Just got off our first Carnival cruise in over 10 years and here is what I think

[dfishner]

After cruising RCL for over 5 years we decided to take our daughter and grandkids on a mini cruise vacation and felt that Carnival would be a good choice as their first cruise and for us to take a look at Carnival once again.

First off I need to say that the overall experience was fantastic and whatever I felt about Carnival in the past is now in the past I really liked our experience.

We were at the port at 11:30 and were on board by 11:50 went up to the Lido deck which was not crowded at all and enjoyed our lunch actually the buffet was where we went for all meals since having a 9 and a 3 years old we did not want to go to the dining room with two kids in tow. It was much easier for them to pick what they wanted which was Pizza or a grilled cheese sandwich. I thought the buffet food was good for all meals and they offered a nice selection for all meals.

 

The ship itself it what I remembered about our last experience on a Fantasy ship. Our first Carnival ship was the Sensation this cruise we were on the Imagination. Vibrant colors everywhere and over the top decor it is a sensory overload for the first day but did get use to it. What set this cruise apart from our last cruise is Service which was incredible though out the ship except for the bar staff which we felt was a bit slow.

 

Our Cabin steward was incredible we never walked into our room without him being there and touching things up though out the day and our room was spotless. We were on the Rivera deck OV 199 and our daughter and kids were in 205. I also like the amenities in the bathroom, have not seen that on Royal in quite awhile. Toothpaste, razor etc thought that was a nice touch. The room itself was nice and spacious and also like the flat screen TV.

 

We registered the kids in Camp Carnival and they both loved it and felt they had good programs for both age groups and they kept both kids entertained though out the cruise...

 

The Imagination itself was spotless and saw the staff cleaning all the time all over the ship. For a ship that is 20 years old it sure did not look like it all though some of the areas of the ship looked dated I found that I was quite comfortable on it. I also found some nice quiet areas to just relax.

 

I did not see any difference in demographics from RCL to Carnival so those comments you sometimes read about Carnival being the walmart of cruise lines for us is out the window. I also found the other passengers I encountered on our cruise to be very friendly. I did not get the feeling once that I was on a party ship with drunks all around me it was quite the opposite.

 

I thought the production shows were great and liked that they had entertainment everywhere on the ship. It seemed to us that there was more entertainment then RCL.

 

Even though this cruise was for our daughter and her kids it gave us a great opportunity to sail on Carnival again to see how we felt about Carnival after a 10 year absence and I have to say it was a great experience and would take another Carnival cruise on one of their newer ships in the future. We walked away from this cruise saying we had a great time and would do it again.

[Perfect Stranger]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Go spread the word to the Royal fans. :p

[Cruise_Q]

^ lol

good you had a nice cruise w/carnival

[*Mach*]

Glad to hear that you had such a good time.

I'm sure that many of the perceptions that devoted Carnival fans have would be challenged by a cruise on an RCL ship, as well.

Welcome back!!

:)

Would you mind if I forwarded your review to the folks on the Imagination so they can be recognized for the job well done?

[quickrate]

Next time try the dining room with the kids-you wil be pleasantly surprised. We took our then 8 year old and 3 year old granddaughters on a cruise with their parents. the dining room staff are especially good with the little ones and give them the royal treatment. Had their favorite food and drink in front of them before we even asked and spent time entertaining them and making them feel special. got them up and dancing almost every night. the kids loved going to dinner each night and never got restless.

[dfishner]

Glad to hear that you had such a good time.

 

I'm sure that many of the perceptions that devoted Carnival fans have would be challenged by a cruise on an RCL ship, as well.

 

Welcome back!!

 

:)

 

Would you mind if I forwarded your review to the folks on the Imagination so they can be recognized for the job well done?

 

Please go ahead and forward the review. The Imagination certainly changed my perception of Carnival and as opened up more options to us for cruising in the future.

[WestTxCruiser]

Next time try the dining room with the kids-you wil be pleasantly surprised. We took our then 8 year old and 3 year old granddaughters on a cruise with their parents. the dining room staff are especially good with the little ones and give them the royal treatment. Had their favorite food and drink in front of them before we even asked and spent time entertaining them and making them feel special. got them up and dancing almost every night. the kids loved going to dinner each night and never got restless.

