Megan Barsness

Age: 21
Occupation: Travel Agent
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Sensation
Sailing Date: February 21st, 2005
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

I had such a wonderful experience on my cruise. Not only was this my first cruise, but I also went alone. I was impressed at dinner, because you are seated with the same people at dinner every night, and they must profile you with people of similar circumstance, because at my table, there was another girl who went alone, not only that, we had booked the same shore excursions and didn't even know it! Also, there was a mother with her two daughters who were my age, and another mother and daughter pair my age. We all hit it off so well, we have kept in touch and probably will forever. Thanks Carnival!

The only bummer was at embarkation, their online system was down, so they had to do it all the old fashioned way...so that took about 2 hours. But, they did the best they could despite the outage. The ship itself is really nice, yes a little older, but it's had quite a few years of usage. One thing I noticed, was the staff did a great job of keeping her clean the entire trip. I've heard reviews of dirty ships, but they did good for us on this trip. My room was plenty of space for just me, although I was in a middle cabin with no view. I still really liked my room! My steward did a great job of cleaning it at least twice daily. Loved the towel animals!

The food was good, dinner was of course always the best. Zorana and Bogdan are the best!! The only thing I would suggest, is to have more variety for the breakfast buffet. Although the food was good, it was the same exact thing every morning. But still yummy!

The first day at sea was good...really windy, but sunny. There were plenty of onboard activities to keep us occupied, including "fear factor," which was funny. Or, you can just bask in the sun. Even though there's so many people, I always found a spot.

Our first shore stop was Calica. I booked the Tulum/Xel-ha tour, and it was GREAT!! We were underway right on time, and it was weird for me, because in almost all the reviews I read, people said they felt they did not have enough time, or they wish they would have only done one or the other. Both myself and the girl I went with agreed. the times at both were perfect. Tulum was beautiful, and we had plenty of time to explore ALL The ruins, the beautiful picturesque views. And we had about 3-4 hours in Xel-ha, where we snorkeled and lounged in the sun...plenty of time to enjoy the park! It was beautiful as well, although the snorkeling/diving was better in Cozumel.

Cozumel was great, I booked the beginners scuba, and loved it! i had never scuba before, and was a little nervous at first, but stuck with it, and am so glad I did. I saw a baby reef shark, it was just a baby and they're not dangerous, so that was awesome. I just missed a sea snake and octopus, apparently there were also lobsters that I missed. But, I saw so many break taking fish!! Even though I booked it through the ship, they used sand dollar sports, they were great! Even gave us free drinks, and snorkel gear after words. Check them out at www.sanddollarsports.com

The last day at sea good, except it was so stormy!! But once again, plenty of things onboard to keep us having a great time. The shows we saw were pretty good, the las vegas style shows were fun, and I loved the ventriloquist they had, he was the 1989 world champion! I loved that they had art auctions onboard, at great prices also. There was really something for everyone.

I know everyone said drinks are expensive, but if you get the small daily special, it's only 2.95. not bad! My total bill at the end, including gratuities, photos (definitely take advantage of the photos they take everywhere you go, including on the ship. Scuba diving, we turned around, and there was a photographer! i have great quality pic of me now at the bottom of the ocean! they're not that spend, and great quality!) and drinks was only slightly over $100!! And gratuities themselves was $50 (ten dollars per day). I booked my shore excursions online before hand, which I DEFINITELY recommend. The lines for shore excursions on the ship are so long, and they sell out FAST! it's so easy to book them online, and then when you get to your ship, the first night they deliver your tickets to your door--easy!!

I believe each vacation is what you make of it. For the price, this was such a great trip! I had such a great time, am already planning my next cruise. Thanks carnival!!