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Just Off The CONQUEST!!! 2/26/2006 Review!


kmtjones803

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Wow! Where do I begin?!

 

Embarkation:

 

We drove down the morning of the cruise because we live in central Louisiana. Took about 5 hours with 2 pit stops. Getting to the terminal was extremely easy. We arrived at about 11am. We unloaded our luggage and let my FIL park the car. We waited in a short line for about 15 minutes. Walked up the to the 2nd story to do the paperwork part. It was another short line, we waited maybe 20 minutes. Paperwork took about 15 minutes for us (we were 2 seperate staterooms under one party) There was no wait after that, just walked on the ship after a horrible embarkation picture LOL. We were unpacking our carryones before 12 noon. We went to the Lido and got some lunch. The Fun Ship Specials were flowing freely and were very good. Lunch was VERY good too. The chicken sandwiches were so good! They also had the usual hot dogs, burgers, fries, etc. Our luggage was delivered by 4.

 

Ship:

 

This ship is so gorgeous. Much better than the Fantasy and Holiday class. The decor is a French/Artsy mix and very beautiful. The atrium and glass elevators were so nice to walk into and see. It took about a day to learn which floors were easiest to use to get from the front to the back.

 

Photos:

 

There were several opportunities for pictures by the staff. We didn't buy many of the 8x10's because I didn't feel they were worth the money. Many of the pics that used to be sold as 6x9's were now 8x10s. For example, our embarkation pic has always been small and we usually get it "just cause". This time they were $20 for the 8x10. Im sure they made a killing of of them though, since most people want that pic.

We ende dup buying eight 5x7/6x9 pics and 3 8x10s. They were VERY good quality and it was nice having a few family pics to put up in the living room :)

 

Room:

We had an inside room on deck 8, the Verandah deck. As much as I love an Oceanview, this was perfectly fine. We actually booked a 4A guarantee, so this was definatly an upgrade. Only had to walk one floor up to get to the Lido deck! The room was very spacious. In our room was me, husband, and our 16 month old baby. There was no need for the Door Hanger. The bathroom had about 8 shelves along the mirror to use. It seems that from the older ships to now, they sacrificed shower space for more vanity/sink area space. The shower was kinda small, but plenty big for me and the baby to manuever around in. (And-a wiggly toddler in there with me proves there is plenty of room for one!)

 

Activities:

 

We really enjoyed the shows. We didn't go to all of them, usually the ones that had the early show for us who had late dinner. There was the usual hairy chest contest and ice carving. After 4 cruises, it is still fun to watch. I never noticed deck chairs to be a problem here. They are everywhere and available usually all day.

We didn't make it to the Meet/Greet here with the other CC members :( I hate having missed everyone, but the baby needed a nap and was starting to fuss.

 

Food:

 

Pizza/Lido isn't really my thing, so I rarely ate there. It was usually an appetizer to our 8pm dinner LOL It was pretty good though. No complaints. We did try the deli (Pauls) and loved the sandwiches. My inlaws liked the Lido for breakfast/lunch. We liked the Monet open seating. Both seemed to be good, just depends on what YOU want. We like being served and not waiting in line.

 

Our dinners were in the Monet at 8pm. We (me, husband, baby, mother in law, father in law) were seated with a nice family of husband, wife, son, and sons 2 friends. The kids were 18 and lots of fun to laugh with (DH and I are 22, so they kept us feeling young with their stories from Carlos and Charlies lol) The food here was good, and on most nights GREAT!!!

Oh-And the Chocolate Buffet is in the Capers, it was on the last sea day and listed as the Taste of Nations buffet. It was "ok". The chocolate they use is so rich, you really can't eat much.

 

Room service was usually very quick and good. We loved the choc cake through RS!

Jamaica:

 

This was my least favorite stop. We got off the boat and immediatly took a taxi to Sunset Beach Resort. The resort was gorgeous and worth the $40pp. All food and drinks were included, as well as the facility. They had a buffet at lunch and I think something I ate there made me sick. That night, I threw up for most of the night. :confused: Of course, DH ate the same thing and was fine. It could have been the heat, sun, anything...

But, given this, I still loved the place and would go back. The resort is really large and family friendly.

