Conquest review 4-11-04 kinda long...Had a great time!

[Tim&Angie]

Here it goes, sorry it’s so long

 

We got to NOLA Saturday around 10am. Checked in at the Hilton Riverside hotel.

Our room was not ready so we took a walk down the Riverwalk. It has been a long time since we had visited New Orleans so most everything was new to us. A lot of the stores were not even open the last time we were here. Our room at the hotel was great! There was a problem with the room we booked so they upgraded us to another suite with the use of the executive lounge. They were really friendly and did a great job.

 

Sunday (embarkation day)

 

Got up around 5:30am, Could not sleep. The lightening and thunder made it hard for us to sleep. It was raining cats and dogs outside. We walked down to see the ship after the rain stopped. What a ship! She is so beautiful. We had watched the Holiday and the Grandeur of the Seas sail away on Saturday. Our son thought those ships were big, until he saw the Conquest. All we could hear was, “wow Mom and Dad look at that shipâ€. He is 7 years old but you would have thought he was about 2 years old by the way he was acting. He was so excited! Took a few pictures then went back to the room to get packed and head to the ship.

 

Embarkation

 

Ok here are a few tips that have been said before but I will mention them again.

GET HERE EARLY!

Fill out fun pass before you get here. (online)

Have your docs, passports or birth certificates ready.

Tip porters well. We tipped 2 dollars per bag.

Taxi from Hilton Riverside to pier which is only 2 blocks away is 7 dollars per person.

 

Embarkation went so smoothly. When we arrived at the pier we found out we were upgraded from a 8a to a cat 11 suite. Oh and that method (k…method, worked). We were so excited! Got to use the Skippers Club. We ran in to two other Cruise Critic members (CruisinChad) they were also very nice.

 

Monday Day at Sea

 

Just one thing to say, RAIN, RAIN, and more RAIN. It rained most of the day on Monday. The sun did come out for about 2 hours or so at the end of the day but then the rain started again Monday night. We had about 8.5 to 10 foot seas most of the day on Monday. So can you say “seasick†? The ship rocked and rolled all day. A lot of the crew was even seasick. Many passengers were sick or getting sick. We never got sick. It could have been all those drinks that kept us from getting sick LOL. I talked to a crew member and she said that she has been on many ships but the Conquest rocks more then any of them. Monday we took in the Captains Cocktail party. It was very nice! Let me say, even with all the rain and rocking we still had a great time! This ship is so big and beautiful that you never get bored. They had to move two of the shows around because the ship was rocking so much. They were afraid the dancers would hurt themselves. The R&B show was great. We were so tired from trying to keep our balance that we went to bed early. Or was it all those drink? I don’t know.

 

Tuesday Day at Sea

 

Rain stopped. Sun came out. And seas were calm. We took in the shops and let me tell you, they were really nice. We found most of the crew working in the “Duty free shops†to be rude. I am not complaining but it seemed out of all the people we met (crew) they were the most unhelpful. I can understand why due to all the people moving in and out of the stores. It never got me down and I managed to speak to them each time I went in. By the end of the day one woman that worked there would always say jokingly “not you againâ€. Hey I am on a cruise so nothing could get me down! Tuesday night was the past guest party. WOW was this a party. Drinks were flowing and the hors d’oeuvre were delicious. As soon as I finished one drink they would bringing me another one. Stewart Little (cruise director) was great! He and I talked for a while. When DW and I walked in to the party he was standing at the door. I walked up to him and said, “what’s up wild man and he replied “ ok who told you, and how did you know that “ ? From that point on we were best buddies. After that we got some dinner and went to the outside lido deck party. The music was great and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

 

 

Wednesday JAMAICA

 

Well what can be said about Jamaica? This was our 2nd time there. We took in the beach at Dr Cave beach. Enjoyed that a bunch. I have to say we had the most fun this time at Margaritaville. The DJ was working the crowd. He was messing with all the women but just kidding around. He came around with a bottle and was pouring shots into everyone’s mouth. We headed back to the ship. At the port they were very strict. The Jamaican port authorities were not friendly at all! They went through everything with a fine-toothed comb. They even dropped my digital camera and never thought twice about it. Just kicked it out from under the table and put it back in our bag. Amazingly it did not break. The price you have to pay for safety. LOL. I’m glad they do check but they could have been just a little more careful. Got back on the ship and sailed away.

