First time cruise, a 5 day Western Caribbean visiting the Grand Cayman Island and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Upgraded to a suite which enrolled my wife and I to Carnival's "Skipper's Club" which allowed us to by pass a lot of standing in line. Our cabin was just okay. The bathroom was showing its age. Dirt and grime on the bathroom floor tile and walls. The balcony was nice to have, a little small, but again nice to have. One problem I did not foresee, above us was the weight room and there must of been several clumsy weightlifters because we can hear and feel the vibrations of weights being dropped on the floor starting at 6:00 am.
The overall condition of the ship was good. The food was great and the service was excellent. As I found out, there is a lot of things to do on the ship and they make it to easy to spend your money. We easily went over our budget using their "Sail and Spend" card.
One major deficiency would be how the crew handles a crisis. After leaving Jamaica on the Aug. 23, then TS Katrina was brewing off Bermuda. On Wednesday the 24th the Port of Miami was closed leaving the Imagination going around in circles north of Cuba for two additional days. With only 7 phones lines and 7 internet computers available it was nearly impossible to make new flight arrangements. There were people standing in line for hours trying to get information or use a phone in the pursers office. The Captain did the best he could by moving the ship close to Key West so that some passengers could use their cell phones.