Well, my experience started off on a rough note with Security. I read Carnival's policies and believed I was complying when I brought my credit card sized multi-tool kit with me. I declared it and explained that it had a small 1" knife inside. I even showed it to the Security Guards. They asked me to send it through the X-Ray and then alerted additional security guards to come look at it. After some lengthy discussion, they said I could not take it on-board because it was a "concealed weapon." Are you kidding me, I had a 4" pair of scissors in my checked bag that was not even questioned. Guess I should have put it in my checked luggage, but this was much smaller than the pocket knife I carried on the Miracle. Oh well, there went my Christmas gift as they had to discard it. This 10 minute hold-up just ticked me off, more than anything. I finally made it to the counter and the rest of the boarding process went smoothly.

THE SHIP: Let me start off by saying that I could have overlooked the age of the ship as long as the amenities were good and the ship was in good condition. After cruising, I have to give the Sensation ship a "D" for below average. There were many places on the ship that should have had upgrades or maintenance. The bathrooms throughout the ship and in the state rooms are in poor condition and need upgrading. The pool decking is splintered in many places and just tired. Many of the faux stone stables in the dining area were falling apart. Aside from the ship's condition, the crew seemed somewhat friendly. If you tell yourself they have been up for 24 hours with no sleep, then they were excellent. Most all of the crew seemed to be tired and over worked. The Cruise Director was always perky and jovial. He was probably one of the few who got to rest. Compared to other ships on Carnival and Royal Caribbean, the crew was not very gracious. Other ships seemed to have very hospitable crew members who would look you in the eye and speak when passing. I found myself speaking to crew members who would not speak back or I felt like it was a bother for them to acknowledge me.

THE FOOD: We had really good food in the dining room, especially on the formal night with prime rib and lobster. It was excellent!! The lunches left much to be desired. You can only eat in the dining room at night except for a brunch day. This left the Lido outdoor buffet and the inside buffet. Although the hamburgers were pretty good, the rest of the food was something akin to a bad Golden Corral. The pizza was o.k. and the deli was decent, but nothing about lunch was very good. Read more