Carnival Panorama became the first Carnival Cruise Line ship to visit Manila, Philippines over the weekend.
The cruise line celebrated the occasion with a warm pier-side welcome for Filipino dignitaries, members of the media, and crew members onboard.
The Vista-class cruise ship was on a 25-day Carnival Journeys voyage when it visited the Southeast Asian nation. After departing Singapore on October 12, Manila was its third port of call.
A lively marching band gave its almost 4,000 passengers a cheerful reception. Meanwhile, the cruise line held a special luncheon and conducted a ceremonial plaque exchange, a maritime tradition for cruise vessels visiting a port for the first time.
The day’s special guests included the families of Carnival Panorama’s Filipino crew members. Carnival highlighted that a significant percentage of its crew were Filipinos. On the Panorama alone, 400 out of 1,400 employees, or 29%, are from the Philippines.
Cruises: A Way Out of Poverty
With 15.5% of the population—approximately 17.54 million Filipinos—living in poverty, many citizens have turned to cruise ships as a means to secure livable wages.
The country’s Migrant Worker Secretary, Hans Leo Cacdac, noted the growing population of Filipino crew on cruise ships.
“The number of our cruise ship workers almost equals the number of regular seafarers aboard merchant ships and vessels so this really shows that Filipino cruise ship workers are in high demand,” he said, speaking in a mix of English and Tagalog.
A local news channel shared tips for locals aspiring to be cruise workers, mentioning opportunities in cruise vessels’ engineering, housekeeping, and dining departments.
Fresh From the Dry Dock
At the inaugural visit, the 133,868-ton ship showed off its new signature red, white, and blue hull livery, one of its enhancements from its recent 24-day dry dock in Singapore.
Carnival Panorama will return to Long Beach and resume year-round itineraries to the Mexican Riviera. From 2025 to 2026, Carnival Radiance, Carnival Firenze, and Carnival Panorama will share the same deployment.
