Filipino crew reunites with families as Carnival Panorama cruise visits Philippines

Jan 

Milo Severo - Philstar.com

October 22, 2024 | 8:57am

Carnival Panorama’s Manila visit is part of her 25-day Transpacific Carnival Journeys cruise from Singapore to Long Beach, California

Philstar.com / Jan Milo Severo

MANILA, Philippines — Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) celebrates its first-ever visit to the Philippines, with Carnival Panorama arriving at the South Harbor’s Eva Macapagal Super Terminal in Manila last week.

The ship’s leaders, Captain Luca Lazzarino, Chief Engineer Stefano Gazzolo, and Hotel Director Hector Groves, led the commemoration activity along with local dignitaries and representatives of Cruise Administration Services, Inc. and Open Sea Crewing Agency, Inc. 

Carnival Panorama’s Manila visit is part of its 25-day Transpacific Carnival Journeys cruise from Singapore to Long Beach, California. Carnival Journeys are a limited series of special, longer sailings that provide guests with unique travel experiences.

Measuring 1,055 feet in length and with a capacity of 4,000 guests and 1,450 crew members, Carnival Panorama debuted in 2019 and is based in Long Beach, California. In August, Carnival Panorama embarked on an 18-day Carnival Journey from Long Beach to Yokohama, Japan, which included stops in Alaska.

After the 18-day Transpacific voyage, Carnival Panorama entered drydock in Singapore for refurbishments. On October 12, Carnival Panorama left Singapore to begin its voyage back to Long Beach and visited Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, before arriving in Manila.

The ship’s Philippines visit gives guests a quick glimpse of the historic city of Manila and allows the vessel’s crew members to go ashore and spend some time with their families. A marching band and Ati-Atihan dancers welcomed guests and crew as they disembarked.

The ship also welcomed the families of Filipino crew members, giving them a glimpse of life on board. 

“We know this visit is a special moment for our Filipino team members, so we wanted their families to see their workplace. This is our first time docking in the Philippines and we prepared lunch on board as a thank you for the warm welcome,” Captain Lazzarino said.

“Filipino seafarers are among the top three nationalities sailing with the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. Carnival Panorama’s visit is a momentous occasion for CCL’s Filipino shipboard talent and a unique opportunity for them to be with their loved ones. This is why we prepared this homecoming event for them,” added Igmedio Cariaga, director of Carnival Cruise Line’s Crew & Travel Operations Team.

Open Sea Crewing Agency, Inc. became Carnival Cruise Line’s authorized manning agency last June and is committed to continuing CCL’s successful partnership with the Philippines. 

“Open Sea is proud to welcome Carnival Panorama to Manila, and we look forward to supporting the current and future generation of Filipino CCL crew members,” said Captain Antonio Ladera, president of Open Sea.