thing. Conclusion – Go Grandma, Go Grandma

 

I went to the Restroom, which turned out to be one of the worst experiences of my life. The one Urinal was full to brim with a literal meniscus of Urine at the top and although no more could fit in there were still some trying which just caused a waterfall of Urine to fall to the floor....and some people were still going in there in barefeet. I waited for the stall which was just as poor of a choice.

 

When I got back to the Table Dee gave me a nudge and told me to ‘look at the fingernails on the Lady sitting closest to us.’ Then Pauly leaned behind Dee and asked us discreetly if 'we were OK with the Conversation at the Table?' I hadn't been paying attention so when I looked at the Lady's fingernails and saw the upside-down Pineapples I thought "hmmm". Conclusion – It turned out that Paulie’s ‘discreet’ question would be the last thing said with discretion for a while.

 

Then that Lady said "So Pauly says you guys Cruise a lot. Have you been on any Swingers Cruises yet?" That got a "No" response from us and an Upper Case "HMMMM" inside my head. We don't mind Pineapples on Pizza, adorning the side of a Drink or on a Ham while it is cooking like the way my Mom used to do it but that is as far as our relationship with Pineapples go.

 

We ordered another round of Drinks, a Margarita for Dee and a Dos Equis for me, and sat there and listened to some of the weirdest and wildest stories we have ever heard. We got a bit of an education about the world of 'Lifestyle Travel and Cruising'. Conclusion – Thought I ordered a Bottle of  XX not a Table of XXX

 

The 2 ladies were sharing a Cabin together and were travelling without their husbands but would send Video of their escapades to their hubbies for their viewing pleasure which, as they told us, they had done on 2 of the 3 Nights so far. They were very descriptive with their retelling of the events from the night before with 2 young men they had met and invited back to their Cabin. Conclusion – And I thought the Men’s Bathroom at Senor Frog’s was dirty.

 

When I came back from the Restroom after my 2nd visit to Urinal Falls, MX one of the Ladies was doing a ‘3 Question Interview' with Dee which, as she then told us, are the Questions she asks of anyone she is interested in being with and we were the 'lucky ones' this afternoon. The 3rd Question was 'Are you Down To ****?' The "NO' she got from us had her saying "But your Shirt?". We are 'We will smoke a cigarette on a Beach in Mexico’ or ‘smuggle Booze in Rum Runners onto a Cruise Ship’ or ‘or underestimate our purchases at Customs' morally flexible but we are not THAT KIND OF MORALLY FLEXIBLE.

 

 

As Grandpa and Grandma Cunard were leaving Grandpa Cunard gave me a pat on the shoulder and laughingly said 'Stay flexible my friend'.

 

Today was going to be a “let’s see what happens?’ with the hope that nothing, and I mean nothing, gets turned upside-down.

 

As expected, I was up a little earlier than Dee so I shoewered and got ready – Conclusion # 913 – casually put on T-Shirt that reads “MORALLY FLEXIBLE” while sporting a devilish grin. – And once Dee was up the 2^nd 1.5 litre Bottle of Water in our Cabin quickly became a casualty.

 

We weren’t in any rush to get off the Ship as we felt we’d let the BIG Push for the Water Shuttles (Tenders) die down before we attempted to go to Shore. On a side Note, if they were running Priority Water Shuttles for Platinum and Diamond Cruisers or for those who purchased F2F we never got a Letter or heard an Announcement of them doing so. Was able to snap a few Pictures from our Balcony as well as Deck 11 while I was waiting for Dee to get ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a plan, made early in the day the day before, to meet Rick and Leslee for the Port Day Breakfast at 8:30am and this early planning the day before ensured that Dee and I followed the Plan. We made our way to the Vista Restaurant once outside we used the Hub App and our Table was ready shortly thereafter. Despite being a Party of 4 and requesting a Table for 4 we were seated at a 10-Top which provided plenty of room for the large amount of Coffee that both Dee and Leslee needed to overcome their late night the night before. Conclusion # 914 – The morning after overindulging is funnier and more enjoyable for those who didn’t.

 

The BIG Table also provided plenty of room as the massive serving sizes continued with the Port Day Breakfast. Dee and I do think Carnival does the ‘Express’ Port Day Breakfast Service right as all 3 times we went (we did go on the PV day as well) we were in and out in about 45 minutes and on all 3 occasions it was us taking our time that stretched our stay a little.

 

Once we were done we started down towards Deck 0, with a quick stop at the Atrium/Lobby Bar on Deck 3, to get Dee a Bottle of Water – Conclusion # 915 – someone was thirsty this morning – and then walked right onto a waiting Water Shuttle.

