Kathleen Welsh  

Age: 45
Occupation: homemaker
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Sensation
Sailing Date: January 27th, 2002
Itinerary: Western Caribbean-7 days

This was our second cruise in just six months. Our first cruise was on RCCL 3- days to the Bahamas, and we had such a great time, that we couldn’t wait to cruise again. We weren’t sure how Carnival would compare, but in the long run, we found most aspects of this cruise to compare favorably, or better, to our first trip on Royal Caribbean. After this wonderful 7 day cruise, I would never go on a cruise that was less than 7 days again. This trip was so much more enjoyable. We were constantly on the go on the first cruise, which was nice, but we didn’t ever have time to relax at all, and this cruise provides time to explore the ports, but also several “at sea” days to just take it easy, and enjoy the sea and the sunshine, and the activities on board the ship.

Embarkation was not quite as smooth as on our first cruise, and it took a bit longer, but it wasn’t unbearable, and we had a place to sit and wait, so weren’t left standing.

Debarkation went pretty well. You have to expect some delays, and just be prepared to be patient.

Cabins- our cabin was actually quite roomy, compared to the cabins on RCCL, and our shower worked a lot better. We had no complaints about the room, even on the bottom (Riviera deck), and we didn’t even have a porthole this time. That just allowed us to sleep in longer! The cabin steward was excellent.

Dining- this was the only real disappointment. The food in the main dining room (Fantasy) did not even begin to compare to the superb meals served in the dining room on RCCL. The meat was tough, and so was the lobster. I think we had only one really good meal in there all week. However, the midnight buffets were excellent, and the Seaview Grill was not bad. And the 24 hour pizza was a plus too. So, that almost made up for the main dining room. On the previous cruise, the only good meals were in the dining room, which was the opposite of this cruise.

Ship Entertainment- We found a lot more variety on this cruise than the previous cruise.

And the people seemed to enjoy themselves more, and stay up later. We met a lot of friendly people. The layout around the pool deck was very nice, and the upper deck provided more privacy, and was very relaxing, especially with the drink special of the day!

Much nicer than the previous cruise. The band also played more variety , and it was not always the same old Macarena, and Electric Slide, which we appreciated greatly. The shows in the lounge were very elaborate, and the comedians were all quite funny! We enjoyed the at sea days as much as the days in port, and we didn’t expect that. The hot tubs were not usually crowded, which was great. It was important to get to the shows in the Fantasia lounge early though, because the seats in the balcony do not provide a good view of the stage at all, unless you are in the front row. It’s just poorly designed. My one complaint about the entertainment on the ship is that they advertised a Mardi Gras costume contest, and parade, and encouraged the passengers to buy masks and beads in New Orleans, but for some reason, they skipped over this activity completely, and many were disappointed. I still can’t figure out what went wrong with that? But I can’t say enough good things about the Bingo, since we won a Cruise!!! Wow!!! That sure helped with our post cruise let down!, and made it a lot easier to get off the ship with a smile!

We really had a wonderful time, so that was just the icing on the cake!

Photographs- We enjoyed purchasing our photographs on the ship. We posed for every camera we saw, and only bought the best ones. We never had to wait in line for them to take our photos, because we always got there as soon as they began photographing. We enjoyed the formal nights during the at sea days, which was much better than having a formal night after a day in port, like we had on our first cruise, which just made us even more crunched for time.

Ports and Tours-

Grand Cayman- Many people find their day in Grand Cayman to be too short. However, we got a really early start, and were headed to the Cockatoo Catamaran tour to the Stingray Sandbar by 7:00 A.M. I’ve heard this is the best stingray location, and also the best time to go. The ride on the Catamaran was lovely!, and a bit of an adventure! I was a little unsure about getting out and playing with the stingrays, but I got over my fear quickly. The water was unusually rough that day, but it was still great, and I’m not a swimmer. They give you an inflatable vest, and mask to use. You don’t really need to snorkel though, because the stingrays can be seen easily from above the water, and you can hold them, and feed them. My snorkeling mask just got in the way. I found snorkeling better in the Bahamas. But this is the best place for the stingrays. I wished we could have seen the turtles, and the more of the city, but that was another tour, and they missed out on the Catamaran sail boat experience, so you have to make that choice.