The family we eat with went on a carnival excursion to Margaritaville and it looked so fun! (They showed it throughout the cruise on teh tv)

There is a small mall at the pier, with very pushy vendors. One woman grabbed my arm and wanted me to get braids. I kindly said no thanks, and she then pulled me to show me a necklace. She wasn't just shoving me around, but slightly tried to lead me to her shop. It wasn't BAD there, just a little uncomfortable. I did find a very pretty necklace though! Probrably overpaid for it :rolleyes:

 

Grand Cayman

 

GORGEOUS!!!!!! Wish we could have stopped here only for the 3 days! We booked a snorkel trip through Capt. Marvins. It lasted from 10-1, with 3 stops including the Sandbar. The crew and company was amazing. We brought the baby (16 mos) with us. DH an dI took turns at the first 2 stops, but put her in a baby float ring on the sandbar. The water was waist deep and pretty calm. We were a later boat, so the Rays weren't as hungry and didn't swarm us like I expected. We say maybe 10 total. The crew caught one and we all got to hold it, feed it, kiss is, pet it. Taylor (my daughter) even touched it, and laughed at it when they show the belly to the crowd. I would def. go with them again should we ever go back!

 

Cozumel:

 

Wow, what destruction! I couldn't imagine how bad it looked to begin with! Things were definatly up and running, looked great. But-this being our 3rd trip there, we saw a major difference. We took a taxi to Paradise Beach and spent the morning there. Then did some shopping at the pier.

I must say, tendering to Cozumel was horrible. We arrived at the Louge for tender tickets at 8:45 am, and didn't step off our tender until 10:15 or so. It wasn't as smooth as GCayman, but still worth the wait. I have more in depth reviews on the Ports of Call boards.

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! I would def recommend this cruise!

 

Miranda

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Wow!! We are going on the Conquest in Dec.(1st cruise) I'm so happy to read a positive , good review(different post-different ship). Im glad you had a great time. Were you there during Presidents day school breaks? Were there alot of kids- we are taking 2- on board? Thanks for the review!!!-Judy

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Very pleasant reading, thanks! I too went on Conquest last year and loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!! We loved everything about our cruise, even if it was our first! The ONLY bad thing I can say it is probably spoiled us, I can't imagine any less of a ship to go on now! I know they are probably all special and unique in their own way tho. However we'll be going again on Sept. 17th!!!! and we're soooo excited !!

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Wow!! We are going on the Conquest in Dec.(1st cruise) I'm so happy to read a positive , good review(different post-different ship). Im glad you had a great time. Were you there during Presidents day school breaks? Were there alot of kids- we are taking 2- on board? Thanks for the review!!!-Judy

 

There were about 600 kids on board, but I would have NEVER guessed that! We hardly saw them...

 

Miranda

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Stop it, your killing me, I was on the week before you, I wanna go back, I wanna go back! We were in room 8338 on Veranda, about 20 steps from the stair case up to lido! Talk about only having to stagger a short way back to the room at night!

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Stop it, your killing me, I was on the week before you, I wanna go back, I wanna go back! We were in room 8338 on Veranda, about 20 steps from the stair case up to lido! Talk about only having to stagger a short way back to the room at night!

 

We were 8282, almost neighbors!

 

Miranda

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Miranda-

Glad your family had a great trip. Thanks for sharing your input. We will sail on the Conquest this Sunday. You mentioned getting your tender tickets at 8:45, but not being called for over and hour. Did you have to wait in the lounge in order to hear your tender # called? Did the tender dock across from the shopping mall (Carlos & Charlie area)? Were there still beachfront chairs and umbrellas avaiable at Paradise Beach when you arrived? Did y'all use the water toys? Our oldest son is 21 - will there other single people his age? I'm sure I'll think of more questions later!

Teepee

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Miranda,

 

By chance are you a travel nurse that worked in Montgomery AL at one time? If so, you know my wife.

