A great first step into cruising

Item: Carnival Imagination
Rating: 4.5
Author: johnmattos

Carnival Imagination Cruise Review to Mexico

johnmattos

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 58

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Catalina & Baja Mexico (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 29, 2019

Ship: Carnival Imagination

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: E103

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

This cruise is a great short getaway and was the right fit for introducing our family to cruising. It's a relaxed, low-key experience, with many enjoyable activities. We cruised over New Years, and they offered several different ways to celebrate. We had a great time and would definitely cruise Carnival again.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Staff is excellent. We can't say enough about Abigail, Yance, Jayson, Levi and Christophorus all stood out as stellar staff for us. The portions in the dining room were just right - it let us try many of the various dishes the chefs prepared that day.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

We enjoyed the craft activities, towel origami, and trivia. A full "pub trivia" game experience would be a welcome addition. Our son enjoyed the pool.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

DJ 2 Tall is a great DJ and a wonderful host/staff member. We thought the Legends of Rock show was excellent.

Children's Programs

4 out of 5

Not the best fit for our tween, but the program itself seemed to have a lot of fun activities for youth 12-14.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

All of the staff members we interacted with while onboard were second to none. They were friendly and seemed to remember us though the ship was pretty busy.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Very good. A bit of a tight squeeze with the rollout bed for our tween son, but otherwise, a great value.

Ship tip

Get acquainted with the ship early on and don't be afraid to explore.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Catalina Island, California Did not visit port

Debarkation was not possible due to weather, but the staff rose to the occasion with extra activities for the day at sea.

Thumbs Up 0

Ensenada, Mexico

5 out of 5

Fantastic. We did an excursion that included a tour of some of the highlights of Ensenada, tostadas, margaritas, tacos, shopping, and wine tasting. Our tour guide was helpful and fun.

Thumbs Up 0