Carnival Imagination Review

What I'd expect of Carnival.

Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Carnival Imagination
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fyree39
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Dec 2015
Cabin: Ocean View

The Carnival Imagination is smaller, older, but still in good shape. With only one pool, plus the hot tubs back in the Serenity area, swim time can be crowded. If you like a high energy cruise with a younger crowd, this is the type of cruise for you. We have been on a number of these short "booze cruises" and this one wasn't nearly as wild as others we've encountered. We usually see at least one bachelorette party, but this time there was none of that. No frat parties, no bachelor parties, no beer bongs by the pool. It was really rather quiet.

The ship was decorated for the holidays and it was very nice. There was even a holiday party for the kids complete with carols and a visit by the Grinch and Santa. Playlist productions had two events, Divas and Epic Rock. I'm not a fan of these shows. There's usually one or more singers who can't sing their way out of a paper bag and this production group proved my theory true. Even so, Epic Rock was a whole lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. The ship currently hosts a rock band called After School Special. You can't miss their performances! Joey, the lead guitarist, was stunning with his talent. They're a must see. The solo guitar performers, Emma Jude and Jack Ryan, are about what you'd expect on a cruise ship, but they at least provide a nice amount of music to help with ambiance. Although it was planned, we never made it to the piano bar.

The Imagination has the American Table menu. We had Any Time Dining, which we normally get on these short cruises, and usually show up before 7 pm. There was never a wait for a table for two. This could be because this cruise appeared to be sailing only half full. I've got to say that the food on Carnival is in a steady decline. I found the American Table menu has left off many of my old favorites and replaced those with items that simply weren't that great. The only thing I really loved was the baked chicken with sausage stuffing. It was so good I could have had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The only thing it was missing was a nice gravy. The Lido deck food was dismal. I found I stuck with the salad bar. Finding a vegetable in the steam tables sometimes took some doing. If you love carbs you're in the right place. If you'd rather eat healthy options, stick with the salad bar. There's always the Mongolian Wok, but the wait for a serving of freshly sautéed vegetables was prohibitive.

Cabin Review

Ocean View

Cabin 6D

Located under the theater, the sound does carry, so if you head to bed early, be sure to keep this in mind should you get this cabin. The cabin isn't all that huge, but it had enough storage for the two of us and our suitcase fit easily under the bed. There's no hair dryer or refrigerator, but there is a safe. The shower is supplied with one small cake of soap at the sink and both shampoo and body wash in the shower. We never saw our steward except late one morning as we were coming back from breakfast. I can't remember his name, but when he saw what cabin we stopped at, he greeted us both by name. How do they do that? I can't remember what I had for breakfast, let alone the names of a steady stream of passengers. He kept our room clean with twice-daily service.

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