Back from the Imagination today. Lengthy review of the cruise and American Table

Sorry about the length, but I wanted to provide a comprehensive review.

If you see any errors in content or grammar/spelling, or if there are areas that you feel should be covered that have not been, please let me know.

Just back from a 4 night cruise to Catalina and Ensenada aboard the Carnival Imagination, which departed on 3/2/14 and returned today, 3-6-14. This was the shortest cruise I’ve taken as well as the lowest price that I've paid. This was my 5th Carnival cruise so far and certainly not the last. Here are my impressions of the ship and overall experience.

The Food:

Let’s start with the food, since Carnival is testing its new American Table menu on the Imagination and has been for the last few weeks. Overall, I think that the concept will work and work well. However, the execution left a lot to be desired.

We felt that, while the cruise was a good overall value, the quality of the food was mediocre and uneven. Many of the sauces and flavors didn’t seem to mate well together. We joked a number of times that they had hired a chef who was insane and who was just slapping ingredients together and hoping for the best. Also, the ingredients were often not particularly fresh or of a high quality, in my view.

I mentioned value, so let us not lose sight of the fact that the sky is plainly not the limit when it comes to quality of ingredients. But my traveling companion and I both felt that Carnival could do a whole lot better. Let’s get specific. I’ll tell you about some things that I tried with brief comments and ratings on a 10 point scale.

Carnival American Table Wine: I’ll lead with this, since there’s a bottle on every table and not much is likely known about it. It’s a Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and I was not familiar with the company who makes it. But at $29 per bottle, it’s actually very decent and opens up quite a bit as it rests. While there are more expensive wines on the wine list, if you are looking for a red wine that’s tasty and a relatively solid value, I do recommend this. Rating 7.

Alligator Fritters: Ambitious. Mushy and not especially tasty. Glad I tried them. Wouldn’t try them again. Rating 4.

Frog’s legs: Another ambitious offering. Pretty decent. Tastes like chicken. Rating 7.

Escargot: Very good although the toasted bread that came with it was dry and a bit stale. Rating 9.

Caesar Salad: Sort of tasted like Caesar Salad. But not exactly. 2 bites and that was enough for me. Rating 3.

Mongolian Wok (tried beef, chicken & shrimp): Pretty good. Nice seasonings that, unlike many other offerings, work together. Rating 7.5.

Pizza: Bland and of mediocre quality. Rating a generous 5.

Beef tenderloin: Covered with a lousy, overpowering canned-tasting gravy. However, it was the best quality beef in the dining room. Rating 9 (beef only). Skip the gravy or order it on the side.

Lobster: Small but tasty. Perhaps a bit rubbery, but enjoyable still. Not sure if drawn butter was real. Rating 7.5.

Polenta served w/lobster: Lousy! How do you screw up polenta?! Rating 2.

Broccoli also served w/lobster: Way over-salted. Another hard to screw item that was screwed up. Rating 3 due to over-salting.

New York Steak: Slightly overcooked and pretty tough, but flavorful and not fatty. Rating 7.

Steak Tacos: Lousy non-authentic seasonings. Cold, fatty, chewy beef that leaves fat clinging to the roof of your mouth. Dry, stale tortillas. Spiceless, flavorless salsa made of mushy overripe tomatoes. Rating 3.

Pork Chop: Cooked properly. Basic but well-seasoned. Rating 8.

Veal Parmesan with Spaghetti: Dry veal. Tough. Way over-breaded. Sauce tasted canned. Rating 5.

Fried Calamari: I love Calamari, but I didn’t love this. Over-cooked, rubbery, poor-quality breading that separates. Sauce mediocre. Rating 5.

Duck Potstickers: Better than anticipated. I enjoyed these. Rating 7.5.

Flatbread: Overcooked, dry, almost burnt. Okay but not too tasty. Rating 6.5.

Shrimp Cocktail: Very fresh. Small shrimp but of a high quality. Cocktail sauce is nice, but not nearly enough of it. Rating 8.