 

The Water Shuttle had barely started moving away from the Ship when a Female Deckhand stood at the Top of the Stairs and gave a “Tips’ spiel. A fellow sitting on the same Level as us said, “You haven’t even taken us anywhere yet” which got a Round of Laughs from all the Passengers but no reaction whatsoever from the Deckhand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived safe and sound and as we were exiting the Shuttle we threw a couple of bucks in the Jug the ex-Vacuum Cleaner Saleslady turned Water Shuttle Deckhand was holding as a ‘Thank you”.

 

Rather than try and make our way through the Gauntlet of those selling their Wares, Timeshares, and Tours to Here, There and Everywhere we went straight through the Walkway next to Senor Frogs towards the Parking Lots and eventually out to Marina Blvd. We turned right and walked up the Road until we got to Plaza Bonita Mall and then got back on the Walkway that circumvents the Marina. We were looking for a Bar that wasn’t too busy, had a view and an active Happy Hour.

 

We came upon the Baja Cantina which did not have any advertisements for any Drink Specials, but looked nice and definitely wasn’t busy with only 2 Customers sitting at a Table. I asked the Hostess if ‘it was Happy Hour?’ to which she replied “No”. I asked her if she ‘could make it a Happy Hour for the 4 of us?’ She went and got what we assumed was her Manager and so we asked him about the possibility ‘of a 2-for-1 Happy Hour for us?’ and said that ‘we’d spend 2 – 3 hours here’. He said “Si” so I asked, “How about 3-for-1” He laughed and shook his head in a ‘No’ motion. Conclusion # 916 – 2-for-1 it is.

 

The Margaritas were AWESOME!!!! The BEST we had on the Trip.

 

 

I asked the Manager where I could go hide and have a smoke and he pointed and said “There”. ‘There’ was on the Walkway between the Baja Cantina and the Bar next Door and there was indeed an Ashtray right there. When Dee and I cruised on the Panorama in 2023 Mexico had just brought in a very strict Nation-wide ‘Smoking in Public’ Law which essentially said, “No Smoking in Public’.  With it being a new Law, everyone was being very discreet as to where they were smoking. That was not the case this year as we saw people smoking everywhere. When we went to Majahuitas Beach in Puerto Vallarta I asked our Server “Where the Smoking Section was?’ as we had read that that is the way that Beach Clubs were dealing with it in Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, etc. He said you can “smoke right here…I bring you an Ashtray” and he brought one right to our Table. The same was true when we were at El Velero on Stone Island. This was our experience; your experience may differ.

 

 

While I was having a Smoke I was approacjed by a Vendor who was carrying a Box of Cigars and asked if I wanted to “Buy some COOBUN CEEEGGAAARRRS?” “No Gracias” I replied. “How about MAREEEEEWANNNNA?” he asked. “Is it rolled?’ I replied. “No Senor.” To which I answered “Then that doesn’t do me any good”. “How about some GOOD COCAINE?” he asked. Conclusion # 917 – Well that escalated Quickly. I would have written it up to the Shirt I was wearing but we heard that same 3 Level Sales Pitch from more than one Vendor and as I had written in our Journal in 2023 “My 1st walk along the Beach to have a smoke resulted in me being offered everything from Cigars to Weed to Cocaine to Fruit to Company to Tacos. It was like a COSTCO for bad decisions.”, and apparently the Marina Area offered much of the same.

 

We spent about 2½ hours enjoying Drinks, Snacks, people watching and saying “No Gracias” before we had our Picture taken by our Hostess and then we settled our Tab.

 

 

Conclusion # 918 – Not wanting anything to do with the Senor Frog’s Bathrooms by the Water Shuttle Pier I ‘went’ before we left the Baja Cantina – and then we started making our way back around the Marina with stops into a few of the Shops.

 

Well this visit to CSL didn't produce the excitement or predicaments that we have encountered on some of our previous visits it was the Perfect Chill Day we were looking for and we wouldn't change a thing.

 

Once back at the Pier we walked right onto a waiting Water Shuttle and were back on board shortly before 2:00pm. We made a quick pit-stop at the Cabin to drop off our stuff and found our Invites to the Diamond and Platinum Gathering,

 

 

the General Debarkation Information with Group 25 Tags, which would be in accordance with the late Debark we had selected through the Hub App,

 

 

 

the Platinum Debarkation Information with Group 4 Tags,

 

 

And our 5^th Towel Animal of the Cruise.

