The Sensational Sensation! Our Idyllic Cruise: 4-23-2005 (LOOOONG!)

Hello everyone!

We've been back home for a week now and after a crazy week back at work, I've finally found the time to sit down and share my memories of our wonderful cruise on Sensation, April 23, 2005. Hope it's not too late!

We took loads of photos, and as soon as I finish writing this review, I'll post them and update this link so interested readers can see the pics!

Who we are: Me, and my Dear Fiance! We're a hard-working, fun-loving, travel-addicted midwestern couple in our mid-30's. I've cruised four times prior (the last time on Victory with my mom and sister two years ago), but it was DF's first cruise. It took me quite awhile to talk him into it!

Our Itinerary: 5-day New Orleans - Costa Maya - Cozumel - New Orleans

New Orleans

She came down from Cincinnati, it took her three days on a train... ;) Actually, we drove down the day before, and it took us about 13 hours. Through parksleepfly.com, we had reserved a room at La Quinta Westbank that included continental breakfast and parking for $77.00! Since it was the beginning of Jazz Fest, $77.00 was a really great deal just for the room, and considering that parking was included, we thought it was a real steal. The area where the cruise passengers park was fenced off, well-lit and secured. The staff at the La Quinta couldn't have been friendlier, and the Westbank area is very nice with convenient shopping and restaurants. We were exhausted from our drive and had been to New Orleans many times before, so we just hung out around Westbank and got a good night's sleep!

Cruise Day!! April 23, 2005

Isn't waking up the morning of your cruise the most WONDERFUL feeling in the world? We had a leisurely continental breakfast, and around 11:15 decided to head to the port. The front desk called a taxi, and five minutes later we were heading back over the bridge and into New Orleans! About halfway across the bridge, the Sensation's glorious funnel became visible, and we felt like two little kids on Christmas morning. The ride took ten minutes tops, and cost $9.50. Our driver pulled right up to where the porters were waiting to whisk our bags away. It couldn't have been easier or more convenient.

We had booked a Cat 6A Guarantee using my DF's military discount (the cruise cost only $453 each, which is the main reason we chose Sensation), and we had tried every possible method of finding our cabin assignment before departure to no avail. When we arrived at the pier, our porter checked the manifest and scribbled R200 on our luggage tags. No upgrade for us, but hey, it sure was a nice, easy cabin number to remember!

We encountered no line at check-in! Minutes after arriving, we were directed to the yellow-chair waiting area. We found ourselves surrounded by happy, anxious cruisers of all stripes. We immediately bonded with another fun couple seated next to us, Mike and Vicky from Missouri. We laughed and joked and exchanged cabin numbers. It seemed like an eternity, but it was really only about 20 minutes before they led our group to the gangway. We cracked up in line to board, everyone was in such a jovial mood, as the Carnival photographers snapped everyone's photos and made jokes! Our new friend Mike is a really big guy, and the photographer kept calling him "Little Boy! Little Boy!" By 12:20 pm, the four of us were on the Lido Deck, sipping Fun Ship Specials and eating lunch (burgers, dogs, and yummy chicken breasts in tomato-cream)! Embarkation was truly impressive, and an enormous improvement over my last cruise out of New York City.

Well, three Fun Ship Specials later (they just go down too easy) and DF was really feeling it. We went to check out our adorable outside cabin, R200, close to the elevators and at the aft of the ship. DF took a little nap and I poured over the Capers while waiting for muster. We gathered with our muster group, life-jacket clad, in the Kaleidescope Disco. Moments later, the drill was over and Sensation set sail for Costa Maya!

Our Table

We were in the Ecstasy Dining Room for our 8:00 seating. We had a fantastic table for 8, but only two other couples showed up for dinner each night. Our waiter was Henry from Guatamala, and his assistant was Ana, also from Guatamala. They were fantastic and I have honestly never experienced better service on any other ship. Carnival does a great job of seating couples of similar ages, and our dining mates were such a pleasure. We only missed one dinner (formal night), and we always looked forward to eating with our new friends as we all told each other stories about our day!

