Imagination review, July 22-27

[HeartofGlass224]

Wow, what a great trip!!!! I never imagined a vacation could be so much fun! Our cruise was for our tenth wedding anniversary, and it was the first time we had been away sans children since our first wedding anniversary. It was one of the best experiences either of us has ever had.

 

After arriving in Miami at 10:40AM and having to search for some of our luggage (it arrived on an earlier flight), we boarded the bus to the port. The Carnival people were a little hard to locate in the airport, but once we found them, it wasn't long before we were on our way. Our bags were unloaded, and we made our way into the terminal. There was no wait at all, we checked in with ease, had our picture taken before boarding, and were on the ship before we knew it.

 

We were in room E133, on the Empress deck, so we didn't have far to walk to find our room after we boarded the ship. The room was much nicer than I had anticipated. The beds were already made into one large bed, there was plenty of closet space, and the shower was very roomy. We relaxed for a few minutes in our room, then headed up the the Horizon Grill for lunch. We ate inside because it was raining at this point, so it was very sticky, and walking on the deck was like walking on ice. After lunch, we unpacked a bit, looked through the literature in our cabin, watched the information about the muster drill on tv, and called home a few times to check on the kids (yes, it was a KID-FREE VACATION!!!). The muster drill was fairly quick and painless, though I did feel bad for the wedding party who had to attend - the poor bride couldn't put the lifejacket on over her veil!

 

After the muster drill, we took a few silly pictures in our lifejackets, then headed up to the Lido deck to watch the ship leave the port and enjoy the sunset, rather than get dressed and have dinner in the dining room. The Inspiration and RC's Navigator of the Seas left before us, so it was neat to see them pass and follow them out to sea. The sunset in Miami was gorgeous - the rain cleared up just in time for some amazing photos.

 

After we got out into the ocean, we headed back to our room. We met our room steward, Roberto, who was an extrememly friendly and attentive guy. My husband tipped him $10 and asked him to keep our collapsable cooler filled with ice for our drinks (we brought 2 12-packs of soda, 2 big bottles of wine, a bottle of champagne, and a bottle of vodka - WAAAAYYYY too much). I swear Roberto changed that ice at least 3 times a day. After relaxing for a bit, we explored the ship, came back and enjoyed the chocolate plate that my brother and sister-in-law had send for us, and ended up turning in early, since we had been going since 2AM (I hadn't slept since Thursday night).

 

Sunday morning we decided to have breakfast in the dining room - bad choice. The omelettes were greasy, and we just weren't very happy. Then we headed up to the Verandah deck to swim and catch some rays. We fully intended to only drink in our room and not buy alcohol on the ship, but when you're out on the deck, how can you not? The Long Island Iced Teas were not very strong, but the pina coladas were delicious. We had lunch in the Horizon. After a nap and some more exploring, we went to the Captain's Party in the Dynasty Lounge. The free drinks were non-stop, and the hor devours were delicious. Then we headed to dinner in the Spirit dining room. It was formal night, so we stopped along the way to have our photo taken. Our head waiter, whose name escapes me at the moment, was awesome - extremely friendly, uber-attentive, and he always had a smile on his face. That night, I had the Mississippi Delta Prawns, the strawberry bisque, and the prime rib. They were all perfect. A few of our tablemates had the lobster, and as I keep reading, it was tough, but upon asking for another serving, it was much better. Dessert was Bitter and Blanc, and it was fabulous. After changing clothes, we sat on the deck for some time, went to the "Livin' In America" show in the Dynasty Lounge (pretty good), then saw the R-rated comedy show done by Hank McGauly. He was hilarious! Afterward, we hit the Grand Gala buffet in the Pride dining room. I wish we had gone the night before, or earlier that night, to take pictures. The ice sculptures and food creations were breathtaking. The food was excellent, and we were able to take it back to our room and enjoy it there. I just had to call room service for a salt shaker.

 

Monday morning, we arrived in Grand Cayman. My husband rose early and watched the sun rise, but I slept in, as we didn't have any excursions planned. We had a leisurely breakfast in the Poolside Grill, and then hopped on a tender boat to the island. We spent the day shopping around Grand Cayman. We loved seeing the animals in the shopping centers and were shocked at how cars actually stopped for pedestrians! We didn't even bother with the map that the cruise ship handed out with their recommended shops....we just went where our feet took us and found some great gifts. We took some awesome pictures near the water, but never made it to the beach. We had a late lunch in the Horizon, had a nap, and went to dinner. The wonton soup was like no wonton soup I had ever had - it was out of this world!! I had two servings, but would have liked to have eaten every bit they had in the dining room. My main course was the filet of sole, and it was great. I can't remember my dessert that evening. That night, we hit the casino, then hung out in the Lido pool and hot tub while we waited for our laundry to finish.