 

 

            Dee put together a Final Bag of Laundry for us to send out so most of our Clothes would be clean for the next Cruise and then we headed down to the P&A which would be our Base for the rest of the Afternoon and early Evening.

 

Between the P&A and spending time outside on the Deck soaking in the last of the warm weather we had an enjoyable afternoon. We did make a coffee Run for P&A Staff and got them $ 40.00 worth of Sushi from the Bonsai Sushi Bar for them to share. It seemed like all the Passengers getting back on the Ship from Cabo that afternoon were in GREAT Moods…and were very THIRSTY.

 

We headed up to Cabin at 6:45pm for a change into our evening attire for the 2^nd Elegant Night and then met Rick and Leslee back down at the P&A shortly before 7:30pm at which time we requested a Table for 4 of the Hub App and then started making our way down towards the Vista Restaurant.

 

 

Once our Table was ready the 4 of us were escorted to a rectangular Table for 6, again giving us a little extra Room which was nice, and shortly after we were seated a Hostess came over and said, “Mr. James, the Casino would like to gift you with a Bottle of Wine up to a Value of $ 60.00.” I said, “That’s GREAT!!!. Thank you very much!!!” and then relinquished all control of selecting and ordering the Bottle of Wine to Dee. Conclusion # 919 – My search of the Wine List would have concluded as soon as I found the 1^st Bottle with a Value of $ 60.00. As far as the Wine Dee ordered; it was White.

 

This Meal was one of the best, if not the BEST, we have ever had on a Ship on any Cruise Line in a Main Dining Room/Restaurant. I ordered the Shrimp Cocktail, the Caesar Salad and the Herb-Crusted Salmon which was the Star of the Show.

 

Dee also ordered the Herb-Crusted Salmon as her Main and started with the Spinach Salad. With her not being a huge fan of Fish Dishes right now I was a little worried that she wouldn’t be happy with the Salmon but she LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. Conclusion # 920 – We are still talking about ‘How good that Salmon was’.

 

For Dessert I had an Amaretto on the Rocks and the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake Mickey Mouse Style with one Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and 1 Scoop of Peanut Butter while dee went with some Ice Cream and a Cappuccino.

 

We went back to the P&A for 1 Round and a couple of Smokes outside on deck 5 before heading down to the Panorama Casino to try our Luck. Dee, leslee and rick played some Slots while I hit the Blackjack table. Shortly after I was seated a Pit Boss came on Shift and as soon as we looked at each other I smiled and yelled “Catherine” while she smiled and yelled “MR. JIM” before we both simultaneously said HOW ARE YOU??? and then hugged. Dee and I had gotten to know Catherine on our 1^st 2 Carnival Panorama Cruises and her next Question was “Where is Miss Dee?” and I said ‘She’d be along shortly’ I said ‘I was surprised we haven’t seen you until now’ and she said’ she’d been working mostly days on this Cruise’ which would explain why we hadn’t run into each other. Dee showed up a few minutes later and the Surprise, Smiles and Hugs were repeated.

 

We grabbed the 'Traditionals' and coloured up our Chips about 11:30pm and made our way to Deck 5 for one last smoke and sat had a lengthy conversation with one of the guys travelling with Adam #2 and his Wife about living in Utah. We were in Bed shortly after 12midnight. We headed up to our Cabin about 12midnight and had a great Night’s sleep.

 

As far as the Cheers! Count, my Traditional was #15 for me while Dee finished the Day with #11 + we had a Free(?) Bottle of Wine from the Casino. So we had a Total of 26 Cheers! Drinks between us leaving us at +14 for the Day and +68 for the Cruise. Conclusion # 921 – Couple of Overachievers  

 

Next up: The last Sea Day

 

Edited July 8 by vanislandcruisers

[MizMoon]

This is like a good book or tv serial that I can certainly relate to - been there and done some of that.  Keep it coming, please.  🍹🛳️ Cruise On!

[markmbsc]

Amazing review!! Enjoying every moment.

[vanislandcruisers]

On 7/9/2024 at 9:22 AM, MizMoon said:

This is like a good book or tv serial that I can certainly relate to - been there and done some of that.  Keep it coming, please.  🍹🛳️ Cruise On!

 

Thanks so much MizMoon!!!......just about to post the Last Sea Day

[vanislandcruisers]

On 7/9/2024 at 9:37 AM, markmbsc said:

Amazing review!! Enjoying every moment.

 

Thanks for the kind words markmbsc!!!!

