5 Day Sensation Review

[jam19872016]

Day 5: Fun Farewell Day at Sea

 

Fun Times Day 5

 

We were up around 10 for our final day on the Sensation. M was ready to join me today for sea day brunch. It took us a little bit to get going, but finally around 11 we were off.

 

I again ordered the ceaser salad with jerk bacon. Yummy as always.

 

 

I also got the mac-n-cheese with steak on top. Another one of my favorite dishes, and the steak was so tender.

 

 

I was having a bacon craving so I also got a side of bacon. It was a bit too salty, but nice and crispy just how I like.

 

 

Finally for dessert, I ordered the cheesecake again that I had fallen in love with earlier in the week. I was in heaven.

 

 

M was indifferent to the meal. But honestly she is a VERY picky eater, so if she is not making a fuss, the food was good. She also ordered and ate dessert. I can't say that I have EVER in all the years I have known her seen M order a desert and then actually eat all of it! (unless it combines oreos and ice cream, which it did not) The service was borderline but was still quicker and more attentive than I have ever witnessed at brunch.

 

Brunch is my favorite meal on Carnival. There are so many wonderful items on the menu. I have seen JH ask on his surveys a couple times now, if you would prefer a separate breakfast and lunch menu on sea days instead of a brunch menu. I must say that I have been surprised at the number of people who would like to see this change. I will be very sad to see this go and hope I am reading too much into his question.

[jam19872016]

After brunch I made my way to the casino for the slot tournament. M was talking about a nap(what?) but went to the casino for some blackjack. My last cruise I wont the tournament and got $500 I was hoping for a repeat. I was doing pretty poorly and was just sort of giving up then hit a large amount that put me in the lead for the qualifying round. I ended up placing third with the top 7 going to the finals.

 

I looked for M, but did not see her. I made my way to the room to find her and on my way I finally saw my neighbor. She was an older lady, with no hair. It does kind of put things into perspective and does serve as a reminder to not judge without all the facts. What I thought was a young crowd partying, was actually an older lady going through chemo trying to manage symptoms and enjoy life (I saw her rocking out with her headset in the casino a couple days before, she does love her music lol). The circumstances could have been better for me, not having that darn adjoining door, but perhaps I was too quick to judge what was going on next door. Interestingly, I did not hear a peep from her after that day she was extra loud. I wonder if her other neighbor complained?

 

Just as I was about to go in my room, I saw that M had put the snoozing sign up. I left her alone to sleep but then I lost track of her for most of the day. Every time I went to see if she was up, the sign was still there. I found her that evening in the casino. She never fell asleep, but did not bother to take the sign down. Sigh.

 

I went back to the casino to watch some of the later rounds. Eeks, I was in 6th place now and about to be bumped to 7th. I noticed I was actually in 5th place but she Hazel placed someone above me who actually had less points than me. I pointed it out and she fixed it while the other girl was walking up to check on her score. We joked about it and we along with her husband watched the tournament for a little while.

 

It was great chit chatting with Hazel. The other girl asked and Hazel confirmed that the Breeze is a training ship. I am not sure now though if she meant training for the ship as a whole or training for the casino. I do think she meant ship as a whole though, as she mentioned she just did her training to be casino host on the Sunshine. It would explain some of the poor reviews I have seen on the crew on that ship lately. And no matter what John Heald says, training ships do exist. M was on the Ectsasy a couple years back and was told by the crew on board it was a training ship (which JH has sworn is only a rumor).

 

The other lady was bumped off the qualifying board and played again. She did not re-qualify. Now I was nervous as I was on the bottom and one person could knock me out of the finals. And they did. I bought in again and so did the other lady. We played together and we both did poorly until the end and she hit a good one and re-qualified this time near the top. She was safe and in the finals. I bought in one more time for the final round. I was doing pretty good and came very close but I did not make it. It was good fun though and cost $25 to enter, and $15 each time you buy in again.

 

It was great meeting the other couple, who were both in the finals. I hung around to watch and cheer them on. They each received a T-shirt for making the finals. The lady offered me hers. I thought that was a wonderful thing to do and I graciously accepted. I hear a lot of people gripe about the T-shirts but I absolutely love them and proudly added this one to my collection (even though I didn't technically earn it nobody has to know that lol). Neither of them won, although the husband was in the top 2 for most of the finals, but ended up placing 3rd. The guy who won, was the same guy who knocked me out of the finals, go figure. I had a great time and enjoyed meeting some new people.

 

I didn't do much most of the rest of the afternoon. I did not want to play in the casino until the evening, I was over my budget already and wanted to play only one last time later in the evening. M was nowhere to be found. I mainly wandered around for a bit not doing anything in particular.

