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Imagination 5/10-5/14 review

Sherry84

By Sherry84,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Sherry84 "Live from...." Rare

Sherry84

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We flew in the day before and stayed at the Hilton Downtown Miami. It's very close to the cruise port so it worked well for us. We spent the afternoon walking around Bayside Market which was about a 20 minute walk from the hotel. On a side note we used SAS transport and I have to say they are fantastic. They actually called us just as we landed in Miami to say they were outside waiting for us! They were great on the way back to the airport as well.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. We were lucky enough to do VIP check-in which is the way to go. We did not wait at all to get on the ship! It was awesome to just bypass the lines we normally have to wait in. Once on the ship we explored and I took the oppurtunity to take some pictures with fewer people on the ship. Our room was available around 1pm. Our luggage was delivered super quick too, about 10 minutes after we got in the room. We did have a problem with our key cards at first, we couldn't get in the room. A quick trip to guest services fixed the problem. The ship is small but in excellent shape especially since it's been in service since 1995. It's very "Vegas" looking, but we like that so it didn't bother us.

 

We had a balcony room on the Verandah deck. Room was very nice, balcony is a bit small but functional. Our room steward was wonderful. He was so quick and efficient. We saw him in the hallway all the time, and he was always smiling and saying hello. As for the rest of the ship’s staff they were all fantastic as well. From the dining room staff to the bartenders (our favorite was the lady bartender at the Dream bar near the casino, she was the best, unfortunetly, I can’t remember her name.) Everywhere we went we were always greeted by smiling faces.

 

As for the food, both my husband and I loved it! The MDR was the best of course, but the offerings at the buffets, as well as the pizza and deli were great. I also loved the Mongolian buffet, custom made noodles, yum!

 

We had 2 ports of call, Key West and Cozumel. It was the first time we had been to either. I loved Key West. Very laid back place, we just walked around all afternoon. Cozumel was ok. We didn’t go into town and just shopped a bit in the little center they have just as you get off the ship. The people were nice for the most part, but some were very pushy trying to sell their merchandise which was very off putting. I know they only get certain chances but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. The rest of the day we spent back on the ship in the pool and the waterslide. It was awesome because there was no one there, we had it all practically to ourselves. We didn’t do any excursions in either port, but we did do the “Behind the Fun” tour on the last sea day on the ship. I would highly recommend doing this tour. We got to see the engine control room, the galley, laundry facility, crew dining areas, loading dock, crew lounge and pool area, and the bridge. We even got our photo taken with the captain! It’s limited to only 16 people so book early!

 

The entertainment was very good. We went to all the shows. Our favorite were the 2 comedians they had. They both did a regular show and a “R-Rated” show. The “R-Rated shows were hilarious. There were lots of activities readily available. We enjoyed the game shows and even a little bingo. But the casino is more our style when it comes to gambling. Karaoke was our other favorite activity. It was great fun seeing people have such a good time singing from country to rock.

 

Disembarkation was also a breeze since we had the vip check out as well. We were off the ship around 8:30. So it was off to the airport. We stored our luggage and walked around Ft. Lauderdale beach as our flight didn’t leave for 6 hours. Overall our first cruise with Carnival was fantastic and we would love the sail with them again. Maybe for our next one we’ll go on a bigger ship, but the Imaginaiton is a wonderful little ship.

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JenniferMarie

JenniferMarie

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We are alsobooked soon so thanks for the review! Did you get sea sick at all from being in a cabin so up front? Did you notice if the cabins behind you (V21-V27) which are the obstructive views-had the lifeboats covering their view or if the lifeboat was even with the balcony so you could see out straight but not down?:)

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Sherry84 "Live from...." Rare

Sherry84

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Jchrascal- I thought the cabin was great. There was plenty of room including a sitting area with a couch and coffee table. Plenty of room in the closet as well, we do pack light though! The balcony is a bit small but still serves it's purpose. :) JenniferMarie- unfortunetly I can't answer your question because I don't recall about the lifeboats. I could definately feel more movement at the front of the ship but I always take Bonine anyway so I was fine. If you're very sensative to the ships movement I would recommend getting a cabin further back on the ship.

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schiff1997

schiff1997

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Sherry great review thanks. Looking forward to the same cruise in October this is our first one and we too are on the Verandah deck.

My question is you said you stored your luggage and walked around Lauderdale. Our flight doesnt leave until 4:30p.m so can you tell me where you were able to store it?

Thanks

:)

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MrOCT31

MrOCT31

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Not seeing more of Cozumel? We were there April 09 and loved it! Yes there are pushy vendors but you get that in every port I've ever been to but Cozumel is such a fun place that I think you did yourself a disservice by not seeing more of it especially the parts a bit further from the dock.

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Sherry84 "Live from...." Rare

Sherry84

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Not seeing more of Cozumel? We were there April 09 and loved it! Yes there are pushy vendors but you get that in every port I've ever been to but Cozumel is such a fun place that I think you did yourself a disservice by not seeing more of it especially the parts a bit further from the dock.

 

The reason we chose not to venture out further into Cozumel this time is because we are on a cruise in September that will stop there with a group of friends and decided we would go explore then and enjoyed the near empty ship this time around :) As for the pushy vendors, yes they are in every port, and actually I mentioned this because one particular guy was just beyond pushy which annoyed me, but all the rest just left us alone when we smiled and said no thank you. The people in Cozumel are very nice (like I said before) and friendly and I look forward to meeting more of them in September!

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Sherry84 "Live from...." Rare

Sherry84

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Sherry great review thanks. Looking forward to the same cruise in October this is our first one and we too are on the Verandah deck.

My question is you said you stored your luggage and walked around Lauderdale. Our flight doesnt leave until 4:30p.m so can you tell me where you were able to store it?

Thanks

:)

 

We stored it at the (Ft. Lauderdale) airport terminal (we flew Jetblue). It was $6 per bag plus tip. I asked someone that worked in the airport and he pointed me in the right direction so be sure to ask if you don't see it! It was very convenient for us. Have a great cruise :)

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