Lounging on a deck chair in the morning sun, luxuriating in the gentle movement of the ship as we sailed south toward Nassau, the words slipped out of my mouth.
“On my next cruise, I’m going to bring binoculars,” I said, squinting at a speck in the Atlantic behind our boat, trying to figure out if it was another cruise ship, a freighter or a figment of my imagination.
My next cruise. Less than a day into my first sailing, I was contemplating my second.
Gladys was right. She was the agent who booked our three-night trip on Carnival Cruise Lines’ Sensation. “Just wait, you’ll see,” she told me. “Three nights isn’t long enough. When my husband and I went on our first cruise, we started planning our next one at dinner that night.”
I had viewed cruising skeptically, reluctant at being herded onto a huge vessel with 2,000 other passengers, wary of caloric overload, certain I’d be bored. My idea of a vacation didn’t fit with the image I had of people who cruised: older folks who liked to dress up and dance, or families with little kids who’d spend all day screaming down the waterslide.
But with both of my kids in college and having other plans for spring break, it was time for my husband and me to plan our own getaway to Florida to see family members. Four of my five siblings live within an hour of Port Canaveral, where a lot of ships embark on cruises each week, so they take frequent short sailings. When I found out a sister, her husband and two kids age 10 and 16 were going on the Sensation cruise, we booked the trip as well.
It’s something we had talked about for years, figuring it could be both a family reunion and vacation, because no one would have to cook meals or make beds. And the entertainment was built in.
Three nights seemed like just the right length of time to be gone, and by returning on Easter morning, we’d get to rendezvous for a holiday meal with other family members later in the day.
We had received mixed reviews about the cruise line, with cruise snobs deriding it as being for the Wal-Mart crowd and its own television ads pitching the “fun ship” angle.
Carnival lived up to the latter image as soon as we boarded the ship, with Bermuda-clad guys offering up umbrella drinks on the upper decks as we prepared to sail out of Port Canaveral. Reggae music was blasting in the pool area, and the buffets were open, proffering a full array of entrees, sides, salads and desserts.
More on the food later.
Stateroom with a view
We sprang a little more for a balcony room — something I’d do again — to have the views as well as a little more living space. The newer cruise ships are flush with balconies, but older ships like the Sensation (built in 1993) don’t have as many.
We purposely booked our stateroom to be near my sister and her family, and I’m glad we did. These ships are big and spread out, and with the amount of hiking up stairs and around you do — not to mention getting lost — it helps to have rooms in some proximity to each other.
We also were in the aft section of the ship, and just below the Serenity Adult Only Retreat. Not an X-rated club, as the name might imply, it’s simply a spot for those 21 and older who don’t want the noise and constant splash you get in the WaterWorks park. (One afternoon I counted 12 kids in a single hot tub in the common pool area.) Typically on the Serenity deck, there were just a few occupants at a time in the dual hot tubs. Plenty of cushioned deck chairs were available for kicking back, reading a book and napping.
And my nephew knew he could find me there, signaling from a safe distance when he wanted me to join him for a round of miniature golf on the upper deck, or a slice of pizza and frozen yogurt in the Seaview Bistro. I’d leave my book and towel on the deck chaise and go be an aunt for a while.
The hardest part of cruising, when you’re a person who is used to being on a hectic schedule, is that unless you’re on a business cruise, there is no schedule. There are plenty of activities listed in the daily bulletin your cabin attendant leaves for you, but you don’t have to do any of it. Towel-folding lessons, anyone?
There’s no arguing about maps or directions or destinations; the captain takes care of that.
When the ship docks in a port, do you get off and explore, take a tour, or stay onboard and take a nap?
The toughest decisions are what to wear to dinner, what to order, when to meet. Gee, it’s a tough life.
Certain cruises continue to ask patrons to dress for dinner, but the cruise lines have followed the rest of the world in adopting a casual dress code. (During the day it was sometimes too casual for my taste, with young cruisers wearing their bathing suits to lunch.)
“Cruise casual” seemed to appeal to diners who at least made an effort and wore sundresses, khakis and button-down shirts in the evening. The only no-no’s in the dining room were gym shorts, flip-flops, bathing suits, cut-off jeans (jorts!) and sleeveless shirts for men.
Chow down
It’s true that you can eat from the beginning to end of a cruise, and gaining weight is a real possibility. The reality is that you don’t have to.
