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Just returned from Conquest


atlj

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We (myself, husband and 9 year old son/daughter) just returned from the

8/1 Conquest. I'm just trying to get a few thoughts down now, but will

write a more thorough review in a few days.

 

Pre and Post Cruise: Stayed at Hilton Riverside. Great location. Hotel is

a typical chain hotel. Two pools, a couple of eating places. It is connected

to the Riverwalk which is great offering more dining, shopping choices. We

walked the French Quarter, took a city tour, went to the aquarium and spent

time at the pools. Other than being very hot and humid (of course, it is

August) we really enjoyed New Orleans as did our kids.

 

Conquest: Embarkation and Debarkation were no big deal. Ran as smooth as

you would expect when you are boarding and deboarding 3,000 people. We

checked in around 10:30/11:00 and were on Lido eating lunch around 12:30.

 

I was pleasantly surprised at the decor of the ship. Loved the art theme throughout. I thought it was more upscale than what I had expected. Our cabin was on Spa Deck 1105. King bed/bunk beds, floor to ceiling window,

plently of storage space. This deck does not have many cabins and I thought

was very quiet. The spa/gym is also on this floor. Many nights when we

all needed to shower before dinner, my husband would just go down the hall

and use the showers in the gym, very convenient.

 

Dining: We thought the food in the dining room was very good. My nine year olds ate with us every night and always had something off the regular menu. The waiters were great with the kids always interacting with them,

knowing their names after the first night. Very good service. I have to say

we thought the best staff on the ship were the dining room staff.

 

Camp Carnival: My kids were in the 9-11 year old group, but did not spend

much time there. The activities were too juvenile for this age group. My son spent most of his free time in the arcade and my daughter did a couple activities, but did more of the regular ship activities instead (bingo, dance lessons, etc.). I'm sure the activities would appeal to some, just not my kids. They do have playstation/computers but it is only offered at limited times, so you can't just go in and use at leisure.

 

Ports of Call: Jamaica: Spent the day at Sunset Beach Resort.

Grand Cayman: Did Nativeway Stingray Tour and alittle shopping.

Cozumel: Paradise Beach and alittle shopping.

I will write more about ports of call in my next review.

 

We all had a great time, anyone going on Conquest I'm sure will enjoy her as well. If anyone has any questions before I write more, please email me and

I will try to answer the best I can.

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Hi..

 

I just read the review posted about the Conquest. My husband and I leave 8/22 and I am dying for more info. I suppose the information I am most curious about is excursion info. I am also considering spending the day in MoBay at the Suset Beach Resort. I feel I have a handle on the MoBay info but am overwhelmed by the other desitnations. Is there anything you can add about Grand Cayman and Cozumel...Any recommendations or advice?

 

Thanks so much...:eek: ....So excited I can barely stand it.

 

Our First Cruise Ever...................

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Glad you had a great time. I am leaving on 8/29, and we are doing the EXACT same excursions as we are.

 

Say, how was NativeWay -- did your kids like their experience? Did you have someone videotaping?

 

Which was your favorite day -- Sunset Beach, Stingrays or Paradise Beach? Which was your kids' favorite? And why?

 

Thanks!:p

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We leave 11/28 on the Conquest and are planning to do all of the same excursions; Sunset Beach, Native Way excursion and possibly Paradise Beach. Right now we are leaning toward Chankanaab Park instead of Paradise Beach in Cozumel. We are not sure which would be better. I look forward to your review and especially learning more about Sunset Beach and Paradise Beach. Thanks for the info.!

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Thanks for the review...can't wait for your next post. We are leaving on the 8/29 sailing. We are also cruisin with two children, and have planned on doing the exact same things at the ports as you!

Would love more info on Native Way and the beaches!

Thanks!

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We're doing the same excursions too. Can you provide more info about Nativeway? Cost? Do you sign up at the pier? Or is there a website to book through?

 

Cant wait to hear more! We're leaving in under 80 days! I'm getting so excited!!

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Hello, My wife and I sailed the Conquest in April for our honeymoon. I absolutely loved everything about the ship. In MoBay we went to Dunn's River Falls. Very nice, but a long bumpy ride. We drove there, climbed the falls, drove (rode a bus) back. We were able to convince the driver to drop us off at Margaritaville and come back and pick us up. The whole bus tipped him about 4 dollars per person to come back. I wouldnt recommed walking around by yourself in Jamaica. Make sure you stick to an excursion.

 

In the Caymans, we went on a tour with Capitan Marvins. - http://www.capitanmarvins.com - very nice people and we went to a lot more places in the water than everyone else. But we did not see the Hell Turtle Farm though. Just weigh your options. A very safe town to walk in. Totally opposite from MoBay.

 

In Cozumel, we went to Passion Island. All inclusive 5-6 hour relaxing day at the beach. All food & beverages provided, and well worth the money.

 

Being from Louisiana, we are used to spicy foods. I did flind the food on the ship a little bland, but it was good. The pizza on the Lido deck near the rear bar is very good, as well as the ice cream all over the ship.

 

On and off the boat was a breeze for us, because we got upgraded to a suite. How, I have no clue. We booked early and paid for a balcony. I guess we were the lucky ones. We were home for like 12:30 the Sunday morning. It took us no longer than 30 minutes to board the ship once we got to the pier, since we had VIP tags.

