Carnival Sensation Review August 28-September 1, 2011

[theaterjunkie1976]

Hey everyone! My family and I just disembarked the Sensation yesterday morning. I am already itching to book another cruise, lol, if only I had vast amounts of money and no responsibilities! :) We actually have been talking about booking the Dream...so we'll see! Anyway, I thought I would write a review of our trip. Please bear with me, it is my first!

 

This cruise was my fifth cruise and my mom's third, all with Carnival. The two of us had even done this particular cruise before, but my dad and my brother had never cruised before, so we thought the Sensation and this particular itinerary would be a good way to introduce them to cruising.

 

We booked this cruise in May, and it felt like we waited forever for the trip. I don't know how some people book their cruises a year or more in advance, I'd die from the wait! :)

 

My mom, dad and I all live in West Virginia, but my brother moved to North Carolina about two years ago. We started the trip on the morning of August 27th to begin our long drive from West Virginia to Port Canaveral. We drove about five hours to meet my brother at the Concord Mills Outlet Mall (near Charlotte), had some lunch and then continued the drive to Florida. Our last stop was in Jacksonville, which is only about two and a half hours from Port Canaveral. I had booked a room at the Hyatt Place near the Jacksonville Airport, which wasn't far from I 95. We checked in the room and had an uneventful dinner at a Cracker Barrel nearby. To save money, we all shared a room, afterall, we were only going to be there a a few hours. The room was very nice with two queen beds, a sofa bed, mini fridge and all of the regular amenities. I would recommend any Hyatt Place, the ones I have stayed in have been extremely affordable and very nice. We were all exhausted from the drive, which really wasn't that bad, just long, so after dinner we basically went back to the hotel and crashed.

 

 

The beds at the Hyatt Place-with all of my carry-on bags, lol.

 

 

The sitting area with the sofa bed (where my brother slept for the night, lol)

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

Day 1: August 28, 2011, Embarkation Day!

 

I was the "planner" for this trip, so I decided that we needed to leave Jacksonville no later than 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. I had estimated that would put us at Port Canaveral around 11:30 or 12:00 depending on the traffic. We grabbed a quick breakfast and were on our way.

 

We arrived at Port Canaveral around 12:00 (after a stop for breakfast and a bathroom break) and I quickly realized they had changed the route into the terminal. It confused me for a minute, but since I had been there a couple times before, I eventually realized where to go. I have only cruised out of the Port of Miami and Port Canaveral, but to me, embarkation at PC is a breeze! As we pulled in to unload our bags, we had the first glance at our ship, the Sensation!

 

 

The porter unloaded our bags, we drove to the parking lot and proceeded into the terminal. The lines were not unbearably long, and everything went very quickly. We did however have a little setback in the secuirty line. My dad apparently had something in his pocket that was lined with foil, which set off the secuirty alarm. He went through several times, until they pulled him aside and used the wand. After thouroughly examining everything, they found the foil and sent him on his way. We all had a laugh about this and it was a running joke throughout the rest of the trip. The rest of the process went very smoothly, however, I was surprised that we no longer had to fill out the health forms. We checked in with our Fun Pass, set up our Sail and Sign Accounts, took the obligitory first picture, and were finally on the ship!

 

The Atrium Plaza

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

By the time we had been through the boarding process, it was a little after 1:00 p.m. We decided that we would wait for our rooms to be ready so we didn't have to carry all of our carry on bags to the Lido deck for lunch. We waited around for a few minutes and made small talk with an older couple also waiting for their cabin to be opened. They were Platinum guests. The husband got a little impatient and went in the hallway to find his cabin was open and ready, so we followed behind and found that our cabins were also ready early. We had two cabins on the Upper Deck Aft-U241 and U243. Both cabins had extended balconies, and we were happy to find out that our room Steward, Francis, had left the divider open for us! :)

 

 

 

 

After putting our bags in the room, we headed up to the Lido deck for lunch. I saved a table while my family got in line for the buffet. While I was waiting I had my first Funship Special! :)

 

 

When everyone returned with their food, it was my turn to get in line. I didn't take pictures of the buffet food during this trip, but my dad raved about the hamburgers and had one every day! He even stood in line an unbearable amount of time on the second day, just to get one of them! I did have one on this day, and they were great, as were the chicken tenders. After lunch we booked our shore excursions and returned to the room to unpack before sailaway.

