Tina & Kevin

Age: 27 & 32
Occupation: Housewife and Gentlemen's club manager
Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Sensation
Sailing Date: February 7th, 2004
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

This was our first cruise. Because we live in South Carolina and hubby is afraid of flying, we drove to Tampa (about 9 hours). We are members of AAA and used them as our travel agent. We were very pleased with their help with everything plus we got a discount for being members. They also booked us a hotel for the one night stay in Tampa for $94, near the airport, which is about a $20 taxi ride to the port. The advantage was that they let us park our car there at the hotel for free during our cruise. Although they wouldn't be responsible if anything happened to it. They have property security and nothing happened to it. If you drive to the port and park your car there it's about 10 bucks a day. So if you want to stay a night in Tampa, check out Courtyard by Marriot on Cypress Rd. and ask them about parking your car. We spent the day at Clearwater beach and took a pirate cruise that evening. It was fun.

Ok let's get on with the cruise!

We arrived at the pier at about 9:30 am, only because my sister and niece were debarking the exact cruise and itinerary we were about to embark on at 4 pm so we wanted to catch them and get a little inside scoop. At about 10 pm , porters starting taking luggage. I was very paranoid about being one of the folks that loses their luggage, so we tipped the porter $10 hoping he would be careful with it lol. We watched him take it to a designated area. Very shortly after we got there, they were letting people off the ship, little groups at a time. We waited and waited and finally my sister and niece got off. We figured out later at our disembarking that either they let you off in order of what kind of cabin you have or either by the levels of the ship. My sister and niece had a great time. At about 11 am, they started letting people check in. We were in the "skippers club" because we booked a penthouse suite (it was one of the benefits). The skippers club was great because we didn't have to wait in any lines and they took care of everything for us at one spot (check in, sail and sign cards- Carnival uses sail and sign cards as a credit card for EVERYTHING on board, shore excursions, drinks, pictures, shopping, everything.

You put a deposit down using a credit card, check card or cash. But know that if you use cash, you have to settle it the night before debarking. If you use a credit or check card, they put a hold on it. I think it started out at about $400 then and once we spent $400, they put a higher hold. At one point we had a $950 hold on the card. We checked at the information desk. But I think we spent more money then the average cruiser on drinks, pictures, shopping, shore excursions etc.

On your sail and sign card you will also find your dining time and table #. We had originally booked the early dining, then when I thought about getting up that early for breakfast, I called and requested the late seating. I was told they couldn't promise it at this point but my wish was granted I think because the early seating was more full anyway. Then later found out breakfast was open seating so it didn't really matter but we did enjoy the late dining. After we got checked in and all that stuff squared away, we were told to have a seat and our # would be called (our # was 1..which is another benefit of the penthouse suite "skippers club". You get to board the ship before anyone else). We sat and waited about an hour which put us at about 1 pm when they called our number. As soon as we boarded the ship, we found our room on the upper level to put our carry ons down and check out the room.

For the price we paid for a penthouse suite, I was sort of disappointed. There was a funny smell when we walked in. The tile in the bathroom looked like it needed replacing, There was a light covering that was just totally missing on our bed. The room appeared clean but with the smell, I wondered. The king size bed is 2 twin beds put together. I did love the down comforter and the carnival robes. The bed slept great. Our balcony had a great view. Nice bar set up, sodas and water in the room (for about 2 bucks a bottle). My sister and niece had a regular stateroom with a window view and they were happy with it. So I guess it just depends what ya like. I prefer a nice place to sleep when I'm away from home since I don't have to clean it :)

Oh and the walk in closet was spacious but the drawers were tiny. This room would sleep 4 people with the pull out couch. Hubby wants to go with a regular balcony room next time but I disagree because I did like the space and the benefits with booking a penthouse suite. Once we checked out our room and put our things down, we went straight out for lunch. The only thing open for lunch on the first day was the Seaview Restauraunt on Lido deck (pool deck). Lines were already long. But don't worry, the only time you have to worry about lines here is on the first day since everyone is hungry at the same time. This restaurant is self serve and was OK for quick eating. The service in this place was horrible, and not just on the first day. Rude actually. They have a variety of food here and every day it's different. Outside of the Seaview by the pool is another buffet where you can find burgers and hot dogs. There is always salad, veggies, meats and desserts here. We never tried the 24 hour pizza but I hear the kids love it. Breakfast here was OK too. The only reason we ate here is because it was quick. Otherwise the main dining room was way better in service and food. We only ate in the main dining room for 3 dinners and 2 lunches. Excellent food and excellent service here. Eat til you're stuffed!

The maitre 'd (Terrence- Fantasy Dining room) was a hoot! He always made a point to talk to us. And one day when we ate there for lunch while in port, there was another ship in port we could see out the window. Maybe Royal Caribbean or something. He walked in the dining room and said very loudly in disgrace "Ugh! Look at that ugly ship! Hurry hurry shut the curtains!" while all the waiters pretended to be shutting the curtains. He was kidding of course but it was funny. Our waiter was good. Always trying to make us fatter! Sometimes he would bring us extra entrees we didn't even ask for lol.

