Imagination Review 3/28-4/1

Ok, we just got back from our 5-day cruise on the Imagination. WOW! We had a blast!! Of course, there were a few less-than-perfect things, but life’s not perfect!  This was my fourth cruise (RCI, Big Red Boat, twice on Carnival) and my husband’s second cruise (both on Carnival). I asked him after this cruise if he was curious to try another line after two Carnival cruises, and his response was “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

First, a little about us. We’re mid-thirties, both with professional positions, with two small children (who stayed home with Grandma). We live in Key West, Florida. Like I said, this was our second Carnival cruise. I apologize now – this is going to be really LONG. I like lots of detail! 

EMBARKATION : I was a little peeved that our trip from Bonita Springs to Miami took longer than I expected due to rain and a stop in at Walgreen’s to pick up a few things we left at home. I wanted to be at the port by 11:00 AM, and we didn’t make it till almost 12:30. I was a little concerned about the crowds, but it seemed that we *just* beat them. We were shunted into a separate line for people who already had their Funpasses filled out online, and the line moved very quickly. We were checked in, got our room keys, got our Sail & Sign cards, and were onboard before 1:00. The crowd building up behind us was HUGE, though!

We dropped off our carry-on luggage in our room, then went to the dining room to see if we could find out our table assignment and see if we could get a table for two. This trip was our second honeymoon (well, first really, since we only got a couple of days off when we were married), and we really thought we’d want the privacy. We were surprised to find out that the fantasy class ships don’t have tables for two, or at least the Imagination didn’t. We were assigned a booth for six. I had remembered the booths from our Fascination cruise four years ago and really didn’t want to do that again, so we asked what other tables were available. The only ones with openings were 65-and-older folks, while our assigned table had two other couples in their early 30’s, so we decided just to stick with our table. It actually worked out GREAT! I’ll get to more of that later.

After taking care of dinner plans, we went up to the Lido deck for some lunch. There was a hamburger/hot dog area on the actual pool deck, then there was a hot & cold buffet with various entrees, salads, and a carving station inside the Horizon Grill. The food was all very tasty, and I actually wish we’d eaten there more than just that one time. We also grabbed a slice of the oh-so-popular mushroom & goat cheese pizza. It was AWESOME! I *did* manage to make it to the pizzeria twice more during the cruise for more of that yummy pizza!

We strolled around the ship for a while, then decided to take a nap before dinner. We were already in cruise mode – eat and sleep every chance we get! After our nap, we got ready for dinner, then grabbed a drink and stood on deck as we sailed away from Miami. About two hours after we left, the cruise director came on the announcements and told us that due to a medical emergency, we were turning around to drop off a passenger. The ship turned around and headed back, but after about an hour of travel, a Coast Guard boat flew up, tied onto us, and took the passenger. DH & I watched it all from the Verandah deck. It was quite a white-knuckle experience because the seas were really choppy & it was raining on & off. They got the gentleman off OK, and we turned back around. We really didn’t do a whole lot that first night. We went to dinner, where we met the two other couples that were assigned to our table. They were both very different, but we had different things in common with each couple and got along well with them. One couple had just gotten engaged earlier that evening, which was really neat! I think we were some of the first people to see her ring & get to congratulate them! After a nice dinner, we just explored all over the ship, checked out a couple of the bars, went up to the spa to make an appointment for me to get my nails done, etc. Around 11PM we were wiped out and decided to call it a night.

DAY ONE – AT SEA : Our first day was a sea day. We slept in a little, then got up and went to the formal dining room for breakfast. We never ate breakfast in the dining room on our last cruise, so we were determined to do it at least once on this cruise. We really enjoyed sitting with and meeting new people (for breakfast & lunch open seating, they just seat you wherever there’s an opening for your party size). After breakfast, we changed into our bathing suits and hit the deck. We found a great spot at the back of the Verandah deck near the small pool & whirlpools that was never overcrowded (always at least a few unclaimed deck chairs), and this became our “hangout.” We sunned ourselves, read, took some dips in the hot tub (it was a little cool & overcast the first day), etc. We got cleaned up and headed down to the dining room for lunch and some more new faces, then we took an afternoon nap. I had a 5PM manicure appointment, then we started getting ready for the Captain’s Cocktail Party. We had late seating dinner, so our cocktail party time was 7:15 PM.

