Conquest July 6 review

[mics pics]

Your review is excellant.

I have been thinking about taking a solo cruise, and now that I see your pictures and your reviews it seems realistic.

Have you any special tips for a single cruiser? I cant wait till I can get back out on the ocean. I am trying to narrow it down between taking a return trip on the Fantasy or switch to Conquest. I need to go to a port that is within driving distance.

 

Hi Tricia,

 

I would definitely suggest going on Conquest. Since you had such a good time, I would say going for a week on Conquest would be worth it. I never had issues going by myself, and the crew MUST be used to it, because they never treated me strangely when I said I was solo. As a matter of fact, when the photographers tried taking my photo along with the other solo at our dinner table, the headwaiter leaned in and told him we were not together. He spared us trying to explain it. Actually, we were too busy laughing. (We looked like polar opposites!)

My main tip is to get out there and do things that involve other people. It would be too easy to stay on your own, but talk to others - at meals, during sailaway, even just sitting in a lounge or the lobby.

I made lots of friends with crewmembers and was invited to their hangout in Cozumel with them so going solo was a good benefit there, too. I just talked to everyone. What really surprised me were the families and couples who were more than friendly. I made friends with a couple from Fort Worth because Jennifer saw me getting ready to sit by myself in Grand Cayman, and said "you can sit with us..." We ended up spending the whole next day together in Cozumel too. {Hi Jennifer and Austen!}

Honestly, I thought people would want to stick together but was welcomed into many couples and families. It was great.

Go, have fun! I love 7 day cruises, but booked a 5 day on Holiday just to get over cruise withdrawal. That will be my second solo cruise, and number 3 is in January. I'm hooked! :D

[lovebug33]

You don't have to buy before hand for Sunset Beach? We are taking some catamaran sailing thing, but the beach would be cheaper. Hmmmm, maybe I should talk to DH about it! Thanks for your review!

[mics pics]

I just wanted to add a quick note about Sunset Beach. I could tell who the day trippers from the ship were based on the Carnival towels ;) but if you don't want to drag it, you can check out towels in a towel hut down by the bar and grill, in a kiosk next to the pool and beach. I brought mine, but thought the advance knowledge about the towels would help.

 

Ok, on to Grand Cayman!

I ate breakfast in the Lido deck buffet since it was such an early day and I wanted to video us coming into port and catch breakfast, and get to my tour on time. It was good food, but I didn't really eat a bunch of things, just enough to cover me until lunch. I did notice the annoying seat saving in the good window seats. Someone put their baseball hat on the table next to mine and many families started to sit there before they saw the hat. Can't one person in the party get food and one sit at the table if they want that particular table so badly? I just get my food then find a table. That's not too hard. ~anyway...~

I've been to GC once before, and didn't book anything ahead of time then. We just walked through the dock area until someone approached with a stingray tour. It was decent, but this time I wanted to do it RIGHT.

I'm SO glad I did. I booked the Reef, Rays, and Rumpoint tour with Nativeways. First of all, I booked it super late (less than a week before sailing) and Sharon waived the credit card requirement. I was ready to call it in (no fax machine) but she replied in the email that she would waive it for me. Maybe because no fax machine or the fact I was solo, I don't know. They told me to be in the meet and greet area by 8:15 to 8:30. I got there closer to 8:30. The last time I was in GC it was at the old pier, and if anyone remembers that, it was incredibly crowded and you basically waited in the street. The new pier is much closer to the ship and much more room to spread out for all the tours and later, for the tender lines back.

The Nativeways guys were right in the middle, easy to see. They checked me in and said they were waiting for one more couple. We waited probably about 15 more minutes, and then went ahead and left without them. Short walk to the air con van, and drove to one of the 7 mile beach hotels to pick up more people. Once we got to the harbor they split us up into the groups, depending on what tour we were going on. Our group was really small (I want to say 7, maybe it was 9) so it was a very pleasant trip. Chris started leaving the harbor and pointed out some turtles in the canal. We first went to the reef for some snorkeling.

On the way there, Chris stopped the boat, and dove in. I know I was thinking, "what the heck?!" Soon, he surfaced with two starfish. We took some quick pictures with them, then threw them back in and headed towards the reef.

