Feeling a little sentimental- RIP Sensation

[TxTeach79]

The Fantasy class ships may have taken their share of gruff in their later years, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the ol’ girls. I was fortunate enough to sail on Sensation twice; once in 1994 when she was brand new with John Heald as CD (my Dad was “Dastardly” in the infamous Bedtime Story, we still joke about “WITH VENOM” to this day!)… and then again a quarter century later in 2019. It was so fun to sail on her in such different season in her life and mine, just a totally different perspective and vibe. A great crew, a fun ship if there ever was one, and tons of memories. I’ll miss her! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Joe817]

Thanks for that. I too, felt a sense of loss. I sometimes feel that progress is not a good thing. But I'm old....what do I know? 

[TxTeach79]

Oh, and if it wasn’t obvious enough, those pics are from my 2019 sailing. I’d like to go dig out some of the ‘94 stuff soon, but who knows what box it’s in and under what pile. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Joe817]

3 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

Oh, and if it wasn’t obvious enough, those pics are from my 2019 sailing. I’d like to go dig out some of the ‘94 stuff soon, but who knows what box it’s in and under what pile. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Well....what's stopping you? Go fetch it! I'd love to see more! And I'm sure I'm not the only one. 👍

BTW. I graduated from a high school in Denton, west on 380, that burned down several years ago. On the top of the hill, just west of 35. I say no more. 

 

[MistyRo76]

The Sensation was my very first cruise in 1998! I was an (almost) 22 year old gal traveling during Spring Break with my best friend and my sister and I had no idea what I was doing! But I remember just being in awe of that ship when I first stepped on board. It all seemed so massive and beautiful! I felt like I was truly living the high life! I just loved getting dressed up for dinner each night and seeing the different ports of call and meeting new people! It was a vacation I'll never forget! 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

9 hours ago, Joe817 said:

Well....what's stopping you? Go fetch it! I'd love to see more! And I'm sure I'm not the only one. 👍

+1

[nol4am]

I am with you!  This was the first ship that I ever sailed on and it's the one that made me a Carnival loyalist. I've tried other lines but I always come back to Carnival. The sensation made my first cruise "Sensational". I loved every minute of it. From the awe of the ship itself to getting dolled for dinner, to nightlife, and just being carefree! I've been on 32 other cruises since the sailing of Sensation back in 2005 and will always remember her. 

[Aplmac]

1 hour ago, MistyRo76 said:

.. I remember just being in awe of that ship when I first stepped on board.

It all seemed so massive and beautiful! I felt like I was truly living the high life!

I just loved getting dressed up for dinner each night

and seeing the different ports of call and meeting new people!

It was a vacation I'll never forget! 

 

Very few people forget their First Cruise

(or their fist sex for that matter, but I digress..).

 

Mine was a quick Carnival Destiny 3-day charter trip out of Barbados and..

like yours, unforgettable..

 

Here are a few pics... early May 2007.

 

 

[pc_load_letter]

Agreed, loved the Fantasy class. Here in Socal, we had the Inspiration and Imagination. Loved cruising on them. I was never bothered by the size or the age. They were always clean, in great shape and wife and I knew exactly what to expect every time we cruised on them.

 

Introduced cruising to no less than a dozen friends on those ships and we all had great times. 

[Joebucks]

Great tribute! I didn't experience my first Fantasy class until 2018, so my nostalgia doesn't run as deep. I did get to sail the Sensation though. One thing I really liked about these ships was walking into the comedy club at start time, and there's plenty of seats. Vs many other classes you need to be there a half hour early. I also loved the old style nightclub (hate the limelight lounge). The theaters were also sufficient for the size. The atriums were fun.

 

I really didn't like the Lido deck though. It didn't have the same experience. Some of the parts really showed their age. MDR hit hard there. Once you experience ships with more venues, food, entertainment, etc I find that you miss a lot of those things once you go to a smaller ship without them.

[DarthGrady]

Thanks for posting! Sensation was my first Carnival ship back in '99 and I had a few more on her over the years. It's very sad that she and the others done-in by COVID did not get a better sendoff. 

 

The Fantasy Class is, IMHO, the best overall class of cruise ship ever built. Not because they were the biggest or most feature-laden (even when they were new), but because CCL built a bunch of them and they were very successful in opening up cruising to a wider market. I can't even count how may fellow cruisers I've met over the years that had their first voyage on a Fantasy Class ship. The Fantasy Class ships just feel like home to me, I've been saying for years that it would be a sad day when they were all gone. Unfortunately that day seems to be rapidly approaching.