Review: Imagination 11/7/05

[fosse7]

Carnival Imagination 11/7/2005

 

NOTE: Below was posted to reviews but I thought of a thing or two more. Additions are noted with an *.

 

We sailed on the Carnival Imagination 5 day cruise leaving from Miami. Itinerary included the Western Caribbean ports of Georgetown, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica with two sea days. We have formerly cruised with NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity so any comparisons made were with those lines in mind.

 

We arrived at the Port of Miami early- 12:30pm. Although boarding wasn't due to begin until 1:30, it was well underway and running smoothly. We had a group of 13 checking in separately but all reported a very easy embarkation process. It was odd to be issued a room key, and a separate sail and sign card- most lines I've sailed with have combined these two things into one card. We were on the ship in short order.

 

One thing I had read previously on CC reviews was that the ship was showing signs of age and lack of cleaning. With only one exception, this was not my experience. Public areas were attractively furnished. The marble gleamed, no dust anywhere to be seen. Carpets had no wear patterns in them, and the atrium was simply stunning.

 

Our stateroom was on the Riviera deck, R174. We had four people in our cabin, and rarely felt crowded. The room steward was excellent- we never saw him during the day yet our space was impeccably maintained; fresh ice twice a day, and removal of the extra bunks within minutes of all of us vacating the cabin. Water pressure in the shower was all right, but the temperature fluctuated a lot between quite hot, and downright cold.

 

Our group ate in the dining room every night. One thing that was unique to the Imagination was the use of booths in two lines around each side of the Pride dining room. We were placed at two booths back-to-back. Since three of the men in our party were all over 6 feet tall, this made for a tight squeeze. On the second night (formal night), the Maitre d' stopped by the table and asked if we'd prefer a larger table. Vito arranged for our party to be seated at the Captain's table for the rest of the cruise; this was so appreciated. Meals were superb, as was the service. The drink steward who brought around the shots was exceptional, however, I didn't like that the same shot was served every night. On all my other cruises, the drink has varied with whatever the theme was that night. The waiters and waitresses performed some sort of show every night, evoking much participation from the diners, making dinner not only a delicious but a fun experience.

 

*On the last night of our cruise, we realized what a sense of humor our Maitre d' has; our group performed a song for him and he encouraged us to do it a second time with a big smile. Truly a classy and fun guy.

 

The top deck band, from Trinidad and Tobago, was called Nu Wave. They were excellent, but had sound problems two of the 5 nights of the cruise. On tropical night, I really expected more participation from the cruise director staff, but the band simply began at 10 with no games or dancing. I later found out that the games would have begun at midnight, but our party got tired of waiting.

 

The band we really raved over was Music In Motion who played in the Shangri-La lounge. This four piece band from the Philippines could play anything; they were very danceable, and looked like they enjoyed being there. The leader was the drummer, Maria, who also did a great job of singing and making people feel welcome both in the lounge and on the dance floor. When the band took a break, Maria played DJ and did every single line dance to get people going. Her energy was infectious and we found ourselves dancing every night. One note about the Shangri-La lounge: its beautiful, but don't try to sit on the bar stools. Perhaps the most uncomfortable bar stools I've ever encountered- the couches and sitting areas in the rest of the lounge are much better.

 

Perhaps the largest area I found lacking were the main stage shows. The opening night comedian was eliciting only chuckles, and the musical numbers both on opening night and in the production shows were less than entertaining. I give great credit to the performers who gave their absolute all, but the choreography and the arrangement of the shows left a lot to be desired. Many repetitive moves and clunky segue ways left most in our group checking our watches each night. Additionally, the female singer for the main shows was simply not up to scratch. Whether it was due to a cold or other reasons, she lacked pitch and control enough that we overheard others remark how they had heard many better singers in the Karaoke lounge each night. This is certainly an area in which Carnival should improve- or have understudies ready to avoid working people that are noticeably not up to par.

 

* Additionally, I thought the design/layout of the Dynasty lounge was not good. Full visibility was limited to the first row of the balcony, and the main bench seats downstairs. Since no one in my group was willing to play "squatter", we resigned ourselves to partial views of the entertainment every night.

