Conquest Review - returned 6/4/06

[Can't Wait]

I know there are a lot of Conquest reviews but before I went on 5/28/06 I read all I could (as usual) so thought you may want mine. This was our 4th cruise (2 on the Rhapsody and 2nd on Carnival). We did decide we really like RC better than Carnival in the fact that it was just more personable, lively and action packed - unlike what you hear about Carnival - being the FUN ship. Don't get me wrong, we throughly enjoyed this cruise!

 

Disembarking was normal. Took about 2 hours and we arrived around 2:00. A group of 6 was in our crew and we met at IHOP in LaMarque at 11:00 prior to the ship. IHOP was packed and it took a long time to get a table and be waited on, etc. The men dropped us off with luggage and then parked the vehicles - strongly suggested because we were able to get in line and were about half-way to the front when they appearede and met up with u. People get aggravated when your group cuts in line to join you, but so what? It's silly to get upset other that. We did not have all 16 together to cut either and it was just faces made over 3 people joining a few of us. They got over it!

 

This was the first cruise that the "crew" insisted you HAD to stand in the line for the "pre-photo" before boarding. We have always been able to walk past that if we didn't want it - but not this one. This took at least another 30 minutes to board.l

 

As soon as you walk on board you are by the Pursers Desk and the lady/man are there with the frozen drink special of the day. We went to our room fairly quickly (a balcony) and were surprised our luggage beat us there! That was great!!! My parents had a balcony room down about 6 rooms but still did not have their luggage for dinner. I always wear what I want to wear for dinner that night onk, just in case. I think that's a good idea also.

 

The balcony room was really small compared to RC's Rhapsody. A little smaller than we expected. My husband wanted to upgrade to a suite to get more room (he's a larger man - not fat but big - lol), I called Carnival but the suites were sold out. I had a couple of friends in a suite and it was not much larger than ours anyway. I was content with the size (although I too preferred the Rhapsody balcony size room). I'm also petite person and it was ok for me.

 

The beds were twin and separated so we had them put together, of course. The beds were amazingly comfortable!!! A good hint is that in the couch there are 2 drawers underneath and one drawer had 2 extra feather down comforters! I pulled them out the first night and they were GREAT to add to the one already on the bed! Our room steward kept putting them back in the bags and in the drawer for the first couple of nights - I kept pulling them out every night and he finally just folded them and left them on the couch every night, and I used them! Very nice and big difference in using them.

 

On RC we saw our room steward a lot and he was always personable and went out of his way for us. This one we rarely saw and never really got to "know". We were on Deck 6 by the way (right above the casino, next to the elevator/stairs, and ice machine - perfect location! Room 6348). The first day when we finally met him, I had an insulated cooler and asked him to keep full of ice - he did do that - about 1/2 full of ice every day. I added ice myself daily. We did take our own liquor with no problem, as did everyone else in our group. We also bought some Jamaican Rum Irish Cream from Jamaica and brought it to the room, no problem or questions. In Cozumel, we bought to bottles of Kahlua ($30 in US) for $9.00 each. I had taken a fifth of vodka and some Spicy V8 (for bloody mary's) when boarding. I mostly used the Vodka with the Kahlua for white russians. I ordered room service to get the half and half (order it by the cups) if you do this or you just get a little "jigger" for your coffe's worth. I ordered 4 coffee cups of half and half one night which made a LOT of white russians. We took 2 six packs of plastic bottle cokes when we boarded and used the empty bottles to fill with orange juice and some with half and half to keep in our cooler to make our own drinks. It worked out perfect! Saved a lot of money on cokes! We also bought more cokes in Cozumel and carried them right in our room. We never bought a coke on board.

 

The first few days at sea were great and I could have stayed on the ship forever but was looking forward to Jamaica (we'd never been there). We made all the shows and different things during the day. My biggest tip is to take a highlighter and go thru your Caper every morning and highlight what you don't want to miss! Ladies, do this and carry the caper in your purse and check it periodically. It makes it a lot easier not to get side-tracked and miss anything!

 

We said we weren't going to spend much time in the casino (like we had before) but we did. The slots did not pay off the first couple of days but they were paying off like crazy the last 3-4 days! We won $240 and up to $965 (my husband got $965 on $1 in a $3 machine!). I saw a lot of people win $2,000 to $3,500 on slots the last few days. They actually paid off the last day at sea too - which surprised me. If you play Blackjack with the one that has a dollar to put in a spot to spin the wheel - DON'T waste your money on that extra dollar! Everyone that would spin would get $10, $11, or $12 - every time. The dealer even said she'd been there 4 months and never saw anyone win anything on that wheel.