[theaterjunkie1976]

We unpacked our bags in the room and looked over the Fun Times for the afternoon. At 3:00 p.m., I met up with the group from our roll call (it was great to meet those of you who came and to put faces with the names!) for about 30 minutes. Even after three cruises, my mom is still unsure of herself, and my brother and dad didn't know what to expect, so I had to leave the roll call group to help them navigate their way to the muster drill. I should add that I had my second Funship Special when meeting the roll call group-and let me tell you, that second Funship really sneaks up on you. By the time I got to the Muster Drill I was feeling pretty good, and my mom said it showed, lol. Our Muster Drill was in the Plaza Lounge, and then we had to line up outside near the lifeboats. It was unbearably hot out there, but like I said before, that second Funship Special had kicked in and at that point, I could have been in the lifeboat and wouldn't have cared, lol. Oh, and we also saw Cindy and her husband (from the roll call group) at our Muster Drill. :)

 

After the Muster Drill we went to the forward part of the ship to watch it sail away. My dad was in the Navy, and loved watching as we left the ports and loved watching the ocean in general. I think it brought back a lot of memories for him. Below are a few pictures as we left Port Canaveral.

 

The pool area of the Lido Deck

 

Onlookers as we passed by

 

 

 

[Payd]

Great review, looking forward to more!!!

[theaterjunkie1976]

Thanks Payd! I am working on it slowly but surely. I just messed up a few minutes ago and erased an entire post, but I will try to get it back!

[parrothead74]

Looking forward to more also. Sailing the Sensation in 50 days and happy to see a review posted!! Thank you!

[theaterjunkie1976]

After sail away, we went back to the cabins for a bit to unpack more and to rest before dinner. I sat out on the balcony for a while and and took more pictures.

 

The Freedom of the Seas and the Disney Wonder followed us out of Port Canaveral

 

 

 

The ship's wake (Edited on a picture app on my iphone)

[theaterjunkie1976]

Looking forward to more also. Sailing the Sensation in 50 days and happy to see a review posted!! Thank you!

 

You're welcome! I'm going to try to get all I can finished before I go to bed, and will hopefully finish up tomorrow! Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[RBCL]

Great pics - brought back good memories!! :D

[theaterjunkie1976]

We basically hung out in the room and explored the ship before dinner. My brother and I also went up to the Promenade deck at 5:00 for some sushi and a quick tour of the Casino.

 

 

 

We had late dining, at 8:15 in the Ectasy Dining Room, Table 333. We were seated at a table for four, however, we had neighbors to our left and right, all of whom were very pleasant and friendly.

 

I wish I could say that I remember all of our servers' names, but sadly, I don't. Even after only one day, lol. For the most part, the service was good. Most nights dinner did seem a little rushed, and our server got our orders mixed up a lot, which was no big deal, we just switched it to the correct person. He also brought multiple things at one time, which made the table a little crowded, and at first, he wasn't the most friendly server I had ever had. All of these things were minor in my opinion, and I don't let simple things like that get to me. By the end of the cruise, the server did warm up to us a little bit, and boy did he let lose with the dancing during their little shows!

 

For tonight's meal my mother and I both had the Ceasar Sald and the Broccoli Soup. Both were very good. My mom wasn't too crazy about the "fishy" smell and taste of the ceasar dressing, but I thought it was quite good. My brother had the duck starter and the spinach dip, while my dad had a garden salad and the spinich dip. Both really enjoyed the spinich dip and got it all excpet one night of the cruise. I had a little taste, and it was pretty good. For our entree, I had the Chicken A La Grecque. It was good, but probably something I would not get again. My mother had the Lasagna Bolegnese, which she said was tasty, and my brother had the beef brisket. My dad ordered a pork entree (similar to a pork chop I suppose) and our table neighbors had ordered it and was not happy with it. Fortunately, my dad's turned out perfect, and he really enjoyed it. For dessert, my brother and I had the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, my mom had the diet orange cake (she's diabetic, but did splurge the last night) and I can't remember what my dad had. I only took pictures of the duck and the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake tonight.

 

Duck (starter)

 

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake! :)

[theaterjunkie1976]

After dinner, we went to the Welcome Aboard Show. The Cruise Director for this sailing was Jaime Deitsch. I had never sailed with a female CD before, but she was really cute and perky and friendly. She was also pretty funny as well. She always made a point to speak to the passengers and was very personable. We drug my dad to the show, (he doesn't really care for those types of shows) and he got a kick out of the other male passengers and their Tarzan impersonations.

 

After the show, my dad, mom and I headed back to our cabins while my brother explored a little on his own. I sat on the balcony for a little while, then headed to bed. I swear, I think I sleep better on the ship than I do anywhere else. I think the beds are so comfortable, and I always leave wishing that I would purchase the bedding. I think the rocking of the ship helps a little too! I woke up around 2:30 a.m. peeked out on the balcony and saw my dad, asleep in the lounger. He had apparently went out there after I went in and ended up falling asleep out there, lol!