 

We both loved being on the Conquest!!! We had a balcony cabin on deck 6, Upper. This was my first cruise with Carinval and her first balcony (never going back to interior again). We loved everything about this cruise, with the only exception being the tenders to Cozumel as well. We had a tender ticket of 3. They called 1 and 2 first and we waited for almost hour to be called. Went down to the point to get on the tender, waited another 10 minutes, then was told to go back upstairs to a different place, midship. By this time we were mixed in with everyone from 3 to 12, because no one paid any attention to the numbers being called and just got in line to board the tenders. Poorly run operation for going ashore.

 

We did the Rose Hall plantation tour in Jamaica and it was ok. Stopped at a duty free shopping place and straw market, then returned to the ship.

 

In the Caymans, we booked a sting ray tour with Capt. Bryans. SUPER tour; small group on a catamaran boat with a great Captain! Took us to Sting ray city first, a lot of sting rays, but most had been feed and they we just swimming around. My wife and I both held the sting ray and we took a lot of pictures. Hope they turn out. Then he took us to the reef to snorkel. The Captain found a lobster and took a picture of us holding it! Then we sailed back, listening to music and relaxing under the sun. SUPER tour and would book with them again in a minute! When we got back, did a little shopping, but by this time there were 5 other cruise ships in port and a ton of people! But we had a great time looking and made it back to the ship with no problem.

 

Cozumel was really tore up from Wilma, but the shopping area where we arrived at was ok and after looking at several shops (including Fat Tuesdays for some chips, salsa and some "refreshing drinks") we grabbed a taxi and headed out to Paradise Beach. The beach area was fine; got a couple of chairs, some more drinks and a dip into the water (was a little cool), then sat in the sun. Started to cloud up and looked like rain, so we headed back after about 2 hours. Once again, made it back on board with no problem.

 

We made it to a few shows and the party for Mardi Gras and had a blast with everyone else. Really enjoyed the Captains party and dining in the Monet room (upper, table 542, waiter was Iputu from Indonesia and was super!). We took a lot of photos as well.

 

We miss being on the Conquest as well and would go back in a minute!!!!

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Miranda,

 

By chance are you a travel nurse that worked in Montgomery AL at one time? If so, you know my wife.

 

We both loved being on the Conquest!!! We had a balcony cabin on deck 6, Upper. This was my first cruise with Carinval and her first balcony (never going back to interior again). We loved everything about this cruise, with the only exception being the tenders to Cozumel as well. We had a tender ticket of 3. They called 1 and 2 first and we waited for almost hour to be called. Went down to the point to get on the tender, waited another 10 minutes, then was told to go back upstairs to a different place, midship. By this time we were mixed in with everyone from 3 to 12, because no one paid any attention to the numbers being called and just got in line to board the tenders. Poorly run operation for going ashore.

 

We did the Rose Hall plantation tour in Jamaica and it was ok. Stopped at a duty free shopping place and straw market, then returned to the ship.

 

In the Caymans, we booked a sting ray tour with Capt. Bryans. SUPER tour; small group on a catamaran boat with a great Captain! Took us to Sting ray city first, a lot of sting rays, but most had been feed and they we just swimming around. My wife and I both held the sting ray and we took a lot of pictures. Hope they turn out. Then he took us to the reef to snorkel. The Captain found a lobster and took a picture of us holding it! Then we sailed back, listening to music and relaxing under the sun. SUPER tour and would book with them again in a minute! When we got back, did a little shopping, but by this time there were 5 other cruise ships in port and a ton of people! But we had a great time looking and made it back to the ship with no problem.

 

Cozumel was really tore up from Wilma, but the shopping area where we arrived at was ok and after looking at several shops (including Fat Tuesdays for some chips, salsa and some "refreshing drinks") we grabbed a taxi and headed out to Paradise Beach. The beach area was fine; got a couple of chairs, some more drinks and a dip into the water (was a little cool), then sat in the sun. Started to cloud up and looked like rain, so we headed back after about 2 hours. Once again, made it back on board with no problem.

 

We made it to a few shows and the party for Mardi Gras and had a blast with everyone else. Really enjoyed the Captains party and dining in the Monet room (upper, table 542, waiter was Iputu from Indonesia and was super!). We took a lot of photos as well.

 

We miss being on the Conquest as well and would go back in a minute!!!!