 

The shows were good. Don't miss the afternoon show of Newlywed - Not so Newlywed - really cute;. They don't do as good a job as RC on the "video" they try to sell you. You'll see the same thing over and over in you room almost the whole time. The ventriloquist was so overdone that discouraged us from buying it, even though our kids (20 - 23) were on the Mardi Gras night a lot. Be sure and try to catch Mardi Gras night and all that comes before for it for the finale - a lot of fun! The Bingo is fun. We didn't play it evrey time. Take advantage of the free champagne, if you like champagne.

 

The food was very good really I am not a dessert person normally but all of the desserts are to die for!!!! We enjoyed dinner every night (except one - because we were so miserable) in the dining room. Even when I/we couldn't eat, we went to dinner in dining room for the waiter's sake - which they were great. The menu is very good with great choices. The smoked salmon is wonderful. The breakfast buffet is ok but we preferred the dining room for that too. You can get fried eggs in the omelet line - which was normally a long line. They were great. Ice cream was always available as was hamburgers, pizza, the deli, etc.

 

The slide to the pool was fantastic! It looked like a lot of fun for old and young - never made it. The whole upper deck pool area is beautiful and never seemed to packed. Plenty of chairs.

 

The cruise director is pretty cool. He was in the last "adult" night show and wasn't in the character you would think. They did a "dating game" gig which was really cute.

 

In Jamaica, I had done online reservations with Jamaicaexcursions.com for Dunns Falls. A lot cheaper than thru the ship. They were very professioal. The falls were beautiful. If you go with a group, you have to stay together and hold hands all the way up and they did not have near the fun we did doing it on our own. They did try to hustle us in a group but you tell them you want to do it on your own (at your own risk) and they let you go - you have to speak up on this one. It was great like this because we could stop where we wanted, take pics, and swim or sit in the water at our leisure - the water felt great too.

 

Don't go to the food court at Dunns Falls - the food was strange! Thought we'd be safe with a hamburger,fries and soda - NOT - $10.00 pp for that and it was like a soybean burger (hopefully) and no pickles. We all threw themaway. The market salesman also throw stuff at you to sell and follow you to the food - they tell y0u it's a free welcome gift and then ask for a dollar, etc. - very pushy!

 

Grand Cayman is the best no matter what you do (always been our favorite). We do Captain Marvins stingray/snorkle and they're great. It's beautiful there and no pressure.

 

In Cozumel we rented scooters (first time). Went around island and ran into a setup/sting at the end. Bike cop said we were speeding (although no speed signs saying 30) and he had no radar. Had to pay him off

$20 each to go on -more to that story.

 

They did not have the bands on the Lido deck (outside) near the pools etc like you expect which disappointed me. RC had them all the time.

 

We did go ahead and join the VIP plan which helped us disembark first. That was nice.

 

Overall, it was still a great cruise. Any questions, feel free to ask. I know how it feels waiting for that next one! We're going to Alaska in '07

[Robert and Sandy]

I know there are a lot of Conquest reviews but before I went on 5/28/06 I read all I could (as usual) so thought you may want mine. This was our 4th cruise (2 on the Rhapsody and 2nd on Carnival). We did decide we really like RC better than Carnival in the fact that it was just more personable' date=' lively and action packed - unlike what you hear about Carnival - being the FUN ship. Don't get me wrong, we throughly enjoyed this cruise!

 

Disembarking was normal. Took about 2 hours and we arrived around 2:00. A group of 6 was in our crew and we met at IHOP in LaMarque at 11:00 prior to the ship. IHOP was packed and it took a long time to get a table and be waited on, etc. The men dropped us off with luggage and then parked the vehicles - strongly suggested because we were able to get in line and were about half-way to the front when they appearede and met up with u. People get aggravated when your group cuts in line to join you, but so what? It's silly to get upset other that. We did not have all 16 together to cut either and it was just faces made over 3 people joining a few of us. They got over it!

 

This was the first cruise that the "crew" insisted you HAD to stand in the line for the "pre-photo" before boarding. We have always been able to walk past that if we didn't want it - but not this one. This took at least another 30 minutes to board.l

 

As soon as you walk on board you are by the Pursers Desk and the lady/man are there with the frozen drink special of the day. We went to our room fairly quickly (a balcony) and were surprised our luggage beat us there! That was great!!! My parents had a balcony room down about 6 rooms but still did not have their luggage for dinner. I always wear what I want to wear for dinner that night onk, just in case. I think that's a good idea also.

