Long review of Carnival Imagination 10/5-10/9/2009

[trvlqueen]

I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow, but my compact flash reader died, so I can't get them up today. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Background: This was our “first annual” girls cruise. No guys with us at all … my mother, sister, mother in law, 2 teens, my 8yodd, and a friend all found a great bargain on early saver rates for this cruise and booked! We ranged in age from 8 to 73 and all of us had a fantastic time.

We arrived in Miami on Saturday and spent the days on the beach Saturday and Sunday. My mother-in-law and friend were both coming in on Sunday, so we had to make a quick airport run to pick them up … kind of a funny ordeal since they were both novice flyers. They kept saying they were by number 19, but after 5 trips around, we called and said “where the heck are you???” Turns out they hadn’t followed the signs for ground transportation and were waiting at arrivals … which would have been faster and easier if we had known they were there to begin with! Oh well, lesson learned.

Had a great late lunch/snack at Flannigan’s seafood bar and grill in Surfside. We stayed at the Solara Surfside resort (condos) and this place was a short walk from there. The food was great and they served our drinks in heavy plastic “to go” cups like you’d serve beer in at a college party or football game, and they had lids. We kept the cups and used them to get iced tea and lemonade while on the cruise. TIP: if you can find or bring a cup like this, it’s very nice to have. I’d never done that before, but the glasses on the ship are relatively small, so it was really nice to load that thing up with ice, tea, and lay on the deck reading without having to run back and forth for refills so often.

EMBARKATION: My mother fell off a train back in July and broke both of her ankles, so we had a wheelchair with us on this trip. We’ve never really had to deal with infirmities before … our whole family is relatively healthy … and Carnival was very accommodating. They upgraded her to a handicapped room (we called about 5 weeks out from cruising when we realized she would still be needing the chair) and assisted us with embarking in the first group of people. Port of Miami also offers FREE parking for handicapped people, so that saved us a cool $80 (which we promptly spent onboard!). We arrived early because we’d been advised that we might need to fill out additional paperwork, and didn’t have to wait very long at all. We were onboard and enjoying a snack by 11am. This was probably the fastest and most well-organized embarkation experience we’ve ever had, and it wasn’t all due to the chair. They let us know that we should go on up, but as we were rounding the corner from the elevator, we heard them calling groups 2-3 to board as well. There was barely any line at all, and plenty of seating. We were on Destiny in May and it was far more crowded, boarded later, and didn’t seem nearly as well run.

CABINS: We had 4 cabins, 2 people in each. Mine was a porthole room; a great bargain if there ever was one! We had the light you get in an outside cabin for the price of an inside cabin, and the windows were cleaner than our picture windows have been in the past. We were in room U17. My mother-in-law and my friend were in room U16 on the other side of the ship (we were starboard, they were directly opposite on the port side). My daughter and one of her friends were down the hall in room U196 (interior room), and my mom and sister were upstairs in E57 (the handicapped room). As usual, the rooms were very well laid out, roomy, and comfortable. We all had robes in the cabins (even the interior), but no hairdryers. I had known there wouldn’t be any and actually had one packed, but my 12yo got a last minute call that kept her from going on the cruise, and I guess when we unpacked her things from our bags, the hairdryer decided to stay home with her. Oh well, we were on vacation, not a job interview, so we made the best of it. Our cabin steward, Aurelio, was very nice. He did a great job keeping the cabin clean and my 8yo loved the towel animals. She couldn’t say his name, so he told her to call him “Oreo” (her favorite cookie … she loved that).

The one downside to the cabin is that it very heavily smelled of smoke. The steward told us that the former occupants were not smokers, but that there were smokers in nearby cabins. He did his best to remove the smell, going so far as to change the curtains and bedskirts and wash down the walls, but nothing helped. The second night, the smell was so bad that I had to move my 8yo down the hall into the bed her older sister would have slept in if she had been able to come. It improved a little from time to time, but was not ever gone. Guest services told me that it was coming through the vents and there was nothing they could do … if I didn’t have asthma, it would have been merely annoying, but it was starting to impact my breathing. Thankfully I was able to pick up some Febreeze and spray Lysol in Key West and by hosing the cabin down with those things before bed, I was able to get through the week without any major attacks.

