Chickenlover8

DAY ONE, exploring and quick food

The ship was fairly easy to navigate. All of the quick grab food is on the same deck. I guess I can comment on the quick food at this point. You know I love GUYS. It was hard to try other things at lunchtime for us. We did grab a few things from the buffet for lunch and breakfast one time, and we didn't really care for the buffet food. We just really liked sitting in the Main Dining Room for breakfast and dinner. We did go to the buffet for the soft serve ice cream, and I went nightly to grab some cheese and deli meats for a later night snack. The deli made really good sandwiches. I had a grilled reuben a few times, and it was very hot and fresh. We did not try the Pizza place or the Blue Iguana. I'll talk about the Main Dining Room tomorrow.

We spent plenty of time admiring the views of the Miami skyline. It really is breathtaking and makes for some really great photos. We got acquainted with where the waterslides were, mini golf, dining room, and shopping areas were. The ship is fairly small and by the second day, we knew where everything was. My only complaint about the ship is the smell of smoke everywhere. Even though it's only allowed in certain areas, you can smell stagnant cigarette smoke in all of the hallways, but luckily, not in our room. It kinda took away from paradise a little :loudcry:

The emergency drill muster wasn't too bad. Didn't take as long as I thought, and then we went to the front of the ship for departure. Make sure you are outside when the ship leaves. It was really fun looking at all of the multi million dollar homes and yachts as we cruised by, and getting to see the beach as we floated away. It is one of my favorite memories of the trip :hearteyes:

Day one, finally on the ship!

We were starving, so we headed straight for the Lido deck, which greeted us with loud, fun music and people everywhere :) The partying was in full swing already and there was no place to sit already. We decided on Guy's Burgers, and it really does live up to the hype. I am a cheeseburger girl. Everywhere I go, I order my cheeseburger. These were the best burgers we have ever eaten. Every burger was finished like it was our last meal :') It became our afternoon date. Even though there was no seating outside, we went past Guys and there is a nice hallway (air conditioned too) with tables. We ended up having lunch out there every day because it was quiet and cool.

Next we headed to our room. We booked an inside stateroom, and we absolutely loved our little cave :hearteyes: It was big enough for the two of us. THe beds were super comfy and the gentle rocking at night helped me sleep like a baby. I have never slept so well in all my adult life :) We were surprised by the bathroom. It was good size, and the shower was nice and hot, and very powerful. We both liked the smell of the shampoo and the shower gel. I miss that shower now that I'm back home to well water :') The room was super clean and not run down at all. It was surprisingly quiet at night, and well insulated to noise in the hallway. I am a very light sleeper and never had to put in any earplugs, which made me very happy.

Bellies full, and unpacked, we headed out to explore the ship.

DAY ONE, airport and arrival:

We flew into FLL and arrived one hour early. We purchased FTTF, and were excited to get to the ship early so we grabbed our carry on luggage and headed straight outside. Well, FLL has POOR cell phone and WIFI service. After wasting almost a half hour walking around outside looking for a signal, I finally tracked down some help. There is one random section of the airport that you can connect to the airport WIFI where it will work. I was finally able to bring up my UBER app, and he picked us up within five minutes. We ended up arriving at our scheduled time. The cost one way for both of us was $38.

About 12:30, we were at the terminal. It was very overwhelming for us first time cruisers, so we kept asking for help. The people outside were not very friendly or helpful. They just pointed, and off we went. Once inside, we had our bags screened and our IDs and passes checked. After that, we were on the Lido deck within five minutes! I was amazed at how quickly we went through!

so...how do I put pictures on this thread? :o Lol, I thought I could just do it through Google photos, but I guess not :'):')

Looking forward to reading and enjoying your review!!

THank you for reading. I hope I can do the Sensation justice and help people in making a decision :)

Pre-planning is always the fun part for me. I'm a crazy planner. I decided I didn't want to deal with checked luggage and I'm so glad we stuck with carry on luggage. I bought some really cute wheeled bags off Groupon for Twenty dollars each, and they were rugged and perfect for both the flight and getting on and off the ship quickly. Saved a few hours in all, and I will do it again next time.

I packed conditioner and sunscreen in small 3 oz containers, and the usual little things in clear pouches. The ship provides dispensers of shower gel and shampoo, plus two bars of soap. I ordered a great travel fan off Amazon which has come on several trips with us, and I also bought a new extension cord with the plugs for phones built in. That is a must have in your stateroom! I also packed sea bands and some Dramamine just in case, but luckily, we never needed it.

THe only thing I ordered ahead of time was a big bottle of water for 3 dollars, and I'm glad I did. It was just nice to have in the room at night when you're thirsty and dont' feel like walking up to the Lido deck for a drink. I also bought both my daughter and myself the Social Wifi Package. It was a lifesaver! I was able to text my husband through facebook messenger and share pictures. My daughter went off on her own with friends she made on the trip, and we stayed in constant contact through snapchat. It was very inexpensive, wifi was great about 95 percent of the time, and only slowed a few times. I would highly recommend this package.

