A group of 10 of us sailed on the Carnival Sensation from Oct 5-9. We originally booked this cruise because my brother wanted to take his 2 older children (3 & 6) on a shorter cruise to see how they would do. I admit I was a bit concerned after reading all of the negative reviews about the Sensation, but 99% of them were unfounded on my sailing. I want to address a few things before continuing.

1. Yes the ship is older and the décor a bit outdated, but I felt the ship was very clean and the staff was friendly and worked hard. Honestly, if the purple décor ruined your trip and you need to complain about it, just don’t ever leave your house. It is not a deal breaker.

2. Yes certain parts of the ship had a slight smell of cigarettes and other foul odors. Was it strong? Not really. On any closed system like a ship, there will be places that do not smell as “fresh” as they could. The interior of the ship is not air tight so these smells will leak from staterooms and smoking areas. Deal with it and move on. Again not a deal breaker. Read more