DINING: Our wait staff was excellent. Their names were I Made and I Gusta and they went above and beyond to keep us happy. I Gusta (the head waiter) worked my 8yo really hard … she tends to be a little shy, but by the end of the cruise she was hugging him, making napkin animals with him, and dancing(!) with the waiters. She actually ended up trading e-mail addresses with him before we left. The seating arrangements were a little weird the first night. They placed a newlywed couple on their honeymoon with all of us girls. I’ve never known Carnival to so badly mess up dining arrangements. We didn’t mind, but I think the poor guy was just overwhelmed by so many women and his new wife just joined right in with us. The next night they had moved to a different table with couples, which seemed to be a better fit, but we chatted with them all through the cruise as we met up with them in various locations around the ship.

The food was excellent in the dining room, but I did notice some changes and cutbacks. Here were the highlights for me: 1. lobster … ok, duh, but the last 2 cruises the lobster was kind of tough … on Imagination it was PERFECT! Made me wish I’d ordered another one! 2. Grand Marnier Souffle … my favorite dessert 3. Tilapia … Yum and double yum! 4. Short Ribs … if they had these every night, I’d probably order them every night. Don’t miss them! Of course we hit the sushi bar, ate our fill of warm chocolate melting cake, and the pizzeria. The Mongolian Grill by the pool was really good, too. Breakfast on the Lido deck wasn’t my favorite, but it was good in the dining room. The tables and eating areas were kept really clean, contrary to other things I’d read on reviews of this ship. Almost as soon as you stood up they were right there cleaning up after you so the next person could have a clean place to sit. They were so efficient that they picked up my daughter’s juice after she dropped it off and went to get her food (and we were sitting right there).

KEY WEST: This was our umpteenth time in Key West … we’ve been there so many times I’ve lost count. This is one of my favorite places to go, but it was weird being there in the morning. Unlike Liberty, which docked right at Mallory Square, we docked in the old Navy Base and they ran us into town on the Conch Trains. It was really hot … they were having a heat wave and the humidity was a killer. Because we’d been to KW so many times, we hopped off the ship with the intention of hitting a couple of our favorite shops and then going over to the beach, but by the time we got to town, finished our shopping, and were ready to go to the beach, we were so hot we decided to just head back to the ship and hit the water park and pool instead. Good thing we did, too … the last Conch Train ran back to the ship at 1:15pm and by the time we got through the line and boarded, it was 12:15. I think we would have been seriously pushing our luck to hit the beach, too.

My mom, mother in law, and friend all decided to take the Conch Train tour and then hit the museums. They enjoyed it, but I’d caution anyone in a wheelchair against thinking that the museums are in any way wheelchair friendly. Thankfully my mother can walk a few steps or she’d have entirely missed out on a good portion of the museums. Also, the train personnel, who are supposed to be experience in handling wheelchairs, were clueless. My mother watched in horror as they broke the arm off of someone else’s wheelchair, and then my mother-in-law stepped in and folded hers to prevent any damage from occurring. The train was difficult to board for her, though, and since she was in a chair and had to board last, the only seats remaining were in the last row, facing backwards, with no shade. I think they could have handled that a little better and would advise anyone travelling with someone in a wheelchair to make sure and save seats FIRST and then go around to have the wheelchair put on the back of the train.

My sister, like me, has been to KW many times and so she opted to stay onboard the ship and enjoy the peace and quiet. In my opinion … and it’s just my opinion … this itinerary is seriously backwards. I’d much prefer to have the sea day the first day, spend time in Cozumel until 7 pm and then arrive late at Key West and stay until 10pm. As it was, the town was just coming to life when we were leaving. If we hadn’t been there before, we wouldn’t have known what we were missing, but I’m not sure we would have enjoyed it as much, either.

COZUMEL: We’ve been here before, too, so decided to do a beach day. We caught a cab over to Paradise Beach ($19 there for 5 of us, $18 back), bought wristbands, and spent the day enjoying the sand and surf. The kids loved the water and had a great time on the inflatables. We kayaked, snorkeled, and really enjoyed the frozen drinks and nachos. The guacamole was amazing!!! The beach was not crowded at all, and it was a great way to spend the afternoon. We went as soon as they cleared the ship, arriving around 1:20 and stayed until the beach closed. $10 each for the wristbands make this a bargain day and we’d go back in a heartbeat. I can see how it could get really crowded on a school break time, though, and if travelling in the summer, we might look in to Mr Sanchos or Nachi … Carlos and Charlies was right next door and their beach looked pretty nice, too. After the beach, we cabbed back and did a little shopping in the marketplace outside where the ship docks. We were back onboard in time for a shower and dinner (late dining).