Fun Day At Sea - April 24, 2005

What can I say? Wonderful omelettes for breakfast and those little oniony hash browns I love so much, afternoons on the Lido Deck sunning and napping and listening to calypso rhythms, evenings watching the gorgeous sunset, heading for the Polo Lounge for a pre-dinner cocktail, and off to dinner. After dinner, back to that gorgeous Polo Bar to just hang out and meet new friends. What more do you need to complete a recipe for the perfect vacation?

Costa Maya - April 25, 2005 - Majahual and TAPAS BAR!

We watched the captain dock from our cabin window, and we were anxious to head out and explore Costa Maya. We were only slightly irritated standing in the endless line to get off the boat, but finally we reached Costa Maya and headed for the taxi stand. We caught a cab to Majahual ($3 per person one way, you have to get a little ticket from the Majahual booth) and arrived in the little fishing village about ten minutes later. We sought out Tapas Bar after reading about it on the CC Boards and were so excited to finally be there! We were the first customers of the day, and our wonderful waiter, Edgar, led us to a table right on the water. He raised our table umbrella and promptly brought us a regular and mango margarita! I can't describe the beauty of that village, that restaurant, that water. Sensation was the only ship in port that day, and we felt like we had Costa Maya all to ourselves. We swam and snorkeled in the crystal clear water, met an adorable little dog who hung out with us all day, bought hand-made hankies from the local girls, lunched on chicken fajitas and nachos, drank many Pacifico's, had the best massage of my life right there on the beach, shopped in the village and bought fun cowboy-type beach hats, played with one of the local iguanas (he was HUGE!), and had the Most Perfect Day.

I will never forget Tapas or the lovely village of Majahual. Please, Costa Maya Cruisers: leave the pier and EXPLORE! I imagine in the next decade they'll build up Costa Maya until it looks like Cancun, so enjoy the beauty and quiet while you still can!

Cozumel - April 26, 2005 - Chankanaab

Having learned our lesson the day before, we had a leisurely breakfast up on deck and left the ship an hour after we'd docked. We walked right off, headed for the taxis, and made our way to Chankanaab Park. Is it possible to have two perfect days back-to-back? YES! Chankanaab is so beautiful, peaceful, and non-commercial, which is exactly what we were looking for. Admission was $12 each that day, and worth every penny. The beach is stunning! We plopped ourselves on the low beach chairs under a palapa, promptly rented snorkeling equipment from a nearby stand ($8 all day!) and spent almost all day in that unbelievable water. We are avid snorkelers, and Chankanaab was the best I have ever experienced. It's a little slippy-slidy entering the water from the rocks, but once you dip your head underneath, you're immediately surrounded by the most amazing coral and more colorful fish than you can find in your local aquarium. It's a whole different world "under the sea," and we just couldn't get enough of it. Some of the fish were so big and amazing as they swam by that I often dropped the snorkel out of my mouth in an involuntary OHHHH!!! and swallowed lots of saltwater! ;) We took periodic breaks, sat in our chairs and enjoyed the wonderful service from the bar waiters. At one point, DF said, "Let's just stay here for a few more days and catch a plane home." My friends, it was idyllic.

After pulling ourselves away from Chankanaab, we headed back toward the ship and did a little shopping. I treated myself to a beautiful silver chain and natural turquoise pendant, a wonderful souvenier of our vacation.

Fun Day At Sea - April 27, 2005

Pretty much like our first fun day at sea... lounging, reading, sunning, eating! The last night on-board is always a little sad, and we hated saying goodbye to our new friends. We all exchanged emails and have already kept in touch!

Debarkation

We did the self-assist and walked right off the boat at 8:30 am. Found a cab immediately, headed back to La Quinta Westbank, and we were in our car, all packed up and heading for home by 10:00 am.