[vanislandcruisers]

May 3rd – Day 7 of the Cruise, Day 8 of our Trip – The Final Sea Day

 

I see I had the wrong Date for the Cabo San Lucas Day - it should have been May 2nd...the Margaritas still tasted GREAT even though it was the wrong Date.

 

 

 

The last Day of a Cruise always feels a little melancholy for us with saying “Until next time…” to Friends ‘old and new’ as well as saying “Good-bye” and “Thank you” to all the Staff who have become Friends and have taken care of us throughout our time onboard…and this Cruise was no different. The only bright side to this ‘last day for’ Dee and I was the fact that when we got off this Ship, we were getting on another Ship right away.

 

 As we’ve gotten – Conclusion # 922 – When I say “we” I mean Dee ‘wiser’, this Final Sea Day of a ‘Cruise Vacation’ would normally be a ‘Chill’ier Day for us – as we’d be flying Home after debarking the next day Conclusion # 923 – Not “Netflix ’n Chill” Chill but not as ‘Bar-heavy’ as earlier Sea Days. Alaska Cruises out of Vancouver and the 1^st leg of a B2B or Side-By-Side are exceptions to this ‘found wisdom’ and since we were getting off the Panorama the next day and then taking a Taxi over to San Pedro to board the Celebrity Summit it was Game-On for imbibing today. Conclusion # 924 – Our favourite type of Game is when it is ‘On’.

 

I was up fairly early and made my usual rounds of the Smoking Section on Deck 11, the Buffet on Deck 10, and then the Smoking Section on Deck 5.

 

I stopped by the Ocean Plaza Bar shortly before 10:00am and got a Bottle of Water for myself, and a Specialty Coffee for Dee, and then went up to our Cabin to see ‘What?’ and ‘Who was up?’ Dee was up, showered and had done a GREAT Job of getting us mostly packed and organized. When we were less wise 2 things generally happened on this Final Sea Day:

1. We made a ‘Plan’ to be organized, packed, and have our Luggage out in the Hallway by 10:00pm that Night

2. We went ‘hard’, didn’t organize anything, didn’t pack, and ended up racing around to pack after we heard the 1^st Announcement in our Cabin from the Cruise Director about debarkation the next morning. And then had to fight the Crowds and hump our Luggage off the Ship ourselves. 

 

I showered, and then we made our way down to the P&A for a Beverage or 5. I messed Adam #1 up by ordering a Dos Equis, while Dee went with a Mimosa. Rick and Leslee showed up a little later as did Dorisa, a very hurtin’ Johnny and the rest of their Gang. They had all done a Private Tequila Tasting Excursion in Cabo the day before and Johnny was the only one to try a particular Tequila that had a Snake in the Bottom of the Bottle and he was blaming his ‘not feeling well’ on the Snake. A friend of theirs said “Johnny got snake-bitten.”

 

One of the Couples they were cruising with were the very PROUD Parents of Cam Jones, a Linebacker for the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. This a picture of Cam after the Chiefs got their Super Bowl Rings in mid-June:

 

 

This next Picture is Cam with Taylor Swift’s Boyfriend:

 

As it turned out, we met a Lady on the Celebrity Cruise who was also the ‘Mom of a Super Bowl Champion’. We could sense the pride both of these Moms had for their Sons. Conclusion # 925 – “He can consume 15 Alcohol-infused Drinks in a Day.” – Jim’s Mom #AMothersPride.

 

Adam #2, His Wife, and the Couple they were cruising with showed up and grabbed Stools next to us and the ‘one-upmanship’ between Adam #2 and Adam #1 resumed. Adam #1 was kneeling in front of one of the under-counter Coolers and Adam #2 noticed a bit of a bald spot on the top of the back of Adam #1’s head and zeroed in and commented on it immediately. Despite Adam #1 having had the Upper Hand on Adam #2 all week along everyone could sense, including Adam #2, that the ‘bald spot’ was indeed a ‘soft spot’ for Adam #1 and again Adam #2 pointed that out. Adam #2 said, “I’ve hit a nerve, haven’t I? I found your weakness.” Adam #1, stood silent for a few seconds and we all thought Adam #2 had gotten the best of him, until Adam #1 responded “When your Wife divorces you, tell her to call me.” Conclusion # 926 – Adam #1 with the Mic Drop.

