Carnival Sensation 02/28 - 03/02 Day 2 Review

[FLCruiser001]

We slept great the first night, no noisy neighbors or engine noise/vibration issues. We awoke around 5:45 am, and miracle of miracles…the Mrs. agreed to come up on deck with me and watch the sunrise! We awed in the beauty of the sun gleaming through the distant clouds and reflecting off the ocean. Took a few pictures, grabbed some cereal, and returned to the cabin around 6:30 am. Didn’t see any chair hogs yet, only a few folks in bathrobes; no problem to me.

After getting ready for the day, we returned to the Lido Deck around 7:30 am for some delicious breakfast. A quick trip to the cabin at 8:45 am, and the room was already made up! We grabbed our necessities for the day and returned topside to watch our arrival in Nassau. We docked on time, and were off the ship by 10:30 am with no hassles or delays.

Seeing several other cruise ships in port, we knew the city would be crowded, but we found it not bad at all. We were also very pleasantly surprised with the cleanliness of the town! We had made no plans, other than to just enjoy whatever experiences the day may bring us. We passed on the motor scooters (unlike the previous visit), but the horse drawn carriages drew our attention. After a quick introduction, we were on our way for the “short” tour of the city ($15 pp). The tour guide was informative, but a bit difficult to hear and understand with his very heavy accent. He showed us many beautiful buildings and places, and we also saw some of the “less pretty” areas also. I appreciated the opportunity to see what I felt was a somewhat balanced view of the city.

After the ride, it was to the downtown area for the usual shopping for the usual souvenir-type wares. We made our first-ever visit to the very crowded straw market, which wasn’t much to our liking, just not our “cup of tea”. I know lots of folks like the environment, however.

We re-boarded the ship around 1:00 pm, and returned to the Lido deck for lunch. The Mrs. then laid down for a short nap before her spa treatment and I headed up to the Funnel Deck. I had the place to myself for the most part. The privacy banner around the front of the deck had been removed, and the back half was cordoned off just as it was in October, 2006 (the backside of the funnel spews out water every so often). No, there were no topless female sunbathers.

Around 5:00 pm we got ready for formal night and pictures. I didn’t notice any great “blasphemous” violations of the dress code in the dining room, but then I wasn’t looking for any. Again, everyone was pleased with their meals and the service was good. Warm chocolate melting cake still wasn’t right. We just requested different desserts and everyone was happy.

After dinner we strolled about the decks, people watching and getting a few photos taken. Several of the poses they had us do were “unusual”, but we did find a few nice pictures the next evening to purchase. After a quick (and unfruitful) trip to the casino we returned to the cabin to change. Next was the Fantasia Lounge for Game Show Mania and bingo.These were entertaining as always, and the participants and crowed seemed to have a good time.

Finally it was show time! Manuel Zuniga did a terrific performance of juggling, with humor and comedy interspersed. He bills himself as the world’s fastest juggler, and I’ll take him at his word! You really need to see his performance to appreciate it. Next was Tia Thompson, who was a riot! She did such a fabulous job of including the audience in her act, which made it all the more entertaining.

After the show wound down, we headed up to the Lido Deck to check out the Mexican buffet. It just wasn’t our thing, so we passed and retired to the cabin about 12:15 am.

[Payd]

I notice you didn't visit Atlantis - had you been there before? If so what was it like, and why didn't you return?

 

Payd:)

[FLCruiser001]

I notice you didn't visit Atlantis - had you been there before? If so what was it like, and why didn't you return?

 

Payd:)

 

 

We've not been there before. Just never had an inkling to go, can't really say why.

[bobsfamily]

Nice review - Formal night was the night in port?

We did the buggy ride 5 or 6 years ago and it was a riot! We almost fell out of the buggy getting in... it rocked from side to side - I was looking for the seat belt when we TOOK off. We did the entire downtown/government/hospital ride in about 10-15 min. It seemed that the faster we went to slower he talked... sometimes he would be telling us about a building that was three back. If fact when we got back the covered shed area he was still telling us about stuff we had already passed. Fun, but a little harrowing! Not sure I would do it again but I live near Charleston, SC and every time someone comes to visit we have to go do the "tour".

