Jump to content

Conquest Eastern Caribbean Review 2/29-3/7, first time Carnival cruiser


kirtens
 Share

Recommended Posts

Looks like a nice day in the Dominican we had gotten too much sun on our excursion to st. John the day before so we spend most of the next day on the ship.  St Thomas and the Virgin islands in general are by far my fave spot 

 

We had a similar meal on that formal night.  The crab cake was so good 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 7: Sea Day

We were beyond bummed that our wonderful week was coming to an end, but this was a really great day.

 

Firstly, after the usual wonderful breakfast we met our group at 8:30 in the library for the Behind the Fun tour. L and I have always been fascinated about how cruise ships work. And for $96 this three hour tour would show us behind the scenes in some of the most fascinating off-limits places. Our guide was Zivi from the HR department and we had a security guard following us around as well to make sure we didn’t get left in any sensitive places or do anything naughty. No cell phones or cameras were allowed. 
 

Well, the tour was excellent. We were taken backstage behind the theatre and given a presentation by the technical manager and also a performer in the dressing room surrounded by stage costumes. We went to the crew quarters and recreation areas, the ship’s laundry room, the kitchens, the brig, morgue and food storage areas among others. BY FAR my favourites were the engine control room and the bridge. We had presentations from the chief engineer and the captain respectively. I could’ve stayed in there all day just looking at the stuff on the wall and on the computer screens. We hung onto every word they said. At the end of the tour we had a photo with the captain and received a swag bag with some Behind the Fun goodies. 
 

It was really excellent and worth the price. 
 

another good thing that happened that day was that we finally found somewhere outside on the ship that we found relaxing and peaceful! The outside area on deck 3:

94D1D692-5369-4C29-8291-668E2E1717A0.thumb.jpeg.f56efebbb8db1743faaa016fd834de53.jpeg


There were a few chairs and a sofa out there but not enough in my opinion for how lovely a place to sit this is. There was a similar area on the starboard side but that was for smokers so a total no-no. 
 

We sat in the chairs for hours with a few others, no loud music, no loud entertainment, listening to the wind and the waves and seeing dolphins out in the water. Bliss! 
 

That evening the appetisers looked wonderful and none of the main courses caught my fancy so I had six appetisers for dinner. I love that we can do that. I did not try the snails. 😬
 

7A64C674-6CE5-4341-8BE6-7545D55D6F08.thumb.jpeg.e236e6319bb88adb5593b356f5384886.jpeg

 

Of course the Carnival melting chocolate cake to finish. We said goodbye to our wonderful serving team and gave them tips to show our appreciation.  
 

And so ended a wonderful week. I became a dining room convert and L became a cruise convert. She spent the whole plane ride home looking for our next one. It may well be a Carnival ship but we are also curious to try other lines. Ideal cruise line would be great food and relaxed atmosphere like Carnival but less of the forced loud music in port and on the ship. I don’t know if such a cruise line exists. But anyway. Thanks for reading! 
 

K

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, DenaInWyo said:

We did a B2B on Vista a couple of years ago, when it was only about a year old.  In that entire 14 days I never managed to do the sky ride.  I just wasn't up for the minimum hour long wait.  The comedy club?  Show up an hour early if you want a seat.  


Oh wow. Good to know. Does not sound like fun..I cannot imagine waiting an hour for attractions like that

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the recap. The weather wasn't the best at the beginning but sure looked like it was nice when you got to the middle and at the end. @HWC_Mom thanks for taking me along for the ride as well. I'm glad it was a good experience. Well maybe except the MDR battle. We may need that back story. 

 

PB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

kirtens

        Good that you enjoyed this Carnival cruise. Since you mention that you are curious to try other cruise lines, may I suggest Princess. Those cruises present a relaxed,refined atmosphere. No blasting music! 

        Given your ages, you fit into the usual demographic of Princess. The fares might be a bit more that Carnival, but the experience may be worth it.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for taking the time to write this review, very informative.

 

Grand Turk was amazing when it first opened, now IMO it has become too crowded and commercialized, we don't even get off the ship if that is a stop.

 

St. Thomas is nice, thought still has not recovered 100% from the previous hurricanes.  We have gone over to St. John on our own and that is a wonderful day.  Then we discovered, Secret Harbor, thanks to CC boards and we usually go to this beach on our own, quiet and great snorkeling!

 

We just returned from our first cruise on Holland and we are hooked after 20+ Carnival cruises we needed a change and we were blown away by the food, entertainment and service.

 

Like a previous poster, we have sailed Vista and the crowds and lines are awful.  Only way I would cruise that class of ship again is if I could sail in Havana cabin.  Well we are booked on Horizon December 2020 in a Havanna cabin so we will see how that goes!

 

Again, glad you had a great cruise and thanks for sharing it with all of us, great review!

 

Susan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, JandPB said:

Thanks for the recap. The weather wasn't the best at the beginning but sure looked like it was nice when you got to the middle and at the end. @HWC_Mom thanks for taking me along for the ride as well. I'm glad it was a good experience. Well maybe except the MDR battle. We may need that back story. 

 

PB

Haha we arrived to the dining room the last night and there was all sorts of yelling.  At first we thought it was a festive party atmosphere but it was clearly angry voices.  Eventually a friend intervened and convinced one of the people to calm down and go elsewhere.  We talked to one of our servers about this and he said it happens sometimes and usually the maitre d will take part of the problem to another dining room. Made for some excitement that's for sure

 

Our first Carnival cruise was in a similar ship.  In the past we had only cruised on Celebrity.   Carnival doesn't really compare to Celebrity especially since our last two were concierge class but it's a fun ship for our son and a bit more laid back.  Plus we always book last minute... nothing beats Carnival fares

Edited by HWC_Mom
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, MJSailors said:

kirtens

        Good that you enjoyed this Carnival cruise. Since you mention that you are curious to try other cruise lines, may I suggest Princess. Those cruises present a relaxed,refined atmosphere. No blasting music! 

        Given your ages, you fit into the usual demographic of Princess. The fares might be a bit more that Carnival, but the experience may be worth it.  


Thank you! We will check them out 👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...