“Good afternoon, cruisers!” was the announcement as my wife and I stepped aboard the 855-foot Carnival ship Imagination. For the next three days, we would be cruising round-trip from Long Beach to the seaport of Ensenada, Mexico. Just the two of us — plus 2,600 other passengers and more than 900 crew members.
Our cabin, an ocean-view stateroom on the Riviera Deck, was surprisingly roomy, with a large window, king-sized bed, three full-length closets, and a spacious private bathroom. Our steward informed us that our checked bags would arrive shortly and added that we shouldn’t hesitate to ask him for anything we might need during the course of our long-weekend voyage.
We headed up to the Lido Deck to check out the buffet — roast beef, salad, veggies, and much more — all included with our travel tickets. No sooner had we sat down than a waiter convinced us we needed a pitcher of margaritas. Carnival offers a Cheers! package, which gets you unlimited alcoholic drinks anywhere on the boat for about $50 per day. (Each passenger is also allowed to carry on one bottle of wine.) We had declined the drinks package, opting to pay as we go. Drinks ranged in price from $6 for a beer to $12 for a cocktail.
