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We cruised on Carnival Sensation on November 27, 2011. We booked 3 cabins. My husband and I in one cabin. My sister and her husband in another. And my 2 sons and 2 nephews in the third cabin. 

Boarding the ship was a little frustrating as we had been advised by the PVP to book one past guest in each cabin for a better rate. We booked one of my sons (past guest) with my sister. Well, the lady at check in was a little rude to my sister about this. When my sister stated that she felt the lady was being rude, her attitude improved quickly. She still did not transfer my son's Sail and Sign info to my account as we requested. But the lady who was checking me in helped us straighten that out. I have to say that after that experience, I was afraid that we might encounter more poor customer service issues while aboard. I could not have been more wrong.

Our zone was called to board the ship, we took our welcome aboard photo and headed to the Lido Deck for lunch. I had Mongolian Grill and it was delicious. My husband tried to the Lido Grill burger. Sons and nephews, all teenagers, ate both!! We hung out on the Lido Deck for about an hour or so enjoying the Drink of the Day and some beautiful weather. My husband made a friend with one of the Lido Bar waiters, Kishore. Kishore would end up being his "go to guy" for Coors Light. Our cabins were soon ready and we went to check them out. 

My husband, sons and I have cruised Carnival before and the cabins were about the same that we had last time. We had 3 cabins in row, Ocean view on the Main deck 5. Our cabins were located near the elevator. I was worried about the noise factor but that was never a problem for us. Our cabin steward, Arvin, was super!! He always made sure everything was taken care of. One evening, after commenting to him that we loved his towel animal creations, he put out 4 towel animals for us. He even gave us a dinosaur as requested!

We had early dinner, 6 pm, in the Ecstasy Dining room. Our waiter, "Witch" (not sure how to spell his name but it was pronounced "Witch") and assistant waiters Dario and Putra, were a lot of fun. We especially had a great time with Dario. He was very funny and kept us laughing at dinner every night. The bar server, Tomi, was also very personable and funny. Dario and Tomi made our time in the Ecstasy Dining room a fun time. 

Our first port was Freeport. We had planned to go parasailing. We took the taxi to Our Lucaya and entered the public beach next to the police station only to find high tide and very rough seas. We were informed that there would be no parasailing or banana boat rides due to the rough seas. Disappointing to our boys, but what can you do? Mother Nature had other plans. We ended up spending time at the straw market and enjoyed some conch fritters and smoothies before heading back to the ship.

Our next port was Nassau. We headed off the ship around 10, walked to the Jitney #10 stop. Took the #10 to the Sheraton ($1.25 per person each way.) After paying for our day pass at the desk, $25 per adult, $12.50 per child, we headed outside to the pools. It was raining at first but the pool was heated so we enjoyed that first. Once the rain stopped and sun peeked out, we headed to the beach for kayaking, snorkeling, water trampoline and swimming. The sea was calm and beach was clean. We only saw 2-3 vendors walking up and down the beach. They were very polite and friendly. Not at all pushy or rude. After about 4 hours at the Sheraton, we headed back to the ship. We made a quick pit stop of McDonald's because our boys saw a sign for "Chicken Macs" basically a Big Mac with chicken instead of beef patty. Of course, they HAD to try it. We then headed back to the ship until after dinner. The adults headed out to the Atlantis to check out the casino. On the taxi ride over to Atlantis ($4 per person each way) our driver informed us that the Dig at Atlantis was free after dark. You pay $40 during the day, but in the evening, there is no fee. So we checked that out too. It was awesome. 

The next day was our day at sea. We relaxed on the Lido Deck most of the day getting some sun, enjoying some drinks and the entertainment on the Lido  Stage. They taught a few dances, had the hairest chest contest and sold tshirts to benefit St Jude's.  We left the Lido deck mid afternoon when the weather got a little chilly for swimsuits. We ended up going to the Love and Marriage show, followed by Bingo. After that it was time to get ready for dinner.

The entertainment on board was definitely a highlight for my family. There were two comedians, Percy Crews II and Jim Brick. We went to their shows each night except for Nassau port night. Each time, they had a different show with different jokes. The comedians were a great addition to our cruise!! The adult only shows were hilarious but not for everyone. They announce if you're easily offending this is not the show for you. They had 2 family friendly shows as well. 

My younger son and nephew (12 and 13 years old) REALLY enjoyed their time in the Circle C kids club. They would ask to leave dinner before dessert because there was an activity that they wanted to go to. For a kid to miss dessert, they must really enjoy Circle C!! I liked that they could pick what activities they wanted to participate in. 

The older son and nephew (17 and 19 years old) did not really have many teenagers their age on board and hung out with the parents or each other for the most part. 

All the kids enjoyed the pizza, ice cream and hot chocolate. We did not really care for the Mexican Buffet at midnight on Nassau port day. That was a disappointment. 

All in all, our experience was super.

Relaxing family cruise

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