New to Carnival

[Jules12Wed]

I've never cruised Carnival before only ever been with RCCL. Can anyone offer any advice or tips. It's only a four day cruise. What is the dress code for meals etc. Will there be a formal night and if so what do people wear.

 

Are you allowed to take drinks on board and and iron?

 

What sort of drinks packages do they offer?

 

Thanks for any help offered.

[Jules12Wed]

We're going to be on the Imagination if that helps anyone.

 

I've been looking at eating places and it appears that this ship does not have many of the restaurants that most other ships have. No burger bar??

[pauleydm]

This may help l

 

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/default.aspx

[SadieN]

Soda, water and 1 bottle of wine (per adult) can be brought onboard.

 

The Imagination has irons in the laundry rooms. Leave yours at home as it will be confiscated.

 

The burgers are outside on the lido deck.

 

Your cruise elegant night will be your Catalina day. This is a very casual cruise. Cocktail dresses, black slacks and pretty tops are the norm for the gals. Rarely are there tuxes onboard. Seems that the majority of men wear ties or jackets. Not too many who wear both.

Edited June 20, 2014 by SadieN

[winddawn]

Carnival's alcohol beverage package is called Cheers, but it is not available on Imagination because that ship does 3 and 4 day cruises.

 

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/shipboard_knowledge/My_Awesome_Bar_Program.pdf

 

Bottomless Bubbles is their soda package.

 

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/shipboard_knowledge/fountain_funcard.htm

[ccruisequeen]

Lido has burgers, deli, Mongolian Wok, 24-hour ice cream

 

[Jules12Wed]

Thanks for all your replies. It appears that of all the Carnival Ships the Imagination has the least amenities onboard :(

 

Has anyone any pictures they can put on here for me.

 

Do they get many Brits on board or will we be the only ones??

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Has anyone any pictures they can put on here for me.

 

Do they get many Brits on board or will we be the only ones??

I do, actually. I've sailed on Imagination before, and have a review posted. There are ship pictures like you're looking for, but there are also some excursion photos. (They're not for your cruise; Imagination had a different itinerary back then.) Click on the link in my signature.

 

I have not seen many Brits on the ship, although I've met passengers from all over the world during my cruise. Short cruises tend to have demographics similar to the city they're sailing from, due to the large number of locals onboard.

[Jules12Wed]

I do, actually. I've sailed on Imagination before, and have a review posted. There are ship pictures like you're looking for, but there are also some excursion photos. (They're not for your cruise; Imagination had a different itinerary back then.) Click on the link in my signature.

 

I have not seen many Brits on the ship, although I've met passengers from all over the world during my cruise. Short cruises tend to have demographics similar to the city they're sailing from, due to the large number of locals onboard.

 

Thanks for this info. Just wondered what restaurants are on board? What ones are included and what ones you would have to pay extra for?

[Scott D]

Thanks for this info. Just wondered what restaurants are on board? What ones are included and what ones you would have to pay extra for?

 

We have did this cruise it's a smaller ship no steakhouse. This time of year there is going to be a lot of kids and young people. And it will be hot at times. Just go and have fun.

[Kokomo_Man]

My daughter is cruising on the Imagination and is posting about the ship. (She's a chip off the old block.) She sails this soon and will answer questions you may have. Here's the link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2055068

 

Bob

Searching for Kokomo

[Jules12Wed]

Thanks everybody for your replies :)

[Jules12Wed]

My daughter is cruising on the Imagination and is posting about the ship. (She's a chip off the old block.) She sails this soon and will answer questions you may have. Here's the link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2055068

 

Bob

Searching for Kokomo

 

Thank you for this link, I'll be following it with interest.

[kozeehezheya]

It appears that of all the Carnival Ships the Imagination has the least amenities onboard

[serene56]

you went from a larger ship (adventure) to a very small ship

 

 

There are no pay places on this ship. no steak house. (I dont even know if it has a ice cream shop.

 

Most all your dining venues are free May I suggest that you walk the buffet area to see what is offered at all stations. (breakfast and lunch)

 

lunch you have your deli, your grill, your buffet, your pizza. mongolian station (yum) this one tends to get VERY crowded as the week goes on.

 

You are coming all the way to Imagination from London-- please tell me you have an extended stay vacation

[Jules12Wed]

you went from a larger ship (adventure) to a very small ship

 

 

There are no pay places on this ship. no steak house. (I dont even know if it has a ice cream shop.

 

Most all your dining venues are free May I suggest that you walk the buffet area to see what is offered at all stations. (breakfast and lunch)

 

lunch you have your deli, your grill, your buffet, your pizza. mongolian station (yum) this one tends to get VERY crowded as the week goes on.

 

You are coming all the way to Imagination from London-- please tell me you have an extended stay vacation

 

Yes we are not coming all the way just for the cruise. We have 3 nights in Las Vegas, 2 in LA 4 nights cruising and then 2 more in LA before flying home!!!

 

Just a bit worried now that there will not be much for the kids. Our son is 20 and daughter 14. I doubt she will go to the kids club. There not into sunbathing like me, my hubby not really too keen on sunbathing either :confused:

[Kokomo_Man]

Your daughter should go to the kids club in the beginning. While she probably won't go there continuously, she will likely make friends there for the whole cruise. As far as your son goes, he'll be fine too. There will likely be quite a number of people his age that he will find as long as he gets out and about a bit. I cruised as part of a family group with a 20 year and we almost never saw him. We were worried, but it turned out he loved it.

 

Bob

Searching for Kokomo

[BallFour4]

I've never cruised Carnival before only ever been with RCCL. Can anyone offer any advice or tips. It's only a four day cruise. What is the dress code for meals etc. Will there be a formal night and if so what do people wear.

