My wife and I signed up for this cruise because her mother and two of her friends from the Orlando area were going. My mother-in-law is an experienced cruiser, but her friends were first-timers. We went in with a bit of trepidation because a number of negative reviews on recent cruises, but we did not experience any real negatives that were expressed in those previous reviews. The Sensation is an older ship and does not have all of the niceties and amenities of newer vessels - e.g., no refrigerators in the rooms, we had to request a hair dryer, etc. The entertainment on board was excellent, the production shows were impressive and the ship band was quite good. We do miss the old days when their would be a steel drum band playing at sail away, now they seem to always use a disc jockey with music being played with the bass at a headache inducing volume - but I'm sure that contributes to the lower cost of Carnival's cruises. We did not attend the comedy shows. We do like to play trivia, but the location in a lounge on the main boardwalk across from the casino was far from ideal and did not encourage team play that we have had on other cruises. Another negative about that area is that there is not outside door and the smoke from the bar and casino linger creating and odor that does not blow away. The separation of smoking and non-smoking areas in casinos on ships never seems to be good, and this ship is no exception. For non-smokers like us, who both worked in health care, the effects of smoke, direct and second and third hand, are a concern.

The food was very good. The buffet changed main courses each day and the dining room food was excellent and we were easily able to get extras on lobster night. We tried the taste bar two evenings and the offerings were delicious. The wait staff was very attentive and the little shows they put on every night were entertaining.

The ship does not have the 2.0 features (e.g., the rum and tequila bars on the pool deck, or the Guy Fieri hamburgers) which we did miss. Read more