Sensational Spring Break...very Long Review 3/30 Sailing

[beach410]

Background:

We are a family of 5, our eldest is in college and he did Daytona Beach for his spring break, so it was just me, 42, my DH, 47, and our two DSs, 15 and 10. We were joined by 4 additional families as well for a total party of 20.

Pre Cruise:

Left NC 3:30 Friday afternoon, we were all too excited to wait until Saturday and wanted to spend the day before the cruise relaxing at the pre-cruise hotel. Drove about 6 hours and stopped in Brunswick, GA at the Travelodge, our friend booked the room at a military rate of $50 a family, we had 3 families, the other two families (total we were a party of 20) were meeting us at the Radisson the next day. We pulled our chairs outside and had a nice relaxing time having a few drinks while our kids ran around and played on the grass in the courtyard and hung out on the wooden swings. Up the next morning around 8 and went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, very bad service, didn’t get out of there until almost 10:30. We arrived at the Radisson about 1:15pm. The two couples we were with stayed at the Residence Inn, because Radisson was booked by the time they tried to reserve it.

We saw the Glory docked on the way to the hotel and at the hotel a bunch of people (lucky 7 day cruisers!) piling on to the shuttle at the hotel. Check in was a breeze, they had a room ready even though it was still early. The grounds are beautiful, our room had a ton of furniture in it, compared to our friends who also booked a room, but it was nice because we had a refrigerator, our friends didn’t. Our friends had to switch rooms because their bathtub was clogging and our sleep # beds didn’t work, our older son slept on the floor, other than that, nice pool and bar area, which we spent the afternoon at. My husband and I took my older son and his friend to the beach for about 30 minutes, which was only a 5 minute drive. Then we headed back to our rooms to get ready for dinner, the restaurant offers a buffet, looked good, but we decided to get Italian, there is a restaurant next door, but we opted to drive to Papa Vito’s after surveying the menus the front desk offered. The restaurant was very small and our party of 19 took up more then half the dining room. The waitress was very flustered, even though we were her only party, food was OK, nothing special and probably wouldn’t go back again. There is an arcade and mini golf area right next to the Residence Inn, we didn’t use them, but it’s nice to have that option so close by. Our friends spent quite a bit of time and money in Ron Jon’s Surf Shop, they said it was huge and kept losing each other..LOL.

Day 1

We checked out of the hotel at 10:30am and drove (opted out of the shuttle, didn’t want the hassle of waiting and wanted to be able to get right on the road) the very short distance to the port, pulled up to the porters, unloaded our bags and my husband parked the car ($15 a night) while we walked over to the terminal. Very nice, it’s small and easy to navigate. Check in was a breeze, even for those who never printed their fun pass and other paperwork because of the computer glitch Carnival had these past couple of weeks. One thing that was different this time around, the sign and sail card is now the room key as well. After check in we were directed to chairs in the waiting room, I honestly don’t remember how long we sat there, but there was a lot of people ahead of us, and I venture to guess we were on board by 12pm, we took the embarkation photo, 20 of us in all and I don’t think anyone in our group purchased it, not sure what happed there, o well. Headed straight to the Lido for our first drink of the day, after toasts all around I hit the Deli (no lines here, not many people know this is here) and had a delicious Reuben with fries from the grill area. This was the first of several wonderful meals.

We booked an IS Guarantee and ended up on the Empress Deck, 24, near our friends who picked their room location. All 5 families were on the same deck forward, but one family was on the other side of the elevators, this same family ended up with a different table for dinner even though all our reservations were tied together and we were the first two families to book. I went to the maitre de and he said they were totally full, the only thing we could do was to put 10 at our two tables of 8, this ended up being just fine, we put one person at the end of each table and while the table of kids had plenty of room, our table was a little tight on the side that sat 5. My husband sat at the end and I sat on the corner of the table on the side with 5 and it wasn’t uncomfortable, it was cozy. We had the 8pm seating in the Ecstasy dining room, which is the time we selected. Esther and Enrique were our servers and I can’t say enough about them, they didn’t miss a beat and were wonderful with the kids. If we wanted an extra or different appetizer or entrée they would bring it right out for us, no funny faces and as swift as can be. I would have to say they were the best servers we have had.

Rooms/Ship:

The rooms were typical Fantasy class, however, they seemed much older then any other I have sailed. The furniture was very worn and the tile in the bathroom in very poor shape, kind of gross. I think I have been spoiled by the revolutions of fun upgrades on the Imagination. But I don’t remember the Fantasy being as run down as this ship. The first night my shower head literally disintegrated, but when I called the front desk, they had a repair man there to fix it in literally two minutes, and he replaced the shower head in a minute, impressive! Also the beds were not as comfy as I remember. Yes the décor is somewhat outdated and very purple, even though I like purple, it was a little much, not that it bothered me one bit, but she is definitely ready for some lovin upgrades. We were disappointed there were no ping pong tables, our boys really enjoy ping pong, but they found plenty to keep them entertained, they played mini golf, basketball and volleyball. The older boys really enjoyed Club O2, I stuck my head in there one night scoping it out and they were rockin, I wanted to join the dancing!

