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

gapearl

By gapearl,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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playmaker

playmaker

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Thank you so much that was a great review with a lot of great pictures. You sound like you had a great time. I am going on the Imagination in Novemeber. My gf was on the ship for 3 days with her daughter. I am ready for a much needed vacation. I can't wait. Let the countdown begin.

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Hottiesatsea

Hottiesatsea

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gapearl..do you remember ever seeing a Bartender or Bar Manager names Mario?? He was on a cruise we took on the Imagination and we were told he was now on the Imagination?? wheww he's smoking and a sweety!!:p I have some pics of him I can dig up...

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gapearl

gapearl

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Thanks to everyone for the positive feedback! I really appreciate it! :)

 

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

 

Oh I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you! I'm sure at some point we crossed paths. I was spent a lot of time on the lido deck and there always seemed to be a camera there. I saw myself on tv a few times. :) Happy Cole- thanks for giving me his name. He was too funny. I loved the fact that he recognized the military in the audience. He did some flight attendant jokes in the second show. I practically fell over laughing because I could relate all too well. I met him later that night at the disco. He was a very nice guy. What was the itinerary you took on the first cruise of your B2B? Bahamas? I heard from another pax (don't know if this is true or not) we were about to get rerouted there in the early stages of TS Matthew. I agree about the cake. Before I get sent to the chair, my last meal would be that honey bourbon chicken and chocolate cake! :p

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gapearl

gapearl

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gapearl..do you remember ever seeing a Bartender or Bar Manager names Mario?? He was on a cruise we took on the Imagination and we were told he was now on the Imagination?? wheww he's smoking and a sweety!!:p I have some pics of him I can dig up...

 

I can't say that I do. I never really spent any time at any of the bars so I don't think I would remember him.

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gapearl

gapearl

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After getting maybe 2 hours of sleep, it was time to wake up and prepare to leave my home of the last 4 days. I still needed to pack a few things, take a shower, fill out the customs forms, eat, etc. We chose to carry off our bags since we didn’t have very much luggage. This was by far the EASIEST debarkation I have ever experienced! The time we left our room until the time we were outside of the port was literally 10 minutes. Our room was on the empress deck, the one used for embarkation and debarkation, so we didn’t have to wait for an elevator. There was a line, but it moved very quickly. They punched our S & S cards one last time and we were off. We found a line with no one in it at customs. My mom showed the agent her birth certificate, I showed him my passport, handed over our customs declaration forms, and we were out the door around 9:15.

We were flying out of Ft. Lauderdale the next morning. I had another reservation at Alamo. Ground transportation had plenty of shuttles and cabs there waiting. FYI, a shuttle to Ft. Lauderdale from the port of Miami was $20. The big blue Alamo shuttle bus was there and waiting. As I stated earlier in the review, not everyone on that shuttle had a reservation. Two new friends of mine from the week were on the shuttle, and they were flying home to SC that day. The driver did not ask anyone for a confirmation number or anything.

I had a Toyota Corolla for this rental. The ride from the Miami airport to the airport Renaissance Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale was about 25 minutes. I was surprised it was so quick. I was expecting a 45 minute drive. I was tired and very cranky when we got there, so immediately went down for a loooong nap while my mom kept herself entertained with the tv. If you ever cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, I would highly recommend this hotel. Port Everglades is right across the street. I took my mom down to the beach so she could enjoy the Florida weather a little while longer. We walked around for about an hour, got something to eat, and headed back to the hotel.

Our flight was an early one. 6 am, yikes! We flew into Atlanta and I got my mom on her flight to Memphis. I was home and on my way back to sleep at 10:30. Vacation is officially over. :( :( :( :(

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gapearl

gapearl

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Here are some other random thought about my Imagination cruise.

 

I saw very few children and the ones that were present were very well behaved. On our sea day, there was a group of about 6 kids (about age 10-12) that were working on a treasure hunt. They asked 10 adults to come to the lido deck stage to form a conga line. They seemed to be having a lot of fun.

 

The late seating in the Spirit dining room was never crowded. Our servers always gave great attention to us and he never seemed rushed. You time dining was offered. I met a lot of singles on this sailing. When I cruised solo last year, I was seated at a dinner table with other solo cruisers. I don’t think they did that here.

 

The ship had just come out of dry dock. I’m not sure what exactly they did but she appeared to be in good condition.

 

Night 3 after leaving Cozumel was VERY choppy with rough seas.

 

I didn’t see any of the Broadway style shows. Tory was the best cruise director ever! She and her entertainment staff had high energy at all times and really made sure that guests were enjoying their vacation and having a good time. I also love the break dancers, aka “fun patrol” guys.

 

Signs were posted on day 3 advertising the behind the fun tour on day 4. I’ve never taken this tour but plan to on my next cruise. I’ve heard that spaces are limited and fill up fast, usually on day 1. I guess it didn’t sell out this cruise.

