Last year we took a cruise on the Imagination and had the time of our lives. We were blown away by how friendly and enthusiastic the staff was. If there was ever anything you needed, they went so far above and beyond to make sure that you were taken care of even beyond your expectations. After our first cruise experience, we decided that we were now "cruisers" for life!

Perhaps this spoiled us, but it was one of the reasons we were so quick to decide to return to Carnival a year later for another cruise with such eager anticipation.

This time around we were severely underwhelmed by the general staff. I'm not sure if it a difference in the staff of this ship (the Fascination) just not caring as much as the staff of the Imagination, if it was because this cruise was a little later in the year (end of April vs beginning of May), if it was because the port we left from felt run down (Jacksonville vs Miami last year) or whatever other reason, but what we experienced was nowhere near the level of service we had enjoyed just a year prior. Read more