Mcshells

We are looking at a January sailing on victory but deposit is $800!!! Eek. Anyone know how to get a reduced deposit or if a deal may come?

We are taking NCL Sky 4 day in January. We've cruised this week of Jan. 2x before and weather hasn't ever been all that 'beachy' but our fingers are crossed. Regardless - - I need some help planning.

Nassau - Our #1 goal is to go to Atlantis. If weather is going to be good we will get the Aquaadventure excursion and spend the whole day there. If not - we will likely go explore the Digg and then spend time wandering Nassau - straw market etc. Suppose if we don't do the excursion and do it all on our own we will do combo of taxi and walking??

Grand Bahama - Doesn't seem like there is anything in walking distance on this stop :( We don't want to do a $$ excursion as our money will be spent at Atlantis likely. But we'd love to visit a beach to dip our toes in and take some pics as well as perhaps enjoy lunch out somewhere and wander the typical market-type shops etc. Any ideas how to do this on the cheap? Grab a taxi from the pier? Where are we going? Freeport ? Lucaya? WOuld love some ideas and sample itineraries.

Thanks

We are considering a 4 day cruise and I'm looking for info on what the evening shows are like..... we enjoy taking the kids to a show in the theater or a family-friendly comedy show etc.

Also - if you happen to have day sheets (ie. details menus and/or activities) from a recent 4 day bahama cruise I'd love to see.

We were on the Triumph last week. Carnival called us the day before sailing and offered us an upsell on a suite also, however they allowed us to cancel our FTTF and receive a refund. That is an annoying thing about Carnival, their inconsistent policies and uninformed reps.

 

Your review was very well written.

Oh I'm jealous! The FTTF did come in handy though as it meant we were able to go right to our room and our luggage was there. I don't think that was a perk with the suite upgrade but I could be wrong.

Congrats on your upsell too!

I was on the same cruise! Just posted a review in the review section, actually thought I was posting it here. I am not good at navigating web sites. Any way we also had a great time on the Immagination. Congratulations on your upgrade. We also did anytime dining and would do it again. We had Joseph two nights, requested him because he was so fun. I thought the food was outstanding. Entertainment great. Weather so so but better than snow.

Oh I will have to search out your review. Josef was great with our family. got my son up dancing!! I agree - - the weather wasn't what we hoped for, but it was better than snow.

I don't have any plans to go on Imagination but I really want to thank you for writing such a good, detailed, easy to read review.

You should give lessons. :)

Thank you! I enjoy reading reviews and trip reports and decided I wanted to be brief and quick and not get into storytelling.

Thanks for the detailed review - lots of mixed reviews on this ship

We're jumping on when it hits the west coast in a few weeks. Interested to check it out :-)

 

 

Carnival Miracle video tour:

You will have fun! We had a great trip and we've been on her twice. I'm excited to try something bigger/newer. But I'd sail her again and again if it was the difference between cruising and not cruising!!!! Enjoy your cruise!!!

Thanks for the review. You do realize people sail out of Los Angeles, right? We exist on cruise critic too! Glad you took the time to post a review. I will probably give her a try next year.

Yes, I realize this. It was because I was sailing to different ports than they were that I put that clause in. When I was looking for info. I enjoyed reading the reviews that were the exact same cruise as me.

we set our account up with a CC but once we got on board we went to Guest Services and applied Cash to our account.

We gave each kid $25 total to their card.

We kept our credit card on if we went over. We were $10 over by the end of the cruise. Was easy!!

Day 3 – Day at Sea

It was warmer than the day and the sun was trying to make an appearance. We had breakfast in the dining room and then signed the kids in to Camp Carnival for some towel making fun. My husband and I spent the morning getting what sun we could find on the Serenity Deck. We then picked the kids up for lunch and went up to Waterworks. It was WINDY and the sun was now hiding behind overcast skies. We went down to lido to grab a seat. The chair hogs were in full force that day. Finally we were able to grab 2 seats and the man sitting next to us moved down one, a little while later when the lady beside him left. 3 seats for the 4 of us. Not bad.

I read while the kids swam, enjoyed the hot tub, watched the ice carving and the hairy chest competition.

We had dinner in the dining room. Gave Brad Fitt and Popcorn a little extra tip, and then went to watch Hasbro the Game Show. This time my daughter got to play Simon. Her team didn't win but she had fun.

We then quickly made our way to the other side of the ship to Family Comedy. It was great fun.

