Carnival Imagination! 9/27/10! Short cruise, LONG review with lots of pictures!

[gapearl]

Sounds like so much fun. Your pic of Legend is so beautiful. CCL should commision it for a postcard!! ;)

 

Thanks Karen! They don't even have to give me cash. Just give me a free cruise on the ship!

[jdawsonrn]

Great Review!!!! Keep it coming :D I sailed on the Imagination in the mid 90's I'm sure she looks a little different now. Lots of great memories!!!

[akers123]

Great Review!!

[cruiserNC]

...

[schiff1997]

Loving your review, sailing away on Imagination in only 2 more weeks:)

[angel258]

I am currently planning a cruise on the Imagination for next May ( 3 day to the Bahamas) and I am glad to see some current pics of the ship and activities aboard. This looks like a great party atmosphere especially since you were up until 3 and 4AM dancing. I must learn how to do the Wobble too before I go. I have already watched the YouTube with Beyonce doing it and it seems easy to learn just like the shuffle. I recently cruised on Serenade of the Seas (7 days) and though I enjoyed that cruise they didn't have many clubs or played great music.

 

I think at least for my age which is the last of my twenties now..lol...that I might enjoy this ship more due to the average age of guests onboard and what appears to be more activities.

 

I will check back later for more of your review. I'm a southern belle as well... :)

[gapearl]

Hi everyone! The rest of the review is on the way. I'm done working for the day and can get back into it.

 

I am currently planning a cruise on the Imagination for next May ( 3 day to the Bahamas) and I am glad to see some current pics of the ship and activities aboard. This looks like a great party atmosphere especially since you were up until 3 and 4AM dancing. I must learn how to do the Wobble too before I go. I have already watched the YouTube with Beyonce doing it and it seems easy to learn just like the shuffle. I recently cruised on Serenade of the Seas (7 days) and though I enjoyed that cruise they didn't have many clubs or played great music.

 

I think at least for my age which is the last of my twenties now..lol...that I might enjoy this ship more due to the average age of guests onboard and what appears to be more activities.

 

I will check back later for more of your review. I'm a southern belle as well... :)

 

Royal Caribbean doesn't have a club onboard? :( Wow. I have found that on all of my Carnival cruises, there is a large amount of 20 and 30 somethings. My cruise on the Fantasy earlier this year was a mostly older crowd (older as in our grandparents age) but there was still a large amount of younger people. However, all of them turned in early and the ship was quiet not long after midnight. I was very happy to be sailing this time with a lot of people closer to my age who were there to really have a good time. I've heard that the shorter the cruise is, the harder the people party. You'll be on a 3 day cruise, so you might not get much sleep either. ;)

[angel258]

Hi everyone! The rest of the review is on the way. I'm done working for the day and can get back into it.

 

 

 

Royal Caribbean doesn't have a club onboard? :( Wow. I have found that on all of my Carnival cruises, there is a large amount of 20 and 30 somethings. My cruise on the Fantasy earlier this year was a mostly older crowd (older as in our grandparents age) but there was still a large amount of younger people. However, all of them turned in early and the ship was quiet not long after midnight. I was very happy to be sailing this time with a lot of people closer to my age who were there to really have a good time. I've heard that the shorter the cruise is, the harder the people party. You'll be on a 3 day cruise, so you might not get much sleep either. ;)

 

I would put the age demographics at an average of 40-50 maybe...There were younger people onboard but the majority were older than I. I think this could also be due to the time I sailed as school was back in session.

 

On the Serenade they had one club called the Vortex which featured a DJ every night but other than that they had lounges and a cigar bar. They did have karaoke almost every night too I think which I did participate in..lol! It just seemed as if many of the guests weren't a very active crowd.

 

I am looking forward to the shorter cruise to do a comparison.

[gapearl]

I would put the age demographics at an average of 40-50 maybe...There were younger people onboard but the majority were older than I. I think this could also be due to the time I sailed as school was back in session.

 

On the Serenade they had one club called the Vortex which featured a DJ every night but other than that they had lounges and a cigar bar. They did have karaoke almost every night too I think which I did participate in..lol! It just seemed as if many of the guests weren't a very active crowd.

 

I am looking forward to the shorter cruise to do a comparison.

 

You will definitely have a more active crowd on Carnival. That's why they're called the fun ships! ;) :D

[gapearl]

Day 4

 

I’m still hoarse! I didn’t sleep in as much as I wanted to. It think it was 10ish when I got up. I wanted to hit the gym, but that didn’t happen. I was rather disappointed in myself for not working out at all during the cruise, but I guess my late night 2-3 hour disco dance sessions would count as exercise, right? I mean, this is roughly what I look like after a Zumba or step aerobics class.