 

The balcony room was really small compared to RC's Rhapsody. A little smaller than we expected. My husband wanted to upgrade to a suite to get more room (he's a larger man - not fat but big - lol), I called Carnival but the suites were sold out. I had a couple of friends in a suite and it was not much larger than ours anyway. I was content with the size (although I too preferred the Rhapsody balcony size room). I'm also petite person and it was ok for me.

 

The beds were twin and separated so we had them put together, of course. The beds were amazingly comfortable!!! A good hint is that in the couch there are 2 drawers underneath and one drawer had 2 extra feather down comforters! I pulled them out the first night and they were GREAT to add to the one already on the bed! Our room steward kept putting them back in the bags and in the drawer for the first couple of nights - I kept pulling them out every night and he finally just folded them and left them on the couch every night, and I used them! Very nice and big difference in using them.

 

On RC we saw our room steward a lot and he was always personable and went out of his way for us. This one we rarely saw and never really got to "know". We were on Deck 6 by the way (right above the casino, next to the elevator/stairs, and ice machine - perfect location! Room 6348). The first day when we finally met him, I had an insulated cooler and asked him to keep full of ice - he did do that - about 1/2 full of ice every day. I added ice myself daily. We did take our own liquor with no problem, as did everyone else in our group. We also bought some Jamaican Rum Irish Cream from Jamaica and brought it to the room, no problem or questions. In Cozumel, we bought to bottles of Kahlua ($30 in US) for $9.00 each. I had taken a fifth of vodka and some Spicy V8 (for bloody mary's) when boarding. I mostly used the Vodka with the Kahlua for white russians. I ordered room service to get the half and half (order it by the cups) if you do this or you just get a little "jigger" for your coffe's worth. I ordered 4 coffee cups of half and half one night which made a LOT of white russians. We took 2 six packs of plastic bottle cokes when we boarded and used the empty bottles to fill with orange juice and some with half and half to keep in our cooler to make our own drinks. It worked out perfect! Saved a lot of money on cokes! We also bought more cokes in Cozumel and carried them right in our room. We never bought a coke on board.

 

The first few days at sea were great and I could have stayed on the ship forever but was looking forward to Jamaica (we'd never been there). We made all the shows and different things during the day. My biggest tip is to take a highlighter and go thru your Caper every morning and highlight what you don't want to miss! Ladies, do this and carry the caper in your purse and check it periodically. It makes it a lot easier not to get side-tracked and miss anything!

 

We said we weren't going to spend much time in the casino (like we had before) but we did. The slots did not pay off the first couple of days but they were paying off like crazy the last 3-4 days! We won $240 and up to $965 (my husband got $965 on $1 in a $3 machine!). I saw a lot of people win $2,000 to $3,500 on slots the last few days. They actually paid off the last day at sea too - which surprised me. If you play Blackjack with the one that has a dollar to put in a spot to spin the wheel - DON'T waste your money on that extra dollar! Everyone that would spin would get $10, $11, or $12 - every time. The dealer even said she'd been there 4 months and never saw anyone win anything on that wheel.

 

The shows were good. Don't miss the afternoon show of Newlywed - Not so Newlywed - really cute;. They don't do as good a job as RC on the "video" they try to sell you. You'll see the same thing over and over in you room almost the whole time. The ventriloquist was so overdone that discouraged us from buying it, even though our kids (20 - 23) were on the Mardi Gras night a lot. Be sure and try to catch Mardi Gras night and all that comes before for it for the finale - a lot of fun! The Bingo is fun. We didn't play it evrey time. Take advantage of the free champagne, if you like champagne.

 

The food was very good really I am not a dessert person normally but all of the desserts are to die for!!!! We enjoyed dinner every night (except one - because we were so miserable) in the dining room. Even when I/we couldn't eat, we went to dinner in dining room for the waiter's sake - which they were great. The menu is very good with great choices. The smoked salmon is wonderful. The breakfast buffet is ok but we preferred the dining room for that too. You can get fried eggs in the omelet line - which was normally a long line. They were great. Ice cream was always available as was hamburgers, pizza, the deli, etc.

 

The slide to the pool was fantastic! It looked like a lot of fun for old and young - never made it. The whole upper deck pool area is beautiful and never seemed to packed. Plenty of chairs.

 

The cruise director is pretty cool. He was in the last "adult" night show and wasn't in the character you would think. They did a "dating game" gig which was really cute.