Mom stayed on the ship after her experience in Key West. She was really worried that they wouldn’t be able to handle her chair and didn’t want to have anything broken. She said it was practically deserted and that there were maybe 20 people on the Lido deck all day. She really enjoyed the peace and quiet and spent her time exercising in the pool, reading, and cross-stitching.

Maria and my MIL went to the ruins in Tulum and seemed to really enjoy their tour as well. It was bloody hot there, too, as they were experiencing record breaking heat, and there wasn’t much shade. Also, not many places to sit down according to my MIL, but the site was beautiful and the trip was very nice. They didn’t make it to dinner and ate on the Lido deck instead that night.

SEA DAY: Very relaxing, beautiful weather, what more can I say? It was a typical sea day. I went to the afternoon tea and enjoyed that … first time I’ve done that, but I’d recommend it. Nice atmosphere, beautiful music, yummy desserts … I loved it. I also spent some time on the serenity deck, hit the water park with the girls, and thought about playing bingo … then I decided I’d rather be outdoors watching the wake of the ship than in the Dynasty Lounge hoping they’d pick my number.

ENTERTAINMENT: The entertainment staff was excellent. The shows were wonderful, the deck parties were amazing, and we had a great time. The first night Frank DelPizzo was the comedian … I laughed so hard I thought I was going to split my sides. This guy is REALLY funny! I missed his late show due to having to move my daughter out of the smoky cabin, but would have gone if I could have. The show on Tuesday (Elegant Night) was Livin’ In America and was very well done, too. I have to say that the female singer (Alesia) was ten times the entertainer the male singer (Kevin) was, but they were both good. The third night was a balancing act by “Lubo” … kind of interesting, but not my thing, followed by Ronnie Bullard. He was also very funny, but not nearly as funny as Frank DelPizzo. The last night was another production show, “Shout!” and was also quite good.

Karl with a K was our cruise director. We were so happy to see him when we got onboard … he’d been our cruise director for our cruise in 2007 and we loved him. He is quite funny, actually can sing(!), and throws one helluva great deck party. This was my 9th cruise overall and I have to say that while I don’t normally book a cruise for a cruise director, if I had 2 to choose from and was looking for a determining factor, I’d pick the one he was on if I could. The guy was all over the ship, remembered our names, and really was very entertaining. Aside from the tried and true “standard cruise director” jokes and patter, he really did bring his own personality to the cruise and it was evident that the crew members liked him, too.

DEBARKATION: Again, the worst part of any cruise … but not because they weren’t organized. I just hate getting off. But, we had fairly early numbers, so got up and moving early, had our stuff cleared out of the cabin and headed up for breakfast. We enjoyed a leisurly breakfast in the dining room and then were heading to the promenade deck to look at OPP (other people’s photos … there is funny stuff there, I’m telling you!) when they announced that self debarkation was over and it was time to start calling numbers. Before we knew it, we were off the ship, had found a porter to collect our bags and skipped the line for customs (thanks, CC … first time I’ve done that) and were in the car heading for Orlando before 9:30am.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This was a fantastic way to spend 4 days. I usually prefer the longer cruises, but this one was quite good. The older girls enjoyed Circle C, they all enjoyed the water park, and there was something for all of us to do all the time. We were a little anxious about this one because we had 3 first time cruisers, 2 in their 70’s, 1 in a wheelchair, and the three kids, so didn’t know how it was all going to work out, but Carnival didn’t disappoint. We’re looking at booking Victory next year and doing a longer cruise on the Southern route … but I don’t think any of us would balk at going back out on Imagination, either.

[Debbie1029]

Your review brought back fond memories of my cruise on the Imagination last New Year's Eve. Trying Facination this NYE! Thanks for your trip review!

Deb

[Indianamale]

Thanks so much for the review sounds like you guys had a great time. I will be on the same ship soon. I was wondering how hard is it to get a good pool chair? What time did you get to the port at the start of your cruise?

[jerseygirl79]

Thanks so much for posting. Looking forward to your pics.

[gargoyle999]

Originally Posted by trvlqueen

Before we knew it, we were off the ship, had found a porter to collect our bags and skipped the line for customs (thanks, CC … first time I’ve done that)

Did you skip customs because you had a porter or is there some other "secret"?

[BIG_Steve]

Thanks for the review. We'll be on her in a few weeks, but we're going to Nassau. Questions:

What time was your departure, being let on at 11 seems so early.

If you self disembark, can you hang out until they call for everyone to be off, or must you be off by a certain time?

How did using a porter make it so that you could bypass customs?

Thanks. We're getting cruise crazy counting down the days.