 

As Adam #2 and his Group were leaving to go to Lunch they were stopped by a couple who were sitting at the Bar and they asked Adam #2 a Question regarding Utah. Adam #2 said “Like I told you the other day….” when he was interrupted by the Husband who said “We’ve met?” Adam #2 started to tell him that ‘they were sitting at the Bar next to him on the 2^nd Sea Day’ which was the Day he was wearing only the ‘itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie’ Red Shorts when I interrupted him and said, “They don’t recognize you with clothes on.”

 

Rick, Leslee, Dee and I had a Reservation for 7:15pm at Bonsai Teppanyaki so we wanted to time our mid-day feeding appropriately. Ever since I read the Reviews of @SaintGreg and @deladane’s of the Steak Noodle Bowl at the Mongolian Wok by Day/Ji Ji's Kitchen by Night I have been craving that Dish.

 

 

 

As it says in the Description on the Menu it’s Wide Noodles, stir-fried beef, Sichuan peppercorns, green onion and Asian Greens. Conclusion # 926 – Sounds GRRRREEEEAAATTTTT!!! So around 1:30pm, Leslee, Dee and I decided to head up ‘Mongolian Wok by Day/Ji Ji’s Asian Kitchen by Night’ for Lunch while Rick decided he was going to have a Nap.

 

By the time we got up there it was 1:45pm and they were scheduled to close off ‘seatings’ at 2:00pm. The line for ‘Mongolian Wok by Day/Ji Ji’s Asian Kitchen by Night’ was lengthy while there wasn’t a line-up for the ‘Pasta Bar by Day/Cucina del Capitano by Night’, so we decided we’d go there. Conclusion # 927 – The satisfying of my Craving would have to wait until November of 2025 on the Carnival Horizon.

 

 

Once seated we ordered Drinks, filled in our ‘Wants’, and gave our Form to our Server and then talked and sipped on our Drinks until our Food arrived. It was very, very good and satisfied us hunger wise, until our Bonsai Teppanyaki Reservation that evening. We thanked our Server and showed our Gratitude before we left.

 

We had a Smoke on Deck 11 before Leslee headed to her Cabin to rouse

Rick – Conclusion # 927 The ‘a’ is not missing – while we headed to our Cabin to quickly get a little more organized.

 

 Inside the Cabin we saw our Final Towel Animal and the ‘Thank You’ Card,

 

 

and our Laundry was back that Dee had organized and sent out the Day before. We unpacked our Laundry and put it in in our Suitcases and with that the Luggage was ready to go out in the Hallway that Night.

 

Back down to the P&A we went and, as we were running low on the American $1.00 Bills that we had gotten Leslee and Rick to bring us, I asked Adam #1, who was scheduled to go on Vacation after 2 more Cruises, if he ‘had any ones he would like to trade me for bigger bills?’. He said ‘he did and asked How much I wanted? And when I replied “$ 200.00 worth” he went off for a Quick Break and came back with 2 Stacks of 100 American $ 1.00 Bills with each Stack having Elastic Bands around them to keep them together. We gave him 4 @ 50.00 Bills + a little extra for the GREAT CARE he took of us all Cruise long. We gave some extra cash to Denny, Austin, and Benjamas at that time as well. Benjamas also made her Final Java Blue Coffee Run of the Cruise with our Cards.

 

Dee and Leslee went down to the Casino to play some Slots. Dee played for a $ 200.00 length of time and once that ‘time’ was up she returned to the P&A where the process of saying ‘Until Next time…’ to newly made Friends had begun.

 

We were all surprised when Leslee said, “Until next time….” to Rick so Dee and I reminded her that she had to take him home with her. Conclusion # 926 – Imagine how surprised Rick was!

 

 

Dee and I had already changed for Dinner so we stayed at the P&A while Leslee and Rick went up to change. When they returned to the P&A Leslee came over to us and tapped us on the Shoulders. When we turned around, she said, “I know you guys have told me all those Stories about Pineapples. I didn’t know anything about that, but I am wearing this Dress tonight. I like it and I bought it for the Cruise. I don’t care what you say.” and proceeded to take off her Sweater to reveal a Black Sun Dress completely covered in Pineapples. We had a good laugh with Leslee and then pointed out some possible Candidates for her and Rick.

 

As we were leaving for Bonsai Teppanyaki, which was just further along the Promenade from the P&A,  Benjamas and Denny wished us a ‘good meal’ and added “Too much Food. Please bring us any left-over Rice you have” and Denny and I both said in unison, “No Rice. No Power!”

 

We arrived a few minutes early for our Reservation and were seated immediately by our Hostess.

