My husband, myself and our 15 year old son sailed on the Sensation over the MLK holiday week. Our last few family vacations had been to Disney and we were looking to get back out on the sea. This was my 10th cruise with Carnival and with that I achieved Platinum status. Must say, I love Platinum status.
We stayed the night before our cruise in Disney and had an easy drive to Port Canaveral. We found that a one way rental car was actually cheaper than purchasing transfers or using a car service. We rented from Avis and they provide a free shuttle from the rental car facility to the ship. Very easy.
We got to the ship around 11:45am. Because of Platinum status, we boarded very quickly. The rooms were not ready until 1:30. We took this time to check out the ship and get the lay of the land. We knew the Sensation was an older ship and we didn't quite know what to expect from her as far as her wear & tear appearance was concerned. We were very surprised to see that the ship is in really good shape. All week, we saw staff maintaining the ship by cleaning, painting, vacuuming public areas, etc. It was great to see the crew have so much pride in their ship.
A little noisy when the engines get going. But otherwise a great location.