Carnival Imagination 4 Day Review Mar 20-24, 2016

For those that were following before unfortunately something happened with my photos at photobucket however I have fixed it and it now works so here it goes! (Sorry for those it's a repeat review)

My 4 Day Carnival Imagination Review

Day 1

Our Family

Me, DH, DD 17 and DS 12

Ready to Go!

What an exciting day.... except we had to wait until 730pm to leave Calgary. We booked with Allied Limousine Service to pick us up and take us to the airport. They were very prompt and service was awesome. The checkin at YYC was quick and painless and then we arrived in the security area! WHAT A NIGHTMARE! I knew there were renovations going on but the area was incredibly jam packed, no one could move, get to the washroom or anything. I would have hated to see an emergency situation where we had to evacuate...... Surprised it met fire codes actually.

We then boarded a beautiful Westjet flight to LAX. Our main lead was Faye and Michelle was assigned to our section. My DH had surprised us and booked us Plus with Westjet. It was a wonderful stress free way to start our vacation. The service was fantastic and friendly! True West Jet Style. We let the kids sit together as the seating is 2-2 and they did fantastic. Phew..... maybe they would get a long this trip. We were super excited to see the Mickey Plane outside the window next to us!

Our Friend Leigh-Anne was not able to work this flight so she arranged a special surprise for us....... a goody bag filled with puzzle books, pencils, pencil crayons, adult coloring books, a pencil sharpener, gum and lots of other goodies......the best part WINE glasses (plastic of course to meet security standards) to have a relaxing glass for my hubby and I on the flight!

When we arrived in LAX we were able to get all of our bags extremely quickly and went out to the Prime Time Shuttle location to notify them of our arrival. We had been emailed earlier that day that we were upgraded from an exclusive 7 passenger van to their executive SUV service. We were very surprised and extremely pleased. Our driver, who was originally from Ethiopia, was the kindest and most engaging young man. He was extremely professional and kept a great conversation going on our way to the Queen Mary. Prime Time personnel at the airport were fantastic and ensured the driver was prompt.(I don’t have a good review for them on our return trip.....stay tuned!)

We were exhausted as we arrived at the Queen Mary it was now 11pm Pacific Time (12 midnight for us) and we had all been up early as DD had to be at the University for 830 am for auditions to the dance program and DH had a meeting from 9-4 pm that day. The bell staff was very good quickly got us up to check in. When we checked in the front desk staff said that there was a small leak in the closet and were we ok with that..... ummm well not really what are our options? We were told they had no other rooms available and would give us a $40 discount on the room rate. Our kids were exhausted and now not getting along, mommy and daddy were exhausted and now getting to no patience with the kids and we all wanted a bed ...... so the answer was FINE OK...... and off to bed we went (beds were super comfortable!) I was so tired I didn’t even get any first time pictures of The Queen Mary.... that would have to wait for tomorrow (a first for me!)

Day 2

The Queen Mary and Embarkation Day on the Carnival Imagination

Well the leak was a bit more than little...... by morning the closet leak had spread over towards the bathroom and we had to wear our shoes to prevent getting wet feet. I discovered this when I was wide awake and anticipating the Imagination’s arrival. Well as soon as I realized the time I ran upstairs to the deck and got some pictures of her pulling in and being tied up! Very breathtaking to watch.

Well it took a bit but finally everyone was up and we went off to breakfast and planned to come back, pack everything up and then explore the Queen Mary until we went to check in and board. When we arrived at our room there were 3 guys in the room with hazmat suits (ie white jumpers), face masks and shields??????? What is going on???? Within seconds we realized that there was now a lake in our room and thankfully all of our stuff was dry and ok. The front desk manager, the guest services manager and the maintenance manager were all at our room within minutes. I can not say enough about the service we received. We were given our night and breakfast compliments of the Queen Mary and we were very grateful they were so accommodating! (what are we going to do with this bonus???) They called the most AMAZING bell hop Cesar to come and rescue us. Cesar helped us decide it would be best to take our checked bags directly over to Carnival. He wheeled them all over for us on his luggage cart and we could not have been more thankful.

He took our carry ons for us back to the Queen Mary and secured them for us while we got our sign and sail cards and then back to the Queen Mary we went to explore. This was one of our highlights. The history and being able to see the photos, equipment (both of cruising and warship use) was breathtaking. We loved it!

The kids even got to meet the Commodore!

