Carnival Conquest Review April 8-14, 2018

Sorry about the delayed start- we got back from vacation and I hit the ground running-back to work. I'll try to get this moving but I'm still importing photos onto a web-sharing database....

• FortLauderdale, FL Saturday April 7

  
  

• PortEverglades, FL Sunday April 8

  
  

• Nassau,Bahamas Monday April 9

  
  

• HalfMoon Cay, Bahamas Tuesday April 10

  
  

• GrandTurk, Turks & Caicos Wednesday April 11

  
  

• AmberCove, Dominican Republic Thursday April 12

  
  

• FunSea Day Friday April 13

  
  

• PortEverglades, FL April 14

  
  

***The views listed are those of our family and more importantly ME. I tryto be fair and not let things get to me….I’m on vacation –so relaxation is whatI look forward to most. I will try to finish this review as quickly as possiblebut life does happen, so I only ask that you please try to be patient***

Glossary:

DH= Darling Husband

DS= Darling Son

BFF= Best Friend Forever

SIL= Sister in Law

BIL= Brother in Law

* = Newbie

Yup youguessed it -we are doing it again. Sorry that I never got around to publishingour Vista cruise review….life happened. It’s started in a word document on mydesktop computer but I never finished it :-(. Regarding VISTA- I can tell you although it wasa new ship when we sailed maiden voyage was may we sailed January, we foundwaiting in lines a constant companion…..we shall see if Conquest will be thesame.

So a little background our first We Be Cruisinwas on Liberty and we had 9 people go, We Be Cruisin 2 was on Vista with 14,this time around We Be Cruisin 3 on Conquest, we have 15- with no one attendingany more kids’ activities -they have all grown up!

Side NOTE- Emptynest in the fall….hopefully DH & I get to take more cruises-lol.

So we bookedConquest right after our return from the Vista (Jan 2017) which was 443 daysfrom departure…better than the 514 days for Vista but still a really long time!

Our Trip begins SaturdayApril 7, 2018 and concludes Saturday April 14, 2018.

I will give age info, asI have learned it sometimes helps those reading the review with whether theymight enjoy an activity, food, etc. This trip we have seasoned cruisers, aswell as newbies.

So let us begin- we have me (46), DH (55 turning 56 on 4/14), DS #2 (21), DS #3 (19), DS #4 (18); DS #2BFF (21); DS #2 BFF’s Mom (60),DS #2 BFF’s older brother (26), DS #2 BFF’scousin (27)*; my BFF#1 (46); SIL (61), BIL (67); Nephew (21)*; my BFF#2 (49)*, myBFF #2 DH (51)*.

We had 7 cabins total-3 interior(decks 8 & 10), 2 interiors with a window (deck 6) & 2 balconies (deck7 & 8). I was able to upgrade our 4J (interior with a window) to a Balcony inFeb (about 60 days out) via an email for a cost. And 3 days prior to sailing myBFF#2 got the call & email to upgrade from an interior on 6 to a balcony ondeck 8. In our opinion they both were worth the upgrade.

DS#1 & GF were unable to get away to come on this trip L, seems like he makes every other one.

So if you’ve read any of my other reviews you know that we’ve been doing these last few cruises as graduation gifts to our DSs. So this is DS#4’s trip, the last of the Mohican’s(Mama’s baby boy), yeah he’s my baby but I’m ready to let him fly the coup-lol! Who would have thought we started cruising 10 years ago for ouroldest, now the youngest is about to go off to college. And we always celebrate more than one reason for cruising with our sons- Cruise #1- DS#1 graduation cruise and DH & I celebrated our wedding anniversary; Cruise #2- DS#2 graduation cruise & DS#4 turned 14 on the cruise; Cruise #3-DS#3 graduation cruise and his 18th birthday on the cruise. So in keeping with tradition ….this cruise – DS#4 turned 18- 5 days before we left and DH turns 56the day we get off- now that’s what I call killing two birds with one stone!

As I have done in prior reviews I started writing this one in a word document prior to setting sail. Itry to get it ready so I can jot down notes on pages as they happen… that doesn’t always happen as you see I didn’t finish the Vista one….but this is a new day and I am feel optimistic that I will get this one done.

We take a shuttle fromour home in Buffalo, NY to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (10minutes from our home) for its’ convenience. We have 7 coming from our house and although our Chevy Traverse can hold 8, this isn’t true with luggage for all these people, which means multiple trips to the airport with people andluggage- so shuttle it is.

This trip I booked ourhotel stay with SpringHill Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port. Wegot 3 rooms (1 ladies room and 2 guys rooms) for the night. They advertise afree shuttle from the airport (FLL) to the hotel, free breakfast and when we originally booked free shuttle to the port. Just so you are aware the shuttle SpringHill uses for pickups from the airport only holds 14. So we had the 8“older” adults travel to the hotel, and then had the shuttle returned to pickup the 7 “younger” adults. I did call the hotel a few weeks prior to our tripand confirmed how many the shuttle would hold-so everyone was aware of this little delay early. We booked using our AAA & AARP discounts.

