Just off Carnival Sensation 3-day....any questions???

[david08]

HEY!!

 

Just got off the Carnival Sensation this morning, usually like to know if anyone has any immediate questions about the ship while its fresh in my head!!

 

I will definitly be writing a small review tonight!

 

However, as most people know and do, I am going to bed to take a LONG nap!!! will check back late afternoon!!

[tamirpr]

We just got back today from the Disney Wonder. We followed you guys this weekend. Beautiful weather, wasn't it?

 

If you saw a mother with three screaming banshees running all over the top deck, that would have been me. :D

 

Oh, to go back to a Carnival cruise with just the hubby...I'm dreamin' now

[madepaz]

Welcome Home David. I can't wait to hear all about your cruise. I will be sailing on the Sensation 3 Day on July 2nd and have a few questions. This is the first time that I have been on such a short cruise. Two of my friends that are going have never been on a cruise and we finally convinced them on trying a cruise out. So in many ways this is going to be a new experience for all of us. We are all really excited.

 

I know the Sensation is an older ship but was completely renovated recently. I was wondering, do the cabins have a refridgerator like the newer ships? How are the cabins? My third friend going was on the Sensation a few years ago and at the time the cruise was having seriouc AC problems so she has been a little hesitant about going on the same ship again. Also, since its such a short trip, did you still have a formal night? Did you visit Nassau on your trip? If so, any suggestions of things we have to do? We really want to go snorkling. Do you have any suggestions? How is the night life in Nassau?

 

Any information that you can share with us will be greatly appreciated. Thank you and I am looking forward to be reading all about your trip later.

 

Happy Napping

 

Melissa

[hospsafe]

Instead of having 2 separate threads from the same cruise I thought I would just post my thoughts here.

 

The wife and I have done Carnival before on the Victory and Glory. We have also done Princess and RC for a total of 6 cruises. We had e255. This was our first aft balcony. The balcony was very private though we won't be doing another one in the future. It was too far away and made accessing other parts of the ship very difficult. Alot has to do with the size and age of the ship.

 

We arrived at Port Canaveral around noon. It took us no more than 20 minutes to get on board. We never met our room steward though our room was always cleaned. He never brought us an ashtray or wine opener even though it was obvious that we needed both. I don't care how long the cruise is, I think the room steward should introduce themselves on the first day.

 

The food and the service was excellent in the Fantasy Dinning Room. We had Joseph and Melvin for waiters. Two of the best we have ever had. I will even give kudos to the Maitre D', Freddy. He actually used our names when speaking to us on the second night This was a first for us. My only problem with the dinning room was they did not enforce the dress code. Again, I realize its a 3 day cruise but alot of the people weren't even close. (Unless you count a bathing suit as proper attire.)

 

My third concern is the Serenity Deck. I think we have gotten spoiled by being on the bigger ships. There is no pool only two small hot tubs and no bar. Cocktail service was sporadic at best. I love the idea of being able to get a massage not only on the Serenity but all of the decks.

 

We saw no ill effects of "belt tightening" from Carnival. Aside from our room steward the service and food met our expectations of Carnival. The restaurant staff exceeded them.

 

We did self-assist debarkation. We were at our car by 7:30am.

 

The Sensation is a good ship for a 3-4 day cruise. I would not want to be on it any longer. and yes...the chocolate molten cake lived up to its reputation.

 

Now let the countdown begin...56 days to the Carnival freedom!

[madepaz]

Hospsafe,

Thank you for sharing your insight and experiences. I completely agree with you. The cabin stewardes should introduce themselves on the first day and should be a step ahead of you even though it might be a short trip. That pampering is what makes cruising a wonderful experience.

 

I am doing my countdown to July 2nd as well. Can't wait. . .

[Celandine]

How is the Sensation??

 

I was on her back in August 1999, (with a 7 day Western Caribbean)

[mr jailerman]

Nice to hear she is holding up alright..:) I will be taken her in August on a short 3 night cruise with 3 new cruisers and we all have Balcony cabins so you can add me to the group that would like to see the photos. I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO SEE THAT AFT BALCONY and cabin as well ? Any chance we could get Hospsafe to post some ? Thanks for the info guys and happy sailing..:)

[MomofBoyz]

Do the rooms have hiardryers now?

