Day Before Embarkation
Today was put the offspring on a plane by herself day. I have to admit, I was extremely proud of the kiddo. I was waiting for her to get to the gate and chicken out. But, she handled it much better than Mom and Dad did.
She marched right down the jetway, confidently turning for a wave goodbye!
After her plane was in the air, we high tailed it to the garage to make our way to Seal Beach, where we would be staying the night.
For those who have never made the drive from Phoenix to the L.A. area, it is perhaps the ugliest road trip any person could take. You won’t find this stretch of I-10 on any postcards, that’s for sure. But we made the trek with no incident.
As previously mentioned, we chose to stay at the Hampton Inn in Seal Beach. The hotel mainly serves as a temporary home for those visiting either the Naval Weapons Base, or nearby Leisure World. The hotel was safe, clean and quiet. Hampton Inns are part of the Hilton brand, and usually deliver on a quality, budget friendly experience.
This location was decent for nearby food options, from steakhouses to a Subway right across the parking lot. Target was just down the road a mile or so, just in case we woke up the next morning and realized we had forgotten anything. It had been a long day and we were excited for sail away day in the morning. It was an early to bed night for us.
Embarkation Day
There are a lot of things that can be said of me. None of those things are related to me being a morning person. Well, this morning I couldn’t make it past 6:30 AM. The mattress was a little too firm for my liking. I’ve had five shoulder surgeries and I am definitely more comfortable with a softer mattress. Throw in the fact that I could smell the complementary breakfast in the lobby, and that was all she wrote. I may not be a morning person, but my stomach definitely is.
So we decided to grab a small breakfast and copious amounts of coffee, and leisurely caffeinate ourselves to the point that we were functional human beings. We went back to the room, showered and repacked for the trip to the port. The Hampton Inn met expectations, even if I didn’t sleep that well. It is near enough to Long Beach to be a pre-cruise hotel option, if you plan on parking at the port.
We purchased Carnival’s Faster to the Fun, which allows cruisers priority access to some elements of the cruise. For this short cruise, it was around $50. We had a Noon check in time at the port. We had read prior reviews that mentioned getting on earlier than your scheduled time was doable in Long Beach. We decided to get to the port at around 11.
Getting to the cruise terminal was easy enough. The 710 Freeway ends at the port. There was a lot of construction going on, and that perhaps would slow things down if you were traveling during the work week. We followed the signs for the Queen Mary. There was limited signage for the cruise terminal and nothing that mentions Carnival until you arrive at the parking structure. If you’re unfamiliar with navigating the port, just focus on the Queen Mary signage.
The parking garage was easy to navigate and find an open spot. We parked on level 2, closest to the terminal and walked to the porters on level 1 of the garage. There were plenty of porters available. Luggage drop off was easy, we tipped our porter and started walking to the terminal. There were three queues at the entrance to the terminal ( too early/too late, FTTF/priority and on time). Nobody was standing in the outdoor queues. We went to the FTTF line and were immediately greeted and directed to a friendly staff member who checked our passports and boarding documents. In less than a minute, we were directed to the FTTF waiting area. It is right near the Captain’s Lounge. There were a handful of cruisers already there.
Selfie Time!
Within ten minutes, they boarded about 10 Diamond/Platinum members and we were told we could head down the gangway! We were on board by 11:30. Once on board, we immediately wanted to drop off our carry-on bag in the room. To me, this is one of the top benefits of having FTTF, to have your room available once you board. We were in room E75, right by the Guest Services desk, where you board the ship. We soon noticed that the hallway doors were all closed, preventing guests from heading to their cabins. A quick question to the first smiling face we encountered and we were told we can simply open the doors and access our room.
Cabin E75 is an Oceanview category. As previously mentioned, the Imagination only has balconies for their suites. We didn’t feel a suite upgrade was worth the cost point for this cruise, so Oceanview it was! The cabin was indeed ready, with our room cards affixed to the cabin sign. The room is small of course, but had plenty of storage with three closets and four drawers attached to a small writing desk with mirror. There was even a small hair dryer in one of the drawers and a good 20 or so hangers. The room was clean, if not dated. We had a similar cabin for our 2013 sailing on the Imagination and it was just the same.
Cabin E75
Even though the room decor was basic and dated, the room was in decent condition. The chief complaint was a noticeable sewage smell in the bathroom. However, when the bathroom door was closed, it was not detectable in the rest of the room. The cabin is an adjoining cabin to E77, but this was not an issue as our aft neighbors were quiet. Our other neighbors are another story for a later post!
After dropping off our bags, we proceeded directly to the Lido deck for our first vacation beverages at the Red Frog Rum Bar. Shani ordered a Ting Mojito and I ordered a Blue Hawaiian. The bartender asked if I had ever had a Twilight Zone. I had no clue but after he explained it to me, I was game for trying. It’s basically a pina colada with blue curacao. The Ting Mojito was grapefruit vodka, simple syrup, Ting soda and fresh mint. Shani loved them…I thought it tasted like grapefruit juice with grass clippings. She thought mine was too sweet.
We found a few loungers by the pool and proceeded to people watch while enjoying our drinks. No sooner than our glasses were empty, a waiter stopped by to assist in locating us additional libations. His name was Camilo. Camilo soon became fast friends with us (read Shani…people just talk to her). Before he left with our order, Camilo said he loved us (read Shani…guys just love her) and insisted we ask for him as our waiter in the Pride Dining Room each evening. Much more on Camilo to come!
Nobody in the pool at Noon.
Twilight Zone and Ting Mojito
Camilo
Next up…Embarkation Day, Part 2
Have Wife, Will Travel 