Sensationally Long Review - Part 1

[sandsand]

Just back from a 4-night cruise on the Sensation. I traveled with five friends on a “gals only” cruise. This was my 4th Carnival cruise. I’ve also sailed Royal Caribbean several times so have made a couple comparisons. Overall, we had a blast!

 

Getting Started

We arrived around noon and were directed by the port authorities to go straight to the Fulton Street Garage where porters would be waiting to take luggage. I won’t do that again. It would have been much better to drop my passengers and luggage off at the pier then go park. After driving up to level 6 (cruise parkers have to go up at least to that floor) and prepaying to park, the line to get on the shuttle bus was very long. We ended up walking to the pier. I’ve cruised from New Orleans several times and much prefer to park at the whale lot. Unfortunately, I don’t think it is an option anymore.

 

The check-in process was no more than 20 minutes then off to find the cabin. We ate then took off to the Riverwalk for drinks and last minute shopping (gotta get my fudge!) We were back on the ship for 3:00 then headed to the pool deck where we spent the afternoon until our late dinner. There were hardly any children on this cruise which was a good thing. The pool area was very adult themed this cruise with lots of dirty dancing and carrying on but it was all in good fun. Everyone was having such a good time. This was definitely a party cruise. There were lots of groups and it seemed like everyone we talked to was on a company paid cruise. We started questioning our career choices!

 

Ship and Cabin

I was so afraid of the ship rocking we’ve heard so much about. I am super sensitive and brought lots of remedies. I was pleasantly surprised to find the first day the water was like glass. The ship did have a slight rocking motion you could feel if sitting still but it was nothing I haven’t felt on other ships. When we left Cozumel however things changed. Along with the fact we were going against the current and it was cloudy and windy, the ship did move a lot on the way home. It’s funny that I kept hearing people say, “we’re definitely moving”. Well duh, I’d be a little concerned if we weren’t -- here’s your sign!

 

The ship is in good condition. Yes there is a lot of purple but it didn’t seem extremely flashy. It is a “Fun Ship” after all. My only complaint is the public restrooms. This was also the case on the Holiday and Inspiration. They are far a few between and usually only with 2 or 3 stalls, broken fixtures and just plain ugly. Anyone who has sailed on a RCCL ship will tell you what a public restroom should be like. All the lounges were very nice. Michelangelo’s had a rock and roll band each night, the Kaleidoscope was a late night disco and the Plaza lounge had karaoke each night. The only bad thing about the Plaza lounge is that you have to walk through the Polo lounge to get there and that is where they encourage cigar smoking. I had to hold my noise and walk quickly through there.

 

The cabin had plenty of places to unpack everything although I used an over the door shoe holder for the first time. At first I didn’t have much in it but by the end it was full. It made it easier to turn the dresser into a bar! After we adjusted the air we were able to keep it good and cold. Carnival beats RCCL hands down in the bedding department. They were so comfy and the pillows too. The down comforters were simply wonderful.

 

 

(to be continued .....)