 

In Jamaica, I had done online reservations with Jamaicaexcursions.com for Dunns Falls. A lot cheaper than thru the ship. They were very professioal. The falls were beautiful. If you go with a group, you have to stay together and hold hands all the way up and they did not have near the fun we did doing it on our own. They did try to hustle us in a group but you tell them you want to do it on your own (at your own risk) and they let you go - you have to speak up on this one. It was great like this because we could stop where we wanted, take pics, and swim or sit in the water at our leisure - the water felt great too.

 

Don't go to the food court at Dunns Falls - the food was strange! Thought we'd be safe with a hamburger,fries and soda - NOT - $10.00 pp for that and it was like a soybean burger (hopefully) and no pickles. We all threw themaway. The market salesman also throw stuff at you to sell and follow you to the food - they tell y0u it's a free welcome gift and then ask for a dollar, etc. - very pushy!

 

Grand Cayman is the best no matter what you do (always been our favorite). We do Captain Marvins stingray/snorkle and they're great. It's beautiful there and no pressure.

 

In Cozumel we rented scooters (first time). Went around island and ran into a setup/sting at the end. Bike cop said we were speeding (although no speed signs saying 30) and he had no radar. Had to pay him off

$20 each to go on -more to that story.

 

They did not have the bands on the Lido deck (outside) near the pools etc like you expect which disappointed me. RC had them all the time.

 

We did go ahead and join the VIP plan which helped us disembark first. That was nice.

 

Overall, it was still a great cruise. Any questions, feel free to ask. I know how it feels waiting for that next one! We're going to Alaska in '07[/quote']

 

 

Thanks I am going on the same cruise on 7/16/06 first on can't wait If you have any tips for a first time cruiser let me know I am like you read everyone I can

 

thanks again

Robert

[straitfan]

Thanks for your review. We sail the Conquest on 7/9 and can't wait to get there! Can you tell me, can you order a whole carafe of coffee from room service or do you just get a cup of coffee? I am debating whether or not to pack a 4 cup coffee pot. I want to enjoy my morning coffee on the balcony at my leisure without having to leave my cabin.

 

We are from the midwest but lived in Texas City in the 80s. I worked at Mainland Center Hospital in LaMarque for awhile in the adolescent psych unit, in the school.

[NurseAngela]

What floor were you on? We had a balcony room on the Panorama deck and we didn't have twins. Wierd. Just curious.

 

Sounds like you had fun. I'm having cruising withdrawls that my baby is sailing without me. :( Can't wait to hear the Cozumel cop story. Sounds like an adventure. lol Not jealous though! :p

 

oh, and we ordered coffee every morning to drink on our balcony. We got a carafe thingy every am. :D

[jeffdal]

What floor were you on? We had a balcony room on the Panorama deck and we didn't have twins. Wierd. Just curious.

 

Sounds like you had fun. I'm having cruising withdrawls that my baby is sailing without me. :( Can't wait to hear the Cozumel cop story. Sounds like an adventure. lol Not jealous though! :p

 

oh, and we ordered coffee every morning to drink on our balcony. We got a carafe thingy every am. :D

 

I was worried about the cops in Cozumel when I saw that our rental Jeep had Avis plastered all over it. We saw a bunch of them but never got stopped. Whew!

[momof4boys]

Thanks for the review. Glad you had fun in spite of the scooter "patrol!"

 

We were on the Elation last year and in a cat. 12 suite and OV for our boys. It was fabulous. This year we went for a cat. 11 and balcony for our boys. I am anxious for July 2.

[Can't Wait]

We enjoy having our coffee in the room every morning before dashing off also. I would have mine while I sat on the balcony and read through the Caper. There is a room service tag in your room you can hang on the door every night for the next morning. You can request a carafe, etc. Be sure and tell them you need 2 cups if that's what you need. Also, you will only get 4 sugar packets unless you request extra. I also requested the half and half which they would give you 2 for 2 cups - request more if you want it. There is a place to fill in what time you want everything delivered also and they were very punctual. Sometimes, I would order orange juice, cereal (my husband) and bagel with cream cheese. There are quite a few choices of things you can get. The coffee cups are plastic but they were ok. You could always take your own.

 

What floor were we on? We were on the 6th floor about mid-ship. It was perfect. The balconies were really private (more so than RC which had small gaps you could see through). Warning though, if you aren't fully dressed, watch for the reflection in the glass. You are able to see next door in the reflection (about waist down - ha ha).