Our time on the Queen Mary exploring and learning was so much fun and definitely something I would recommend for anyone of any age. Yes a few of the exhibits were an extra fee (the Princess Diana) but I don’t feel we missed anything by not doing this and we certainly had enough time and time to keep us busy. At about 1140 we realized the time and decided to head over to the port get in line to board..... They had already started boarding and with our FTTF we got right to the front of the line, through security scanners and in a line to go upstairs (we thought). It was actually the photo stop for embarkation photos. My husband HATES posed photos, he likes candids caught off guard...... I had a feeling this might not go well...... He said we are doing this with our sunglasses on.......I agreed quickly as I knew it meant we would at least have the embarkation photo. I bought enough photos on board that I earned the carnival stack USB drive with our photos we purchased on it. It is great that I can now allow my family and friends to see these photos, especially our formal night ones, as they cannot be reproduced. :)

After we boarded the ship we went straight to our room-U161 as we knew with FTTF it would be ready. It was! We met our room steward Rimmel--(who was AWESOME!) and very dedicated throughout the cruise. I gave him a tip to start the week off--- with a teenage girl and a busy 12 year old boy..... I was not sure how we would do with our room tidying skills. We had the twins arranged in the King format with the upper pullman at the foot of the bed. The trundle fit neatly underneath it. I had brought 2 hanging shoe racks (the ones with the coat hanger out the top) from the dollar store.... one we hung on the hooks on the wall for all our toiletries and one in the closet for our shoes. This worked perfectly. For a family of four with luggage for 7 day trip including elegant night clothes (suits, dresses etc) we had lots of room. We each had a shelf in closet one where the safe was and stored our extras like toiletry bags and electronics on the safe or beside. The next closet was all the girls stuff-dresses, pants, our coats and then the last was the boys closet-shirts and pants for dinner, all the formal clothes, their coats and our bathrobes for the ship. My toiletry bag rolls up and hangs when unrolls which helped greatly in the bathroom and then the boys used the shelf above the sink for their stuff, DD kept hers in the hanging rack and we shared the lower little cubby for our shampoo etc. Both DD and I used the spa shower once for logistics to have our showers before dinner. I realized when we got home I did not get a photo of the room....... It was one thing I did have on my list but did not happen. Sorry but I would say for a family of 4 in a sleep 3 room which adds a trundle if there is a 4th worked just fine--- we were not in our room a lot anyways

Well then it was off to lunch. We went to the Lido deck, DS had the pizza, DD and I the Mongolian Wok and DH did the buffet. We all enjoyed the food and the kids loved having unlimited access to the lemonade! Arriving on the Lido Deck there was an outdoor table set up for the wine package and chef’s table. DH and I had already decided to do the wine package-deluxe but with the bonus $$ from not having to pay for the Queen Mary stay decided we would upgrade to the premium wine and do the Chef’s Table! We signed up with Dimitar, who also was server at the Chef’s Table (more about that later). He was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. After lunch DD was off to a deck chair and tanning time and DS was off to the water slides! When we caught up with him he said guess what I have been on it 17 times already! He loved the water slides. I was very glad I had packed our swimsuits in our carryon bag (wished I had also put in sunscreen).

DH and I explored the ship... we went deck by deck and even did the spa tour.

When we went back to the pool deck to checkin with the kids our DS was MIA....:confused: We had his room key as we had not yet been able to locate a place to buy a lanyard for him--- (tip buy one at the dollar store before you get on board for the kids!) and he decided to go look for us. (Our DD had hers from last year’s dance trip where she performed and trained on the Carnival Sensation.) DH and I were a bit worried but he remembered our safety plans and returned to the room and waited there for us! Perfect! Our luggage had also arrived. I quickly started to unpack and sort everything to it’s place. It was then time for the muster drill--- we were on the Lido deck..... it was fine for us as we could stand and it was not too hot but a lot of the elderly people around us really struggled and were eventually allowed to take a seat. We ended up standing around an extra 20 mins as our Cruise Director Robin was trying to find 2 individuals who were checked in, boarded but DID NOT go to their muster station? SERIOUSLY??? :mad:

I was not impressed, I get it is not fun, but it is mandatory- the ships are required to perform them and it was disrespectful to every other individual (cruisers and crew members) on board for these two to be off doing what ever it was. Well they were finally located and we were dismissed and off we went to the MDR for dinner.

