Ok, we just got back from our 5-day cruise on the Imagination. WOW! We had a blast!! Of course, there were a few less-than-perfect things, but life's not perfect. This was my fourth cruise (RCI, Big Red Boat, twice on Carnival) and my husband's second cruise (both on Carnival). I asked him after this cruise if he was curious to try another line after two Carnival cruises, and his response was "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

First, a little about us. We're mid-thirties, both with professional positions, with two small children (who stayed home with Grandma). We live in Key West, Florida. Like I said, this was our second Carnival cruise. I apologize now - this is going to be really LONG. I ?like lots of detail!

EMBARKATION : I was a little peeved that our trip from Bonita Springs to Miami took longer than I expected due to rain and a stop in at Walgreen's to pick up a few things we left at home. I wanted to be at the port by 11:00 AM, and we didn't make it till almost 12:30. I was a little concerned about the crowds, but it seemed that we *just* beat them. We were shunted into a separate line for people who already had their Funpasses filled out online, and the line moved very quickly. We were checked in, got our room keys, got our Sail & Sign cards, and were onboard before 1:00. The crowd building up behind us was HUGE, though! Read more