 

 

Despite Leslee not knowing anything about the ‘Upside-Down Pineapple’ thing, Dee and I could see the guy in the light blue shirt discreetly nudge his Wife (blocked by the Chef) and give a knowing nod in Leslee’s direction when leslee took her Swetar off as if to tell his Wife “Look at that Lady with the Pineapples on her Dress” which gave Dee and I a good chuckle.

 

 

The Meal itself was very, very good and our Chef was very, very entertaining which made for GREAT last evening. Everything from the Service, the Entertainment, the Company and the Food itself was STELLAR. Everyone got the same Starters and the Shrimp, Pork Belly and Spicy Tuna were TASTY. However, The Stars of the Meal were our Entrees with Dee having the Filet Mignon and Shrimp Combo while I had the Filet Mignon and Teriyaki Salmon Combo. So, so Good!!!.

 

 

 

 

 

Dee and I did mention to our Chef that we wanted to take some Rice back to the P&A Crew so he made extra and put it in a ‘To-Go Boxes’ and the end of our Meal. Conclusion # 927 – Benjamas and Denny were right; “Too Much Food!”

 

Once we settled up, and showed the Bonsai Teppanyaki Staff our Gratitude, we dropped the ‘To-Go Boxes’ off to Benjamas and Denny, and then ran up to the Cabin to put our Luggage in the Hallway and then met Rick and Leslee in the Smoking Section on Deck 5.

 

By the time we headed back along the Promenade they were closing up the P&A so we gave the P&A Staff a Round of Hugs. I am not very good at saying Good-bye to friends so we decided to quickly say our 'Until next time..." to Rick and Leslee and then Dee headed up to the Cabin while I went down to the Casino to cash out our Chips.

 

As far as the Cheers! Count I hit my #15 at Bonsai Teppanyaki while Dee finished up with #12 for the day.  So we had a Total of 27 Cheers! Drinks between us for the Day leaving us at +15 for the day and +83 for the Cruise.

 

For our Final Cruise Totals I finished up at 99 Cheers! Drinks while Dee finished up at 77 Cheers! Drinks for a Total of 176 between us. If you factor in what Cheers cost us which was $ 990.38 US, Gratuities included, we paid $ 5.63/Alcoholic Drink….and Dee certainly took advantage of the Coffee Bars, + we drank a LOT of Bottles of Water….. mostly at the Staff’s insistence. 😊 Conclusion # 928 – Got our Money’s worth.

 

Next up - Debarkation and over to San Pedro for our Celebrity Summit Cruise to Vancouver ...errr, Victoria 

 

Edited July 10 by vanislandcruisers

[4hunters]

HA!  Your swinger story was too much!  Leave it to you guys to randomly wind up at a table with those people.  🤣

[MizMoon]

OMG - I did not know that about pineapples!  🫢

[CWcruisers]

On 7/10/2024 at 11:39 AM, vanislandcruisers said:

On your next trip to Cabo, Solomon's Landing has happy hour all day when you sit at the bar plus they have a special bar menu.  If you sit along the back side of the bar, you can still people watch but are far enough away from the vendors.  It's also a locals hangout in the afternoons especially on hot days.

 

[MizMoon]

and they were never heard from again..........................  

[MizMoon]

Excuse me - my bad.......  thought this post would go along on the next leg of their journey - and I may have read it somewhere else - catch you on another adventure - 🙄

[vanislandcruisers]

On 8/22/2024 at 10:38 AM, MizMoon said:

and they were never heard from again..........................  

 

On 8/22/2024 at 1:04 PM, MizMoon said:

Excuse me - my bad.......  thought this post would go along on the next leg of their journey - and I may have read it somewhere else - catch you on another adventure - 🙄

 

Sorry...I thought I posted the Debarkation Post before Dee and I went away for our Summer Vacation...will do so now...and the Celebrity Summit Cruise that we got on the day we got off the Carnival Panorama is almost finished so will get that started on the Celebrity page shortly.

[vanislandcruisers]

May 4^th – Day 9 – Long Beach to San Pedro, Panorama to Summit

 

I was up before the Sun and did my Rounds before heading back to the Cabin around 6:30am. Dee was just starting to stir so I showered, got dressed, and headed out to give her some space to get ready.

 

I got back just as Dee was finishing up so we found our Cabin Steward, Martono, and gave him some extra Cash for the Superb Job he did all Cruise and told him we ‘were going to go down to Breakfast, but would be back up to get our Stuff, and be out of the Cabin by 8:30am.’

 

We weren’t in any sort of rush to get off the Ship this morning as our Check-In Time for our Celebrity Summit Cruise out of San Pedro was between 11:30am – 12:00pm so I had chosen the latest debark time for Dee and I on the Hub App which was 10:30am.