As a kid, I basically sucked up the entire Pacific Ocean through my snorkel and mask, so I had no desire to go snorkeling. I put on the floatie vest, blew it up a bit, and some fins. I was just going to swim around and take 'grab shots' with my underwater camera. We all jumped in and Chris stayed on the boat. One of the other ladies on the boat told me that I could check stuff out with her mask for a bit. I hesitated, but she was very kind and promised I wouldn't have massive leaks. WOW! This was some great stuff. I gave her back the mask and said I was going to swim back to the boat to get a mask. A second later Chris jumped in so I thought, oh well. He swam toward me, holding a mask for me. Either he's experienced in water scaredy cats, or he heard us. Doesn't matter, he made my day. I swam around, checking out the ocean life. A few times he borrowed my camera and took photos for me. I couldn't thank him enough. After a while (half hour? I don't remember) we got back on board and headed to Stingray City Sandbar. It was perfect - most boats were already leaving so we had quite a few stingrays visiting us. Chris went over how to feed them the squid, and told us not to jump. Most of the accidents out there are due to people jumping up and landing on a stingray, not the stingrays being aggressive. We all got in the water and then Chris dumped in the squid juice from his bucket. The stingrays immediately swam over, and we got to feed them. Chris caught one and gave us little lessons on the amazing creatures. We each took turns holding one and taking photos. We spent quite a bit of time out there. It was fantastic!

They do rub up against your legs like cats do, so be ready. Just as I was looking at one in front of me, another one would rub my legs from behind. It caught people off guard all the time. (listen for the screams or yelps)

I'm sure I'm forgetting details, but suffice it to say, it was absolutely wonderful. We'd only done two things on the excursion so far, and I was thrilled with it.

Next, we headed to Rum Point. Before we left Stingray City sandbar, we looked at menus and decided what we wanted to eat. I had the mahi mahi (fish of the day special) and it was really good. Chris called in our order, and once we got there, they had our food set out with a little sign reserving it for Nativeways tours. I talked with Austen and Jennifer while we ate, then they headed for the beach and I wandered around taking photos. It's a really nice place, quiet and beautiful. I laid in a hammock for ages, just soaking up the atmosphere and the ocean view. There are some gorgeous places to sit and soak up the ocean and sun. I really liked it there. An hour and a half there was just a tease - I could easily spend hours there. Still, I'm glad it was a stop. I think I would have preferred it here over 7 mile beach.

Took the boat back to the harbor, and Chris pointed out some iguanas. In the van ride back to the pier, we all decided to get dropped off for some shopping. I don't remember what time it was, but maybe about 1 p.m.? Wasn't much time for shopping, but enough.

Enough for me to get myself in trouble, anyway.

Even though I'd been there before, I decided to get another Harley shirt and a guitar pin from Hard Rock. I also stopped in Del Sol and walked past the pier to go to Diamonds International. I was in DI and so was Kathryn, the super shopper, so I knew I had a little time to still get on the ship. I walked to the tender area and it was 2:08 p.m. The line was super long so I went to the back of the line to wait. Suddenly, I realized I didn't remember putting my digital camera away anywhere. I got back out of line, and sat on the ground, dumping the entire contents of my bag. No camera. OH NO!!

I debated for a second - get the camera and possibly miss the ship, or leave the camera behind, never to be seen again. I had NO IDEA where I left it. Hmmm, it IS a pretty long line. Might take a while.

I chose missing the ship, and started running.

It's a heckuva lot further than it looks, let me tell you. And I've run marathons. Just not in heat and humidity, after spending the whole day in the sun and ocean. Sheesh.

I ran into Del Sol first, since it was closest. This was no time for island pace, and yet, everyone was concerned and looking everywhere for my camera. I just finally said, forget it, I gotta keep checking. Ran to Hard Rock, same result. Ran out of there, and into the Harley store. My very first stop, all the way at the end. As soon as I walked in, the lady said, "Please tell me its yours. Tell me what you're missing." I told her, she handed it to me, and off I went running back to the pier. All I kept thinking about was "I don't care if people think I was drinking all day, I will not miss this ship now that I found the camera."

I ran and ran, and the line was non existent now. Oh crap. I hauled butt, came screaming around the corner, and.... saw the end of the line. Yep, I made it. I was on the very last tender, and even crew members were ahead of me, but I made it.