[theaterjunkie1976]

Day 2: August 29, 2011, Freeport

 

We woke up around 7:30 the next morning, as we had booked the Island Tour with Shopping, Beach and Lunch excursion, and it left at 9:30. We had breakfast in the Seaview Bistro, and then headed down to the Pier. My mom and dad aren't big beach people, but since my dad and brother had never been the the Bahamas before, I really wanted them to at least see a Carribean beach, so this seemed like a good idea. The excursion started out with an island tour, which took us around Freeport to see the sights, which isn't really that much, lol. We stopped at a local fruit market, where I purchased a daquiri, and looked around where the vendors were set up. After the fruit market, we drove around Millionaires Row, where there were some very nice homes on the beach. Our tour guide pointed out one particular home that was in the process of being built for a wealthy banker from New York City. The home was supposedly worth around $30 million. I did notice a lot of damage from Hurricane Irene. Lots of trees uprooted, roofs from homes missing, debris in people's yards, etc...they still have some cleaning up to do in the area, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected. The tour then took us to Port Lucaya, where there were a lot of shops and the beach. The walk to the beach seemed like it took forever, and it was blazing hot. When we finally got there, my parents and my brother got a table on the deck of one of the bars/restaurants while I got in the ocean. The water seemed a little rough and was a lot more "wavy" than I remember it being, and I wondered if it had something to do with the lingering effects of Irene. It still felt wonderful, and I spent most of my time out there, while everyone else enjoyed the covered area under the fans, lol. The only downside is that while I was in the ocean, someone took my Carnival beach towel. I had placed it with my flip flops, and when I came back to get it, someone had picked it up, but thankfully, my shoes were still there. I went to Guest Services afterward and reported that it was "stolen." I was told that hopefully another guest had mistakenly thought it was theirs and that if the inventory from the towels was correct, that I wouldn't be charged for it, which was fine with me (I didn't get charged). Thankfully, we had brought another beach towel and I was able to use that one. Our lunch was included and consisted of fruit, three small sandwiches (tuna, turkey and ham) and a piece of chocolate cake. We shopped for a bit after lunch and met the bus for our ride back at 1:30. Around 1:20, my dad had not made it back to our meeting place and my mom started to panic a little. I went to look for him and found him at the restaurant bar, sharing a beer with a very nice local man who had been living in Freeport since 1963. Apparently they had been talking about the hurricane and my dad's time in the Navy and he lost track of time. Thankfully, we found him and got him back to the bus on time, lol. We had a short drive back to the ship, looked around at the shops on the pier, then headed back to our cabins. Below are some pictures of our day in Freeport:

 

A portion of the $30 million dollar home. It doesn't look like much in the picture, but it did look pretty spectacular in person.

 

 

Damage from Irene

 

 

The restaurant where we had lunch

[Payd]

Sorry to hear you lost the whole post you worked on...how frustrating!

 

Still enjoying your pictures and review. Great job!!

[theaterjunkie1976]

Our lunch

 

Bahamian Beer, Kalik

 

Shops at Lucaya

 

Lucaya Beach

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

Couple shots of the Sensation in Freeport

 

 

 

 

After boarding the ship again, we went back to the room to relax a few minutes and from our balcony, we watched the ship leave Freeport.

 

 

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

After we returned from Freeport, everyone was a little drained from the heat, so my parents just chilled out in the room and took a nap. My brother and I went our seperate ways. I'm not exactly sure where he went, but I sat on the Serenity Deck for a while, went back up to the Deli and got a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

 

Sorry, I took a small bite out of it before I realized I should take a picture :)

 

 

I lounged around on the Serenity Deck for a little while and then went to the Casino, where I won $80, yay, lol. Then I went back to the cabin to take a shower and get ready for dinner.

 

Some pics of the Serenity Deck. Someday I hope to go on one of the ships where this area is larger and has the hammocks and clam shell seats. :)

 

 

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

After relaxing a little, I went back to the cabin to get ready for Elegant Evening. For the most part everyone seemed to be dressed appropriately and appeared to enjoy dressing up. I only noticed one lady in the dining room, whose definition of elegant was a pair of jeans and a sparkly grey tank top that left little to the imagination. She paraded around the dining room several times that evening with her kids. Again, I didn't let this bother me, as it really is none of my concern what she was wearing. I was there to enjoy my cruise, not join Joan Rivers on an episode of the Fashion Police. :D

 

For dinner I had the Roasted Pumpkin Soup and Ceasar Salad for my starters and the Lobster Tail for my entree. My dad had the spinich dip, stuffed mushrooms and the lobster, my brother had the alligator fritters, stuffed mushrooms and the lobster, while my mother had a garden salad, strawberry bisque and prime rib. My brother and dad's lobster was definitely better than mine. You can tell from the picture that it was a little lacking, but still had a good taste. The pumpkin soup was delicious, and the ceasar salad, good as always. My brother raved about the alligator fritters and said that had he known they were so good, he would have asked for two orders. He even convinced our table neighbors to get them and they loved them as well.

 

My brother's alligator fritters

 

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

 

Lobster

 

For dessert my dad and brother had the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, while my mom and I had the Grand Marnier Souffle, which was very good.