Salmon Filet: Pretty good. Seemed very fresh. One of the few sauces/seasonings that made sense. Rating 8.

Tortilla Soup w/Braised Chicken: Not bad but needs more seasoning. Maybe add lime and serve the tortilla strips on the side so they stay crisp. Rating 7.

Chicken Quesadilla: Doesn’t taste like real cheese. Try sharper cheddar. Dry, overcooked, stale tortilla. Rating 4.

Prime Rib: I was going to order it but didn’t based on neighbor’s suggestion & meat's appearance. Looked bad. Third party rating 6.

Rosemary Lamb Shank: 2 neighbors said it was awful. Small portion way over-salted & they sent it back. Third party rating 3.

Tomato, Mozzarella: Nice Mozzarella, pretty good olive oil, not enough basil, almost no Balsamic Vinegar. Rating 7 but could easily be a 9.

French Fries w/Herb Garlic Butter: Cold, dry, overcooked, soggy, stale, very little garlic. Rating 2.

Spring Rolls: Tasty w/a good dipping sauce. Slightly overcooked but still good. Could be improved by serving w/lettuce wrap & mint. Rating 7.5.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup: Not bad. Could use more spice. Might be better served as a cold soup. Rating 7.

Seared Tuna Appetizer: Small portion but fresh with a nice flavor. Rating 7.5.

Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake: I love this stuff. Had it all 4 nights (oink). It was overcooked 1 night. Rating 10.

Tiramisu: Not the best I’ve had but pretty good. Rating 7.

Chocolate Panna Cotta: Not as good as the melting cake but still pretty good. Rating 7.

We ate other items in the buffet and main dining room. But I wanted to focus primarily on the new American Table menu items.

The Crew:

Generally, I thought that the crew seemed less happy than on most other ships I’ve visited. That’s not to say that some individuals weren’t very friendly and helpful. But candidly, there weren’t nearly enough smiles.

Most of the dinner service was slow and sloppy. Wait times to order once seated were ridiculous. Water was usually not poured and often not refilled. Same with the wine. I had to do almost all of the pouring and refilling myself.

If I asked for something, I usually had to ask for a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th time. Unacceptable. I’ve never had worse service on a cruise ship, although certainly it wasn’t all bad.

We did have strong service from Leo and Oswaldo, who were not only efficient, but were fun and friendly too. Also, special props to Deny, our cabin steward, who was always friendly and did a great job keeping the room clean and the ice stocked.

My Time Dining worked reasonably well and wait times to be seated were not excessive. However, on RCL’s version, service was much, much stronger and we somehow got the same wait staff assigned each time. Again, generally mediocre to poor wait staff service on this ship and you got assigned to different staff each time. Maybe it would improve things with respect to familiarity and accountability if they found a way to assign the same wait staff each and every time. If other cruise lines can do this, so can Carnival.

The Ship:

When I first walked on the Imagination, I was somewhat disappointed. I thought she looked a bit old, tired and dated. There was way too much neon going on! But in time, she grew on me and looked especially nice at night. This is not a new ship, but the old girl still has some life in her for sure! Maintenance is very solid and the ship, while older, is kept in very nice condition. Everything was clean and worked as it should. I didn’t see light bulbs out, stains, spills, etc. The ship is kept up well.

Our Room:

I had booked an Oceanview room and was initially not pleased to be assigned to Cabin M263, which is the absolute last stateroom on the aft starboard of the Main Deck (deck 4). I was concerned about this room for several reasons:

1. Being at the back of the ship was inconvenient & a very long walk to most things.

2. There’s more motion at the front and back of the ships.

3. Vibration and noise from the engines.

Turns out that most of my worries were mostly unfounded. Sure, it’s a long walk, but getting exercise is helpful with so much eating going on. Besides, it’s close to the buffet! Motion was minimal. Engine noise was also minimal, though there was some extra noise and shuddering when aligning with the pier in Ensenada. Overall though, being at the back of the ship was no big deal.

