Carnival Imagination Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We purchased "Faster to the Fun." I think it was worth it. Our flight got in at about 9:30 at Long Beach airport and we were on the ship at 11:30. Since we got up early, Faster to the Fun meant we got to eat lunch on the ship. I think we were the first through the buffet. We also got to explore before everyone else crowded the hallways. I would do it again, and next time I'd eat lunch then head straight to the pool deck while everything is pristine and not crowded! Our luggage was at our door by 1:30. Our room was ready, though we did have to open the closed hallway doors.
We ended up going to bed early on embarkation day, so we didn't check out any of the activities that night. On the next two nights the party didn't seem to get going until 11. You can still dance, but you'll need to be bold enough to be one of 10 on the dance floor! Karaoke did not kick the kids out, so we were listening to 10 year old's do Taylor Swift. Also, the lights didn't go down in the Karaoke room, which made it more like a kid's birthday party and less like land Karaoke.
The comedians did mostly the same show each night (one family, one adult show each for 2 comedians). So, if you go one night, you probably won't need to go the next unless you drank so much you forgot! On our day at sea it rained and rained. And then, there were technical difficulties with the Divas/ Rock show, so it was cancelled. They did a second round of Hasbro, the game show. The shows and the game show were each 45 minutes to an hour, and the same for the comedian. They tried to entertain us despite the rain, adding an inside movie. The magic show was packed. Apparently there were board games available in the library. We did trivia, which was the most basic form of trivia, and not the team centered excitement you get from bar trivia on land if that is your thing. We went to the art auction which was more interesting than I expected and included a free glass of champagne. It lasted almost 2 hours. They did give out some free "art" including several raffle drawings.
Cabin Review
Interior
This cabin is near the front of the ship with one cabin across the hall and the employee stairway also across the hall. It is noisy in the morning on port days. The sound was loud enough to wake us at about 6:30 in Ensenada and in Long Beach. From what I could tell it is a fairly standard interior state room. The flat screen TV is wall mounted in the corner. We could both see it from the "two-twin" arrangement of the beds. Plenty of storage for luggage under the beds and in the closet. Not much storage in the bathroom, but there is a vanity in the room.
Port Reviews
Ensenada
It isn't the cruise line's fault that Ensenada is what it is! We didn't get an excursion. We walked into town from the ship. It was about a 10 minute walk. We went to the "Centro Cultural Riviera" and got confused. We ended up paying 40 pesos for a museum of pre-colonial Ensenada. We then found the cultural center which was some stalls and an old building.
We walked to the shopping area. We spent about 90 minutes walking around there. Every store has nearly the same souvenirs, and I doubt most of them are made in the area. We bought some wine, some name bracelets, and some candy. On the way back to the ship there was another market that seemed more "local" in that there were a bunch of locals listening to music. We got churros that were delicious and filled with caramel.
Los Angeles
Embarkation port! If you want to tour a little, get on the free Passport bus that will take you to the aquarium, the shoreline village, the Pike Mall area, and another mall.