 

 

 

I took a shower and headed up to the lido deck around 11:15. I guess I was very lucky because I never had a problem finding a chair. No chair hogs! I sat out for a little while, had a DOD, listened to the calypso duo, relaxed, and worked on my tan (because I was so pale to begin with, ha ha :cool:). I was hungry and went to check out the buffets around 11:45 to see what was being served for lunch, and the answer to that was eggs, bacon, sausage and waffles. Breakfast was being served until noon. I can see serving breakfast late until 11 or maybe even 11:30 on the sea days, but noon is a bit excessive. I went back to my chair and parked myself for another 15 minutes until lunch was ready. The lido buffet theme today was American food. There was fried chicken, grilled fish, baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese, stuffed cornbread, and vegetables. The fried chicken was really good. It had an unusual sweetness to it, like it was marinated in honey before frying. I loved it.

 

After eating and going from the pool to the hot tub to the pool to the hot tub to the…..well you get the picture, I decided to try the water slides. There was a long line for the big slide. I must have waited at least 10 minutes. Fun! I went down both slides a couple of times. There was no line for the blue ones. If you’ve never been down the slide big yellow and are curious on what it’s like, here’s your chance to find out.

 

 

A word of advice for ladies wearing bikinis: Be sure your tops are SECURE before going down the slide. The water at the end shoots right up to you and fast, and, well, if they're not secure, it will be easy to flash everyone.

 

 

View from the top of the ladders leading up to the slide.

 

 

[Name Of The Game]

Love your review and pics!

[gapearl]

After the water slides, I found my mom sitting with our new friends. We went to go look through the photo galleries together. I bought one 8 x 10 and three 5 x 7 pictures and a 5 x 7 wooden frame with “Carnival Imagination” on it for $60. While I was in a shopping mood, I browsed through the gift shops and duty free one last and final time to see if there was anything I missed and just HAD to have. There wasn’t. I dropped off the pictures in the room and went back to the pool.

 

Here’s a video of the calypso duo on the lido deck stage.

 

It is such a small world. I was in the pool, chatting and having a regular conversation with a girl and she mentioned she was a flight attendant. Wow, me too! What airline? Wow, me too!!!! She then called over a friend that was with her who was also a flight attendant for my airline as well (which will remain nameless). I had never met either of them, but how ironic is that?

 

 

I wanted to go down the water slide one last time. When I got there and saw how long the line was, I turned back around. I would have waited 20 minutes or more and it wasn’t worth it. I spent those last 20 minutes in the hot tub, and then I headed to the ladies’ dry sauna for 20 minutes before heading back to my room to begin packing. I have to go home in the morning. :( Given my track record of going to bed so late, I HAVE to be packed tonight before dinner.

 

 

Here's a couple more random shots.

 

 

[dotcaaahm]

Great review, sounds like you had a great time! I was on Imagination last winter, same itinerary, and we had a FANTASTIC time. I love your cruise wardrobe! Makes me want to buy some sundresses before my cruise in January :)

[oncruisecontrol]

A very nice review. Thanks for posting.

[gargoyle999]

Looks like you may be professional cruisers!! Lol. Maybe you'll have some suggestions for us first-timers.

 

If you have any questions just pop over to the roll call for our cruise. It's not very active but the few of us posting might be able to answer you! :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1126925

[gapearl]

Great review, sounds like you had a great time! I was on Imagination last winter, same itinerary, and we had a FANTASTIC time. I love your cruise wardrobe! Makes me want to buy some sundresses before my cruise in January :)

 

Thanks! And everything was packed in one 21" suitcase!

[Hottiesatsea]

Omg this review brought back so many wonderful memories for us..we were engaged in this same ship, Dec 2000 and then sailed it again Sept 07 and both times we have had the best time of our lives!! Your review was great and wish we would have been around when you were on there..you sound so much like us....my mom taught me, you can sleep when your dead!! lol...:D Now we are headed out in Nov on Fascination & this review makes me sooooooo excited!!

[gapearl]

Omg this review brought back so many wonderful memories for us..we were engaged in this same ship, Dec 2000 and then sailed it again Sept 07 and both times we have had the best time of our lives!! Your review was great and wish we would have been around when you were on there..you sound so much like us....my mom taught me, you can sleep when your dead!! lol...:D Now we are headed out in Nov on Fascination & this review makes me sooooooo excited!!

 

HA HA Thanks Hottie! Yes we would have had a blast hanging out together! That's awesome you got engaged on a ship. Maybe one day I will too. ;)

[gapearl]

Dinner the last night was a little sad. I was not ready for this trip to end so soon. Everyone came with the exception of the two ladies from Wichita. I had a salad for my starter and the honey bourbon glazed roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and veggies for my entrée. Hot &%$@ that chicken was good! I can still taste it! It was obvious I was really into it. One of the guys at my table suggested I stop trying to eat it so properly and just dig in with my hands. (I didn't, ha ha.) For dessert, you get only one guess of what I had. Four cruises down, 19 days at sea, and 19 warm chocolate melting cakes. I have never tried anything else from the dessert menu because I love Carnival’s signature dessert so much. Maybe I’ll try something different on my next cruise.

