My Take of the Carnival Conquest (review)

We just recently returned from 7 day cruise on the Carnival Conquest.

DH & I have been on close to twenty cruises and have to say this wasn't our favorite.

We booked this cruise since the price was right. About $600 mid-ship balcony. As the saying goes, you get what you paid for....

Sad, because we sailed on the Splendor and Miracle and liked them very much.... have always been 100% satisfied in the past.

The decor on the boat is a bit drab. Very dark.

Layout is poorly designed out of all the ships we've been on.

Carnival is cutting back wherever they can, especially maintenance. Throughout the ship you can see it needs TLC. Rust everywhere. Needs a good paint job. Ship is totally neglected. Except for vacuuming, that they did daily.

I have the greatest respect for ALL cruise staff, but have to say on this ship there were a few bar staff who ignored us when we raised our hand to get their attention.

Some wait staff (from a certain country - not saying) stood around and chatted and chatted....while others hustle and bustled tables....

Our cabin steward was very polite and friendly. Cabin was nice and clean. The bed was very comfortable. Toilet did have a black ring around it. Noticed that in other bathrooms around the ship. People next to our cabin smoked cannabis from the time they got up till they went to bed. It started to drift into our cabin. I wanted to say something to our cabin steward in fear of him thinking it was us. DH told me not to say a word. :cool: Surprised the Cabin Steward didn't notice, cause if he did, I am sure he must have to report it, maybe not! :rolleyes: This ship seems to be laxed in so many areas......

We had Your Time dining, after the second night we found Head Waiter Corrado, Narvin, & Jose (his helpers) and requested him each night. Excellent service.

Staff do NOT spray your hands with disinfectant when entering any of the dining areas...They do NOT enforce hand cleanliness.

Guy Fieri Burgers. Honestly these are to die for. Very good!

The dress code was never enforced. Every night, including the elegant nights, people were allowed in the dining areas wearing blue jeans, shorts, t-shirts, flip flop, whatever they wanted to wear.

Formal night if I saw 15 people dressed up that was a lot.

99% passengers wore shorts and t shirts throughout the ship on formal night. I began to feel out of place, until three men hit on me (dh was sleeping it off :rolleyes: so I decided to walk around the ship and enjoy :D) Made it worth getting all gussied up. ;)

Service on the TV was shut down for the entire week for service.

Between cabins 8274 to 8340 on Deck 8 there was a stench of sewage smell from day one in the hallway. First they tried fans... Then they had to remove the beds and carpeting... Which left a glue smell. Lucky our cabin was far enough not to have smelled it, only walking near or past.

Main pool area was over taken by two bars. Hardly any loungers to sit on.

No room for a band to play.

I am sad to say that Carnival disappointed us this time, though we did have a great time.. The fun people we met on board made it a memorable one.

Our experience on this ship won't stop us from sailing Carnival in the future.

We love cruising!!!! :p

Gee. Your review sends chills down my back. I am ..was...planning a cruise on the Conquest for Next March for 12 family members. Does not sound like they would enjoy it.

It made me sad to read this. My first Carnival cruise was on the Conquest in 2011. She was a beautiful ship. Haven't been on her again.

We spend a good deal of money to cruise and I would hate to be disappointed.

Was the MDR food good?

Sorry to hear of your experience. We sailed on the Conquest out of New Orleans and loved her but that was a few years ago. You do have a great attitude not letting this experience damper your decision to cruise Carnival again.

Thanks for your review. But I am sorry to hear these things about the ship. I like to cruise from Port Everglades, and hear that Conquest is moving there in 2015 to replace the Freedom. Hopefully there will be a drydock soon, to do some updating, and hopefully to add a serenity deck. Did you notice that big sunflower light? I think it is outside one of the dining rooms, and some reviews lately mention that the lights are burnt out in the sunflower; so just wondering if you noticed whether that has been fixed or not. Thanks again for your review.

Thank you for the review, as it seems no one has been reviewing the Conquest lately. Less than 20 days until we set sail on her. I'm usually pretty forgiving about minor maintenance issues but service is one area I expect the best. That is one of the reasons to go on a cruise, IMO. Fingers crossed....

Amberteka

The things I've mention were only mild. Just sayin' how I saw it. You and your family members might see things differently. Go and enjoy!

Bury Me At Sea

(That's how I am going :D)

I was surprised to see the identical menu that was on the Splendor last year.

I was hoping to try different foods.

To me, the food is excellent. I can't and won't complain about that.

I am not cooking or doing dishes...always pleased to have food served to me. ;)

With that said, there are some things that are exceptional while other items are so-so. All depends on your taste.

SMSACE6

Sorry no, I didn't notice a sunflower light fixture. Wish I did! Maybe they were in admist of fixing it or something. I did notice all the flower lights throughout the ship as well as the art work.

Thanks for your review. But I am sorry to hear these things about the ship. I like to cruise from Port Everglades, and hear that Conquest is moving there in 2015 to replace the Freedom. Hopefully there will be a drydock soon, to do some updating, and hopefully to add a serenity deck. Did you notice that big sunflower light? I think it is outside one of the dining rooms, and some reviews lately mention that the lights are burnt out in the sunflower; so just wondering if you noticed whether that has been fixed or not. Thanks again for your review.

