4 Night Catalina & Baja Mexico (Los Angeles Roundtrip)
Sail date: March 11, 2018
Ship:
Carnival Imagination
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: U-15
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
First timers! We learned we can be Cruisers! We had both never been on a cruise and figured we start with a short one. We really enjoyed the courtesy and great service all around, as well as the variety of activity. I'm ready for my next Carnival cruise!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We chose the last timeframe for embarkation. We walked straight on with no lines.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food and all the service were all top notch. Very fast and very courteous service always. I would only give one less star because food isn't perfect all the time...sometimes steaks overdone or something underseasoned but not a big deal. I don't expect too much from what some cooks can make on a ship to feed hundreds/thousands with what they got, so i give them tons of credit. It's just no 5-star dining, but definitely 5-star service.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We hung around the bars, pools, outdoor fitness track, spa, and shows
Spa Carnival
3 out of 5
It was my birthday during the cruise, and the cruiseline gifted me some spa credit to use so I decided to treat myself to a hot stone massage. Overall, the massage was just ok. It was relaxing, but I definitely have had better experiences. The spa is located under the running track, so you can hear a lot of noise from above making the experience not very peaceful. Also, the spa tries to do a lot of upselling or trying to convince you to purchase things like a Detox regimen or skin care. That itself made my relaxation disappear a little faster >:\
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The musicians/bands/DJs were all great, played good music and great energy. Cruise director was so energetic and made you want to get involved.
The big production shows were just okay. Entertaining but nothing too amazing. I'm glad they weren't any longer though.
The piano bar is a fun idea. He was a great piano player, but we didn't feel the need to attend this event more than once during our cruise. He could play a variety of music, but all the tempos were a bit rushed making all the songs sound very similar so that's why we didn't go more than once.
We liked the idea of having had stand-up comedians for shows on board. However, we only liked 1 of the 2 comedians. So we did not attend all the shows even if we didnt have anything else going on the final nights.
Children's Programs
I did not travel with kids or partake in any of the children's programs
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All service and staff was top notch! I cannot complain about one person or thing as far as service goes
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Everything was well-maintained. It's easy to get around the ship and I never felt like any area was too congested at any time (except elevators at peak time, but that's expected)
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Our cabin was a great home for 4 days. we had a porthole, which gave us some view of the outside. I only drop one star because our room did have some smell of cigarette smoke in it or in the walls. I know the boat isn't the newest, but I wish that smell wasn't there. It wasn't terrible or unmanageable, just a tiny unpleasant.
Ship tip
If going on any excursions, just book at the ports.
Cute, little sleepy island. We just wandered the town and had food and drinks while ported. Try Buffalo burgers while on Catalina.
You have to get ferry'd from the ship to the island once you are there for the day. So just be prepare to wait for those ferries.
We went to visit the Blowhole/La Bufadora and visited the downtown shops. We had no interest in the shopping with these over aggressive vendors for little tchotchkies we don't need, so we just passed through and it got annoying having to ignore someone or turn then down every few steps. La Bufadora was a cool thing to see and glad we got to see it. We ate some food and got margaritas while in town too. I know there are other excursions so there has to be a lot more to do, but it didn't seem like we had enough time to do more than one unless we got off the ship as soon as we ported.
easy disembarkation. We carried our own bags off ourselves to get off easier. The only thing that sucked was all the elevators were full upon disembarkation so we just lugged our bags up the stairs. Luckily, it was just one floor for us.
My hubby swore he would never cruise, now he absolutely loves it, going on our 3rd cruise for 7 days , I unfortunately am more excited than he is, but its ok I can't wait!!🛳
I started with a 4 day cruise as I brought my 15 month old son and didn't know what to expect. As soon as I got home, I booked an 8 day because he was so well behaved and really enjoyed it! Lol! He's 11 and a platinum cruiser now!
My hubby and I first started with a short cruise as we did not think cruising was for us 21 cruises later have been to great places and have amazing memories done three already this year and have 14 more sleeps till we leave from Sydney to Honolulu then in May Sydney to Singapore then cruising back from Singapore in June ... great you had a awesome time and hope ur hooked as we are🎣😎🍹
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