Carnival Sensation Review

3.5 / 5.0
958 reviews
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Editor Rating
3.5
Average
Overall
Dori Saltzman
Contributor

Editor's Note: In February 2022, Carnival confirmed that Carnival Sensation will not return to service and will leave the fleet.

Carnival Sensation's onboard atmosphere is one of endless fun and expectant excitement. Everyone is trying to pack in as much amusement and downtime as they possibly can in four or five days (the ship is dedicated to short cruise itineraries). It's not frantic, just fun. And everyone's got everyone else's back, whether it's enthusiastically dancing in the aisles during nightly karaoke or loudly cheering on cruisers who have volunteered to participate in any number of interactive activities -- it's hard to feel embarrassed onstage when the entire audience is hootin' and hollerin' for you.

And your fellow cruisers aren't the only friendly faces you'll see throughout your sailing. The crew onboard Carnival Sensation are genuinely friendly and enjoy having conversations with passengers. From the guy taking our plates away in the buffet asking us what we did that morning to our Your Time Dining waiter (we asked for him every night) asking us about life back home and telling us about his dental work in Cozumel that day (!), everyone was personable and had a ready smile.

Yes, the bar service wasn't always the quickest and we were, more than once, told an activity printed on the day's schedule was a "mistake" (particularly when related to free spa events), but generally service was spot on throughout the cruise.

With all the good, Carnival Sensation is by no means a perfect cruise and many of its physical limitations can be a bit frustrating. Built in 1993 during the heyday of you-can't-get-there-from-here shipbuilding, you always have to remember to go all the way forward or aft on a cabin deck to get anywhere on decks 7 or 8. It's exasperating to run upstairs from your cabin for dinner on Deck 8 only to realize you're on the wrong end of the ship and you can't just walk across to the other side of Deck 8. And try not to forget which deck number correlates with the names of decks -- like Empress or Upper Deck -- as the elevators list the first letter of the name of the deck and not the number.

We'd also like to forewarn any serious sports lovers that there's no sports bar on Carnival Sensation, just a few public TVs here and there that can be tuned to ESPN (the only sports outlet other than the standard broadcast channels). If missing a game is going to put a dent in your vacation experience, Sensation might not be right for you.

Big theater productions are also lacking on Sensation. On our four-night cruise, we only had two big stage productions. Both were good and we would much rather have seen a third one than have only the audience-participation Love & Marriage show as a choice. And don't get us started on bingo. We like a good bingo game as much as the next person, but it's not a nighttime big theater activity.

But if you don't have a lot of vacation time and need a short, fun getaway that's laid-back, friendly and affordable, it's pretty hard to go wrong with a four- or five-night break on Carnival Sensation.

Pros

Genuinely fun and friendly vibe onboard with a packed lineup of daily activities

Cons

Old ship with fewer dining and entertainment attractions than newer Carnival ships

Bottom Line

Short cruises and low prices make Sensation an excellent drive-to option

About

Passengers: 2052
Crew: 920
Passenger to Crew: 2.23:1
Launched: 1993

Sails From

Inclusions

Included with your cruise fare:

  • Two main dining rooms, the buffet and select other eateries

  • All theater and comedy shows

  • Use of the pool, water park, mini-golf and other outdoor activities

  • Most daily activities unless noted below

  • Use of the gym, but not most classes

Not included with your cruise fare:

  • Automatic gratuities of $13.99 per person, per day or $15.99 per person, per day for those staying in suites

  • Automatic beverage (18 percent) and spa tips (15 percent)

  • Most room service deliveries, plus tip

  • The Chef's Table experience

  • All drinks beyond water, tea (including ice tea), coffee and select juices in the buffet

  • Spa treatments

  • Shore excursions

  • Wi-Fi

  • Activities including, but not limited to arcade games, bingo and Build-A-Bear

  • Photos

Fellow Passengers

The vast majority of passengers on Carnival Sensation are from the United States, with a smattering of people from Canada and even fewer from farther afield. A good percentage has driven to the port from Florida and surrounding states. You'll see lots of families, as well as groups celebrating (think milestone birthdays, bachelorette parties), and ages run the gamut from babies in strollers to seniors belting out Frank Sinatra songs during karaoke. You'll find a diversity of backgrounds, and everyone from working class folk to professionals. Overall, people are friendly, and on the ship to have a good time.

Carnival Sensation Dress Code

Daytime: Carnival keeps its dress code casual by day, with shorts, T-shirts and bathing suits the norm.

Evening: Fairly casual (though shorts and tees are typically replaced by long pants and nicer tops) except on the single "cruise elegant" night, when men are encouraged to don long pants and collared shirts -- we saw plenty of men in full suits. We saw women dressed up in everything from their Sunday best to more than a few not-appropriate-for-church ensembles.

Not permitted: Cutoff jeans and swimwear are never permitted in the main dining rooms for dinner.

For more information, visit Cruise Line Dress Codes: Carnival.

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Carnival Sensation Cruiser Reviews

Great Time

Overall I pleasantly surprised by our trip on Carnival Sensation, so much so that we got home and booked another cruise on this ship with the family.Read More
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jgeorges

few6-10 Cruises

Age 50s

Christmas Cruise- Very Disappointed-Never Again

We don’t think we will be going back to Carnival.Read More
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Edmo119

few6-10 Cruises

Age 50s

Old ship. Bad management. Shortage in staff!

I like going on a new year's cruise and I had experienced carnival cruises at least 6 times; this cruise was renovated in early 2017 according to their website.Read More
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toby2012

few6-10 Cruises

Age 50s

Would not do it again

To celebrate anniversary and to sail with carnival which, I had not done in a year and a half.Read More
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Kathy Nic

many10+ Cruises

Age 50s

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