We were all hoping to finally get to see Divas, but they were doing Epic Rock again due to popular demand (and because the late showing days before got cancelled due to weather).

I was a little disappointed. 2 years prior there was entertainment in the Dynasty Lounge every night. They played the same show at the early and late and then each evening was something different. This time I was a little disappointed there were only 2 main shows – Divas and Epic Rock and the way they staggered them (and had to cancel due to weather) meant we only got to see one. Sure, there were still things to do on board, but we love the shows and missed that there was not one each evening.

Of course we loved Hasbro and enjoyed the comedy, and over all had a great time and there was always something to do.

Overall Thoughts

We had a great cruise despite the weather. Despite the fact we had very similar weather 2 years prior. We were beginning to think this is what it must always be like but after talking to some staff and some guests, we've come to realize January is unpredictable (as we already know from visiting Florida for the past 6 years in January) and we "lucked" out on a bad 4 days at sea, both times. Too bad we were not so lucky at the Casino!!

The Imagination has a great layout and there was always something to do. Everyone was friendly and we were surprised (in a good way) that everyone remembered our names. Room steward, waitstaff, entertainment staff etc. We were made to feel special the entire cruise.

The food was good. Fun was had.

So why did I call this review “Too much Imagination”? Well, we all think after 2 cruises, both on Imagination, that it is time to try something new.

Imagination is showing her age a little, I suppose. And we can only compare her to herself. 2 years ago we noticed how clean and bright she looked. She was still clean but my husband and I both noticed she looked a little sea-worn. But we still had a fantastic time!

Having watched an in-cabin show on the re-making of the Destiny to the Sunshine and then something else on the Breeze, we think next time we may want to try something else. Something newer or a little bigger. A longer cruise, too. Of course, at the right price and dates, we surely wouldn't say no to the Imagination. She reminds us of what cruising likely 'used' to be. Back in the day.

We docked near the Sunshine in Key West and we all expressed a desire to try that. We also docked next to Celebrity Equinox in Cozumel and what a grand ship she looks to be!!!!

But, we likely will be Carnival sailors for a while. There is so much for the kids to do. We enjoy their friendly service. Plus, the price is always right.

I would be happy to answer questions if you have any.

Day 2 – Key West

We ate an early breakfast in the Pride Dining Room and then headed into Key West. We started walking up Whitehead and visited Ernest Hemmingway's home/museum. We really enjoyed wandering the house and the grounds and looking at things in the gift shop. The cats were a hit with the kids too. We then snapped photos of the lighthouse and made our way up (or I guess down) to the Southernmost Point. There was a huge line so I managed to snap a pic. Of the barrel in between families taking pictures.

We then walked down Duval and did a little shopping and had some Key Lime Pie on a stick at Kermits. Satisfied with our day, we got back onto the Imagination and went for lunch on Lido.

It was Cold. We were wearing pants and a jacket. While we wanted to sit out in the sun and relax while the kids swam, that just was not going to happen. So, the kids went to camp carnival for some activities in the afternoon and my husband and I went back to our stateroom, had a nap and sat out on the balcony. We were so thankful for the balcony and the larger room on that cold, windy, wavy day.

We picked up the kids and then we all ended up taking some dramamine. It was getting ROCKY. We went to Hasbro the Game Show and my son got to play yahtzee bowling. He had fun, even though his team did not win.

We got dressed for elegant night, got our photos taken and then went for dinner.

My son ordered lobster and crabs. What an experience that was for him. There is no way he would be able to order that in a restaurant at home. My daughter had steak (her regular meal onboard) and we had Prime Rib.

They cancelled Divas for that night and did Epic Rock instead as it was deemed safer for the performers.

It was good. We loved the set and the costumes and the performers did a great job. We know there have been cutbacks in the shows – in terms of the number of performers etc. But we still enjoyed the show. They did a fantastic job.

Then it was bed for us.

Day 3 - Cozumel

Breakfast in Pride, the kids swam in the pool went in the hot tub, we had lunch. But it was cold and starting to rain. We ended up docking at International Pier instead of Puerto Maya.

We booked the Dune Buggy Excursion through Island marketing. We were soo excited. But, upon finding our guide, we saw jeeps instead of dune buggies. He said it was too rainy to use the Dune Buggies. We had brought along Carnival Panchos to be prepared for the wet and rain of the dune buggy but a jeep tour it would now be. I was a little disappointed but held it in. Later on, we saw a group from a different operator swapping their dune buggies for jeeps part way through on their tool and they were all soaked and muddy. So I brightened up about our switch.