 

Thursday Grand Caymans (Georgetown)

 

Ok here is where things got a little crazy. We woke up as we were pulling into what we thought was Georgetown. Little did we know it was really Spots Bay. This was on the other side of the island. We booked the Stingray sandbar tour. We met in the “Degas†lounge. One tour was canceled but ours was still on. Come to find out that the high winds and waves would not allow the ship to anchor at Georgetown. We have read about this here on the boards. But we never knew about them stopping in Spots Bay. We just thought they might pass up Grand Caymans all together. We tendered over to the pier where about 20 taxies were waiting on us. The tour people were there also. After standing in line for about 30 minutes the Captain for our tour said, “if you have small children we don’t recommend you let them go on this tourâ€. Our DS is 7 and about 49 inch high. The Captain said the water was to rough for small kids and even said some adults may get seasick on the way to the sandbar. Talk about one upset kid. Normally it would not be a problem for him to go but with the waves he could get hurt or drown. This was the Captain’s idea for this tour and also the Carnival staff that was on the island at the time. They quickly gave us a refund and apologized over and over again. They said they would hate to have something happen. Thought that was really nice of them. We took our DS back to the ship, (Camp Carnival) and we went back to the island and went shopping. It was about a 10 to 15 minute ride to downtown Georgetown. It was a great shopping day. Come to find out RCCL chose not to even stop at Grand Cayman. There was supposed to be five ships in port that day. Just the CONQUEST and none other then the VICTORY showed up. Strike one up for Carnival. Oh by the way, the Victory is beautiful! I took a lot of pics of her and I will let you all know when post them and then post a link. Oh almost forgot, we were an hour late leaving GC because someone was late getting back. The Victory was supposed to leave after us. She left before we did. We watched all the tenders drive away. Just about the time you could barely see the last tender it slowly turned around. Then it headed back to the pier and picked up two people. Almost the entire ship was watching as these two people as they were dropped off to a ship that was starting to set sail we were starting to move. Everyone was yelling a cheering. I would hate to have been them.

 

Tip; Taxi from Spots Bay to Georgetown was $4 dollars a person. Many people were very upset that they had to pay to go to Georgetown. I’m sure the same people would be even more upset if they had missed Grand Cayman all together. Go figure.

 

Tip; don’t be late. The ship will leave you.

 

Friday, Cozumel

 

Shop until you drop! That’s what we did. No tours just shop. Founds some great deals. We always enjoy Cozumel. It seemed a little dirtier downtown but the shops around the pier were wonderful. DS got a fake tattoo and a puppet. He had a ball. All he really wanted to do was meet, “a Mexican personâ€. He did and got his picture taken. LOL. We ate at Ponchos Back Yard. The food was great. The margaritas were out of this world. Can you say strong! They were really good.

 

Tip; Taxi from pier to downtown was only 6 dollars for the entire taxi.

 

 

 

Saturday, Fun day at Sea

 

Went to the Casino, had some more drinks. We played some bingo. We laid out for a while. Went to dinner and packed. Not much to say about the last day. It was very depressing. We knew it was almost over.

 

Disembarkation:

 

The process seemed to go very slowly. But that was ok…gave us more time on the ship. Oh and they played re-runs of “Friends†on the big screen in the lounge while you wait. We were off the ship by 10:30am.

 

 

Other points of interest:

 

The Point (supper club)

 

You must eat there! The food is great! Keep in mind if you don’t like strange foods some of the courses may not be to your liking. But if you like steak and lobster this is a great place to eat. Well worth the $25 per person. Plan on spending about 2 ½ hours for dinner. Come hungry!

 

 

Camp Carnival

 

I can only say that these people are the best. Our DS cried when he would have to leave from there. They take such good care of the children. Games, computers, painting, parties etc… Oh and FUN SHIP FREDDY!

 

Tip; they close for lunch at 12pm o clock sharp. And re-open at 2pm. Don’t be late picking them up at lunch or you will be charged. A minute or two is ok. Closed again at 5pm to 6pm for the parents to get the kids ready for dinner. Some times may very.