 

Hey! Was your dinner the early or late seating. If it was late, you probrably couldn't miss our table. We were the ones with the toddler who danced on the table during the "hey baby!" song :D She was famous after that...

 

Miranda

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Miranda, great review. we are going on our 1st cruise in Apr 07.:D What part of LA do you live in. I am in Prairieville.

 

I lived in Grant Parish (Pollock area) in high school, but moved to Ruston about 4 years ago to start school at Louisiana Tech University.

 

Im about 30 minutes west of Monroe to be exact...

 

Miranda

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We went down to the TL Lounge and waited in a short line for a sticker with a number on it (5min). Within about 10 min or so, our number was called and we took a walk deep into the bowels of the boat to the tendering station. There we probably waited in line for about 15-20 minutes for the tender. We got to the TL Lounge just before 9, and was onshore in Coz by about 9:40. The excursion tender to PDC left about 8:50 or so

 

Oh, for those of you wondering, room 8338 is RIGHT below the Lido deck pool statue, toward the back of the pool on the port side near the stair case. The only time we heard the faint sounds of music or noise was on Marti Gra night, and even then, it wasn't loud enough to bother us (I'm a light light sleeper). Also, never heard the sounds of deck chairs being moved, as some others have complained about.

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Great review! It helps alot for a first-time cruiser like myself. I do have one question for you. I am interested in the Sunset Beach resort. I have a 5 yr old. Is it still $40pp. or is it cheaper?

 

 

Carnvial Conquest 4/30/06

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Wow! Where do I begin?!

 

Embarkation:

 

We drove down the morning of the cruise because we live in central Louisiana. Took about 5 hours with 2 pit stops. Getting to the terminal was extremely easy. We arrived at about 11am. We unloaded our luggage and let my FIL park the car. We waited in a short line for about 15 minutes. Walked up the to the 2nd story to do the paperwork part. It was another short line, we waited maybe 20 minutes. Paperwork took about 15 minutes for us (we were 2 seperate staterooms under one party) There was no wait after that, just walked on the ship after a horrible embarkation picture LOL. We were unpacking our carryones before 12 noon. We went to the Lido and got some lunch. The Fun Ship Specials were flowing freely and were very good. Lunch was VERY good too. The chicken sandwiches were so good! They also had the usual hot dogs, burgers, fries, etc. Our luggage was delivered by 4.

 

Ship:

 

This ship is so gorgeous. Much better than the Fantasy and Holiday class. The decor is a French/Artsy mix and very beautiful. The atrium and glass elevators were so nice to walk into and see. It took about a day to learn which floors were easiest to use to get from the front to the back.

 

Photos:

 

There were several opportunities for pictures by the staff. We didn't buy many of the 8x10's because I didn't feel they were worth the money. Many of the pics that used to be sold as 6x9's were now 8x10s. For example, our embarkation pic has always been small and we usually get it "just cause". This time they were $20 for the 8x10. Im sure they made a killing of of them though, since most people want that pic.

We ende dup buying eight 5x7/6x9 pics and 3 8x10s. They were VERY good quality and it was nice having a few family pics to put up in the living room :)

 

Room:

We had an inside room on deck 8, the Verandah deck. As much as I love an Oceanview, this was perfectly fine. We actually booked a 4A guarantee, so this was definatly an upgrade. Only had to walk one floor up to get to the Lido deck! The room was very spacious. In our room was me, husband, and our 16 month old baby. There was no need for the Door Hanger. The bathroom had about 8 shelves along the mirror to use. It seems that from the older ships to now, they sacrificed shower space for more vanity/sink area space. The shower was kinda small, but plenty big for me and the baby to manuever around in. (And-a wiggly toddler in there with me proves there is plenty of room for one!)

 

Activities:

 

We really enjoyed the shows. We didn't go to all of them, usually the ones that had the early show for us who had late dinner. There was the usual hairy chest contest and ice carving. After 4 cruises, it is still fun to watch. I never noticed deck chairs to be a problem here. They are everywhere and available usually all day.

We didn't make it to the Meet/Greet here with the other CC members :( I hate having missed everyone, but the baby needed a nap and was starting to fuss.

