Need your input for Carnival SENSATION 2018

Hey Everybody!

We will be a first time cruisers in July. We are going to be on the Carnival SENSATION. We have a grand suite (U103) from Miami to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman. Can you guys, please, tell me what to expect. If you stayed in the cabin, let me know what you thought. Can you tell me about the Wi-Fi services, is it worth it to purchase the Wi-Fi plans? On island, are there any CHEAP or FREE things to do once there? How's the service on the ship? When it comes to ship, what's there to do on the ship , activities etc? Also, what about phone service, what did u guys do, did you purchase an intl plan, use roaming, or went without? And any other info that I am not thinking off. So Thank you all in advance. All input is greatly appreciated. Nervous and don't know what to expect.

Again, thank you all!

Sensation is one of the older, smaller ships. I cruised on her in 2011, and it was a lackluster experience. You'd be better off switching to a larger ship with more to do. I haven't been on a Carnival cruise since 2011 when we switched to Royal, but the service then was mediocre and I know the food has gone downhill considerable. Carnival's cabins are slightly larger than Royal, and the fact you are in a GS helps.

Being that it is your first cruise, you have nothing to compare it to, so I would say go and have fun. If you can switch to a different ship however, I would highly recommend.

My wife used the Social plan for Internet on our last cruise. She was able to use FB messenger to keep in touch with people at home. On the ship we use the Hub app and add the messaging feature, it's $5 per person, but you can message throughout the ship. There should be plenty of live music, trivia, shows and other activities. There will also be Bingo and the Casino. There is a small shopping area right by the port at Ocho Rios, but I don't recall any beaches close by. We took an excursion to Dunn's River Falls. I haven't been to Grand Cayman.

We've generally found the food on Carnival to be pretty good, we particularly like the new port day breakfast menu in the Dining Room.

First off Welcome to Cruise Critic where all the information you receive here is accurate and correct. Each individual thinks that much anyway .

Second of all get excited your going on a cruise ! Chances are you're already excited :p

Fantasy class ships are great starters for the new cruiser . My recommendation would be to start with the Sensation and then try a few more fantasy class then move up to the larger ships. You build excitement as you experience each class.

We enjoyed our times on Sensation and would easily sail on her again.

You guy's are in for a wonderful treat , Enjoy !

They said they did a total remodel of the ship earlier this year or late last year. And gave us the grand suite for ocean view price. Lol.

We were going to go with premium one, but if they have Wi-Fi throughout ship and fb on social plan, I don't think we will.

You have to pay for a wifi package to get wifi throughout the ship. You can download the HUB app before you leave for free and it will have all the ship related stuff on it (and it updates, lets you mark favorites to be reminded of from the schedule and all sorts of stuff related to your cruise.). The HUB app also has a messaging component you can use to communicate with others on the ship who have the messaging component. That is 5 dollars a device. It works reasonably well. Not perfect but I would give it a 4 out 5 on the reliability scale. Separate from that you can purchase a wifi package that will allow you to use your regular social networking sites (social) or surf the web and get your email (regular or premium). I can tell you the wifi is really quite bad on all carnival ships (except maybe the Vista). If you don't need it to communicate with folks back home or work, don't spend the money. I am sure you can find someplace in port to connect to much better wifi.

Sorry,This ship is gross.....You get what you paid for.......The best part was the islands....This ship needs to get put to rest.....I cruise alot with Carnival.....But this ship makes you feel gross and dirty,I dont care if I got the penthouse for free,I would not go....Sorry Carnival but it is what it is ???? Trailer trash....Best of luck,I would seriously rethink it.First Cruise on this ship!!!! Would leave a bad taste for me and I would never cruise again.....

Hey Everybody!

 

We will be a first time cruisers in July. We are going to be on the Carnival SENSATION. We have a grand suite (U103) from Miami to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman. Can you guys, please, tell me what to expect. If you stayed in the cabin, let me know what you thought. Can you tell me about the Wi-Fi services, is it worth it to purchase the Wi-Fi plans? On island, are there any CHEAP or FREE things to do once there? How's the service on the ship? When it comes to ship, what's there to do on the ship , activities etc? Also, what about phone service, what did u guys do, did you purchase an intl plan, use roaming, or went without? And any other info that I am not thinking off. So Thank you all in advance. All input is greatly appreciated. Nervous and don't know what to expect.