Here's a pic from January. I was very disappointed in my Conquest cruise. It was the 2nd time on her and was a totally different experience than I had before as well as on any other Carnival cruise I have been on. I won't be going back until it has a major overhaul and they add Serenity.

It was better than being at work - obviously, but wasn't what I expected. So it's back to the Glory next month for the 4th time in a year and a half.

We sailed on the Conquest last December-- all was positive for us. We're back on this December and really looking forward to it!

Sent From My IPad

Here's a pic from January. I was very disappointed in my Conquest cruise. It was the 2nd time on her and was a totally different experience than I had before as well as on any other Carnival cruise I have been on. I won't be going back until it has a major overhaul and they add Serenity.

 

It was better than being at work - obviously, but wasn't what I expected. So it's back to the Glory next month for the 4th time in a year and a half.

Thanks for the photo...I remember it now from your review, but I know I have either seen it before, or read about it from other people's reviews. I love that sunflower, and think it is sad that they can't keep it lit up properly. I am a rare bird who happens to love Carnival ship's décor, at least the ones that I have been on. Hope they can get that flower lit up again, as well as update the ship in general, and especially a serenity deck.

Thanks for the photo...I remember it now from your review, but I know I have either seen it before, or read about it from other people's reviews. I love that sunflower, and think it is sad that they can't keep it lit up properly. I am a rare bird who happens to love Carnival ship's décor, at least the ones that I have been on. Hope they can get that flower lit up again, as well as update the ship in general, and especially a serenity deck.

Me too! I was so excited to go back on Conquest as it was our very first ship and the one we got married on. It's not that it was horrible or anything, but it just seemed like it "lost it's soul".

I agree that they do need to stay on top of maintenance and I too like the quirky decor. Maybe once they add Serenity, I will try her again. But that's a deal breaker in my book. How I missed it so......

Conquest definitely needs an overhaul when you can't notice that Sunflower.

:eek: ;)

We were on the Conquest August 31, week before the OP.

Thought the ship was in reasonable shape. Was surprised that it didnt get a serenity deck believe all the other ships in its class got it.

Thought service by the crew was very good thruout.

Never been on the Conquest but have seen many pics of that beautiful sunflower. It's a prime feature of the decor it seems. They should keep it properly lit always.

Glad you managed to have a good time OP despite some issues. Nice review.

I forgot to mention that we purchased the Cheers beverage package to see what it is like.

We always purchase or receive as a free perk the drink package on Celebrity and wanted to compare.

$603.76 for the two of us for the 7 nighter.

For each drink we purchased we had to sign for it. On Celebrity you don't.

It would have been nice if Cheers included specialty coffees, juices, and bottle water like Celebrity does without a limit.

All beer and soda were served in plastic tumbler glasses near the pool.

Only bottles of beer were given if you bought the bucket of beers.

Limited selection of wine by the glass during dinner.

Cheers on Carnival is not the best if you have a port intense itinerary. I found it very hard to drink the quota everyday to cover the cost. :o

It wasn't worth it...We lost money on the deal.

On our next Carnival cruise, we will pay as we go...

Well.... I guess I'll find out for myself in two months :eek:

We are sailing soon on the conquest...hopefully it will go well! It is only my 2nd cruise and the first I was a teenager so not completely even sure what to expect!

This post makes me more excited then ever to say on the Conquest. This will be our 25th cruise (not all on Carnival).

My husband and are thinking of booking a cruise on her in 2015, now going to rethink it.

My husband and are thinking of booking a cruise on her in 2015, now going to rethink it.

We were on the Conquest last October and loved her. We are planning on going on her again next year. The layout is the same as all the Conquest class ships, we did not notice it looking drab or dark.

As for hand sanitizer, there are sanitizer stations everywhere but if someone tried to squirt it on my hands they would have a fight! Never use the stuff and they should not be at the door of the MDR squirting. There are dispensers at the door for those who wish it.

As for the dress code, we did not have the issues you had. Most everyone was dressed nicely for elegant night. No sewage smell either for us and we were on the same deck.

Sorry you had so many issues, but do not mark the Conquest off your list. We loved her!

I think a lot of people expect elegant evening to encompass all areas of the ship rather than just the suggested dress code for the dining rooms. I usually change into more casual cloths after dinner.

The menu's on Carnival have been largely unchanged for years. That doesn't bother me because even though I cruise several times a year there is enough variety that I rarely order the same item unless it is one of my favorites like pasta carbonara or lamb.

I've been on the Conquest 9 times and agree that she is starting to show some wear, but I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on her again.

I have been on 5 Carnival ships. Conquest was my favorite! We sailed her less than a year ago and are sailing her again next month. The only ship I will have repeated so far.

I will see for myself. Just because a few have had bad experiences, doesn't mean everyone else will.

Daughter and I sailed on Conquest this May, and had a great time. Loved our cabin, food was good, didn't pay any attention to what other people were wearing. Just enjoyed the fact that we were on vacation and enjoying each others company.

OP sounds like you had a pretty crummy experience. What a bummer. Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Any word about the ports that you visited? Thank you