 

Food:

 

Pizza/Lido isn't really my thing, so I rarely ate there. It was usually an appetizer to our 8pm dinner LOL It was pretty good though. No complaints. We did try the deli (Pauls) and loved the sandwiches. My inlaws liked the Lido for breakfast/lunch. We liked the Monet open seating. Both seemed to be good, just depends on what YOU want. We like being served and not waiting in line.

 

Our dinners were in the Monet at 8pm. We (me, husband, baby, mother in law, father in law) were seated with a nice family of husband, wife, son, and sons 2 friends. The kids were 18 and lots of fun to laugh with (DH and I are 22, so they kept us feeling young with their stories from Carlos and Charlies lol) The food here was good, and on most nights GREAT!!!

Oh-And the Chocolate Buffet is in the Capers, it was on the last sea day and listed as the Taste of Nations buffet. It was "ok". The chocolate they use is so rich, you really can't eat much.

 

Room service was usually very quick and good. We loved the choc cake through RS!

Jamaica:

 

This was my least favorite stop. We got off the boat and immediatly took a taxi to Sunset Beach Resort. The resort was gorgeous and worth the $40pp. All food and drinks were included, as well as the facility. They had a buffet at lunch and I think something I ate there made me sick. That night, I threw up for most of the night. :confused: Of course, DH ate the same thing and was fine. It could have been the heat, sun, anything...

But, given this, I still loved the place and would go back. The resort is really large and family friendly.

The family we eat with went on a carnival excursion to Margaritaville and it looked so fun! (They showed it throughout the cruise on teh tv)

There is a small mall at the pier, with very pushy vendors. One woman grabbed my arm and wanted me to get braids. I kindly said no thanks, and she then pulled me to show me a necklace. She wasn't just shoving me around, but slightly tried to lead me to her shop. It wasn't BAD there, just a little uncomfortable. I did find a very pretty necklace though! Probrably overpaid for it :rolleyes:

 

Grand Cayman

 

GORGEOUS!!!!!! Wish we could have stopped here only for the 3 days! We booked a snorkel trip through Capt. Marvins. It lasted from 10-1, with 3 stops including the Sandbar. The crew and company was amazing. We brought the baby (16 mos) with us. DH an dI took turns at the first 2 stops, but put her in a baby float ring on the sandbar. The water was waist deep and pretty calm. We were a later boat, so the Rays weren't as hungry and didn't swarm us like I expected. We say maybe 10 total. The crew caught one and we all got to hold it, feed it, kiss is, pet it. Taylor (my daughter) even touched it, and laughed at it when they show the belly to the crowd. I would def. go with them again should we ever go back!

 

Cozumel:

 

Wow, what destruction! I couldn't imagine how bad it looked to begin with! Things were definatly up and running, looked great. But-this being our 3rd trip there, we saw a major difference. We took a taxi to Paradise Beach and spent the morning there. Then did some shopping at the pier.

I must say, tendering to Cozumel was horrible. We arrived at the Louge for tender tickets at 8:45 am, and didn't step off our tender until 10:15 or so. It wasn't as smooth as GCayman, but still worth the wait. I have more in depth reviews on the Ports of Call boards.

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! I would def recommend this cruise!

 

Miranda

We will be going on conquest 4/16/06..how many formal evenings on the 7 day cruise? I have only been on longer cruises and on Princess. Sounds like you had a wonderful time.

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Sorry I didn't see your review until today, but I do have a couple questions if you are still checking this board. We will be cruising with a 19 month old and have a Captain Marvin tour booked. Did you walk with her stroller to the store and was there somewhere to keep it there? And my other question: would you recommend bringing a blow up ring for our toddler or would holding her be just fine? Glad you had a great time - only a couple more weeks of waiting for us...

 

To one of the previous posters, here is a link to the Sunset Beach Resort website:

 

http://www.sunsetbeachresort.com/default.asp

 

I thought I read one time the cost per age of child, however I cannot find it on the website. Perhaps you might find that info on the Jamaica port of call board...

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I am reading in many places that people have taken taxis from the cruise terminal to Sunset Beach Resort. The cost is $2 per person. Can anyone suggest which taxis to take and which taxis not to take. I have read many reviews and not all were pleasant on Jamaica. Just a little concerned.

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