I'm an experienced cruiser who was looking for a quick weekend getaway to relax and unwind. I chose Carnival over Royal Caribbean and NCL (they each had 3-day cruises on the same dates) so I could reach platinum status by next year during the grandfather period (this was #9 with Carnival). The RCL and NCL itineraries were more desirable as they included a stop at their private island-it turned out the weather was too windy for the RCL and NCL ships to tender to their private islands that day. To be honest, I went in with low expectations knowing the Imagination is an older ship and the 3-day cruises attract a party crowd, etc. I really just wanted some R&R and my goal was met with this cruise.

EMBARKATION: I flew in the morning of the cruise and took SAS transportation ($15) from FLL to the POM. I can't say this process was efficient, as we kept having to circle the airport waiting for other passengers to arrive. I really was not in a rush so I was OK with it and we ended up stopping at a CVS because someone in the van needed a prescription they had forgotten. I bought a bottle of wine, water and soda for my room. We ended up at the port around 12:15. The embarkation process was quite long in my opinion -- you first had to wait in a long line to get your passport/boarding pass checked and then into the terminal into another very long line to get your sail & sign card. They had half of the terminal check-in stations not in use which I found strange. It was off to another line to get your sail & sign picture taken and then embarkation picture taken-there was no option but to wait in line even if you didn't want a picture taken. It took about an hour from arrival at the port until I walked onboard. I would have kept my small suitcase with me instead of checking it with a porter as the rooms were ready shortly after I boarded. Compared to my embarkation on the Liberty this past March where I essentially walked on the ship, I was not impressed with the embarkation process for the Imagination.

CABIN: I had the most aft inside cabin on the Riviera deck and was happy with it (except the shower). This cabin had four berths but Carnival allowed me to book it as a solo traveler. I did not hear much foot traffic with this cabin location and the room felt spacious. The A/C worked quite well and I actually had to keep the vent in the middle or it got too cold. The TV in the room did not allow you to view your balance on your S&S card, but there were kiosks on the ship to view your balance and make some transactions. I never met my cabin steward, but he/she did a fine job of keeping the room clean and attended to. The only issue I had was the shower head did not seat properly in the holder and kept spinning around so it soaked the entire bathroom and made rinsing your hair a little hard. The holder was stripped and was in need of replacing. It would have been annoying for a 7 day cruise but was tolerable for 3 days. Read more