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Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Sensation
by ShotoJuku
Bahamas
May 21, 2009

This was my 3rd Carnival Cruise experience and although the weather did not fully cooperate my overall experience was terrific.

There's nothing like a cruise, either long or short, to allow you to relax!

My wife and I took a belated (3-weeks late) wedding anniversary (#26) getaway cruise over the Memorial Day weekend on the Carnival Sensation. The cruise was just incredible despite the fact that a potential tropical storm was forecasted to form in the Florida Straits. Fortunately T.S. �Ana� did not form however the weather was far from tranquil. We experienced mostly cloudy/soggy skies with some very brief pockets of hazy sun, some drizzle, light-rain, and a couple of down pours along the way.

The first night was pretty rough, as the ship just seemed to bounce, rock, and otherwise roll towards Nassau. I saw several "accidents" on the decks throughout the ship and a few clean up crews in cabins scrubbing carpets clean. There were seasick bags ready for use layed out in the common restroom areas and a few just scattered about the ship for handy use. The first night was bad enough that all of the shows were cancelled too.

Embarkation at Port Canaveral was filled with speed and efficiency and we were onboard within 15 minutes from the time we entered the parking lot.

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As for the Sensation, she is incredibly clean and well maintained. The ship was just recently dry-docked a few months earlier and the new waterworks area was installed which is a big hit with the kids (both young in age and at heart).

The food was pretty incredible too. As usual, Lobster was the popular choice by all on Elegant Night and I was happy to see that the dress code (no shorts) was enforced. I did notice that on Elegant Night the style of dress seems to have become more casual, less suits, some dress shirt and ties, and more open neck polo style shirts.

Our port-of-call was Nassau, which was pretty, well, um, err -- plain. We took a cab to the overrated Atlantis. I say, "overrated" as for all they hype I kept hearing about the place I expected so much more. To me, Atlantis is akin to one of the smaller casino resorts found in Biloxi, Mississippi. Nevertheless, we made the best of it and returned to the ship in short order.

We used the "self-assist" debarkation process too and although crowded, all flowed quickly and politely too.

On a side note, we stayed the night before (pre cruise) at the Radisson Resort at the Port in Cocoa Beach. They offer a FREE shuttle ride to and from the port and more importantly FREE PARKING while you're at sea.

In conclusion, although we only took a short (3-day) cruise on the sensation, our overall experience was -- wait for it -- SENSATIONAL!!!

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