SonoranDevil

We will be embarking on an Alaska Cruise in May - on Celebrity cruise line. Was wondering what the weather will be and what kind of cloths to pack.

The weather can vary and the chance of encountering genuinely cold temps is increased in May. I've sailed in July and have had to wear a winter coat on deck. Of course, it could be unseasonably warm with high temps in the 60s, with little to no rain. As other posters have recommended, definitely pack with the intent of dressing in layers, along with a waterproof shell. You will have an amazing time, whether in May or any other cruising season month. Make sure you come back and let everyone know how your trip went and share any advice you've picked up from your experience!

I'm the original poster of this thread. My cruise is now less than 30 days to sailing, and there has been a little activity on the roll call now. We've got a meet & mingle organized with 23 attendees (not many by European and transatlantic cruise standards, but about what it was on the last Alaska cruise I did). Friendly people, but not tons of chatter. To tell the truth, I think the structure of Cruise Critic confuses users who've only experienced the Facebook era.

 

 

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I'd consider that a success!

Never give up!

Enjoyed the review and pictures. We live in Phoenix and it sounds like this might be a good getaway for us.

Thank you! I would be interested to hear about your trip if you decide to give it a shot!

I booked the 12/11/19 sailing back in March! Excited!

See you in December, 2019!

Definitely sending my positive thoughts towards the wonderful residents of Hawaii! I also hope that the cruisers on the POA enjoy the beautiful ship and itinerary in spite of the hurricane.

I just booked a suite for the Panorama for Dec 2019.

Can't believe we are finally getting a new ship on the west coast!

 

I see there is no listing for Roll Call for this ship yet but those first sailings are selling fast.

 

Who else is in for a new ship!

Is that the Inaugural sailing, 3 day to Ensenada? If so, we're going too!

You'll have to let us know when your episode airs! We'll keep an eye out for you!

Great, detailed review so far! I am looking forward to following the rest!

I was just on the Imagination a few weeks ago. It will depend on whether you choose self-assist debarkation or not. Self-assist started at 7:30 AM, whether you have FTTF or not. If you have your luggage delivered to the terminal with zoned debarkation, expect Zone 2. Zoned debarkation did not begin until 9AM. When zoned debarkation began, they started by calling zones 1 through 5.

If you want to be to your car by 8AM, you will have to go with the self-assist option.

Thanks for the review! Sounds like you approached any challenges with the right frame of mind!

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience!

It depends on what dates are released. On brand new ships, it can be more than two years.

 

 

I'd book NCL Project Leonardo and MSC World Class if I could even though there isn't any real info on those unnamed ships.

I definitely concur. Brand new ships will release sailings sell in the future. We currently have a booking for December, 2020...more than 2 years out.

Great review!! Thank you for posting all the valuable information and insight.

Thank you! I hope this helps anyone thinking about taking the Imagination, or any other cruise for that matter!

Thank you for taking the time to write a great review. As other posters have mentioned, your detailed writing style made for a very informative, enjoyable read!

You're very kind! Thank you! Now, I'm off figure out how to fund more cruises, so I can start the next review!

Thank you for that update.

 

I saw it last night when I signed in so purchased it. This is our 1st cruise on Carnival and as you said for the shorter cruise, I thought it would be a great time to check it out.

 

Thanks again, this is really a great review and give back with answering the after questions. Its the only real review Ive found on the Imagination ship.

Yes, we sailed at 6:30 PM as well. We were onboard around 11:30 AM and our room, with S&S cards, was immediately available. I personally enjoyed the ability to drop off our carry-ons in the cabin prior to heading to the Lido deck. All cabins were available at 1:30 PM. When we went back to our cabin after lunch, just after 1:30, our luggage had already been delivered. This was also nice, since we were able to unpack and enjoy the rest of the day sans any other tasks.

Thanks for the review!

And Michael, the guitarist, is wonderful, too. Thank you for the great review!

Thank you and we agree. Both Michael and the other solo guitarist/vocalist were good. We only saw the duo when we happened to be walking through or around the atrium, but they sounded good as well!

Thank you for all the great bits of info! My BFF and I will be sailing on the 3 day next month, and have never been on this ship. Your review can help us adjust our expectations accordingly. Looking forward to our relaxing getaway. Wish you and your DW were going on our cruise...I think we would hit it off!

We wish we were too!!!!!!

I'm so glad you both enjoyed yourselves! Looks like an amazing experience. I now understand why there was furniture being rearranged in the Library late at night (our cabin was directly below).

:')

SonoranDevil - Did you pay $20 or $22 per day for parking?

 

The reason I'm asking is because someone posted on a facebook page that it is now $22/day.

We paid $20 per day for a total of $80.

We did YTD recently on the Imagination and never waited more than 5 minutes, and that was just the line to check in. Of course, we eat a bit earlier, around 6PM. If you choose YTD, you can request the same server team if it were to become important to you.

As for beverage service, I have found that priming the pump with a reasonable up front tip has greatly increased the frequency in which my drinks have been refreshed. This includes the MDR.

As promised, I forgot to add two other pieces of relevant information. I actually remembered both pieces, then forgot one, but now I've remembered again. Such is the peculiarity of my mind. Trivial information sticks like peanut butter on the roof of your mouth and relevant things like to play hide and go seek.

• We purchased the social WiFi package. Normally, we would completely disconnect from the world. This time, we were cruising sans child and we wanted to have the ability to communicate with her. So we hooked her up with the Facebook Messenger Kids app on her phone, in order for her to communicate with us while spending the least amount of money on communication expenses. The reliability and the speed of the WiFi connection was as you would expect, inconsistent and slow. Which, for us, was fine since we had one singular purpose with the purchase of the plan. If you choose to purchase this and expect the ability to surf social media as you would at home, you would be extremely disappointed.
  

• The Carnival Hub app was very useful and user intuitive. It is your more portable and user friendly version of your Fun Times. My wife and I could both favorite activities that we were interested in and those preferences were reflected in the app. It was much more convenient than carrying around a folded up Fun Times in a pocket while on the ship.
  

I'm sure there will be a few more things here and there as the relevant information comes out of their hiding spaces in the deep, dark corners of my mind.

The only noise I heard was from the duo singing by the bar. When they did "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" I thought Timon and Pumba were in the room with me. I simply closed the hallway door to the atrium. Problem solved.

Brilliant!

That was one terrific review. I felt like I was back on the ship. I was on her on the front end of July in E71! You know I never saw Benny either, but I knew Camilo and he has always been a fabulous host. In Catalina I was eating at Steve's when the one bite buffet came through, with 18 people in tow. In Ensenada we had a car waiting for us dockside and had a self-directed tour of the wine country. Thank you for taking the time to write about your experience.

Too funny how similar our experiences were! Did you notice much noise in your room?