Carnival Sensation Trip Report March 20 - 25

Carnival Sensation 5 day Western Caribbean March 20 -25, 2004
This was our sixth cruise and our fourth on Carnival (Festivale in'89,
Tropicale in '93, and Imagination in '96). We have also sailed on the
Norwegian Dream in 2000, and the Celebrity Zenith in 2003.
Home Port: We arrived in Tampa on Thursday night at 11:15 pm. Our
reservations were at the Howard Johnson's on Dale Marbry Drive near Raymond
James Stadium. The complimentary hotel shuttle runs (to the airport,
downtown, and cruise port) until midnight (not 10 pm as stated on Orbitz),
so we called upon our arrival and were picked up promptly. The hotel is
nothing fancy, but the room was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the
location was good. Plenty of restaurants (McDonalds, Wendy's, Taco Bell,
Longhorn Steakhouse, Chili's) and shopping (Wal Mart, Eckerd Drugs, K Mart)
within walking distance. (Just a Warning: There were also several Strip
Clubs in the neighborhood, if those things bother you). All in all, I think
for the price ($56.00/night) it was a good choice for not too fussy cruisers
who are just looking for a clean, inexpensive place to stay (with a free
shuttle) for a night or two while waiting for the ship.
Embarkation: The easiest we've ever had! We signed up at the hotel for the
11:00 am shuttle (you should reserve the shuttle when you check-in) and
arrived at the port by 11:30 am. We were signed in and processed by 11:45am.
We couldn't board the ship until 12:30 pm, but they had seats in the
terminal building. A good time to unwind, meet new people, and feel the
anticipation!
Ship: The Sensation is a Fantasy Class Ship, and having been on the sister
ship Imagination helped us in finding our way around. The multi-deck Atrium
is the center of activity, and using that as a guide will help in locating
yourself on the ship. The sculpture in the center of the atrium on
Imagination has been replaced by a piano bar on Sensation, and after the
initial commotion of check-in day calmed down, it was a popular spot for a
quiet drink. The casino was large, and the staff was friendly. We ate in the
Fantasy Dining room one of two dining rooms on Sensation. We were in a booth
for six, open on both sides. We would have preferred a round table, but the
service was fine. The bars and lounges were plentiful and well kept. The
shops were well stocked (maybe a bit over-stocked as maneuvering in a
crowded shop was sometimes a challenge. The Fantasia Lounge was two-decks
high and had plenty of good seats for the shows. (Notes: Don't arrive five
minutes before show time and expect a good seat, also the view from the
front row seats on the upper deck is obstructed by a Plexiglas shield - for
a six foot person, the railing is right in the center of the stage)
Cabin: We were in cabin R62, our first time in an Upper/Lower cabin. It was
NOT tiny! The square footage was the same as other standard Carnival Cabins.
Don't really know why Carnival didn't put a queen bed in there, there was
enough room. It had it's advantages and disadvantages. The plusses we
Layout - The "L" shaped design was good - you didn't have to close the
closet door to go in and out of the cabin. Location - Being in the very
center of the ship, on the lowest deck, we felt the least motion of any
cabin we've ever stayed in! Minuses: Outside of the obvious having to sleep
apart, the lack of a window in any inside cabin creates a problem of knowing
the time of day. On Norwegian we had a TV channel which showed a bow camera
24 hours a day. Leaving the TV on was like having an electronic porthole,
but that doesn't exist on Sensation (it maybe something for Carnival to
think about).
Entertainment: Cruise director Jorge Solano was a hoot all week! The two big
production shows: Party Time! and Hey Mambo! were very well produced! The
dancers and singers were talented and enthusiastic! The comedy shows
featuring Mike Sisco and Peter Fogel were ok, not great. The Magic and
Comedy of Stephen Webb was a good show spoiled by bad seats at the extreme
side of the Lounge. The bright lights at each side of the stage were right
in our eyes, making the magician a silhouette.
Ports: Grand Cayman: We went on the Stingray Sandbar Tour ($47.00/pp) and
enjoyed it a lot! (Tip: If you can get yourself out of bed, go to the early
tour at 7:15am. You'll have time to shop in the afternoon, and being early,
before a lot of other tours show up, there will be more stingrays for you to
see). There is plenty of shopping and food available near the Tender Port.
(Note: If you are not taking a tour, don't rush to be the first off the ship
on the tender boats. The paid tours get off first, and the shops don't open
until 9:00 or 10:00 am anyway).
Cozumel: Carnival doesn't dock at the downtown pier, so a cab ride to
the "city" costs $ 6 US. We went on our own to the beautiful Chankanaab
National Marine Park ($6 US for the Cab, $10 US/pp to enter the park). Saw
the dolphins (from a distance - you pay for a closer look or a swim with
them), sat on the beach, walked through the park with (mostly re-created)
ancient Mayan artifacts, saw lots of iguanas, drank Pina Coladas from a
pineapple, and had a quiet relaxing day. The pier where Carnival docks has a
large Duty-free shop. (Warning: Set your watch to Ship's Time - The clocks
in town might be an hour different! 73 people, mostly spring breakers at
Carlos 'n Charlie's and Senor Frogs missed the ship!)
All in All: We had a great time on Sensation! We reminded ourselves over and
over about how quiet it was on the Celebrity Zenith last year, and how much
we enjoyed seeing some activity on the ship after 9:00 pm. Even though
Sensation was full of College Spring Breakers, the crowds on board were
boisterous, not out of control. There were deck chairs and quiet areas to be
found even on sea days. My one complaint is the new Carnival tipping policy.
Although our cabin was cleaned and set-up promptly each day, we only saw our
cabin steward three times all week, and would never have known she was our
steward except we stopped her and asked. Our waiter was good, but just a
waiter. We remembered fondly the jokes and tricks played by waiters and
busboys on other cruises, and found ourselves missing them. The spark of
interpersonal communication between staff and guest was pretty much gone,
and I attribute that to removal of the "envelope tipping" system between
service and passenger. I know you can adjust the amount on your Sail and
Sign account, but unless the service one receives is really bad, I can't see
a lot of people doing that. The incentive for the staff to "give that little
bit extra" is non-existent.
I guess that's just another part of Cruising in the 2000's.

Sorry - I left out the paragraph on the Food! Here it is:

Food: Food was well prepared and plentiful! Entrees were broken down into
groups (Fish, Chicken, Beef every night). There was a plain grilled steak or
chicken breast option every night, in case you don't like the entrees.
Desserts were varied and wonderful! The burgers and hotdogs on the Lido deck
were very good. The 24 hour Pizza was a big hit with most, and having the
self serve ice cream machine on all the time was downright dangerous to the
diet!

"Mike A" wrote in message
...
Carnival Sensation 5 day Western Caribbean March 20 -25, 2004

Thanks Mike, for a very nice and informative review. The Sensation is one of
my favorites and I am glad to hear that the food, which has been an issue
here on r.t.c,. was that good. Good to hear that it is so on the Fantasy
class as well as the Spirit class of ships. Also, that all was that good on
a 5 day cruise during spring break!

--Jean