Carnival Imagination Review
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Like so many of you, I find it much easier to write a cruise review while scanning chronologically through the photos of the trip. Some would say it jogs the memory, but I find that it adds clarity and feeling to my work. Imagine the feelings going through my mind right now, as the first picture to jump out at me was a vision of my hands – and mouth – wrapped around my very first juicy Guy’s Burger dripping with strings of fresh onion during our first meal aboard Carnival’s delightful Imagination. It is an apt name, as only in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the amenities of this smaller ship in the Carnival fleet.
This trip was a bit of a last-minute grab, as my wife determined it would be fun to cruise with our daughter and her family over Halloween. They had already booked the trip to celebrate their mid-October anniversary, and since we were married on Halloween night, it seemed the perfect time to enjoy a bit of celebrating ourselves on our 48th anniversary. I was a little apprehensive at first, since this 4-day adventure would be the shortest we had taken since our first cruise years prior. However, all that disappeared as soon as we saw her resting there at the aft end of the Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor.
Embarkation was just a dream. We stopped off at the VIFP lounge, got our Sail ‘n Sign cards, and were immediately whisked aboard the ship. It was quite possibly the smoothest embarkation we had ever encountered. Once onboard, we headed straight to our stateroom to drop off our carry-on luggage, and then straight out to lunch. We had been traveling since 3:00 am, and frankly, we were hungry for some actual food. We had heard about Guy’s Burger Joint, an association between Carnival Cruise Lines and Guy Fieri, for some time, and were anxious to see if this stop could measure up to all the hype from past guests. Since Guy’s is not on the ships we usually cruise in Carnival’s fleet, this would be our first encounter. After experiencing these juicy, dripping treats with toppings of our choice, accompanied by hand-cut fries slathered in Cajun spice, I truly hope it will not be our last.