Lesson learned - if you're going to bring a bag with you, keep your stuff in it, for heaven's sake! I set the camera down to pay, and walked away without it because a) I was in a hurry and b) I wasn't paying attention

Got on board, video'd sail away, and relaxed.

I took a nap before dinner, it was a super early day and tiring, for some reason. :p

This night was the second formal night. I missed the show tonight. I missed a couple of shows because I was just too tired to move. If the shows were after dinner I could've made them, but trying to squeeze in a decent nap and get ready for the show before dinner just wasn't happening. After dinner was the gala buffet. Photos at 11:15 p.m. for an hour, then the buffet. I took video, only a few photos. On my last cruise I tried doing both and knocked a glass down. So I didn't want to risk that again. I didn't stay for the buffet itself, I was dead tired.

 

I can't remember what night the juggler show was, but he was pretty good. His jokes were kind of silly, but I thought it was entertaining. The ship wasn't moving that much, but it still is fairly amazing that someone can juggle while on a moving ship. If you go to the show, keep an eye on the orchestra. They're an integral part of the show. I thought they were hilarious.

 

I have a lot more photos of Grand Cayman, but haven't uploaded them to Webshots yet. I will include them later when I can. It might take forever on this connection, but will do my best.

 

Next up, Cozumel. I'll finish it up tomorrow. :) ( I hope...)

[mics pics]

You don't have to buy before hand for Sunset Beach? We are taking some catamaran sailing thing, but the beach would be cheaper. Hmmmm, maybe I should talk to DH about it! Thanks for your review!

 

Nope! I asked for a day pass but I think when people show up they assume that's what you want. Especially when they ask for your cruise card. I paid cash but the family ahead of me paid with a credit card. Despite earlier things I read that said credit cards were a pain, she seemed fully prepared for it. That's just my impression, though. I planned on not using my credit card at all in any ports so I had enough cash.

 

It was great fun! I really liked it there, even though I didn't even take full advantage of all their facilities.

[Juligan]

First of all, I want to thank you for your review. DH and I are booking the 12/14/08 Conquest. I love reading about other peoples' experiences, it makes it make the wait a lot easier.

 

What did you do with your belongings when you were swimming at Sunset? Do they have lockers?

 

I don't suppose you'd be willing to post the Capers from your trip? My DH has never cruised and it would be great for him to see.

 

Thank you!

[douglinc@msn.com]

Love your review, thanks for the update, can't wait to hear about Cozumel.

 

Doug

[lovebug33]

We are seriously considering Sunset Beach now. DH was afraid it will be crowded. How bad is it? And, I second the locker question. TIA!

[mics pics]

Hi all,

I didn't see any lockers at Sunset Beach, but I left my things just by my lounge chair, and they were never even touched.

I was kind of worried since I was by myself for a bit, but everyone there are guests of the hotel. I don't think you could find a safer spot. I only sat near my lounge chair (and belongings) for maybe an hour...the rest of the time I was getting food or drinks, or in the pool, and I didn't even see someone walk anywhere near where I parked.

On this day hardly anyone was there. Far more guests of the resort than cruise passengers, and honestly, there couldn't have been more than 30 people by the pool I was at, and the beach and other pools were uncrowded as well. I'd say 20 people would be more like it for the area I was in by the waterslides.

I wouldn't worry, especially since everyone there were fellow travelers. If I was concerned I'm sure I could have asked someone to keep an eye on it, but I never was worried.

I'd truly absolutely suggest the place. Except for the Red Stripe beer and Jamaican rum punch, you'd never guess you were in the Jamaica so many people won't even get off the ship for. :cool:

[mics pics]

Coming into Cozumel was fun, we followed the Freedom of the Seas all the way from Grand Cayman and every time I looked to the front of the ship, I could see it. Even at night with my binoculars! We docked next to the Valor which was already there. It was interesting, I was watching people get off the Valor the whole time we were approaching Cozumel. As we started to get closer to the dock, they stopped the Valor passengers getting off. I'm sure it's a safety issue 'just in case' something happens. Once we were in, their passengers were being allowed off again.

It's fun to be sitting right next to a sister ship, except the Valor has the movie screen. I would pick things out on Valor and know the same thing was on Conquest too. Not to mention, from Cozumel it looked like the Valor was the only ship since it hid Conquest perfectly until they left.