Food:

The food was excellent. Ate breakfast at the buffet daily, everything was hot and fresh. I don’t care for their scrambled eggs, but had an omelet almost every morning, if you get out early enough there are no lines. I had to go inside to get the pastries, which were always delish and fresh, they didn’t have them outside on this ship and the coffee was actually not bad, it’s usually pretty terrible at the buffets, but I managed to drink a few cups a day. We didn’t make it to the DR for breakfast, I usually like to do this once for the Eggs Benedict, but this was a short cruise and we just never got there. With only two days on the ship at lunch time, lunch consisted of the Deli or a burger. I hadn’t had a real beef burger in 3 months since I had been dieting, so this was a real treat for me, actually, every meal was! Dinner in the DR, everything I ordered was very good. I usually ordered two appetizers because I couldn’t decide what to get. The first night I had the fried shrimp with plum sauce and the cream of broccoli and cheddar soup. I ended up eating them both entirely because they were so good. I also had a Caesar salad that was good, not too heavy on the Anchovy paste like our last cruise, when it was inedible. Tilapia for dinner and it was excellent. Ordered Cappuccino every night and it was made perfectly each time. The kid’s sodas were brought promptly by our drink server without having to ask after the first night, he was very good. The desserts, appetizers and entrees were all good, presentation attractive, hot and full of flavor. Everything was very good and was quite happily surprised as previous reviews left me skeptical. We had sushi every night around 5:30, tried some new variations and everyone enjoyed this, even turned a friend into a sushi lover, this was her first, but it’s strictly California Rolls for her!

Shows/Entertainment:

We do not care for the dancing shows, we skipped those, and we donated some money to the Casino a few times. I did get a welcome drink and $5 chip from the Casino for registering on line with Ocean Players Club before the cruise. We all went to the juggler/magician comedy acts, it very entertaining and the kids enjoyed it as well. Hit the piano bar on the last night and it was pretty dead. Some of us watched Karaoke one night and the big joke is the hostess, she would say ‘Supasta, come on..cwap your hands…Supa sta….’

Day 2 Freeport:

After breakfast buffet, all of us departed the ship about 9:30. Found a taxi to take the 20 of us to Lucaya beach, $5 a person. We had two vans and it took about 20 minutes. Arrived at the Sheraton and walked around to the beach and paid $10 each for the kids to use the water trampoline for a ½ day. Right across the street was a big shopping area, we bought Subway lunch there and the price was comparable to what we pay in the states. There was a bar right on the beach and fresh Conch stand. The kids decided they wanted to ride the banana boat. The ocean was pretty rough, but we let them, they all had life jackets on, 8 of them went, and they ended up getting tossed off the boat in the middle of the ocean several times, it was a little overwhelming for the younger kids, so they cut the ride short, but the big boys were disappointed, of course they had a blast. The ladies decided to take a walk around the shopping area, I didn’t buy anything, but it was nice to walk around and look, most stands had the exact same thing. After about 5 hours, a lot of sun and a few bahama mama’s later we were all ready to head back to the ship.

Tonight was formal night. We hit the captain’s party, which we have to drag the kids to, they really don’t enjoy that at all, but the waitress was right there witch kids fruit punch, so they didn’t complain too much. Had our little meatballs and chicken apps with a few drinks and then headed off to dinner, lobster night! Tonight I received my 45 day letter drink coupons at dinner, this was a nice bonus. I ordered Lobster, of course, it was very big, but salty, I didn’t send it back, but Enrique had another one available and it was much better. I really wanted prime rib too, but I was too full! Bummer! Early to bed tonight, wanted to rest for our day at Atlantis.

Day 3 Nassau:

Another breakfast at the buffet, it has been difficult waking the boys because they are having too much fun and staying up late, so of course they don’t eat when they get up right away. It rained for just a few minutes prior to getting off the ship, but then it cleared up, the weather has been great. Took a taxi to Comfort Suites ($4 per adult and $3 for the kids) where we all booked a suite, most of us didn’t pay the same amount, the lowest cost was 150, which was booked only a few days before the cruise. I paid 225 and booked two months prior another friend paid 199 about a week before the cruise. We checked in and out at the same time since we didn’t want to have to come back and didn’t plan on using the rooms, which ended up being just fine. They added about 50 in additional fees to the cost. It was a long walk from the Comfort Suites to the end of the Atlantis property where most of the water activities are, but well worth it once we arrived. We found lounge chairs and bunkered down for what turned out to be a great day. Our boys really enjoyed it here and would love to come back to stay in this hotel. My husband and I really enjoyed the lazy river, which in some areas wasn’t so lazy, some pretty rough rapids and it was a blast. Food is pretty expensive, I didn’t plan on eating, but the boys were hungry because they skipped breakfast. At the Shark Bites food stand near the pools, $9 for a cheeseburger $7 for 8 chicken nuggets, $5 for a plate of fries and $4 for a soda, similar to prices at Disney. I ended up getting Conch Fritters, as they were only $5 and I thought, I can’t come to the Bahamas and not have Conch Fritters that just wouldn’t be right! Beers were like $7.50 and Pina Coladas $11. DH and friends DH both hit on a horse bet, walked away with $72, yippee! We were ready to leave around 5 and just in time because that’s when they shut the water park area down, as we were walking to the entrance to catch a taxi, it started raining. We ran into the hotel and by the time we walked back outside to the taxi area, it had stopped. Taxi back to the port was $4 each, no discount for the kids this time?! It was a wonderful day and I would do it again. Once back on board had a few drinks on the lido and then it was time for sushi and off to dinner and the show. After dinner we tried to find a rest room near the Karaoke bar and that one was closed for remodeling it said, so we walked all over the ship, the next two bathrooms the toilets were stopped up, we finally found a working bathroom about 30 minutes later, we get back to the Karaoke bar and our husbands were like where were you?! They had had a difficult time believing we were gone all that time merely looking for a potty! LOL.