The cocktail party was nice, though definitely crowded. TIP : take two drinks when the waiter comes around. Don’t worry – he won’t care! I had heard some people mention going to the bar at the back and ordering whatever you wanted. On the Imagination, there is no bar at the back, and the waiters wouldn’t bring out anything that wasn’t on their “list.” The WILL go back and get you something if they have run out of it on their tray, and will bring it very promptly. We wanted Manhattans, but our waiter was out of them. He came back in just a couple of minutes with fresh ones for us. The drinks they were passing around were Manhattans, screwdrivers, whisky sours, white wine, and champagne. We each grabbed a Manhattan and a white wine. The hors’douvres were tasty – little quiches, meatballs, chicken nuggets (fancy, not kids ones), and something wrapped in a pastry that we never got a chance to try. Again, don’t be shy abut taking several. DH & I were trying to be polite and each only took two (they are small), then we saw people around us taking 5 or 6 at a time. The waiter with the food only came around twice, and the second time he didn’t have much left on his tray, so we only got a few nibbles. The captain came out and presented all of the crew, then the band got going and several couples got up on stage and danced. We were sitting up in the balcony area, so we just watched and enjoyed it all. Then we were off to dinner. I’m sad to say this was actually our worst dinner on the ship. I’ll go into more detail in my “dining” section later. One of the couples didn’t show up, and they actually never returned. The first night they had complained about how late the late seating was, so I think they may have changed to an earlier seating. We still had a great time with the other couple (the newly engaged ones). Andy & Anna turned out to be some really fun friends, and I wish we’d exchanged e-mail addresses or something!

Before we left the dining room, we made tentative plans with our tablemates to meet for the midnight comedy show. We took a stroll on deck, then went down to our room to change. We were soooo tired, though, that we ended up falling asleep around 11:30 and never made it to the show. That seemed to be the trend for us this cruise. Unfortunately, we were awakened at 3AM by the teenagers next door who decided to bring some girls back to their room and crank up the stereo. These were three young guys (15 to 17), so I’m not sure how they managed to have a room without a 21+ guardian in the first place, but they definitely needed one! I endured it for almost 45 minutes, then knocked on the wall, hoping they’d take the hint. Instead, they banged back on our wall, then cranked up the music. That ticked me off, so I called the Purser’s desk, who called security. They quieted down after a visit from security, and they were reasonably quiet the rest of the cruise. I guess the only “good” thing is that they were in E1 at the very front of the ship, so we were the only people they could disturb! Oh, the other good thing – the last day, our Steward dropped off an envelope that had a letter of apology from the Captain for our rude neighbors and two free bar coupons. We thought that was a really nice gesture!

DAY 2 – GRAND CAYMAN : Our first port of call was Grand Cayman. We were a little worried that we wouldn’t be able to tender there, because the seas had been pretty rough our entire first day at sea. Luckily, the weather cleared and we were able to tender off the ship. Some of the snorkeling and most of the scuba excursions were cancelled because of the chance of rough seas, but our Coral Reef & Stingray City Snorkel excursion wasn’t affected. We had put a hang tag out for continental breakfast for the AM, but it mysteriously went missing during the night. Hmmm, maybe our friends next door tried to pay us back for the call to security. Anyway, it wasn’t a big deal. DH called room service after the food didn’t arrive, and they rushed something right down to us. We sipped on coffee and had lox & bagels while we sat in the Dynasty Lounge and waited for our tender. The tender ride was a little choppy. It didn’t bother me, but a few people were pretty green. We shared our Bonine with a family with teenagers who were feeling pretty rough. We didn’t feel a thing, but we listened to this board and started taking ginger a few days before the cruise, and took it religiously twice a day for the whole cruise. No drowsiness, no side effects, and NO sea sickness!!

Once we arrived at Grand Cayman, we took a bus ride to our boats for the excursion. First, they took us to Stingray City. When we got there, only about three other boats were there. We had fun with the sting rays and even fed them (I have the hickey to prove it), but it actually got a little old after a while, and DH & I were ready to get on with the snorkeling. After about 45 minutes with the sting rays, we got back onboard and headed out to the reef. The snorkeling really was nice. I’ve snorkeled all over Florida, in Cozumel, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. Grand Cayman does have some really clear water and beautiful coral formations! After the excursion, we went through a few shops, then had lunch at a place called Paradise. It was great! Food is really expensive in Grand Cayman, so we asked a few locals where to eat within walking distance, and they all said to go to Paradise for the best value. The platters were a little more expensive (my fried seafood sampler was around $18 US dollars), but the portions are huge (we could have split one sampler between us), and the sandwiches were very reasonable and looked really large and tasty.

