Carnival Sensation Review August 28-September 1, 2011

[theaterjunkie1976]

Just a couple more from the Gardens:

 

 

 

 

Our tour at Ardastra Gardens was over around 1:30. We met the group back at the shuttle and began the drive back to Festival Place and arrived there around 2:00. We did a little shopping when we got back, and I bought a necklace and earrings. My dad and brother got some conch fritters and ate them while my mom and I shopped. They seemed to enjoy them. There was a band playing in festival place and while they played they paraded around the building, which made it super loud inside of there, but it added to the ambiance. I took a few more pictures before heading back to the ship:

 

 

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

Damage to the Straw Market

 

 

Sand bags on the street

 

 

We boarded the ship and then went up to the Lido Deck for a late lunch. After lunch, my mom and I went to bingo the Fantasia Lounge. I lost, of course, lol.

 

Waiting on bingo to begin in the Fantasia Lounge

 

After losing the bingo game, my mom and I looked around in the shops again and then she went back to the cabin to rest. I decided to go back up to the Serenity Deck and get in the hot tub. One thing I did notice is that the Serenity Deck was hardly ever crowded. There was no trouble finding a chair, and there were very few people in the hot tub. In fact, for a while, I was the only person in the hot tub. I stayed out there for a while, alternating lying on the lounge chair and sitting in the hot tub. While out there, I enjoyed my first Miami Vice:

 

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

After relaxing on the Serenity Deck for a long time, I headed back up the room, where we watched the sunset from our balcony:

 

 

 

We then took our time getting ready for dinner. This evening I had the fruit plate, mango cream chilled soup and the Oven Roasted Tom Turkey. In fact, we all had the turkey, and it was very good. I also loved the fruit and the mango cream soup. For dessert, I had the Cappuccino Ice Cake, which was also very good. My dad and brother of course had the spinich dip and fried shrimp, and my mom had the navy bean soup and a garden salad. My dad skipped dessert tonight and just had coffee, while my mom had the diet pumpkin pie and my brother had the Tiramisu. My mom wasn't extremely impressed with the diet pumpkin pie, but I think she's used to stuff like that because she has to eat a lot of sugar free desserts due to her diabetes (which isn't very bad-controlled through pills, not insulin shots).

 

 

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

Until now, I forgot to mention what an excellent bar server we had. His name was Vedra (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong) from Bosnia. He and my dad clicked instantly because my dad can be a jokester. He joked right along with my dad, and gave us great service. He knew our order each evening without asking, a Cornona for my dad, a Blue Moon for my brother, a glass of Merlot for my mom and a glass of Reisling for me. He had a great sense of humor and really took care of us, for which we tipped generously. He and my dad really connected, and every time we saw him on other areas of the ship, he would always speak to us and would ask where my dad was, "his buddy," as he called him, if he wasn't with us. I intend to write Carnival and let them know what an excellent server he was. My brother joked that my dad was going to write him out of the will and put Vedra in his place. :)

 

I just realized I made a mistake in my timeline....my mom and I played Bingo after dinner, not after we got back on the ship after our day in Nassau, and for some reason I can't go back and edit that post. So the bingo post really needs to go here! Sorry! :) After I lost $20 playing bingo, I wondered up to the deck party while my dad and mom went back to the cabin. I didn't dare eat the Mexican buffet, I was too stuffed from dinner, but I did enjoy people watching. I went out on the Serenity Deck again for a bit, went to the Casino and then went back to the room. I wasn't as lucky in the casino this evening, however, my brother did win over $100 playing blackjack.

 

Up next, Fun Day at Sea, our last full day. :(

[Julesy]

your review is fantastic!

[theaterjunkie1976]

Day 4: August 31, 2011, Fun Day At Sea!

 

I slept in again this morning, and then met everyone at the Seaview Bistro again for breakfast. After breakfast, my mom and I tried to make it to the TV theme songs trivia on the Lido, but we were late. We did catch the end of it, and I knew most of the songs, and probably could have won. We were sitting beside of this really loud woman, who had obviously played this game before because she knew every answer and would yell them out loudly. She ended up winning, and let her kid claim the prize, which was a medal. After that we played another round of bingo, and lost again, lol. We also stuck around for the Win a Cruise Raffle, which we also lost. Some day I will win that raffle! We tried to make it to the digital scavenger hunt, but were too late. We basically just wondered around the ship for a bit until it was time for lunch. We did catch the tail end of the ice sculpture, which looked really cool.

 

 

 

For lunch, I had mongolian. My dad didn't have a hamburger today, and opted for some chicken vegetables. They also had a chocolate fondue station today and make swan pastries with chocolate ice cream. After lunch, my mom and I did make it to Famous Faces trivia, where we saw the loud lady and her family again, trying to win yet another medal. I did pretty good with the famous faces trivia, and would have won, but another person (not the loud lady!) beat me by one point. We stuck around for general trivia afterward, which I did not even come close to winning, lol.