The Big Bust:

I tried to sneak on booze in my checked bag. I used “Rum Runners”, which I thought were invisible to the X-Ray machine. Wrong! Got a letter to go to the security room where I had to open my bag while they searched it. All of my booze was poured into a large bucket and presumably disposed of! Darn it, that one hurt! The security officer told me that the Rum Runner’s spouts show up on X-Ray. Who knew?!

Itinerary:

Catalina Island and Ensenada are not super-exotic or exciting ports of call, but we had fun. Carnival (think Mardi Gras, not the cruise line) was going on in Ensenada and the locals held a festive parade that was over 1 hour long. We sat at Papas and Beer watching the festivities and it was a lot of fun. Catalina is pretty but a bit boring. Tendering from Catalina was a nightmare with very long lines to get onto the tender ships. Show up very early or do FTTF if you care about this.

Because the ports are relatively close, the ship travels super slow and even goes in a circle sometimes to kill time.

Suggestion:

Resume cruises from San Diego. Not only is San Diego a much nicer port to embark from, but it opens up a better possibility to visit more interesting Mexican Ports like Cabo San Lucas. Get back to San Diego, Carnival!

Embarkation/Disembarkation:

Everything went very smoothly. Carnival agents were friendly, efficient and well ahead of schedule on the disembarkation. Customs agents were painfully slow, but that’s not Carnival’s fault.

Entertainment:

Mixed. The singers and dancers in Divas and (whatever the rock & roll show was called) were very good. Adult comedians were foul mouthed but more funny than not. Not great but not bad. Karaoke was okay. Disco was mostly dead. DJ so-so but I really missed the bands that played poolside. The disco dance class thing was kind of funny. Piano guy was not very good (not sure of his name). I hated the smoking areas with a burning passion (pardon the pun). I could periodically smell cigarette smoke in my stateroom as well. While most areas were not smoky, I wish that I didn’t have to smell it at all!

Passengers:

A mixed bag too. Lots of tattoos. Some younger, others older (I’m 52) but mostly on the younger side. But they were mostly polite and fun. There was a shouting match in the main dining room that almost came to blows, but that was an exception. Most passengers were very well-behaved.

Internet Access via Ship’s Cellular Tower:

Painfully slow and expensive. Recommend buying Verizon’s 100mb data package for $25/mo (or similar from your cellular carrier), then cancel on your return, as it's pro-rated. I used about 35mb of data over 4 days just checking Facebook and such. Be careful not to stream anything or watch videos. Don’t upload or download photos. Suggest using a free app like DataMonitor to keep track of usage. Use free Wi-Fi in ports, if possible and available. Turn off phone when not in use, if practical. Cell phone usage can get expensive in a hurry. Data can be over $20.50 per mb without a package. If you aren’t sure about all of this, skip calls and internet access altogether and leave the phone shut down completely.

Overall:

You get what you pay for, right? Well, we paid $250 per person including tax and port charges and we found that to be a very strong value. Are there areas where Carnival could improve? Absolutely, and I’ve tried to address those concerns in my lengthy review. But overall, this was a fun time and a good deal. 4 stars based on UFPD (units of fun per dollar)!

Thanks for the thorough review. I've sailed this itinerary on the Inspiration and I'll be cruising this same itinerary on the Imagination next weekend. This was very helpful. On 3 to 4 day cruises it seems like most cruise lines use their older ships which is the impression I had of the Inspiration and the expectation I have of the Imagination. Knowing this going into this cruise will hopefully allow myself to be unexpectedly surprised but not disappointed. I look forward to this new menu. Thanks again!

Thanks for taking the time to write such an extensive review of your cruise. I'm sailing Imagination on the 16th and several of us here have been requesting the Fun Times tear off sheets for the 4 nights. You've already done so much I'm hesitant to beg.... ;)

Thanks for taking the time to write such an extensive review of your cruise. I'm sailing Imagination on the 16th and several of us here have been requesting the Fun Times tear off sheets for the 4 nights. You've already done so much I'm hesitant to beg.... ;)

I have some or all of the Fun Times, but I don't have a very good scanner and probably won't mess with scanning them.