Additional Comments:

This is the first time I have been on a cruise packed with southerners, and to that I attribute our fun, fun, fun experience! Southerners aren't fake-nice... they really are nice! We met wonderful friends every day and we'll never forget them. I can't wait to cruise out of New Orleans again!

We really fell in love with two favorite bartenders, Peter from Poland and Paolina from Bulgaria! Say hi to them next time you're on Sensation!

Sensation is a BEAUTIFUL ship. Don't be fooled by her "age." She's in perfect condition and I would sail with her again and again. She's just like a Destiny-class ship, only shrunken a bit and without balconies. I just loved Sensation and she exceeded my expectations! Her crew is eager and friendly and even a week later, I can honestly say this is the most enjoyable cruise I have ever had the pleasure of taking!

We never had problems finding a deck chair after 11:00 am, when we usually headed up. Chairs could easily be found anywhere except the area by the main pool, which was always packed. We didn't see any chair-savers because every chair seemed to have a person in it! We liked the aft deck, even though it was a little windy the last day at sea.

I wish I had more to say about activities, shows, etc., but we're just not into that kind of stuff. After the first day, I don't think we ever looked at the Capers again. We played everything by ear, and met so many wonderful people that we just let our vacation develop spontaneously. We spent most of our time on deck, in Kaleidescope and the Polo Bar, and in the Seaview Grill.

We quickly became addicted to the 24 Hour Pizza! Mmmm... a la Rustica! I can still taste it. Also, the made-to-order sandwiches at the adjacent deli were delicious!

Mexico is beautiful and we'll go back again and again. I wouldn't choose a different itinerary, and I especially want to visit Costa Maya again.

THANK YOU for enduring my breathless review! As soon as I upload our photos, I'll post the link here for all interested.

Happy Cruising!

SS Strider

SS, thank you for your perfect review of my favorite ship!!!!!! Brought back way too many great memories!!!!! I agree, she is a great ship!!! I'm glad you guys had a wonderful time! I also agree with cruising from NOLA, great people cruise from that port!!!!!

What a great review! Will be going on the Sensation Sept 1 for a girls only cruise!!! 4 out of 6 are first timers, I am glad to hear that I picked a great ship for their first time!

Can't wait!

Tina

Great review SS Strider. As you know we were on this same cruise and had a great time. I'm with you, we would sail her again in a heartbeat. Glad you enjoyed her as much as we did.

SallyMay (Ann)

I was on that Cruise too, and will be doing my Review/Trip report soon.

I have to agree. Wonderful weather, wonderful ship, and wonderful people, the cruisers and the staff.

As for the activities and shows, I was kinda the same way, didn't think I would enjoy them, but still went to them. I will tell ya, they may sound cheesy, but I heard and seen some of the most hilarious jokes at those little shows and activities. Glad I went to many of them. The cruise director Greg was just absolutely hilarious. Everytime he openend his mouth, people laughed. Any of you seen that Spoon game incident?... My gosh, I laughed so hard, I was crying. It may have been setup, but I dont care. It was hilarious.

Hi, all!

I've uploaded some of our Sensation photos, you can check them out here. If clicking doesn't work, just copy the link and paste into your browser.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=11ikqke7.13c6f54v&x=0&y=ye1z74

You don't have to sign in to view the photos, even though it prompts you to. Click on "Slideshow" and you can read the captions.

They're mostly of Costa Maya and Cozumel, and of course Crazy Towel Animals!

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

"Chankanaab is so beautiful, peaceful, and non-commercial, which is exactly what we were looking for. Admission was $12 each that day, and worth every penny. The beach is stunning! We plopped ourselves on the low beach chairs under a palapa, promptly rented snorkeling equipment from a nearby stand ($8 all day!) and spent almost all day in that unbelievable water. We are avid snorkelers, and Chankanaab was the best I have ever experienced. It's a little slippy-slidy entering the water from the rocks, but once you dip your head underneath, you're immediately surrounded by the most amazing coral and more colorful fish than you can find in your local aquarium."

