Had a Sensation-al time

We just got off the Sensation about 3 hours ago. I’m writing this as we sit in FLL waiting to fly home. This was a trip with just my son and I for his college graduation. Let’s just get this out of the way up front. Surprisingly to me, this was the absolute best cruise I have been on. Taking a hurricane season cruise is always a gamble and this time it paid off. We had calm seas and blue skies for the entire trip. This ship is old. If shiny and new is important to you this may not be for you. We have sailed different lines, different Carnival ships at different times of the year and this cruise blew all of them away. We were offered an up sell 5 days prior to a mid ship balcony from an outside cabin. It was a great deal and I’m glad I opted in. We typically always get a balcony, but didn’t to start because it was just my son and I. We were on Empress deck (deck 7). We were just down from the atrium which made getting from our room to the YTD MDR super easy and convenient. Never a wait to get seated in the MDR. The service in the MDR was terrific. We were always taken care of. Our room steward serviced our room twice a day with no issues.

The food was typical cruise food. The late night buffet was a go to. Guy’s, Blue Iguana, the Pizza Pirate were all good. What set this cruise apart from previous was the willingness of the passengers to participate in everything, making the whole vibe fun and electric. This doesn’t happen without a great CD. We have never been overly impressed with any CD we have had in the past until this cruise. Kevin was on point. He was energetic and engaged. He got the party started, but it was never over the top. It was what you would expect on a Carnival ship, but it was done in a way that even if you aren’t the party animal you felt just as at home. I know this because you will not find me on stage wobbling. The vibe he provided this cruise was better than any I’ve ever been on. Kudos to him for that.

We experienced none of the horror stories that I had read about prior to sailing. Our room was smaller than most of the others we have been in, but clean and functional. The public areas were clean and the staff friendly.

I can only speak to our experiences, not to anyone else’s. Everyone has different opinions and sensibilities, but this cruise was the new benchmark others will be judged by.

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I truly enjoyed your wonderful, enthusiastic review. Glad you and your son had a great time.

Thanks for posting, and happy sailing.

We just got off the Sensation about 3 hours ago. I’m writing this as we sit in FLL waiting to fly home. This was a trip with just my son and I for his college graduation. Let’s just get this out of the way up front. Surprisingly to me, this was the absolute best cruise I have been on. Taking a hurricane season cruise is always a gamble and this time it paid off. We had calm seas and blue skies for the entire trip. This ship is old. If shiny and new is important to you this may not be for you. We have sailed different lines, different Carnival ships at different times of the year and this cruise blew all of them away. We were offered an up sell 5 days prior to a mid ship balcony from an outside cabin. It was a great deal and I’m glad I opted in. We typically always get a balcony, but didn’t to start because it was just my son and I. We were on Empress deck (deck 7). We were just down from the atrium which made getting from our room to the YTD MDR super easy and convenient. Never a wait to get seated in the MDR. The service in the MDR was terrific. We were always taken care of. Our room steward serviced our room twice a day with no issues.

 

The food was typical cruise food. The late night buffet was a go to. Guy’s, Blue Iguana, the Pizza Pirate were all good. What set this cruise apart from previous was the willingness of the passengers to participate in everything, making the whole vibe fun and electric. This doesn’t happen without a great CD. We have never been overly impressed with any CD we have had in the past until this cruise. Kevin was on point. He was energetic and engaged. He got the party started, but it was never over the top. It was what you would expect on a Carnival ship, but it was done in a way that even if you aren’t the party animal you felt just as at home. I know this because you will not find me on stage wobbling. The vibe he provided this cruise was better than any I’ve ever been on. Kudos to him for that.

 

We experienced none of the horror stories that I had read about prior to sailing. Our room was smaller than most of the others we have been in, but clean and functional. The public areas were clean and the staff friendly.

 

I can only speak to our experiences, not to anyone else’s. Everyone has different opinions and sensibilities, but this cruise was the new benchmark others will be judged by.

 

 

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In 90+ cruises, Kevin Donohue is my all-time favorite. The most fun, most energetic, nicest cruise director - EVER!

Good for you.

So glad to read your review and happy to see you had a wonderful time. I'm getting excited to board the Sensation this Saturday with 2 girlfriends who have never cruised before. I've heard great things about the CD Kevin, so I hope he's still CD when we go. Thanks for your great review & congrats to your son on his college graduation!!!

Sailing first week in November and glad to hear about your experience. How does Carnival do the upgrade offer?

Sailing first week in November and glad to hear about your experience. How does Carnival do the upgrade offer?

It’s a metric that I don’t understand regarding upsell offers. I’ve been on 8 cruises and have been offered reasonable upsells twice which I took and one that I deemed not to be a good deal and refused. My guess is I had booked a room that was a desirable category and offered me an upgrade at a cost where they could make money for both cabins.

Sailing first week in November and glad to hear about your experience. How does Carnival do the upgrade offer?

As someone else mentioned, one of the reasons is you may be in a room that is easier for Carnival to sell. The three times I have accepted an upsell was when I booked an interior room and was offered a balcony at a price that was significantly lower than the current price of a balcony on their website. I assume these upsells were based on a lot of balcony rooms being available along with not too many interior rooms being available.