 

We headed up to Deck 11 for a quick Smoke and then, on our way down to the Vista Restaurant, we requested a Table for 2 through the Hub App. This ended up being the longest wait for a Table all Cruise, and it was only a 20-minute wait. Once we got the Notification that our Table was ready, we showed the Hostess our Table Number off my Phone and were escorted to our Table.

 

 

This was the 1^st time we’ve gone to the Dining Room on Debarkation Morning, and we were impressed.; the Food was GREAT, and the Service was just as good as the Food. Once we were done, we went back up to the Cabin to retrieve our stuff and get out of Martano’s way. I don’t know if we were late getting back to Long Beach but we didn’t Dock until just after 8:00am just as we were getting back to our Cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way down to the Smoking Section on Deck 5 where we ran into Rick and Leslee and as soon as Dee sawn them, she said “We weren’t supposed to see you guys this morning. We said our 'Until Next Times' last Night.”

 

 

The Fuel Barge had not shown up yet, so the Ashtrays were still out so the 4 of us were able to sit, chat and reminisce about what a GREAT Cruise we had. Once the Barge pulled up and the refueling process began, they removed the Ashtrays, and I would say that 8 of the 10 people there abided by the ‘No Smoking’ Signs that were placed around the Section by a Staff Member. A few Passengers, who Rules apparently did not apply to, continued to smoke and used Coffee Cups as Ashtrays.

 

Eventually Rick and Leslee’s Luggage Tag Numbers were called so we said a 2^nd set of “Until next time…” to them and wished them “Safe Travels” home. Dee and I had to wait until Luggage Tags Number 25 were called and that occurred just after 10:00am so we took the Stairs down to Deck 3 and made our way off the Ship.

 

As we were slowly making our way down the ‘Switchbacks’ some of Terminal Staff were yelling “2 Lines, Passports on the Left and Birth Certificates on the Right. 2 Lines People.” There was quite a back-up on the Birth Certificate Line as there was a Family of 8 walking side-by-side with little ones in strollers and were taking up both the left hand side and the right hand side of the Walkway and were not listening to anyone telling them to walk in a single-file line Conclusion # 929 – they were in a single-file line only the line went from side-to-side and not front to back. Conclusion # 930 – Ashamed to say they were Canadian. Eventually they were backing up both Lines up.

 

Once we got to the Luggage Area, they told us to get our Luggage and get back in the same Line. This was causing Arguments as people who were in line and already had their Luggage were screaming at those who were returning to the Line with their Luggage to “GO TO THE BACK OF THE LINE!!!” Eventually one of the Terminal Workers yelled, “If there’s more than one of you in your Party one person should stay in Line and one should go get the Luggage” That information would have been handy before we got to the Luggage Pick-Up Area. Conclusion # 931 – Closest we ever came to summoning a Porter.

 

Once we were back in Line with our Luggage, we proceeded to US Customs and that was quick and painless and within 5 minutes we were in a Taxi on our way to the Cruise Terminal in San Pedro.

[MizMoon]

Dee & Jim -- thanks for this - I was wondering if you had encountered Pirates!  I'm still here and catching up!  

[vanislandcruisers]

Summary

 

Like the 1^st 2 Cruises, the 3^rd time on the Carnival Panorama did not disappoint! We had a WONDERFUL TIME!!! and had A SHIPLOAD of LAUGHS!!! We really LOVE the Carnival Panorama and the layout that Class of Ship and are very much looking forward to our B2B on the Carnival Horizon in November of 2025….just as we are looking forward to the Carnival Venezia in October of this year.

 

This was the 3^rd Cruise Rick and Leslee have been on with us since we met them on the Carnival Splendor in 2017 (1 @ 7-day Norwegian Cruise, 1 @ 10-day Celebrity Cruise and this one) but for the 1^st time it was just the 4 of us. As expected, they were super easy to travel with and we want to Thank them for joining us. We wish Arizona was closer!!!

 

And for the 2^nd Carnival Panorama Cruise in a row, we spent a ton of time in the Pig and Anchor Bar. It was our Go-to as far being entertained and we cannot say enough about the Staff there.

 

We LOVED our Stops in Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán and a relaxing day in Cabo, for the 1^st time ever, was just what we needed. Conclusion # 932 – Apparently, we can only ‘Mango Deck’ or ‘Giggling Marlin’ or ‘Cabo Wabo’ so much.

