This post is in collaboration with Carnival Cruise. However as always, opinions are my own.
If you’ve been following my blog the past few weeks, you know I’ve partnered with Carnival Cruise for 3 posts (10 Things To Know Before A Cruise & 10 Things To Pack For A Cruise) and this is the final one! I had the amazing opportunity to take the Halloween Carnival Voyage from Los Angeles, California to Ensenada, Mexico on the Carnival Imagination this past weekend for 2 days.
In good Southern California fashion, the weather was absolutely ideal for cruising and what a great getaway it was! The Carnival Cruise Baja Mexico route is perfect for people that have never cruised before but curious to try it. Whether you’re retired, with children or a couple like my husband and me, it’s an absolute blast. Let’s start off by giving you a look at our Stateroom!
Stateroom:Our room was a beautiful Aft Ocean View with a large window. While you an request 2 Twin beds, we requested a King instead. I didn’t expect this from a Carnival Cruise but the mattress was one of the most comfortable mattresses I’ve ever slept on – crazy, right? The “Aft” means that you’re in the back end of the ship, which I loved. We were right by the last elevator and staircase with quick access to dining and our favorite bar, the Alchemy Bar (we’ll get to that in a second!). The housekeeper came to greet us when we checked in and they had the best service. Each night, our room was clean with crisp sheets and adorable towel animals that’s original to Carnival Cruise. Quite frankly, I expected to be crammed in a smaller space and was pleasantly surprised.
Dining & Drinks on Carnival Imagination: On a ship that holds over 2,500 people, there’s obviously tons of dining and drinking options. I have to share some of my favorites!
Spirit Dining – Spirit Dining was the scheduled, ‘formal’ dining experience with assigned seating. It’s a 3 course menu with lobster, steak and more. It’s absolutely a blast since the waiters are fabulous with great service and not to mention the final farewell dance and singing.
Guy’s Burger Joint – Yup, it’s the “Guy” you’re thinking of – Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint! The burger patties are thick, delicious and with a variety of toppings to choose from. I think I ate there 2 times in a span of 3 days? Ha!
Blue Iguana Cantina – If you love tacos as much as I do, you’re going to want to stop by the Blue Iguana Cantina for breakfast and lunch. Grab a breakfast burrito to start off your day and stop by at lunch for tacos or a burrito. The tortillas are made from scratch and the seasoning of the protein is to die for. No shame, I ate here 3 times!
Alchemy Bar – If I could visit the Alchemy Bar every single day of my life, I would. This craft cocktail bar is one of my favorite bars of all time and that says a lot since I’m very picky about my alcoholic drinks. It has a Rx theme and the menu has items that are ‘prescriptions’. The bartenders are master mixologists and we frequently asked them to surprise us – and they did! The drinks are the priciest here but in my eyes, completely worth it.
Red Frog Rum Bar –Want some tropical drinks in hand for laying out or a dip in the pool? Red Frog Rum Bar makes the best Miami Vice and Pina Coladas!
Cherry On Top –It’s not only kids that love a good candy store! If you need to please your sweet tooth, head to Cherry On Top for a sweet time. After savory dinner, I was in the mood for chocolate and headed straight there. I carried around my bag of chocolate, nuts and sour gummies through the ship as happy as can be!
Halloween Festivities:Since this Carnival cruise had a special Halloween theme, there were plenty of festivities going on for all ages. Halloween being one of my favorite holidays, I was giddy to participate in as many activities as possible. Oh and let’s not forget, I finally got to dress up as a Slytherin Prefect and Adam as a Ravenclaw Prefect!
Some of the Halloween events hosted on Carnival Imagination were: Pumpkin Carving, Trick or Treat, Halloween BINGO Fall Harvest Festival, Costume Contest, Halloween Arts & Crafts, Costume Meet & Greet, Spooky Stories with Alex (the Cruise Director).
Other Activities on Carnival Imagination:While this particular cruise was a Halloween voyage, there’s obviously a lot more that the Carnival Imagination offers on board. Here’s a few highlights of what you can expect onboard any Carnival Imagination, Halloween or not!
- Mini Golf
- Casino
- Karaoke
- Illusions Night Club
- Running Track
- Serenity Adult Only Retreat
- Pools
- Punchliner Comedy Club
- Children’s Club
- Build-A-Bear Workshop At Sea
- Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast….and so much more!
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What do you think of the Halloween Cruise from Carnival? Would you be interested in taking the voyage? What’s your experience with cruises? Let me know in the comment!
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Just got back from cruising with Carnival last week actually & it was AMAZING! Your Halloween cruise looks fun as well!
You know I've never been on a cruise. My husband has no interest in them. Do you think I would enjoy them, Kana? It's been showing up a lot around me, haha! #FlyAwayFriday
I've never been on a cruise but your post really makes me wanna go. Especially since the food just looks soooo tasty!!! #FlyAwayFriday
I have taken a similar cruise (3 days) with Carnival and it is tons of fun. It is ideal for a short gateway. My husband is crazy about going back (doesn't matter if it is the same route). We found the food super yummy and the offering varied. Didn't know they had a Halloween themed cruise. Would like to know if they offer other themed cruises. #FlyAwayFriday
We are hooked on cruises. We went on a cruise in February pretty much just to say we had done it and expected to be one and done. But we loved it so much that we booked another one for January. I think the food is my favorite part. It is sooo good at it's so easily accessible. #FlyAwayFriday
Oh, this looks all so comfy!! What a treat!!