 

Are you allowed to take drinks on board and and iron?

Yes and No. Sodas and water are allowed. Read the cruise FAQ when you register for the actual quantities. Appreciate they rarely enforce the restrictions on amounts. Irons are a no-no.

What sort of drinks packages do they offer?

Someone else has explained the liquor one, the Bottomless Bubbles soda plan is a dandy. It covers juices at the bars and sodas at bars and in the dining room.

There is no formal night on the Imagination or any other Carnival ship. You are on a Fantasy class ship with no specialty restaurants, but the dining room aboard this ship is full of attentive waiters and staff. Our experience was excellent.

 

Don't overdress on this cruise. It's relaxed to a new level... I did multi-quote poorly on this post!

 

.

Edited June 27, 2014 by BallFour4

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Just a bit worried now that there will not be much for the kids. Our son is 20 and daughter 14. I doubt she will go to the kids club. There not into sunbathing like me, my hubby not really too keen on sunbathing either :confused:

Your daughter will actually do pretty well. Carnival has Circle C for people ages 12 to 14, and they're great with organizing activities. Your 20-year-old son, on the other hand, will be in a bad situation. He's too old for teen clubs, obviously, and rightfully so. (There was even a thread earlier, about a 20-year-old dude contacting a teenage girl he met onboard.) And American laws are really uptight; namely, you have to be 21 to drink. No bar on the ship will sell anything to him, not even beer. Same is true everywhere on US land, and legal penalties for buying or drinking alcohol underage are very severe (by UK standards). You son will be able to buy and consume drinks in Mexico (Ensenada) with no problems. Maybe even your daughter too, so giving you a fair warning.

Edited June 27, 2014 by LandlockedCruiser01

[dolphin2012]

I have cruised on larger and smaller carnival ships and have had fun on all!! the buffets are free and will offer all kinds of food. the fun times paper lists all the fun activities that are going on. just relax and enjoy. Carnival cruises will have a younger crowd and we find "people watching" sometimes can be the most fun!And don't forget the FREE room service!

[Jules12Wed]

I have cruised on larger and smaller carnival ships and have had fun on all!! the buffets are free and will offer all kinds of food. the fun times paper lists all the fun activities that are going on. just relax and enjoy. Carnival cruises will have a younger crowd and we find "people watching" sometimes can be the most fun!And don't forget the FREE room service!

 

I think the room service will be my son's favourite. On our last RCCL cruise he very rarely made it up in time for breakfast and would quite often disappear back to the room and we'd then find numerous empty plates where he'd ordered pizza etc!!!

 

We've not booked our dining option yet. I've heard there's only one evening show whereas on RCCL they would repeat it so didn't matter if you went early or late to dinner you'd get to see it. If we don't get into the flexible dining does anyone know what time the evening shows are as don't want to pick late dining option and find we never get to see the show.

 

Thanks for everyones replies. I will try to encourage my daughter to go on the first day, fingers crossed she will.

[Jules12Wed]

Your daughter will actually do pretty well. Carnival has Circle C for people ages 12 to 14, and they're great with organizing activities. Your 20-year-old son, on the other hand, will be in a bad situation. He's too old for teen clubs, obviously, and rightfully so. (There was even a thread earlier, about a 20-year-old dude contacting a teenage girl he met onboard.) And American laws are really uptight; namely, you have to be 21 to drink. No bar on the ship will sell anything to him, not even beer. Same is true everywhere on US land, and legal penalties for buying or drinking alcohol underage are very severe (by UK standards). You son will be able to buy and consume drinks in Mexico (Ensenada) with no problems. Maybe even your daughter too, so giving you a fair warning.

 

On RCCL we could sign something to say that he was allowed to purchase alcohol is this not the case on Carnival?

[LandlockedCruiser01]

On RCCL we could sign something to say that he was allowed to purchase alcohol is this not the case on Carnival?

Correct. On NCL, you can allow him to buy beer and wine only. Carnival has the strictest alcohol restrictions among the Big Three (CCL, RCCL, and NCL). No alcohol purchases of any kind! And if you get caught giving it to him in a public area, you can be debarked at the next port (or so I heard; correct me if I'm wrong).

 

I'm a Carnival fan, but it's one line I wouldn't recommend to a person age 18 to 20. Carnival used to be a party cruise before year 2000, and they want to get rid of that image. But it seems like they're trying too hard, and they neglected an age group that could later become their customers themselves (as opposed to being paid for by family).

[Jules12Wed]

Correct. On NCL, you can allow him to buy beer and wine only. Carnival has the strictest alcohol restrictions among the Big Three (CCL, RCCL, and NCL). No alcohol purchases of any kind! And if you get caught giving it to him in a public area, you can be debarked at the next port (or so I heard; correct me if I'm wrong).

 

I'm a Carnival fan, but it's one line I wouldn't recommend to a person age 18 to 20. Carnival used to be a party cruise before year 2000, and they want to get rid of that image. But it seems like they're trying too hard, and they neglected an age group that could later become their customers themselves (as opposed to being paid for by family).

 

Thank you for that info. He'll be well disappointed especially as he's only 7 months off of 21 :( We're much more lenient here in the UK, not that he's ever got drunk but does like a beer or cider.

[crusinpsychRN]

There is the coffee bar where they sell specialty coffees and deserts. Remember to tip for a room service order.

 

There is a Serenity area aft for adults only with 2 whirlpools.

 

The Fun Times will be in your cabin on arrival and every night for the following das events. Tear off the side to carry with you so you can go to different events scheduled.

 

Hope you enjoy!