Carnival Sensation Reviews

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So this makes my 10th cruise with Carnival and my official platinum level! Yay!!!!! So this was just a short 3 day graduation present for my DW. She finished up her bachelors in accounting! This was a great feat because she was juggling work, home and school for the past 6 years and it was not easy for her. So to get started I booked this as an porthole room on main deck ES and I got a few OBC when it dropped and then Carnival had that huge spring sale and I used ES to get a OBC AND upgrade to a window on Empress. 3 days out the upsell fairy called and offered a balcony for $140 more. Well I already had a $70 OBC which means I really was only paying $70 for the balcony and I jumped on it. I did not tell DW as I wanted that to be a surprise. Day 1 So the day of the cruise came and off we went from Tampa about 7:30am. We drove over to visit my DW brother who lives near Disney and had breakfast with him and then head toward the port. Instead of parking at the port like we did the last time, we used Park N Cruise and it was great! Within 10 minutes we were checked in and on our way to the port. This unfortunately was where the only hiccup in the trip began. So with all of the construction on the new pier the bus drive had to follow a predetermined route that literally made us circle the entire parking lot twice before he could drop us off...once on an outer road that took him to a place to pay to drop us off and then instead of letting him go directly to the drop off point we had to circle around again in an inner road. It was cool to see the work on the new pier though! Here are a few shots: Getting to security was simple there was only one other VIP in front of us. Now the big issue.....we go to security and they stop us to tell us on of our carry on bags is too big. We just took the Paradise out of Tampa a month ago and took the same bag and there was not an issue. At Port Canaveral the guy said that the bag was technically a cooler and Carnival only allows a 12x12x12 and ours was too big. I explained that they had no issues in Tampa and as he could see there was nothing in it but clothes and a pillow. Still said nope sorry you can take it back to the car or leave it here and we will throw it away. Needless to say DW was pretty upset, but he was just doing his job and I will admit I don't read the contract in complete entirety. I just expected it would be ok since nothing was said in Tampa. The next big issue was getting to the top of the steps and finding no one at the VIP check in desk. There were 3 other groups waiting there and all in all we stood around for about 10 minutes before someone showed up to point us in the right direction. ( we did see the door at the end of the hall that said VIP lounge but it was full of people and I could hear the lady in there say "why are there so many people just walking in here and not escorted" looks like someone not doing their job in the lobby ooopppps) So finally someone comes out there to try and make some order. When it was our turn to go to the back I asked the lady taking us there about the bag that was taken downstairs and she said "yeah the port makes the rules not us, sorry" WHAT?! They told me downstairs you make the rules.......ugh. Well we get back to the room and there are 2 people ahead of us. The first one goes smooth and the next VIP is trying to check in his whole family by himself! She looks at him and is like Sir, I need everyone here to check in I can't just take the birth certificates without seeing them. To be honest at first I was like you are VIP and don't know that? Then common sense kicked in and as she was putting his sail and sign cards back up and I saw they were the blue ones which means first time on Carnival, VIP by room category.....so I can understand if he has never cruised before. So then we go and are out the door in like 2 seconds flat so that part was great, but everything else was a mess. I was very surprised at this check in...it was our first VIP and we heard such good things about this port, but they just were not on their A game during the time we were checking in...oh well everyone has a bad day every now and then. Unlike some people, we were not going to let the bag and check in issue ruin the cruise it was just a hiccup and all in all it took us about 30 mins to get on the ship (still great time) and we were stepping on the ship at 12pm. As we get on I noticed that the rooms were already open for us! Sweet! We head down and as I pass the room we were suppose to have my DW said "Where are you he going?". I then told her about the upsell then and she loved it! We got in and dropped off our carry on "plastic bag" that the security guy gave us for our stuff, read over the platinum perks paper and head up to Lido. We both had the Mongolian Wok and it was awesome. We then went back to the room and hung out on the balcony until the muster drill. After the drill some more balcony on sail away and we just stayed out there until dinner. We had Anytime Dinning so we headed out around 5:45 and got there just after they opened. Very quick to get seated and I had the marinated pork chop steak and DW the tilapia. Finished it off with key lime pie for me and warm chocolate melting cake for DW. While everyone else was at dinner we went to the Serenity Deck and just chilled in the hot tub and watched the sun set as we sailed off towards the Bahamas! Day 2 I was up early, like normal, and snuck out on the balcony with my iPad and camera. I messed around on the iPad and took a few morning shots until DW got up and then we head out for breakfast....nothing too fancy just Lido grub and it was good. We then spent the rest of the morning on the balcony as we headed into Nassau. We docked around 12pm and DW and I headed out around 12:30 to avoid the