 

I booked the Dolphin Discovery Royal Swim at Chankanaab Park. I tried booking the 10 a.m. but it was already full. Now that I've done it, I would suggest not booking that one. I think it would have been kind of frantic trying to make a 10 a.m. time simply because of the long walk down the pier, then the maze through the shopping mall at Punta Langosta.

 

I met with Jennifer and Austen (the couple I met in Grand Cayman) and we planned to take a cab together to Chankanaab Park since all three of us were booked on the 11 a.m. Royal Swim. Hint for taxi searchers courtesy of Jennifer - as were were crossing the main street in the sky bridge, she saw taxis waiting in the street. After we ran the gauntlet of the mall, it dumps you in a very busy and crowded taxi area. Jennifer said, "hey, let's just walk to the other side" and we walked back toward the pier on the ground level and caught a cab.

 

We got to Chankanaab and people are waiting for the Dolphin Discovery groups right at the entrance. I forgot my confirmation which wasn't a big deal but it's much easier to just bring it. I was a royal pain for the DD people every time someone tried to check me in. And I obviously still wasn't in pure relaxing vacation mode because I accidentally cut off a couple who were waiting patiently in line in my 'only looking forward' mode. They didn't drown me later, so they were very forgiving of me going in front of them.

 

Instructions were kind of vague. They pointed to an area that had tables and chairs to wait, and when we started the sit down, the waiter informed us that the tables and chairs are only for people wanting to eat. He pointed to rows of benches. We sat down there, but then started noticing that everyone was just in their bathing suits, and we were still fully dressed and had all our stuff. As you're looking at the ocean, to your right (beyond the DD gift shop) is the area with lockers. They are free, and there were lots of them. Also, there is a freshwater shower to rinse off. We put all our stuff away and waited. And waited some more.

More island time, so definitely do not plan on this excursion being absolutely on time. The waiting area is shaded, though, and you can watch the other groups doing their dolphin swims and encounters.

 

Soon, they came and got us and split us into groups depending on what you were going to do. They took us into a video room going over safety rules, the moves, and the way to hold yourself in the water for the moves.

 

They took us outside and started splitting us up into groups. Jennifer, Austin, and I stuck together, so we were put into a group with other couples. We had one of the smallest groups, so it was really nice.

 

The Royal Swim was wonderful, the foot push is easier than you think it will be, and the dorsal tow was fantastic. Try to keep your head up or you will swallow a lot of salt water. You can take your own cameras, and I took all kinds of photos and underwater video. The photographer and the trainer are incredibly patient and very good at what they do. The photographer, Antonio, was looking through the pics he took, and noticed that one of the ladies' dolphin kiss didn't turn out, so they did it again for better photos. I was pleased with that. Also, we had a kid who really struggled with the foot push, and the trainer did it over and over again until he got it. (Actually, I think he finally got it on his last chance, luckily)

 

After the swim, they take you back into the video room to watch your video. They show the entire video, and while it's short, it's impressive that the editing is done SO fast. I can't even upload my photos to Webshots in the amount of time they edited that DVD. My only complaint, they had the name of one of our dolphins wrong. That's ok, though. They gave each of us a sheet that had the dolphin video ordering information on it. Next, a trip to the gift shop to look at photos and get the video if you want it. The gift shop has tons of dolphin related material, including picture frames and t-shirts that have the names of all the dolphins on the back. I got one of those, but be forewarned - it's just an iron on patch on the front and back, so mine is already starting to show wear.

Next, the three of us went to the little beachside restaurant to get some food. The food on the menu looked really good, but it is high priced for Mexico (not high priced in general, though) and the service was frustratingly slow. (for me, anyway)

We tried getting guacamole, and the waiter just brought us more salsa. I would have loved another beer, and he never even came to check on us. We practically had to tackle him just to get 'la cuenta.' Next time, I'll go to Pancho's Backyard back in town.

We headed toward the pool that had a swim up bar, but they only serve sodas there. We sat in the pool anyway for a bit, then dried off, and later headed back to the pier. Many people at Chankanaab were there from the Freedom of the Seas, so be sure and let them know which pier you want. We could have easily ended up at the wrong pier if not for a gentleman helping us out. I understand some Spanish but don't speak it fluently. Remember "punta langosta" pier and you'll be fine. More people spoke English than I ever imagined and speak it far better than I can speak Spanish!

