Sensation comments - If you like photos, move on, none posted here

No photos of my grandson on the water slides, no sexy photos of my daughter in a bikini, no provocative posed shots of Mom snorkeling or diving, no sunrises, sunsets, Flat Stanley, Angry Birds, etc.

We sailed on the 3 night Sensation itinerary to Nassau on November 7th. We used parkcruise dot com for the second time and had a great experience. After unloading your luggage, they will tell you where to park and you take your keys with you. They load your luggage onto their beautiful, clean, vans and unload them when they drop you off at the Port. They are a 5 minute ride to the Port and we will continue to use them whenever we cruise out of Port Canaveral. They are efficient, welcoming, and on time. Upon our return to the Port, we walked across the street to their drop-off spot and were loaded and on our way back to our car within a few minutes...great company. Hint: before booking online, keep checking every day for prices...they fluctuate. We booked at $4.99/day but I have seen them go as high as $7.99/day...just keep checking. We paid $20 for parking compared to $60 at the Port.

We arrived at the Port around 11:00 a.m. and waited upstairs for maybe 10 minutes and boarded immediately after the wedding party (we are Platinum). Our first stop was our stateroom to drop off our luggage and we headed to the Lido deck for lunch. We had a beer and turkey sandwich from the deli by 11:45 a.m. They were carving a steamship roast beef on the first day. On the Sensation, they offer rotisserie chicken which is quite good. After lunch we headed down to the Serenity deck, relaxed and had another drink.

Around 1:30 p.m., we went to our stateroom and unpacked our luggage which had already been delivered. Our OV room was on the Empress deck forward, E18. After the last show in the lounge, we heard no noise at all. We then made our way to see the Maitre d' to find out what our dining assignment was. He informed us that we were assigned to a table for 10 people. I asked the Maitre d' if a table for two was available (I wanted to spend quality time with my grandson not with a large group of people). He informed us that there were no tables for two available for early dining so we transferred over to ATD. We were always seated promptly but I did not like having different wait staff every night. On the second night, we asked for the same team that we had the previous evening but he was not working that night in the dining room. So, service was hit or miss and the third night we skipped the MDR and ate at the buffet.

The food, overall, was good to very good. We love the deli on Carnival and ate quite a few turkey sandwiches. At breakfast, I always order from the Omelette station....4 eggs over medium, yum! They prepare them perfectly every time.

We attended both main shows in the Fantasia Lounge, Curves and Far From Over (which is an 80's musical tribute)...we loved Far From Over. We went to the Punchliner Comedy Club and saw Tony Esposito (very raunchy and funny). The slots were loose on the first night but tightened up after that. We broke even over the length of the cruise and I did not see or hear about any big winners.

We received our complimentary drink coupons but you could only use them in the MDR at breakfast or lunch...we always had a quick breakfast at the buffet. When we sailed on the Liberty in May, we were able to use our free drink coupons at the Atrium bar during lunch hour which worked out great.

My grandson loved the Taste Bar, Motown night and Karaoke (always good for chuckles but there were some good singers too).

Upon arrival in Nassau, we took a shared taxi to Atlantis to try our luck at their casino, we left after 15 minutes, ha! Upon our arrival back at Port, we walked over the Senor Frogs and could not get in...there were 5 cruise ships in Port including the Epic. Nassau was very crowded but we did find a new restaurant near Senor Frogs called Conch & Kalik...delicious fried conch sandwiches, huge hamburgers and delicious fried macaroni and cheese balls.

We like the Sensation for quick weekend getaways...we live in the Orlando area so it's a quick ride to the Port.

If you have any questions about the off-site parking or the Sensation, just ask.

I almost forgot the most important thing...I WON TWO SHIPS ON A STICK!!!

Thanks for the quick review, great parking tip!

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We too sailed from Port Canaveral for our 1st cruise - we sailed the Ecstasy which had just been moved over to here from Galvaston a few months earlier. I had heard about the Park and GO in Port Canaveral from all the great Cruise Critic folks (thanks fellow sailors!!) and it was way cheaper than the Port Parking which at that time was around $17 per day. When we sailed out of Miami we found a similar park & go and they too were wonderful - soo good in fact I kept them on my favorites list and now when we sail I set up my parking thru them. Although we live in Palm Bay we drive to Miami to sail when we can. They are efficient, neat and clean, and I have no worries about leaving our car there for a week.

spazilla1...I'd love to know the name of the Miami company you used.

In the past, when I have sailed with a larger group I have stayed at the Radisson in Canaveral, which usually offers a good rate and parking package with shuttle to port included. I paid like 140 total for a mini suite for 4 people, parking and I believe shuttle last January there. It is a nice resort too. Excellent pool, hot tub and bar/restaurant on premises with plenty of food options nearby.

Last time I cruised in October of this month we stayed at LaQuinta north of MCO and got a shuttle from 123 Friendly Transportation from there to the ship. Tota for two people, room and shuttle included, wad about 120 bucks. No worries about a car and where to park. Unless I wanted to do a minivacation in Canaveral to go with a cruise in the future (which I have done in the past) I would probably go with the shuttle service from Orlando again. Much more convenient and cheaper, less stressful, etc.

Thanks for the review! My DH and I will be on the Sensation in February. We are driving to the port this time so I appreciate the parking tip. I have a question about the shuttle back to your car after leaving the ship. Did you have to wait long or do they run shuttles frequently? Thanks!

Thanks for posting! I'm doing this same cruise next week. :D It will be my platinum cruise. So as platinum, your stateroom is ready immediately? I don't have to wait until 1:30? Are your bags priority as well with immediate delivery, like FTTF? What was the platinum gift? Any other "platinum" things I need to know? ;)

Also, did you leave at 8 pm as scheduled? A friend of mine did this same cruise on Sensation in the summer and said they got to stay in port overnight, even though they were scheduled to leave a 8 pm. I was wondering if I might be so lucky. :)

Thanks for posting! I'm doing this same cruise next week. :D It will be my platinum cruise. So as platinum, your stateroom is ready immediately? I don't have to wait until 1:30? Are your bags priority as well with immediate delivery, like FTTF? What was the platinum gift? Any other "platinum" things I need to know? ;)

 

Also, did you leave at 8 pm as scheduled? A friend of mine did this same cruise on Sensation in the summer and said they got to stay in port overnight, even though they were scheduled to leave a 8 pm. I was wondering if I might be so lucky. :)

We also just had our platinum cruise on the Ecstasy. Rooms were ready when we boarded at 11:30 am and luggage followed soon after. Our gift was a carnival logo beach bag/cooler (mesh beach bag on top with an insulated cooler section on the bottom). As platinum you also receive a special pin which is in the room when you board and a plate of very rich chocolates one day. It's good to be platinum!!