Imagination Review (old to many, NEW to us!)

[tweetylori]

I realize that most of you have moved on to Dreams and Magic and other amazing giant beautiful adventures, but to us, our four-night Imagination voyage was a wonderful affordable escape that we needed badly.

 

I also realize that most people feel like a cruise less than 7 nights is a waste of time and money. Before experiencing a shorter one, I might have agreed with you. However, I feel like we did it right by spending a night before and a night after in Miami. If you work full-time long hours like we do Monday through Friday, then leaving on a Monday cruise meant we had Saturday to do laundry, last minute shopping, packing, house prep, animal prep, etc.. We then still had Sunday to finish packing, take the dog to the babysitter, park at the airport and fly away. Take the free shuttle to the airport Doubletree, have a leisurely evening partaking in nifty food like their sliders:

[tweetylori]

I will be happy to continue this review if/when I can figure out how to properly post pictures. An attached thumbnail photo was not quite what I had in mind. My apologies.

[nessz79]

Looking forward to your review :). We've done Imagination before and Destiny on the same itinerary that you did. Enjoyed both immensely.

[tweetylori]

Testing to see if I can actually post a photo that's not thumbnail size

[tweetylori]

I give up, am an idiot and can't apparently learn how to post pics. UNCLE

[KirkNC]

Well UNCLE, thanks for trying!

[tweetylori]

LOL...But sadly, Uncle means I give up. I truly admire everyone who is a whole lot smarter than me to know how to post a friggin pic. Am always happy to write, but unless I can post pics to go with it, I'm just not going there.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Here is a good CC thread that may help you with posting pics.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1387873&highlight=help+on+adding+pics+to+review

 

 

Good Luck.

Would love to read more of your review.

:):)

 

 

.

[Cruzface]

You have to upload them to a site like snapfish or photobucket. Then keep your review post open and as you type your review, you go to photobucket, select the picture, click on the "copy image code", them come back to your review and paste it where you want it. It will come out nice. Make sure you resize the picture so it is not too big or too small. I usually pick 77%.

 

Look at my review posted below my countdown clock and it will give you an idea how it will come out.

 

You're not an idiot. As you can see from my review, I had the same trouble.

[cruisinsly]

Cant wait for your review!!

[tweetylori]

Thank you thank you kind people! I am going to attempt this again.

 

 

Oh my gosh, I think it worked!!! :D

[spacepotatoes]

Yay :) Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

[Cruzface]

Excellent. You can even make the pictures bigger if you want. Nice job!

[Cocoanib]

Yay, you figured out pics!

Sometimes a shorter cruise is just what the doctor ordered. We just did a 3 night for our 1st and it was great!

[tweetylori]

Hoosiercouple, Cruzface...big HUGS to you for making me stop banging my head against the wall! :D Thank you!

 

Warning: This review will have a fairly heavy emphasis on food. That's just me. I do promise, though, that I will give an invaluable tip to all women who even think they might step foot on the Imagination. (one that actually isn't about food).

 

As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by my own extreme lack of photo-posting skills, we spent the Sunday night before our cruise at the Doubletree "Mart" near the airport. The advantage to an airport hotel was we didn't have to pay for a cab to the hotel then to the pier in the morning. The shuttle was quick and indeed free. (except for tipping the driver, of course), but there was NOTHING near this hotel. Even the shopping "mart" was closed on a Sunday.

 

So, it is a smart move if you want a relaxing don't-do-much of anything kind of night, but NOT a smart move if you're looking for action.

 

That being said, we were forced to start drinking and eating before our cruise. ;) We did this admirably at the Doubletree bar/lounge. :D

In addition to the sliders, we later went back down for a cheese quesadilla (for husband) and the seared scallop salad for me. Unfortunately, my phone needed a battery boot, so I have no pictures of these two, but the scallop salad was worth the price of staying at this otherwise just-okay hotel, and worthy of a trip there just FOR it! It was small, but only $8.99 for two perfectly seared scallops on a small bed of watercress. It was not only pretty, but the balance of flavors was sheer perfection. Husband, not so thrilled with his cheese quesadilla, however, claiming it to be more vegetable than cheese.