But...if you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to assist.

thank you for your review.. 2 immediate Q's...what times did you sail from L.A....Catalina...Enscenada and were there any delays?...was the late night shows jammed? Oh and was the piano guy named Marty?

John

I was on her the week before you.. my thoughts on the Dining room staff from the best to worst I have seen before on a cruise....we did the anytime dining option...but the food was a better experience then yours was .....I enjoyed it.......however the rest of the food options onboard were just ok.. not great......the staff was great on the rest of the ship...over all experience is I cant wait to go back again...

and I agree bring back San Diego...

thank you for your review.. 2 immediate Q's...what times did you sail from L.A....Catalina...Enscenada and were there any delays?...was the late night shows jammed? Oh and was the piano guy named Marty?

John

We sailed from Long Beach. It was supposed to sail at 5:30 but we didn't actually leave until 7 or so.

Not sure about the piano guy's name. He played the big round piano near the entrance to the Pride Your Time dining room. I just didn't care for him. He was singing B-52s in some sort of bad country voice, for example. Sang another song like Alvin the Chipmunk. I didn't care for all of that.

Wow! Too bad that most of the food seemed terrible!

BTW you CAN get the same wait staff each night using Your Time Dining. You have to ask to be seated in the area of the staff that you prefer.

We always do that if we like the wait staff we get the first night.

thank you for your review.. 2 immediate Q's...what times did you sail from L.A....Catalina...Enscenada and were there any delays?...was the late night shows jammed? Oh and was the piano guy named Marty?

John

Yes, the Piano Mans name is Marty. He will be on until 7-10-14. He is one of my Favorites on Carnival. I am sorry you did not enjoy him.

m

Yes, the Piano Mans name is Marty. He will be on until 7-10-14. He is one of my Favorites on Carnival. I am sorry you did not enjoy him.

We did not sit down and listen to Marty, if in fact that was his name. We stood outside of the door and listened briefly. The songs I heard were not good. As mentioned, there was a B-52s song sung with a Country Western sort of twang. I barely know most of the B-52s, and it's certainly not how I enjoy hearing most of their music being rendered.

Heard another song (I forget which) that I didn't care for and finally the song with the Alvin the Chipmunk voice was just over-the-top, imo.

Who knows? Had I sat down and really listened, *maybe* I would have felt differently. But based on what I heard, the music he was creating was not enjoyable.

Thanks for your input. Will be on the 3 day Thurs to Sunday run in a few weeks and looking forward to just getting away.

Thank you so much for your awesome review, we too will be on the ship in June. This will be my son's first cruise as a graduation present so hopefully he enjoys it. As for myself anytime I don't have to cook and clean is a vacation for me. How were the sea's, was it a little rough or pretty smooth?

Thank you so much for your awesome review, we too will be on the ship in June. This will be my son's first cruise as a graduation present so hopefully he enjoys it. As for myself anytime I don't have to cook and clean is a vacation for me. How were the sea's, was it a little rough or pretty smooth?

You're absolutely correct. Any day on vacation is a good day!

Seas were pretty calm. You knew that you were on a ship most of the time, but movement was mild.

There were times where you were walking down the hall & almost felt a bit drunk even when you weren't because you couldn't walk a totally straight line. But again, the motion was quite mild.

Remember that the ship can do 21 knots (about 24 mph), but most of the time you're doing closer to 6 knots (about 7 mph). So the slow speed presumably contributes to the minimal motion that I expect most will experience.

Thank you for your review. We sail on her in two weeks...

I have been on her sister ship Inspiration several times and even on her a few years ago but that was before the dry dock and new menu's. Hopefully we will have decent food and a great time. Doing the Sunday - Thursday and hoping for not many wild kids as our past 3-night cruise. It is spring break for us but hoping it is not spring break for most...