We did have some time to shop briefly afterwards, and buy a rum cake, and rubber stingrays for the kids, who we left at home! If you take the later tour, you might not have time to shop. I recommend the earlier tour, so you can take advantage of the short port call. They also made a video with music on the Catamaran ride, and of all of us swimming with the stingrays. It’s a little pricey, at $40, but a great souvenir!

Cozumel- Lots of people seem to like the shopping here, but unless you want diamonds, silver, or T-shirts, it’s pretty much the same old thing, after the first three shops. I got a bottle of vanilla, and some almond flavored tequila. The shops are interesting for an hour or two, but the tours are better. Also they told us not to eat or drink at this port, although I think a lot of people go to Carlos N Charlies, so that must be the one place to go where it’s safe and clean. We just went without lunch, since we took a tour at noon on the Fiesta Party boat. That was a good time, since it allowed us to have the morning free for shopping. We had heard that the Fiesta Party boat was fun, and it was, but you have to be willing to remember you’re on vacation, and to let yourself go! The main party is on the lower deck of the triple decker party boat, and really gets going on the way back. It’s pretty tame on the way to the Playa Sol (Sun Beach). We bought maracas on the boat, and they served “free” rum punch and margaritas, from paper cups. The “open bar” on the beach is more of the same, served on a board, set up in the sand! But they have restrooms there for changing, and the beach is colorful, if not as beautiful as the beaches in the Bahamas. The hammocks were plentiful, and empty, and they had a giant land Trampoline for the adventuresome, and also water trampolines, and paddle boats, and rafts, and a climbing water mountain. There was no extra charge for any of this, except the land trampoline. I’m not sure about the banana boat rides, but they looked like a lot of fun!! No crowds at all when we were there, either. We had less then 2 hours on the beach, but it was sufficient. We also had our picture taken with some Colorful parrots, and paid the guy $5 for three shots, with our own camera. More rum punch, margaritas, and Tequila, on the ride back on the Fiesta Party Boat. There was a live band, and it got a little crazy, with contests, the limbo, hokey pokey, the macarena, a pinata game full of candy, etc., etc., but we loosened up, and had fun. I’m not so sure about the few that stayed on the top deck. This tour is for the fun lovers. I know we had more fun than most of the other tours, for sure!!

New Orleans- This was our first time there, and it was the beginning of the Super Bowl week-end, but it wasn’t too crowded in the daytime. Unfortunately, we had to be back on the ship by early evening, so missed most of the madness. We didn’t take a tour, but opted for the horse and buggy ride. I wish we had asked for a longer ride, but it was nice, and we only paid $10 each. The private horse and buggies are $50. The driver points out sights of interest, and our driver dropped us off in the French Quarter. It was a cool day, after the Caribbean sunshine, so we were glad we had heavy sweaters. Be prepared if you go in the winter!! The weather varies a lot. The beignets and the cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde warmed us up, and tasted great. We didn’t explore Bourbon street enough, but we did watch several street performers, and we shopped in the French Market for better deals on beads, and such. We sampled the pralines, and ate a sausage po boy with gravy at the Gumbo shop (near Pat O’Briens, which was closed for a private party that day. I heard it was the place to go for Hurricanes, but we were looking for a meal, and only the bar was open.) The sausage po boy was great, and recommended by a friend from New Orleans. We also bought Sandwiches at the deli, with the olive salad. We walked around and saw the Riverboats, and Super Bowl preparations. The Riverwalk Mall is nice, especially the Mardi Gras Madness store, and Auntie Anne’s pretzel shop sold us a Mardi Gras pretzel!, with purple and green icing, and sprinkles. Pretty cool! It’s nice to dress up for Mardi Gras pictures on the ship, even if they do forget to have the parade!!! We posed for the photographers in masks, boas, and beads, and that is our favorite pose of the trip! Also you can finally call home Cheap in this port!!, if you are worried about the kids....or the babysitter!! An interesting city, with lots of charm. We just wish they would extend this tour into the later evening hours.

We didn’t think this cruise would be as special as our first one, but it was even more special in some ways. Carnival really impressed us, and I give them high marks in all areas, except the main dining room, which could use some improvement. All in all, a great experience! Can’t wait to cruise again!!