Carnival Sensation vs Monarch of the Seas

[mumom95]

A group of my friends have decided to do a 3 day girls only cruise this spring and somehow I got put in charge of figuring out when, where and what line. The where is easy, the 3 days really only go to the bahamas, and we want to leave out of somewhere not too far south, so we have the option of driving if we want (we're all from the Cincinnati area).

 

I'm looking at two different options, one is on Carnival Sensation and one is on Monarch of the Seas.

 

I was hoping to get people's opinions on the two cruise lines, the ships and just which one they thought would be better for what we are looking for. I'll give you a little bit of info on the group if that helps.

 

There is 6 of us, we're all in our upper 30's/lower 40's. We're all married with kids (but not taking the husbands or kids with us). We like to just hang out drink wine or margaritas, gossip like girls do, get a little loud laughing at times and basically just sit back and relax. We basically want to get away from the Ohio cold and our husbands and kids for a few days (not that we don't love them, but I'm sure some of you can understand).

 

So, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated between the Carnival Sensation or Monarch of the Seas.

[tankersbabe]

We did the Sensation a few years ago, and there was a 'girls weekend' group on board that had a blast.

We are doing the Monarch in April.

I'd say either ship...I love Carnival, but RC was able to beat their prices for our time frame this trip. This will be our first RC sailing.

Good luck!

[DaisyGirl55]

I would think that part of the deciding factor would be what it is you girls want to do.

 

The Sensation docks in Nassau, and stays there until around midnight. You then have a day at sea before you come back. This is good if you plan on getting off the ship and spending some time at Atlantis, or at one of the bars near the ship. I do not believe the casino is open while in port, but the ship will have lots of fun things to do out on deck.

 

The Monarch will stop at CocoCay (their private island), then Nassau for the day, then home. The casino will be open each evening, and there will be lots going on at night on the ship. I personally like this itinerary better as I feel more like I am on a cruise instead of sailing to Nassau and "parking" for most of my cruise.

 

Having said this, I will be sailing on the Sensation next month with my girlfriend while the guys go to the Daytona races. We plan on going to Atlantis during the day, but staying on the ship after dark. I really like both itineraries, and try to switch between the two.

[munchkin4]

Having sailed on Monarch when it was in California and on the Ectasy which is a sister ship to the Sensation...I prefer the Carnival Line. The rooms are slightly bigger and I really thought the food was better in the dining room. I did like the buffet on the Monarch better. I know the Sensation has just been redone...so am excited to see the changes. I like RCL...but like Carnival better.

[mumom95]

Thanks for the replys. I think there are some things we like about Carnival better (sounds a little more fun) but we like the fact that RCCL has it's own private island. Just hanging out at the beach for the day sounds like something we would all like.

 

What about evening entertainment/shows. We are a group that would like a good comedian or a fun game show type thing. Does anyone have any feedback on that kind of thing for the two ships?