We choose early dining for the first time in many cruises. We usually pick any time dining but have had just ok times lately. I think with a set dining time you actually receive better service... I will know after this cruise.

 

We choose early dining for the first time in many cruises. We usually pick any time dining but have had just ok times lately. I think with a set dining time you actually receive better service... I will know after this cruise.

Let me/us know if this is the case. We had fun and there was some decent service, but generally, it wasn't very impressive.

Glad to see the mozzarella/tomato appetizer was sill offered.

Do they have game show mania the first night (not to be confused with the Hasbro family game)? I'll be going in May.

Glad to see the mozzarella/tomato appetizer was sill offered.

 

Do they have game show mania the first night (not to be confused with the Hasbro family game)? I'll be going in May.

 

 

Just looked at all 4 "FunTimes" and didn't see any Game Show Mania, unless it goes by a different name.

Just got off today. The piano player Marty was really bad. So was the guy with the acoustic guitar who played by the casino. The daytime bartender at the casino bar on the first day after we just sat down started telling us how bad her boss was. It was so strange. Our room steward when I asked him to bring us ice said we have to get it from room service. The food in both the dining room and the lido was not very good. The prime rib was really chewy and tough. The lobster and shrimp would have been good if it had been hot. The Epic rock show would be better if they didnt have those lights shining into the audiences faces. Over all we just werent impressed this time. But it was nice to get away for a few days.

The crew on Imagination just doesn't seem very happy. Not sure what's going on. Yes, it's a cheap cruise, a good value, and I still had fun. But something is off and missing.

I think that Marty piano guy needs to go.

FWIW, I asked for ice once and didn't have to ask again.

Very good review, stockjock. Thanks for taking the time to post it. I was just on the Imagination back in December when it was still going out of mia. They still had the traditional dining room setup then but I knew that ship was going to be one of the ones that got the trial rollout of the new menu items. I would say the Imagination is an ok ship but just comparing it to even the sensation, it is not as good. There are great crewmembers on the Imagination but it does have its fair share of bad ones too. I'm guessing it has something to do with ship management attitude. Good leadership produces good overall morale and a happier and more productive crew. It is easy to see which ships have good leadership and which ones don't. Did you happen to have any run ins with the gift shop staff? My traveling party did and apparently the staff in that particular shop seriously lacks professionalism. The steward staff was also only average on this ship. I'm sure the comedians were different on this sailing but honestly I don't think the production performers were bad at all. The show choices suck but the performances are ok generally. I thought the promenade rock band was excellent but I'm pretty sure it's a different band now than it was last December. Unless there is more than one Leo in the mdr, we each had the same guy wait our tables. Leo was great on my recent cruise, he is the kind of server carnival used to be known for. I liked your food reviews. I agree with your assessment on much of the fare but obviously not all as some of it it is new and I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Overall, the food on that ship is generally acceptable. Especially the Mongolian wok. I went there every day for lunch. In terms of mass produced banquet and buffet type food, they do as good a job as they possibly can. Because everyone has slightly different tastes, it is hard to achieve that happy medium without making someone unhappy.

all these reviews have me concerned about my upcoming trip on March 23rd... I know we will still have a great time regardless but now having to worry about food, entertainment etc.... ugh..

I am going on the 13th of April and I share your concern, BUT I have read recent reviews and recent comments that were/are very complimentary of the Imagination out of Long Beach.

Additionally of my 18 Carnival cruises never once could I not find food and entertainment that I enjoyed.

True I have walked out of some show rooms and I have had to order another course of food, but it all worked out.

JGB

Thank you for sharing a well balanced and candid review. We are sailing on the Imagination next month, and your food ratings will be particularly helpful.

This will be our first time sailing from Long Beach. How is the parking? What time does check-in open, and boarding begin? (We don't have FTTF.) Thanks.

Woody

 

This will be our first time sailing from Long Beach. How is the parking? What time does check-in open, and boarding begin? (We don't have FTTF.) Thanks.