 

 

Back to the hotel itself...lobby-wise, there was a smell that really bothered me. My guess is it might've been largely due to the Shopping Mart that's attached to it. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the best I can describe is a cross between ivory soap and the way many import shops smell.

 

They're obviously in the middle of renovations. Monday morning, there was a lot of window-cleaning and painting going on, which should lead to good things.

 

Hotel shop gets my most unusual, tackiest hotel shop vote ever! If you've ever stopped at South of the Border in SC, you know what I mean. There was stuff in there I'm guessing have been there for decades that no one bought, no one ever will and they'll still be there. Like the "lawyers journals", sales pads, or the Tweety bubble bath? Then again, I might be wrong and they could be best sellers. :rolleyes:

 

TIP: If you're looking for the business center, it's an unmarked door. We asked two different people where it was, and they would say "it's right to the left", or "it's right around the corner", but no one ever said, it's a brown door with no sign on it. That would've been all we needed to know.

[tweetylori]

Thanks for the encouragement you nice people...it is VERY much appreciated!

 

Monday morning we had plenty of time to sleep in (not something we normally get to do at home, thanks to two cats and a dog).

 

To help me get more photo posting practice (and because he's kinda cute) here is Mr. Innocent himself:

 

 

Despite the rest of the shopping mart not being opened yet, Au Bon Pain was, and we were able to share a sandwich before catching a cab to the PIER! I can't remember for sure, but I think the cab ride was in the $28 range. It was to our advantage to head to it after rush hour, so it wasn't a frantic ride. Still, one of my favorite cab tips is to always sit behind the cab driver! If you're a chicken back-seat driver like me, if you sit behind the driver (and are short like I am), you can't see how fast they're driving, nor if they're driving crazy. This tip has seriously saved the lives of cab drivers all over our fine country, and also saved my husbands hand bones from being broken.

 

EMBARKATION: Easiest of the four cruises I've experienced. These people not only have the routine down, but they're extremely friendly about it. TIP: Once you've gone through the different lines and you're waiting to board, it doesn't matter where you wait. The boarding zone numbers don't mean anything regarding where you wait, just when you are called. That being said...I suggest you wait near the escalator, cause if they have a lull in the boarding process, well, they just might signal you to go on up regardless of the boarding zone number you're holding. :D

[tweetylori]

Before we knew it, we were ON BOARD! We headed right up to a deck.

 

 

I like this view of Miami!

 

 

And this too:

 

[tweetylori]

After exploring the ship for a little while, we decided it was time to hit the buffet, which was, of course, a crazy zoo. That being said, I did like the layout of it. I liked that there were multiple stations. The hardest part was finding a place to land once we got our food. Others were obviously more experienced with this as people had their stakes all over all the prime realty. This would not have bothered me had they actually been IN those seats, but NO. This left those of us with once hot food to keep hunting for a place to land and eat our now cold food.

 

That being said, I thought this was the best buffet food of the trip. It was Italian day. I LOVE Italian food. This did not disappoint. In the past, my previous (but still limited) cruise experiences (on other cruise lines) meant food that was okay but I would've killed for something to kick it up a bit. So this time, I came on board with little packets of crushed red pepper, and am HAPPY to report I never had to use them! One of the first things I spotted on this buffet was a big bin of crushed red pepper! Ironically, I never needed it, as I found most of the food, and especially this first buffet, to be so full of flavor it didn't need it.

 

I don't remember everything, (and didn't take pics, sorry!) but I remember some really good eggplant, a good baked pasta with meat sauce, and a really good fish that had olives was and quite tasty. First food impression of this ship was that it exceeded my expectations.

 

Then it was back to the deck for, of course! The first real drink:

 

[Cruzface]

What a cute dog! Great pics of Miami. Cruised out of there a couple times...

[tweetylori]

Pretty soon (around 1:30 or before, I think), we heard the announcement that our rooms were ready. How exciting is that???!!!

 

Down we went to U9 to find a clean and welcoming room:

 

 

 

And everyone takes pics of the bathroom right?

