Sooooo….. my best friend emailed me one day in March and declared that she needed a weekend away from “life” and asked if I wanted to join her on a weekend cruise. I said yes, quickly, but ultimately forgot about our convo for several weeks until I received an email from her in mid April highlighting an awesome deal from Carnival. For less than $400 bucks we would be able to take to the high seas for 3 nights, leaving on a Thursday and returning early on a Sunday morning. It was the perfect itinerary for our busy husbands and kids to make some schedule adjustments and have extra coverage (help) from family back home. It was a no brainer.
I wouldn’t call myself an experienced cruiser, as I’ve only been on a handful of cruise vacations. But I had very clear expectations of what type of cruise we’d have and the atmosphere we’d encounter. I’d never been on a “booze cruise” but I imagine our adventure on the Sensation was very close to that definition. The short length of the trip and the limited itinerary attracts certain types of travelers, namely those focused on partying and having a grand ol’ time. Of course there were many families on board, some with young children, and older travelers but they were by far in the minority. My girlfriend and I were not dissuaded in any way from having a good time nonetheless as we were able to enjoy an invaluable 72 hours of “mommy time” lol.
My friend flew into Orlando International airport mid morning on the day of departure and we drove 30 minutes from the airport directly to Port Canaveral. Embarkation was smooth and stress free (was it stress free only because we didn’t have kids, strollers and multiple bags in tow? I’m not sure…) and we were in the lido deck having lunch pretty soon after arrival at the port. Our room was ready shortly after that and we were pleased here as well; we had an ocean view room with two twin beds lined up against the wall and plenty of floor space. Our rooms were cleaned well and tidy each day and the bathroom was easy to use, the shower having more space than I had anticipated. Our room steward was efficient and friendly.
My girlfriend and I had a good laugh at the decor options in the public areas. Carnival had been known for very flashy, gaudy decor choices on their earlier ships and the Sensations decor theme was a PRIME example of this. It was part eighties disco, part Vegas and absolutely hideous. The garish color schemes and awful patterns extended beyond the atrium into the carpets lining all the halls and many of the entertainment venues. I had somewhat expected this; the Sensation is one of the older Carnival ships. I’ve heard that the newer Carnival ships have a more modern but still fun decor theme. Luckily we were on a short trip so we tried our best to ignore the visual assault all around us LOL.
The food was mediocre at best. But then again, we had reasonable expectations so we were able to scavenge a nice plate at the buffet for most meals. We ate at the main dining room only on the first night for dinner; we were placed at a table with 2 other groups of ladies and enjoyed a pleasant meal with them (though the food was horrible). We had the rest of our meals at the buffet, mainly because we realized we wouldn’t be missing anything per se in the main dining room and also because we could eat whenever we wanted rather than having to wait for our specific dinner seating time. There was one formal night on this cruise but we new in advance that we wouldn’t be participating in it. The buffet was standard with a hot bar, salad bar and dessert/ice cream bar. At the back of the main buffet there were fresh pizzas and sandwiches made to order. Outside the entrance to the buffet, nearer to the pool area was a burger stop and also an Asian wok bar. Both of these areas always had a long line and we only ventured through the Asian wok bar once; the food was okay but not particularly special.
In general we didn’t spend much time on the pool deck. As you can imagine it was quite noisy with a DJ and live music for much of the day, with games and such going on to keep everyone involved. There was also a kid’s area with water slides but it had no shade for the bounty of loungers in that area. We actually spent much of our onboard outdoor time on the patio of the Lido deck outside the buffet at a table, watching the ocean and reading (ah… bliss).
Because we’re old ladies and really just wanted to spend hours asleep and reading quietly we didn’t explore any of the entertainment options on board. The standard cruise activities are offered and if you’re looking to mingle and tingle you’ll find plenty of options LOL. Late into the night (or actually, early into the morning) we could hear excited and inebriated cruisers partying their lives away. Mostly we enjoyed quiet sleep at night and disturbances were rare.
Courtesy of the Melia Hotel Nassau Beach
Our one port destination on this cruise was Nassau and we took a taxi from the port to the Melia Nassau Beach and purchased a day pass to enjoy the amenities there. I felt that the $35 per person fee was reasonable for the quality of the hotel and amenities. The Melia is beautiful and modern with clean lines and the property was expertly maintained. Our fee included access to the beach and pool, beach loungers, wi-fi, snorkeling equipment and use of all general facilities (bathrooms/showers). There was a beach restaurant that was reasonably priced with tasty food. The beach was pristine and the water was so calm and clear it was almost like a swimming pool. I could see snorkelers nearby who were making exciting discoveries at the edge of the roped off area of water. We spent a couple hours relaxing, reading, napping and dipping in the ocean before grabbing the jitney bus back to the port. The bus is only about $1.50 per person and offers an opportunity to feel the natural atmosphere of the island; the ride was about 20 minutes for us because we didn’t take the express bus which heads directly back to downtown area and the port.
Courtesy of the Melia Hotel Nassau Beach
On disembarkation day we decided to carry our own luggage off the ship. This was an extended tedious process that involved waiting in line on the main promenade area until the doors were opened and then a slow crawl through the gangway and through customs. I know we shouldn’t have found it so humorous but there was a notable amount of wheel chair bound cruisers in the disembarkation line who didn’t seem to be, um, seriously handicapped. It took us a few moments (and some eavesdropping) to realize that most of them were just severely hung over from going “all out” on the last night of the cruise. I took pity on them, realizing that many of them still had flights to catch and I could only imagine how miserable a day of travel would be for them in that state. After escaping customs and finding our car we were quickly on our way back to the airport where by friend had a flight to catch later that day.
All in all I would say that we had a great time because of advance research and appropriate expectations. For the price I think it was a fun cruise and I would recommend it to anyone who just wants a quick weekend getaway, and particularly for a group of friends who want a budget friendly adventure in the Caribbean. My girlfriend and I are planning to make this an annual event and I’m looking forward to making memories with her again.
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