just got back from the Sensation!

[hpugirl27]

My husband and I just got back from our cruise on the Sensation a couple of days ago. We loved it! I couldn't find a lot of newer reviews of the Sensation when I went looking before we left, so I'm planning on writing one (with lots of pictures!) later this week, but if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

[esdoorn]

Did you happen to stay in a balcony room? We will be staying in balcony room E91 and am just wondering if the room is a decent size and same with the balcony.

 

Also, how was the food in the MDR and Lido Buffet?

 

What was the one thing you really enjoyed about the ship?

[Albums in the Attic]

We are going to book a quick cruise before we get on the Breeze in Nov. We are either taking a 4 day Sensation or 5 day Fascination in Sept. We were on the Fascination in Jan and weren't wow'd. We've been on the Fantasy, an older ship and enjoyed it more. I know it's really just preference but any comparison between Fascination and Sensation?

[Rainbowfalls]

welcome back! so jealous though I cant wait to be on the Sensation again :(.

 

I hope you do write a review (specially with pictures) because yes it seems like the least amount of info and reviewed ship is the sensation which is sad cause it seems to be the ship of choice for a lot of first timers or quick get awayers.

 

I do have some questions as well:

 

what type of drink of the day cups did they have???

 

Did you try the Dr. Seuss brunch?

 

Are there table cloths on the dining room tables?

 

Is it the standard menu still??

 

If you bought the internet package how was it?

[hpugirl27]

Hi! No, unfortunately we had an ocean view, not a balcony, so I can't help you there.

 

We thought the food in the MDR was a lot better than the Lido buffet. But the Pizza place and the Deli in the buffet area were always really good. Dinner in the MDR most nights was good, a couple of the items we got were a little bland to us, but a lot of good options. Breakfast in the MDR was always delicious, so was the Sea Day Brunch.

 

My favorite parts on the ship itself were the comedy club (Louis was very funny) and the show that we saw 88 keys was very good. The staff was friendly and always cleaning something. There were always plenty of lounge chairs available as well when we sailed.

[hpugirl27]

welcome back! so jealous though I cant wait to be on the Sensation again :(.

 

I hope you do write a review (specially with pictures) because yes it seems like the least amount of info and reviewed ship is the sensation which is sad cause it seems to be the ship of choice for a lot of first timers or quick get awayers.

 

I do have some questions as well:

 

what type of drink of the day cups did they have???

 

Did you try the Dr. Seuss brunch?

 

Are there table cloths on the dining room tables?

 

Is it the standard menu still??

 

If you bought the internet package how was it?

 

 

I never got the drink of the day, but I noticed some souvenir cups from them around....one was in the shape of a big fish.....I didn't notice any of the cups that they used to have that had "best day ever" on it.

 

No, we didn't do the Dr. Suess brunch this time, we did the regular Sea Day brunch. We left my son with Grandma this time, but were planning on trying it next time when he is with us.

 

Yes, table cloths were on the dining room tables and it is the standard menu still.

 

We bought the "social media" package, but not he full internet. For the social media package it was $5 per day or $15 for the cruise (we had the 4 day cruise) and took that option. It worked great. We really only bought it to check in on my son throughout the day if needed. It loaded quickly and we never had any problems with it!

[hpugirl27]

We are going to book a quick cruise before we get on the Breeze in Nov. We are either taking a 4 day Sensation or 5 day Fascination in Sept. We were on the Fascination in Jan and weren't wow'd. We've been on the Fantasy, an older ship and enjoyed it more. I know it's really just preference but any comparison between Fascination and Sensation?

 

We were on the 4 day Sensation, but unfortunately, I've never been on the Fascination to compare. The only other one I've taken was the Imagination. We enjoyed the cruise. You could tell the ship was older and needed some updating, however they were always cleaning it and it didn't take away from the experience. Was there something in particular that you didn't like about the Fascination?

[DocF]

Did you happen to stay in a balcony room? We will be staying in balcony room E91 and am just wondering if the room is a decent size and same with the balcony.