It turned out we were the only jeep on the tour which was great. We had to skip the snorkelling and while we stopped at a beach on the other side of the island – there was no sunbathing and swimming. We stuck our toes in the WARM water (what a difference from the ocean water in Naples Fl) and had fun. We NEED to get back to that beach one day.

We headed to Punta Sur, saw the lighthouse, saw a crocodile, at a Mexican lunch of fajitas, then headed back to port. We shopped at the pier and then boarded the ship. We then had dinner in the dining room.

I'm sure we did something after dinner but I can't remember. There were no big shows scheduled. I suppose as most were likely busy getting drunk in Cozumel still. But we would have enjoyed a 'real' show that evening (not comedy or bingo or funny games like in the bag). Oh yes, that's what we did. We went to the Dynasty Lounge and participated in games like In The Bag.

Day 1 -Fun Docked At Sea and Sailing Away

We grabbed lunch from the Mongolian Wok and then hung out by Waterworks. The kids were the first to use the waterslides. We then attended our Muster Drill (we were right across from the Casino), went to our stateroom to unpack, and then signed the kids up for Kids' Camp. We were sailing away at this point so we went up to Lido and enjoyed the view and the sunset.

We had Your Time Dining in the Pride Dining Room and headed there just after 5:45. We were seated in a section with Head Waiter Josef and his assistant Proporkorn. They were fantastic. Josef calls himself Brad Fitt and calls Proporkorn “Popcorn”. They had great fun with the kids.

The waiters danced to “Low Low Low” or whatever that song is. My son went up and danced along with them.

The kids went to Camp Carnival for a bit that evening while my husband and I wandered the ship and played in the Casino.

We didn't make it up for the welcome aboard show or Divas. It was too late at night for us! Especially with an early arrival in Key West.

stay tuned for more

We are just back from the Imagination - Jan. 6-10 4 day cruise (Key West and Cozumel). As there is rarely a ton of Imagination information on here, I thought I would leave a review/trip report. It won't be too helpful to future cruisers as the Imagination is now on her way to Los Angeles. We were her last cruise back into Miami.

Background –

My husband and I booked the cruise in the fall and got a great price. We booked an ocean view room and were excited for our second cruise.

We all sailed on the Imagination 2 years prior and had a great time, despite colder than normal weather, and a really bumpy ride (that caused the cancellation of a show one night) throughout the cruise.

We booked the Imagination again because of the price, as well as because the dates matched up perfectly to our already booked trip to Florida. Our flight home was for the 10th (in the evening) out of Ft. Lauderdale.

We flew into Florida 2.5 weeks prior! How's that for getting to port early!!!! Thanks to a suggestion here on Cruise Critic, we stopped to eat dinner at Jaxson's in Fort Lauderdale (Dania Beach). What a fun place.

The real reason for arriving to Florida so early was to spend Christmas and most of our vacation with my parents at their place in Naples. We had fantastic weather (except for 2 days) and enjoyed a variety of activities including the beach, more beach, the pool, more pool, the shopping and the Dog Track (what fun that is!).

Finally, we drove to Miami the morning of Jan. 6. But here's where this gets exciting. 2 days prior, Carnival called and offered us a Grand Suite for a bargain of a price. It was just over $300 more than what we paid for the ocean view (total, not per person) and still worked out to about $600 cheaper than the price my parents were looking at a few days before (and that would have been for 2).

The real kicker for us... the price was STILL cheaper than what we had paid for our cozy little inside Empress room 2 years ago.

We decided to take the upgrade and thank goodness we did.

The Cruise- Getting On Board

So, we arrived at the pier in the morning, gave our luggage and a few $1 bills to the porter, went through security and walked into the Captains Lounge.

There was some confusion as our boarding ticket was not printed in colour and not only were we suite guests, but we were also Faster to the Fun (as Carnival wouldn't allow me to cancel this after our upgrade).

Check in was easy. While we were checking in they were already taking the people from the Captain's Lounge to board.

We followed right after, and again there was some confusion with boarding as we didn't arrive with the original group from the Lounge and were a few minutes after. So we waited 2 or 3 minutes with the Faster to the Fun people and then we were on the ship.