 

Dinning room/food

 

Over all the food was very good. The waiter and staff were great!

Just about any kind of food you would want was available. Of course the hamburgers and French fries were out of this world. Only one complaint, in the afternoon they shut down the lido grill and only have one or two buffet open. At that time long lines for hamburgers. Pizza was great and so was the ice cream. Oh and they do serve fruit punch. LOL

 

In closing

 

The smoke was never a problem unless in the casino. Most people like myself were very respectable of others. Yes one side of the lido deck is non-smoking and other is smoking. Never saw a person with a cigarette in or around the elevators.

 

The ship was very clean.

 

Something interesting,

I had the opportunity to talk to the Chef Engineer. I asked him how come this ship seems to rock so much more then other ships. His answer was very long so I will try and sum it up. In short he said, it has to do with the height of the ship. Most vessels have more hull (bottom of the ship) in the water. The Conquest sits very shallow in the water. This helps with speed and allows it to go into more shallow waters. The stabilizers that were designed for the Conquest to help compensate for the rocking motion are too small. They were later fixed on her sister ship the Glory. When the Conquest goes into dry dock they will fix that problem. Hope this helps.

 

We had a great room steward his name was Angelito. This man was tipped well and did a great job!

 

Tip; we tipped him a little extra when we met him. It seemed to make a difference. After talking to him I think giving phone cards would be a good idea. He has 3 kids that live in the Philippines, a 1 year old, 7 years old and a 10 year old. He can only call when the ship is in New Orleans. It is cheaper then.

 

Hope you enjoyed our review. I’m sure I left some things out so if you have any question feel free to ask. Thanks for all of the help we received that made cruising that much more enjoyable. Hope my review will do the same for other people.

 

Tim & Angie

 

Bigger the ship, bigger the party!

 

 

Conquest 04/11/04

Inspiration 05/27/01

 

Days until our next cruise!

 

[waterbound]

Great review!! Sounds like overall you guys had a great time.. We were on Conquest in October and are planning on going back again March 2005 and are looking forward to that... Thats a bummer about your excursion in Grand Cayman but it certainly is better safe than sorry.. Its good to know they are looking out for everyones safety, although kids dont want to hear that.. We didnt get a chance to go to Docs Cave Beach, but am hoping to do that next time....

 

Thanks for the info in your review.. We just got back from the Holiday today and did the funpass ahead of time, but when we got to embarkation there was only one line and whether you filled it out ahead or not, you still had to get in the same line.. wasnt sure if it was because its a smaller ship and not as many passengers.. Was there separate lines for funpass for Conquest?? Would like to know though for when we go on Conquest in March.. Just wondering if it really makes a difference..

 

Pride- 07/06/02

Jubilee- 02/22/03

Conquest- 10/19/03

 

4/15-- Holiday--Surprise cruise for my boyfriend!

 

5/15-- M&M at Rawlings All American Grille

03/13/2005- Conquest with the kids

[Tim&Angie]

Thanks for the nice reply. To answer your question, yes there was a different line for the funpass. It was a different desk. You did not have to go through that process. For people that did not fill out the fun pass they had two desks to go to. we just had the one then we got our sign and sail cards. Hope that helps

 

Bigger the ship, bigger the party!

 

 

Conquest 04/11/04

Inspiration 05/27/01

 

Days until our next cruise!

 

[waterbound]

Thanks for letting me know.. I assumed maybe they just did the one line for us because theres not as many passengers and the line wasnt bad at all.. When we did Conquest in October there was just the one line and it went all the way out the door.. and it took quite awhile.. This time it was very quick, but again not as many passengers.. Was just curious for when we go back in March.. I will definitely do the funpass then..

 

Pride- 07/06/02

Jubilee- 02/22/03

Conquest- 10/19/03

 

4/15-- Holiday--Surprise cruise for my boyfriend!

