Grand Suites on Carnival Sensation

We are considering a grand suite on the Sensation. These all have verandahs, correct? What makes them different from a regular verandah cabin on this ship? Thank you in advance.

A larger cabin (almost double the size of a standard balcony room), a balcony about 50% larger, a mini-fridge, a whirlpool tub, a walk-in closet, priority boarding and debarkation and a couch.

330 sq.ft. room, verses about 150 or 185 sq.ft. room of a standard room. It's 150 with an actual measurement, 185 according to Carnival, who don't actually measure. I don't know if the 330 is accurate or not. The balcony is 70 sq.ft. instead of the standard 35 sq.ft. So the balcony is double the size & the room is either slightly more or less than double the size.

The Extended Grand Suites (category ES) have balconies that are twice as deep as a Grand Suite, so those balconies are about 140 sq.ft.

I know this is relative but is the grand suite 'worth it?' Is it that much better? Does it make the experience that much better?

Again, I know that's relative to what you look for in a cruise. I'm considering a grand suite on the Sensation and want to know if it really makes or breaks the experience.

Thank you!

I loved my grand suite on fascination. Would do again in a minute, but we had 5 people. Probably would not pay extra for just two people. Room was huge.

The grand suite was the same price as an aft balcony so we booked it. :) We've never booked a suite before so we'll enjoy this opportunity and the extra room.

We were in U90 on Sensation last week and loved it -- the comfort and space was worth it. The only thing I didn't like was the Steward team --

We have also done 2 of them and loved them! There is a lot of room and have a nice balcony. Would for sure book one again.

Can't wait...have an extended on Fascination in October. Traveling with three small children, I think the space will be worth the cost.

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Very nice room with a large balcony, but not worth the $$ for 2 passengers. Cabin stewards were so so. :(

We sailed in Grand Suites twice but on the Conquest. To us the extra space and large balcony was worth it.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'm going to book one. It's just me and my two sons taking the cruise. They're 7 and 5. I think the extra space would be great for them. My husband is going to hate that he has to work that week! Thanks again.

Just be careful not to book a modified Grand Suite (Handicap). I was in U69 and it was awful. See the thread below for details.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1722084

I've sailed on 5 Carnival cruises. The first one was in an outside cabin. Then the next 3 cruises were in Grand Suites. The suites are definitely much larger than a standard cabin and the big bathroom was great. On my last cruise, we were in a standard balcony cabin and my wife and I decided after that that there really wasn't any reason to spend the extra money on the Grand Suite. If there are 4 of you in the cabin, you might want that extra room though.

Just be careful not to book a modified Grand Suite (Handicap). I was in U69 and it was awful. See the thread below for details.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1722084

Oh yes, if you are not handicap I HIGHLY recommend not getting a handicap room regardless of the category, at least on the Sensation. We were upgraded to a higher category Oceanview room last year for $50 and thought we had made a steal. However the bathroom had no lip for the shower to accommodate a wheel chair, hence every time we showered there was water ALL over the floor, to the point where we were brushing our teeth in standing water.

Water would move from one side of the bathroom to the other (around the toilet) because the drain was near the door. I can see why some people think this ok but quite frankly it was disgusting. The room steward did a fantastic job of getting it soaked up each time he came in but it was still an inconvenience each shower. I recommend making sure it is not a handicap accessible stateroom before booking it.

My wife & I have sailed on Carnival twice and had a GS both times.

The priority boarding and extra room were well worth extra cost.

Booked a GS on the Dream in 2014.

Guess we are suite snobs :D