crowds. We did not do much as this was the 3rd time being here and we were going for a relaxing day. Did a little shopping and hung out at Senior Frogs watching the 18 - 20 year olds make fools of themselves since they were legal to drink. Pretty darn funny! DW and I both had "The Yard" so we were not feeling too much pain either! We headed back to the ship around 4pm and were very surprised to see the plate of chocolate delights sitting in the room! I was under the impression these were only given on 5 day or longer cruises well it was nice! We then took a nap so we could make it to the Mexican Buffett that night. Tonight was formal night and we got little dressed up....DW a nice dress and I had slacks and a dress shirt and tie. We both had the strawberry bisque and lobster and DW had banana cake and I had the warm chocolate melting cake. After dinner we headed back to the room to change back into casual clothes and found our Platinum gifts waiting. We both got the pin and both got the backpack. We then did a little shopping on board and headed to the late showing of the show "Curves". Not a bad performance. This show was a more Vegas style so there was a lot of skin and feathers in the costumes for both male and female performers. After the show we headed up to the Mexican Buffett and had.....Mexican! My DW loves the pineapple salsa so she dug into that's and I had a little bean and chicken tostada. Also I had a double shot of rum in one of those suvinear blinking shot glasses and DW had a coconut monkey Bahama Mama we turned in after that! Day 3 Today was the last day we got up late and did Lido again for breakfast then hung out on the balcony until the slot tournament. We used our platinum perk to gain entry for free and suffered a heart breaking defeat, but it was still fun! We grabbed a light lunch from the deli because we were doing the Chef's Table for dinner and did not want to be full. After lunch we hung out on our balcony againg until the rain drove us inside. We decided to go to the spa for about an hour and enjoy the steam rooms and saunas then we headed back to the room to chill for a little while before the Chef's Table! So here comes the Chef's Table review......it was AWESOME end of story. Worth every penny as so many others have said. We met at the lobby bar and was greeted by the chef and then escorted to the galley. Upon arrival the Chef gave us several facts about how the galley works and the estimated meals prepared as well as some facts about specific dishes. When then had champagne and the reception appetizers. First round was the Parmesan Core & Olive and Chorizo & Date Piquillo Sofrito Next Focaccia, Mascarpone Cream & Prosciutto Crudo and Langoustine & Sundried Tomato Jam Fritters After that he took us to the pastry area where they showed us how they make the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake and then did a walking tour of the back side of the galley. We then proceeded to the Library where the table was set up for the main meal. Before we started we had a group picture with the Chef which he signed and we all got copies near the end of dinner. The first course was Tomatoes Our Way! And I must say this was my favorite not just the chilled tomatoes with the Coco butter, but the best for me was the chilled tomato covered with white chocolate. I would have never thought it would taste good with that combo, but boy I would have been wrong. It was delicious! Next Tuna Banh Mi. I am not a big fish San, but again the way this was prepared was awesome. It even had a little wasabi to motive it a kick! And the sesame crisp gave it a crunch and a taste of sweetness! The Cornish Hen was next and again just great The Bavarois was interesting. It was a cold pea and apple soup mixed with greens so it was kind of a soup and salad combo Salmon was up next and again it was very good the thing that got me was the Condensed Beets. The Chef said they make a big paste and crisp it up like paper then roll it and serve it....just a fabulous crunch and sweetness. The last meal before desert was Wagyu and it had been slow roasted for 4 hours before served and it just melted in your mouth. The potatoes were awesome they had a little crunch on the outside and then soft like mashed potatoes inside and DW loved the Pumpkin Fudge Desert was the Chef in a Candy Shop which had 27 flavors on the plate from chocolate to raspberry mousse. There were almond cookies coco dust, carrot dust just a load of different things. Durning the dinner we also had a table magician come in and he was funny and good! To drink with dinner you had bottles water, sparkling water and a red and white wine...and yes it is unlimited and I can say no one at the table stuck with just 1 glass! I had 6 glasses (not full to the brim half glasses so really 3 full glasses) and I by no means was in the lead with wine consumption! All in all we had a great time and with out a doubt we will do it again. Oh and I do want to mention something about children at the Chefs Table...I saw nothing about an age limit, but having a 9 year old myself I can tell you it is not for young kids. My daughter would have been board and asking "when can we go" within 30 minutes so I would suggest this is a meal for older kids who can deal with a slow long dinner. After dinner we headed back to the room and packed put our bag out then turned in for the night. Day 4 Well this is the end.....up at 7:30am had a quick breakfast then head to the Michelangelo Lounge for VIP priority debarkation. We sat there until they were done with self assist and a little after 9am we were off the ship and on the bus to go back to Park N Cruise. Car was fine and we headed back to Tampa. In the end it was a great cruise and I have to give a shot out to Leonardo our room stewart and Kadek our waiter. Both were awesome for the short time we we aboard.

