Imagine A Good Time
Written: Dec 18 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun activities, reasonable price, good food
Cons: Luxury it's not
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| francesca57's Full Review: Carnival Imagination |
As a fifteenth wedding anniversary present, my husband offered to take me on a cruise. When we sat down to plan our vacation, we had a considerable number of restrictions though. We wanted it to be on our anniversary, November 30th, after November 20th (the deadline for a project at work for me), and before December 5th (a business trip for him). We also couldn't go away for more than five days because our babysitters, my in-laws, could only deal with our children for so long. When we investigated the choices, only one cruise ship fit the bill. It was the Carnival Cruise Lines Imagination.
The Itinerary
Our cruise left Monday, November 27th at 4pm, and returned Saturday, December 2nd at 8am. We stopped in Grand Cayman on Wednesday, and Calica, Mexico on Thursday.
The Ship
The ship is attractive, in a Las Vegas, fun sort of way. The center of the ship is the Atrium, a 7-story, glass-topped structure which is quite impressive. There is also a casino, ten bars and lounges, an entertainment theater, health spa, three pools, two dining rooms and an outdoor casual dining area, a library, and a shopping mall.
Although the Imagination carries 2040 passengers, the ship never felt crowded.
The Stateroom
It might not be easy to be objective about the room, since my husband, in his generosity, booked the largest suite on the ship. Having heard repeatedly how small cruise ship staterooms are, it was a pleasant surprise.
The size of a large hotel room, it included a nice sized bathroom, a walk-in closet, two twin beds which could be turned into one king-sized bed, a vanity area with lots of drawer space, a bar, a television, a separate sitting area with sofa and chairs, and a large, private balcony. The decor was a bit loud, and did have some signs of slight wear, but all-in-all, they were wonderfully conformable accommodations.
The Activities
The array of activities was truly terrific, providing something for just about anyone to do. Each evening, a newsletter arrived in our room, with a list of the next day's events. Among them were large, Las Vegas type shows, bingo, trivia games, various game shows, an art auction, games by the pool, lectures, blackjack and slot machine tournaments, and a variety of other activities.
Drinking and Dancing
There are 10 different lounges on the ship to chose from, giving you a selection of many different types of places to sit down and have a drink. Some include dancing, and there were again choices from ballroom dancing to a loud disco. My husband and I were committed to gearing down and relaxing during our cruise, and we found it very easy to do.
The Casino
My husband and I love to gamble, and spent most of our evenings here. The casino wasn't particularly big, but we never found it difficult to find a table to play at. There were a good number of slot machines, 1 craps table, 1 roulette table, a couple of Caribbean Stud Poker tables, and several Black Jack tables. It was also always possible to find a $5.00 minimum bet table, which made it comfortable for those who didn't want to make their time in the casino a major investment.
Children
Although we didn't take our children and have direct experience with the children's program, the children we did see always seemed occupied and amused. We also heard from several parents on the ship that their children were having a wonderful time, and that Carnival, after Disney, provides the best cruise for children.
Pools
There are three pools on the Imagination. The main pool is not particularly big, and we were concerned about it being crowded, but it never was. There were ample amounts of lounges, and music and activities to keep you entertained. It was also next to the outdoor restaurant.
There was also a children's pool, and another pool which was smaller and a bit quieter. We spent most of our time at the quiet pool, and enjoyed some wonderful time, soaking up the rays and reading several good books.
Food
The thing that I have always heard about cruises is the massive amounts of food that are available. We had heard right!
All guests are assigned a table and seating time for the length of the cruise, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here the most formal type of meals were served. Should this not suit you, there is also a casual restaurant open by the main pool, an enclosed, more casual restaurant and 24 hour pizza shop, and 24 hour room service serving a limited, but ample menu.
~Main Dining Room
We ate every evening in the formal dining room except one. The promotional materials said that it was truly gourmet food, and acknowledged as such by some gourmet organization. During our stay, the food was truly very good. The choices each evening were very adequate, including such selections as lobster and prime rib, and you are allowed to eat as much as you want. One man at our table consistently ordered two appetizers and two main entrees each evening, and it was no problem. My only negative comments would be presentation and service. Presentation for the food was lackluster. Prime rib would come served on a small plate, with a couple of pieces of overcooked broccoli. It would go a long way to give "gourmet" food the presentation it deserves. Also, service was a bit off. Not that the staff wasn't efficient or polite, but they really rushed you through dinner, making it border on a the fast food version of gourmet.
We never ate lunch in the main dining room, but did have breakfast there. It was much like dinner, with good but quick service, a good variety of choices, and good food.
~Poolside Restaurant
The food here was equal to that of your local diner, with a smaller selection. This was a convenient choice when spending the day at the pool.
~Casual Indoor Restaurant
Here they offered a buffet for breakfast and lunch, and partial table service for dinner. Though not gourmet level, the choices were good, and the food was above average.
~Midnight Buffet
This was something that my husband and I just couldn't do; eat once again at midnight. But we did visit twice to see what all the fuss was about. The first time, the food selection was wonderful, and fun. The place was very crowded. On another evening, the staff went all out to create an event. There were exquisite ice and food sculptures, and guests were taking pictures.
Room Service
This had a limited menu, but the service was very quick and polite.
Spa
The Spa was a beautifully appointed, quite large area. It offered a fair amount of different spa services at reasonable prices, and a fully equipped gym. There was also a 1/8 mile running track, above it on the upper deck.
Service
The ship is registered in Panama, and I would assume because it cuts costs, all of the hired help is young, and from countries other than the United States. They sign on for 10 month stints, go home to 2 months, and then usually return for another year or two. This made for very interesting discussions and points of view.
I had a picture of impeccable service from movies, and although the service was very good, it wasn't quite what I had expected. I assume though that Carnival, being an inexpensive cruise line, wouldn't have the same level of service as one of the more expensive lines.
Excursions
We docked at Grand Cayman one day, and Calica, Mexico the next.
Both days, there were a large number of excursions that you could book ahead of time on the ship. Everything from swimming with Stingrays and Dolphins, to heavy duty shopping, to lounging at a local hotels pool was available. All excursions seemed reasonably priced.
I have to admit than other than an hour of shopping on Grand Cayman, we didn't leave the ship, and chose instead to veg out at the pool.
Embarkation and Disembarkation
This process was relatively painless. Both times the crowds looked large, but we were moved through with relative efficiency and speed.
The one negative is their baggage handling policy. You are not allowed to bring your luggage on the boat yourself, but instead are required to use the porters outside the terminal. However, these porters don't work for the Carnival, and they warn you in your orientation materials to be careful who you hand your bags to. It would seem prudent of them to handle this task themselves, or allow passengers to handle their own luggage.
Age
We had heard that lots of older people go on cruises, and expected a senior experience. Not so. Carnival says the average age of its passengers is 47, and would say on our cruise, it was a bit younger.
Cost
The total cost for the cruise, after a bit of price shopping, was $2500.00 total for the both of us. This included all port fees, the suite, and all food. Extras included alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, any excursions, gambling expenses, and miscellaneous fees.
This came to about $250.00 a day, which we thought to be quite reasonable.
The Verdict
We loved it! Yes, there are more elegant ships, but for the amount of money we spent, we got exactly what we had hoped for. Five days of good food, good company, good fun, and a chance to kick back and enjoy ourselves.
Recommended:
Yes
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