We did purchase FTTF and I'm so glad we did! I think our checkin time was noon, and our flight was coming in to FLL around eleven so I was excited to get right on the ship after a short drive from FLL. After much research, I went with using Uber both ways. Much cheaper than the ship's shuttle offer, and super easy to use. It was my first time using Uber, so I was a little nervous, but I would definitely use them again :)

During the last week of February, my 12 yo daughter and I took a girls only, 5 day Western Caribbean cruise. We left out of Miami, and visited Ocho Rios and Georgetown, Grand Cayman. It was our first ever cruise, and we heard many mixed reviews of the old Miss Sensation. She's run down. The purple is garish. The food was blah. There was nothing to do. And the list went on while researching for this trip.

I am happy to say we thought the ship was quite beautiful. The purple had an interesting vibe, and depending on the time of day, it always looked different to me. I thought it was really pretty and colorful myself :) I was impressed with the cleanliness of all areas. People were working at all hours of the night to clean the ship and it showed. The food was outstanding, and I will get to that later. I say outstanding, especially because my daughter is so fussy! For her to be happy every night, was a huge success on Carnival's part! There were lots of things offered for activities, not all of them my thing, but there if you wanted it. I will also get into that soon. My hope is to write a little at a time and try to figure out how to add some pictures. I look forward to any questions you may have :)

I'm kicking myself right now because I waited so long to print my documents for the cruise. I guess I assumed since I have a passport for her, I wouldn't need a letter. My ex works on the road and I haven't gotten a response from him yet...so I don't think I will be getting a letter before I leave. So if I cannot present a letter, we have to go home? :loudcry:

I am leaving in four days for our cruise! While reading through info, I came across the traveling with a minor section. It says if you are alone with your child without other parent present, you need a letter from them giving permission?

Is Snapchat included as part of the social wifi plan? There's a picture of it on the carnival website, but it is not listed as one of the apps you can access. :confused:

Rum point sounds beautiful, but looks tricky to get to. I saw a post that people took a catamaran to get there? Is this something you must book in advance? Any info is appreciated. We are looking to explore on our own(y):):)

We leave in 6 days and hoping for great weather in Grand Cayman! We decided to not do an excursion, instead jumping on a bus and getting lunch somewhere that is on a decent beach ( or one within walking distance). I've read about calico Jack's, but I'm looking for other recommendations. It will be myself and my 12 year old.

This is great advice, thank you! We bought early bird, and have only carry on luggage. But I was wondering how to get through security. I didn't realize you could do it on your phone :D:D:)

We leave in 9 days on the Sensation. We are flying Southwest, and are wondering if there's a place onboard to print out boarding passes for the flight home?

don't worry, even private excursions are refundable if the ship does not port. About a week out check www.windguru.com best nautical weather app

This is interesting...how do you interpret the results?

Kmom, quick question...you used fttf right? Did you say you get OFF the boat earlier if you purchase this? 28 days to go for us :cool:

I have the weather channel app so I can see the weather for the ports we are visiting, but curious if there's an app that shows the weather while you're traveling on the ocean, that might tell you about winds and the like?

Hello again Chicken Lover. Your message made me smile. Darn right you are to enjoy the precious gift of special time with your daughter!! Weather schmeather, little details like that don’t get in our way, especially when we’re busy turning these moments into wonderful memories. I hope you’ll let us know how it turns out for you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I will write a review...but it definitely won't be as witty as yours :D

Very interesting! I will leave passports in safe, and bring my driver's license...but what about my daughter? Does a student ID work?

Is the one outlet in the room a three prong? Making sure my strip will fit, thanks!

My first cruise leaves in 35 days. I was wondering when you need your passport? Do you take it with you when you get off in the different ports? If not, is there a safe in the room?

Also, I know to bring an extension cord of some sort to plug in extra phones. We use a fan for noise...is there a desk or something next to an inside stateroom bed to place a fan on?

Anything you can recommend for first time advice? It's just me and my 13 yo daughter :)

Thanks again for your amazing review. We are 35 days out from our Sensation vacation and all my worries are gone. The fact that you were cold and rough weathered, and still had a great time gives me hope. I gave been so worried about bad weather. I am going to take on your attitude of fun no matter what and enjoy the special time with my daughter :)

Kmom, this is great! My 12 yo daughter and I are doing a solo trip on the sensation in February, but going to Jamaica and grand Cayman. It's our first cruise, and we figured we'd start small. We are Disney fanatics, traveling there every year since she was three, and thought we'd try something different. Our first stays we're the Poly, WL, and AKL. Our last stay was at pop century and we hated every minute of it. Once you stay at the best, it's hard to go value. Which is why we are starting with the sensation first for cruising. I look forward to hearing all about it and seeing your pictures. I am enjoying your story so far :D