We got a taxi that dropped us off at Punta Langosta and split up for some shopping. I never went into any of the bars, but they were hopping. People will try and get you into their shops, but once I said "no, gracias" they left me alone. Once you walk INTO a shop, be ready. Bargain, absolutely. Don't pay what they tell you. I went into one shop that had prices posted, so figured those prices were set. Otherwise bargain away. My name is spelled a bit differently - only one "L" in Michele, so I got a bracelet made with thread with my name on it, and he made it while I waited. I was seriously looking at the little bags made with candy wrappers. They're harder than they look - I might get one next trip for my glasses or digital camera so I don't leave the camera behind again. LOL

 

Headed back to the ship, and sat on deck watching the drunks come back. We saw one guy being carried by a stranger and plunked into one of the bicycle cabs. His girlfriend/wife was trying to carry him through security because the guy couldn't even walk. Yikes.

 

Quite a few people were running (or even just walking) back to the ship at the last minute and it was more families than I expected. Port hogs, I guess.

 

Today was the bathrobe deck party. I laughed out loud when I saw the Capers. It says in fine print - "please wear clothing under bathrobes." Trust me, you had to. It's too hot outside for the robes! If you were wearing your bathrobe and had a DOD margarita in hand, Hennie, the Asst CD, gave you a medal. I think they started giving them out just if people went on deck and started dancing though, too.

 

Every morning they show a program called "The Morning Show" and it was taped months ago, but it's the same thing every week anyway. Ralph asks people to bring him food from the McDonald's in Cozumel. Later, I asked him if people do that, and he said, yes, nearly every week. I was surprised that he still wanted it with his exercise plan, but I guess even fast food sounds good after a while. People leave it at the Purser's Desk for him, and once the Purser ate his food, he was telling me.

 

Anyway, that was it for the ports. Another sea day lay ahead, and getting ready to go home.

 

Here is a photo with the restaurant in the background. To the left is a little gift shop and more lockers. The lagoon looked like a nice place to swim but I didn't go in there.

[mics pics]

The last sea day was just like the first two, trivia, bingo, and deck games. The only difference - instead of the port and shopping talks, they had the debarkation talk. :(

The past guest party was today. For those who are past guests, don't buy any raffle tickets for the free cruise until this party. They're only a buck a piece, and during the raffle the PG tickets were the only ones that were pulled out. They held the past guest party in the Talouse Latrec lounge, and it was packed! Far bigger than the Captain's cocktail party. It showed, too. The staff only came by once with appetizers and cocktails, so either sit someplace where you can grab someone or be aggressive in calling someone over.

The fun part of the party is when they show pictures of each one of the Carnival ships, past and present and people cheer for the ones they've been on. I felt old when I cheered for two of the older (and gone) ships, Festivale and Jubilee. :p

A hint for people with early flights. During the debarkation talk, they suggest notifying the Purser's desk if you have an early flight and want to have assistance with your bags. Check which bag tags you get from your room steward, first. I went back to my cabin before dinner and had Zone 4. I knew I'd have plenty of time to get off the ship and get going, so I didn't do any more. I chose to leave my bags out rather than do self assistance and am glad I did.

The only problem is, I didn't have a single thing packed, so after dinner and the free cruise raffle and bingo, I went back to my cabin so I missed the Legends show. I got my bags out the door just minutes before midnight and the crew was picking them up right at midnight. However, the next morning when I went out the secret doors to watch us sail into Galveston, all the bags were still in front of the doors in the forward portion of deck 6.

I got up ridiculously early, finished up the carry on packing, and got ready to go. Went out through the secret doors and watched us come in to Galveston.

After that, I got breakfast in the dining room and just happened to have our dinner headwaiter serving our table. And when I finished eating breakfast the family I sat with at dinner was seated next to my table. So I just moved over to their table, visited with them, and set out to wait.

By the time I said goodbye to everyone and got my things out of my room, they were finishing up self-debarkation. I barely sat down in the lounge by the casino when they called my zone. Debarkation was an absolute breeze, but the cruise terminal is a different story.