 

Again, thank you all!

Sensation and all the Fantasy class ships are wonderful to sail. Older yes, but you still get most of the amenities found on newer ships but in a more intimate setting with around 2,200 people. Service is better because there are fewer people and the ship is the perfect size without feeling cluttered. You won't be disappointed. If you're a drinking ensure you bring enough cash/credit ($300-$500) to enjoy yourself because there's nothing worse than rationing booze for the week!

Enjoy it and welcome to cruising!

We were on it in Feb.The ship is i great shape and we had the most fun out of our 4 with carnival.

This ship is definitely smaller than most, but I wouldn't call it "gross". Service was great and it was very clean. Not a ton to do though, but that was fine for our situation. If sailing with young kids, I would reconsider. I think you will have a great time.

I tell everyone, do not judge the ship by the first day, EVERYTHING is very crowded. The Lido deck is nutts and not a true reflection of how it will be for the remainder of the cruise. We had a hard time with the WIFI working, but may have been cabin location. Enjoy!! Welcome to cruising.

Hello welcome to cruisecritic and cruising! I recently got off the Sensation and had a great time. I’ve been on a lot of ships big and small. This is one of the smaller ones but it was good. Had a great time for a long weekend. It’s really what you make of it. I go on vacation to have a great time and try not to let the little things bother me. Enjoy the Sensation, she’s still a great ship! Check out my review with pictures.

Sensation Review - June 28th - July 2nd

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2653138

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We cruised on her in 2016 and 2017. We had a great time. The only thing I missed on this ship was the Dive-In movies. You will LOVE your grand suite. The cabin has a lot of room. If you have the chance to upgrade to the extended balcony, go for it. They are awesome. We loved the music in the atrium. Every available space on every level is packed and everyone sings, laughs and has a great time. Enjoy your cruise!

edit to add: In 2016, my son was studying for his CPA and we bought the premium internet plan. It was horrible. There was a lot of buffering.

When you say July do you mean 2018 as in already went now? Or next year? As others have noted Sensation is one of the oldest, smallest "mainstream" (i.e. budget mass-market) cruise ships. Since it's your first I would say it's a good first cruise. It really depends what kind of traveler you are. The ship and clientele are not what you would call luxury or up-market. However it's a very solid vacation for the price, and we had a great time. You can see excellent photos on the Cruise Critic main review page for this ship. They are accurate.

It's hard to give more details without knowing what you like. For some people this ship is everything they love, and as you can see from just the few comments, for others it's a bust. If you can think of specific questions or the things you are nervous about, go ahead and ask and plenty of people will try to help (and a few others will chime in to warn you to run away).

UPDATE

We loved the trip! We just returned and it was great. Food, entertainment, staff, and boat was good. Only thing that I did not like was the cabin bathroom. The tub came up to my thigh and we had to jump in. Once in we were just inches from the ceiling. Lol! cruise director / entertainer Orlando was awesome. We had so much fun. Thanks everybody for your input.

UPDATE

 

We loved the trip! We just returned and it was great. Food, entertainment, staff, and boat was good. Only thing that I did not like was the cabin bathroom. The tub came up to my thigh and we had to jump in. Once in we were just inches from the ceiling. Lol! cruise director / entertainer Orlando was awesome. We had so much fun. Thanks everybody for your input.

Thank you for posting your update! My BFF and I will be cruising on the Sensation in Sept. and some of the above posts made me a little nervous about cruising on this ship but your review has helped me disregard them. I have sailed a few of the different ships and have always had a good time. Glad you enjoyed your first cruise! :):)

UPDATE

 

We loved the trip! We just returned and it was great. Food, entertainment, staff, and boat was good. Only thing that I did not like was the cabin bathroom. The tub came up to my thigh and we had to jump in. Once in we were just inches from the ceiling. Lol! cruise director / entertainer Orlando was awesome. We had so much fun. Thanks everybody for your input.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the trip. A lot of people are "hooked" after that first good experience so perhaps we'll hear from you when you plan your next cruise. Orlando was our Cruise Director last January as well and we enjoyed him too.