In the MDR we were early seating at 6:00pm. It worked well for our family. We were seated at a table for 12 with another Canadian family from Vancouver who had DS 13, DD 9 and a family from California with their DS 15, and DS 12. It was a lot of fun to be seated with these families and we chatted a lot together, getting to know where they were from, what they did and sharing our experiences on board the ship. The family from California gave us some tips on different things they like to do in our ports-- they had done it before so chose to spend time on board in family time and relaxation. The first night we had the regular American Table menu with the port of call being Los Angeles features. I’m sorry I didn’t get the menu photos. As this was the kids birthday presents I had posted on John’s page on Facebook and the kids each got a surprise at dinner.

So the kids decided after dinner they were going to the kids clubs! Off our DS went to Circle C and DD to Club 02. DH and I wandered around, visited the casinos (didn’t spend $$), checked out embarkation photos and just enjoyed walking around together. DS returned to the room about 1030 having had a fantastic time at the welcome aboard party. He had enjoyed dancing and drinking 2 free pops in the clubs -- this might be a long night) and we got ready for bed. We had extended curfews onboard and I was really impressed that both kids followed them. DD came in about 12 o’clock and she too had enjoyed herself! It was off to sleep for all of us so we could explore Catalina tomorrow.

Fun Times for all the age groups:

(*** they grouped both the 6-8 and the 9-11 year olds together on our cruise based on numbers... or at least that’s what I was told when trying to find the 6-8 activity guide***)

Club staff was very diligent about ensuring that the kids met the age group requirements, were registered and had their proper stickers. They did not allow older/younger kids with other groups unless it was pre-planned. Our DD said in the Club O2 group that there was a bit of a split-those that attended the meet and greet the first night hung out and then those who didn't hung out. Both kids said that going the first night allowed them to make friends and get to know people.

I forgot to mention that before DH and I went to bed we decided to visit the Serenity area and enjoy a hot tub. It was cool for sure but the tub we got in was nice and warm and spent some time getting to know a nice couple from Colorado and two sisters from California. Definitely a place we wanted to visit again this cruise! It was cool to see the dark sea behind us as we enjoyed the hot tubs.

Fun Times Embarkation Day

Day 2 Catalina Island

We decided to just get up in the morning and have breakfast and then take a tender in and explore the island. I had FTTF so I knew we just had to meet in the Lounge..... we got a nice letter telling us when and where to meet.

Breakfast was on the Lido deck that morning and we were able to arrange our showers easily with the four of us that morning. Our DS is currently on an omelette kick and so he headed to the make your own station....... we met Chef Saby later in the cruise (I will explain) and I can honestly say the crew at the omelette station were the most patient and engaging individuals with my son. They took the time to listen to what he wanted and then make exactly like that. They were fine he didn’t want any hash browns or bacon alongside it was just the omelette. THANKS guys!!! The rest of us did the buffet and the food was great!

Off to the lounge then for the tender to shore. We barely arrived in the lounge and were escorted straight to the tender by a crew member. Some of our friends were on tender 28 and didn’t get to the island until almost noon...... I was glad we had FTTF! We started walking along the shore and the wall and really enjoyed the view. Got some great shots of the Imagination in the background with tons of boats in front of her! We finally arrived at what is now Avalon Theatre or the old Sugarloaf Casino as hubby wanted to figure out what this building was.

We were pleasantly surprised that there was a very reasonable priced little museum in the basement to visit. $5.00 for each adult. We bought our tickets, went in, watched a movie and then wandered through. There was so much to read and the history to take in...... We did not really know anything about Catalina. To see the stars of the past that visited, their fame and how they became who they were was great. The kids each got a “treasure map” - it was on a clipboard and then they had to move around the museum to learn about different pieces of history and fill out the answers. At the end they turned it in for a prize! Our DS really enjoyed reading about Errol Flynn and the Curse of the Billy Goat! My DH was enthralled with the history of Wrigley Field. I enjoyed the information about Marilyn Monroe. You could also do tours of the old casino and theatre but we chose not to.

After the museum we walked out to the area behind the casino where we saw snorkelers and scuba divers checking out the fish and sea! We walked the scuba diving/ snorkeler line along to Descanso Beach and saw the zip lines on the hills behind. The beach looked good but unfortunately the weather was not quite warm enough to swim..... We were about 16-18’C with a bit of a cloud cover. 



We were being fed so well on board that people’s stomachs were starting to rebel so we wandered back towards town and found a cute little restaurant on the water and had fish and chips.