As soon as you get into the terminal, you start to wait. There were signs up saying that if you want a porter, notify someone in a Carnival uniform, and I wish I did right away. I thought I could flag a porter down on my own, but there is a line to do that and they won't stop for you. So, I went and got my own bags out of the zone bag claim area, then got in line for a porter. It would have been easier just to get in line, then get the porter and the bags. Absolutely do that if you have more than a few bags. The lines for people who didn't get porters were super long - they wrapped all over the terminal. Even the porter lines were long. However, my porter said that it was unusually slow and he didn't recognize a lot of the customs agents so maybe they were in training.

Once you get through the line, customs is a breeze. Keep in mind though, I'm not from Texas, so I was able to have more than one bottle of booze. I'm not sure how closely they look at people from Texas who say they have alcohol.

Once we were through, the porter took my stuff straight to my Galveston Limo Service bus. I got checked in, my bags were thrown on the bus, and a few minutes later we were off. We were already heading for Houston at around 9:45 a.m. A lot of crew members were on the bus, so I know I got an early start. Plus, when I made the reservation Galveston Limo Service changed my 10 a.m. reservation to the 11:30 slot, and I made the 10 a.m. easy. The driver said they just fill up vehicles and head for the airport depending how many reservations they have. Like I've said before, for a bunch of people it's too expensive but for a solo it was a deal. $65 RT is cheaper than a rental car and way better than a regular limo.

It was a quick ride to Houston Hobby, which gave me plenty of time to get checked in for my flight, go through security, get something to eat, and still relax before catching my flight home.

My flight landed in Denver just as Conquest was sailing away again.

 

So, to sum up, an absolutely wonderful trip. My only issues at first were with my cabin steward who I didn't see at all on the first night but it turned out my late dining schedule and cabin location just meant we didn't intersect. I talked to several people who said they didn't get towel animals the very first night, so maybe it was because of time or motivation. I don't really know, but he more than made up for it. And then, on the last night he didn't make me a towel animal again but I take responsibility for it since we talked for so long I think I distracted him and he forgot! We traded email addresses and I'll be visiting him and his family in Peru, maybe the same year I go to India to visit my headwaiter and his wife. ;)

The open seating for breakfast and lunch caused problems for me as a solo in the dining room for seating, but once I sat down it usually was a pleasant experience. (Except for Saturday when I got flat booted away from the table by a couple)

 

Other than that, absolutely no problems. Everyone was friendly, even toward someone who wasn't from Texas. :p

 

Also, remember what you bought as souvenirs! I feel so stupid for this. I bought coffee in Jamaica, and to make everything an even $10, I bought a couple bottles of jerk and hot sauces. And promptly forgot I bought them. So, I'm going through security, and the TSA agent started going through my bag. I couldn't imagine what the heck she saw. Then, voila! out come the two bottles of sauce in my carry on. Crap. I packed all my souvenirs in my carryon and didn't remember I had those. Into the trash they went. I don't know who apologized more, me or the TSA agent. I had my internal shopping list so imprinted on my brain that "sauces" didn't even register.

 

I will post Capers on the new Capers site that a CC member built when I can. I don't have a scanner, so I have to gain access to one, THEN figure out how the heck to operate the thing.

 

Any questions, ask away. I will post more photos once I finish uploading them when I get back home to Colorado. That won't be until August 10, though, sorry. Any special requests? I took photos of a lot of things, except not the menus. Next time I'll just take paper and write them all down. The camera flash reflected off the display, and it was too dark for non-flash photos.

 

[triciawrites]

Hi,

You have been writing such an awesome review. Great job. We also went to Chankanaab when we were in Cozumel, I tried snorkeling, swallowed a great deal of salty water. Ha!. I forced the kids (teenage boys) to go with me and walk the beach and see the archeological paths. Our taxi experience was fine, ten dollars for 3. I am so glad that you had such an excellant cruise.

[lovebug33]

Thanks so much for the review! I cannot wait (we leave in two weeks on the Conquest!). You have mostly convinced us to do Sunset Beach! Thanks again!

[mics pics]

I got the 250 minute internet plan, and didn't even come near to spending all those minutes. Yes, sometimes the connection was really slow, but many times it was the same or faster than the dial up connection I'm using right now.

