4 Night Catalina & Baja Mexico (Los Angeles Roundtrip)
Sail date: November 01, 2017
Ship:
Carnival Imagination
Cabin type: Oceanview
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
The cruise was alright for a first time cruiser with tempered expectations. The over charging of assumed included items was enough to leave a sour taste in our mouths and deter us from using Carnival again anytime soon. When we cruise next, later this year, we will be going through another cruise line on what appears to be a much newer ship with more luxuries. Something we were hoping to have had on our first cruise.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
The overall cruise was decent for a family. The unknown fees, charges, and untold costs were a concern as a cruise is thought of as all-inclusive and we paid for the "faster to the fun" passes to make things like the embarkation a speedier process.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The buffets were fairly well stocked, although they lacked the incredible tastes that most people claim from cruises. The specialty restaurants were comparable to going to overpriced local restaurants which base their prices on reputation rather than quality. Where the cruise lacked in overall food quality it made up for at both Guys Burger Joint and BlueIguana Cantina. We didn't go to either of these two until a couple days into the cruise as we wanted to indulge in all the ships food. It is a mistake I wouldn't do again.
Pizzeria
5 out of 5
Although the pizza was of a lesser quality, the staff and hours of operation were the best on board. Our kids loved being able to get fed anytime of the day or night and the staff always got to them quickly.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The group events like the Marriage and Hasbro Games nights were entertaining and the ships "fun captain" was very good at his job. Outside of these few events, most of the activities seemed to be tailored to persons being inebriated in order to create a false sense of enjoyment. Had we been drinkers, perhaps we would have enjoyed them more.
Resort Style Pool
2 out of 5
The pool always seems to be overloaded. It was hard to relax in the general areas due to overcrowding and the overall experience didn't seem like the ship was near capacity. Perhaps additional pools or larger ones would be better suited for the cheaper prices as a means to accommodate crowds.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Cruises have the reputation of quality shows, musicians and other performers as an incentive to being confined by water. As a first time cruiser, it appeared that the entertainers were average at best and sought the life on a cruise ship as a means to get by until either they bettered their craft or found an alternative profession.
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
The registration process seemed to go fairly smoothly before the ship sailed. The first day we checked our child into the clubs, we had to wait again for those parents who didn't register their children the first day. And then the second day, and then the third day. There wasn't ever enough staff nor enough apt staff to accommodate for those who already had done the registration process. Having a child which needed a parent to check them in each time caused a time constraint for everything. If they would have used one staff member for those just dropping off and picking up while another attended to those who made everyone already registered wait, then it would have been a much more enjoyable process. As for the kids clubs activities, our younger two kids (7 and 10 respectively) enjoyed their time there. For our older two kids (12 and 14 respectively), they couldn't stand being there as staff was hardly there (I never met nor saw any of them) and our kids found more fun exploring the ship with the other kids they encountered than the club itself.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward, Michael, was fantastic. He was the shining knight each day which made the cruise worth it. He attended to our needs as they arose and any mishaps or issues that occurred were quickly remedied.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Everything seemed to be clean as expected.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
The sizes of the cabins are known to be small. Despite the size, they have surprisingly a large amount of storage areas. This wasn't our problem. With younger kids and having two rooms attached with adjoining doors, one would expect the doors would be able to open enough to get into each room. If the beds don't allow for a door to open entirely, use a smaller door. A door half the size would have allowed for a larger opening being completely open rather than a full door which hit into the bed 1/3 open. Our cabin steward, Michael, did a wonderful job cleaning, but the beds were horrible. If the ship doesn't allow for an actual larger bed rather than twin sizes just pushed together, invest in a mattress topper which gives an attempt at a better sleeping experience rather than sleeping on subpar mattresses.
Ship tip
Walkie-talkies are still the best idea. We assumed a lot of families would have them as a means to communicate without a cell signal or wifi, but surprisingly there weren't. As a first time experience for the less adventurous and tempered expectations, Carnival Cruises appear to be a cheap alternative to land goers. As for us, whom travel frequently annually and like to experience a broader array of experiences with better food, entertainment and options, we will be cruising again, but most likely never on Carnival again (we already have another cruise booked on another cruise line).
The check-in process was alright, with the fear our luggage wasn't going to get to our rooms in a timely fashion. The personnel which help in the parking lot were very quiet with angry looks until tipped. As a first time cruiser, the unknown etiquette was frustrating.
Everything was extremely overpriced, typical tourist town with over visited natural landmarks. The best part of it was the cold rain deterred many from going into the water.
The excursions offered online by the cruise line were marked up between 40 and 140%. We rented a vehicle, drove to the excursion location, did two different excursions and paid less than half the price had we bought just the excursions online prior to arriving. Having lived in Mexico for two years, Ensenada was a typical semi-tourist mess of a location. Nothing worth really seeing was close enough with the time allotted at this port.
Having bought the "faster to the fun" pass, we thought all embarkation and disembarkation would be expedited. At the initial embarkation, we were corralled with everyone else, as well as, at the final disembarkation. What's the point of getting us on and off of the ship quicker, which we paid additional for, only at ports? This shows they cared to make the experience while on the ship enjoyable, but at inception and finalization, they just wanted to do their jobs and nothing more.
I didn’t see specialty either so I found that point of the review odd. I should say did like the comedy shows! I’ve basically only seen shows on cruises, so those are my comparisons. Maybe they just weren’t my style, maybe they had an off day, but we’ll see because I believe they’re the same shows on my next cruise.
I don’t recall a Specialty Restaurant being on this ship. I found the entertainment to be good. Comedy show was hilarious. The performers did an awesome job at the rock show. Maybe you set your standards a little too high for them. They are a crew and try their hardest to entertain- it’s certainly not Broadway or Vegas.
I didn’t find the entertainment very satisfying on this cruise either. I know these 3-4 day cruises are known as “booze cruises,” and have a little different approach. Which specialty restaurants are you referencing in your review? We missed that option on this ship. Which cruise are you taking next? Most have similar fees, but some more worthwhile so definitely research.
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