 

Day 4 Sea day:

We slept in, omg, finally, we were so exhausted, we had been getting up early to try to watch the sun rise, but to no avail, as it was always cloudy. We slept in today, well until 8, but our boys slept until noon!! It was really hot, we baked ourselves on the lido alternating between the lounge chairs and the tables in the shade. DH and some friends played bingo, didn’t win. It was margarita night, 3.75 each on the promenade deck, wished we found this earlier, we spotted it on the way to dinner and the raspberry and mango margaritas were o so tasty! Tonight they offered Château Brion, my husband and several others had it and raved over it, I had the Veal Parm and it was good. I didn’t care for the fried mozzarella, it wasn’t as hot as I like it, I like the cheese dripping, so I ordered the French onion soup and it was really good. Apple pie ala mode for dessert, yum. After dinner we went back to the room and packed in record time to get our bags out in time to get checked. Then we hit the casino for some more donating and checked out the piano bar, which wasn’t really hopping, so we called it a night.

Debarkation:

Woke up on the most depressing day ever and grabbed a bite to eat, let the boys sleep until the last possible minute and vacated our rooms by a little after 8. We hung out in the Fantasy lounge for a long time, we had #19, we didn’t get called until 9:30, walked of the ship and picked up our luggage and went thru customs in no time at all, we were at our car by 10.

This was a great short cruise. She is in need of her make over, but mostly only in the state rooms and public rest rooms, the rest of the ship, besides some of the colors is very nice, the promenade deck, sensation boulevard is lovely and very comfortable. The service was very good everywhere we went. Our friends did experience some sea sickness the first night and the last night, the ship was only slightly rocking, it doesn’t bother me or my DH at all, I enjoy sleeping like that. We had a wonderful time and Carnival met my expectations again, probably exceeded them somewhat with the DR staff and DR food quality. I would definitely recommend this cruise for a short get away.

I will probably not sail her again, but only because we like to try different ships and itineraries.

Sorry if I bored you to death, please ask if you have any questions, or I missed something.

[hurls88]

Did the kids use Camp Carnival and if so did they enjoy it?

[ellenmb]

You didn't bore me at all!! Just brought back some great memories of our first cruise on the Sensation a couple years ago..thank you!!

[LisaT12]

Thanks for the great review....sounds like you had an awesome time!!!

[beach410]

No, they did not, because their ages varied too much (7-15) they would have been split up, but we did see a group of kids with a counselor and they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

[Rowan555]

How did you claim your welcome drink and $5 casino chip? Was there something in your room, or did you know to go ask for it at the casino?

 

Thanks!

[beach410]

I received a letter in the mail from them and I brought it with me and showed it to them.

[Odoyal Rulez]

Nice review, sounds like a blast.

[nklpikl]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Sensation in June. It is not the ship nor the itenerary I wanted but the only one that would work with a wedding. Because I waited to long to plan it. But we will have fn no matter what. I just wish so how some way a bit of updatingh would happen before we get there. Atleast there is a water slide. That is enough to keep my kids entertained.

[BARBARA J.W.]

Who was the Cruise Director?

[beach410]

The CD was a woman, sorry, I dont recall her name. I didnt care very much for her, never saw her because we only went to one show, but I heard her making announcements, I have read other reviews and some think she is quite annoying so I thought of that everytime I heard her. Big Tex on the Fantasy is my favorite CD yet.

[shargurl]

Thanks for the review, we'll be sailing her in September, but our cruise will be even shorter (3 day). :(

[Shelleywood]

That was a great review! Thanks for sharing your vacation. I really enjoy reading the reviews that seem to be unbiased. It's great that you had such a good time and pointed out the good and the bad. I always feel these kind of reviews are more realistic than the ones you read where everything was either a nightmare or a fantasy! Although I could probably agree alot more with the fantasy! LOL Glad you had such a great time. Thanks for sharing.

[beach410]

I wanted to add photos, to the review, because i enjoy reading others with their photos, but the review alone took me forever and I dont know how to attach photos, but I am going to try now...lets see if it works

[beach410]

Heres some more