 

 

 

Woody

Parking is very easy as this used to be the home of the Spruce Goose. It's literally right across from the ship. Someone else will hopefully respond about boarding and checking in as I usually arrive around 1:00 when the rooms are ready.

For me, only 6 more days for some well needed R&R! Looking forward to sailing the Imagination!

all these reviews have me concerned about my upcoming trip on March 23rd... I know we will still have a great time regardless but now having to worry about food, entertainment etc.... ugh..

No need to worry, everyone has different likes and dislikes, and your experience could be totally different.

Case in point, I was on the same cruise with Stockjock and had some similar and some different experiences.

First, you should remember that a large portion of the food he reviewed got a 7 or higher. As you are not going to Ruth's Chris for dinner, I would think that 7's and above should not be cause for concern. Would it be better if they were all 10's? Sure, but I don't think you would find that on any cruise.. anywhere. People's tastes are just different.

I, myself, agreed on many of his/her assessments, and disagreed on a few others. My alligator fritters were not mushy and they had a very good flavor. Very distinctive. I loved the chicken quesadilla. The cheese was mild, yes, but Mexican cheese is. Queso Fresco and Cotija cheese are just not that strong. But I thought the other flavors were excellent. I didn't try the salsa, so it might have been tasteless. :) My steak tacos were also very good. The seasoning was very Michoacán, and my tortillas were fresh. Proving once again that luck of the draw has much to do with a person's review of any given meal.

I also had YTD and got bad service only one night out of the 4. The last night my service was very slow, but on the other 3 nights it was quick and helpful. The wait staff was very friendly and took pains to make sure our experience was pleasant. Had I been in the last night's section earlier, I would have been sure to tell the Maitre 'd not to put me there again. But, it was the last night, so....

I really liked the entertainment. Divas was OK, but I LOVED Epic Rock. Maybe because I grew up with those anthems, but I found myself singing and rocking out during the show. If you like Queen, Journey, Aerosmith, etc, you will probably like this show. But yes, if you sit on the bottom floor, be prepared for the lights to hit you in the eyes a couple of times.

I also really enjoyed the piano singer. Yes, he is quirky, but you have to remember the piano bar on a ship is much like Howling at the Moon or Shout House. The idea is not to be serenaded - ala a piano concerto, but to sing along at the top of your voice and be entertained. They often change the words around and sing a bit differently to get you involved. They also sing bawdy songs that may offend some people. If you know this going in, you can make up your mind if that is the kind of thing that interests you. It's not for everyone, but I had a blast being in there. I am, however, not easily offended... :D

Finally, as I was in the nightclub all 4 nights til nearly closing, I can tell you it wasn't dead. With comedy shows, Deck parties, other musicians, and the stage shows going on til after midnight, the club doesn't really get cranked up until past midnight (sometimes closer to 1am). Also, I thought the DJs were good. However, that is also a matter of taste. While I am even older than Stockjock (I'm 59), Top 40 and Hip Hop are my musical preferences. Earlier in the night, Chef Sur will play more Top 40 and Latin sets (Pitbull, J-Lo, Macklemore, Flo Rida, Usher, David Guetta, etc). He really likes to play a lot of Pitbull. Later in the night, Kapricon will play more hip hip type music (2 Chainz, Big Sean, Kanye, Lil Wayne, etc). The dance floor was very busy on the first 3 nights, but on the last night it was not quite as crowded. People were calling it a night earlier because they had to get up and off the ship early. I, myself, left early (2:30AM) on the last night, but there was still a good sized crowd when I left.

So, the bottom line is that different tastes will have different reviews. Stockjock and I agreed on many things and we had different views on some other items. I think we both had a good time and felt that we got very good value for our cruising dollar.

SO, rather than being concerned, be excited to see where you will fall in the review. Every cruise (regardless of line) is a crap shoot. It may be the best cruise you have ever been on, but it may be the worst. Let us know where you fall on the scale when you get back. :)

Bob