 

The first time cruiser, by the time you read all of these posts, you'll be ready and have it all covered. I do strongly suggest decorating your luggage with colorful ties, ribbons or something that stands out because it is a mad house finding your luggage when you disembark at home!!! There are TONS of black luggage especially. Something coloful and unique will save you a LOT of time. Also, you will need your drivers license and birth certificate handy to leave for home (at customs).

 

Our police stop amounted to the scooter cop standing in the street and pointing us to the side. We told him we didn't see a speed limit sign which is when he pointed across the street. Down a little was a board leaning against a pole facing the other direction with the speed limit of 30. He wanted our drivers license but never did look at them or get them. My husband asked how much the ticket was and he said $20. Of course, like I said there was no radar at all. We tried to pay him there and he said no. He told us to follow him to the police station. We told him we had to get to the ship (we still had several hours really) but he said sorry, follow me to the police station. I thern pulled the "female" thing and said "Can we PLEASE just have a warning? We're really sorry and won't do it again. We're fixing to turn them in!" He said follow me down the street. We followed 2-3 blocks and pulled over. The guys pulled $20 each out and he took it when no one was around. I couldn't help but think how silly he didn't ask for $50 because we sure would have paid it! But I was relieved it was $20. Wish our tickets in the U.S. were only $20!!!

 

If anyone is going to enter the men's hairy chest contest, they are looking more for personality than hair. The man that won had NO hair on his chest but was real outgoing. They have them dancing and shaking it. The audience votes for the best.

 

There were a lot of things going on here and there that you could get free champagne. Also, if you join the VIP club, they'll ask you if you want something to drink (or should) and it doesn't have to be a coke, etc. You can order a drink or champagne. Also, if you are a past Carnival guest, be sure and go to the appreciate gala - there were fantastic hors duerves and quite a few drink choices that were very good. It lasts an hour and it's shortly before dinner.

 

The library is almost never opened, if you're into that so pay attention to when it is if you need a book or something, otherwise, take your own.

 

For the first time cruiser, be sure and don't even use your "beach" towels that are in your room unless you keep up with them and bring them back to your room. They will charge you $22 if you leave them by the pool or anywhere else and they aren't in your room. Also, the big bottle of water by your TV will cost you if you open it (we didn't). You will want to take your own shampoo, etc. They do have a body wash dispenser and a shampoo/conditioner dispenser in the shower. The bathrooms are fairly spacious actually. The hair dryer is not that great and is plugged into a drawer and can't be moved. They had a special about the 4th day to have laundry done for $15 for all you could fit in one bag (the bag is in the middle upper drawer). My husband was able to fit quite a bit in the bag. There weren't that many men in tux's for formal night. The majority wore suits (some with ties, some without). They will allow shorts in the dining room the first night only (because of luggage etc.). Otherwise, no shorts or t-shirts. Also, of course, you will get the best deals on buying stuff in the "mall" of the ship on the last 2 days. The last sail day (Saturday) the t-shirts were two for $20.00.

 

The most happening spot (especially for teens to thirties) was Henri's which was a great atmosphere. Dancing every night. Cigars are allowed in Alfred's bar only and they sell them there.

 

The jacuzzi's never seemed overcrowded really and there are places (after a certain time) that kids can't get in them. There's a lot of privacy on the very upper deck for laying out in the sun and quiet.

 

We also had the room steward just leave our mini frig locked so as not to be tempted to take anything out of it. Those items add up real fast.

 

Have a GREAT cruise, you'll love it!

[billsrobb]

Why do you need drivers license and birth certificate for home (customs) Won't a passport be sufficient along with a Drivers license?

I ahve read losts of posts here but do not recall ever hearing that you need a birth certificate to clean customs.

thanks,

Robb

[Can't Wait]

Oh yes, of course, all you need is your passport. I meant that for those that don't have one. Although, I know everyone will have one beginning the first of 2007 when it will be required!

[firstcruiserDB]

Thanks so much for the great review! We leave in just 9 days, and are so excited!

 

Just a quick question for you....

 

Did you go to the Piano Bar at all? I've read it's not "too hoppin'" and I'm hoping for better news!

 

Thanks!

[billsrobb]

Oh yes' date=' of course, all you need is your passport. I meant that for those that don't have one. Although, I know everyone will have one beginning the first of 2007 when it will be required![/quote']

 

Can't wait:

 

Thanks for the reply

 

I sail in Sept on the Conquest and I Can't wait!!!!!!!

 

Robb

[okiemom]

Thanks for the review! Only 177 more days for us!:D