 

 

After dinner, my dad went back to the room to relax. He loved sitting on the balcony at night. My brother went to the casino to play poker, and my mom and I went to see the show Far From Over. I have seen this show a couple times before, but I'm a child of the 80's so I love the music. The singers this time around were much better than the last ones that I saw, and the dancers were enthusiastic. After the show, we wondered around in the shops a little bit, then went back to the cabin, sat on the balcony for a while and went to bed. I'm much more of a night owl when I'm on a cruise with my friends...it's a whole different tone with the parents. :)

 

I think I'm calling it a night with this post. I will get to Nassau and the Fun Day at Sea tomorrow. Hope everyone is enjoying the posts and the pictures, and if you have any questions I will try to answer them. Goodnight!

[littleguy95]

Love it! Keep it going...:D

[DaisyGirl55]

AWESOME review? Sure it is your first?? :rolleyes:

 

The Sensation is one of my favorite ships to go on for a quickie cruise. I loved your comment about the difference between cruising with friends, and cruising with your parents! Been there...done that!

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review. You are doing a great job!

[theaterjunkie1976]

Thanks guys! I will get to the rest in just a few! I'm planning on a lazy day at home today so I should have plenty of time. :)

 

DaisyGirl55 it is just my first review. I've read a lot of them, so I think that has helped! Glad you are enjoying it! I hope I'm not being too long winded.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[theaterjunkie1976]

I forgot to add that on the afternoon that we left Freeport, before I went to the Serenity Deck, I had a massage at Spa Carnival. I alway indulge in a massage when I cruise, and this time was no different. They were having a special that included three treatments for $119. I had the back massage, neck and shoulder massage and facial, and then did an add on for a foot massage. It was all wonderful, but at times, the massuse used a little too much pressure, which made it kind of hurt, especially on my shoulders and lower back area. She later explained that was where I had the most tension. I was actually sore and those areas the rest of the cruise, but it wasn't something I couldn't deal with. As always, it was a relaxing experience, and I almost enjoy getting a facial more than than the massage.

 

Day 3: August 30, 2011, Nassau

 

I was able to sleep in a little this morning, as the excursion we had booked did not leave the pier until 12:00 p.m. My mom and dad are early risers, however, I am not, especially in those comfortable beds! I think I finally woke up around 9:00 or 9:30, got ready and then met my mom, dad and brother for breakfast at the Seaview Bistro. The breakfasts were generally good, with scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, panko crusted eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, french toast, lots of fruit and pastries, etc...After breakfast we just hung out on the ship until time to meet our excursion on the pier.

 

I would have been happy with another beach day, however, like I said before, my parents aren't really the type to lounge on a beach all day, so we booked the Ardasta Gardens tour. I had also done this tour before, but I was fine with going back. The tour lasted about two and half hours and included an island tour before heading to the Gardens. We took a complimentary shuttle to Festival Place, where we waited on our guide, and then walked to our shuttle. I noticed that there were still sand bags out at Festival Place, and assumed they were used during Irene. The shuttle guide was Claudius, and I actually remembered him from the last tour I took to the Gardens. He was very informative and friendly. Our first stop on the tour was Fort Fincastle where we looked around at all of the vendors merchandise (it's basically the same everywhere) and took a look around the Fort. The next stop was the Queen's Staircase, where we walked down the staircase took some pictures and then met Claudius back on the shuttle. After the Queen's Staircase, we went on to Ardasta Gardens, which is a little zoo that is home to the world's only trained Pink Flamingo Show. On the drive there, I noticed a lot more damage from Irene than I noticed in Freeport. Lots of uprooted trees, snapped trees in yards, roof damage, debris, sand bags in front of businesses, etc...and some homes and businesses still had their hurricane shutters closed. The Gardens had also been affected, and several animal displays were closed due to the damange. We looked around at the animals and watched the Flamingo show, then met Claudius for the trip back to the ship. On the way back, we looked at the damage to the Straw Market, which was pretty bad. Some vendors were still set up around the area, but it was basically destroyed. Claudius pointed out where they were building the new Straw Market, and wow, what a difference! Thew new market is an actual building, with booths and shelves and looks like it will be much more organized and less overwhelming than the current market. Senor Frogs also sustained some damage, and it appeared that it wasn't even open. That evening, the usual music and noise of the happy drinkers there was basically non-existant. Below are some pictures of our day in Nassau:

 

 

 

 

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

Water Tower at Fort Fincastle

 

View of Atlantis from Fort Fincastle

 

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

Here are a few pictures from Ardastra Gardens:

 

 

This little guy was so cute eating his fruit...

 

 

 

 

[theaterjunkie1976]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got to join the Flamingo show and stood inside the gate with them while they ran around me. One took a liking to me and pecked me with his beak over and over again. It was just a little frightening, lol.