There was as much fresh fruit and steamed vegetables as there were French fries and junk food on our three-day excursion; it’s just a matter of choices. Carnival makes it easy for those watching their diets by offering meals marked “spa” that are lighter in calories and fat. For the rest of us who tend to avoid desserts in real life, why not indulge when you’re on a cruise?
I was somewhat surprised to discover that I liked the breakfasts and lunches more than the dinners served in the formal dining rooms. The themed lunches (Caribbean one day, Mexican the next) were well-prepared, and there was always some type of fish, plenty of salads, and yes, tempting desserts served in sample-sized portions (why not try three?).
To serve 2,000 diners each evening, the cruise ship staggers meal times, which would have been fine if they had assigned us the same time as my family, but they didn’t. I requested Carnival’s Your Time Dining option to be able to eat between 5:45 and 9:30 p.m., but we were assigned to late seating (8 p.m.) and told it couldn’t be changed.
Jennifer de la Cruz, spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Lines, says the earlier you book your trip, the more likely you are to get your requested dining option. And while there is some flexibility of changing arrangements once the ship is ready to sail, “They can’t offer seats they don’t have,” she says.
Carnival began offering Your Time Dining about a year ago to meet the need for people who wanted flexibility in meal times and the desire to dine on their own. About 25 percent of the dining room is devoted to Anytime Dining, and it is configured differently because it tends to accommodate smaller parties — couples or groups of four — rather than the larger tables of 10, according to de la Cruz.
Anytime Dining is often requested by first-timers who don’t know how they feel about dining with a group of strangers, de la Cruz says. “Once you’ve experienced traditional dining, it is one of the favorite aspects of cruising,” she says.
In addition to the option for diners to order wine from its dining room list, Carnival offers a “Cruise the Vineyards” plan — a 3-bottle package on shorter cruises and a 5-bottle package on longer voyages — which was a savings of about 25 percent over regular list prices.
Another booze footnote: Carnival lets passengers bring one bottle of wine per person aboard the ship. It’s not a good idea to try to smuggle liquor aboard, whether you bring it with you or buy it when in port. We witnessed people being “busted” for both offenses and having their liquor confiscated. Each cruise line is different; check the fine print for details.
When it was time to work off dessert, it was good to have a a first-rate gym and spa on board, although your equilibrium is a little challenged running on a treadmill on a ship moving at 18 knots (18 nautical miles per hour x 1.15 = 20.7 miles per hour). I signed up for a Saturday morning yoga class, but only one other person did as well (out of 2,000 passengers?), so I just used the cardio equipment instead.
We tried our hands at bingo and slot tournaments, as well as a comedy show, most of it “entertainment” I wouldn’t pay money for at home.
To me, the best entertainment was lounging on the aft deck. Just don’t let me forget the binoculars next time.
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
Finding paradise
Nassau offers a lot of day trip-options for cruise- ship passengers, which is among the reasons it’s such a popular port.
When you arrive on a holiday weekend like Easter, however, you’ll likely find businesses and shops shuttered for the day. Rather than kill time browsing the straw market or drinking margaritas at Señor Frog’s, we took a $7 (each way) cab ride to the massive Atlantis resort on nearby Paradise Island.
A popular way to spend a few hours and see an impressive array of sea life is to take the Discover Atlantis Tour, visiting “The Dig,” an artistic rendering of the Lost Continent replete with artifacts, hieroglyphics, aquariums loaded with piranha, jellyfish, venomous lionfish and giant grouper. Purchasing a ticket for the tour ($35 adults, $25 for children 4-12) lets you explore the The Dig and its exhibits as well as the Ruins, Predator and Water’s Edge Lagoons, but not the pools, slides and beaches.
Excursions are also offered for dolphin programs ($130 to $210), beach day escapes ($60 adults, $35 for children) and Aqauaventure, a 141-acre waterscape with water slides, a mile-long river ride with high-intensity rapids and wave surges, and more ($110 adults, $80 children).
There also are plenty of ways for adults to play at Altantis — at the casino, comedy club, spa, golf course and fitness center.
If you plan to take a tour, interact with the dolphins or just spend the day on the beach or waterpark or take advantage of other recreation, reserve it in advance. We talked with several people who had failed to make a reservation, and they were turned away. Prices and access also vary seasonally. (; 800-285-2684). Suzanne S. Brown
The Details
Three-day sailings from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas on Carnival’s Sensation start at about $250 per person for an interior room to $800 for a suite. Balcony staterooms are about $350 to $600. You can save even more by booking early. More at or call 888-227-65482
