Sensation Review from 1/6/05 Sailing

[Peyton6]

We had a wonderful cruise on the Sensation out of New Orleans! I went for my annual girls' trip with my three girlfriends and it was a blast! One is from Virginia, two from Georgia, and I am from Texas.

 

We flew to New Orleans on Wednesday and the only problem we had was that our friend from Virginia got snowed in at Chicago O'Hare - had to spend the night there and every flight they put her on got cancelled - we honestly thought she would miss the ship, but she finally made it 30 minutes before we sailed - and we were THRILLED that her luggage made it, too! We started with a drink on the Lido Deck and enjoyed the sailaway before heading down for naps since she had only slept 20 minutes the night before.

 

The ship wasn't too rocky until the last night - we were told it was mostly due to being back on the Mississippi. We all took Bonine the day before we got on the ship and then took one at breakfast and dinner every night - we never got drowsy and we never felt sick - so it was worth it to me. The last night during the show we were rocking quite a bit!

 

We all won money on the slots and had fun in the casino - the machines closest to the entrances paid off the most!

 

We went to Paradise Beach in Cozumel and had a ball - the Strawberry Margaritas and nachos were awesome. We paid $5 when we got there to use the floating mats... well worth the money! We shopped a little on the way back to the ship and got back on around 4. FYI - if you have a Sprint cell phone you can receive calls in Cozumel - just can't call out. Of course I missed both calls from my husband because I was in the restroom once and on my floating mat the second time... but my friend talked to him and said she could hear him loud and clear!

 

My favorite dinner was definitely the lobster - they also had some good steaks. The food wasn't my favorite, but I certainly ate a lot of it. The next time I cruise I am goinig to switch to early dining - we found ourselves just looking at our watches every night trying to wait for our 8:30pm seating. We were at table 107 in the Fantasy Dining Room and our waiter was Peter - he was hysterical. We tipped him a little extra on the last night for the great service and entertainment he provided for us.

 

We spent our at sea days at the pool at the back of the ship - there were lots of chairs available (probably because it was the smoking section) - but the smoke never bothered us. The waiters were attentive and we were never at a loss for drinks! Don't flame me - but we DID bring some of our own liquor on board - vodka and lemonade is awesome! We still spent PLENTY on the drinks on the ship - so I don't feel too bad about taking some of my own stuff!!

 

The bar next to the casino made the strongest drinks, and my friends thought that the bartender Marin was great!!

 

We switched our luggage tags on the last night so we could leave after the self-assist folks left. We got off with no problems and were happy that we got a porter to carry our luggage out of the terminal for us. He walked us past the lines and straight to a waiting suburban to head to the airport. I'll DEFINITELY do that again.

 

This was my third cruise and my first with Carnival. I will DEFINITELY cruise with them again and wouldn't mind going on the Sensation again. We were in an inside cabin on the Riviera Deck and I thought the rooms were larger than the inside rooms on RCCL. I was worried about having an inside room since my other two cruises were in rooms with a balcony - but I did not mind at all. our room steward was Erol and he was very attentive and pleasant. We tipped him a little extra at the end as well.

 

I used my hotmail account to check email due to a family emergency before I left and I thought the connection was faster than when I was on RCCL. I bought the package of 30 minutes for $16.50 and it was well worth it.

 

Guess that's about it. It was a wonderful trip and I'm now ready to plan my next one!

[GoinCruisin]

Great review!!! Thanks for sharing!!! I love the Sensation, have been on her twice and can't wait to go back! I'm glad you all had a great time!

[Guest Crazeecat5]

Thanks for a great review. I will be on the Sensation again in April for a "girls" trip too. Myself and my 2 cousins. They are newbies so it should be real fun. I was on the Sensation in '97 with my DH and 2 sons. It was our first so this ship holds a special place in my heart. Have been on several more since then.

Sheryl

[Peyton6]

This was the first cruise for my friends and it was fun to see it through their eyes! They loved the ship and I am so happy their first cruise was so much fun! The only downer was when one of my friends tripped over her roommate's luggage on the last night and broke her toe!!

[lilpinklady]

thanks for this review...we are planning a wedding cruise in may for just the two of us(his mother and our daughter may come<fingers crossed

[JudyKa]

Thanks for the positive review on the Sensation....makes me excited about our 7/16/05 trip on the Sensation. I like hearing all the little bitty details about the ships before we sail.

[imirish]

Thanks for the review Peyton. It makes me look forward to my June 27th sailing on the Sensation even more.

[2CoolBees]

Just got back from 5/day on Sensation.......we loved it. Have nothing really bad to say about it, other than a magician that had a very "off" night, and the evening partying is not that great. But then again, we spent 2 nights in NOLA where the partying is great, and we're not even heavy drinkers/partiers. I would definitely take the same cruise again. Great experience overall.

[cantwait2cruise]

Sounds like you had fun. I had the same issue with Cingular in Cozumel. I could receive calls but not call out...

[Peyton6]

We skipped the magician because we had heard before we left that he had some trouble! We went to see the comedian one night and the final show - the rest of the time we just kind of hung out!

[Rowan555]

We'll be on the Sensation 1-29 - DH and I normally don't attend many of the shows - we just wander the ship and enjoy our time while the kids are in Camp Carnival. Are there any shows or performances which are "must-sees" in your opinion? If you could only choose ONE, which would it be?

[kguenther]

I am interested too...if it's our first time cruising, what Sensation shows would you "not miss". We are used to Cirque de Soleil type stuff, and do Vegas shows, so we will probably skip the "Vegas-style" show, but I am wondering if we should attend the Magician, comedy, etc?

 

Thanks!

[lilpinklady]

i'm gonna do everything I can!!! i'm so excited!