Next time, I'd do the 100 minute plan since all I did was check my email and bank account once in a while. Now, if I started writing my review on board, I could have gone through the minutes. :rolleyes:

Also, one night the show was a magic show. It was good, but the music was incredibly loud. I'm no fuddy duddy, but it was uncomfortably loud. A couple times I even started feeling a bit sick because of it. Made me wonder if they have it so loud to cover sounds of trap doors or however they do the tricks. :confused:

 

That's all I can think of for now...will post more if I think of something else.

[Pistol Packin Mama]

Really enjoyed your review and the photos you put on the board. How do I get to the site where your web cam photos are?:confused: :confused: Looking forward to our cruise on the Conquest next year.

[dickens56]

Great review! I will be on the Conquest for Thanksgiving. My question is....... what is the secret door you talked about?

[tiger belle]

very good review...I enjoyed it...I am a single woman who is thinking of doing a solo cruise next time...the Conquest would probably be my top choice, since Galveston is within easy driving distance for me...also it would be a different Caribbean itinerary from the Eastern one I'm doing on the Glory in November...glad you had a great time :)

[GinnyJ]

Did I understand you right when you said the past guest party is now on Saturday night?

[salty dingo]

Nice review - glad you enjoyed the cruise!!:D

[cruisenewbie1]

My biggest is about shade at Sunset Beach. My wife and I burn like you would not believe and we need somewhere out of the sun to sit, whether by the pool or the beach. Can you tell us if there are enough locations to go?

[douglinc@msn.com]

Great review,thanks.

 

Doug

[mics pics]

Really enjoyed your review and the photos you put on the board. How do I get to the site where your web cam photos are?:confused: :confused: Looking forward to our cruise on the Conquest next year.

 

Just click on any of the photos that I posted, and it will link to that photo in my webshots album. Above the photo it says MicheleK1125->albums->Conquest cruise 7/6/08

Just click on the Conquest cruise link and it will show the whole album. Come back next week, when I'll finish uploading all of them. It's too slow to do it internet connection wise where I'm at now. Hope that helps.

Michele

[mics pics]

Did I understand you right when you said the past guest party is now on Saturday night?

 

Yep, that's right. I'd read here that it was earlier in the week, and I think my fellow past guests were getting sick of me. I kept asking, "Did you get an invite for the past guest party?"

I was sure I'd been forgotten. Nope, I wasn't. They just held it off until the very last night. It was early, at 5 p.m.

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My biggest is about shade at Sunset Beach. My wife and I burn like you would not believe and we need somewhere out of the sun to sit, whether by the pool or the beach. Can you tell us if there are enough locations to go?

 

I hear you, I didn't go out on deck AT ALL on both sea days, just to avoid the sun. I didn't really go too far on the beach, so I can't answer for that. There were umbrellas all around the pool, but you'd have to get there early to stake a claim on one before someone else. As far as shade due to trees or buildings, I didn't really see any, but I wasn't looking very hard either. Actually, now that I think about it, if you stay by the main pool (next to the restaurant and lobby) there was quite a bit of building shade there. There are spots around the water park that you can drag chairs to, also but overall I'd say the main water park area is bright and sunny except for the umbrellas. The grill area is completely shaded and cool, too. The walkway toward the grill from the waterpark area is shaded too. There are places to get away from the sun, but I'd say the convenience factor is a little lower. I'll go through all my photos and see if I can answer that better.

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Great review! I will be on the Conquest for Thanksgiving. My question is....... what is the secret door you talked about?

 

On Conquest class ships like Valor and Conquest, (and a lot of other ships, see link below) if you walk all the way forward on decks 6, 7, 9, and 10, there are doors out to the front deck. Hardly anyone goes out there, and it's a great view. I got such a kick out of getting the same view as the officers on the bridge.

 

Don't go through doors that say crew only - the doors are actually public doors, but since they are all the way forward not many people know about them and that's why they are 'secret.'

 

Here is a link to maps, but it's really straightforward. Walk all the way front, then turn through the doors warning you that it's very windy on deck. Voila!

For sensitive noses, be warned - this is a convenient spot to smoke for many, so there will be smoking up here.

 

http://www.unofficialcarnivalwiki.com/wiki/Secret_Door