 

The cruise director staff was friendly, but I really didn't see enough of them. Besides the Cruise Director, Jeff Bronson, I never learned any of the others' names, which is a first for me. Normally they're everywhere. It's possible that they were simply wherever I wasn't, but still it seemed odd to me that they were so scarce. Jeff Bronson was highly entertaining and we enjoyed him as our cruise director.

 

Our first port was Grand Cayman. We tendered in with no problems at all, arriving on land maybe 20 minutes after we boarded the tender. Our excursion to Stingray City was incredible. We had booked both excursion through the ship and had nothing but good things to say about the whole experience. When we arrived back at the dock, the tender took perhaps 15 minutes to arrive, and we were quickly back on the ship with time to enjoy the pool and the whirlpools.

 

One note about the pool: it was usually very crowded with children. We learned onboard that schools in several states are not in session this week and so there were more than one would expect for an early November cruise. It seemed as if not very many took advantage of Camp Carnival, preferring to spend the day at the pool.

 

* I had booked a "spa taster" which is a massage and facial combination. I very much enjoyed this service but like most cruise lines, at the end I was subject to the sales pitch. I'm sure the products are excellent but next time I'll be sure to mention that I'd just like the service, sans merchandising.

 

Our second port was Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We chose the Bob Marley excursion, and were not disappointed. Carnival uses the company that has the Zion Bus- - this was a great exploration into the Jamaica countryside on perhaps the most unique transportation. The rum punch served at 8:30 am was very helpful in relaxing on the Jamaican roads. Although our driver was excellent, it's hard to get used to the narrow routes and the left hand side driving.

 

In general, I felt a sense of being closer together with my fellow passengers on this cruise. Whether it was just me, or whether the Imagination has a higher pax ratio, it just felt more crowded. Carnival definitely appeals to a younger section of the population. This isn't a bad thing at all, just something I noted.

 

Also, I noted a lack of activities that I had seen available on other ships. I seem to remember more dance classes, exercise classes, and opportunities to try new things on other ships. It was all right, because I had a great time in the hot tubs for hours on end, but I did miss the chance to try things because they were available.

 

Now- the exception to the cleanliness report earlier. On the second to last day of the cruise, I used the bathroom aft on the pool deck and I could not stand the smell. It was hard to believe. It was the same way on the last day as well; I checked the schedule, and it had been signed off on being cleaned. Also on the last day, the bathrooms outside of the Dynasty lounge were not clean, with toilet paper all over the floor.

 

Debarkation ran smoothly. It was a long line, however, it moved quickly and we found ourselves off the ship sooner than we expected.

 

If I were to examine Carnival all on its own, I would say it was definitely a good value for the money. Everyone in our group had a great time. However, when I compare Carnival with past cruises, they don't quite measure up. The crowding and lack of activities when compared with other cruises I've been on would probably steer me to other lines as my first choices. Would I sail Carnival again? I would not rule it out, however, I'd probably look to other lines for the details that I missed having on the Imagination.

[MICruizers]

and remembered most of the public restrooms being dirty most all the time. The one place we noticed the most wear in tear was in our cabin-- and of course not all cabins may be this way, but there were names carved into the side of cabinets, the finish was peeling off of the dresser, missing tiles from the shower, etc. As for public areas, restrooms being an exception, the ship was generally clean and well taken care of....

[fosse7]

Perhaps they had responded to complaints recently- the public restrooms were all ok until the last 24-36 hours of the cruise. Maybe staff gets overwhelmed by then?

 

As for the cabin- we didn't have any names carved anywhere but you are right. Although our cabin was clean (and the comforters outstanding!) it did give away the age of the ship in a way that didn't happen anywhere else onboard.

[WeBCruizn]

You wouldn't happen to have the capers from your cruise? I've searched high and low and can't seem to find them? Also, did you do the Stingray city or sandbar tour in Grand Cayman?

[fosse7]

Hey there,

 

Sorry- I didn't keep the capers. I have waaay too much paper in my life as it is, LOL... As for Grand Cayman- - we did Stingray City. Amazing! Not necessarily great for little kids or people who don't like swimming things though. Need more specific details about Stingray City? Ask away.