 

Tuesday morning we got up early to watch the ship arrive in Ocho Rios. I'm so glad we did! It was a beautiful sight. We watched the sun rise, then had breakfast in the Poolside Grill. It took awhile for the ship to be cleared once we docked, so we hung out in the stairway, waiting for about an hour. Once off the ship, we found our tour, which we booked online through Phil Lafayette. After waiting maybe 5 minutes, Phil came and picked us up. There were some other people who were to join us, but they were a bit late, so after a quick spin through the city, we went back to the port to grab them. Phil was wonderful, seriously one of the coolest guys I have ever met. He was very well-educated about the history, flora and fauna of Jamaica, as well as many other countries, and he knows a plethora of words beginning with the letter P! After hearing a bit about what we'd be doing, we arrived at Dunn's River Falls. We were one of the first groups there, so we got right in. We decided to do the dry climb, as we suffer from weak ankles and knees. We stopped on the way down to take pictures, and then plopped ourselves on the beach. We stood in the falls, let the water wash up on us, and went out far enough to feel the cool river water meeting the warm water from the Caribbean Sea. It was really amazing. We spent about an hour and a half just lazing around on the beach, watching people climb the falls, and laughing at an adorable dog that decided to join us. We saw a hummingbird and a little lizard right in front of us on our walk back up the falls! In fact, as I held the railing, the lizard jumped right on my hand! We crossed the little bridge just before the craft village and explored the meandering paths for a bit. The craft village was insane - the vendors would grab us and drag us away from each other.....the stupid thing was that Phil told us not to tell them our names, and what did we do? Told them our names every time they asked. So of course, once they carved our names into the little wooden trinkets they had, we had to buy them. We spent a ton of money there, but we did get some good deals by haggling a bit. After a few stops, we more or less ran out of there. It was very stressful, and I think I would skip DRF if I ever went back to Jamaica just for that reason. After the falls, Phil took us through some of the neighborhoods and we stopped to see the schools. The poverty was very sobering. The next time my kids complain about their school, I will be sure to remind them of the open-air concrete pavillions that the children in Jamaica are schooled in! Phil told us a lot of interesting facts about Jamaica during our drive. We even drove up to Mick Jaggar's home. We then headed through Fern Gully - absolutely amazing! What got us the most were the wooden statues depicting rather enormous apendages - the Jamaicans are obviously proud of their endowments! From there, we headed to the plaza where Margaritaville is, and our tour concluded. My husband was exhausted, so we skipped that and went back to the ship. We caught a late lunch and took a nap. He woke up before me and spent some time on the infamous F deck. That night, we were much too tired to go to dinner in the dining room, so we had dinner in the Horizon. Later that evening, we went to the deck party on the Lido deck, had some drinks, enjoyed the Mexican buffet, and chatted with the lovely Roxana, who did airbrushed tattoos.

 

The next morning we slept in a bit, then again had breakfast in the Poolside Grill. We spent the day at the Verandah deck pool, baking in the sun and wishing this weren't our last day on the ship! We did a little shopping in the Galleria, finally drank some of the alcohol we brought, and more or less just enjoyed our last day of peace and quiet. We lost some more money in the slots, had a great dinner in the dining room (lobster bisque was so-so, chicken quesedilla and filet mignon was great, Grand Marnier souffle was one of the best things I have ever eaten), and again, hung out on the deck and in the hot tub.

 

Thursday morning we rose early, had breakfast in the Poolside Grill, and prepared to end our vacation. We docked in Miami at about 7:30, and we debarked around 9:30. Customs didn't even ask for any of the documentation we brought, just asked if we were both US citizens. Debarking was quite easy, and we were soon off to the airport. We hung around there for quite some time until our flight left, ran from one end to the other when our gates were changed twice, and one arriving back at JFK, again had to search for our luggage, which had again arrived on an earlier flight. American Airlines was the only negative part of the entire trip.

 

I don't think there was much that could have been improved on the ship. I would have enjoyed flavored coffee. The towel animals we came in to every night were adorable. It seemed that our room was cleaned in seconds by a housekeeping fairy - it was wonderful! We felt pampered and relaxed the entire trip. Next time, we won't bring so much alcohol - we ended up bring back half of it. We did leave our extra soda for the housekeeping staff, though.

[MTcruiser]

Thanks, that was i great review...i'll be going on the imagination in september...can't wait. One question, is there a sushi bar on the ship?

 

Thanks much

[TBut50]

What was the Inspiration doing in Miami?????

[HeartofGlass224]

What was the Inspiration doing in Miami?????

 

I do believe it was the Inspiration! I could be wrong!

[mrdood]

What was the Inspiration doing in Miami?????

 

Triumph, Inspiration - all those funnels look the same...

[HeartofGlass224]

Triumph, Inspiration - all those funnels look the same...

 

Now that you say that, I do believe I was incorrect, and it was the Triumph. Thank you! :)

[HeartofGlass224]

Thanks, that was i great review...i'll be going on the imagination in september...can't wait. One question, is there a sushi bar on the ship?

 

Thanks much

 

There was a sushi bar, located on the Promenade deck, I believe near the Dream Bar, if I remember correctly. We didn't eat there, but the lines were always long, so it must have been good!

 

Enjoy your trip! :D

[pacerzfan]

Thanks for the review HeartofGlass.

[jerseygirl45]

Heartofglass,

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to read a good review about the Imagination. Not that there were bad ones out there,but some were reporting having so-so fun. It made me nervous because I chose this ship for my 1st cruise. A couple of girlfriends and myself are going Jan 20th 07.

So I'm looking foward to a great time.

[MTcruiser]

one more question if you don't mind....are there hair dryers in the rooms?

 

thanks

[CRUISEMAMMA]

MTCRUISER no hairdryer either time we sailed we have sailed the Imagination twice, two years apart and both cruises were absolutely awsome. We would highly recommend it to anyone who asks and would gladly sail her again.

[Mikel1733]

Heartofglass - Enjoyed the review. We are booked on the Imagination in Oct. Does the ship have a minature golf course?

[bigredsfire]

Yes they do. They were installing it when I cruised on the ship in March.