I had read tripadvisor reviewsprior to leaving that the shuttle to the port wasn’t free anymore & that it booked up quickly. As our flights were not coming in until late (7:40pm) Iopted to book shuttle service to the port & from the port to FLL with QLSTransportation. We have used them in the past and loved the experience and theprice -$10 PP also cannot be beat. This coincidently was the same price the shuttle company for the hotel charges but they hadn’t been getting great reviews.

Another quick item we allbooked Early Saver, so yes I did mock bookings almost every day to see if the prices decreased. Carnival did away with the FareViewer (which I used faithfully when we had a cruise booked with them). All cabins had at least 1 reduction/upgrade, as originally we all booked on deck 6- sometimes it just makes sense to move. Not everyone accepted the upgrade offers, as some were in places we just didn’t feel were an upgrade- balcony cabin below Guy’sBurgers/Lido, inside cabin with a window but under the bridge…not sure how we got chosen for the offers but they were delivered via an email every time. We also learned that our sailing was soldout approximately a week prior to sailing so no decreases in pricing accorded.

No one had FTTF (Fasterto the Fun) this trip, and yes we are going to need to go to Guest Services(switching people in cabins & adding gift cards) but no one thought spending $69.95 was worth it. Honestly, we’ve had it before and didn’t really see the benefit for this trip (yes I know some swear by it but “to each itsown”). We get to the port between 12-12:30 pm, so when we get on board our cabinsare usually ready or shortly there after. We did opt to get a cabana for HalfMoon Cay- hopefully we make it there this trip because for DS#2’s cruise that port got canceled. DH & I have been here but DS’s have not and I would lovefor them to experience it. More FTTF did open up at 5 days out- cost was now $89.95 and definitely not worth it in our opinion.

We had a slight hiccup for this trip as well- DH took a horrible spill in Nov ’17 and had emergencysurgery to reattach his right quad muscle to his kneecap (OUCH). Yes, painful and to make matters worse- he developed a blood clot (DVT) from groin to calf in that same leg. So thigh high compression stockings & a scooter rental this trip was a necessity. We used Scootaround for the scooter rental. Carnival’swebsite recommends them and another company. Cost wasn’t bad and we opted topurchase the cancelation and repair/theft insurance. We also purchased the Carnival Protection Insurance this trip-first time but only on DH, honestly we weren’t sure whether he would be able to make the trip.

If you need a list of what to bring with you, please see my signature and read my Carnival Liberty review- as I have one posted there. These items don’t really change for us from trip to trip, so I will not bore you with repeating them.

As I have done in thepast I purchased gift cards through AARP Rewards for Good (free to join and youdon’t have to be an AARP member-although I am). You can purchase a $100 giftcard for $90 and 1,000 rewards points. The way I see it is every dollar we save-can be used on something else.

I ordered our embarkation shirts from Rushordertees; cost was approximately $13 each because DS#3 wantedperformance tees not cotton. I ordered our lanyards from Amazon (25 for $15) which included the clear pocket, and then purchased stickers at a local Michael’sstore to add some individual charm.

We preorder liquor forour cabin every cruise. This cruise was no exception- Barcardi Limon Rum &Crown Royal with a 6 pack of diet coke. We also have every adult carry on abottle of wine- even if they don’t like wine- the rest of us will drink it. J

REGARDING ONBOARD ACCOUNTS FOR SIGN & SAIL

We are a family that uses its debit card for our onboard account. Please try to refrain from gasping and/or criticizing us. Not to be snarky BUT when you pay my bills- all my bills- you can have an opinion that matters- this works for our family- please do what works for your family. We haven’t had any issues with long holds, extra charges and/or anything weird. I’ll chalk itup to God’s divine intervention but we have done this on NCL, Princess & 4 Carnival cruises. We advise our bank(s) in writing that we are traveling, when& where and bring 1 major credit card for emergencies. What works for my family- might or might not work for yours.

Pic 1-the shirts I ordered from Rushordertees

Pic 2- the high school graduate

Pic 3- the lanyards I made

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We did this cruise right before Easter. I can't wait to "relive" it thru your review.

Your son is very handsome :).

We did this cruise right before Easter. I can't wait to "relive" it thru your review.

 

Your son is very handsome :).

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oj! I'm going to have to bookmark those lanyards!

Subbing!

SATURDAY APRIL 7 FLYING TO FT LAUDERDALE FROM BUFFALO, NY

Flying down to FLL fromBuffalo we (14) of us are flying Southwest- direct flight. My BFF#1 will joinus in FLL from ATL- her flight is supposed to land at 7:20pm, we are supposedto land at 7:40pm.

