My 7th cruise, and 3rd time on this exact ship coincidentally. I love Carnival but this particular cruise fell flat. Skip it. A lot of hurry up and wait. Ensenada isn't much to look at, the crew didn't seem happy to be there, the food was just okay, the ship seemed to be a little worse for wear. Pick a different cruise, pick a longer cruise.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Got the F2TF pass so it went quickly. Traffic around the terminal was difficult due to construction and parking signs weren't marked well.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was just okay. Service was good. Upcharge for items that use to be included, like filet and lobster.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Splash pad, karaoke
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Epic Rock, great songs and the men were great too but the two female leads both sounded a little flat and strained.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
Daughter was always in a good mood and happy when I picked her up. Evening activities seem to center around watching a movie.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room steward, Arnel, was wonderful. My room was made up into two twins and should have been 1 king but he quickly fixed it. Jolly, photographer, isn't really a people person. Kind of seemed like the whole crew could have really used a couple days off. No one was negative per se, but didn't seem all that happy either. Hard to find a waiter on lido and long wait for him to return with the drinks.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
This is my 3rd cruise on the Imagination. Seemed like there was a lot of tables going un-bussed, trash not swept, sticky handrails and floors. More than normal.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Perfectly acceptable room. Clean. Standard room I was expecting to get. Air conditioner worked well.
Ship tip
Skip the 3 day cruise. It isn't worth it. Take a longer cruise. By the time you board and unpack, its almost time to repack and get off. By the time you finally figure out how to get around efficiently, its time to go home. There is so much to do on board and just not enough time to do it. You're constantly running from one event to the other then to clean up for dinner. Its not relaxing. Unless your intent is to not get off the boat in Ensenada and just chill out on the desk soaking up the sun for 2 days- if thats the case then this is a perfect cruise for you.
Our original excursion got canceled by the venue (Bajamar) at the last minute so we ended up at an alternate excursion to Rosarito beach. Our guide, Fernando, was fantstic, however our bus broke down on the drive back. Also, its about an hours drive each way. Too far for a half-days excursion.
F2TF got us early debarkation but we still had to wait over an hour for our luggage to come. Process did not seem very streamlined. Also, cruise personnel push the custom form but customs agents say they don't need it anymore. Seems like crew needs to be educated on new customs policies.
@srhmaz First time was with hubby and friends. It was and is a great cruise. The second time was the kids second cruise since they are older and wanted to get them use to cruising. Don't get me wrong it's a great cruise and we made it work. This particular crowd and some staff fell flat as AndiLea states. Would def recommend as a starter cruise. Carnival is still by far my fav cruise line â¤ï¸
A 3 day cruise is more of a weekend getaway then a cruise. It is what you make of it. I have done the 3 days trips and always had fun. Same packing and unpacking if you'd go to a hotel for a weekend.
I agree! I am on the same ship (6th cruise & 2nd on this one). This group of people are not too fun ðð¼I will say the food is actually pretty good. It's the one thing I like about Carnival vs other cruise. We have one more night. Make the best of it ðð»
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