I recently went on my first cruise on the Carnival Sensation from Port Canaveral to Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas. I'm a young, single professional woman and took my parents as well (58 and 64).

After reading the somewhat "mixed" reviews on the Sensation, I was somewhat apprehensive. However, we had a great time and have already booked another cruise! Embarkation was quick and painless (filled out FunPass ahead of time). Our room location was wonderful, very close to the grand atrium and elevators, but not loud. The room had enough room for 3 adults with a "pullman-type" bed on the wall. All of the staff far exceeded my expectations- they were friendly, hard-working and always there to help. Our room was always clean and room service was quick and correct. All of the food was fantastic and I'm a somewhat-picky eater. What most impressed me was the quality of the food, nice cuts of meat, well-prepared and good portions. Don't get me started on the desserts, as a chocoholic, I thoroughly enjoyed the melting chocolate cake, yum!! With regards to the ship itself, I felt there was ample opportunity to just relax but also plenty of options to keep you busy. We enjoyed the shows, shopping, and audience-participations games (Newlywed game was cute). We are not "partiers", but did check out the casino a couple of nights and enjoyed playing slots. Of course, we didn't win anything :) As far as shore excursions, I went on the Freeport snorkel tour (about 3 hours) and it was beautiful. Everyone was friendly and even though I went by myself I felt safe. The water was crystal-clear and I felt like I was in "Finding Nemo." My parents participated in the Glass-bottom boat and got sea-sick (I find this ironic since my Dad spent 4 years in the Navy on a carrier). The part of Freeport that I saw wasn't very pretty, but the ocean was beautiful. Nassau was busy, hustling streets with pushy vendors. The cruise line kept saying how great the jewelry deals were, so I bought a nice watch. Came home only to find it was cheaper on Amazon.com. I would suggest if you're thinking about making a major purchase, do some shopping around at home first and be prepared to bargain once in Nassau. The straw market was hot and crowded, but they always came down on their prices and had some cute things at reasonable prices. I can't attest to the children's programs except to say they were not seen or heard the entire trip, so they must've been having fun. A couple of suggestions: unless you plan on drinking quite a bit of soda, the soda card isn't worth it. There are always free drink options available. Be prepared to pay quite a bit for the professional pictures taken, we were surprised at the pricing, but they are good quality. I spent over $100 dollars just on pictures.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip for a great price. We got a discount through Carnival because my Dad is a veteran and save over $300!! If you have any questions about the Sensation, feel free to email me at hpu2000@bellsouth.net