Carnival Sensation-as bad as all the reviews??

[OntarioTraveller]

We are looking at booking the 5 day Sensation for next October out of Miami.

The dates fit perfectly before a condo rental we have booked.

The reviews however consistently sound terrible...bad food, dirty, old ship...

We had been on the Imagination years ago and loved the back serenity area and smaller ship but are having second thoughts.

We have sailed a few cruises on the newer and larger conquest class ships (we are sailing Liberty in February). If we book this, we be sorry???

Any input will be helpful.

[jennraycruise]

I was on the Sensation last January and it was amazing. Our room steward was amazing. The crew is fantastic. The ship was clean. They were always cleaning and the food was really pretty good. I think some people are just nit picking certain things. I always had a pool chair and things were good. The only thing I didn't care for was the spa staff seemed pushy. Always trying to sell me something.

[OntarioTraveller]

Thanks, it is nice to hear some good reports.

[Tapi]

Of all of our Carnival cruises, the Sensation was our least favorite. It was a weekend cheapie cruise out of Port Canaveral, which may have contributed to the experience so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

 

Sensation is indeed older and its decor is old Vegas neon purple. When we sailed, the ship was indeed dirty, with dirty dishes, cups and plates piled near elevators, and even a spot where someone threw up by the stairs near the atrium that was left to dry for hours before someone did something about it. But once again, the dirtiness may have been attributed to the overly rowdy weekend crowd.

 

Being a 5 night cruise, fellow passengers may be more sedated so you may not find the same experience that I had. Go with realistic expectations about the ship and you should be fine.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Tapi

[Rainbowfalls]

We have only been on the Sensation. Two times already and a third coming up in Jan. All of out Port Canaveral so not sure about miami's crowd but...

 

I love the ship, yes it's small and older but for a first timer it's huge lol. The purple is a tad tacky but tacky to me in good way. We never really noticed trays in the hall (I have been on low end empress deck and low end Upper Deck) or any dirtiness other then our room after we go sorting through our luggage. All the staff but one bartender we have experienced on both cruises were fantastic ( and I work in customer service/hotel so that's a big thing for me that I am critical of). Most of them will go out of their way to make your day. The food was decent, I really didn't like the lido deck food but room service and main dining was always pretty good. The serenity deck was always nice very rarely crowded except for the hot tub which I dont trust them lol. Overall the whole reason why I still haven't moved to a larger ship is because we like it so much on the Sensation. Either way I hope you enjoy yourself on whatever cruise you decide to go on.

[RuthlessBoss]

We have only been on the Sensation. Two times already and a third coming up in Jan. All of out Port Canaveral so not sure about miami's crowd but...

 

I love the ship, yes it's small and older but for a first timer it's huge lol. The purple is a tad tacky but tacky to me in good way. We never really noticed trays in the hall (I have been on low end empress deck and low end Upper Deck) or any dirtiness other then our room after we go sorting through our luggage. All the staff but one bartender we have experienced on both cruises were fantastic ( and I work in customer service/hotel so that's a big thing for me that I am critical of). Most of them will go out of their way to make your day. The food was decent, I really didn't like the lido deck food but room service and main dining was always pretty good. The serenity deck was always nice very rarely crowded except for the hot tub which I dont trust them lol. Overall the whole reason why I still haven't moved to a larger ship is because we like it so much on the Sensation. Either way I hope you enjoy yourself on whatever cruise you decide to go on.

I've been on her 3 times too and found no fault.

 

Tapi's report was brutal, and was surprised with that.:eek:

[Tapi]

Tapi's report was brutal, and was surprised with that.:eek:

 

 

And I didn't even mention the brawl in the middle of the atrium. I've never seen anything like that on any cruise I've been on. Our experience on the Sensation seemed to be an exception and not the norm. The staff seemed frustrated and unable to keep up with the fellow passengers on this cruise. I've seen rowdy several times, not only on Carnival but on other cruise lines, and this particular sailing definitely took top honors by a landslide.

