Tacky old Las Vegas on the water....
Written: Aug 13 '02 (Updated Aug 13 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A smooth sailing, friendly people, and inexpensive
Cons: Gaudy as hell!!!
The Bottom Line: I'll try carnival again, but only on a brand new ship. I'd try another cruise line first, though. Carnival is too tacky!
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| discotish's Full Review: Carnival Imagination |
I have such mixed feelings about writing this review. I have to say that I enjoyed myself immensley since this was my honeymoon cruise, however after comparing it to my last cruise on Norwegian, I have to say that I don't think I will go on another Carnival cruise before I test out a few more cruise lines.
Embarkation in Miami was a very smooth experience and we were on board within 20 minutes (around 1:00). We found our cabin and decided to explore the ship. the first words that come to mind are Gaudy, Tacky, Glitzy. There is neon everywhere, in addition to these golden Sphinx-like busty creatures with their nipples just a-blazin'. The "Grand" atrium is much smaller than it appears in pictures and after recovering from the neon induced blindness, we headed onto the Lido deck for the Bon Voyage party.
To mention a bit about the size of the cabins, I was quite impressed. they were large enough to accomodate all of our luggage and held a kingsize bed quite comfortably. There was still plenty of room to walk around. The bathroom was not as compact as I remember on my Norwegian cruise and I didn't feel cramped at all. Just be careful for the suction on that toilet. It sounds like a jet taking off! The comforters on the bed looked a little worn and the seat of the chair was broken but aside from the very 80's mauve color scheme it was a decent cabin.
I'm not going to go into every detail about the ship, but here are some highlights. The casino is great! They have some wonderful fun Blackjack tables that have some slightly different rules than standard Blackjack, but we made a bunch of $$ and had a great time. The dealers, especially Eileen from the Phillippines, are great and very nice. The alcoholic drinks are reasonably priced at about $4.25 average and they automatically add the 15% tip to the total. All transactions are just put on your sail and sign card that you register at embarkation, so you don't have to worry about cash on board.
The food....well, it STARTED off on a high note. First night's dinner was fabulous. The lamb melted in my mouth. After that night, it was just average. Nothing too impressive. There is always tons of food available. Try the 24 hour Pizza place that has a wonderful Goatcheese, mushroom and garlic pizza. Then go get some soft serve ice cream and you're in better shape than if you ate in the Main dining rooms. Room service and the sushi bar that's open from 5:30 to 8:30 comes in handy when you're in the mood for some extra munchies. Breakfast, once again, is nothing special. It was the exact same thing everyday. No change at all. Sorry, but after 5 days of the same things like eggs, bacon, hashbrowns or french toast, and oatmeal...I never want to eat breakfast again. The lunches served in the Horizons grill and bar area were decent though. Not spectacular, but decent.
One big issue with me was that there were too many kids just running around, playing in elevators, just all around unsupervised. When I'm on my honeymoon I don't want to get stuck in a game of elevator tag.
Our room steward Junior de Jesus was very nice and went the extra mile to make our trip nice. Be sure to give them a bit extra than the standard tip (added automatically to your sail and sign). They work really hard keeping the cabins clean and neat.
We took the cruise to Mexico and the Caymans, so if you're interested in more info, please email me. Overall, I'd rate this cruise ship a 6 on a scale from 1 to 10. It's just a bit too tacky and worn down for my taste. It's good for people on a budget or who like tacky stuff...However, it was definitely not worth what we paid ($1600 for 2 in an outside cabin with 2 portholes).
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Families
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Epinions.com ID:
discotish
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Location: Florida
Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Seller of Dansko shoes and Bermuda Bags!
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