I can't say enough wonderful things about our experience on the Carnival Sensation! Boarding the ship was seamless. We drove to the port, parked, was directed where to take our luggage and sent to the check in area and finally shown to the waiting area. We arrived at the port around 11:30 am and was on the ship by 12:00!

The rest of the trip was smooth as well. We took time upon boarding to explore the ship, take some pictures and then went with the kids straight to the pool. I would suggest bringing swimsuits/towels in a carry on if you want to swim or relax at the pool until you can get in your stateroom. Once we did go to our stateroom, I was pleased with the arrangement. We had an ocean view on the Empress deck which included a king bed,two beds that folded down from the wall, and a child-size bed as well. The beds were comfortable, the bathroom had enough space and there was plenty of storage. I'm sure some people might find that a bit tight, but we truly only spent time in there sleeping and getting ready in the morning. I was also impressed that the crew cleans the rooms in the morning and folds the beds up and returns in the evening while we you're away to clean again and unfold the beds.

Speaking of cleaning, although I'm not a big germaphobe, I appreciated the idea of the hand sanitizer throughout the ship as well as the constant cleaning that went on all over the ship. Read more