After all our last minute running around for haircuts and grabbing last minute items- everyone was ready for pickup by 2 pm. Unfortunately, Buffalo Airport Shuttle was a little delayed on picking us up. They arrived by 2:30- still plenty of time to make it thru TSA and get to our gate.

We did meet up with another family we had been taking with on another social media site and did agroup picture.

Our flight on Southwest was uneventful and we arrived to Fort Lauderdale to 80 degree weather (YEAH)but later than we originally planned, we took off a little late and arrived later 8:20 pm.

After getting our luggage, I called SpringHill Suites for pick up. They told us where to go stand and we only waited a few minutes and he showed up. Now as I said before, we knew we needed to split up but we really split up- he only had room for 5 this trip. So all the ladies climbed on and they sent another shuttle to pick up all 10 of the guys.

Check-in was good- snacks & cold water provided. We had 3 rooms – all on different floors but that was okay. We were only staying for 1 night. Hotel is very nice, weight room(boys used it), pool I didn’t use it this day but did on our return (I’ll talk about that later). Because there is a shopping center right across the street from the hotel we (the ladies) walked over to K-Mart to get a few items -the store made an announcement that they were closing in 10 minutes- lol.

We headed to McDonald’sto grab a quick dinner, then back to the hotel to eat.

I can’t stress enough howkind and nice the staff was at SpringHill Suites. Definitely two thumbs up tothem.

Our gang of misfits at the Buffalo International Airport with some folks we had been talking to online.

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Our flight on Southwest

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Following. I like the lanyards!

Following. I like the lanyards!

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Thanks for the review.

Very nice start!

Following along! :)

I ordered our embarkation shirts from Rushordertees; cost was approximately $13 each because DS#3 wantedperformance tees not cotton. I ordered our lanyards from Amazon (25 for $15) which included the clear pocket, and then purchased stickers at a local Michael’sstore to add some individual charm.

 

We preorder liquor forour cabin every cruise. This cruise was no exception- Barcardi Limon Rum &Crown Royal with a 6 pack of diet coke. We also have every adult carry on abottle of wine- even if they don’t like wine- the rest of us will drink it. J

 

REGARDING ONBOARD ACCOUNTS FOR SIGN & SAIL

We are a family that uses its debit card for our onboard account. Please try to refrain from gasping and/or criticizing us. Not to be snarky BUT when you pay my bills- all my bills- you can have an opinion that matters- this works for our family- please do what works for your family. We haven’t had any issues with long holds, extra charges and/or anything weird. I’ll chalk itup to God’s divine intervention but we have done this on NCL, Princess & 4 Carnival cruises. We advise our bank(s) in writing that we are traveling, when& where and bring 1 major credit card for emergencies. What works for my family- might or might not work for yours.

Cracking up about the debit card comment. I've used it on all except for one cruise and guess which trip had all the sign and sale account issues.....:rolleyes:

Sorry for the delay, I've been traveling for work and today I'm picking up our DS3 from school. Cannot believe his freshmen year is in the books.

I'll get back to this first thing Monday.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Following along!

SUNDAY APRIL 8 BOARDING CARNIVALCONQUEST AT PORT EVERGLADES

We woke up and headed down to breakfast – normal stuff. Not a lot of sitting but the women went down first and by the time we were done the “older guys” came down and took our sits. The younger guys did make it down eventually; by then us women had already been to the plaza again for last minute items we didn’t get in our run the night before.

Because we had already learned the shuttle from the hotel wasn’t free and booked with QLS, I had everyone ready to go by 11:45 am, as we scheduled a noon pick up. QLS called me around 10 am as a reminder, got a text around 11:45 and they were onsite by 12:10 pm. With the number of people we had they sent our own shuttle. Driver was great loaded all our bags in trailer attached to his bus (we all fit with room to stretch out). It’s a short drive maybe 15 minutes and most of that was waiting in traffic to get into the port.

I have to say the fun of cruising with newbies is seeing their face when they get the first glimpse of the ship- really is great!

Our check in time was 11:30 am- 12:00 pm- no real line to speak of. we all had our boarding pass & health form (which they didn't even take). Those with passports had it easy, those without did as well. Took about 30 minutes to get everyone thru and then the fun started. With DH using a cane, they offered wheelchair service to get on the ship (very, very, very steep incline on the ramp to get on the ship). Yes I tipped that porter very well cause he ran up it with DH- who isn't a small fella!!!

Once onboard I sent everyone up to eat and DH & I picked out the cabana and gave sizes for the fins & soda (pop) preferences. We went with Cabana 5 this time- close to the bar, restrooms & barbeque.

Pics from the hotel before pick up from QLS.

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