 

Also, how was the food in the MDR and Lido Buffet?

 

What was the one thing you really enjoyed about the ship?

 

This very much rebuilt (I prefer the word butchered as they took out the best things of the Fantasy class) left a lot to be desired. The rooms are still the original 167 square ft cabins. We had one of the welded on balcony cabins and the balcony is slightly bigger than the standard Carnival balcony. The bathroom is an improvement over the original, but it takes up a couple of square feet more space.

 

Lido buffets were pretty much typical of Carnival fare. I usually eat danish and fruit for breakfast and a rueben with extra meat for lunch, so I rarely eat from the buffet lines. The majority of the desert offerings on the lido were quite sad. The food in the MDR was not as good as we have experienced in our 9 previous Carnival cruises. Still, it was never really bad and our servers worked very hard to deal with a 10 top that had 4 kids and a couple of picky adults seated at it. The next time one could find the food much better as the chefs come and go and I tend to think this is even more a factor in the quality of MDR meals than are budget cuts.

 

The entertainment was as good as one can get from Carnival these days.

 

The thing we like best about the ship was probably the quality of the waiters and stewards. They exceeded my usual high expectations.

 

We took our 8 year old granddaughter on her first cruise. If we had known how much she would like it, we would have opted for a longer cruise on a bigger ship.

[DaisyGirl55]

We love the Sensation! In fact, we have sailed on this ship 7 times and are scheduled to sail on the Sensation again in November.

 

Yes, it is convenient for us as we are only about 45 minutes from the port, but we love this ship for so much more. It is small enough to be comfortable, yet has what we look for in a 3 or 4 day cruise to Nassau.

 

Food is good, crew is awesome, and the entertainment is fun. I have stayed in an inside, and oceanview, a regular balcony and the penthouse suite - which was huge! Usually though our room of choice is an oceanview on the Empress deck.

 

You will see groups of 20-somethings either celebrating a last fling before a wedding, to college students off for the weekend. You will see family groups with kids, and family group celebrating a reunion or a special birthday. You will see retirees enjoying the warm sun, and lots and lots of blue S&S cards!

 

Somehow all of these groups just come together and it all works! To the OP, I look forward to your review and I am glad you had a good cruise!

[esdoorn]

This very much rebuilt (I prefer the word butchered as they took out the best things of the Fantasy class) left a lot to be desired. The rooms are still the original 167 square ft cabins. We had one of the welded on balcony cabins and the balcony is slightly bigger than the standard Carnival balcony. The bathroom is an improvement over the original, but it takes up a couple of square feet more space.

 

Lido buffets were pretty much typical of Carnival fare. I usually eat danish and fruit for breakfast and a rueben with extra meat for lunch, so I rarely eat from the buffet lines. The majority of the desert offerings on the lido were quite sad. The food in the MDR was not as good as we have experienced in our 9 previous Carnival cruises. Still, it was never really bad and our servers worked very hard to deal with a 10 top that had 4 kids and a couple of picky adults seated at it. The next time one could find the food much better as the chefs come and go and I tend to think this is even more a factor in the quality of MDR meals than are budget cuts.

 

The entertainment was as good as one can get from Carnival these days.

 

The thing we like best about the ship was probably the quality of the waiters and stewards. They exceeded my usual high expectations.

 

We took our 8 year old granddaughter on her first cruise. If we had known how much she would like it, we would have opted for a longer cruise on a bigger ship.

 

 

Thanks!!

 

Our cabin is one that has a 'welded on' balcony, but we are looking forward to the cruise which is a 5-day cruise from Miami to Grant Turk, HMC and Nassau. We were originally booked on the Victory, but the dance of ships ended us up on the Sensation, but Carnival did provide us with $150.00 in OBC for the change of ship if we kept our booking the same.

 

We have stayed at a 4 star Cuba All-inclusive and while the food wasn't great and the room was so-so, we had a great time on the magnificent beach at Varadero. A vacation is what you make of it and our take it to relax and not to sweat the small stuff.

