There's a free made-to-order Asian lunch hiding on the Carnival Panorama, and most people sail right past it without knowing.
We spent a day trying out both of Carnival Panorama's specialty Asian restaurants, Bonsai Sushi and JiJi's Asian Kitchen. One has raw fish with style, one has bold flavors meant for sharing, and one of them serves a completely free lunch that most passengers never find. Let's break it all down.
Bonsai Sushi: A Calm Break From the Rest of the Ship
Bonsai Sushi is Carnival Panorama's specialty sushi restaurant, and it's not your average cruise ship food stop. No trays, no heat lamps, and certainly no mystery sauces. Walk in and you find a quiet table, a Japanese motif, soft lighting, and people who actually take their sushi seriously.
You get a menu to fill out yourself, and the options cover a lot of ground. Classic rolls like California and spicy tuna, specialty rolls with names like the Bang Bang Bonsai Roll, sashimi, noodle bowls, ramen, soups, Japanese plates, sake if that's your thing, and desserts including ice cream and yuzu custard. If you're new to sushi and not quite ready to be adventurous, there are cooked options too. You can be brave without actually having to be brave.
We started with a miso soup, simple and comforting, warm and rich with that umami depth you want from a good miso. Then a ramen bowl with chicken, decent broth, soft boiled egg on top, though the egg wasn't marinated so it's pretty basic. And then came the main event, the Panorama sushi boat. It's served in a decorative vessel shaped like a traditional Japanese fishing boat, and it comes out with the California roll, the Bang Bang Bonsai Roll, and a set of sushi pieces. That Bang Bang Bonsai Roll is genuinely special. Unique to Carnival ships, and worth ordering on its own.
The whole vibe here is calming. No buffet traffic jams. Just quiet conversation and maybe a friendly argument over who gets the last piece. The sushi boat has gone up to $34 now, so it's not cheap, but it's a perfect middle ground between the pizza counter and the steakhouse. If you've got some shipboard credit to use, this is a solid place to use it.
The Hack: Free Lunch at JiJi's
Now here's the thing most people don't know. JiJi's Asian Kitchen serves a completely free made-to-order lunch. That's right, free.
At dinner JiJi's is a specialty restaurant with a cover charge, but at lunch it becomes a made-to-order noodle and stir fry spot and it doesn't cost you a thing. You pick your protein, vegetables, and sauce, and they cook it fresh in the kitchen. The lunch menu is smaller than dinner, but the flavors are just as good. I got the combo, sliced chicken, steak, and shrimp, stir fried with vegetables and wide Asian noodles. Honestly, this might be one of the best free lunches you can find anywhere at sea.
Rambler hack number 44: if you're sailing Carnival Panorama, put JiJi's lunch on your schedule at least once.
JiJi's at Dinner: Family Style and Worth It
That evening we went back for dinner, and this is a completely different experience. JiJi's at night is a specialty restaurant at $24 a person, and it's set up family style. That means instead of everyone ordering one plate, you pick several dishes for the table and pass everything around. Everybody gets a little bit of everything.
Even before the food comes out, the restaurant itself slows you down. Asian art on the walls, Mongolian-style fabric, warm lighting. You walk in and just think, okay, this is going to be a real dinner, not a grab and go.
The chef surprised us before we even ordered with some complimentary prawn toast, crispy outside, mashed potato inside, topped with mozzarella, cilantro, and sweet and sour sauce. Really good start.
Appetizers included spring rolls, Nanjing style duck, and tamarind shrimp soup, all served hot and fresh. Not huge portions since they're meant for sharing, but that's the whole idea here.
Then the main dishes started coming, and they just kept coming. Himalayan basmati fried rice with shrimp, haka noodles, kung pao chicken, sweet and sour fragrant shrimp. Three of us had enough food to feed at least six. Now, a fair warning on the kung pao chicken. We ordered medium spice, and it came out more like a mild. If you like real heat, you might want to ask for it hotter.
What surprised me the most was how fresh everything tasted. On a cruise ship you don't always expect that made-to-order feel, but JiJi's really delivers it. Food comes out hot, flavors are strong, and nothing felt like it had been sitting under a heat lamp waiting for you.
By the time dessert showed up, we were pretty well full, but somehow we managed. They offer three desserts, rose creme brulee, fried wontons, and caramelized crepes. We tried all three. The desserts are a lighter finish than a heavy cake, which is exactly what you need after all that food.
Was it worth $24 a person? Yeah, it was. The experience, the atmosphere, and the quality of the food made it feel like money well spent. Just don't expect to take the leftovers home with you. You're on a ship.
Want to see Bonsai Sushi, the free JiJi's lunch, and the full family style dinner all on video? Watch the full video right here:
Watch the full video on YouTube
If you're sailing on the Carnival Panorama, you can find both of these restaurants and make reservations through the Carnival Cruise Line dining page.