 

 

 

FYI, in the coffee-filter-looking basket on the sink was two little tubes of toothpaste, and samples of lotion and breathe-right strips. Nice touch! (Husband actually was afraid to use the toothpaste thinking we'd get charged for it) :rolleyes: It's okay though. I knew what he needed to loosen up:

 

[tweetylori]

I meant to add to that last post that I thought it was extra cool that they had the luggage mat on the bed! I don't remember ever seeing one of those before. It has to totally help protect the beds from things like bed bugs, and other nasty things that could get on our luggage on airplanes, on the ground and other places they hang out under less than favorable conditions. I truly applaud Carnival for being that conscientious!

 

Which leads me to another consideration I thought was exceptional on the part of Carnival on this cruise...hand sanitation! There were sanitation "stations" all over the place. Also thought it was a thoughtful touch to put reminder signs up in the bathrooms along with small paper towel dispensers near the bathroom doors to use to open the main doors when you were on your way out of the public bathrooms.

 

Sometimes it's the little things that mean a lot. (and keep us all healthy), ya know?

[tweetylori]

What a cute dog! Great pics of Miami. Cruised out of there a couple times...

 

 

Thank you! :)

[tweetylori]

So, our luggage hadn't arrived, although it was starting to appear outside other cabins on our floor. Our Cabin Steward came around to welcome us and tell us not to worry about our luggage not showing up yet. (said to only worry if it wasn't there by 6:00)

 

He said his name was pronounced Bi-You. (My apology as I never saw how it was actually spelled). What a wonderful wonderful hard-working man! I can't say enough good things about how well our cabin was maintained and how FRIENDLY. I don't know how many cabins each of them are responsible for, but once we introduced ourselves, he NEVER forgot our names. ALWAYS greeted us with Hi Miss...., and how are you doing, Mr....? We were truly LUCKY to be so well taken care of for these few wonderful days.

 

So, what's a couple to do next? Oh yeah, muster station. Off to the Galaxy Theater. Half an hour later, and a trip to a deck, we felt like our safety was taken very seriously and covered very thoroughly. Not something to be taken lightly after the horrific Costa cruise tragedy just a couple days before.

 

That taken care of, it was time to SET SAIL! Seriously, are these not the most invigorating, thrilling moments EVER?

 

 

Bye Miami! Husband is busy taking pics too:

 

 

This is called saying goodbye to work, stress, to everything that isn't relaxation!

 

 

AHHHHH...it doesn't get any better than this! (and boy am I glad I had time Saturday to get that pedicure!)

 

 

[tweetylori]

Fast forward a few drinks, more relaxation, more ship exploration, luggage arriving safe & sound (yeah!), and it was time to change and go to dinner. We did Anytime dining and were assigned to the Pride dining room. We (somehow) got hungry fairly early (gotta do something to soak up the alcohol, ya know? :o)

Plus, we prefer to eat earlier anyway...frees one up for shows & casino later!

 

I confess, I took NO food porn shots this first day. Was either too enamored by taking in the wonderful cruise experience, or phone needed charging again. Can't remember which it was, but I will make up for it later.

 

This night, I remember we were seated at a table for two (close to another table for two, which is cool, cause you can opt to converse or not)...anyway, first impression (and a lasting one) of the Pride dining room was: HURRY UP. Decide, eat, and get out! That being said, we had a pretty good dinner. I was impressed. Husband started with a salad (otherwise known as needing a bleu cheese fix). I opted for the duck appetizer. He found this salad to be nice and fresh. Initial reaction to the duck was this is really blah. But the more I ate, and mixed it with the petite portion of light thin noodles was this works. Together it works.

 

We also opted to share the lasagne appetizer portion. This was quite good. Very intricate, and I can recommend it! Sharing leads to more variety. Husband got something beef-like at this point. I went with a fish dish. I remember he was just okay with his beef, and I thought my fish was incredibly good. Full of flavor (in a good way), with olives among other good things. I know I was too full for dessert. I do believe husband ordered something that he was okay with.

 

We were both very happy with the quality of bread served, and coffee as well. So we did our dining duty, ate fast and got out. Off to explore, and go to the welcome on board show.

[tweetylori]

Okay, so welcome on board show was a bit disappointing. And really didn't showcase the talent well that was on the ship. (which we found out later). That being said, I could not possibly have wanted to be ANY where else at that moment in time. We were on vacation, sailing away, cares and worries behind.

 

Paradise.

 

Topped off with fun and cute: