Last Sea Day

Yesterday was our final sea day on the Carnival Panorama. We still had a few things left on our "ship list" that we wanted to do. Our original plan was to play the final round of LCR. The captain, cruise director and other crew had warned that the day would be rainy and cold. Either the weather system had a different path or the navigator was able to find a better one. Whatever the case, it ended up being sunny and warm - about 21°C. Instead we decided to have a relaxing morning and enjoy the view from our balcony.  

About Noon we decided it was time for lunch. We hadn't been to the Italian restaurant yet so today was the day. At night this is a specialty restaurant with an upcharge. But at lunch, it is complimentary. You can make your own pasta bowl, choosing your pasta, sauce and other ingredients. They also have short rib lasagna, Caesar salad and freshly made focaccia. I went with farfalle pasta with Bolognese along with eggplant, Italian sausage, mushrooms and onions. Very tasty! And the lasagna was some of the best I have had. A few things layers of pasta with savory short rib and Bolognese!! And of course cheese!

After lunch we headed to the Pig & Anchor bar for their famous bloody mary. They infuse Tito's vodka with all kinds of vegetables including peppers, celery, onions and olives. So the vodka is already well seasoned. Then they use a bloody Mary mix that is almost as good as the the Tres Agaves brand on Princess. It is called "Filthy". I have never seen it in a store. It is really tasty with rich tomato flavor and clean spices. And then in addition to the usual condiments of celery and citrus, they add a huge mound of bacon!! The definition of Flavortown!!

After that it was time for afternoon tea. This is something Carnival has on the last sea day. Many people forget they have it since they are usually thinking about packing. Also, Carnival lists it as a dining option and I think most expect it to be listed as an event so it is harder to find in the daily schedule. It wasn't crowded. We both had a cup of tea along with scones, macarons and a cucumber sandwich.  

We had a mandatory rest period before getting ready for dinner. This was also the time we packed our larger suitcase so it would be ready to put in the hallway later. We then stopped by Pig & Anchor and ordered two of their starters. At night, this place has an a la carte food menu. The Dragon Chili fries and Honey BBQ wings. Both very good. The Dragon Chili fries had some bits of burnt ends along with a spicy chili and of course cheddar cheese. 

 The wings had been smoked and then fried, before being tossed in the smokey BBQ sauce. 

After our snack, we headed to the Havana Bar. We hadn't yet seen the Latin band play so we stayed for a few songs in their instrumental set.  

It was then time for dinner. The menu wasn't my favorite. I had a Greek soup, shrimp cocktail and short ribs which were more like a pot roast. Not my favorite. These definitely weren't the short ribs from today's lasagna.  

After dinner we were going to the Celestial Strings production show. It uses the violin trio that performs around the ship as the centerpiece for each song. Lots of modern songs from Cold Play, Rhianna, Snow Patrol and Sia. We had seen this before on other ships, most recently the Carnival Celebration. On the Celebration we felt it was a lot of interpretive dance and not enough substance. They also used a smaller stage area. On Panorama they used the main theater which improved the show a little. Still large amounts of interpretive dance. And two of the lead singers were just screaming some songs when they couldn't quite reach the right note. I did enjoy the violin trio.  

After we headed to Pig & Anchor one last time to say goodbye to Andrei and Danni. Until next time.  

Today we'll pack up the rest of our luggage, have a light breakfast and disembark the ship. It's been a wonderful cruise. Far exceeded my expectations. Wonderful crew, very good food and good live music.