 

After trivia, we met my dad and brother at the Love and Marriage Show. The show was funny, as always, and the cruise director seemed to enjoy some of the answers that were provided by the participants. A couple questions did get a little racy, but nothing that kids wouldn't hear or see on normal television, although I would probably die of embarassment if my parents were part of the game. I don't have to worry about that though, my dad would never agree to do that, but he did seem to enjoy watching the other men get in trouble with their wives, lol.

 

After the Love and Marriage show, we played bingo for a third time, and lost for a third time, lol. My mom came very close, but sadly, someone else beat her to it. During this game of bingo, they had a drawing, which I won! It wasn't a free cruise, :(, but I did win a Carnival bathrobe! Yay! :)

 

We didn't really do much after bingo, we kind of all went our seperate ways. I occupied myself in the casino while my dad and mom rested, and I'm not really sure what my brother did. I had a light snack with some cheese and fruit, and then headed back to the room to get ready to go watch the show Curves. I had seen this show before also, but my mom and I went again anyway. I love music and theater, so I love to watch any type of show. After Curves we met my dad and brother in the dining room for our last dinner on the ship.

[theaterjunkie1976]

Tonight, I had the crab cake appetizer and the french onion soup. For my entree I had the Burbon glazed spring chicken. My mother had the french onion soup, a salad and salmon, while my dad had the mushroom soup, crab cake and spring chicken. My brother had the mushroom soup, crab cake and some sort of pasta dish with shrimp, mussels and calamari. For dessert, my mother and I had the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake (she splurged on the last night) and my dad and brother had the apple pie.

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we went back to the cabin to pack up our bags :( because we wanted to do the relaxed debarkation. We sat our bags out by our door before 11:00 p.m., I changed clothes, and my dad, brother and I went up to the casino because my dad had wanted to play the slots and I tried once again to win a free cruise with a drawing in the casino. Our luck had definitely run out! My dad headed back down to the cabin while I wondered around a little while and got a late night slice of pizza. I went back down to the cabin, sat on the balcony one last time before turning in for the night.

[theaterjunkie1976]

September 1, 2011: Disembarking the ship :(

We were Zone 25, which was the last zone to disembark. This was fine with me, because it gave me a little extra time to sleep in. We were out of the cabin by 8:30, as instructed, and went to the Lido deck for our last breakfast on the ship. It was still a long wait for zone 25, so we just relaxed, checked text messages, emails and facebook, lol. Our zone was finally called and we made our way down to disembark. The nerve of Carnival to kick us off the ship!! :p We made it through the lines rather quickly and went through customs with no problems. A porter helped us with our bags, we tipped him and we were in the car, heading out of Port Canaveral by around 9:30/10:00 a.m.

All in all in was a good trip and a good way to introduce my dad and brother to cruising. They really enjoyed themselves, and my dad especially loved the food, lol. He mentioned on the way home yesterday that he would like to go to St. Thomas, so I of course let him know that was part of the itinerary for the Carnival Dream. He actually seemed into the idea, but I'm sure it will be a little while before we can book that one. Maybe I can even sneak in a little weekend cruise with friends before then!

Just some random thoughts before leaving with you some more pictures:

Food: Overall, it was very good. Some things I really liked, some things were just okay. The new menus weren't that terrible, and horror of all horrors, the allusive meatloaf showed up on the menu on the last night. Gasp! LOL. ;) Honestly, the addition of the meatloaf and other items doesn't upset me to the point that I can't enjoy myself, that's just crazy! I don't think anyone around me got the meatloaf, so I have no reports on that.

Service: Service was great. We saw our room Steward, Francis, a number of times. He knew us all by name, and even knew who I was before I had even met him! (He had met my family while I was at the roll call meet and greet). The room was always clean, the towel animals were always cute, and our ice buckets always filled. We didn't have any other special requests for him. Service in the dining room was good, but felt a little rushed as I had mentioned before. Our bar server, Vedra, was the best. Service in all other areas was just as good. Very friendly staff.

Other passengers: I try not to let people bother me, because you run into rude people everywhere you go. This was no exception. There were always those who felt entitled and were demanding, but I just ignored them and went about my business. As far as kids were concerned, there weren't that many, but really, kids don't bother me. They deserve a fun vacation too, right? The only time I got noticeably irritated was when we were waiting to get into the dining room on the first night of dinner. There was a little girl around 9 or 10 who was literally pushing people out of her way to get into the dining room. She was putting her hands on people and literally shoving them to the side and of course not saying excuse me, and there was no parent in sight to correct her. Other people noticed her too, and were not pleased with her behavior. But like I said, what can you do? I didn't let it ruin my vacation.