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Booked this cruise during spring vacation week with my daughter for her 16th birthday. I booked the least expensive cabin and I'm glad I did because I didn't have a problem with the room, but mostly with the food and one of the ports. First, the food: I think it is about par with my work cafeteria food, though the buffet is just gross, I recommend doing the sit down meal whenever possible. At least the food hasn't been sitting out. We did anytime seating which worked out well for us only had to wait less than 20 minutes two of the nights. Thankfully, this wasn't a romantic cruise because the tables for two are about 2 feet (or less) apart. I just found the food bland and very, very average. Absolutely nothing to rave about. The food service was OK. We had one waiter for the last two nights and he was wonderful, but everyone else was forgettable. The bar service took forever in the dining room. My daughter did love the pizza at the 24-hour pizza station, but there was always a line. Which brings me to my next peeve: Waiting in line. It seems you waste half the cruise waiting: for embarkment, for disembarkment, for food, for elevators. We took the stairs as much as possible. Another problem, in my opinion, was the lack of free fitness classes. Only two free classes, 7am abs and 7:30am stretching. They also had yoga and spinning for $12. The gym was nice, though, but nowhere to stretch if the fitness room was in use for a class, which was pretty much all morning. We took advantage of all the portrait studios, but alas, the lighting was off in almost all the pictures. These are not professional photographers. I think the outdoor ones leaving the ship at port came out better. Now Ports-of-Call: We went to Freeport and Nassau. I have absolutely NO IDEA why the cruise line stops in Freeport. It was a dump. They had warned us (on the boat) that the port was not very "pretty". That was an understatement. So, we took a wild, 20 minute cab riding (after waiting forever for them to "fill up the bus" to Junkanoo Beach Club. It was very unremarkable. I wish we had just stayed on the ship. Nassau was much, much better and I wish we had just docked there for two days. The day at sea was OK, but I would've liked to have seen more fun outdoor activities. I don't want to sit inside when it's beautiful out. I would've liked to seen a DJ on deck during the day to dance. I admit it was difficult to find things that both my daughter and I could do together. Although she's mature, she was not allowed at the Serenity deck because she was under 21. She was also not allowed at the dance club because it was 18+. So, we were in our cabin sleeping every night by 10:30. I admit that maybe I'm just not into cruising, but the last cruise I took the food was amazing and the food on Carnival Sensation was like cafeteria food. Sorry, Carnival, I won't be cruising with you again.

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We chose this cruise as a relaxation cruise and a getaway for just me and the wife. Were also trying to get to Platinum before Carnival changes so with this cruise and The Dream coming up after summer we should make it, as long as Carnival doesn't change by then. We don't usual fly in the day of the cruise but with this being a short one we did just that. At The Orlando Airport you will have to go to Level 1 where you will find the desk for Carnival just past car rentals, checking in we were told the bus would be there in 20 minutes just outside, and it was. Once we left the airport it was only about 50 minutes to get to the port. This wasn't bad but when you arrive, if your traveling with someone whose handicapped you just need to ask a porter, and they will get someone to assist you. This we did not know and my Wife who can not walk long distances had to walk. It was only after the fact did we find this out. Embarkation went very smooth and we were on The Sensation by 1130AM heading for lunch on the lido deck. The Sensation is holding up very well despite her age we did find many workers cleaning painting through out the cruise. Now the problems The Sensation is and can be very hard to maneuver a wheel chair around.So just beware, the one thing i did find was that to get to The Serenity area there is a ramp but you have to go through Plaza Aft Lounge, that is if you have someone in a wheelchair, i did not know this until we went exploring. The rest of the ship is what i like to call Carnival's WOW FACTOR yes it is true the ship will have you singing Purple Rain. I mean the ship is very PURPLE. We also found out they DO NOT sell future cruise certificate's on this ship there is 3 in The Carnival Fleet and this is one of them we were told TO BAD can not help you. I have our PVP looking into some way to buy one for our next cruise she told me she will let us know what happens. Our fellow passengers well all i can say is it was kids running a muck, a lot of people whom seem to have indulge a little to much. Night time on the Lido we witnessed kids just running all over the place and no SERCURITY no ADULTS to supervise. The food was typical Carnival from the lunch to the dinner all around it was good. Our cabin was on Main deck we were port side 4 back from the middle elevator's and the noise was not to bad. John our steward did a excellent job he even came u to tell he was short on towels and we would have them in the afternoon, he kept hie promise. Well to sum it up it was not a bad cruise The Fantasy Class of ships is a little confusing if you have not been on one. Trying to push a wheel chair around one is a battle in itself, and if you want to get into a lounge you better go super early, oh yes they have spots marked for the handicapped, but they fill up fast with just regular people, and when you asked them to move the just look at you. Three days is just not enough i would not mind doing another Fantasy Class but it is going to be 4 days or more