We decided then to try to rent a golf cart so we could fully explore the island. Unfortunately it was too late and so we instead took the open air trolley bus around the island. DH was extremely disappointed I was too paranoid to get off at the Wrigley Garden Memorial to see it as I was afraid we would be late back to the ship with only one trolley coming every hour.

We ended up back at the port and took the tender back to the ship.

Once on board we had a bit of time to relax by the pool, shared a Pina Colada, and DS played at the on deck chess board. DD and I went to the Ladies Pamper Party at the Spa (which was free and we got mini facials at!!) and then it was off to the room to get ready for elegant night.

It was perfect that DH and DS were still up on deck as DD and I had our showers and then were able to do our hair and make up when they came back for their showers.

This is one part I was so worried about. I had heard on here don’t bother dressing up people will be in shorts, tanks and flip flops...... I really enjoy getting dressed up formal and we all had the attire so we did it! I’m so glad we did. We were by no means a minority in doing this. We saw many, many, many families who dressed just as we did. One family had 3 children ( I would guess from 4-10 year olds) who mom had coordinated colors of dresses and ties so they all matched, We saw older couples dressed up and were really impressed that everyone put an effort into looking nice for formal night. We got amazing photos by the professional photographers this night!!

After dinner the kids were off quickly to the clubs as there was special events going on! DS came back and said he had 3 pink smoothies.... Next day we find out from DD that they served virgin Pina Colada’s and Strawberry Daiquiris..... He really enjoyed them lol! The kids had a fantastic time again at the evening activities.

I went to the Bella Perlina sale enroute to the Diva’s show and got DD and I each a triple bracelet and beads for the Carnival Imagination. The prices were incredible! After the show DH and I tried the hot pools again but there was something wrong with the temperature and it was not even as warm as my bathwater! It was freezing so back to the room we went and decided to get ready for bed..... DS came in just after and off to lala land we all went ready for Ensenada the following day!

Ohhhhhhh........ I forgot to mention we left a bit late from Catalina Island as the ship’s one anchor did not come up. We were sitting at an angle for about an hour which was a little interesting in the Main Dining Room. Soon enough those it was repaired, both anchors up and away we went! Our Cruise Director Robin was extremely good at keeping us informed and updated throughout! I also bought some Bella Perlina bracelets for myself and DD this night as well as Carnival Imagination charms for them! Got a great deal and was super thrilled with them! This was also the night we went to a show..... DIVAS.... I am used to stage shows in Calgary especially The Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede. Our daughter was one for 5 years and we have seen many many many many grandstand shows over our lives and I was fairly disappointed in the calibre of the show.

Day 3

Ensenada, Mexico

So we awoke early on Ensenada Day as we had an excursion booked. We went for breakfast on the Lido deck and then off to the appointed lounge (along with every other Carnival excursion booked just to give you the heads up!). On night one we had met a great couple from Colorado and they decided to do the tour with us!

I chose for many reasons to book the Wine Country Tour through Carnival. It was a great choice! I did find it cheaper online and Carnival gave it to me for the 110% guarantee which made me very excited as we had an onboard credit on arrival... Helped out with the cruise the vineyards package we bought onboard . Our guide for the tour was Roy. We so enjoyed him! He had a great personality and was engaging while giving us the history of the area and facts about both the city and the vineyards. This was new to us and we learned A LOT!!!

We enjoyed the wine at the first vineyard La Cetto and bought a bottle to take home as well as each of us got a different free bottle when we left the vineyard. We were given cheese and bread to try and the cheese was yummy!

At the second vineyard (I’m sorry I can’t remember the name and I looked and couldn’t find it :( ) our tour guide Roy arranged for our son to get a pop and cookie which was really nice. We were not as pleased with the wines at the second vineyard. The wines had a very rustic and homemade taste that was not to our liking...... The PIZZA they served however was FANTASTIC!!! They also served us some breads and jams which were fantastic as well. There were hot sauces people could also try. My son was very enthralled with the Aztec Indian who did a welcome dance and blessing for us. We all really enjoyed this tour and I would highly recommend it! The tour guide was the one who really made it engaging!

