Carnival Imagination Review

Carnival Imagination = great vacation

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Imagination
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Cap 1
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Dec 2008
Cabin: Ocean View

We departed from Miami. This year we drove to the port & left our car in the lot. The signs make it easy to find your way to the correct terminal. After dropping our checked luggage with the porters, we easily found a parking spot in a lot close to our terminal. They collect for the parking when you enter the lot, $20 per nite. There was no line to get thru security, probably because we got there around 2:00 for a 4:00 sailing. After security we got in line to check in & get our sign & sail card. We had filled out everything online ahead of time. This line took a bit of time. I think it was because there were so many 1st time cruisers & families with small children. Our check-in took only minutes. We gave our charge card & got our sign & sail card along with a thank you for coming back to Carnival & we boarded the ship very quickly. Our stateroom was ready & checked bags had already been delivered. We unpacked & made our way up for the dreaded life-boat drill. This is always a tedious procedure, but necessary, so we endure it. As always there were pushy people who had to get to the front. Not sure why? This time we had a cabin with a window, we usually get a balcony. The cabin was well laid out & with 3 closets, there was plenty of room for clothes. The bathroom was small & there was no counter space. I was glad I had a hanging toiletry bag. There was only 1 plug in at the vanity outside the bathroom. I was prepared with an extension cord. (A must to charge cellphones & cameras) Also, no hair dryer in the bath. Our cabin steward Raymond kept the cabin tidy. We had a cooler with us & he kept it full of ice all week.

Our table in the Pride dining room was an 10 top. We were fortunate to have great dinner companions. The head waiter Jerome was soo funny. He asked our names & addressed us by name all week. His assistant Paolo was good also, but a bit more subdued than Jerome. The food was good, sometimes very good. Much better than on Freedom last year. Service was great. My DH & the men at the table all got multiple entrees, appetizers & desserts. Jerome was happy to oblige. The wait staff performed the normal goofy song & dance routines, but is was all a good time. We had breakfast & lunch at the buffet a couple of times & the food there was better than Freedom as well. Sometime limited selections forced DH to check out all the stations to find something he liked. But there is no reason to be hungry onboard. Food, food, food. My biggest complaint is the lack of choice at the beverage stations. If you don't want to buy sodas or alcohol, you are stuck with yucky tea & watery lemonade. I was glad we brought bottled water & Pepsi with us.

The pool area was busy all day with the usual early AM chair hogs. We were able to find chairs on the upper deck by the water slides. The adults only Serenity deck looked nice, but it was impossible to find chairs there. I was disappointed with the older teens taking up chairs there. At nite the Lido deck was almost deserted. There was only 1 deck party & it was after a long day in Cozumel. I felt there could have been more entertainment there. After dark, it was bars & casino only.

Cabin Review

Ocean View

Cabin 6E
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