We headed back to the ship and found our invitation to the past guest party in our cabin. We took a nap, got cleaned up, then headed down to the party. It was really fun to watch the video and learn so much about Carnival, then I had a chance to get on stage and do the Electric Slide and YMCA with a bunch of other people. Since DH absolutely refuses to dance, line dancing is pretty much all I get! We had another nice dinner, then we decided we wanted to stay up for Rocky Horror Picture Show that was playing in the smaller (Xanadu) lounge at midnight. To keep ourselves awake, we decided to try our luck in the casino. We’re not gamblers and don’t know all of the intricate rules for most of the card games, so we decided to give the roulette table a spin. We managed to turn $20 into $170!! Not tons, but we were happy! We headed to Rocky Horror, but I was just so exhausted. I made it through the first 45 minutes or so, then I had to go back to the cabin and sleep. DH said he’d finish watching the movie, then come back, but he never was very good with time and ended up roaming around till 3AM. I was pretty ticked off, but I got over it and tried to grab a few hours of sleep before we had to get up for our excursion in Jamaica the next AM.

DAY 3 - OCHO RIOS JAMAICA

Ocho Rios is our favorite port of call so far. We just loved it there!! Jamaica has a real tropical feel and is not nearly as “touristy” as other places we’ve been. Our excursion in Ocho Rios was the Rafting Safari down the White River. It was awesome!! I would definitely recommend this excursion to others. It’s a nice, lazy float down a mountain, right through some awesome plantations and rain forests. It’s not exciting and action-packed, just a leisurely drift. It was a nice change from all of the swimming we did in Grand Cayman. It ends up at a little resort with a bar, calypso music playing, and some awesome jerk chicken! After a nice lunch, we headed back down to the city and did a little shopping at The Village (an outdoor mall). Then it was back on the ship for us. We had another nice dinner with Andy & Anna, but were pretty tired after our two shore days, so we turned in after dinner.

DAY 4 – DAY AT SEA

This was our last day aboard ship, and we really wanted to soak it all in!! We got up and had breakfast in the formal dining room, and again we had great tablemates to chat with. Then we spent the morning lounging by the pool. We were going to attend the debarkation briefing, but when we found out it would be broadcast on the in-room TV, we decided to catch it later. We changed for lunch, again in the formal dining room. Then we strolled around the shops to pick up last-minute souvenirs, and we found out something I don’t remember from our last cruise. I don’t know if things have changed, or if it differs from ship to ship, but on the last Day At Sea we were allowed to purchase our alcohol and take it directly back to our room. Before, I thought they held all of it until after dinner the last night. Anyway, we made our liquor purchases and took it back to the room. Then DH went to do a little exploring, while I sat in on the Newlywed Game. I don’t usually watch the ship’s games, but this has always been a favorite. It was an absolute hoot! One question in particular cracked me up. They asked the husbands “If you were stranded on a deserted island, would you want to be stranded with a hooker or a nun?” The newly married guy answered “A hooker.” The guy married 20 years said “A hooker, but I should have said a nun.” The guy married 50 years said “A hooker *dressed* as a nun.” The crowd was absolutely rolling in the aisles!! I absolutely love that game!

After that, I had an appointment for a facial. Folks, if you want spa treatments, wait till the last day at sea!! They drop the prices way down. I got my facial for about half price. If I had read all of the little flyers, I could have gotten three treatments for $50 (things like manicure, facial, scalp massage, etc.). Definitely check out the spa the last day, but go first thing in the AM before it gets all booked up.

Then we had our last dinner. We had one final awesome conversation with Andy & Anna, then said our goodbyes. We headed back to the room to pack. Since we were doing self-debarking, we didn’t have to have our bags out by a certain time, but I didn’t want to be up at 5 AM trying to pack for our 7:30 debarkation. Then we took one last stroll on the deck while sipping martinis, then we turned in for the night.

DAY 5 – DEBAKATION :

We did the self-debarkation, and it was very smooth for us. We were told to be ready to walk off the ship at 7:30, then to open our door and wait for the self-debarkation announcement. While I finished packing, DH ran up to the Lido deck and grabbed some danishes and coffee. Right around 7:40 we heard the call for self-debarkation. We debarked off the Empress deck, so it was rally nice having our cabin on that deck. We didn’t have to struggle with elevators on the ship. We were a little annoyed with the families with 5 kids in tow and 20 pieces of luggage that decided to do self-debarkation, then would hold up lines to get all of their party together, everyone’s passports out, etc. I don’t have a problem with large parties self-debarking, as long as they have their act together, keep everyone together in line, and have all of their documentation out and ready. Even with that little glitch, the self debarkation was quick and easy. W were over our liquor limit by 2 or 3 liters, and they just waved us right through. By 9AM we were off the ship, had our car loaded up, and were on our way back across US 41 to Bonita Springs. Now we’re just counting down the days till our next cruise!!

