Sensation advice!

[sturderick]

Any room advice for the Sensation?  It's been years since we've been on it and we prefer the bigger ships but are going with friends this time.  I can't decide between an ocean view and balcony.  I want quiet and a good price!  I always get a balcony on the bigger ships but am not sure it's worth it for this one.  I absolutely will not do an inside.  Been there, done that :)

[ABQrobin]

Haven't done the Sensation or any other of that class, but we think it looks very cool.  

We were on the Magic, pulling into Grand Turk right next to it and got lots of photos.  I would think any of the Oceanview rooms would be awesome, if you don't want to get a balcony.

 

 

 

[BridgetoNowhere]

We LOVED the Sensation. We were on the first cruise after its dry dock in 2017. We had an oceanview room and thought it was great. We were in room U133. Quiet floor for sure. We didn't think a balcony was necessary on this cruise, since we could find deck chairs whenever we wanted, even on the Serenity deck if you stalked around for a few minutes 🙂  There were only two of us though. 

 

I think you'll have a great cruise! We loved that ship!

[Jlk88]

I sailed the sensation in 2015, so before the upgrades. We had a porthole room. IMO it has the same benefits as an ocean view room, at the cost of an inside. It was plenty quiet, but we don't spend much time in our room. I have never sailed with a balcony. I'm sure they're great, but I'd rather spend money on shore excursions. I also never had a problem finding a deck chair. The weather wasn't the greatest on that cruise, so that probably played into it.

[sturderick]

Thank you guys for your input!  I will admit that I am spoiled by having a balcony on the bigger ships and need a quiet room. We have cruised enough that I have gotten room locations down pat, but not on the fantasy class ships.  This ship didn't even have balconies back when we sailed on it.  If I have to do an ocean view, I want to make sure there is nothing above (like deck chairs being dragged) or below (like night clubs or galley) that will cause noise.  I swore I would never sail a smaller ship again, but we didn't pick this one.  Oh well, any day on a cruise is better than being at work, no matter what the ship!!  If anyone has a picture of a balcony room up close or one with an obstructed view, I would appreciate it.

 

Thanks again 

[Joebucks]

Was on it a few months ago. Had a cheaper interior room. All around the boat seemed pretty quiet.

[CRocks]

Unless there's been monumental changes on the Fantasy class ships since I sailed, the only way to get a balcony is to book a suite.

[BoDidly]

Midship lower decks. I think fantasy class ships are fun for short cruises.  But just cant see doing anything longer than a five day. During Spring break they belong to the party culture anyways .

[BoDidly]

1 minute ago, CRocks said:

Unless there's been monumental changes on the Fantasy class ships since I sailed, the only way to get a balcony is to book a suite.

They have added balconies to this class years ago.

[sturderick]

53 minutes ago, CRocks said:

Unless there's been monumental changes on the Fantasy class ships since I sailed, the only way to get a balcony is to book a suite.

It was refurbished and they added some balconies.  From what I can tell, they are very small.

[MistyRo76]

We are booked on the Sensation's sister ship, the Paradise, for this April. I haven't been on a Fantasy class ship in well over 10 years and are also accustomed to being in a balcony cabin. We booked our cruise very early cause I knew with limited balcony options they would probably go fast (plus the cruise is to Cuba and those tend to sell out early). In the end, I just would miss having a balcony too much so we went ahead and booked an aft balcony on the Main deck with cabins above and below us. I'm not too concerned with the noise level. But not sure how the motion will be in the aft. We typically book forward balconies on higher decks on the larger ships we've sailed in recent years. 

[sturderick]

12 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

We are booked on the Sensation's sister ship, the Paradise, for this April. I haven't been on a Fantasy class ship in well over 10 years and are also accustomed to being in a balcony cabin. We booked our cruise very early cause I knew with limited balcony options they would probably go fast (plus the cruise is to Cuba and those tend to sell out early). In the end, I just would miss having a balcony too much so we went ahead and booked an aft balcony on the Main deck with cabins above and below us. I'm not too concerned with the noise level. But not sure how the motion will be in the aft. We typically book forward balconies on higher decks on the larger ships we've sailed in recent years. 

 

That's exactly the type of cabins we book and I don't know if I can deal with an aft balcony.  My husband isn't a fan so I'm anxious to see how they are from someone who is used to the type I usually get.  When is your cruise?  Maybe you can let me know how it was 

[MistyRo76]

1 minute ago, sturderick said:

 

That's exactly the type of cabins we book and I don't know if I can deal with an aft balcony.  My husband isn't a fan so I'm anxious to see how they are from someone who is used to the type I usually get.  When is your cruise?  Maybe you can let me know how it was 

We don't sail until April 13th. It's only a 5 day cruise and every time I've cruised in April the seas have been very smooth (knock on wood). So I figure even if we do feel a little more motion than normal, we can handle it for 5 days. 

[sturderick]

20 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

We don't sail until April 13th. It's only a 5 day cruise and every time I've cruised in April the seas have been very smooth (knock on wood). So I figure even if we do feel a little more motion than normal, we can handle it for 5 days. 

 

Agree.  Ours is in May and the same goes for that time of year.  I love sailing then!  We did just sail in October and it was a little rougher but we were on the Breeze (much bigger) and in the very front in a spa balcony.  A little more movement in that area but still not bad.  I can suck it up for 5 days haha. First world problems!

Edited January 10, 2019 by sturderick

[louisianagirl70]

We had an ocean view on the Sensation three weeks ago. We were in U168. There was a horrible smell for the first 3 days. It smelled like rotting food and garlic mixed. We went to guest services and they said there were 5 other complaints. They said maintenance would check the HVAC system because they were working on it prior to our cruise. It eventually got a little more tolerable on the fourth day. Other than that, our room was very quiet. We loved the location of our room. The Sensation is definitely showing her age, though.

[T&J1014]

My wife and I are leaving this Sunday for our cruise on the Sensation that departs on Monday.  Have an OV room at the back of the ship - looking out the back.  M2?? Something like that.  Second cruise.  Our first was a balcony on the Splendor.  Kind of looking forward to watching the wake of the ship.  Loved watching the dolphins and flying fish off the balcony last time, so rear facing view should be interesting. 

 

Anyone ever stay in one of these rear ocean view rooms?

[crzynurs]

We just booked an oceanview M267 for April 4th. Please come back and tell us what you thought of the location. We are experienced cruisers and just taking a long weekend cruise so room location doesn't matter too much to us usually.

[Llamabear]

I had a balcony on Sensation on Deck 6 I believe, midship several years ago. It was great! Enough room for myself and my friend out there, if you have more than 2 ppl it would be super crowded though. Never noticed any noise or anything.  This was all before Sensation's last dry dock, but I doubt they made the balconies bigger, I think they just added Funship stuff.

[Djptcp]

The balcony cabins on the Fantasy Class ships are former ocean view cabins with an added balcony. Cabins are small with no couch and coffee table like you find in the newer ship balcony cabins. If you are used to the balcony cabins on newer ships you will be disappointed. The Junior Suites on the Verandah Deck have the larger cabins with a couch and coffee table, but the balconies are tiny and difficult to maneuver around.