Overall, my time on the Carnvial Sensation was pretty good. We saw a very good deal online, so we decided that a 3 night cruise would be the perfect thing. My initial reaction upon boarding was shock. The decor of the interior is like an 80s strip club, or perhaps something Prince might have designed. All of the walls in the hallways and elevators are covered in bright purple alumninum. There are color-changing neon lights everywhere. My favorite was the "Touch of Class" lounge, which was decorated with giant hand sculptures. It was a bit much to take in at once. My main difficulty was that we found that our stateroom contained one twin bed and a pullman-style bunk above it. I'm pretty sure this was my husband's error as he was the one who booked it, but my first stop was guest services to obtain another bed. This took a while, as the guest services lady didn't understand what I wanted, but she was very nice and wrote down that I need a "quinn" bed and assured us it would be taken care of. After dinner, my husband made another trip down to guest services, and they sent a steward up to our room because the staff were having trouble understanding what we wanted. The steward added a bed without a fuss, and everything was fine after that. Thus we resolved to enjoy ourselves, and managed to do a pretty good job of it.

The food on Carnival was not as high-end as other cruises I've been on, but it was pretty good considering the low price. I am a vegetarian and I found their menu pretty accomodating. The entertainment was okay, although I wish it were less party-all-the-time. In the afternoon on our sea day, they were trying to get people line dancing at 4 pm on the Lido Deck. I hope I never hear the Cupid Shuffle again. Fortunately, if you like to relax, there is an adults-only deck in the back (but unfortunately, it doesn't contain a pool).

We went to one of the shows, which was an 80s review. Yes, the theme was pervasive. The comedy club was alright. The best entertainment was the kind of cheesy piano bar called "Touch of Class." There was a guy who would do little sing alongs and play games with the people in the bar. Overall, the emphasis on everything being fun actually makes things a little less fun. If I cheered as much as I was asked to cheer during those three days, I'd be hoarse. Don't try to force it, Carnival. You don't need a hype man all the time. Read more