Sensation in 2015 vs. Sensation in 2019

[CFhoneybee]

My first cruise was on the Sensation back in August 2015, with my then-fiance (now husband) & a group of friends.  It was a Bahamas 4-day to Freeport & Nassau with one sea day, and it was so much fun!  We had such an incredible time, that my husband & I knew that we wanted to keep cruising.  We went on our second cruise at the end of October 2016 on the Miracle (a Mexico 7-day to Cabo San Lucas & Puerto Vallarta with 3 sea days), and we're now gearing up for our 3rd cruise at the end of May!

 

I know I had written a review of that first cruise & posted a ton of pictures here on Cruise Critic a few months after the cruise, but when I went to look for it to read it again, I couldn't find it 🤨  In any case, I remember that we had such a wonderful time at the ports, on the ship, and with our friends. (Good reason to pull up the digital photo album of that cruise, so that I can reminisce...!)   I'm glad my introduction to cruising was on the Sensation, as my experience wasn't full of distractions that all of the mega-ships have today.  While the Sensation is an older ship, it has a charm about it that I don't think you can feel or see on the mega-ships. Definitely a good way to "get your feet wet"!

 

We're gearing up for our 3rd cruise at the end of this coming May (only 77 days, as of this posting, til we set sail!), and it happens to be on the Sensation once again.  We're going to celebrate my hubby's 40th birthday, and his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew are coming (this will be their first cruise).  When we booked it, we selected the cruise based on dates (nephew is out of school for the summer) & ports (we wanted to visit new places), and we didn't bother looking at the ship.  Lo and behold, we noticed it was the Sensation!  I think this will be a good cruising intro for my in-laws, don't you?

 

I'm excited to see the changes & updates that were made during Sensation's dry dock (hello Blue Iguana & Guy's Burgers!), and compare all of it to when we sailed her back in 2015.  I've started looking up recent reviews (from the past 1-2 years), and really appreciate those who post their experiences (good & bad), as well as pictures.  The biggest change for us, is that we have our daughter (who will be 2 at the time of sailing) coming with us, so she'll be a first-time cruiser too!  (What better time to start building her cruising status, huh? 😊👍 )

 

Now begins my search for tips on cruising with a toddler, as well as the best things to do in port (Key West & Cozumel) with a toddler!

 

Happy cruising!

[CheersPkg4Us]

We will be sailing on the Sensation for the first time in September. You mentioned the Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers, she also has the Alchemy Bar. Not sure if Sensation had the Serenity Deck area in 2015 but it has it now. The water slides, splash area has been upgraded. Hope you enjoy your cruise, would like to hear a report when you return. 

[CFhoneybee]

Hi CheersPkg4Us! I'll definitely post a review & pictures after our cruise, and I'll also do a comparison of 2015 vs. 2019.  Yep, Sensation had the Serenity deck back in 2015. I remember coming back to the ship after our excursion in Freeport, and saw that the Serenity deck was mostly empty so my hubby & I both grabbed a couple of loungers. We both ended up taking naps, and I woke up only because of the ship's movement pulling out of the dock. I guess I had been napping for almost 2 hours by then, and Serenity was PACKED with people. The Bahamian heat & humidity really drained my energy, that I didn't hear or notice any of them until after I woke!

[Aplmac]

More info on your ship!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Sensation

[Joebucks]

Last year was my first experience on a Fantasy class ship, and we did two of them. One of them being the Sensation. While they aren't my favorite class, they definitely exceeded my expectations. It has by far been the best experience for the Punchliner, which is a favorite of mine. You can walk in right at the start of a show, and get a good seat. Most other ships, you are lucky to get a good standing area if you walk in 10 minutes early.

[PhillyFan33579]

As previously mentioned, the biggest improvement was the addition of the Alchemy Bar on my opinion.  I am still bummed they didn’t add it to Paradise during her latest dry dock. That would have made Paradise a lot more appealing to us.

[schazzy]

12 hours ago, CFhoneybee said:

Now begins my search for tips on cruising with a toddler, as well as the best things to do in port (Key West & Cozumel) with a toddler!

 

I recommend to anyone going to Key West to visit the Butterfly Conservatory, it is beautiful!

 

https://www.keywestbutterfly.com/

 

kids 3 and under are free.

[ksadonnab]

This will be my first cruise with Carnival and I will be the Sensation in August.  I'm sure I will enjoy her.

[beshears]

Carnival Sensation is in my "planning" works for 8 of us in 2020.  I had to go a long ways on Cruise Critic, just to find your posting, as it doesn't seem like there are very many postings in regard to the Sensation ship.  Maybe (??) because it is an older ship, and not so big???  With me doing over 15 some cruises over the past 25 years, it isn't always the big/new ship that has what "I" or some of the rest might like. 🙂

[KmomChicago]

We sailed Sensation January, 2018 and my review is linked in my signature below if you expand it.  Lots of pics.  The first 4 pages are prequel and planning before we finally board.  I tried to cover the ship as well as give a little love to Nassau, the only port we visited on that sailing. We enjoyed Fort Charlotte, the pirate museum and the emancipation museum.

 

I wrote the long review for the reasons some of you mention - this poor old ship doesn't have a lot of recent reviews, and folks seem to be wary and wonder what the problem is.  No problem, it's just that the bigger and newer ships get lots more gushing attention.

 

Joebucks makes a good point about the Punchliner. It was larger and better laid out on Sensation than on our prior cruise on Carnival Triumph (now completely reconfigured in her new guise as Carnival Sunrise, so can't comment on the seating there).  We were able to find seats for the early comedy shows on Sensation even at the last minute where there were a lot of standees on the larger ship with the smaller lounge!!

 

It features all the usual Carnival amenities, an energetic and friendly Fun Squad, the walk up food venues and bars already mentioned. We are partial to 24 hour soft serve, pizza, and coffee available in the Lido buffet area.  Really for the price and convenient, short itineraries that can fit into even difficult and limited schedules, it's very hard to beat.  On the other hand, this is not a ship for super fancy people who like to be surrounded only by others just like them. 

 

Hoping the OP comes back soon with her review and new pics!!