3/29/09

By becktours

• April 4, 2009

This was my first Carnival Cruise. I have sailed Princess, Royal Caribbean & NCL in the past.

We live in Central Florida, so it was a short drive to the Port. Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived about 11am and were on the boat by 11:30am.

We immediately went to the buffet. The theme was Italian. I found the food very good. There is also a buffet by the pool that has hot dogs and hamburgers. I also enjoyed getting fresh sandwiches made at the deli, which is located at the rear of the Sea View Grill.

If you sail on the Sensation I hope you like Purple. It's everywhere.

We booked an ocean view cabin on the Upper Deck. It was ready at 1:30pm and we quickly unpacked. I sailed with my Mother-in-Law and 3 year old son. Our stateroom steward was Edi from Thailand. He was great and always took great care of us.

Muster took longer on the Sensation than any other cruise I have been on.

Day Two:

Freeport--We took a taxi to Our Lucaya Beach. It's between the Sheraton & Westin and has a shopping complex as well. We paid $10 for a lawn chair and enjoyed a day at the beach. The sand is silky and the beach was very nice.

Day Three: Nassau--We walked past the straw market to the Hilton. For $20 per adult, and $10 per child you get the use of their beach and pool. Since we sat on the beach the day before we just used the pool. It was large and heated. We had a wonderful time and will probably go back each visit to Nassau.

Day Four: Sea Day--We spent part of the day at the Water Park. My son was too small to ride the water slides, but there were plenty of fountains for him to run through. After some time at the water park, we had lunch then took my son to Camp Carnival. He spent several hours a day here and never wanted to leave. The counsellors were wonderful.

Dining: We had early dining at 6pm in the Ecstacy Dining Room. I would say every meal I had was excellent, except the first. I tried the Red Snapper and it was waaayyy to dry. Other than that, I really don't have a complaint about the food. I had the warm chocolate melting cake every night.

Cabin: We were in U163 on the Upper Deck. It's an ocean view cabin on the starboard side. I love the size of Carnival's staterooms. It felt so roomy, even with 3 of us in the cabin. The bathroom does not have any storage, but there is plenty of closet space. Make sure to bring hair conditioner and a blow dryer. They are not supplied.

I loved that 3 out of the 4 nights they served sushi by the casino. There was also chips & dip with Margaritas next to the casino the last night of the cruise.

Overall this was a wonderful cruise. I would definately sail the Sensation again.