Shows and Comedians: The shows were energetic and the singers were better this time around. They weren't exactly broadway quality shows, but they were fun and definitely entertaining. You can tell they work hard. The comedians were just so-so. My brother watched them several times, but I only saw them in the Welcome Aboard Show and one evening before dinner. To me, they just weren't that funny and some of their jokes bombed. My brother said the adult shows were funnier, but I didn't see those. I'm not really that big on stand-up comedy, so that may have something to do with it.

Excursions and Ports: The excursions were interesting, but I would likely not do them again. If we chose this particular cruise again, we would likely book another excursion or even go out on our own. My dad said Nassau and Freeport hadn't changed much since the 60's and he wasn't overly impressed, lol. I think he would also rather book during our winter months, lol, the heat was just too much for him. I didn't mind it. I don't feel like it's really a cruise unless there is sun and heat!

Lines and chair availability: There was always a place to sit, even on the Lido around the pool. Didn't see a large amount of the "chair hogs" that everyone gets so riled up about. Sure, there were people saving chairs, but there were plenty of other seats around. As far as lines were concerned, none were unbearably long, with the exception of the buffet line on day 2 (Freeport). My dad waited in a huge line just to get a cheeseburger. I'm surprised he did that actually. He must have really liked those cheeseburgers! All other lines went quickly, even at guest services and when disembarking/embarking the ship in the ports.

I will leave you now with a few random pictures:

[theaterjunkie1976]

 

 

 

 

This ship was in Freeport the same day we were. I've never heard or seen of this line...

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

 

 

Sensation Boulevard the morning we disembarked:

 

 

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

your review is fantastic!

 

 

Thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying it!

[luv cruising 007]

You made my day at work 2day with your awesome review thanx so much! Your a pro at these reviews now;):D

[sjn911]

You made my Saturday with this great review, your family had great cabins and it was just great....THANKS..sarah

[dmtiern]

Loved your review!!

 

We are going on the Sensation again in December & really looking forward to it. Thanks for all of the great pictures & I love how you write. :)

[SMSACE6]

Great review! thanks so much for posting it here along with photos. Sensation was my first Carnival ship, and I had a wonderul cruise on her. Loved to see your photos, and it brought back memories. Thanks again.:)

[theaterjunkie1976]

Thank you everyone! I enjoyed writing it. I keep thinking of stuff I forgot to add, so I may come back a little later with some more info. I'm glad everyone enjoyed it! :)

 

 

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[lowbass]

Thanks for posting the great review. It's good to know people can still enjoy the MDR even when every one doesn't come dressed formally and there's comfort food on the new menu.

[Lgarth]

Thanks for the great review :) We just sailed on her the 18th-21st for the 2nd time....You don't see many reviews unless people want to complain because they didn't realize she is an older & smaller ship before they booked. I love the smaller ships for the coziness and not as many other passengers, although we are thinking about the Dream in the near future. Again, thanks for great review and awesome pictures too !! You did a great job ;)

[CapsR1]

LOVED the sunset photos you took in Nassau which had the Paradise Island Bridge in the background. Also great photos from Ardastra Gardens.

 

Thanks for your review, you did a wonderful job!!!

[Anacodia]

Great detailed review. We are sailing on the Sensation in December, first time cruisers, and staying in an aft-view cabin on the upper deck like yours. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!

[theaterjunkie1976]

Thanks for posting the great review. It's good to know people can still enjoy the MDR even when every one doesn't come dressed formally and there's comfort food on the new menu.

 

Thanks! I try to enjoy myself and not let the behaviors of others ruin things for me. :)

 

 

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[theaterjunkie1976]

Great detailed review. We are sailing on the Sensation in December, first time cruisers, and staying in an aft-view cabin on the upper deck like yours. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Awesome! I hope you have a great time and I think you'll really love the cabin. The extra balcony space really does make a difference!

 

 

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[theaterjunkie1976]

Thank you CapsR1 and Lgarth! I'm glad you enjoyed reading my review!

 

 

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[MrFunInTheSun]

"I should add that I had my second Funship Special when meeting the roll call group-and let me tell you, that second Funship really sneaks up on you. By the time I got to the Muster Drill I was feeling pretty good, and my mom said it showed, lol." "Our Muster Drill was in the Plaza Lounge, and then we had to line up outside near the lifeboats. It was unbearably hot out there, but like I said before, that second Funship Special had kicked in and at that point, I could have been in the lifeboat and wouldn't have cared, lol."

 

This has to have been a couple of the best spots of your review!! LOL. You are right the 2nd "Funship" does kick in. We were on the Inspiration a week before you and had our share of funships, they sure are good.

 

Great review!! Time to book your next cruise.

[Straitlover]

That Discovery ship, I think that's the one where you get faxes/emails for a cruise and a hotel stay for like $150 total. :D We get at least 2 faxes a week about it.

 

Great review! I went on my first cruise last October on the Sensation, so I recognized everything. I'm ready for another cruise, too!