Sensation review 6/11 cruise...

[ckcb4u2]

My wife and I just returned on Thursday after celebrating our silver wedding anniversary on the Sensation's 4 day cruise to the Bahamas. We had the time of our lives, and have already booked a 7-day cruise on the Glory in March '07!!!... For all of you who have been asking about the Sensation, I will try to give a detailed review, without being too long-winded.

 

Embarkation:

 

We arrived in Port Canaveral at Terminal 5 at about 2:00 pm, and were on the ship by 2:30. The "Funpass" line moved very quickly, and the staff were so nice and helpful. We received our "Sail and Sign" card, had our picture taken, and crossed the gangplank on to the Sensation! Our cabin (E70) was very close to where we boarded, and was ready for us. I had pre-arranged a gift to be in our room, and it was there for my wife to receive! (hug...hug...kiss...kiss...)

 

Sailaway:

 

We went up to the Lido deck, and had a buffet lunch, which was quite good as we were hungry from the flight from VA. At 3:30pm, we were called to our "muster" stations for the safety drill. We had to put on our life jackets, and report to muster station A, which was in the Fantasia Lounge. After being instructed on what to do, and where to go, the drill was over. We didn't mind this "minor" inconvenience, as we felt "better safe than sorry". After the drill, we were ready for the sailaway at 4:00pm. We went up to the Verandah deck and watched from the front of the ship as we started sailing through the port, and out to sea!

 

Sunday evening:

 

After the sailaway, we unpacked our stuff, and relaxed a bit before going to dinner. At 6:15pm, we had dinner in the Fantasy dining room at table 173. There were 5 other couples at our table, and we enjoyed their company so much. Our head waiter was Anok, and his assistant was Vtiel. They treated us so well during every meal. I enjoyed talking to Anok, and he made us feel like we were the most important guests in the dining room. After dinner, my wife and I walked around the decks and watched the ocean go by (more hug...hug...kiss...kiss...). We retired to our room at around 9:30 pm, and fell asleep. We had been up for almost 30 hours!!!

 

Freeport (Monday):

 

We arrived at Freeport, GBI at 8:00 am on Monday. It was cloudy, but no rain. DW and I had the breakfast buffet in the Seaview Grille at ship aft. It was delicious, with many choices for food and beverage. After breakfast, we went ashore for our first shore excursion. We met our tour guide, got on the bus, and headed to the dolphin encounter. After a 25 minute drive, we were at the lagoon area, and started the program. After learning about dolphins, and how to behave around them, we were taken into the enclosed area. We got into the water in groups of eight, and were allowed to rub and touch the dolphins. What a thrill!!!...We then headed back to the dock area and had some free time. We had lunch on the ship at the pool side snack bar (hamburgers/hot dogs/french fries....yumm). The ship left Freeport at 4:00pm, and headed for Nassau. DW and I had diiner at 6:15pm, and then enjoyed the broadway style show "Curves" in the Fantasia lounge. After the show, we went to the Plaza lounge at ship aft and enjoyed a bit of Karaoke until midnight. At midnight, we stayed for the Adults only Comedy show. It was hilarious!!...Off to bed...

 

Nassau (Tuesday):

 

We arrived at Nassau at 7:00 am, and docked beside a similar sized Royal Carribean ship. After breakfast in the dining room, DW and I went ashore for our second shore excursion. It was for the Ardastra Gardens/City tour). We were met at the ship by our tour guide, who led us to a bus with other "excursioners". We rode around Nassau as a guide pointed out historical and economic facts about the city. This was very interesting!!!. After the tour, it was on to the Ardastra Gardens and Zoo. They had many exotic plants and animals (some of which were endangered). They also had a marching flamingo show (the only one in the world), where a trainer guided them around with orders like "about face" and "forward, march". Most of the birds stayed in formation, but a couple of rebellious ones wandered around. DW loves them flamingos!!!...After this tour, we went back to the ship for a buffet lunch. We rested briefly by the pool, and then headed back in to Nassau for some shopping. There were some great deals on jewelry (which made DW very happy)! We liked Nassau much better than Freeport, although we loved touching the dolphins there. At dinner, which was formal night, I had the head waiter Anok bring out an anniversary cake to surprise my DW. The 1 CT diamond ring had been a nice surprise for her also (hug...hug...kiss...kiss). We also had our portrait taken with different settings, which turned out very nice. We then spent some quality time around the ship before retiring to our room.