Formal night was the first at sea day. It was very nice to get dressed up and see everyone else dressed up but the water was very rough this night so picture taking was difficult since it was hard to stand still for a shoot. Lots and lots of photo opportunities! We bought every picture we liked. Now that we've done it once and have started planning our next cruise, we've opted to skip the whole formal night thing, but I do suggest trying it once. If it weren't for having to get dressed for dinner, we would have eaten in the dining room every breakfast, lunch and dinner. But sometimes ya just wanna eat lunch in a bathing suit and flip flops by the pool. You don't have to "dress up" every night for the dining room but shorts, bathing suits are not allowed.

After eating lunch on embarkation day, we headed straight to the salon and spa to make our couples massage appointments. We expected it to be pricey but we didn't expect $240 bucks! We splurged and did it anyway because we had been looking so forward to it. We booked the appointment for 4: 30 pm because at 3:30, there was a mandatory safety drill. The salon told us it would take no more than 30 minutes, then we would have 30 minutes to watch the ship leave the pier. So at about 3 pm , they start warning you over the intercom system to go to your assigned areas (located on your stateroom door) WITH your lifejackets ON. This was kinda funny watching everyone trying to find their area in an orange lifejacket lol. They made it short and sweet (about 15 minutes) then dismissed us. Hubby and I then went straight back to our rooms balcony to watch the ship sail. It didn't sail right at 4 pm but shortly after and we were about 5 minutes late for our appointment. The massages were very nice and the girls doing them were nice too. But again, now that we've done it...we probably won't do it again. Next time we'll pay regular price at home before going on our cruise.

After our massages, we basically spent the rest of the day exploring the inside of the ship. It was still chilly and windy outside, I guess because we weren't down south enough. We checked out our photos from embarking. The photos are 20 bucks for an 8x10 and about 8 bucks, I think for a 5x7. You also have an option to get wallet sizes but I don't know how much they are. For the whole cruise we spent about 150 bucks on photos! Of course you don't have to buy any.

Our next day was an at-sea day. We got up for breakfast, then headed to the pool to get a lounge chair. We've heard it's difficult to get one but we didn't have any problem that early and it didn't seem like it would be a problem later either. There are so many on different decks. Hubby hopped in the Jacuzzi and I started exploring the outside upper decks. That is when I found the jogging track that has a wonderful view at the front of the ship and I found the topless sun deck my hubby had been searching for. There was shuffleboard, volleyball, basketball, huge chess pieces and ping pong. On the topless sun deck I found 2 teenage boys praying lol and that was it. Again we spent most of this day exploring the ship on the outside. We laid out by the pool a lot and we checked out the gift shops and photo shop again. The drink prices were reasonable I thought. Hubby drank Grey Goose for $5.25 plus 15 % gratuity every time. I had Malibu drinks for about $4.25 a piece. Soda was about $2 a pop plus 15 % gratuity. You can go with the soda card which is about $20 for an adult and it's unlimited fountain soda for your whole cruise, but I heard bad reviews on this like the ice melts quick and it's watered down or the bartenders ignore you if you have one (cuz they don't get a tip).

At the pool they had random activities like ice sculpting, hairy chest contest, a mixology show etc. They weren't that great but the hairy chest contest was pretty funny. At 3:30 pm we went over to Fantasia Lounge for the "Newlywed and not so newlywed game". We were going to volunteer to play but they didn't ask for volunteers. They picked a real newlywed couple, a couple that had been married 50 years and a couple that had been married 25 years. But we watched and it was a pretty funny show. This was formal night and I had made an appointment at the salon to have my hair done up. So at 6 pm, I went to the salon, no wait, the girl was great and her service was ok for $35 for an up do plus 5 dollar tip. Again, the services in the salon and spa were pricey. After getting my hair done, I went back to our room and we started getting decked out for the formal dinner. For the late seating, they start photos at 7:15. At about 7:30 we headed down for photos. There were so many different photo areas set up on the ship with different photographers and backgrounds. We did them all! The ship was really rocking this night so it was hard to stand still for photos. On formal night the area where our dining room was was very crowded with people waiting to get in. They started seating right at 8:30. Fabulous service and food! Nice couples at our table with us. Every night the waiters and maitre 'd do a little show for ya.

After dinner, we went down to have a cigarette. If you're a smoker, there are plenty of smoking areas on the ship. You'll find them easily but the dining rooms are not one of them. At 10:30 , we headed to the fantasia lounge for the vegas style show done by the sensation dancers. I thought the show was very colorful and the dancers were awesome especially considering the rocking on the boat. I started to feel a little queasy but I tried to forget about it and it went away. Neither of us ever got sea sick but if you do they have an infirmerary where you can get some medicine that I hear knocks it right out. At 11:30, we went to see the Gala buffet in the dining room. They do photos only from 11:30-12:15 then open the buffet at 12:30. It was awesome but we were still stuffed from dinner so we didn't eat. At midnight we went to see the R-rated comedian (there are usually 3 shows for the comedian 8:30, 10:30 and midnight-R-rated shows). He was so funny.

