Carnival Imagination - 4 day Baja - 1/1/17

A group of friends have done this cruise every year for the last few years and we decided to join them this time. They selected the Carnival Imagination because that had the right dates that were being sought. Have to tell you it was the worst cruise I have ever been on. Here are the reasons why:

1. Our room on the Empress deck (E94) was freezing cold the entire trip. The Carnival website says that each room has a thermostat. Not true. The only temperature control in the room is a fan on the ceiling. Even with it turned completely off it was still frigid in our stateroom. Called and went to guest services to complain. They came by twice, took it apart twice and said it was fixed and that the rooms should all be between 70 and 74 degrees. When they tested our room it was only 68 and never got any better. Being disabled and needing to lay day several times a day, it made it completely unpleasant. Found out when I called Carnival after our cruise that we were compensated $20.92 twice for the "inconvenience". This, to be honest, was an insult.

2. The food was horrible and the hours of the buffet were laughable. The food in the buffet in the morning was pretty much inedible. Scrambled eggs that looked like runny porridge, under cooked bacon and not much of a variety was very sad. While the dining room breakfast was better, the hours that they were open were too short. The buffets on other ships are open 24/7 and they always have things that could be made into a meal. The Imagination closed their buffets from 10:00 to 11:30 and after 1:30 the only lunch I could get was pizza or burgers or something at the deli (which was such a limited menu). Dinner was closed at 9:30, so if I wasn't able to eat what was in the dining room at the late service, I was out of luck getting something at the buffet. The food was on par with Denny's.

3. They didn't have much to do on the ship during the day, but I did go to a couple of the trivia events. They were held in the Dream Bar. Unfortunately, the bar itself wasn't open so if someone wanted a drink they had to go down two decks to the Atrium to get their own and bring it back. Not very service oriented there.

4. Service during the comedy shows was lax as well. We usually sit in the back and for all the shows that I went to, I personally was only approached once and asked if I wanted something to drink. Seems that they were completely understaffed.

5. I was outside of one of the dining rooms and I asked a Carnival staff member where the nearest bathroom was. He didn't seem to understand me so I repeated my question. He had to pull out a map because he had no idea where any of the bathrooms were located. How can someone work on a ship and not know where things are?

6. Don't know when the last time this ship was refurbished, but there was rust in all the bathrooms and it was really showing wear and tear.

The only good thing about this ship were the people in the Casino and the two servers that we dealt with in the dining room.

This was not a relaxing or enjoyable getaway for me and I don't think I will ever travel with Carnival again.

Sorry to hear you had a bad cruise. Thank you for your review. We have cruised Carnival an Imagination and have always had a good cruise.

Thanks for the report, sorry the cruise was disappointing.

All of the Fun Times I've seen on these boards show that the buffet should have been open for lunch until 3PM. Did anyone explain the reason for the early closing or did your Fun Times show the early closing?

Sounds like he is just complaining to complain. Every time I have been on the Imagination has been great.

Okay, I'll bite.

What cruise line has 24 hour buffet service. Inquiring minds want to know.

Sorry your cruise did not live up to your expectations. Thanks for your feedback.

We love the Imagination and the Cruise Director Alex is AWESOME!! Sorry to hear about your personal experience!

Having sailed on numerous lines I have yet to experience any ship with a 24 hour buffet.

Not much to do during the day? That seems strange. Would it not be more accurate to say there was a lack of activities that appealed to you?

Sorry you had a bad time.

I was just on this cruise and found it to be a mixed bag. I am not complaining just to complain either. One size shoe doesn't fit all feet. While I don't expect a 24 hrs buffet, I think that the little buffet between Guy's and the taco bar could have stayed open when the regular buffet was closed (until dinner). I'll write my own review at a later date.

Sounds like the OP might be a little hard to please...glad I won't have to be with him/her on any future cruises.

Sounds like the OP might be a little hard to please...glad I won't have to be with him/her on any future cruises.

No, I'm not hard to please. When you save up and pay a lot of money for something (whether it be a cruise, hotel, meal, etc...) you expect good customer service. Are you saying that if you were in a room that was freezing cold, you wouldn't complain? Or if your food wasn't edible, you wouldn't send it back? If you say no, then you are lying, even if it is just to yourself.

Believe me, I'm glad I won't be on a cruise with you either.

Sounds like the OP might be a little hard to please...glad I won't have to be with him/her on any future cruises.

Critic: a person who expresses an unfavorable opinion of something.

I appreciated the feedback. After all it's not called Cruise Compliment. :D

No, I'm not hard to please. When you save up and pay a lot of money for something (whether it be a cruise, hotel, meal, etc...) you expect good customer service. Are you saying that if you were in a room that was freezing cold, you wouldn't complain? Or if your food wasn't edible, you wouldn't send it back? If you say no, then you are lying, even if it is just to yourself.

 

Believe me, I'm glad I won't be on a cruise with you either.

Personally, having been on that same Imagination cruise twice, I do not think it represents the line well. However, we have never had a bad experience with the food. We find the deli to be a nice option and free 24 hr room service is a great option. We go to the dining room every night and have had great service. But if you want something hot other than dinner time those limited buffet hours would certainly be frustrating.

I'd warn you not do Princess on that itinerary. Talk about nothing to do! They had 54 people at the origami class because there was literally nothing else to do. It was raining but they never added more activities.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise but hope that the memories made with your friends was worth it.

I am curious how your friends felt about this trip. Since they have done it for several years, did they feel this cruise was below expectations?