Carnival Sensation - 2012

[DeltaDawn99]

I'm very lucky and we (my 13 year old daughter and I) are being treated to our first cruise by my inlaws. Our whole family is actually going-around

15-17 of us.

 

We can only go during one week in April which is during spring break, so we're limited as to our options. They want to do a 4 day cruise (since we only have 1 week to get to & from Florida and go on the cruise), and a lot of us have never been on cruise before.

 

They are looking at the Carnival Sensation to the Bahamas. My inlaws have been on several cruises (at least 4), but I haven't so I was wondering if anyone can give me any insight about the Carnival Sensation?? I know that not everyone has the same experiences, and some people are just never happy with anything, but I would like to get a general idea of other people's opinions of this ship.

 

Also, any tips/advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[firefly333]

There is a review section which you might read thru to get a feel for the ship.

 

Many things like food etc are standard across all the ships, so one 4 day to another the menus are the same.

 

There are 9 Fantasy class ships, so a lot of similarity. I love Ecstasy, though she is the 2nd oldest in this class.

[DeltaDawn99]

Thanks!

 

I don't really understand all the classes and what the differences are. Good thing we're going with people who know what they are doing!

[corkyanige]

I was on the Sensation last September... it was a fun girls cruise... and we had a blast!

 

We've only taken our kids on 1 cruise... and really feel like we made a mistake going with Royal Caribbean with that one. Carnival just has more of a "fun" atmosphere for teens.

 

We are booked (and are SO looking forward to it) on Carnival Imagination (which is also in the fantasy class like Sensation) for a family cruise (12 of us total) in January!!

 

I love Carnival... and have only been on their Fantasy Class ships so far... but absolutely LOVE everything about them!!

 

It's not one of the bigger/newer ships... but for the short trip like you want, and the price you can get... it's a wonderful choice in my opinion!!

[DeltaDawn99]

Thanks so much!

 

We are really looking forward to it! My daughter is SO excited! And I think our family will have a great time all together.

[LPYRCRUISER]

DH and I went to Florida on vacation last March and decided to break up our trip with a 3 day on Sensation. We were pleasantly surprised. She's an older ship but in really good shape. We expected alot of spring breakers and rowdiness that goes along with that. There were some, but they never disturbed a night's sleep, which is important to us! I'm not a fan of banging doors in the wee hours. We had 4 young guys in the next cabin and we never heard them come in for the night. The food and service in the dining room was excellent. We had early seating and DH wanted a table for 2 and there was no problem having that changed. I'm not a big fan of buffets of any kind but it served our needs nicely. We tend to hang out on the ship and don't do excursions so I can't comment on that. I do recommend checking out the Atlantis if you've never been. It is truly remarkable. It was a nice break from the miserable winter we had. If you go with an open mind you'll enjoy. After all, you're on vacation!

[gtalum]

I'm very lucky and we (my 13 year old daughter and I) are being treated to our first cruise by my inlaws. Our whole family is actually going-around

15-17 of us.

 

We can only go during one week in April which is during spring break, so we're limited as to our options. They want to do a 4 day cruise (since we only have 1 week to get to & from Florida and go on the cruise), and a lot of us have never been on cruise before.

 

They are looking at the Carnival Sensation to the Bahamas. My inlaws have been on several cruises (at least 4), but I haven't so I was wondering if anyone can give me any insight about the Carnival Sensation?? I know that not everyone has the same experiences, and some people are just never happy with anything, but I would like to get a general idea of other people's opinions of this ship.

 

Also, any tips/advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Which week in April? Depending on the week, a 5-day (Monday-Saturday) cruise on Carnival Paradise from Tampa may be a good option instead.

 

Sensation is a fine ship, but personally I'd try to squeeze in as long a cruise as I could if I were you. :)