If you're looking for a cruise ship that's big and diverse enough to keep even the most active person happy, it's hard to do better than Carnival Panorama. The third vessel in Carnival's popular Vista Class of ships, 4,008-passenger Carnival Panorama has something for everyone. Kids will love the gigantic water slides and water park that take up a significant chunk of top-deck real estate. Couples looking to escape the crowds will find a haven on the adults-only Serenity sun deck. Thrill-seekers will enjoy the SkyRide, the SkyCourse and -- new to Carnival -- the SkyZone trampoline park. Add in the constant stream of activities around the ship, most of them free, and you'll see how Carnival Panorama delivers on value. Also new for a Carnival ship -- and already one of the most popular activities onboard -- is Carnival Kitchen, a dedicated space for cooking classes. There, you can learn to make the line's signature warm chocolate melting cake from scratch or how to cook tasty Indian dishes. The classes are fun, not at all pretentious, and you get to eat what you make. Foodies will also appreciate all the specialty restaurants, particularly some standout pan-Asian offerings. But what's particularly great about Carnival Panorama is you don't have to shell out money to have a tasty meal. There are plenty of included restaurants, and while service in the main dining room leaves something to be desired, the food is generally yummy. What Carnival Panorama is not is quiet. The flow of passengers works well -- we rarely encountered bottlenecks or crowds, even at full capacity -- but there's a lot of banging around and noise within the hallways. That's partly due to the sheer breadth of passengers, from kids who wake up early with energy to burn to party-hearty types who stumble home late from the bars. (Walls and ceilings have little soundproofing, so you hear it all.) Still, Carnival Panorama shows that the line's ships have much more to offer beyond late-night revelry (although there's plenty of that). It's a fantastic ship for families, as well as groups of friends or celebratory events, such as birthdays or reunions. On your cruise, you'll see groups wearing matching T-shirts or hats that are bound to make you smile (even though we predict you were smiling already). You have to work to not have fun onboard.

Inclusions Included with your cruise fare: Meals in the main dining room and buffet, and at Pizzeria del Capitano, Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina; also select room service items and lunches in some specialty venues Shows in the main theater and the Punchliner Comedy Club, deck parties and live music around the ship Use of the Carnival WaterWorks splash park and waterslides, SkyCourse (ropes course), SkyRide, SportsSquare (including mini-golf) and the Sports Court Use of the fitness center, excluding classes and personal training Most daily activities, unless otherwise noted Access to the adults-only Serenity sun deck area Movies at the poolside Carnival Seaside Theater Use of Carnival's Camp Ocean kids club until 10 p.m. for children aged 2 to 17 Not included with your cruise fare: Daily gratuities ($13.99 per person, per day, in standard staterooms; $15.99 per person, per day, for those in suites) Automatic gratuity on beverage purchases, as well as spa and salon treatments (18 percent for both) All drinks with the exception of water, tea, coffee and select juices in the buffet Select room service items, plus pizza delivery ($5) Entry to the SkyZone trampoline park Meals in most specialty restaurants Use of the thermal suite and thalassotherapy pool in the Cloud 9 Spa All spa treatments, along with most fitness classes and personal training Specialty coffee Shore excursions Wi-Fi Packages Casino play Activities like Carnival Kitchen cooking classes, bingo, liquor and wine tastings, and Build-A-Bear workshops Arcade games Photos, portraits and artwork Purchases from onboard shops After-hours babysitting in the Camp Ocean Kids Club