Carnival Conquest, Feb 24 - Mar 3, 2012 - Review

[KCinBAMA]

BACK ON BOARD

 

After making our way back aboard, I checked one of two Sail and Sign Kiosks to check our account. These are great machines as you can check your on board charges as often as you like so you don’t get sticker shock at the end of the cruise. You can also keep track as you go, I always forget about pictures purchased 3 and 4 days ago.

 

We ended up playing a card game up in the Fish and Chips area for a little while. This is an excellent place to play because the tables are much larger and seat more than 4 people. There is not an elevator that reaches this area, therefore, most folks never find it.

 

While sitting and playing cards, we could feel the ship bumping against the dock occasionally, the wind was that strong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up, last sea day and final thoughts.

[sunny4jj]

Thanks for the review. You have me laughing out loud.

[daijayx2]

Thank you for coming back. Loving the review!!

[Cruise, J.D.]

Great review. I like your dry sense of humor. :)

[battchief1]

Thanks for the review

[KCinBAMA]

LAST SEA DAY

 

We booked the Behind The Fun tour early in the week since there were only 32 spots for 3000 passengers. The tour is scheduled for 3.5 hours and it took between 3 and 3.5 hours on our last sea morning. We met in the library and were wanded by security for weapons since we were heading to sensitive parts of the ship. Also, no cameras are allowed on the tour for the same reason. After heading out to the lifeboat deck we went to the bow to see the hot tubs for crew only. While at the bow, a group photo was taken which we received as part of our tour package.

 

From the bow, we headed backstage to one of the show dressing rooms and had a Q&A with a lead performer of the entertainment shows. We then toured the crew gym, brig, morgue, and saw pictures of crew cabins. They said we couldn’t actually see the cabins because they had a full crew and there weren’t any empty.

 

We saw the laundry with automatic towel and sheet folding machines and big washing machines. We visited the crew training center where they had a complete set of Rosetta Stone language programs for many different languages.

 

We learned the crew had 5 different eating areas. Their main dining area also had waiters, who were really in training before being promoted to wait tables for passengers. I guess they can learn to handle their frustrations with the crew before waiting on guests.

 

Walking down the center of the ship there was a large open space where the forklifts moved pallets of food, trash, and luggage when required. We walked into one of the freezers temporarily and spent a few minutes in a refrigerated room - where all the sodas and beer were kept.

 

We toured the galley which served both guest dining rooms and met a food artist. He was making flowers out of food for the ladies. We saw someone creating works of art on cakes. From here, we went to the control room where all of the ships major systems could be monitored. We toured the bridge, met the Captain and some officers, and posed for pictures with the Captain - again, these photos were included in the price of the tour. The First Officer introduced us to all of the control knobs and switches for running the ship. Of course, the best view is from here.

 

After the bridge tour, we headed up to the steakhouse to meet the chef and look around the galley. He told us how to determine the difference between medium rare, medium, and well done of a steak without using a thermometer.

 

After the tour, goodies and refreshments were provided and we took a survey of our experience. Once we got back to our cabin, a few more goodies had been provided to us.

 

 

 

 

 

While I probably wouldn’t do this again on another ship, I thought it was worth the $95 price and I’m glad I went.

 

DEBARKATION

The debarkation briefing plays on the last sea day on one of the TV channels. It only takes about 15 minutes and repeats all day. If you are not taking your own luggage off the ship, the cabin steward will provide numbered luggage tags in the evening. I thought this was a better idea than on past cruises where everyone was required to get their tags from guest services.

 

CLOSING COMMENTS

 

Elevators - listen to the dings: 1 ding is going up, 2 dings is going down.

 

Guest Laundry Rooms are on the decks with the cabins. $3 to wash, $3 to dry, and it appeared to only use coins. I didn’t see a way to swipe the sail and sign card. Perhaps coins are available at guest services.

 

There were two kiosks on board that will change money for you and also give you the balance of your shipboard account.

 

Getting Around Quickly. You can go from the fore to aft elevators via two crowded routes. Deck 5 (Promenade - inside) and Deck 9 (Lido - outside). If we wanted to move quickly, we would take deck 6, which is nothing but cabins, to bypass any crowds on the other decks. Decks 3 and 4 are blocked by the galley and dining rooms.

 

BLUE IGUANA. This is a wonderful, create you own, burrito/taco area. You choose wheat or flour, chicken shrimp or something, toppings and ingredients yourself. They are open for breakfast and lunch but not dinner.

 

LOUNGE. There is not a lot of good seating upstairs. The glass partition has a balcony rail topped by 3” chrome fixture which is in the eyesight of lots of folks, so pick your seat wisely. Also, legroom was tight upstairs. The lower level seating was good, remember to sit near the center for the production shows since they all use digital screens as part of the show and they look terrible from an extreme angle.

 

BUFFET SEATING. The buffet had plenty of places to sit. I’ve been on cruises where we had to round the dining room twice to find a spot or eye someone getting ready to leave.

 

ROOM SERVICE. We used room service every morning, and once for a meal after a shore excursion. Our orders were always missing something, but they were usually on time, prepared correctly and served by friendly people - I guess they just don’t double check the orders. The Reuben sandwiches were good.

 

Thanks for reading, I enjoyed writing this review - it allowed me to relive my vacation for free.

 

For those of you that endured the entire tale, I now offer you a chance to get your money and time back. For your money, just send your receipt to the great people running this forum and I’m sure they will gladly take care of you. I will also offer most of you a coupon to get your time back, if you feel it was wasted. Just print and cut out the coupon below and place it by the clock in your bedroom and this fall, you can get an hour back of your life.

 

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COUPON GOOD FOR ONE FREE HOUR

Good on Nov 3, 2012 at 2am - set clock back 1 hr

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Here are links to the other review pages

- New Orleans Park and Cruise Hotel

- Jamaica Horseback Ride and Swim

- Grand Cayman Turtles, Turtles, and More Turtles

[flynnsport]

Thanks for writing...We love the Conquest.

[lovestocruise19]

Thanks for that awesome explanation of the Behind the Fun tour! I'm hoping to be able to do this on my upcoming cruise!

[leedixie]

Thanks! Loved your review.