We stopped at Guest Services to add some cash to our accounts. There was already a line and I felt terrible using the Diamond/Platinum/FTTF line. After all, I know some Diamond/Plat. People on here are against it. Some don't care. Plus, I'm not a line budger. But I used the line anyway and got served right away. How fun!

Our Stateroom - U111

We went right to our Stateroom – U111 and our room was ready and our luggage was already there. The items we had pre-ordered online were also there.

We all enjoyed the extra space and the balcony. Our room steward (Kris.... - I should have written down his full name) met us and I just wanted to say off the bat he was fantastic the entire trip. He makes great towel animals (even was part of the show later in the cruise), was great with the kids, and did a great job with our stateroom.

The view of Miami from our balcony was lovely. As part of the upgrade they told us there would be 3 chairs on the balcony and there were only 2 plus a table. I noticed, but I never questioned. I looked over each side and they had the same configuration. Not a big deal.

Later that evening Kris. Made the couch into a double bed and also brought in a trundle. We still had plenty of space.

We would love a balcony next time. A suite would be even better. It is likely (due to price) we would end up booking an ocean view anyway and then keep our fingers crossed for an upgrade call.

We just accepted an upgrade to a grand suite.. SO excited (was just over $300 total for the 4 of us - from a riviera oceanview). Anyway, we had previously purchased Faster to the Fun but now we have priority embarkation so we don't 'really' need FTTF - especially since no tenders etc. While we would like the perk of our room being ready - it isn't 'necessary'.

It won't let me cancel. I called and they said you can't cancel after final payment was due. Faster to the Fun is an excursion?

Has anyone done this before.

Love to poke around unique stores and we're planning on walking around Key West, Visiting Hemmingway House and having a browse through the stores. anyone have any favorite spots to shop?

i suggest Jaxons. its just a little south of the airport on us rte 1. they have good food and the best deserts.

 

http://www.jaxsonsicecream.com/

Thanks! That place looks great!

We would just eat in Naples... But... We will have been traveling for about 7 or 8 hours on just snacks and I bet we will all be hungry and ready for food before making the drive

Thank you for your help.

I have done more than a little reading on this forum. In fact, all the reading has left me overwhelmed.

I figured, like others, I may be able to get more personal help.

Which you have given and I thank you for that.

I need some help - - it looks like it may be cheaper to return our car before our cruise.

I think we can return to either fort Lauderdale airport or Fort lauderdale port for a similar cost.

We would then like to stay overnight at a hotel - - fort lauderdale or miami - - that offers shuttle to Miami Port or would be a cheap taxi to miami port.

Then .... upon our return we need to get back to Fort Lauderdale airport from Miami port - - we have all day so perhaps we can store our luggage somewhere.

ideas?

We are a family of 4 so it seems like taxi vs. shuttle comes into play in terms of cost

Ok, so we are thinking of popping in at Lesters as we leave the airport.

Having never flown into Fort Lauderdale before, wondering if the area is safe etc.

We are flying into ft lauderdale and then driving to Naples for a few days. Looking for a family friendly quick and easy place to eat dinner enroute. Suggestions?

We are sailing on the Imagination. I just read the Cheers program is not offered on our ship.

What drink programs (if any) are offered?

How much is a pop in the mdr?

I'm jumping on board here and letting you know that there are plenty of opportunities to get yourself a nice ornament. We cruise in January and always grab an ornament wherever we port. The best ornament I have thus far is actually from Key West. It is an unbreakable ornament. It is hand painted, and the gentleman who was selling them were in one of the little corridors with a bunch of other vendors. It was just off of Duval, close to Front St. maybe? He had a whole display of ornaments, and he even personalized the back of it for us, to commemorate our trip. http://www.keywestwebstore.com/christmas/ I'm fairly certain these are the same ornaments sold.

We got one from here too. Great selection and not too much $$

Thanks!!! Makes sense re: the time!

I'm so excited to hear it was the best day of your cruise. We weren't planning an excursion at all but I 'really' want to see the 'other side' of the island and this is something the entire family will enjoy. I just can't stomach the $99/adult and $99/kid price Carnival is charging.

I can save a little more $$ on this one: http://www.cozumel-watersports.com/excursions/dunebuggypuntasurmayanruinssnorkel.html

I can save a little less on this one- on reviews this one looks like it is sometimes a VW bug - we want the dune buggies though! http://cozumelcruiseexcursions.com/CozumelDuneBuggyTour.htm