Carnival Sensation Cabins

As an older ship, Carnival Sensation has a limited number of cabin configurations. The vast majority of rooms are inside or outside cabins, though the ship does have 152 cabins and suites with balconies spread over decks 5, 6, 7 and 11. (They fill up quickly, so book yours early if you've got your heart set on a balcony.) All have somewhat dated gold and rust color schemes, but are generously sized and have plenty of storage for two to three people.

All cabins have two twin beds that can be pushed together to form one larger bed; some rooms also have upper/lower pulldown beds or room for a rollaway or trundle bed. Each twin bed has a mounted reading light above it and there's also a master switch near the bed to turn off all the lights so you don't have to get up and go to the front door after you've already gotten into bed.

Most rooms also feature a desk with four drawers, one chair and one stool (but no social sitting area), and a three-section closet with two sections for hanging clothes and a third with shelving and a safe. Flat-screen TVs offer several standard cable channels, including movie channels, as well as ship-specific channels for learning about shipboard amenities and shore excursions, and to watch the cruise director's morning show. Each room has one 110 volt and one 220 volt outlet located at the desk.

The bathroom is small and there's an ankle high lip between it and the rest of the cabin so mind your step when entering or leaving the bathroom. There's very little shelf space for toiletries; two people each with their own set of stuff will be hard pressed to find enough room in the bathroom for all of it. The shower is a comfortable size for most people and though it has a shower curtain, the bottom is weighted so it never drifts into the shower or sticks to your legs. Inside the shower is a wall-mounted dispenser with shampoo and bath gel. There's also a bar of soap. Standard cabins do not have hair dryers in the cabins, but passengers can ask the room steward for one. (The ones they do provide are pretty weak, so consider bringing one with you if styling your hair is important.)

There are a number of connecting cabins, in both inside, ocean view and balcony categories, as well as a limited number of accessible cabins (even fewer that are fully wheelchair accessible).

Inside: These 185-square-foot cabins have all the standard amenities mentioned above and come in a variety of configurations that can hold two to five people.

Ocean-view: Also 185 square feet, Carnival's ocean-view cabins come with either a porthole or a larger picture window. They feature the same general layout and amenities as inside cabins and come in a variety of configurations that can hold two to five people.

Balcony: The 98 balcony cabins are divided into two types, both of which have 185 square feet of interior space, but the 86 standard balconies have 35-square-foot verandas while the 12 aft-view extended balconies have 55-square-foot verandas. Inside the cabins, the rooms have the same layout and amenities as inside and ocean-view cabins, and come in configurations that can hold two to four people. The balconies are narrow and hold three to four chairs in a row and a tiny drinks table.

Junior Suite: On Deck 11, you'll find 26 220-square-foot junior suites. These rooms all feature 30-square-foot-balconies, a mini-fridge and a sitting area -- not found in the non-suites -- with a single sofa bed and coffee table.

Suite: Grand Suites come in two varieties -- 20 have 70-square-foot balconies and eight have 115-square-foot extended balconies. They are not true suites, as the sitting and sleeping areas are not separate. All are on Deck 6, can hold three to five people depending on configuration and come with a full bathroom with whirlpool bathtub, a single or double sofa bed, bedside nightstands with lamp and cubby space, faux marble coffee table and countertops, walk-in dressing area, extra drawer space and mini-fridge. The bathrooms have more counter space than in any other cabin category, plus feature a makeup mirror and two small shelves.

Cruisers staying in Junior Suites and Grand Suites receive priority check-in and bathrobes to use on the cruise.