 

Any other assistance, please ask, or email bj_mil@bellsouth.net

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Hi all,

 

I thought I would address some of the questions that are being asked, that

way people can get the info they most want:

 

Regarding Sunset Beach Resort: The resort and its beach are really up the

street from the pier (you can see hotel from pier). We shared a cab with

another couple at the pier. The fare is $2.00 per person. The cost was

$20 per adult and $10 per child for an all day pass. They take your

sail and sign cards at the desk when you pay and you get them back at the

security booth when you depart. The all day pass includes full use of:

3 swimming pools (there may have been more), a very nice beach, nonmotorized water sports, all you can drink (alcoholic and non) and food

at the grille (hamburgers, hotdogs etc.). We thought it was well worth

the money as we had kids and were not that interested in "schlepping around

Jamaica"

 

Nativeway Tour in Grand Cayman: We made our reservations online with

Nativeway before we left. The tour meets in the gazebo at the pier after

you get off the tender from the ship. You take an air conditioned bus from the pier to the dock where there boat takes you out to Stingray City. They

provide water and punch on board. There is a very small bathroom on board.

We did the Stingray stop and the snorkeling stop. There is a videographer on board who you can purchase a VHS or DVD from. When we arrived back at

the pier, my husband and son went back to the ship and myself and my nine year old daughter stayed downtown. She got her hair braided and we walked around the shops. Very clean, very safe, in fact I would consider a trip back to Grand Cayman in the future to stay longer. We were told there is 0% unemployment rate in Grand Cayman so there was no one hassling you as you walked around.

 

Cozumel and Paradise Beach: Paradise Beach was about a $12 cab ride from

the pier. Free to get in and it has a very nice beach. There are non motorized watersports and a trampoline and iceberg to climb in the water. There is a bar and restaurant area. There are many more reviews of Paradise Beach in the Port of Call Board for anyone interested in a more indepth review. We enjoyed our stay there, if you want to snorkel though, I would try another beach. I walked around the shops at the pier on the way back to the ship. There are outlets here of all the big jewelry stores etc. that are found in town. There are also a couple of restaurants/bars at the pier as well.

 

Waterslide on Ship: The slide did get crowded at times especially on sea days. My two kids used the slide many times and enjoyed it.

 

Food not in Dining Room: We ate at the buffet for Breakfast most days. Typical breakfast buffet staples and plenty of fresh fruit and muffins, danishes, etc. My son had the pizza for lunch a couple of days and he

enjoyed it. For lunch there were hamburgs, hot dogs, buffet and the specialty places (deli, oriental etc.) We found all the food in the Lido area good and have no complaints. Of course it is not gourmet fare, but you wouldn't expect this in this area of eating. If you're a chocoholic don't miss Saturday afternoons Chocolate Buffet!

 

Keep the questions coming and I'll try to keep the answers coming.

 

P.S. A cruise is what you make of it. Of course there will be little things you may or maynot like. This is true of all types of vacations. I can't imagine anyone not having a good time on this ship.

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Do you happen to know the height requirements?

 

thanks for the great reviews...

 

We did nativeway a few years ago and loved it...we were dropped off at 7 mile beach and then we picked us up an hour later....I wished that they stayed in Grand Cayman longer...

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Midnight Buffet: I have to admit I never went down for the late night

buffets so hopefully someone else can answer this. I can tell you that

in the Capers (ships activity newsletter) it does say latenight bistro from

11:30p.m. - 1:30a.m. and I know one night there was a traditional

midnight fancy buffet.

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The midnight buffets are nothing like they used to be. We wondered if it was just Carnival, but I think other lines have cut back on these also. I think they had something in the bistro most nights--but it wasn't too exciting. Even their "Gala Buffet" was on Lido Deck and was the length of one side of the buffet lines (duplicated on both sides). It still had some interesting carvings, etc. but it was nothing like we have seen at Gala buffets in years past.

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Yes most of the lines have cut back on the midnight buffet, but they are actually offering food longer, HAL as the pasta station open very late and then they have a line that opens up at 1130 -1 so there is still plenty to eat and quite frankly I think the midnight buffets were alot of work and alot of wasted food

 

Pete

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I have a Sunset Beach Resort question. We are travelling with a group and have become very interested in this resort. Would like to go to the City Center to do a little shopping before going on to the resort. Do they have lockers at the resort for your purchases and bags or would it be better to return to the ship--unload, then head out to the resort? Wasn't sure about cab fare, etc. Also, where is everyone finding this great $20 rate info about the resort? I found the website about the resort but nothing about cruise visitor rates. Sounds so wonderful and since I am the one encouraging this in our group of 8, want to have all my ducks in a row. We leave on 9-5--cannot wait! So ready for this sail! Happy cruising fellow sailors!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey,

Thanks for the review.

I was wondering if you have any pictures of your Cabin?

We will be on the Spa deck in November and i was just wondering what the cabins look like with their floor length windows. Also one more question, did you find it warmer in your cabin if you left open the Window's curtains or even if you didn't?( something i read once)

 

Thanks

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sanermae we went to the sunset beach on the 8/22 cruise of the conquest. The cab is 2.00 per person over to the resort, you can see the ship from the beach. The 20.00 rate is what the resort charges you. You sign in at the desk, they do take you Sail and Sign cards (returned in an envelope when you depart) and you go down to the beach. After you go through the lobby area, there are actually 3 beaches, the one to your left was undergoing some construction, the one in the middle is where most of the folks were located and the one way down to the right is the topless beach.

 

The snack bar, hamburgers etc opens around 1030, they have soda machines with cups and you just help yourself and the bar area also opens around 1030. There are also 3 pools, and throughout the day (you will see a calendar of events posted as you walk in) you can play volleyball, and other events. THey do over paddle boats and sea kayaking. Snorkeling is available but it is a good swim out unless you go down by the coral to your right. We did see quite a few jelly fish, but they said that was common in August.

 

I would recommend that you go to shopping first and return to the ship and then head over to the resort OR head over to the resort early and then have the taxi driver (they will ask what time you want them to return) and they will take you shopping

 

Regards

 

Pete

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