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Carnival Sensation Review

First Cruise Ever -Travelled with 9 month old and two Teens

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Carnival Sensation
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meiselt
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: May 2009
Cabin: Balcony
Traveled with children

We got into Port Canaveral around 12:30pm.  We waited in a long line of cars waiting to get their luggage checked.  This was probably the only frustration that we had because we were ready to get on the ship!!!  :)  Taxis and buses were zooming by getting their passengers out faster.  You have to drop your luggage, at an area that you pull up to and then go park your car.  It took about an hour to get our luggage dropped off.  Then, we parked and zoomed through security, and all the other processes that they have you go through.  It was really seamless after the luggage.  We got onboard the ship around 2:15 and went straight into the Seaview Buffet to eat.  FOOD:I found that the best food was in the main dining room.... and you get to eat faster.  (at least at the Ecstasy dining room.)  I would suggest getting to dinner about 5-10 minutes late so that it will give everyone else a chance to get seated so you don't have to wait in a line.  The prime rib and lobster tail are awesome.  Also, the short ribs (last night) are so tender and tasty!  We had four adults in the group, so I got to hear about almost every dish.  They offer shrimp cocktail almost every night as an appetizer. The soups are good too.  You can order as much as you want... so you will not go hungry and you will get something you like.   I brought baby food for my baby, but then, I also put some of the bread in some soup and fed her the soft bread on a spoon. (after cooling of course)  She absolutely loved it!  I also gave her some of the fish. It was tender enough for her to chew.  And of course, she could have some of the potatoes, etc. I even gave her a few bites of the chocolate melting cake.  yummy.  She loved it!   I also got her some orange sherbert.   All the desserts were good, but we were warned about the 'pear' dessert. lol.   My kids kept eating the pizza late at night.  We used room service for breakfast on port days.  (the full menu is in the book in the room)  They have a 'breakfast' room service door hanger in the room already, but you can still call and order breakfast at almost any time.  (my daughter kept ordering the danishes to her room)  The sushi (california rolls) was not good... they had lots and lots of rice and they put too much cream cheese.  The ham and cheese omelet in the main dining is really good.  I suggest getting two though because they are small.  The coffee is a little mild, but you can buy a different brand on the ship at the coffee shop.  Our service was always super prompt, even room service.  BABYSITTING SERVICES:We did the babysitting services twice.  One night for an hour and then another night for two hours.  We had a real hard time leaving her with people she didn't know.  That was the downside. :(   We waited for her to fall asleep the second time so she wouldn't even know. But we still felt uncomfortable wondering if she would wake up while we were gone.  The caregivers were very nice.  They will give you a cell phone to use only on the ship so that they can call you if they need you.  I think $6/hour is very reasonable.  TEEN Entertainment:Our kids had a good time hanging out in the hot-tub and the teen club.  The teen club didn't do many of the activities that they had scheduled though.  And the group watching over them did not seem to be 'participating' with the kids.  They were just 'there'.  I think the younger kids programs were more actively involved and they did lots of scavenger hunts, etc.  Overall though, the kids had a great time.ROOM:Our room was a little small, but if we didn't have the babybed (crib) in there, it might have been better.  It was still nice, though.  There was a lot of storage space!  Our teenagers stayed in a room across the hall from us because we just couldn't see living in a room with our teens for a few days... that would be stressful.  If you are travelling with a baby, stop at a sporting good store and pick up a small blow up boat for the baby bath.  It worked great for us.  Especially since there is no bath, only shower.  The water can get WAY hot, so pay attention to what you're doing! It CAN burn and there are warning signs, so don't think you're going to sue somebody!  lol.  Steward was great and did amazing things in no time to get our rooms into shape.  I felt bad that he had to clean up after my teens.  I told him just to skip their rooms. lol.Swimming pool- small but sufficientWaterpark- Go up there just once at least for the view- awesome!The baby liked splashing around in the water area.  That was a good day.Nightclubs-  We had a pretty good time at Kaleidescope (the busiest club), but the dj didn't play anything modern. :( Freeport- JUST GO TO PORT LACAYA NATIONAL PARK!  We missed our diving excursion because I have a bunch of late sleepers in the group. :( ended up getting stuck in the shopping area after paying $35 for a cab one way.   There's a beach, but it drops off rather quick, so you can't just sit at the waters edge, etc.  and there's lots of 'hair braiding' ladies harassing you.  We did have lunch at a cafe there and tried Conch, which reminded me of calamari.  It is expensive to get to the national park, but I wish I had done it!  They are supposed to have a fantastic beach!Nassau- again, late people... we went to Atlantis and got there about 2:00!!  That's ok, though because it was awesome.  Here's what you do if you have more than 2 people in your group- book a room at the Comfort Suites.  They get free access to the park. I paid $230 and we all got to go to Atlantis!  It would have been $400 through Carnival. Don't bother with the Ferry- they take forever to get full and don't leave until then.  Just take a cab.  It is way too far to walk and the path looks frightening.  I am thinking Paradise Island is the nicest part, but unfortunately, we didn't get to see much. :(  Atlantis baby pool was great for Evelyn.  There are chairs that have shades on them as well, so baby doesn't have to be in the sun the whole time.  My oldest daughter swam with the dolphins.. cheaper booked through Travelocity by the way!  Drinks, etc... Drink of the day is the way to go, but they are very strong!  Overall, we had a great time- could have been better if my family would have gotten out of bed sooner, but still a fantastic get away. 

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin 8A
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