Conquest Review - Just Got Back

[JennyLSU]

My husband and I just got back from our second cruise, which happened to also be our second Conquest cruise. We're from Baton Rouge so it was convenient last year from New Orleans and this year from Galveston. You know the standard stuff, so I'll just try to write about everything else to keep it interesting.

 

We weren't sure if they would let us board the ship early but I was so excited, that I made my husband get up at 4:00 with me and try anyway. After a 5 hour drive to Galveston we got in about 10:00 and got in line. They do let you board the ship early! We boarded at 11:00 and were the second group let on. It was an amazing feeling to have the ship all to ourselves. We took lots of cool pictures of the empty ship. As it started to fill up we did too. Ate pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream right away. Muster drills are no fun. Last year we stayed in our room and skipped it. This year we decided to go for the experience. Everyone was packed in like sardines and it was HOT. I think that might be our last muster drill we participate in.

 

Fun days at sea were great. We didn't bother swimming much because the pools were packed. We're not the type to fight over chairs and spots by the water. So, we ate. We saw a few shows and played some trivia. First night on the ship was $3 table games - excellent! We got our fix for craps in the first night and hubby played hold 'em so that we didn't feel tempted the rest of the cruise.

 

Todd Wittmer is the best! He really loves his job and it shows.

 

Newlywed game was fun, shopping talk was cool to sit in the front row and get throws, Vegas show was not our thing - it made NO sense.

 

After reading cruisecritic we learned that if you don't like something on the menu one night, you can order a steak instead. We decided to try it out. Ceasar salad wasn't on the menu the first night, but Aut, the waiter, brought one out with no problem. Third night, we got up the courage to ask for a steak. They didn't exactly bring it out without batting an eye like everyone says. It was a little weird, but the next night when we did the same thing, the waiter was cool with it. It was filet mignon each time - not bad!

 

Jamaica - we decided to do Sunset Beach after reading your helpful comments. Thanks - it was great! Snorkeling galore! However, on our third time out snorkeling for the day we saw a jellyfish, which scared us back to shore.

 

Grand Cayman - no excursion this time for us. Did some light shopping (Del Sol t-shirt $25) and found a cheap internet cafe. Got back on the ship early to avoid tendering lines.

 

Cozumel - Snuba! Scuba without the tank on your back - it was amazing. We got pretty deep and saw some interesting marine life - $69. Found a hole-in-the-wall and got some nachos and quesadillas - yum!

 

Past guest party and captain's cocktail party - we read on these boards that you can go to the bar and get whatever you want to drink if you don't like what they're passing around. Thanks! Strawberry daquiries for me and crown for the hubby.

 

Room for improvement - cabin steward never changed our sheets and didn't clean very well. Karaoke host (Ricky) was annoying as can be. The broadway show (Point and Click) was poorly written and felt more like a stripshow than a Broadway musical, as advertised. When in need of plot filler, just take off as many clothes as you can, I suppose. Food on the lido deck was just OK. Pizza was good -frozen burgers and runny eggs, not so much.

 

Things that we found helpful - highlighters, plastic bags, our own snorkel gear, light jacket for freezing theater, good attitude. No bungy cord necessary on Conquest as doors stay open on their own.

 

Things that I should have packed - a pen! Seems silly, but I didn't bring my purse, so no pen. Useful for filling out raffle tickets, writing notes down to remember what to post on cruisecritic, writing thank you notes to staff on last day, filling out comment card, lots of stuff. Got one from the purser - emergency averted. A good cheap watch for carrying around the ship (darn, is it 3:00 already?), maybe a pair of jeans because that theater was REALLY cold some nights.

 

Overall, amazing trip. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The staff was very friendly and positive. Next time we'll be on the fantasy. Woo!

[232271]

Thanks for the reveiw!!

 

How were the employees/staff at Sunset Beach, someone posted a really bad review on the Ports of Call board.

I wondered what you thought?

 

glad you had a great trip!:)

[JennyLSU]

I didn't have any problems with the staff at Sunset Beach. The guy at check-in seemed nice and offered us towels. The bar staff seemed to enjoy making drinks. I think one of the staff started a game of beach volleyball and once everyone joined in, she left us to play by ourselves. Overall, they weren't exactly as outgoing as the Carnival staff, but we weren't really there to make friends with them either. We just did our own thing and had a great time.

[waitin4acruise]

Thanks for the review I also have a review from a couple weeks ago in it i did say they did not change sheets so now im really wondering if its there policy not to .

[232271]

Thanks for the review I also have a review from a couple weeks ago in it i did say they did not change sheets so now im really wondering if its there policy not to .

 

I know some hotels have a 3 day sheet policy and if you put a card out or not out, they will wait till you check out.

They say it saves water? Maybe this is what they are doing conserving water? or just dont have the capacity to have that many dirty sheets on board for that many nights?:eek: can you imagine that?

[232271]

hit button twice, my bad.

