Blessed by living near Port Canaveral, is it simple for us to take cruise vacations and they remain our favorite getaway. This was our fourth Carnival cruise, having been to the Bahamas before and both eastern and western Caribbean, but this was our first time on the Sensation. We were impressed from the first moment with the friendliness of the staff and their full attention to our needs and comfort. Our room steward, Davis, was exceptional and on-the-spot with every single request and our cabin was well laid out, spotless, and quiet. Our lead waiter, Romel, took particular care in dealing with a special dietary need, even ordering me specially prepared desserts. Our favorite relaxing spot, the Serenity Deck, was very well-staffed by Johney, who was always friendly and ready to help and answer questions. The comedians at the Punchliner venue should not be missed! Go on the first evenings of the cruise, as word gets out and the place gets more crowded each night. Jorge Salano and Tom Foss were the headliners during our stay and they were both hilarious, though they have very different comedy styles. The magician on board was also amazing and fun. We chose this particular cruise because of the LeAnn Rimes concert available in the theater for a very modest additional fee. The concert was fantastic, the atmosphere informal, and Ms. Rimes quite personable. We also took a "Behind the Fun" tour of the ship, which I wish we had done years ago. Brett was a great tour guide and seeing the bridge, engine control room, kitchen, backstage dressing room, laundry, and crew training areas made such an impression about the amazing amount of hard work behind the scenes that goes into your fun. Negative aspects were few, but we had to leave the first show, as the sound was amplified to the point of being painful. Thankfully, that problem was resolved before the concert and the second show. The ship layout is not the easiest to figure out, but it is an older ship and has been nicely updated. Unfortunately, the view from the top deck is blocked by the lifeboats, but there are other places to take in the sea views. Music venue choices were strange: the only live music bands were relegated to a hallway location outside the casino where there was no room to dance. When the crowd did finally start dancing anyway, it blocked the only accessible route around the ship for handicapped guests--not good planning. The Karaoke venue, on the other hand, had a large dance floor and a tall stage that was obviously designed for a musical group. Personally, I needed a stepladder to get up there gracefully and safely and after one try where I caught my heel in the hem of my dress trying to get down, I was finished with that activity fearing a face-plant on the marble floor. I watched several singers knock their heads on the low light fixtures on the stage, too, though I am too short to do that. Perhaps some location switching is in order? Overall, the ship's advantage is its awesome staff, and yes they will be calling you by name at every opportunity. Great job!