My son and I are just back from a spring break mother/son cruise onboard the Carnival Panorama. And one of our favorite activities onboard was the Sky Zone. My son, as a prodigious basketball fan, loved it because he got to channel Vince Carter in his 2000 NBA slam dunk contest win (minus thousands of fans and hundreds of thousands in prize money). And I got an hour of glorious time to myself during each of his four booked Sky Zone sessions to do the two things I enjoy most about cruising: eating without a nine-year-old’s filthy fingers defacing my food because he “might want to get some of that, but wants to be sure he likes it first” and walking on an outside deck at sunset while listening to an audiobook without being accused of being boring (I’m well aware of that fact without a miniature Vince Carter wannabe constantly reminding me).
So for anyone else who might be interested in trying the Sky Zone on the Carnival Panorama, here’s a video we made of our experience at the Sky Zone followed by everything you need to know.
What is Carnival’s Sky Zone?
The Sky Zone on Carnival is one part trampoline park and one part challenge zone. At sea! With bouncy floors and walls, the trampoline side offers free jumping as well as slam dunking and organized dodgeball games. The challenge zone offers tug of war, jousting, a rope ladder challenge, and an interactive climbing wall.
Three different Sky Zone session types are offered: Toddler Time, Open Jump, and a Glow Party. Booked sessions last for one hour and are priced as follows:
How much does the Sky Zone on the Carnival Panorama cost?
Prices for the Sky Zone, including special orange grippy socks that must be worn and will be yours to keep, are currently as follows:
- Toddler Time for kids 5 and under: $5 per child and $5 per adult (at least one adult must be present at all times for each participating family).
- Open Jump (with separate sessions for those aged 6-14 and 15+): $12 per person
- Glow Party, including t-shirt (with separate sessions for those aged 6-14 and 15+): $18 per person
How do Open Jump sessions at the Sky Zone on Carnival cruises work?
The four activities in the challenge zone (tug of war, jousting, rope ladder challenge, and the climbing wall) are available for the duration of every one hour session.
But three different activities, divided into three equal time segments will be offered in the trampoline park: free jump, slam dunking, and dodgeball.
Free jumping at the Sky Zone on the Carnival Panorama:
Slam dunking at the Sky Zone on the Carnival Panorama:
Curtain netting will be used to section off the court for the slam dunking portion of the session and participants will line up and take turns dunking on the hoop of their choice. There are four different height options available.
Dodgeball at the Sky Zone on the Carnival Panorama:
Participants will be divided into teams for dodgeball based on height. When your team isn’t playing, you can either watch the other teams play or hang out in the challenge zone.
What’s the Glow Party at the Sky Zone on the Carnival Panorama?
Glow Parties are structured just like the Open Jump sessions, but with the addition of black lights illuminating provided shirts and special reflective tape placed around the venue, laser effects, and party music. My son didn’t think the Glow Party was worth the extra $6 unless your mom needs to bum a spare t-shirt off you later in the day because she spilled soft-serve all down the front of hers (true story).
Here’s the shirt you’ll receive:
And you can see the orange grippy socks everyone will receive for every type of session.
And here’s what the Glow Party looks and sounds like:
How do I book the Sky Zone on the Carnival Panorama?
You can book your sessions once onboard via the kiosks in the Sky Zone lobby or via the HUB app.
Extra Credit Pro Tip: Book all the Sky Zone sessions you want on the first day of your cruise. On our sailing they booked up for the entire cruise FAST and you don’t want to miss out. If your plans change, you can cancel sessions (just visit the Sky Zone desk when it’s staffed) and you won’t be charged.
Where is the Sky Zone located on the Panorama?
The Sky Zone is located on deck 7 forward (right next to the forward elevators). If you’ve been on either the Vista or the Horizon, the Sky Zone is located where the IMAX theater is on those ships.
What’s the maximum capacity of each Sky Zone session?
There is a 20 person limit at each session and every session my son participated in on our Panorama sailing was at full capacity.
Can parents jump with their kids at the Sky Zone on the Carnival Panorama?
During Toddler Time, kids 5 and under can jump (and must jump with) parents. But during Open Jumps and Glow Parties for kids aged 6-14, no. Parents can either watch their kids jump or leave them in the capable hands of the friendly crew members and enjoy some free time (I looked at Sky Zone as paying $12 for an hour of babysitting). Parents and teens 15 and older can book sessions together.
Which Carnival ships have the Sky Zone?
Currently the Carnival Panorama is the only ship with the Sky Zone.
Conclusion: Would we do the Sky Zone again?
We already did it again! And again. And again. And again. Perhaps a more accurate question is, would we do it more than four times? Yes! While each session is structured the same (so some kids/adults may get bored doing the same things over and over), my son never tired of it and wanted to book as many sessions as possible. As for me, $12 was a small price to pay for an hour of “me time” and seeing my son live out his hoop dreams. Next time we sail on the Panorama, I’ll be tempted to book every session!
And with that…
Class Dismissed.
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