 

Fun day at sea (Wednesday):

 

We left Nassau at 7:00 am on Wednesday, and spent the whole day on board. This was our most relaxing day, and we just chilled and enjoyed the ship. We played some bingo, watched the hairy chest contest (we found the missing link in evolution), and the ice sculpture carving. We shopped at the on-ship stores, had some drinks, food, more drinks. At dinner, we said farewell to our table mates, and servers. Our head waiter Anok was going to work one more cruise (3 day), and then head back to Indonesia for a few months break. He had not seen his wife and baby son in almost 8 months. He had served aboard the Sensation also when she was chartered by FEMA to serve fireman, police, rescue workers, and their families in New Orleans. We thanked him for this, and also for serving us so well. After dinner, we went to the Fantasia Lounge and watched "Far From Over', a wonderful tribute to music from the 80's. It was spectacular!!!...One more comedy show at 11:00 pm, and then we retired to our room to pack for debarkation:(.

 

Debarkation(Thursday):

 

We had booked the Kennedy Space Center excursion w/airport transfer, so we had to meet at the Touch of Class lounge at 7:30 am. We had our luggage with us, and were the first to leave the ship and head thorough customs. It was so sad to leave such a wonderful place. We had enjoyed the cruise so much! We took a tour bus and enjoyed about 5 hours at the Kennedy Space Center before heading back to the airport to go home.

 

My Opinion:

 

For those of you who have heard bad things about the Sensation, don't worry. The ship is in great shape. Everything is working fine, she is clean and sparkling, and the crew and staff work very hard to make sure that you are enjoying every minute. We had a wonderful time!!!

[Aleciajoyful1]

I'm very glad to read your review as I just booked our first Carnival cruise on the Sensation for Labor Day weekend.

 

Any advice for a first timer on Carnival?

[divadiverfl]

Glad to hear--We are on her Sept 21st--can't wait. How was the shows?:D :)

[ckcb4u2]

My DW and I were first timers also, but we are definitely hooked now. My only advice would be to relax and be pampered, take about half of what you are planning to take, and take the Bonine before you board if you are prone to motion sickness. I took it the night before the cruise, and once a day afterwards, and I never got dizzy. We only had rough seas on 1 night due to a thunderstorm, but the Captain sailed around it and the rocking didn't last long. My last tip would be to catch a sunset on deck while at sea. I was moved to tears by the sheer beauty of it.

 

As for the shows, I thought they were great. "Curves" was a broadway type show about...what else but?...women. DW and I sang along and loved it. The next show was a juggling act, magic show (how'd he do that?), and music by the Sensation orchestra. The last show, "Far From Over", featured music and artists from the eighties, and a was a mutimedia extravaganza. It featured videos and commercials from the eighties (Wheres the beef?), excellent vocals and music, and a breakdancing duo that brought the crowd to it's feet. I would recommend going every night!

[carnivaltime4]

Thank you for the great review. I have not read much on this board lately about the Sensation. I am taking my family on August 10 and was wondering about the dinner times. At this time we are scheduled for the late seating. Will this allow enough time to see the late evening shows? Also, I have 2 teens how long does dinner usually last - will they make the disco time? Any guidance on this is greatly appreciated. By the way, happy anniversary.:p

[happylady]

Thanks for the review. We will celebrate our 25th Annivesary aboard the 4 night Sensation cruise in a week.

[tracey1212]

I'm so glad to hear good things about the sentation too. We will be abroading on July9th. So excited for our cruise because this will be our first time. Everything seem like it's going to be a breeze once we get on the ship......Thanks sooo much for the review on the sentation!!!!:p :D

[Guest YesitDonna]

They plan all the shows and events around the dining times. You don't have to worry about missing them. They have a show before dinner for early diners and after dinner for late diners.

[jrmende63]

Craig,

congrats to you and DW on the silver anniversary! DH and I just celebrated our 25th by going on the Carnival Spirit to Alaska in May 06 ( May 17th). We had a wonderful time, like you and DW we came home and booked another cruise!!!

Julie