John Pepper

Age: 38
Occupation: Home Improvements
Number of Cruises: one
Cruise Line: Carnival
Name of Ship: Imagination
Sailing Date: February 13th, 2003
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

This was my first cruise and my wife second. Getting to the port from the airport went pretty smoothly, just some waiting around for the shuttle. Other than that no problems.

Getting aboard the ship was also pretty smooth and quite quick. We got our room keys and our sign and sail cards, then we were of boarding the ship.

Once aboard we were quite overwhelmed at just how big this thing really is, it's huge. We went to our room and dropped of our carry on's and went to find another couple we were cruising with and explored the ship. After a while it was pretty easy to navigate your way on board.

First thing you do is have your life boat drill which takes about 45 minutes. After that's done you head of on your cruise and party and fun begins.

From this point on I will give you my best account of the trip in no specific order.

The overall appearance of the ship is it's in pretty good shape. It was generally clean for a work horse. This ship like most I assume goes out the same day you depart.

The dining room was very nice. The food was good at best. The portions weren't big nor was the flavor of most of the dishes. Our waiter wasn't that pleasant either, he seemed like we were a bother to him. However his assistant was very pleasant and helpful. Good luck getting drinks with dinner also other than wine or soft drinks. Overall dinner was just O.K..

Next was the drinks and their prices. Very weak and very expensive. I have no problem paying a little more for a drink if it is good but $6.25 for juice with a splash of liquor is downright wrong. If you drink beer you're better of. buy them by the bucket if you can, (you get 4), which is cheaper.

I forgot the buffets. They were pretty good overall. The standard buffet, nothing spectacular but good. Room service was good, and very quick! Do yourself a favor and order extra sodas because through room service they are free.

The entertainment was actually really good. We all enjoyed every show except for one, which was a comedian. He was horrible. We walked out after 15 minutes. He wasn't dirty or anything that I know about he just wasn't funny. Wer heard many other people say the same thing. The rest of the shows and comedians wer very good though. Also the theater was set up very nicely and comfortable.

Activities on board were decent but not great. The Lido deck which is where most everything outside goes on was very crowded which is expected. My biggest complaint were all the children running amuck filling the pool, filling all the hot tubs even the ones marked "adult only". Don't get me wrong I have no problem with kids I have two, a 9 and a 3 year old. My problem is I red in the brochure that there was a children's pool. The parents just didn't seem to have control of most of them. Another problem was the pools were closed for half the cruise. I didn't understand that.

The crew and service. Our room steward was fantastic. He was pleasant and very accommodating, what ever we needed was always taken care of in a timely manner. Most of the food service people were good also. All of the bar staff was also good. The casino staff were pleasant and not uptight like most casino's.

The shore excursions were all very good. We went to Key West and Cozumel. I've read other reviews about missing snorkeling trips ect. because they were full and what not. Don't quit there are tons of other companies offering the same things and they're usually cheaper. The cruise line gets a kick from the tours they sell, so don't let that stop you from looking elsewhere. This was my first cruise but have been to many Islands and we always get our own tours, again because usually they are cheaper and sometimes a lot better.

Overall the cruise was enjoyable for the most part. Even if you encounter some short commings on your trip never let it bring you down, always make the best of it because you have the power to make it memorable and enjoyable.

Peace, J.P.