Great value for dollar by
Joseph O. from South Orange, NJ
Sailing date: Aug 2009 Pros:
Ports of Call, Food, Kids love the WaterWorks
Cons:
Long lines at breakfast and lunch, smoke from bar upstairs could be smelled in dinning room, shows were of high school quality
The over all look of the ship is beautiful. Entering on the Empress level is very impressive. Ocean view Room was adequate with comfortable beds and pillows. Toiletries in bathroom. Chech-in was very quick. The best was that we left the ship with our bags at 7:30 a.m. to catch a 12:15 p.m. flight out of Tampa.
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Freeport, Grand Bahama Island Lucaya Market and Beach
Nassau, Bahamas The port is in walkin distance to all the market and stores. Paradise Island a must see and do.
Don't Miss: Paradise Island
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A wonderful, relaxing cruise by
A Traveler from Lakeland, FL
Sailing date: May 2009 Pros:
The crew and how they treated us with kindness and respect.
Cons:
Only that we could not stay longer.
The ship was clean, safe and beautiful. We were so impressed with the care the crew showed everyone during our cruise. We were definitely spoiled by the attention to detail that all crew members exhibited.
Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality Carnival has a tremendous crew from all over the world and they did everything they could to make our stay the best.
Entertainment & Activities
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Cruise on the Carnival Sensation by
A Traveler from NJ
Sailing date: Apr 2009 Pros:
Food was very good, state rooms was very good.
Cons:
Enternainment was not appropriate for families with children. The dancing and costumes were very risque. The jugler and comedian were not up to the quality that you would expect.
There are things that I liked. The food was very good, the state room bedding and bathroom was excellent, the pool area was very nice with many very clean jacuzzis to pick from, a quiet tanning area for adults only, and the water slide was great. The entertainment was a big dissapointment. Eventhough the dancers were very good, the costumes were "j" strings on in the last show. I thought they were highly inapropriate and the dancing was very sexual. This is suposed to be a family crouse. I'm glad my kids weren't with me. The comedian and juggler were not up to par. There was no real dancing or lessons, just the silly kind. I also thought that the main lobbie area should have been cleaner too. I saw dust and a lot of finger prints.
Ship Quality The state room was excellent but the main lobbie areas should have been cleaner.
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
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Entertainment & Activities Not appropriate for a cruise. The costumes were "j" strings and the dancing was very sexual at one show. The other night the comedian and the juggler were poor.
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Nassau, Bahamas Atlantis Resort is great. Jet skiing from the beach next to the Atlantis Resort is great.
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Bahamas not what I expected by
frisbeeredcat from Houston, Texas
Sailing date: Nov 2007 Pros:
The water is beautiful!
Cons:
Our room was freezing/TV picture was terrible
This was my third cruise on Carnival. A strange thing happened right after boarding and lunch. I went to use the bathroom on the Atlantic deck in the Grand Atrium and as I walked in I stepped in a pile of poop! (people) It was sitting on the floor in front of the door. I went and got a steward, (he didn't understand English) and pointed it out. He referred it someone else (I guess) to clean up, as he walked away. I went back in, cleaned my shoes in the sink and placed a large Floor is Wet sign by the pile and left! My elderly Mom was freezing in our room, they sent a maintenance man and that helped as our vent wouldn't turn down. The TV reception was awful. I couldn't tell what team was the Colts because the pictures' color was so off. They said it was the satelite reception when asked, sent a guy to fix, but not much better. Other than that the cruise was OK. Food was good, I enjoy finding quiet spots to look at the water and read and enjoy the sun. We loved having breakfast on the back deck outside.
Ship Quality See above. This ship seems to be getting a bit worn.
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality Way too cold, TV picture terrible
Ship Staff Quality I felt that they were not as happy as previous crews. Was told the room steward did not get a salary, just tips and no day off for 6 months. Sounds like slave labor. I would love to see the workers quarters.
Entertainment & Activities Had fun things to do and watch. Show was entertaining! The reggae band out on the Lido deck during the day was excellent!
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Freeport, Grand Bahama Island It was disapointing, except for the beach. I expected to see old clapboard buildings painted different colors, picturesque. Not. Ugly, downtown looked like some low-rise warehouse district. The trees were spindly looking pines and the Rand Nature Center wasn't much of anything.
Don't Miss: The beaches have beautiful sand and water
Nassau, Bahamas Again, not really pretty. Not much to do, historical center was closed. The fort and water tower, ugly. Constantly hounded by locals to buy the same junky souveniers everywhere. Nothing seems to be made by local artists. I couldn't believe they were selling all these straw bags with Micky Mouse and Sponge Bob all over. A good place to but the latest DVDs as they were selling cheap, $5 each. I guess they don't have copyright laws here.
Don't Miss: The beaches were beautiful!
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"take it or leave it!!!!" by
A Traveler from NC
Sailing date: Jul 2007 Pros:
The Dining Room Food
Cons:
The lines for food. There needs to be another buffet separate from the first.
The room was good. Our steward was excellent. At night kids ran up and down the halls screaming and playing games. (which is not really the cruise lines fault.) The pizza was 24 hours a day and was good. The buffet had it's ups and downs. The lines to get food was terrible. You could not ever get to the pool because of all of the kids. (which we did expect). The hot tubs had a sign that said "ADULTS ONLY". They were constantly full of kids splashing. If you do go on this trip be sure to plan a shore excursion. The bahamas can be done in no time.
Ship Quality The ship was clean and clearly marked.