I totally agree with you on this, our daughter was 5 on her first cruise, OMG....talk about being spoiled rotten by the waitstaff. She loved it, and they loved her. She was a princess every night!!!! Great experience for everyone.

[*Mach*]

Please go ahead and forward the review. The Imagination certainly changed my perception of Carnival and as opened up more options to us for cruising in the future.

 

 

Thanks so much!!

:)

[umwife11]

Glad to hear you had a wonderful time! And so glad to hear it was on the Imagination...we sailed on her last month and like you, I was so pleasantly surprised at how great a shape she was in despite being a little on the older side. And the service we got was top-notch from check-in to disembarkation...

 

And ditto the fact that loyalists from BOTH Carnival and RCL can be pleasantly surprised to take a cruise on the other line; I've been curious to try RCL for a while, but it's not in the cards for us right now (as we have family members that work for CCL and well, they're not quite so willing to try the competition as I am, lol)

[browneyes7]

dfishner,

 

I'm glad you had a great time on Carnival! We've never had a bad cruise on Carnival. (Actually, we haven't had a bad cruise on any line!):)

 

Mary

[tete9697]

Wow, this review just helped me alot. We have a disney 4 day cruise booked and was window shopping last night (web surfin) and came across a great deal on the Imagination that save me $1000 bucks. It is so much money that we are going to jump ship and try Carnival. We have been spolied by DCL but I am sure willing to let Carnival try to win me over for that kind of money...lol. Thanks again.

[divinitylives]

Really good to hear a positive review in comparison to RCL. I need one more cruise to bump me up from a Gold Member on RCL and I looked for one for this summer for our family of 4 but their intineraries have become so limited for a caribbean cruise during the summer! So I booked the Legend which I think has a fantastic itinerary. The only other Carnival cruise we have been on was the Elation in '96 and we have been cruising RCL ever since. Not that we had a bad experience, just that the itineraries and price on RCL lined up more with what we wanted. Now the tides have turned...pun intended! Cant wait for our Legend cruise!

[LEtue]

The Imagination was the first cruise for my family back on August 30, 1997 so I still have fond memories of that ship! John Heald was the Cruise Director too so it was a great cruise and the first time I had a bedtime story in a long time :D

 

Unfortunately, I will always remember where I was the day Princess Diana died :(

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

[Randisoko]

We just got off the Imagination on July 3rd and had the same impressions! After our December cruise, we weren't sure about taking the Imagination again but are so glad we did. The entire trip was WONDERFUL! Our steward, Arsa, was the best. He went out off his way time and time again to make us comfortable. Or server, Rodolfo, was amazing and entertaining. We usually don't eat in this dining room every night, but this time couldn't stay away!

 

Everyone was pleasant and acted as if they actually enjoyed their jobs. We cannot wait to go back!

[dfishner]

What I could add to my review is that we went with an open mind, did try and not compare CCL to RCL to much and even if we did it was not a negative actually Carnival had a few more pluses then RCL to us.

1) larger staterooms this is comparing Imagination vs Majesty which was our other choice. I've been on the Majesty and the rooms are very small.

2) Amenities in the room.

3)Entertainment this was just our perception but there seemed to be more live entertainment on CCL.

4) Camp Carnival let kids in at age 2 with out the parents RCL does not they child must be age 3 if younger then they must be supervised by a parent. This really was the deciding factor for us to go with Carnival. A plus to Carnival for that.

5)Evolution of fun and the Serenity deck were nice add ons.

6) I like the design of the RCL ship better but as I wrote in my review once you get over some of the decor I really did not notice it also there were some very nice areas on the ship which were not over the top. I liked the Pinnacle lounge which was sedate and the colors were more of an earth tone feel to it.

7) What matter to me most was the service we received on board and all I can say is fantastic.

[MrPete]

We liked the Imagination SO MUCH, we booked it two years in a row.

 

But we haven't been back on a Fantasy class ship since :0(