Ahhhhhh.......I have to agree with you there ~ we were there last week from our Holiday cruise (Thursday) and we loved it too. I wish I was still on my weird, white, little "flippy" chair LOL Well worth the cab ride and admission price.

LOL, Lee!!

Those were kinda weird, white little "flippy" chairs, weren't they? Every time I sat down, it flipped back!

Once I adjusted it was fine, but I'm laughing at the memory you just invoked!

Thanks for the detailed review, I enjoyed reading every bit of it. My husband and I are going on this same cruise on June 4th, and you have made me even more excited about going. Also, thanks for the nice comment about "Southerners", being a Mississippi girl, I appreciated that a lot. Most of us are very nice.:) I am glad that you had a great time!

Thanks so much for the wonderful detailed review. Seems like we don't find too many reviews written about the Sensation. We'll be sailing her the end of June for our FIRST cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary! We can't wait and your review just made us even more excited --- if that's possible!

One thing I've never read in a review is an opinion of the beds in the cabins. I have back problems so I'm a bit concerned about a strange bed for 5 nights! Did you find it comfortable? Too hard? Too soft? Were they already pushed together or did you need to ask the steward to do that?

Thanks for your advice, and again, THANKS so much for the great review!:)

Hi

I just had to put my opinion in here - about the beds anyway!:)

We recently returned from the Fascination - and we have slept on a water bed for about 20 years, and I was real nervous about the bed situation - cause I am picky - and I expected a flat hard cheap hotel bed - I am sure you know what I mean............let me tell you - I was never so completely wrong in my life! - That bed was the bomb!!!!!! I slept like a BABY! Course the gentle little rocking - like you push a baby in a bassinett?- Yeah that was us!! Oh MY!!!

I even called Carnival last week to inquire where I can purchase one of those FAB beds - they have a company in Germany that they purchase all of their mattresses and linens from :o - so no sales to the public....

So rest easy - it will be great!!!!!!!!!!

One thing I've never read in a review is an opinion of the beds in the cabins. I have back problems so I'm a bit concerned about a strange bed for 5 nights! Did you find it comfortable? Too hard? Too soft? Were they already pushed together or did you need to ask the steward to do that?

Hi firstcruiserDB! I couldn't agree more with my3kids about those comfy beds in the cabins! My DF is much like you, very particular about his bedding, and he absolutely raved about the comfort of our beds. I also loved the soft duvet covers!

When we were packing up to leave the ship, DF said, "do you think we could figure out a way to smuggle our beds back home?"

Happy Cruising!! Bet you come back addicted!

:-)

SS Strider

So Glad for this review. My husband, me and another couple will be on the Sensation in September and the Majahual Beach and Tapas Bar seemed great in your pics. Everyone who is traveling on the Sensation over the summer please post a review. Thanks for your great review.

Speaking of those white "flippy" chairs - I took a picture from behind two of them sitting empty under a tree looking out upon the water. The palm tree frames the photo and it is just the perfect reminder of our time there! If only there had been a Corona in the sand between the chairs . . . :D

It is indeed a beautiful place. It was my third time to Cozumel but my first time at the park. Wonderful!

Thanks for the detailed review, I enjoyed reading every bit of it. My husband and I are going on this same cruise on June 4th, and you have made me even more excited about going. Also, thanks for the nice comment about "Southerners", being a Mississippi girl, I appreciated that a lot. Most of us are very nice.:) I am glad that you had a great time!

Amen from another Mississippi gal! Thanks a million for the nice comment about Southerners.

Enjoyed the great review......hubby, I, and my young adult daughter are going to be on the Sensation 7/16/05......this lovely review has made us even more excited about our cruise if that's possible.

Amen from another Mississippi gal! Thanks a million for the nice comment about Southerners.

