Carnival Imagination Review

4.0 / 5.0
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What a great ship!

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Imagination
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cruisegetaway
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jun 2008
Traveled with children

Pre-Cruise in Miami: 1. We stayed at the Double Tree Grand Biscayne Bay and absolutely loved it! We had a bay-front room and could see the cruise ships as they come in and turn around. The staff is very friendly and ready to meet your every need. 2. There is a free train system right across the street that will take you to Bayside where there are shops and many places to eat. Bubba Gumps is great! 3. There are cabs right outside the hotel waiting to take you to the docks in the morning for only $11. Embarking: 1. Get there early if you don't want to stand in line. If you have all of your passports, sign and sail information and your credit card that is on file, ready when you get to the counter, you will be ready to board in a matter of minutes! We were impressed! 2. You are able to drop off your bags in your room even if they aren't ready for you to linger around in it. We were a family of four, traveling with a 10 year old and a 16 year old. We had one inside, bunk cabin and one ocean-view cabin. There were two days at sea with a day in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and a day in Grand Cayman. Cabins: 1. The inside cabin with the bunks was nice for the boys. It left floor space for the day but watch out for your head when getting out of the lower bed. 2. The ocean view cabin was great. They have a nice bowl in the bathroom with free razors, deodorant, etc... Plenty of closet space and a safe if you need it for your valuables. They also have nice robes for use in each cabin! Food: 1. This is the one area that I feel the ship is lacking. The food was good, but far from great. The burgers and fries were good. Loved the midnight Mexican buffet! Horizons sandwich bar was great and the guys always were smiling and singing! The pizza was so-so. We only ate one night in the main dining and again it was so-so. The chocolate melting cake is to die for!! 2. We did note that if you have the soda card and ordered just a soda or water in the lounges the wait staff gave you an attitude. They were hoping for the 15% gratuity added to the drink order! Other than that all of the staff went way out of their way to help out Fun: 1. There was plenty to do! You could dance, sing, listen to music, learn about art, watch ice carving, read, play games (BINGO was great!!), and see shows or just chill on the deck. The music did get a bit loud on the Lido deck sometimes, but what do you expect for a fun ship? 2. The new waterworks park is truly amazing! It is great for the young and just the young at heart! The water slides are a hit but you will have to wait in a line to ride them. Shows: 1. There was a great juggling show for all ages. Unbelievable talent and no crude humor. Nice for families. 2. The adult "R" rated comedy show we didn't attend because of the warnings over and over that we may be offended by the content. 3. The shows by the Carnival singers and dancers were awesome. They put all they had into the show and you could tell they loved it! They were personable during other events and always seemed happy to answer your questions. Camp Carnival: 1. They offered many things for the 9-11 age group to do. They had a party one night for them until 3:30 AM! Our son really enjoyed it. 2. There were times that things seemed a bit unorganized. They don't always meet in the Camp Carnival area and although that helps the kids know the ship better, it can cause confusion when there are crowds O2 Teen Club: 1. They offered a lot for the teens to do without making it feel like a babysitting service. That is a delicate balance that they did very well. There were organized activities and just hang out times. Both were appreciated by our 16 year old. 2. Tipping is done for the other staff on board but don't forget the Camp Carnival or O2 workers! They appreciate it more that you could imagine!! Ports of call/Tender Docking: 1. You have to have your entire party ready to go and get a number sticker to wear first thing in the morning. When they call your number, you may board the tender. It was not explained well and caused some confusion. 2. The lines to get back on the tenders can be VERY long so I suggest getting there about an hour before the time they say to. WE did that and had no problems. Some people waited over an hour in line to get the tender back to the ship. Ports of call/docked: 1. No problems at all. Just walk right off. Don't forget your sail and sign card and photo ID to get back on the ship. Disembarking: 1. This was the worst. They allow "self assist" which means you carry off your own bag. You may leave before the baggage people have all the luggage together in baggage claim thus saving time and people traffic. They just call your floor and you walk off. Sounded great but didn't work that way. They had the bags ready before our floor was called and by the time we got called there were major traffic jams. Getting an elevator was almost impossible and when it finally came, we couldn't get off because there was no room for all the people. Post Cruise in Miami: 1. We stayed at the Homewood suites Blue Lagoon in a 2 bedroom, water front suite. Very nice. It had a king bed in one room and two doubles in the other. 2. There is a huge salt water fish tank in the lobby. The more you watch it the more creatures you will find. It kept our kids occupied for a long time. 3. They offer free breakfast all week, and Monday -Thursday a free light dinner. We had salad, soup and Chimichangas. It was all very good. Highlights: 1. O2 teen club design and staff. 2. Snorkeling in Grand Cayman-don't miss it! Carry your own gear or rent from Red Sail 3. Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica-make sure you have swim shoes! 4. Lunch at Margaritaville in Ocho Rios next to the dock 5. *Top Highlight* Bingo with Assistant Cruise Director, Kirk! He was the best ever! We would book a cruise that didn't leave the dock if we knew he was on board! I haven't laughed so hard in I don't know when! And may I just say, from your second row hecklers, "Come on Kirk!".

Cabin Review

Everything you need. Plenty of storage. Comfortable Beds.

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