Oh, one more thing.... Did you hear about any venue on the ship that had slow or ballroom dancing?

[erinmarie424]

We'll be doing the same itinerary on Imagination next week - thanks for the preview!

[trvlqueen]

Originally Posted by Indianamale

Thanks so much for the review sounds like you guys had a great time. I will be on the same ship soon. I was wondering how hard is it to get a good pool chair? What time did you get to the port at the start of your cruise?

On sea days it was a mess trying to get 2 chairs next to each other by the pool ... and I'd say we really had 3 sea days because we left Key West at 1, arrived in Coz at 1, and the last day was entirely at sea. But finding 1 chair wasn't a problem ... I like to be pretty close to the pool because I had 3 kids travelling with me and I want to be able to see what they are doing so I can thunk them if they need it (thankfully, they didn't ) so was glad to be able to do that almost every time ... but if there had been 2 of us trying to get seats, it would have been a hassle.

The Serenity deck filled up fairly early, too, but there was turnover there, so if you wanted a chair all you had to do was sit in the hot tub for a few minutes and someone would leave. There were chairs in the sun and shade on that deck and even a bunch of cushioned chairs along the wall that you could sit in to read ... not chaise lounges, just regular chairs. Can't speak to comfort, because I never went over there ... I liked the chaise right up on the railing where I could watch the wake of the ship roll out.

We arrived at about 9:30 at Miami for embarkation because we had been told to get there early in case they needed to review my mother's medical paperwork ... but they never even asked for it. And yes, 11am is early! It's the earliest we've ever been on board ... and we weren't even first on!

[trvlqueen]

Originally Posted by BIG_Steve

Thanks for the review. We'll be on her in a few weeks, but we're going to Nassau. Questions:

What time was your departure, being let on at 11 seems so early.

Departure was at 4pm ... we started moving during muster drill . There was a fire boat that came by spraying and everything (we were in the Dynasty lounge for drill and heard it making noise and looked out the window), which was really cool, and right after that went by, the ship started to move.

If you self disembark, can you hang out until they call for everyone to be off, or must you be off by a certain time?

You can hang out and wait ... once they call "last call" you have to disembark, but in that case, I think I'd let my luggage go. It got a little hairy on a couple of the decks because of tight spaces and people trying to go through with a lot of hand-carried luggage

How did using a porter make it so that you could bypass customs?

We didn't really bypass customs ... I mis-spoke if I said that ... just the everlasting long line of other pax waiting to have their docs checked. The porter rolled right past everyone (we got a few glares) and up to the front of the line. He didn't even check all of our passports, just the first one. We did have a slight hold up because he asked if all the kids were mine, and one wasn't ... so he did have to look at her documentation. Funny thing is that they didn't ask for a notarized letter from her parents allowing us to take her with us when we boarded ... but customs wanted it when we came back. Like, "yes, we kidnapped this child and she is now going home against her will" would ever be a response you'd hear from someone ... kind of funny. (although we were ALL going home against our will, lol)

Thanks. We're getting cruise crazy counting down the days.

Oh, one more thing.... Did you hear about any venue on the ship that had slow or ballroom dancing?

There was some ballroom dancing going on at the farewell party, and in the atrium ... since I didn't have my hubby there and it was just us girls, we didn't pay too much attention to that, but did notice it at the farewell party.

One more item of note. The Captain's party is truly a goner ... now they stroll the promenade deck and there are $1 off all drinks during a specific time ... but the farewell party has kind of taken it's place. The captain and all the officers do put in an appearance there, the band plays, Karl sang, a couple of the entertainers came out and did their thing (the comedian and juggler guy) and there was dancing and free drinks. The farewell party was actually way more fun than the captain's party ever was, because everyone was in more casual clothes, so it was easier to move around, dance, and socialize.

[trvlqueen]

Originally Posted by gargoyle999

Did you skip customs because you had a porter or is there some other "secret"?

Nope, no other secret. It actually made our lives quite easy, too because he took the bags all the way out to the curb for us and gave us tips on how to pull right up to where the taxis pull up so that we didn't have to put Mom on a shuttle over to the handicapped ramp ... which isn't very close or convenient. Naturally we gave him a healthy tip, but it was well worth it for the saved aggrevation. Pics will come on tonight. I bugged on during work today to get some of these replied to since I wasn't able to get on yesterday ... but if anyone else has questions about the ship or ports, I'm happy to answer them.

[mouche]

Thanks for posting, Lord willing we will be sailing on her next June!!!