 

I found M later in the Casino as I mentioned. We made our way to the lido deck. M had not made it to this deck all cruise except to the buffet and she was a little disappointed in herself for that. We are not big outdoorsy people but she had literally spent the whole cruise couped up somewhere inside. It was still a bit warm out so we only stayed here for a little while. We had planned on using our drink coupon out here but we went to the atrium bar instead. I got the drink of the day a "Sun Burst". I had never seen it advertised before and it sounded interesting. I love sweet fruity drinks, but this was too sweet. I have never said that about a drink in my life. I still drank it of course :)

[jam19872016]

After this, we made our way to dinner for the final time this cruise. For my started I ordered the sushi and the crab cake.

 

 

 

I was excited to get some sushi after all, but this was a tease. Same for the crab cake. Both were good, but gone in two bites. I know I could order more, but that is just going to slow service down.

 

For my main I ordered the meatloaf. I was a little nervous, but this was really the only thing that looked appealing on tonight's menu. I ordered it without the gravy as I do not like gravy.

 

 

Upon seeing it, my only comment was "looks like spam". Upon tasting it I said "tastes like spam". I asked the waiter for some ketchup. The ketchup helped and it actually started tasting better with each bite. The table next to us canceled their order when they saw mine, and I tried to encourage them to try it because it really did get better. This is something I would love to try again now. The mashed potatoes served with it were amazing as well. I ate about three of those little cups by the end of the night.

 

For dessert I got the baked Alaska and the WCMC.

 

 

 

I guess this was not a "traditional" baked alaska but holy crap it was fantastic. the WCMC was good as always, although instead of the Mickey ears, I was given his eyes.

 

A very wonderful final meal aboard the Sensation.

[jam19872016]

Final towel animal of the night.

 

 

M swears that the room steward did not like her and had it in for her, but every single towel animal was placed on her bed instead of rotating like usual, I think he was just a below average room steward in general, more on that in my closing thoughts.

 

After dinner, we went back to the casino. I charged one final hundred to play on and hoped it would last me a while.

 

 

Score! I am pretty good about walking away on the last day with my money instead of giving it back. Last cruise I won a total of $1000 on the last day on three separate hits, and left with $750 of it (still down for the cruise though). I pretty much decided to spend my initial $100 and leave with the $250 I had won. I kept winning though and had a pretty good streak. When I cashed out for the day, I was up over $300 for the day so a pretty good last day. I was still of course down for the week, and about $20-$30 over my intended budget (which was more of a guideline, I had no real intention of sticking to my budget this time around) and M and I would each walk away with another comped cruise courtesy of the casino.

 

I ordered my last drink just after midnight and got my final bill. I keep reading where you have to request it as it will not be delivered to you anymore. I even asked the lady at guest services and she confirmed that they do not deliver these anymore. Not true, I still had a final bill when I woke up, but I will continue to come down and get it from guest services just in case.

 

This concludes the final night aboard the Carnival Sensation.

 

Debarkation:

 

M and I do self assist debarkation. We had FTTF and we were instructed to meet at some ungodly hour in one of the lounges. We did not and it was almost bad, we were stuck waiting with the masses. We found one of the people in charge and he did not really buy our story (M chose to lie and said we got separated from our group instead of telling the truth, we were too lazy to get out of bed that early lol). He asked to see our FTTF and once we showed him he escorted us to the front. Maybe this was not what we should have done and we were "one of those people" but last time we had FTTF this is what we did and just joined a quicker line the same way you would join a quicker line to board, I don't think they intended for us to do that this time. Ooops.

 

We were literally one of the first people off the ship, or the first group was already through security as there was only two or three people in the line for security. Hands down the quickest debarkation to date. We called our shuttle and let them know we were ready to be picked up. Again a very short wait and we were on the way. In Ft. Lauderdale the company we used only had one shuttle that ran this early, and we just missed them and had to wait over half an hour. This may have been the case again, but if so we timed it much better. A very quick and hassle free experience from start to finish.

[jam19872016]

Summary:

 

Dining:

 

Food options were limited on this ship compared to newer ships and I knew that going in. I did not eat at the Mongolian Wok, Deli, Pizza Pirate, or Off the Grille. The lines were just unbearable and I really wanted to give the Mongolian Wok another shot and was prepared to wait in line. Then I realized that line was outside in the heat. I will make it back there on my next cruise for sure. The buffet food was fast moving but really not very good. I agree with the general consensus, the Sensation buffet is overall not very good.

 

Although I did not make it to Off the Grille, they served the same items at the buffet late at night aptly titled "Late Night Snacks". I miss the late night Mexican buffet and although it is still listed on Carnival's website under activities, it has been missing on my last three cruises and I think it has been silently retired. I also missed the chocolate lover's buffet, but that was my own oversight.