 

Enjoyed the great review......hubby, I, and my young adult daughter are going to be on the Sensation 7/16/05......this lovely review has made us even more excited about our cruise if that's possible.

JudyKa, the main reason we loved this cruise so much was because the people were so fun! We felt a little out-of-place at first, because Ohio was actually a long way to come for most of the people on Sensation. But we met the most wonderful people, night after night, from Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama, and they made us feel right at home. "Ohio?!!?? Never heard of it!!" they'd say, and then throw their heads back in laughter.

I can't imagine going back to a cruise without Southerners again. Port of New Orleans for me!

It's a shame that the media and opinion try to tell us that we're so different. We're not at all one bit different. Except, as y'all kept reminding me, I have an accent!

<<We're not at all one bit different. Except, as y'all kept reminding me, I have an accent!>>

LOL, SS! I used to get the same thing when I would visit with my Illinois relatives....they made me talk ALL the time just to hear my accent. When I first moved down this way with my parents a ZILLION years ago from Illinois, the kids down this way always got a kick out of my "accent". Actually, the Mid-Western states people actually are the most devoid of any accent of the 50 states I think.....LOL!....other than "Shicaahgo" (with a nasal twang), of course. ......love to hear the "New Ahleens" people talk too....love it!

Happy for you and your wonderful experience on the Sensation.

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Sensation in September and it's nice to hear that you enjoyed it so much.

This is the first time I have been on a cruise packed with southerners, and to that I attribute our fun, fun, fun experience! Southerners aren't fake-nice... they really are nice! We met wonderful friends every day and we'll never forget them. I can't wait to cruise out of New Orleans again!

And I wanted to say thanks for the kind words about us southerners. I truly believe that you will never find nicer people than the ones in the South (not to say there aren't alot of nice folks in other areas).

Thanks SS for the great review. We cruised on the Sensation back in June of 1996 when she was docked in Miami. We had a wonderful time and were happy when we found out she had come to New Orleans. We live in Louisiana and love cruising out of The Big Easy.

Rodeomomof1, we'll be on the June 4th cruise with you. Hope to see you there. Happy cruising.

Cajungal,

Great to hear that you will be joining us on the June 4th cruise! This Mississippi girl is SO ready to cruise! This will be my first time leaving the farm and cruising alone with my DH of 14 years. It is our "honeymoon" 14 years after the fact! ;) We are so excited, have you booked any excursions yet?

Strider

She came down from Cincinnati, it took her three days on a train...

Thanks for that wonderful review and the great pictures too. It made me wish I were leaving tomorrow on a cruise.

And thanks for the kind words about Southerners. I think cruisers from anywhere are going to be great people to hang out with.

Rodeomom....no we haven't booked any shore excursions yet. My daughter and her husband are on the same cruise right now. I'm waiting for her to return and give me the '411' on everything. I'll share with you when I hear. They'll be back Thursday. I'm so excited that I can hardly wait. How about you? I'm going with my DH of 35 years. We took our first cruise for our 25th but took the kids along. This is our first cruise alone and boy, am I looking forward to it. Do you have any excursions in mind?

Well, we thought that we were going to do a couple of things in Costa Maya, a ruins tour and a fishing trip, but since we were informed of the change of arrival time from 10am to 12pm, we have not heard back from the tour guides there. We are going to do a jeep/snorkel excursion in Cozumel and are very excited about doing that. Please ask your daughter to do a "review" of her own about her experience on the cruise. I hope that she is having a great time!:)

Another Mississippi girl here! :)

I read your review and I absolutely CANNOT wait! We leave on the 21st...11 more days~!

:D

I read your review and I absolutely CANNOT wait! We leave on the 21st...11 more days~!:D

I'm a little jealous, too, but that's understandable. ;)

If anyone has any questions about Sensation or the ports of call, fire away! There are so many knowledgable and friendly cruisers on these boards, and I learned so much from them before our cruise.

Thanks, CruiseCritic!