Christening Carnival Panorama

Carnival Panorama will begin cruising round trip from Long Beach, California, today.

Fresh from Italy's Fincantieri ship yard, Panorama is the first new ship to debut and make her year-round home on the West Coast in over twenty years.

Godmother Vanna White from "Wheel of Fortune" cued crew members to flip over letters revealing the name before pushing a big blue button that released a bottle of champagne to slide down a little zip line and smash on the ship's bow yesterday evening.

There were other celebrities in attendance at the gala, including celebrity chefs Guy Fieri and Emeril Lagasse, both of whom have restaurants on board Panorama and other Carnival ships.

Carnival's Blogger John Heald hosted the event, which was kicked off by the USC Marching Trojans

Other attendees included Carnival Corporation's Chairman Micky Arison, who also owns the Miami Heat and is one of the 200 or so richest people in the world.  His dad was Ted Arison, the founder of Carnival Cruise Lines and the co-founder of Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Carnival Corporation's CEO Arnold Donald and Carnival Cruise Line's President Christine Duffy along with representatives from cruise lines under the Carnival umbrella including Princess and Holland America, were also there.

Many of the attendees were dressed in suits and evening gowns, but I assume you aren't as interested in the event as the ship, which is a definite major step beyond the last Carnival ship you may have cruised on.  Panorama is the third and final Vista Class ship (the other is Horizon).

The vibe throughout the ship is modern and vibrant, very much like being in some ideal, hip city center where cool people want to be.  I had a Red ale at a pool area bar, the Red Frog, and Julie had a Cuba Libre.  The Carnival micro-brew was okay but I was hoping to be more impressed.  Julie's drink was strong, so we got another Diet Coke to "water it down."

There are lots of notable public spaces, including outdoor restaurant/lounge seating on the Promenade Deck a la Norwegian Joy and Celebrity Edge.

Carnival has always been a big supporter of the military, and the Heroes Tribute Bar introduced on Panorama is a casual lounge honoring the defenders of the free world.

Julie and I especially like the Havana Bar, where we did a chacha as the terrific house Latin band played.

When Julie saw the adjoining pool area, which on a perfect California evening with Long Beach's lovely illuminated skyline in view, she said that's where she would spend her entire cruise.

The dining room was also lovely, and the Filet Mignon, starters and dessert were all delicious.  We had a fun table with wide-ranging topics of discussion.

After dinner, we set out to see some staterooms, including in the special areas for Cloud 9 Spa, Family Harbor and Havana Cabana, all of which were roomy and attractive.

Then, we had the biggest treat of the evening, the debut of "Rock Revolution; the Summer of '69" by an incredibly talented cast of singers, dancers and musicians.

This being a tribute to rock of 1969, it was appropriate for the band to be front and center on a stage that extends far from the vibrant LED backdrop into the audience with a forked walkway.  It started sort of predictably with "Let the Sunshine" from "Hair," but then a scorching lead guitar solo brought in Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," and we knew were in for something special.

They played a lot of my favorite songs from that era, including the Doors' "Touch Me," the Beatles' "Come Together" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Dance to the Music."

There were incredible lighting effects, including what I think must have included a drone during "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds."

The singers and musicians were all top notch.  While I'm not an expert on dance by any means, the choreography seemed to be very modern --- based on what I've seen occasionally watching "Dancing With the Stars" on TV --- while still pulling in that Flower Power feel.

As Julie said, "Nothing like having all of your corporate bosses in the audience to make sure nobody just phones in a performance."  Our experience, however, has always shown that Carnival really "rocks the Casbah."

That wasn't the end of the evening, though.  We were all invited up to Lido Decks 10, 11 and 12 to watch a fireworks extravaganza after a champagne toast.  When we left, Micky Arison and his wife strolled right by us, so I guess we were in a pretty ideal place for the grand finale.

On the way out, we walked back through the dome that was once home of the Spruce Goose and now serves as the Long Beach Cruise Terminal.  The terminal itself is impressive, feeling very park like and decorated tastefully for Christmas.

The highest praise of all came from Julie, who hasn't been a fan of the Fun Ships, primarily because of their more-garish approach to decor in years past.  Julie remarked she would definitely enjoy a week on the Mexican Riviera aboard Carnival Panorama.