[LindaLa]

Just my opinion of this cruise. Let me first say that this was our first Carnival Cruise. It was also our first short cruise (we have always did 7 days before). We have heard many good things about Carnival, so when we had the opportunity to add this cruise to a Florida trip, we jumped on it. We are fans of freestyle cruising- although have done both and have always had good luck with dinner companions. Yes, there may be a few tradeoffs with freestyle, but in my opinion the flexibility of it makes it worthwhile. We were not too crazy about our dining companions this time, so it made me appreciate freestyle even more. The food was good in the dining room. We ate all of our breakfasts and dinners there. This was also the first cruise where we saw many inebriated guests. Maybe it was because it was a short cruise and it provides the opportunity of a long weekend trip for some, but it was almost a little scary at times at the pool. We were afraid someone may get hurt. In fact, one afternoon, a ship's officer came to the pool and began to try to calm the situation down. There should be more control over serving people who are clearly intoxicated. I had read that this ship housed displaced people from Hurricane Katrina and had been refurbished. I thought the rooms were a good size. They looked a little run down and needed some painting. The carpet and beds looked new. We had an odor coming from the bathroom which bothered me more than my husband. The rooms could have been kept a little cleaner. Our mirror had handprints all over it and it stayed that way the whole of the trip. We also found a banana peel under the bed which must have been there for some time. The last few cruises we took we had balconies and I missed that. The common areas of the ship seemed in good condition. I had a spa treatment one day and I had to wait a half an hour. It was scheduled for early morning, so I don't know how that could have happened. The treatment was good and the pricing was reasonable. We enjoyed ourselves, but I don't think I would do a short cruise again - it was too short. We felt like we had just unpacked only to have to pack up again. It took us about 2 and a half hours to get off the ship. Once our number to disembark was called, it took about a half hour to actually get off the ship and clear customs.

[cdn1276]

Just my opinion of this cruise. Let me first say that this was our first Carnival Cruise. It was also our first short cruise (we have always did 7 days before). We have heard many good things about Carnival, so when we had the opportunity to add this cruise to a Florida trip, we jumped on it. We are fans of freestyle cruising- although have done both and have always had good luck with dinner companions. Yes, there may be a few tradeoffs with freestyle, but in my opinion the flexibility of it makes it worthwhile. We were not too crazy about our dining companions this time, so it made me appreciate freestyle even more. The food was good in the dining room. We ate all of our breakfasts and dinners there. This was also the first cruise where we saw many inebriated guests. Maybe it was because it was a short cruise and it provides the opportunity of a long weekend trip for some, but it was almost a little scary at times at the pool. We were afraid someone may get hurt. In fact, one afternoon, a ship's officer came to the pool and began to try to calm the situation down. There should be more control over serving people who are clearly intoxicated. I had read that this ship housed displaced people from Hurricane Katrina and had been refurbished. I thought the rooms were a good size. They looked a little run down and needed some painting. The carpet and beds looked new. We had an odor coming from the bathroom which bothered me more than my husband. The rooms could have been kept a little cleaner. Our mirror had handprints all over it and it stayed that way the whole of the trip. We also found a banana peel under the bed which must have been there for some time. The last few cruises we took we had balconies and I missed that. The common areas of the ship seemed in good condition. I had a spa treatment one day and I had to wait a half an hour. It was scheduled for early morning, so I don't know how that could have happened. The treatment was good and the pricing was reasonable. We enjoyed ourselves, but I don't think I would do a short cruise again - it was too short. We felt like we had just unpacked only to have to pack up again. It took us about 2 and a half hours to get off the ship. Once our number to disembark was called, it took about a half hour to actually get off the ship and clear customs.

 

I just got back from Sensation last week, and I must say I completely agree with you. The rooms were a good size, but the ship is in desperate need of updating! There was an odor in our room as well, and the whole ship looked run down. I would try Carnival again, but never on Sensation again