 

The ensure we have a great cruise, we are planning to fly down to Miami from Canada two days beforehand and also stay a couple of days after the cruise. We work hard and want to relax, enjoy the sun and visit some places we have never been and do something we have never done. In fact, this is our very first cruise.

[kderco70]

Hello I have a few questions about your cruise on the Sensation.

I am doing a girls cruise on 9/20/15, I was wondering who your cruise director was and was the adult game on the cruise you were on? I believe it is called Quest? And what night was formal night?

This will be my 3rd time on the Sensation. I love that ship.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Noremacc]

Can't wait to see the pictures!! I'm booked on a short cruise on the Sensation in October, and I'm counting the days. The person I'm going with has never cruised before, so she is really excited also.

[hpugirl27]

Hello I have a few questions about your cruise on the Sensation.

I am doing a girls cruise on 9/20/15, I was wondering who your cruise director was and was the adult game on the cruise you were on? I believe it is called Quest? And what night was formal night?

This will be my 3rd time on the Sensation. I love that ship.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Ooo, it's coming up soon! Have fun! Our cruise director was Paul Santley. I don't remember a game called Quest at all or any specific adult game besides the usual love and marriage show. Formal night on our cruise was Freeport day which was Day 2.

[hpugirl27]

Can't wait to see the pictures!! I'm booked on a short cruise on the Sensation in October, and I'm counting the days. The person I'm going with has never cruised before, so she is really excited also.

 

In case you missed it, I did a review with pictures on my blog (I couldn't figure out how to post pictures in here) and put up the link. You can find the review here.

 

Have a great time on your cruise!!

[kderco70]

Ooo, it's coming up soon! Have fun! Our cruise director was Paul Santley. I don't remember a game called Quest at all or any specific adult game besides the usual love and marriage show. Formal night on our cruise was Freeport day which was Day 2.

 

You are the best! Thank you so much for answering my questions! We are all looking forward to another cruise on the Sensation.

[AmandaV]

I never got the drink of the day, but I noticed some souvenir cups from them around....one was in the shape of a big fish.....I didn't notice any of the cups that they used to have that had "best day ever" on it.

 

 

 

No, we didn't do the Dr. Suess brunch this time, we did the regular Sea Day brunch. We left my son with Grandma this time, but were planning on trying it next time when he is with us.

 

 

 

Yes, table cloths were on the dining room tables and it is the standard menu still.

 

 

 

We bought the "social media" package, but not he full internet. For the social media package it was $5 per day or $15 for the cruise (we had the 4 day cruise) and took that option. It worked great. We really only bought it to check in on my son throughout the day if needed. It loaded quickly and we never had any problems with it!

 

 

 

Would you mind telling me more about the social media package? I'm kind of technology challenged- ha! I was thinking of getting to social media package for my cruise in a couple weeks to check in on my pets and I guess maybe the boyfriend. I only use Facebook and was just planning on messaging through there. Would I access this through the app or go to the actual website through my internet browser? I'm terrified of messing something up and incurring a huge cell phone bill so I may just bring my iPad since it uses wifi...

Thanks for any help!

[joybaby]

Ooo, it's coming up soon! Have fun! Our cruise director was Paul Santley. I don't remember a game called Quest at all or any specific adult game besides the usual love and marriage show. Formal night on our cruise was Freeport day which was Day 2.

 

Quest is played on Royal Carib. Lines.

I am also on the 9/20 cruise. We have sailed on the Sensation a few times. A great get away.

[hpugirl27]

Would you mind telling me more about the social media package? I'm kind of technology challenged- ha! I was thinking of getting to social media package for my cruise in a couple weeks to check in on my pets and I guess maybe the boyfriend. I only use Facebook and was just planning on messaging through there. Would I access this through the app or go to the actual website through my internet browser? I'm terrified of messing something up and incurring a huge cell phone bill so I may just bring my iPad since it uses wifi...

Thanks for any help!

