Up until about a week ago I was a first time cruiser. I had never been on one and had no idea what to expect. I scoured these forums looking for tips and ideas. I was booked on the Sensation for a four day cruise to the Bahamas with two of my closest friends. The stuff I found had me really worried. I was concerned that the ship would be awful, the room would be to small, the food bad, and in general the service would be awful. I couldn't have been more surprised. Here is the truth according to 3 girls:

We had an awesome time! The ship was beautiful! Upon arriving we immediately hit the lido deck buffet. The food was excellent and that continued to be the standard throughout the trip. The food from the dinning room was also excellent as was the service. We also enjoyed room service and how prompt and available they were. The activities on board were awesome as well. We enjoyed the clubs, especially Kaleidoscope and the Micheal Angelo lounge. We also saw a few shows in the Fantasia Lounge and I would recommend going and seeing at least one. They were fun! The Serenity deck was nice and peaceful which was just what we were looking for. Everyone we met on board was so friendly! The staff was wonderful. They helped us with every request we had. On our third night on board our shower broke and started flooding into our room. They had the problem fixed and the mess cleaned up within 15 minutes. You can't get that kind of service at any hotel I've been to. The room itself was very clean and plenty big enough for three girls. The only downside was that we had a roll away bed. While it was comfortable it could occasionally get in the way when it was up. For the next time I will get a wall bed. While docked we visited Freeport, where we looked through the shops right at the dock and then took a taxi over to Lucaya beach. It was a beautiful beach, however it was a little touristy and they had loud music playing the whole time we were there. In Nassua, we visited the shops at the dock and the straw market which was right past them. Great prices on souvenirs and gifts! We also went to Cabbage beach and the Atlantis resort and its shops. It was beautiful. The water was a little cold, but that was to be expected in March. Otherwise the weather was beautiful! I honestly have no complaints about the service or the ship. I found the entire experience to be great and we would definitely cruise again!

The only word of advice I have is to make sure you take a watch. We only took our cell phones thinking we could use them to keep up with the time. However, we kept changing time zones so our phones weren't always on the same time as the boat. We didn't figure this out until we missed a comedy show we really wanted to see. So word to the wise: take a watch and set it to the ships time!