FOOD : Overall, the food was very good. We found the lunches n the formal dining room to only be OK, and we’ll probably stick to the buffet lunches from now on. We did enjoy chatting with other tablemates, though. The salmon and bagels on the room service menu are awesome! The veggie & dip plate and the open-faced shrimp salad sandwich were other room service winners. Formal dinners were excellent to very good every night. Our only disappointment was formal night. My lobster was dry, rubbery, and extremely salty. DH’s quail was smaller than a muffin and almost entirely made up of stuffing. My favorite was the duckling, and DH’s favorite was the Beef Wellington. The Grand Marnier Soufflé ROCKS!! Don’t be afraid to try different desserts. Each night, one of us would order the chocolaty one, and the other one would try something different – we were usually very pleasantly surprised by the “different” dessert, and a little let down by the chocolaty one. Our server, Jean, was great! The bartender for our table was never prompt, only showed up once each meal, and sometimes forgot things completely or mixed things up. So, we started ordering a glass of wine in the piano bar next to the dining room and carrying it in with us each night.

SPA : I enjoyed my time here, but I don’t think it’s worth the full price. Wait till the last day and take advantage of steep discounts. Oh, I was pleasantly surprised that I was NEVER given a “sales pitch” or pressured to buy anything. When I had my facial, the girl asked if I would like to hear about the products she used. I said a polite “no,” and she didn’t say another word.

LAUNDRY SERVICE : DH and I had the “bright” idea to wait till we were on the ship to have our formalwear dry cleaned and pressed. We were surprised to find out that they don’t do *any* dry cleaning on the ship because of the chemicals. Also, we had to do the more expensive “Same Day Express Service” to get DH’s suit and my formal dress pressed because the laundry facility isn’t open the day you embark, and Formal Night is the first day at sea. Our steward told us to call *first thing* in the AM for our formalwear to get picked up, or there would be a chance that our clothes wouldn’t be ready in time for the Captain’s Cocktail Party.

EXCURSIONS : We booked all of our excursions through Carnival because I’m a bit of a chicken and didn’t want to be stranded on some remote part of the island while the ship was sailing away. They were all very well run, not overbooked, and of a very high quality. We will most likely continue to book through Carnival for our excursions.

SHOWS : Ummm, we didn’t make it to any of them. We were either too busy hanging out with new friends, plying roulette in the casino, or just wiped out and went to bed early. Next time, I promise…

SEASICKNESS : Ginger! Ginger! Ginger! 'Nuff Said!

OK, anything you have questions about? Fire Away!

Awesome review,You sound like you had a blast,thats so great to hear.:) :) :)

Thanks for all the information in your review, it's nice to read one about the same ship we will be going on next month. Hope DH and I can stay awake long enough to check out the night life a couple of nights on this cruise. Our last, and only cruise so far, we were usually wiped out by 11:00.

About the Ginger, what strength per tablet?

Thank you so much for the detailed reveiew. I'll be on the same cruise in July, and haven't been able to find a lot of recent reviews of the ship.

Am I correct that they now have a miniature golf course?

The Xanadu shows movies?

For self-debarkation - how many bags did each of you have? I'm trying to decide whether its even worth mentioning as an option.

I know you said you and your hubby don't really know the card games, but do you happen to know which ones were played in the casino?

This was a great review. My sister and I will be doing this cruise in 24 days! We can't wait. Thanks for the heads up on the pool where you can find chairs and the spa the last day. I was on the Imagination in 2000 and never got to "sun" because I could never find a chair!!

About the Ginger, what strength per tablet?

Ours were 550 MG tablets. We took 2 each morning and 2 each evening. We started 2 days before the cruise, so it would already be in our systems. We never had any seasickness, even on the tenders when other people were pretty green.

Am I correct that they now have a miniature golf course?

The Xanadu shows movies?

For self-debarkation - how many bags did each of you have? I'm trying to decide whether its even worth mentioning as an option.

I know you said you and your hubby don't really know the card games, but do you happen to know which ones were played in the casino?

1. Yes, I believe there's a mini golf course up where the running track is. There was definitely green "astro-turf" up there, but I never actually saw anyone mini golfing on it.

2. Yes, the Xanadu shows movies. They did a few daytime matinees while we were onboard (I remember Lion King, and maybe Spider Man?), and then Rocky Horror one night at midnight.

3. We had two small roller suitcases, a garment bag, a duffel bag, a backpack, and a 4-pack case of liquor.

4. Card games -- there was blackjack (two different versions, I think), and some Caribbean Poker going on all the time. There was also a Craps table going on most of the time. There may have been other card games at different times -- I noticed they seemed to rotate some of the versions of the different card games and had a little schedule printed out.

Peanutzmom,

Thanks for the info on the ginger tabs. Have read about them but couldn't remember what strength. I didn't know they show movies in the Xanadu.

Is that part of the Camp Carnival activities?

Your review is great! I've heard that the Imagination has recently been refurbished. Did she seem to be in good condition for her age?

What were the minimum bets at the Imagination Casino?

What time were you required to be back on the ship when in Grand Cayman?