 

Ha, I had to laugh at check in on the pets and "maybe" the boyfriend lol. To answer your question, the social media package is pretty easy to use. You click on your Internet icon in your phone and the option is right there to buy the package. Then you turn your phone on airplane mode (this ensures you won't get charges) and then you are able to use it throughout the cruise. It worked fine with the app or website version if I remember correctly. They give you directions in the room and when you buy the package online. It was way and really convenient to check on things at home!

[AmandaV]

Ha, I had to laugh at check in on the pets and "maybe" the boyfriend lol. To answer your question, the social media package is pretty easy to use. You click on your Internet icon in your phone and the option is right there to buy the package. Then you turn your phone on airplane mode (this ensures you won't get charges) and then you are able to use it throughout the cruise. It worked fine with the app or website version if I remember correctly. They give you directions in the room and when you buy the package online. It was way and really convenient to check on things at home!

 

 

Thank you!!! That helps so much! Guess I'll check in on him too since it's so easy, but really I'm just getting it to ask my mom about my dog :)

[dolfinmusic]

Looking forward to your review. Sailing in November :)

[Me76]

Quest is played on Royal Carib. Lines.

I am also on the 9/20 cruise. We have sailed on the Sensation a few times. A great get away.

 

As far as I know, The Quest is played on all lines, or at least the ones I have been on. I've played it (and won) on Carnival, RCCL, NCL, and even Disney has it! I'm a little competitive when it comes to that game ;)

 

I'm also on the 9/20 Sensation Cruise. Unfortunately, it's just me and my 14yo son, so I don't think I will be playing it this next time, unless I can find some friends quickly on the cruise.

 

Does the Sensation have a Talent Show? My son is a tap dancer and he wants to bring his shoes and compete if they have one.

 

TIA

[SugarTwist]

What an awesome review! I love how you didn't miss a thing.

 

I know to check out -

 

* Daqurieri Shack while in Nassua

* We must go to Sea Day Brunch

* The Mac and Cheese looked soooo good and we must get it.

* Play Bingo since it looked so fun.

* 88 Keys is a Show we must go to.

* Carry on bag must have a bottle of wine and don't get too happy and let them take it with the bottle of wine in it :)

 

I LOVED your review.

Edited September 17, 2015 by SugarTwist

[hpugirl27]

What an awesome review! I love how you didn't miss a thing.

 

I know to check out -

 

* Daqurieri Shack while in Nassua

* We must go to Sea Day Brunch

* The Mac and Cheese looked soooo good and we must get it.

* Play Bingo since it looked so fun.

* 88 Keys is a Show we must go to.

* Carry on bag must have a bottle of wine and don't get too happy and let them take it with the bottle of wine in it :)

 

I LOVED your review.

 

 

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! Yes definitely go to the sea day brunch and get the mac and cheese! So good! I'm excited that my upcoming cruise in January has 2 sea days so that I can have it twice! lol. Daq Shack was really good and cheap, so if you're near that area, yes, definitely hit that up too! 88 keys is awesome! And yes, learn from my mistake with the wine haha. We won't be doing that again on our next cruise! You'll have a great time, when do you go?

Edited to add: I see you're leaving in 55 days! coming up soon, have fun!!

Edited September 27, 2015 by hpugirl27

[hpugirl27]

As far as I know, The Quest is played on all lines, or at least the ones I have been on. I've played it (and won) on Carnival, RCCL, NCL, and even Disney has it! I'm a little competitive when it comes to that game ;)

 

I'm also on the 9/20 Sensation Cruise. Unfortunately, it's just me and my 14yo son, so I don't think I will be playing it this next time, unless I can find some friends quickly on the cruise.

 

Does the Sensation have a Talent Show? My son is a tap dancer and he wants to bring his shoes and compete if they have one.

 

TIA

 

As far as I know, the Sensation didn't have a talent show. They had a karaoke show, but it didn't include other talents.

[TylerRose]

I just booked this cruise for a multigenerational celebration for my Dad's 75th birthday. Thank you for your insights to help my planning. Your blog & pics were great!