[Sports Mama]

Thank you so much for the review. My family and I can hardly wait until we get to sail on her!!! Problem is: We have a loooonnnnggg time to go. Thank goodness for cruise critic and the galveston web cam!! :D

[Karried]

Hi, if you are referring to a review I wrote about my experiences with Sunset Beach, I wanted to clear it up a bit. I was trying to be as detailed as possible so I included a lot of details but the last thing I want to do is to deter tourism from this beach. I know it is the bread and butter of the island and I would hate to have my experiences sway someone from going to the beach.

 

The beach was beautiful, the snorkeling was some of the best we have seen ( even compared to Grand Cayman) you have to go out a ways but the coral reefs are really spectacular - we saw one jelly fish as well but didn't bother him and he didn't bother us. The Pirate Park was awesome for the kids.. ( I do have some wonderful pics and you can see the Conquest in the background... I'll try to get a separate photo hosting set up so you can see them. )

 

Anyway, go to Sunset Beach - you'll have fun .. the staff might have been feeling the effects of a rainy day.. one thing that happened was that someone left leather sandals near the snorkel rental place.. and I was getting ready to start snorkeling and 'splash. plop ... the worker at the shack had thrown them into the water! No one was there except me .. the shoes were large and they floated by me.. they weren't mine and all I could think of was that someone left them at the shack and this guy threw them into the water.. they weren't water shoes. I didn't know if I should throw them back but I tried anyway to get them closer to shore. I don't know why he would do that.. but if someone lost their shoes... they are now floating in the Caribbean.

 

This is part of the review I left earlier. I never made it to the side with the swim up pool ( is there one?) So maybe it was more lively over there...

 

"Anyway, the staff seemed upset or unhappy and just didn't want to be there .. Maybe it was because they knew we were only there one day and were wearing wrist bands - I swear I can't recall one smile from any people that worked there. It was sad.. if anything, this could be improved upon because the resort is very beautiful.

 

I've been to Hedonism, Boscable Beach, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay so I am familiar with the usual friendliness and openess of the people working there so I found this very strange to see at a resort... it could be a fabulous place to visit if it were a bit more receptive to guests. I realize they are working hard and I'm on vacation so it's easy for me to be happy but a little kindness ( a simple hello or a smile is enough for me) from the staff goes a long way for me wanting to return. "

[tkportersat]

My experience with the staff at Sunset Beach was great, everyone was very nice and I loved the accents!!

 

The sheet thing that people mentioned makes me laugh! I can't imagine people at home washing their sheets everyday, so if you are the only people in those beds for 4-7 days what is the difference? I can understand in a hotel where the room occupants change, but not on a cruise. Just seems wasteful.

[BallFour4]

Jenny,

 

Enjoyed your review. I agree with you about the lack of variety in the Carnival shows. Have seen the same bits aboard the Celebration, Elation and Ecstasy. We really wanted to sail the Conquest this summer (we live 30 min. away) but our daughter ran competitive track her entire vacation from school.

 

I think being a jerk makes one qualified for karaoke staff member. The guy aboard the Splendour this past spring break needed some major personality infusion.

 

Funny, one about the costumes; we sailed the Celebration a few years ago and the families with our group dropped their kids off in Camp Carnival. They then joined us in the theatre for the evening show. We noticed the balcony rows on one side were roped off.

 

The show started and the women in thongs started in with a tune with "wanting to be spanked" lyrics. The men (me and others who got in trouble) in our group roared with approval until one spotted the entire Camp Carnival group in those seats in the balcony. Duh...

 

We've toured the Conquest in port, and while very different in layout versus Royal Carribean, that's one beautiful ship. Even for a nearly four year old vessel she's aged little.

 

A large group with families are headed back to the Rhapsody next June, so come join us. Rates are amazing, and with a college fund we needed that!

 

Here are some images of the ship for you to enjoy:

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/487389508qeWwtW

[cpayne]

Where was the cheap internet cafe you found in Cozumel and how much was it?

 

Thanks

[LSUtraveler]

Karried, your post as concerns Sunset Beach was well done. I read it and thought it was on target. Don't have to make any excuses.

 

Our stay at Sunset Beach was a mixture of the things in your post. Bar people were not overly friendly. Making conversation with them was just OK so we just ordered our drinks and left the conversation alone.

 

All in all we felt it was their problem and had a good time ourselves. Same with the staff at check in. Again that was their problem, as long as we got what we paid for it didn't bother us one bit.

 

Our time at Sunset Beach on prior visits was great all around, attitude was theirs, having a good time was mine!:D

 

[slick52]

Here are some images of the ship for you to enjoy:

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/487389508qeWwtW

 

You were very busy taking pics. :eek: Very nice :D Nice to see again. Thanks!! :D

[pacerzfan]

Thanks for the review JennyLSU!

[bdubl]

Thanks for the review JennyLSU. When we were on the Ecstasy last year they had a massage table outside by one of the pools. The rate was $1 per minute. Did the Conquest have anything like this?

 

Thanks,

bdubl