 

On second thought, maybe not!

 

 

Mom's crabcake starter.

 

 

My honey glazed burbon chicken. So good you'll want to slap somebody!

 

 

A dessert of a pear with some kind of red wine glaze. It looks like a work of art.

 

 

Our final entertainment for the cruise was our dining room staff singing “Leaving On A Fun Ship.” Check it out.

 

 

 

Last night at dinner.

 

 

 

 

After dinner, there was an adult comedian. I can’t remember his name, but he was hilarious. I ended up watching both shows. They make sure to tell you before the show starts that NO video taping is allowed for copyright reasons. Afterwards, there was only one place to properly end my cruise. You guessed it! The Illusions Disco! We stayed there until 2:30 when it closed, and then my new friend and I were up all night again outside talking. Holy cow, it’s 5 am already! I have to be back up at 7 am to get ready to leave!

 

 

The rest of the review (finally!) coming tomorrow.

[soulsistah007]

Although you have one more day to recap, just wanted to tell you that I absolutely loved your review!!! Glad you had an amazing time and love your dedication to Breast Cancer Awareness month! :)

[tmt218]

Love the review. I would love to be on a cruise with you. You know how to have fun. I to am a homebody but on vacation I like to have fun.:D

 

Why not have warm chocolate melting cake and something else for dessert? With all that dancing you could easily work it off. ;)

 

Did your Mom enjoy the cruise as much as you did? Is she addicted to cruiseing and ready to go again?

[gapearl]

Although you have one more day to recap, just wanted to tell you that I absolutely loved your review!!! Glad you had an amazing time and love your dedication to Breast Cancer Awareness month! :)

 

Thanks a lot! Breast cancer awareness is personal to me now. Remember early in my review, I said we had 2 sudden deaths in the family? Well one of those was in June and from breast cancer. One of my relatives waited until she was 49 to get her first mammogram. By the time she did, there was a lump and it was very far advanced. That was in November, and she passed in June. No one in the family even knew she was sick. She didn't want that burden on us, so she hid it. I found out on a Wednesday, and Sunday she was gone. Ladies, please take care of your bodies! Do monthly exams and get your mammograms!!!

 

 

Love the review. I would love to be on a cruise with you. You know how to have fun. I to am a homebody but on vacation I like to have fun.:D

 

Why not have warm chocolate melting cake and something else for dessert? With all that dancing you could easily work it off. ;)

 

Did your Mom enjoy the cruise as much as you did? Is she addicted to cruiseing and ready to go again?

 

If you cruise with me, you WILL have a good time! My mom really enjoyed herself. She doesn't get out much, so this was a really big deal for her. Now everyone back home wants to take a cruise! I have one booked for February, but I'm working on a bigger one for any family and friends that are able to go. On my next cruise, I promise to try another dessert, but I will still have my chocolate cake. :D

[casono]

If you have any questions just pop over to the roll call for our cruise. It's not very active but the few of us posting might be able to answer you! :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1126925

Thanks for the advice, I haven't found the roll call yet...but, I will keep looking! LOL Just joined this site and don't know much about how to navigate it!

[disneyaholicraquel]

Thanks a lot! Breast cancer awareness is personal to me now. Remember early in my review, I said we had 2 sudden deaths in the family? Well one of those was in June and from breast cancer. One of my relatives waited until she was 49 to get her first mammogram. By the time she did, there was a lump and it was very far advanced. That was in November, and she passed in June. No one in the family even knew she was sick. She didn't want that burden on us, so she hid it. I found out on a Wednesday, and Sunday she was gone. Ladies, please take care of your bodies! Do monthly exams and get your mammograms!!!

 

 

 

 

If you cruise with me, you WILL have a good time! My mom really enjoyed herself. She doesn't get out much, so this was a really big deal for her. Now everyone back home wants to take a cruise! I have one booked for February, but I'm working on a bigger one for any family and friends that are able to go. On my next cruise, I promise to try another dessert, but I will still have my chocolate cake. :D

 

This review is GREAT...you have such a wonderful spirit!!! Were going on the Imagination in February doing my first B2B

 

Thanks, for the review it's like I'm there!

[buddyjo143]

Thanks for the review and pics gapearl. My dh and I were on the rollcall but missed the meeting. Did meet indyrob and cozumelbound. Their cabin was even right near ours.

 

The second comedian was Happy Cole. Saw him at the early show and he was good. Cruise ship jokes are always funny.

 

We did a back to back for this cruise, were on the weekend cruise before yours. It was nice to get off the ship, go through customs and get right back on.

 

I had a few chocolate melting cakes myself. Actually said, if I die tonight and that is the last thing I ate...life was good.:p