 

We’ve done a Back-to-Back and a number of Side-By-Sides on various Carnival Ships and on one occasion we did a Carnival Cruise out of Miami and then did a Norwegian Cruise 3 Days later but this would be the 1^st time we have done a Side-by-Side on 2 different Cruise Lines by getting off a Ship from one Cruise Line and immediately getting on another Ship from a different Cruise Line on the same day.

 

We weren’t looking at the Celebrity Summit Cruise as a ‘real’ Cruise because the purpose of the Cruise was to get the Summit to Vancouver for the Alaska. The Cruise itself did not go as planned and we felt sorry for some Passengers who were cruising for the very 1^st time.

We couldn’t Tender over to Catalina Island because of high Winds and rough Seas so our stop there was cancelled there, and those high winds and rough Seas were a constant as we cruised up the West Coast. We experienced 45 – 65 knot winds and 7 – 9 metre Seas the entire Cruise up the Coast which didn’t bother us at all but did have an impact on those who weren’t used to cruising.

 

 

Winds caused the Cover over the Stage to tear

 

The only calm Seas we encountered were in the Bay in San Francisco....and we couldn’t have asked for a better day there...

 

 

 

 

...and a few hours in the Juan de Fuca Strait between Washington State and Vancouver Island as we approached Victoria.

 

Olympic Mountain Range in Washington State on our way to Victoria

 

 

 

 

We could tell the day before our arrival into Victoria that we would be late getting there so we decided to talk to Guest Services and arrange to debark in Victoria which we did. There ended up being about 50 Passengers doing the same thing. Originally, our intention was to stay on the Ship in Victoria and enjoy what we hoped would be a mostly empty Ship however we were about 6 hours late getting into Victoria, so Passengers had a little less than 2 hours to explore on their own as all the Excursions were cancelled.

 

Arriving in Victoria

 

 

Over the course of the Cruise, we met and bonded with a couple from Northern England who were ‘vacationing’ to celebrate their 1^st Wedding Anniversary, as well as Anthony’s 50^th Birthday which would be happening a week after they returned to England.

 

They had a very unfortunate incident that began at the LGBTQ Meet and Greet on the Sunday Night, the 2^nd Night of the Cruise, and was not resolved until late the Night before we were to dock in San Francisco. Both Nigel and Anthony were very upset and hurt by what had transpired, and we supported them as best we could.

 

About 3 hours before we were going to arrive in Victoria on the Thursday Night they found out that we were debarking and were sad that we were leaving. Dee and I asked them “When their Flight back to England was?’ and when they told us “Not until late Saturday Night”, we told them that, “If Guest Services would allow them to do so they were welcome to debark with us and come to our Place for 2 Nights.” We did put a condition on their stay saying, ‘That if they wanted to tour around Victoria on the Friday they would have to do so by Public Transit, Taxi or Uber as, after the 2 weeks Dee and I had, neither of us felt comfortable driving’. Conclusion # 933 – Dear Residents of Victoria…You are Welcome!!!…Safely, Dee and Jim 😊They looked at each other and then responded with a resounding “YES!!!”…and off to Guest Services they went.

 

We got off the Celebrity Summit and took 2 Taxis to our Place, with Dee going with Nigel, while I shared a Cab with Anthony, and arrived at our Place just before 12midnight, had some Drinks, walked over to our favourite Pub on Friday for Lunch, and had about 15 of our friends over to our Place Friday Evening for a Bar-B-Q.

 

That Night also happened to be the Night that the Northern Lights were visible to a large part of North America, so they were treated to a stunning Light Show compliments of Mother Nature.

Anthony, Dee and Nigel

(Please don't pay attention to the Grass as it hadn't been cut in 2 weeks 🙂)

 

Northern Lights from our Backyard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony and Nigel enjoying themselves with one of our Friends at the Bar-B-Q

 

I drove them to the BC Ferry Terminal in time for the 3:00pm Ferry to Vancouver on Saturday Afternoon and with a 4:35pm arrival on the Mainland, allowed them plenty of time for their 9:00pm Flight to Heathrow.

 

We had 2 GREAT Cruises, enjoyed ourselves immensely, met some GREAT People and Staff, and made Memories, and have Stories that will last a Lifetime.

 

Thanks to all who took the time to read our Journal.

 

Conclusion # 934 – Dee and I had a BLAST!!!        

[MizMoon]

Sounds like a perfect ending and example of cruisers friendship.  Good decisions all around - I am still gonna be very aware about those pineapples from now on.........Thanks for sharing - 😎