My wife and I recently sailed on the Carnival Imagination from Miami>Key West>Cozumel>Sea Day>Miami. It was my wife's first ever cruise and my second, my first one being in 1996 on Carnival Fantasy, a sister ship of Carnival Imagination.

While we were in port in Cozumel on Wednesday, January 23, 2013, there were three other cruise ships in port at the same time - Disney, Holland America, and another Carnival ship. While enjoying a seaside margarita, we ran into some people from the Holland America cruise, and they asked us how we liked the Imagination. I choose to describe the ship using a baseball stadium metaphor, so if you're not a baseball fan, this may not make sense to you, but here goes.

In 1992, the Chicago White Sox unveiled new Comiskey Park. It was a fine, functional baseball stadium, built much like many of the stadiums that came before it. It was (and still is) basically a concrete donut. It serves its purpose, but it doesn't really inspire anyone. The same year, the Baltimore Orioles unveiled Camden Yards, which was a revelation in baseball stadium construction. It's unusual lines, its incorporation of the city skyline of Baltimore, its classic yet modern design, and its attention to the entire fan experience inspired and influenced baseball stadium designs for the next 25+ years. Read more