Our next day was in Grand Cayman. We chose to go to seven mile beach at our own leisure. It's very easy to get a taxi and it's 3 bux per person to and from seven mile beach. You pay $21 per person for the shore excursion and they take you to a beach club that was OK. You get a lounge chair per person and one drink per person. They serve lunch here but we didn't eat. We laid out and then walked the beach, swam a little then decided to head back to the ship. There isn't much time in Grand Cayman. I think it's like 8 am - 2 pm (you have to be back on the ship at 1:30 and the last ferry comes at 1:15). We ate lunch on the ship in the dining room and it was wonderful. We also ate dinner in the dining room again. We went to the midnight R rated comedian, she was not impressive. Seven Mile Beach was beautiful and we left there saying Cozumel is going to have to be really good to beat this.

Our next day was port in Cozumel. We took my sister and nieces advice and went with the Xcaret shore excursion. It didn't sound like something we wanted to do but we tried it anyway. The only downfall was that you have to take a 45 minute ferry ride to Playa Del Carmen. The ride was rough and windy and miserable. Then once in Playa Del Carmen, you take a 15 minute bus ride to the park Xcaret. Your tour guide is with you the whole time. There was only about 10 people on this tour. Everything in Mexico seemed so real! Very culturist and just like you would imagine Mexico. It wasn't all made up for tourist. Although there are plenty of shopping opportunities for tourist. Xcaret was simply beautiful. They had animals, an underwater river you could swim, a beautiful beach, swim with the dolphins, snorkeling, scuba diving (all at extra costs), restaurants and much more. We started on the underwater river. It was a bit cold so we got out at the first exit and walked a bit until we found the beach. We parked it there and took lots of photos. It was breathtaking with lounge chairs and hammocks. I highly recommend Xcaret. At 4 pm , we met our tour guide in the parking lot and rode the bus back to our ferry. From the ferry, you can either go back to the ship or they will take you downtown for shopping. We wanted to go shopping downtown (the ship recommends shopping downtown even though there are shops all around the pier where the ship is in port). There was also nice shops where we got on and off the ferry in Playa Del Carmen but they wouldn't let us stop there due to time. In downtown Cozumel, we had a blast shopping. We got beautiful sombreros, souvenirs for the kids, t shirts, jewelry, a hammock for my mom etc. At about 8 pm we decided to start looking for an ATM machine to get cash for our taxi ride back ($6). First we couldn't find an ATM, then when we did, it only gives Pesos and not US dollars. So we had to figure out in a panic how much we needed lol. We finally withdrew 100 pesos..which ended up to be about $9 US lol. We grabbed a taxi which was very easy and headed back. Each $1 = 11 pesos. We gave the taxi driver the $9 and he took us back. Scary Scary he was driving like a maniac lol. We got back so late we missed dinner but we held out for the midnight buffet. They were having a Mexican buffet with tacos and all. We had margaritas and chilled in the Jacuzzi.

Our next day was the last and it was an at sea day. We slept in til about 11 am. Then we headed up to the topless deck! Hubby couldn't wait! lol. There was probably about 10 couples or so up there at one time. We laid up there all day long. Hubby got pretty burnt even tho he used sunscreen. AT about 3 pm, I grabbed a bite to eat from Seaview restaurant and carried it back up to eat on the sun deck. It was a neat experience. After sunning, we went to play some bingo in Fantasia lounge. It's 10 bucks for a card or 20 bucks for 3 cards. We had played this a few times. But this time hubby won 170 buck :) Which was really about 50 bux if you look at all the money we spent playing prior to. He enjoyed bingo. And it was ok for me too. We went to the main dining room again tonight and it was wonderful as usual. We exchanged email addresses with our table buddies and said our goodbyes with photos. We tipped the maitre 'd and waiter and said good byes with photos. We were going to go to the 10:30 vegas show again and the midnight comedian but decided we were too tired after the bottle of champagne we had at dinner so we headed back to our cabins. We got a good nights sleep for debarkation.

On Debarkation day, you have to meet in a assigned area, and wait for your color to be called. We waited about 45 minutes til they started calling colors and ours was 2nd to be called. Again, I think this had something to do with the room type you book. We proceeded down the stairs and went thru customs. The night before they give you a form to fill out. You have to put down everything you bought tax free and answer a bunch of questions. This is where you turn them in. It took about 15 minutes in the line. It was less of a hassle then I thought. Once out, porters were everywhere and one approached us and helped us find our luggage. He put us by the curb where the taxis come up. Getting a taxi is a little crazy because people are almost about to fight over them! But we got one after about 15 minutes.

After all this, I'm sure I left a lot out. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me :) We had a wonderful time and are already planning our next cruise!
Bon Voyage!