[hospsafe]

Sorry everyone no pics. This was a "desperately needing husband and wife time" cruise. We have 2 kids under the age of 5. We have had balcony's on all of our cruises. This was by far the most private balcony. There was plenty of room on it. I do wish they had done full length window not just on the door.

 

I thought the bathrooms were good size including the shower. There are no refrigerators or hairdryers.

 

If you are going on the Sensation in the next 3 months you need to ask for Joseph and Melvin in the Fantasy Dining Room. I wish I could recommend a bartender but none stood out.

 

Oh one other thing...I am like most people and I stay away from the spa. However, the wife scheduled me for a facial with shave, head and neck massage, arms and hands, and feet massage. 75 minutes long for only $95. That's 20% off. The individual, Precious, was very good. No high pressure tactics either. From my perspective the value was there. When have you ever heard value be used when describing the spa on a cruise?

[Bruuce80]

Hospsafe thanks for the review. The Mrs. & I will be doing a short cruise on Sensation in December. Our last cruise was on Legend so I am sure that things will be a little different on Sensation since it is an older ship. But for us we are just glad to be cruising!!!!!!!

[cruisincory]

I would love to see any pics of the ship you may have. We set sail on her in August.

[cruisincory]

sorry didnt see the previous post saying you had no pics..DUH:rolleyes::D

[Dphipps2]

We will be sailing on her 7/2. Do the showers have doors or curtains? How was the Sushi (if you had any). What was your favorite drink? What type of souviner glasses do they have?

 

Thanks

[hospsafe]

There is shower curtains...didn't have sushi...favorite drink? I wish they had a martini bar. I love Milky Way Martini's but only one bartender knew how to make it.

 

Beware of the DOD that comes in a "coconut in the shape of a monkey". They are $17 a piece. The drink itself isn't nearly as big as the "coconut". Yes, we got suckered. I think we had already had 3-4 drinks when we ordered it. There were no souvinier glasses that impressed us. You are better off asking for the DOD in a normal cup and saving the money.

 

Room service was very quick when we ordered morning coffee.

[Choirguyjh]

hi David08!

 

We're going on the 4 day sensation on the 17th and have never been on a Carnival cruise yet, so we're not sure what to expect. Were the lines for the anytime dining bad? We've been signed up for it, but are traveling with our 1 and 4 year old daughters so I'm hoping not to have to wait long for the dining hall!

Thanks!

ChoirguyJH

[Breucklin]

NO MARTINI BAR!!!

 

i was hoping for some good cosmos...which bar on the ship do u recommend to get a martini from??

 

thanks for the heads up on the monkey head..i was tempted to get one this time around...

[david08]

Welcome Home David. I can't wait to hear all about your cruise. I will be sailing on the Sensation 3 Day on July 2nd and have a few questions. This is the first time that I have been on such a short cruise. Two of my friends that are going have never been on a cruise and we finally convinced them on trying a cruise out. So in many ways this is going to be a new experience for all of us. We are all really excited.

 

I know the Sensation is an older ship but was completely renovated recently. I was wondering, do the cabins have a refridgerator like the newer ships? How are the cabins? My third friend going was on the Sensation a few years ago and at the time the cruise was having seriouc AC problems so she has been a little hesitant about going on the same ship again. Also, since its such a short trip, did you still have a formal night? Did you visit Nassau on your trip? If so, any suggestions of things we have to do? We really want to go snorkling. Do you have any suggestions? How is the night life in Nassau?

 

Any information that you can share with us will be greatly appreciated. Thank you and I am looking forward to be reading all about your trip later.

 

Happy Napping

 

Melissa

 

BOY!! Do i feel better!!

 

Looks like someone has done a good review too! :D

 

No refrigerators in the cabin, was not part of the upgrade and no hair dryers either. My mom forgot her hair dryer thinking they were on there, but no. The room steward was more than happy to bring one!

 

The cabins were great and the renovated hallways were absolutly amazing! Definitly way different from before. The A/C has NO problems in our room!!

 

Yes, you do still have a formal night, if its the 3 day cruise, it will be the night you are in Nassau....DO NOT MISS IT!! mmm....lobster!