 

I don't know why I even still bother with room service, huge let down - but at least it is consistent ship to ship.

 

The MDR uses the traditional menu and it one of the few ships in the fleet still on the older menu. I found the food and the service to be excellent. Not every dish was a slam dunk, and it was far from 5-Star dining, but I was very pleased overall and rank this my best MDR experience to date.

 

Public Spaces and Cabin:

 

I found the ship to be very clean and not showing any visible wear. I am not sure where the negative reviews stating how worn out and tired the ship looks are coming from. I can honestly say the inside of the ship looks very beautiful and was very well decorated for Halloween. The outside of the ship, well yes it is clearly an older looking ship on the outside but it does not in any way reflect the state of the ship on the inside.

 

The layout does not flow well. Nothing unbearable, but it is a bit awkward in spots. According to another website that shows booking percentages on specific sailings, we were sailing far below capacity and I imagine if we were full it would have felt much more crowded.

 

The cabin was very poorly designed and felt cramped. We are used to the small size of cruise ship cabins, but this was the first time that we have had trouble with cabin space. The location on the Empress deck was fabulous. I was concerned about noise being so close to the lobby but it was not a problem. Noise from the neighbor was a bit of an issue, but this is the first time this has happened to me, so I guess I was overdue for a noisy neighbor.

 

Entertainment:

 

Although I tried to be more active in the overall entertainment on the ship, there were still a lot of things I missed. The music around the ship all sounded good. I did not attend the production shows, but we all know Carnival has some improving to do in this area, and seem to be improving based on reviews of the newer shows, but those have not made it onto Sensation yet. The comedy show I did see was not very funny. The CD was pretty good, probably not in anyone's top 5, but he was not obnoxious or invisible. I loved his 90's trivia party, that was a real blast.

 

The casino was my main form of entertainment. I had a great time, I did not do good, but I had a few good wins and numerous mid-size wins to keep me from simply throwing money down the drain. That was all I did on my last cruise, it was brutal. It was a small casino, and only really busy one time. Hazel the casino host was nice and I enjoyed talking with her, but well let's just say Carnival probably puts their best hosts in their bigger casinos.

 

M had a lousy time in the casino. I truly believe it was related to how much money she lost and that is not a fair reason to say you did not enjoy something. Ok, nobody "enjoys" losing money, but you can't let that be the reason you did not like the overall experience. SMH.

 

Service:

 

Service in the MDR was the best it has ever been. I had YTD so I did not really "bond" with anyone but each server I had was fantastic and brought my food to me quickly and correctly, and best of all - hot. The servers in the casino were plentiful and always quick with my drinks. Everyone smiled and seemed to genuinely enjoy making my vacation a great time. Nobody seemed to be overworked and struggling to keep up, and whatever cutbacks carnival is employing to staffing levels have not been done on Sensation.

 

The one exception though, was my steward. I have never had a bad one, and I guess I would not call him bad, but he was average at best. He always greeted me in the hall, but it felt forced. He missed a lot of things when servicing the room. He did service the room twice daily and there was never any hint at once a day service. Nothing bad, but he just did not provide the level of service I have grown used to from my wonderful Carnival stewards.

 

Overall:

 

Overall I had a great time. I enjoyed trying out the Fantasy class and loved how close together everything was. Lido one deck up from the casino? Excellent. There was nothing particularly memorable about this trip, but that was because I was under the weather for most of it. Fantasy class is not for M, she did not enjoy the smaller ship or the shorter duration. I had a blast, but I do not think I would go all the way down to Miami for a 5 day trip again.

 

I would recommend the Sensation to a first time cruiser, or a seasoned cruiser just looking for a quick getaway. It is nothing fancy but everyone on board works very hard to make sure you have a great time. The one thing to watch out for though, is the price. I went on a casino fare, but full price for a 4A was $399pp. I cannot justify paying that much money for a five night cruise on this ship. I really thought Carnival had the best prices and was very surprised to see how much affordable short cruises are on Royal and NCL.

 

I was not the only one who felt that was too much as there were MANY rooms that went unsold. The cruise after ours had many rooms still available as well, and when we inquired how much to stay on for another four days - they quoted us the same price as online $329pp for a 1a, on a four night cruise. That is absurd, and clearly Carnival has abandoned the practice of doing whatever it takes to fill their rooms.

 

I look forward to cruising on a Fantasy class again, I live within an hour of Jacksonville and would love to do a quickie cruise sometime from there. Plus, the prices are more reasonable.

 

Looking Ahead:

 

My next trip will be on the Sunshine from 12/26-12/31. I will be traveling this time with my mom and this will be her first cruise with Carnival and first time on a mainstream line period. I plan on writing another review and I hope that you will join me then.