#FlyAwayFriday
Oh my gosh, this post has made me so hungry! I have never been on a cruise personally but seeing the photos of your food has been enough to make me question that! #flyawayfriday
It's crazy that I've always wanted to go in a cruise just for the food ��
I enjoy cruising but have never cruised with Carnival. It looks like a lot of fun to be sailing during Halloween.
What an awesome experience! I've never been on a cruise and to be honest I'm a little wary of trying them. But this looks awesome and being so short I think it'd be a great taster to see if I'd like a longer cruise. The Alchemy Bar looks like my kind of place, and I was very impressed by your spooky dessert. I mentioned the candy to my boyfriend and he was kind of sold just by that 😉 #FlyAwayFriday
A Halloween themed cruise sounds like so much fun! I've never been on a cruise, but a nice short trip like this with some festive activities thrown in would be such a cool trip. #FlyAwayFriday
I've gone on two Carnival Cruises and both were great fun. My kids loved seeing the towel animals every night and the nonstop delicious food was fantastic. I've never thought to go on a holiday cruise but it looks like a blast! #FlyAwayFriday
Ive never heard of a carnival cruise before but they sound so much fun!!
Those spooky halloween towel are so sweet!!… I'm pretty sure they would've needed to roll me off the boat if I'd been surrounded by all that great food though!!
I love your review! I want to go on a Carnival Cruise too! Thanks for sharing your amazing experience, it sounds like so much fun #FlyAwayFriday
I've never taken a cruise before, but it sounds like it would be a fun and relaxing way to spend a couple days.
#flyawayfriday
I have never taken a cruise and to be honest am quite anti-cruise (I have seen what happens in Europe when a cruise ship arrives in port and regurgitates 3000 people into a small city and it is not nice HOWEVER never say never! This looks like a lot of fun! I love the fact that it is themed for the kids! So maybe I will see if I can go on this sort of cruise! #flyawayfriday
I have taken a Carnival Cruise before. It was fun! Never thought to do one for Halloween but bet it is a good time. Love that you guys dressed up as Harry Potter characters. My daughter & I are reading the series together and loving it. #FlyAwayFriday
I have NEVER been on a cruise, but it looks like so much fun that I wanna book one now!
Teesh ♥ Adventures of Cupcake Girl
A Halloween Cuise! What fun! We have not been on a Carnival cruise, but just may have to give it a go! We have been looking at a Pacific cruise – LA to Mexico or maybe to Panama. Our first cruise was kind of a "sampler" too – 4 days in the Bahamas. We were hooked right away. Worse things have happened! Thanks for sharing Kana! #FlyAwayFriday
Omg that's awesome, Diam! Where did you go with them? xo
Cherie! This is actually only my 2nd cruise. I've never been interested and I was borderline against it for no good reason. But I think trying something at least once is important! I would definitely recommend it; there's so many different types of cruises so you can cater it to you and your husband's liking. I have a feeling you would enjoy it! xo
I'm not a cruise expert at all since it's only my 2nd time but it's worth a try!!! xo
Yes! It's definitely ideal for a short getaway. I don't know if I could do those 20+ day cruises :/ I think the Halloween one is new! xo
You went on the Disney cruise right? I bet it's even better with kids since they have so many kid-friendly services and they're easy to keep track 😀 I wish they had an all-adults Disney cruise! xo
It was great! xo
It's really interesting! I've never been a cruise person either but it's definitely good to give it a try! xo
Hahahaha you're not crazy at all – after all, it's all you can eat!!! xo
It was a lot of fun! I'd love to cruise with some other companies to see the difference! xo
I've always been skeptical too! But I always tell myself I'll try anything at least once and I'm glad I did! The LA to Ensenada is only 3 days so it's a great way to give cruising a try! xo
Yes! A short trip is a great way to give cruising a try! xo
The towel animals are such a great touch aren't they?! xo
Haha aren't they?! Hahahahaha you're hilarious! I know, I ate so much!!! xo
Thank you!! You'll have to give it a try someday! xo
It is! A 3 day cruise is the perfect way to cruise in my opinion! xo
Haha TRUST me Tracy I was never a big fan of it either but I always tell myself to try anything at least once! It was fun! I don't think I would ever cruise longer than 3 days, though and I totally know what you mean by the TONS of people they stuff in there! xo
It was really fun! Mostly just fun dressing up since being in our early 30's with no kids, there's not too many opportunities to dress up anymore 😀 xo
It's really fun! The 3 day one is a great way to experiment with cruising! xo
You'll have to give it a try! I do love the 'sampler' cruises just to dip your toes in it! xo
How awesome! I just love Halloween so you picked a great time to go. The ghost dessert was just darling!
ME TOO! I love halloween, it's so much fun! xo
I love the boo cheesecake.