Dining/Food Norris(our waiter was great) The food was good.
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
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Bahama Cruise by
A Traveler from Deland, Fl
Sailing date: Mar 2007 Pros:
Everybody on the crew was no less than wonderfull, and my 7 year opld was treated with the same respect and high service as the adults, you don't see that everywhere
Cons:
we couldn't completely turn of the AC in the cabin, so it was a little chilly at times
the friendly and very professional staff made this trip to a one of a kind. Always smiling and going out of their way to fullfill every little wish
Ship Quality some seat/sofa's could do with a little makeover, but that was of less concern for us
Dining/Food All food was really good, and the food in the Estacy dinning room was out of this world, high class A+++
Stateroom Quality our room steward was the best, always had a special treat or surprice for the little one
Ship Staff Quality very, very friendly, personal and professional
Entertainment & Activities really good entertainment
Children's Programs Big smile, A+++
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Nassau, Bahamas Don't Miss: the bargain shopping and the swimming in the wonderfull clear water surrounding Bahamas
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Fun but beware! by
Gerald C from Columbus, OH
Sailing date: Dec 2006 Pros:
Many Fun Activities!
Cons:
Automatic Gratuities
I have sailed Canival before so I had an idea of what to expect. For the most part (considering the price) I was satisfied and it was what I expected. For those that have kids 10 or younger I would recommend Camp Canival especially if you want to have any alone time during the cruise. I thought the menu at the scheduled dinner was very good and could satisfy most if not all. We had New York Strip Steak each night. But if you dont go to your scheduled dining room at the pre-scheduled time then the available items diminish in quantity and quality both at dinner and breakfast. I was pretty dissapointed in the quality of the breakfast buffet. Powdered eggs just dont make it. the breakfast meats are cooked in bulk and thats the quality level you should expect. The fruit was fresh and the cocoa was hot. there was no shortgage of food which normally means a reduced quality of food but at the price we cant expect a 5 Star experience unless you want to pay for a 5 Star cruise line at a 5 Star price. The cabin was sufficient as it was not as an important item because if you spend too much time in the cabin you should not have went on a cruise. The shows were a special highlight as they were much better than one would expect as such a cut rate. I would give the shows a 8.5 out of 10. The pool water was cold but that is to be expected as it is recycled ocean water. Be prepared to see photographers every 10 feet during the cruise. It can be an expensive photo session if you buy them ($20 per shot) but the quality is every bit as good as local high end studio photographers. If there was one thing I would like to see improved is the breakfast menu such as an omelette line or REAL scarmbled eggs. The quality of the sausage was terrible. On the other side of the night the PIZZA is served 24 hours a day and was much better than expected.
The return transportation was a bit awkward as they try to fill every seat in the bus before leaving so if you have an early flight then get to the earliest possible bus.
Oh, one last thing. They will be you $30 per person fro gratuities. If you ask they will delete them from your "Sail and Sign account". Transfers are a bit expensive at $35 per person each way (Orlando to Port Canveral)
All in all I would rate the cruise a 6.5 out of 10. I would rate it a 8 out of 10 for the price.
Ship Quality The Sensation was an older ship but in good basic condition.
Dining/Food See other comments. Breakfast buffet isnt quite up to par with other cruise lines.
Stateroom Quality You can sleep and be comfortable but not much room to do anything else.
Ship Staff Quality Average
Entertainment & Activities This is where I was surprised. Awesome shows!
Children's Programs Good but could be better and they could dedicate more overall room to kids!
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Nassau, Bahamas Cab fares to the attractions were reasonable. $4 per person. Watch out for the rip off artists. Dont rent charis or umbrellas at the beaches unless you negotiate a huge discount.
Don't Miss: The beaches!
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Our first cruise by
Deborah B. from Marion, Indiana
Sailing date: Mar 2006 Pros:
The stop at their private island, Half Moon Cay, was wonderful!!!
Cons:
The staff who were assigned to the information and shore tours roles were not very friendly and gave conflicting information.
The worst problem was that the ship was apparantly not completely ready for sailing. The cruise the week before ours was held up in Port Canaveral for hours (it was on the local Florida news) due to issues with the propulsion (sp?) system. Because of that problem, our itinerary was completely changed and one port (Freeport) was substituted for another (Grand Turk). We were not offered any compensation or any real apology even though this was something within the cruise line's control unlike wearther, etc.
The staff on the boat were generally friendly and helpful. Once the revised itinerary was set, everything ran on schedule and we had a great time! The islanders who ran the excursions on Half Moon Cay were wonderful.
Our 15 year old son was in heaven throughout the cruise due to the O2 Club for 15-17 year olds. (It helped that it was a Spring Break cruise and there were lots of kids his age.) If he were writing this it would be rave reviews. Although as any of you who have or have had teenagers would understand, the fact that he was content made our cruise experience that much better.
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality Our room steward was a gem.
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Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs I give this an average rating because of the poor quality of the program for 12-14 years olds. While our 15 year old was having the time of his life, our 12 year old son was running around the ship trying to find where his group was meeting for activities. They did not have a designated space for this age group so the meeting place changed throughout the day. There were several times when he went to the assigned spot for an activity and could not find anyone with the group. It was not well organized.
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Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)
Nassau, Bahamas Senor Frog's is wonderful even if you are not a big drinker. The food was good and it was definitely a fun atmosphere. We visited the Atlantis hotel and toured their aquarium and it was worth the price of admission. This is not a scheduled excursion by Carnival, but you can easitly grab a taxi at the pier and head out there on your own.
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