 

For my family, this was our 4th trip into Nassau and its just a meh port compared to others, HOWEVER, your on a cruise and always many things to do!! If you like snorkling, my suggestion is Blackbeards Beach Break and Stingray Snorkel. We have done it twice and its amazing. You get on a boat and are taking to a private island, then you snorkel in an enclosed area full of large and small rays, Sgt. Major fish (black and yellow), sunken artifacts, and then, you get to fed them!! Then, you spend about 2 hrs on the beach...its amazing!

 

Nightlife will depend on what night your there. This cruise, like some in the past, we were there on a friday night....if in town then, Senor frogs is a great time! If not there on the weekend, a bar/lounge/club called Bambu, which is right off the pier is a lot of fun! That is where most of the ship's staff goes.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions!

[firstcruiserDB]

We will be sailing on the Sensation in July in one of the new aft cabins. I'm wondering if you noticed much noise and vibration when docking? We are on the Upper deck and pretty close to the machinery!!

 

Thanks so much for posting.....I haven't been able to find much information about the Sensation's new aft cabins!

[MomofBoyz]

So...you were in an aft balcony cabin, right? Any sneak peak into the midship balcony cabins that were added?? I think they are simply OV with a balcony tacked on?

 

Also, when you say you wished you had done the large window, are those on Verandah?

 

Did you do the anytime dining or the regular?

 

THANKS!!!!

[1of5G]

Instead of having 2 separate threads from the same cruise I thought I would just post my thoughts here.

 

The wife and I have done Carnival before on the Victory and Glory. We have also done Princess and RC for a total of 6 cruises. We had e255. This was our first aft balcony. The balcony was very private though we won't be doing another one in the future. It was too far away and made accessing other parts of the ship very difficult. Alot has to do with the size and age of the ship.

 

We arrived at Port Canaveral around noon. It took us no more than 20 minutes to get on board. We never met our room steward though our room was always cleaned. He never brought us an ashtray or wine opener even though it was obvious that we needed both. I don't care how long the cruise is, I think the room steward should introduce themselves on the first day.

 

The food and the service was excellent in the Fantasy Dinning Room. We had Joseph and Melvin for waiters. Two of the best we have ever had. I will even give kudos to the Maitre D', Freddy. He actually used our names when speaking to us on the second night This was a first for us. My only problem with the dinning room was they did not enforce the dress code. Again, I realize its a 3 day cruise but alot of the people weren't even close. (Unless you count a bathing suit as proper attire.)

 

My third concern is the Serenity Deck. I think we have gotten spoiled by being on the bigger ships. There is no pool only two small hot tubs and no bar. Cocktail service was sporadic at best. I love the idea of being able to get a massage not only on the Serenity but all of the decks.

 

We saw no ill effects of "belt tightening" from Carnival. Aside from our room steward the service and food met our expectations of Carnival. The restaurant staff exceeded them.

 

We did self-assist debarkation. We were at our car by 7:30am.

 

The Sensation is a good ship for a 3-4 day cruise. I would not want to be on it any longer. and yes...the chocolate molten cake lived up to its reputation.

 

Now let the countdown begin...56 days to the Carnival freedom!

 

Thanks for th info. DH and I will be on the Sensation 2/4/2010 and Freedom 2/7/2010. I'll watch for your review in a few months!

[nursemindy]

Thanks for the update... There will be 9 of us on this cruise in Oct. This will be the first cruise for my mom and 4 kids. I cant wait..

[hospsafe]

There was no vibration nor did we hear the sounds of the engine in our aft balcony room. Our closets vibrated the first night but I got them fixed the following morning and they never bothered us again. Which reminds me and maybe this is because I work in hotels. But whenever maintenance goes into a cabin to fix something, I think they should leave a note indicating they were there, why and what they did.

 

There is a small window next to the door to the balcony. I am one of those people that like to let the sunshine in at all times. The other balcony rooms I have had in the past had full length windows/doors.

 

In regards to the bar question...go see Lancelot in the atrium bar. He has been working for Carnival for about 7 years. We didnt meet him until the last night.

 

I agree with the comment about the ship being clean. They were constantly cleaning it. Hand sanitizer was readily available.

[cicima]

Thanks for the review. Did you try anytime dining?

[Breucklin]

In regards to the bar question...go see Lancelot in the atrium bar. He has been working for Carnival for about 7 years. We didnt meet him until the last night

 

 

 

thank you..will do!!!! :D

[happy40th]

Is this ship good for all ages? I am considering it for myself, DH DD 12,DS14, and my parents 67 & 68.