 

5/15-- M&M at Rawlings All American Grille

03/13/2005- Conquest with the kids

[azrenne]

Thanks for the great review. We leave on the Conquest in June and we cant wait. We are booked in a 8a catagory with an extra big balcony room 6442. Just wondering if you were booked as a guaranty cabin and thats how you were upgraded? Im not looking to be upgraded. BALCONY says it all for me. Did you happen to eat at the sushi bar and if so was it good?

 

Cunard

Norwegian Wind 3/01

Royal Caribbean Monarch Of The Seas 11/02

Star Princess 4/03

Sun Princess 2/04

Carnival Conquest 6/13/04

[halos]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a great review!

 

I believe in Miracles

MIRACLE JUNE 19, 2004

Calm Seas, Good Friends

[almitra]

I just adore the long reviews---the detail is what I am hungry for. Thanks for delivering, OP!

 

 

Militant Breastfeeding & Homebirth Proponent-Sandra Carmichael

 

Mardi Gras 6/79

Mardi Gras 6/79

(back to back cruises)

Celebration 8/02

Splendour of the Seas 3/03

Jubilee 7/03

Conquest 1/04

Celebration 1/04

Elation 2/04

Elation *coming again* 1/05

[sksadams]

We are going on the Conquest in August with our 10 year old daughter. I was thinking we would do the Dr Cave beach also, did you feel this was safe for children and did your son enjoy Margaritaville? Did you take the taxi to Dr Cave or just walk and is it all safe? This is our first trip to Jamaica and I am a little stressed about it with all that I have been reading.

 

Until my FIRST cruise!!

[June Bug]

Sksadams,

We have been to Jamaica twice before, both times to Drs. Cave Beach and Margaritaville.

The first time we went with lots of family and 5 kids ranging in ages 7-15. They LOVED the beach. It is very calm and roped off a ways in the water where you can snorkle and not worry about !Sharks! getting in due to the netting out there...although it does allow in other types of sea life such as stingrays, eel, starfish, seahorses...it was quite a site. The small children and I stayed in the shallow part of the water (you can see down to your toes!) and they found starfish, saw an eel pass them! It was really great for them! There are nice umbrellas and chairs you can rent fairly cheap (I want to say 5$ per chair and 10$ for the umbrella for all day). They have bathrooms, showers, changing rooms and a small restaurant there. Very nice for families. Very quiet too. You can see the ship from the beach! I will have to say that we have had our last trip to Margaritaville though. The first time the food wasn't that great...the bar itself is REALLY loud...my youngest hated it! There are lots of shots taken off the stomachs and such that small kids may find "gross" according to my kids. The food was just really average. I'm sure that if you are only going to drink then it's the place to be...but for food and kids...I'll skip next time. There also is no beach at this Margaritaville...it is sitting up on a rocky cliff. There are water slides into the water and a water trampoline, but not ideal for the small kids that can't swim well. But other than that, you will love Jamaica. I would try the restaurant at Drs. Cave...I have heard that it is really good! PS. the beach has a lifeguard too!

Have a good time!

 

June

Until We Leave on the Conquest, AGAIN !!

 

 

Conquest 2003

Pride 2002

Inspiration 2001

[elvisillusions]

Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!!!

 

Kim

 

Carnival CONQUEST 2/04

 

Check us out online at http://www.elvisillusions.com

[sksadams]

Thanks June Bug I think we will do the Dr Cave beach it sounds like it will be alot of fun and just what we are looking for. This is our first cruise so I am thinking by that third day we will want to get off the boat for awhile.

 

Until my FIRST cruise!!

[CruisingChad]

Tim....Great Review.....We never saw you guys again the last few days. Sounds like you guys had a great time.....Now on to the Sprit in September for us.

 

4-11 Conquest

 

Mardi Gras - 6/93

Tropicale 7/98

Celebration - 6-00

Triumph - 11/02

Conquest - 4-/04

Spirit - 9/04

[Fran Velardi]

Thanks for all the info, I am going on the Conquest in June, my gentleman friend doesnt swim, any suggestions for stuff to do that wont endanger his life? can be in the water but not over his head. I wonder also, how does one go about filling out this fun pass? Anything we shouldnt miss in New Orleans? we will be there the day before also. Thanks so much again, I am really looking forward to our cruise now.

 

Triumph 2002

Legend 2003

Conquest 2004