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Not for families - this is a party cruise

Carnival Imagination Cruise Review to Mexico

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 28

Overall rating:

2.2 out of 5
Carnival Imagination

4 Night Catalina & Baja Mexico (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 04, 2018

Ship: Carnival Imagination

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: U194

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

This is a party cruise, it’s not family oriented. Choose another cruise line if you are wanting to bring kids.

Embarkation

3 out of 5
Everyone was very rude during this time (which was very surprising!) and could not answer my questions. Guests were on the ship early getting the party started, we walked into a bit of chaos.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
This was the best part of the cruise. I made a point to try every dining spot on the ship.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Pizzeria

1 out of 5

I have no idea what they are putting on their pizza but they tasted horrible!!! The frozen pizza I can buy at the store tastes better! For the first day and a half we thought they were closed because no one was ever at the counter. Turns out they stay in the back the entire time.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5
We took our children and there were no special activities geared towards them. Every activity planned was geared towards the party crowd, and the few they could participate in took place in the bars where everyone was gathered to drink.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
We went to watch a few comedy shows as that was one of the things my children could attend. We saw a guy that goes by America’s funniest biker and he did a great job.

Children's Programs

1 out of 5
My kids were excited about the kids clubs before going on the cruise. That quickly changed when we found out the things promoted on the ship weren’t there! The clubs were basically an empty room that stayed empty because there were no other kids the same age.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
I would have given my room steward 100 stars if possible, but it was the rest of the personnel that brought down the rating. I would ask questions and couldn’t get an answer, simple questions about the cruise. Yes, everyone was friendly and said hi as you passed them, but it seemed like no one really wanted to help you.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
They should have had more smoking areas to choose from instead of one right above the pool!

Cabin / Stateroom

2 out of 5
There were 4 of us sharing this room and it didn’t work out so well. We had the king size bed and then two twin beds that folded down over the king. It was impossible to move around in the room. It would have been fine for 2 people.

Ship tip

This is not a family cruise!!! This is a long weekend party ship full of college aged kids!!!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

1 out of 5
It was absolutely filthy! There was human feces laying around and it smelled horrible! Half of the staff were friendly, half were just in a hurry to get you through their gate.
Thumbs Up

Catalina Island, California

2 out of 5
A lot of things were closed when we went to Catalina. So we walked the main strip and it was all shopping. I could have stayed on the boat.
Thumbs Up

Ensenada, Mexico

1 out of 5
I was really disappointed. It’s all about the money here. You pay to ride a bus into town to pay to ride to anything else. I know they are trying to make money on the tours and excursions but we were not interested in what they had to offer. I asked how I could get to a specific place without doing the tour and the gentleman got upset and told me to leave and find a cab!
Thumbs Up

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
I thought we were made to get off the ship a little early. I understand they are prepping for the next cruise, but at that point we were all tired and didn’t want to bhave rushed.

Traveler Photos

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6 Comments

Travelgurlme    6 years ago

We have been cruising Carnival with our kids for 15+ years, and they have a ball, the kids clubs have made it enjoyable through the years. We took them on RCL Monarch and they were bored. They as now 18, 19, 20, and 21 (in 3 days), and they live for our yearly family cruises on Carnival.
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mzmag    6 years ago

Took my entire family to Ensendada last October...other than the choppy water on the way back, they had a great time for their first cruise! Sorry you didn't enjoy it
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travelxlover23    6 years ago

My kids loved it and cant wait to go again in June
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Wi11iam    6 years ago

This is the best Cruise line and also very reasonable for all of the activities you get to to for free. As I said maybe you should have paid 5000 instead of 700 and flew your family across the country to Miami, but then you would have complained about the price. Find some happiness or positivity in your heart! life is too short have fun and appreciate that you were able to go on a cruise. The reviews are very misleading and borderline offensive
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gregalexander    6 years ago

Our kids loved it, very family oriented, lots of kids activities, they even had trick or treating, and dr seuss.
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ElizabethOregon    6 years ago

Yes these short cruises are often referenced as “booze cruises.” It seems like there are still lots of kids activities though. That’s too bad you and your children didn’t have a good time.
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Other reviews of this sailing

What made this trip fun was the bonding and friendship, not the boat, to be honest! The ship is so tired it is long due for retirement or an overhaul. The service was very nice to me, but a few shipmates did have some staff issues.
Weekend Getaway To Catalina & Ensenada
CHUCK & jANETTE