After we toured the vineyard we decided to get off the bus in town and wander through some of the shops. My DS was approached by a gentleman with a very large stack of sombreros..... “My little white friend... I have a sombrero for you would you like one?” this gentleman says. My son: “Yes of course! I want a sombrero!” Well my son picked the largest one he could find but it was toooooo big for his head so the Mexican gentleman convinced him “My little white friend this one will fit your head”.... $12 later and we were off with my son proudly sporting his sombrero..... NOW to figure out how to get this back on an airplane to Calgary Alberta....... sigh.....

We forgot to warn him what the streets in Mexico would be like. Very quickly he figured out to say no thank you and continue walking. 



Our DD was dying for a Starbucks so we made a quick stop there for a cold beverage and walked around a bit. We ended up making it back to the ship walking from downtown (took about 15 ish minutes without stops) about 330-4pm. I will say that the port is very strict about checking your sail and sign and not allowing anyone with out one into the port area. There were some cute little shops right at the ship and my DD found a backpack, a ball cap for her boyfriend and some little figures for her friends. DS bought a T-shirt.

After getting back on board we went up to the deck for some fun and sun! Drinks for DH and I , DD got a virgin pina colada with was very yummy and our DS played the life size chess game with another kiddo his age.

After this is was time to get dressed for supper and head off to dinner in the Main Dining room. I can say we always enjoyed dinners and found something to eat. After dinner we went as a family to the Hasboro game show. Our DD was selected and ended up on stage.... the Cruise Director gave her a really rough time about her choice of footwear (just an FYI both my husband and I felt it was a poor choice for game show night) lol..... well she is 17 and is trying to break in her grad shoes???!!!!

My husband I just wandered around the ship and enjoyed each other this night. Kids again were off to the clubs. DD came in at midnight as was her curfew. She shut the door but we were all asleep so she shut it gently. Well about 3:18 am we had a visitor. A young lady came stumbling in and said “this is not my room” I sat up and said “nope it’s not” she said “I should go” I said “good idea, good night”. She left, I got up shut and LOCKED the deadbolt and climbed back into bed...... kids slept through this....... DH says oh you should have invited her in! I know some will get bent out of shape over this but it was an accident on my DD part and the poor stumbling girl thought it was her room, stuck her card in the door, pushed and it opened right? Oh well...... Hubby and I thought it was funny and still do :)

Next up Day at Sea!

Day 4

Day at Sea

So today we took it easy...... We were wanting to just relax, hopefully catch some rays and really enjoy some time together! Well..... we slept in..... and then we went to brunch. The roasted tomato soup was awesome! I had some eggs, DH had steak and eggs, DS had an omelette (are you shocked yet???)and DD had some waffles.

OH OH OH and I almost forgot this :

We spent about 4 hours out on the deck relaxing, playing in the water, catching some rays, enjoying the music and just being relaxed! We were out there for Cruise for St Jude and both kids got tshirts and bracelets.

We also watched the men’s hairy chest competition. It was fun until one guy who had had WAYYYYYYYYY too much alcohol came over behind us to the bar to get another drink... there were two young girls (about 13-14) who were trying to convince him to return to the stage.... he had drank so much that he didn’t know he was supposed to stay up there. Well he proceeded to decide they were trying to ask him to strip and proceeded to try to take his shorts off in front of these young girls. A group of us emphatically said NO!!!! and he stopped .... I should mention there was a security guard right there and said NOTHING! :mad::mad: I was not impressed with her and told her “Really” “In front of kids is ok?” Well this guy decided he should go back to the stage and I guess the cruise director had enough because all of a sudden there were two other security guards there and he was taken off. It was very quick and quiet. He was back about 15 minutes later but very subdued and settled down.

We had lunch on the deck (Mongolian wok and buffet) after this and reapplied more sunscreen.... Just a note to myself.... DO NOT read with iPad on deck of ship ..... sun reflecting off it really really burns my top half!!!!!!! OWWWWW. DH chest was also lobsterfried.... that was with SPF 60???.... well anyways. DH and I went easy on our lunch as we wanted to save room for our dinner.

Thanks for the review.

Beautiful photos and review, thanks very much!

Thanks for the review.

Beautiful photos and review, thanks very much!

Thank you very much guys! Just about finished the day at sea.... It's getting late so I think I will finish it up tomorrow..... sorry about the glitches :confused: with the photos on the other thread :)

Day 4 Day at Sea

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Thanks for the review.

The second winery is Doña Lupe. Their jams and oils are very good.

Noticed something about the Chef's Table. Were you charged $75 pp or $86.25 ($75 +15%)pp?