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For a quick trip it was ok, and a good introduction for someone who has never cruised before. Getting to the ship was not too bad however I would not use Laura's Transportation Service again. They did not get us to the ship when we requested to get there although the driver did try going 90 mph down the road. Then we had to wonder at a company that employs people that it can't trust to use the "E-pass" or "sun pass" and abuse it. the driver had to stop at all tolls and pay them himself ensuring he got recpts so he would get repaid. Upon our return the dispatcher argued w/ me and my husband quoting policy and terms on our contract. Ten minutes after we were sup to have left the terminal, the driver made a second loop because he didn't want to go back to Orlando w/ just my husband and I. When my husband asked him about this and was told I gotta do it man, My husband pulled out our copy of their promises and contract saying that we leave the port by 10 and a second trip would be made at 1145. The driver told my husband to call the boss but he was doing a second loop. Then the dispatcher told my husband that he was a liar and that he was never told anything about leaving the port by 10, when it is clearly printed on our recpt. Then after the driver waited for another 10 min and was getting ready to close the doors a woman comes running out and holds up the bus while the other 10 people in her party are still in baggage area and haven't cleared customs yet. This sparked another argument between my husband and the driver and next thing we know our bags are out of the bus and loaded into another transportation companies and we are being told that someone else is taking us to our hotel in Orlando. This did turn out to be a good thing since the driver was prompt courteous and completely professional in her driving. She did not race down the highway and did not have to pull over for the toll booths. The Sensation is a smaller ship than the 2 I have previously sailed on and getting around can be a bit tricky. The Serenity deck can be overlooked by the dining decks above and of course there are never enough chairs on that deck. There were kids in areas that were sup to be kid free zones like the Casino and then sitting at the bar drinking from Mom and Dads adult beverages. The service in the dining rooms was slow. Not enjoy yourself slow but waiting for almost 10 minutes before your head waiter greets you slow. We tried it once for dinner and once for breakfast and never went back. Not to mention when we were leaving the dining room after breakfast I was almost knocked over by a waiter and no apologies came from him, he just kept on going. On the positive side our room steward Tennyson was awesome! He brought our luggage into our room for us instead of leaving it outside the door, answered all of our questions. He even fixed our towel animal after my husband had decapitated it. We did excursions at both ports and I highly recommend them both (12.5 mile bike ride in Freeport and the catamaran sail and snorkel in Nassau) the only downside to the ports is that the towns close down at 6 even though the ship is in port all night in Nassau.

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Took a chance on the smaller / cheaper Carnival Sensation. The ship is dated from the lackluster Casino and under utilized night clubs. This is strictly for families. The single crowd was not present on this cruise. The directors Chris & Laura were on the TV alot but really did not mix among the "people" to make it memorable. The last evening the open bar was a nice touch in the lounge for an hour...but they could have mixed to get feedback from people. The Serenity deck needs to be expanded and perhaps live music on this deck would be an improvment. The live music overall was good but they had little room to perform most of the time. Night life was weak and they made little effort to get people mixing with one other. It would be nice to create a Sports Bar as there are scattered TV's without much effort to showcase any games even during playoffs. The families seemed satisfied and the kids do have fun. The ship is clean and the staff was friendly. Freeport is forgettable / not worth getting off the boat. Overall, a dated ship without much fun for singles. Pay more for a modern ship. Will do better research in futre.

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