M W

Age: 42
Occupation: Bookkeeper
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Sensation
Sailing Date: June 4th, 2005
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

This was our first cruise. My son’s “senior trip” for high school graduation. Wanted a family vacation. We went out from New Orleans to Costa Maya and Cozumel. Went with my husband, two children (ages 18 and 16), and two friends. My husband & I had a room, my two children shared a room, and our friends shared a room. All of our rooms ended up by each other.

Embarkation: This was not too bad. I think we were in line for about 45-50 minutes. The line moved pretty fast and check in was a breeze. We timed it perfectly and we were able to go straight to our cabins. The room was very nice. We had lots of room. Don’t know if we just got lucky or what! Our room was the 3rd from the front of the Main Deck. Our room stewards were very nice and got us anything we needed promptly. Thanks to Rey and his assistant!

Food: The food was very good and plentiful! Too much eating! Not used to that much food consumption. Anytime you wanted something to eat, food was available. The fine dining at night was very good and many many thanks to our Waiter Gus and his assistant Borika. Gus remembered every night that my 18 year old son loved to eat and brought him extra and the nights that Caesar Salad was not available, he made a special Caesar Salad for him and brought it out. Remembered our names and was very funny and cordial.

Drinks: If you ordered the ‘drink of the day’, which varied from day to day, it was pretty cheap as far as drinking goes - $2.95. Of course the 15% gratuity was added to that. The only thing was that there was not a lot of alcohol in these drinks. Just about every drink needed a little most boost! Most drinks cost about the same as a fine bar in the town you live in. The water did not taste too well. I would advise bringing some bottled water along with you. Theirs was $3.25 a bottle. You can bring a limited (same) amount of drinks, water, soda, etc. Also the iced tea was not good. Tasted like instant.

Entertainment: Was really good. The dancers and singers were very good and the shows they put on were Las Vegas quality. One night we had a guy that was a ‘balancing act’ and with the ship rocking, that was pretty interesting. He was good. Also a ventriloquist act. He was also very good. The last night was a passenger talent show and our friend was in that and of course, made the show, for us.

Staff: The cruise director, Greg, was very friendly and very good. The other staff members were all very nice and I can’t say enough about the people that work on this boat.

Quality of Ship: I read many reviews before we left and was anxious to see this ship and I thought it was beautiful. It did not look old or worn out, as some reviews mentioned. The colors and theme of this ship were great. My husband’s only complaint was not enough smoking areas. One lounge and the casino was it for smoking areas. Other than outside, of course.

Destinations: We arrived at Costa Maya and due to bad weather, we were unable to dock. It was too dangerous and the waves were too rough. That was pretty disappointing, but couldn’t be helped. Our Captain took us on to Cozumel and we got to spend that night in Cozumel and all the next day.

Excursions: I strongly advise to book through the ship due to the fact that bad weather may play a role and if you booked an excursion through someone else, you might not get your money back. We had not planned anything for Costa Maya and were just going to explore the island on our own. We shopped the shops at the dock the night we docked in Cozumel and had dinner at Poncho’s. VERY good food and DRINKS! They know how to make a margarita there! The next day we took a sub-view excursion. This was about $45.00 a person. This is a boat that has a ‘sub’ underneath it. You have big windows to look out and see all the sea life and we went to Paradise Coral Reef. This was good and very interesting. When this was over, it was raining and poured rain the rest of the day, so the beach trip didn’t happen (this was not pre-booked, thank goodness). We went downtown to the Forum Shops and shopped until time to board the ship. Prices were pretty good. Had to haggle with the merchants to get the price you wanted though. If you are shopping for jewelry, this is the place. More jewelry stores than anything.

Debarkation: We waited for a while to leave our room since there were a lot of people wanting off the boat first. No sense in trying to be the 1st one off the boat unless you have an early flight to catch. This was not too bad. Although we were tired at this point and ready to get off the ship. The only bad thing I can say about this part is that trying to find your entire luggage is not fun. It is squared off into the part of the ship you were on, but if you had a lot of luggage, it is not easy to find it all and of course, it wouldn’t be together. Then you have to try to hail down a Sea Cap to get your luggage out to the bus area. We parked at the Fulton Garage and the bus will take you back there. But once you get to the Fulton Garage, there is only one street for drop off and pick up. That is a nightmare. My husband left us on the curb and went up to get the car and it took him 45 minutes to get through the traffic to pick us up and load the luggage. This has nothing to do with the Carnival Line but just wanted to warn those who park there.

Final Remarks: As a first time cruiser, I can say that we all truly enjoyed it and will be going again soon, probably when the next child graduates from high school! Loved it all!