[easyboy]

Thank you for the recap and glad that you enjoyed the cruise over-all.

Looking forward to your next review.

[jam19872016]

Thank you for the recap and glad that you enjoyed the cruise over-all.

Looking forward to your next review.

 

Thank you for following along.Heading out today be back with another review soon :D

[Mogo0124]

I know you're on another cruise right now(jelly) but thought I'd give an update as we were on a more recent cruise (12/1). The Mexican buffet was on that cruise on our Cozumel night. And it was also on our Dream cruise last summer - probably also on Cozumel night. Maybe they only do them on cruises that go to Mexico? And we also had the American table menus.

 

I agree with you about the negative comments about the Sensation. Not sure where they come from and they certainly aren't warranted. Service was always top notch. We too have never been on a Fantasy class or a short cruise and were pleasantly surprised. Great for a short get away.

[jam19872016]

I know you're on another cruise right now(jelly) but thought I'd give an update as we were on a more recent cruise (12/1). The Mexican buffet was on that cruise on our Cozumel night. And it was also on our Dream cruise last summer - probably also on Cozumel night. Maybe they only do them on cruises that go to Mexico? And we also had the American table menus.

 

I agree with you about the negative comments about the Sensation. Not sure where they come from and they certainly aren't warranted. Service was always top notch. We too have never been on a Fantasy class or a short cruise and were pleasantly surprised. Great for a short get away.

 

That is good to hear, perhaps they will have it on my Splendor cruise at the end of April.

[helene109]

Hope you can help our kids will be 21 and 18! We have been on the Victory, Dream and Paradise the Conquest is a 4 day to Half Moon Cay and Nassau and the 5 day Sensation is to Nassau,Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk! Will I miss what the Conquest has to offer? We liked the Paradise but missed a few of the Dream offers but still had a good time looking at August

thanks!

[jam19872016]

Hope you can help our kids will be 21 and 18! We have been on the Victory, Dream and Paradise the Conquest is a 4 day to Half Moon Cay and Nassau and the 5 day Sensation is to Nassau,Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk! Will I miss what the Conquest has to offer? We liked the Paradise but missed a few of the Dream offers but still had a good time looking at August

thanks!

 

That is hard to answer without knowing you and your family's cruising habits.

 

I personally liked the Conquest better, and most likely the price per day on the Conquest is better than the Sensation since she seems to be really high (or did when I was pricing her).

 

From my understanding, during dry dock Sensation will gain Guy's, Blue Iguana Cantina and the BI Tequila Bar, Red Frog Rum Bar, and the Alchemy Bar but I do not think the Dream has any of those either until her next dry dock.

 

If what you thought was missing was the Waterworks, then go with Sensation as the Conquest only has a water slide whereas Sensation has the newer Waterworks area on the top decks.

 

Hope this helps, you might also try https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships.aspx it will let you compare up to three ships so you can kinda get an idea of which ship will be best suited to you and your family's needs.

[h3yitsvictoria]

Does the sensation have American Table?

 

 

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[jam19872016]

It did not when I sailed in October but I would say that most likely it will after dry dock if it has not been converted already. There are not many ships left that do not have American Table.

[h3yitsvictoria]

It did not when I sailed in October but I would say that most likely it will after dry dock if it has not been converted already. There are not many ships left that do not have American Table.

 

 

I'll be on her next week so looks like I won't have the American table! Which I am very shop about! Thanks :)

 

 

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[Chelleum]

Great review, I will be on the Sensation in July. I have been on the Fantasy class before, and this will be a quick getaway for us. Before we go on our Hawaii cruise in November.

 

I look forward to reading your next review.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Chelleum

[jam19872016]

Great review, I will be on the Sensation in July. I have been on the Fantasy class before, and this will be a quick getaway for us. Before we go on our Hawaii cruise in November.

 

I look forward to reading your next review.

 

Thank you for reading along. I will be taking my first Hawaii cruise in October :D I am super excited for that one.

 

I hope to be able to get the first part of my Sunshine review posted this weekend.

[g-cindy]

Great review, thank you so much

[jam19872016]

Your welcome, and thanks for reading along.

[lilliano]

Thanks so much for the detailed review! It was super informative! I'm going on my very first cruise ever next month and can't wait (we'll be on the Sensation June 10th for 5 days)! I'm trying to learn all I can before I go!

[jam19872016]

Thanks so much for the detailed review! It was super informative! I'm going on my very first cruise ever next month and can't wait (we'll be on the Sensation June 10th for 5 days)! I'm trying to learn all I can before I go!

 

You're welcome glad I could help! Sensation is a wonderful ship and it has gone through a dry dock since I sailed on her and now includes even more great things! Have a wonderful trip :D