 

With all of that said, I'd be willing to give the Sensation a try again, specially now that she'll be doing slightly longer cruises. Our biggest issues were not with the actual ship, but with the crowd which, as we all know, can be very different from one week to another.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Tapi

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

The Sensation is one of my favorite ships because it was my first Carnival ship and I like the design of the older smaller ships. But when I was on there last April I didn't like the attitude of a few of the guest services people and the muster drill took more than an hour. I reported the crew issues to the Carnival exec team and they said they would look into it. I'm sailing her again next month and hope the April experience was a one time thing and not a bigger issue with her crew.

 

I say go for it she's still a good ship. I'm sure things will only get better with the ship being closer to Carnival Corp HQ in Miami with more corporate people roaming the ship looking at every detail of the operation.

[riclop]

We are looking at booking the 5 day Sensation for next October out of Miami.

The dates fit perfectly before a condo rental we have booked.

The reviews however consistently sound terrible...bad food, dirty, old ship...

We had been on the Imagination years ago and loved the back serenity area and smaller ship but are having second thoughts.

We have sailed a few cruises on the newer and larger conquest class ships (we are sailing Liberty in February). If we book this, we be sorry???

Any input will be helpful.

 

It's an old beat up clunker.

[plane2port]

We just got off the 3-day itinerary out of Port Canaveral on Sensation. I would not hesitate to book another cruise on this ship. Yes, the decor is 80's Las Vegas, but the ship is not dirty and is in good repair. It was our first cruise with our 4-year old grandson, and we were pleased with Camp Carnival.

 

There were a few negatives like there are on every cruise ship. The muster drill takes a long time, as mentioned above. Lines can be long at the buffets. I'm sure the dining room experience is more sedate, but we didn't want to take a 4 year old into the dining room.

 

All-in-all we were very pleased with the Sensation. I think you will enjoy the 7-day itinerary. Good luck!

[RobinKY]

I compare it to dining. Will I love a steak dinner at Mortons/Ruth Cris for $$$? Yes. Will I love a good steak at Outback for $$? Yes. Might not be as good as Mortons but it is a good meal for the price.

 

I was on Sensation last Dec-Jan. It is a smaller and older ship and definitely shows its age in spots. That being said we had a good time, especially for the price. Food is mostly good and I think service is great.

 

FYI - we are 40's with 2 kids (13 & 11). Might not be the best ship for the older senior crowd.

[hpugirl27]

I was just on the Sensation this past August. You can find my review on the Sensation board if you're interested. I've only been on Fantasy class ships so I don't have anything else to go on, however I thought the Sensation was fine. Sure, if you want to be nit picky you can find certain things to complain about, but nothing that would ruin my vacation. Staff was always cleaning, very friendly and polite. Food was ok....MDR food was much better than the buffet. Sea Day Brunch was great. We were never bored, the shows were entertaining, one of the comedians was really funny, the other not so much. The other passengers were great, too. No fights or anything unruly. I went on the 5 day out of Orlando, so I can't speak to Miami, but the ship and staff made for a great vacation. If you've been on a Fantasy class ship before, you know what to expect and I think you'll have a great time!

[esdoorn]

How was the new room service menu?

[Frank12]

Getting ready to go on her for the 5th time. She is what she is...an older Fantasy class ship.

Not the greatest ship I've been on, but never had a bad cruise on her.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Frank12

[cruizinisthebest]

Been on the Sensation twice and can't think of a single bad thing to say about the ship. Enjoyed both cruises. It was our kids' first cruise and they haven't asked to stop sailing since.

 

Go and form your own opinion. We've been on 5 day, 4 day, 7 day, and 8 day cruises, so the idea that only boozers book short trips is not true. I heard a huge fight broke out on the Splendor a few weeks ago. That was a longer cruise on a big ship, so.....

 

Plus purple is my favorite color.