It had been quite a few years since any of us had cruised on any Carnival ships. As mentioned in an earlier newsletter we had three very successful and happy groups sail on Carnival earlier this year so I decided to take advantage of a last minute invitation and sail on the "Imagination". This particular cruise was a five night cruise operating Saturday to Thursday from Miami going to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios.

The Imagination was built in 1995 and is one of the many "Fantasy" class ships that Carnival operates. With 1,026 cabins she is a comfortable and workable size for most groups. Most important is the first impression when walking on the ship, no its not the towering Grand Atrium. What struck me the most is how good of condition the ship is in. As many of you have experienced 3, 4 and 5 night ships some times can look a little tired. NOT the case on the Imagination as she looks as good as NEW.

Being use to cruising on the typical 3 and 4 night cruises, Friday to Monday and Monday to Friday, I was really not sure what sort of crowd my fellow passengers would be. Another very pleasant surprise. The passengers mix could have been cruising on any other ship, any other brand and was more typical of a 7 night cruise group of people. Much more conducive for an incentive group.

My fellow passengers, just like Carnival, seem to be unpretentious and just wanted to have fun, which they did. As with any cruise what makes the cruise fun is not just the entertainment, the food and all of the other activities taking place it is the CREW. Without exception the crew on the Imagination go out of their way to be friendly, helpful and efficient making sure YOU are having fun. The service was excellent throughout the ship. When speaking with the crew you'll find that they like this ship, they like this particular rotation and they like their jobs. While not a new concept it certainly is refreshing to see on a short cruise unlike some other 3 and 4 night products.

In what area do you really see the "NEW CARNIVAL"? Without question it is the dining! To really get the picture you have to first know that the ship has two main dining rooms each holding about 650 guests. In the old days that meant first and second seating dining in both rooms at the same time. Not so today! Today you have seatings at 5:45, 6:15, 8:00 and 8:30. What does this really mean other than just more flexibility? The biggest thing is that the kitchen is only preparing 650 meals versus 1,300 meals at any give time so when you order a medium rare rack of lamb you get it and your beef Wellington is rare if you want it that way.

A really big plus for incentive groups is that you can take over either the 8:00 or 8:30 seating on an exclusive basis if you have a group of 600+.. On my cruise there was a group of 600+ from a Mexican Insurance company and they arranged for a 9:00 pm exclusive seating for their group and a Midnight awards presentation in the main lounge. Now that's being flexible.

Back to the dining experience. First all I was told that the food budget had been increase 20+%, that's a big increase on a cruise ship! You could really see and taste the difference. All of the meats where of absolute top quality as where the well prepared fresh veggies. The dining menus feature 6 different starters and 6 different main courses nightly. There wasn't one night where you looked at a menu and only saw one item that looked appealing and then just barely. Excellent menu selection nightly! Because the kitchen is preparing less meals the plates came out well presented and decorated. The service was perfectly timed and again friendly and efficient. Dining was a pleasure!

In the buffet area you will also see the increased quality and selection. Of particular note where the hours of operation at the Horizon Grill on port days of breakfast 6:30 to noon and lunch noon to 4 pm. The buffets had a good selection plus omelet stations, even at lunch, a Caesar salad station, salad bar and a dessert bar that is served to you versus self serve. In the evening this room becomes the Seaview Bistro for casual dining buffet style.

Other dining options include a limited 24 hour room service menu. The Pizzeria is open 24 hours with a great selection (and tasting) of pizzas, garlic rolls and Caesar salad. Of course the mandatory deck grill with hamburgers, hot dogs and other selections. The Sushi Bar conveniently located on the Promenade Deck is only open in the evenings and like all food outlets there is NO additional charge. Following the midnight buffet there is the Crepe Buffet starting at 1 am. Are you full yet?

Carnival is legendary for their Las Vegas style shows and rightfully so. They are well produced, costumed and entertaining in a show lounge with all the latest bells and whistles (keep that in mind for awards presentations and other uses for your charters and groups). Most nights also feature a Late Night Adult Comedy show that are well worth attending. The 4 piece rock band, Dirty Poets, did GREAT live rock from 10 pm until late each night. The 4 piece deck band played long sets every afternoon and always got the crowd up and dancing. The reason I mention the band size is in comparison to some other ships that have cut back on entertainment to 2 piece groups and electronic toys, not on Carnival.

Other live entertainment include the Mirage Piano Bar which was always busy. Pre-Dinner piano music on the Promenade deck. One evening 6 members of the orchestra did a FANTASTIC jazz set on the promenade deck. For your late night people there is the Disco which rocks until the wee hours and has more energy than all of those big engines down below. With a total of 10 bars and lounges there is something for everyone always going on.

The good news about those 10 bars and lounges most of them are available and suitable for private functions and parties. The Imagination and the other "Fantasy" Class ships are ideally laid out for incentives and meetings with a wide variety of rooms that can be used for private functions.

The ship itself flows very well with all public rooms and the main pool deck being on three decks stacked on top of one another at the top of the ship. The promenade deck houses the majority of the entertainment venues so it becomes easy to keep track of your clients after dark. The decor is glitzy with a touch of Vegas at sea but the various bars and lounges offer something for everyone's tastes. Again remember your here to have FUN and the decor actually helps you get started.

It would be impossible to mention Carnival without commenting on the casino. Carnival has the reputation of having the largest casinos afloat on their ships. While I personally am not sure of that I can tell you they have a big one this ship. This casino was VERY active during my cruise. It had more excitement and hype going than most any ship casino I have seen in awhile. The nice thing about the location of the casino is that it is of course easy to find but you are not forced to walk though it. It's there if you want it.

While the cabins on Carnival have not changed, what's in them has. Carnival has always had generous standard outside staterooms at 185 sq ft with nice sized bathrooms with showers. Now they have added bath robes and full bathroom amenities. The inter-active TV system allows you to book shore excursions, order wine by the bottle for dinner, view you bill and has pay per view first run movies. I wouldn't worry about ordering the movies as the ones they had on the free movie channels where all current as well. You have a safe and hair dryers are available on request. The newer ships staterooms have even more.

FOCUS on the rotation and itineraries of the Imagination. This ship does 4/5/5 night cruises. We feel these itineraries are a great option for incentives.

• 4 Night cruise Thursday to Monday- Miami, Key West, Cozumel, at sea, Miami.

• 5 Night cruise Monday to Friday-Miami, at sea, Grand Cayman, Calica/Playa del Carmen, at sea, Miami

• 5 Night cruise Saturday to Thursday Miami, at sea, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios, at sea, Miami

The five night options in particular really give you the flavor of a cruise with minimal time out of the office. The 4 night cruise gives you good bang for the buck using the weekend.

Prices? Depending upon season prices for the 4 night cruise range from $350.00 to $460.00 pp dbl occ in nice outside cabins. The cost of the 5 night cruises range from $370.00 to $505.00 pp dbl occ in nice outside cabins. All prices are plus non commissionable fees, taxes and gratuities.