 

The gym had great equipment, even though I never actually used it. I planned to. Really, I did. ;)

 

There was no past guest party on this sailing. Also, this ship did not have the large gps map where you could see exactly where the ship was sailing at any given time.

 

They took more photos than they had room for in the photo gallery. On the last day, they had 3 boxes FULL of pictures that you basically had to dig through if you wanted to find yours. I started to, but after a few minutes I figured it wasn't worth it. Talk about trying to find a needle in a haystack.

The internet was completely down the last night. When I did use it, I had no problem connecting and it was pretty fast.

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gapearl

gapearl

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Video of the fun patrol (break dancers) at the midnight lido deck party night 3. I wish you could see these guys up close. They are super cute!

 

 

I took this video in Cozumel from the serenity deck as the Legend was leaving port. Filming this was fun. People saw me with my video camera and everyone waved when they saw me point it to them. I gave a loud "BYEEEEEEE!" a few times in my dreadfully hoarse voice.

 

 

Here's a few more random pictures.

 

South Beach Miami.

 

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Our cute bartenders in the Illusion's Disco.

 

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The lido deck lit up at night.

 

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Me with our dinner servers. These guys were awesome!

 

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Entertainment in Cozumel.

 

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Just a great view.

 

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gapearl

gapearl

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Thanks for taking the time to post your review! 40 more days and I'll get to check out the Imagination for myself! :D

 

Woo-hoo! I can't for you to get back so I can read your review and think back to my good memories! Have a great cruise!

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gapearl

gapearl

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Well I guess this concludes my review. It has been fun sharing my cruise with everyone. Everything was what I expected and more. I love Carnival and will continue to to be a loyal customer. Now that I've finally finished writing this one, I can get back to reading all of yours. Only 5 months until I'll be posting another one for the Destiny! :D :D Thanks to everyone for the positive comments and feedback!

 

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Carnival Imagination

9/27/10-10/1/10

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SexyK

SexyK

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Enjoyed reading your review. It was very alive and fun reading. Wanted to know cause I'll be cruising in Nov whats a good hairstyle? I was looking at yours and it was very nice. Need something that can get wet and still be cruise elegant. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

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gapearl

gapearl

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Thanks for the entertaining review!! Glad you had such a good time and I can't wait to read your next review! :)

 

Thanks a lot! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

 

Enjoyed reading your review. It was very alive and fun reading. Wanted to know cause I'll be cruising in Nov whats a good hairstyle? I was looking at yours and it was very nice. Need something that can get wet and still be cruise elegant. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

 

I wear braids. It's the most cutest, most low maintenance style ever.

 

Great job again. If you loved the Imagination, you will see a difference on the Destiny. Great crew and staff and the food is great. Alot more places to explore around the ship. Enjoy my 2nd favorite ship:D

 

Thanks! I see you're leaving on the Imagination again next week. I'll be looking for that review. I'm looking forward to the Destiny. My last 2 cruises have been on Fantasy class ships, so I'm happy to be going on a bigger one. I love the seaside theater on the lido deck.

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gapearl

gapearl

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Great review, enjoyed it very much and the pictures are wonderful. Can you tell me if there were any late night buffets at all??? My DH Rick and I will be sailing in 12 more days cannot wait especially now. :)

 

Hello and thank you! Yes, there was a late night buffet on night 3. I can't believe I forgot to mention this. It was a Mexican buffet, very appropriate after leaving Cozumel. I did not see it and don't remember hearing any comments about it, so I can't comment on whether it was good or bad. That was the only late night buffet during the cruise, but of course you still have room service and 24 hour pizza. I personally didn't think the pizza was that good, but if you're hungry enough, you will eat it. You're going to have a great cruise!

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schiff1997

schiff1997

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Hello and thank you! Yes, there was a late night buffet on night 3. I can't believe I forgot to mention this. It was a Mexican buffet, very appropriate after leaving Cozumel. I did not see it and don't remember hearing any comments about it, so I can't comment on whether it was good or bad. That was the only late night buffet during the cruise, but of course you still have room service and 24 hour pizza. I personally didn't think the pizza was that good, but if you're hungry enough, you will eat it. You're going to have a great cruise!

 

Awesome thanks:)

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angel258

angel258

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Thanks a lot! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

 

 

 

I wear braids. It's the most cutest, most low maintenance style ever.

 

 

 

Thanks! I see you're leaving on the Imagination again next week. I'll be looking for that review. I'm looking forward to the Destiny. My last 2 cruises have been on Fantasy class ships, so I'm happy to be going on a bigger one. I love the seaside theater on the lido deck.

 

I second braids or twists as well. I had Senegalese twists done a week prior to my cruise in Sept and I still have them and they are so low maintenance.

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