JaneAustenite

I've totally given up on uploading pictures. I tried copying them right from my desktop as well as using shutterfly and photo bucket and neither one worked. I really didn't take that many anyway.

We woke up fairly early for embarkation. I had read tons of reviews with horror stories about how bad the embarkation experience was at Port Everglades so, I wanted to get there really early and, we also purchased FTTF.

The hotel had a complimentary breakfast and a shuttle that was $10 per person. We could have taken a taxi or an uber for cheaper, but, the shuttle was convenient and my brother and sister in law drove up and met us at the hotel, so, we had six people and six suitcases.

We arrived at the port at around 10:30 and check in was easy, no lines. We were quickly checked in and waiting in the Captain's Lounge area. We were able to get on the ship by noon, which was great. Maybe an hour and a half seems like a long time to wait, but, we chatted with the people around us and it went by quickly. As we waited the lines got much longer and people were running out of chairs, so, I would get there early. My brother and sister in law did not have FTTF and were on the ship maybe 15 minutes after us, so, if you like to get on the boat early, if you get to the port early, it shouldn't be a problem.

Our room and luggage were both available early, so, we dropped our stuff off, grabbed loungers and got some cold drinks. Several of us had the drink of the day, the fun ship special, it was strong and tasty, which I would say was the theme of the drinks on the ship.

After lounging by the pool we got ready and went to dinner. We had Anytime Dining, and went around 6:00, there was no wait. Most of our table had the roasted chicken. I had the sweet n sour shrimp and it was good. We ordered a variety of appetizers - calamari, shrimp cocktail, different salads, and all were good. I will say that myself and my husband consistently found dessert disappointing, with a few exceptions (more on that later). Three at the table ordered the nutella tiramisu, my husband had the apple pie, and I had the fruit plate. I have a big sweet tooth, but, I wasn't feeling the dessert choices. Those who ordered the nutella tiramisu liked it, my husband hated the apple pie, and the fruit plate was OK.

After dinner, we checked out the comedian, Billy Dee Washington. He was very funny, I highly recommend checking out his show if he happens to be aboard your ship.

After the comedian it was time for bed to get ready for our fun day at sea tomorrow.

Oops, ignore the previous post, still not getting the hang of the pictures.

IMG_0011.jpg

We just got off the Conquest and were on the ship by noon.

Also, I tried to upload photos using photo bucket, but it didn't exactly work. I clicked the insert image button, copied and pasted the URL into the box, but, it didn't come up for me. I am using a Mac, but, it shouldn't matter for photo bucket.

Hello Everyone!

My husband, in-laws, and brother and sister in-law just got back from a trip on the Carnival Conquest and had a great time. We stayed a day before and a day after in Ft. Lauderdale and I will be posting a semi-detailed review.

Myself, along with my husband and in-laws flew from Latrobe, PA to Fort Lauderdale. All of us are originally from the Latrobe/Ligonier area, but my husband and I now live in Maryland and my brother and sister-in law live in Miami.

We left Latrobe on the 24th and it was a very easy flight. If you live in the Pittsburgh area you might want to consider driving to Latrobe, even though Pittsburgh has a much larger airport. The only airline available is Spirit, but, with only one flight leaving at a time, security couldn't be easier.

Our flight left Latrobe at 11:30 and we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at around 2:30 in the afternoon. We quickly picked up our checked bags and waited for the free shuttle to our hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt House Dania Beach. I would highly recommend this hotel. It was luxurious with a kitchenette and living room area, a separate bedroom, and an enormous bathroom with a large walk in shower with bench. Monday-Thursday the hotel has a free happy hour with wine, beer, a rotating soup, salad, and snack. We were there on a Friday, so, we couldn't partake, but, I thought that was a nice feature. The pool also looked nice, and several people were using it, but, we did not. If I were going on vacation to Ft. Lauderdale, I would definitely consider this place.

After getting freshened up, we took the free hotel shuttle to a little shopping area for dinner. There are several restaurants in the area but, we chose Miller's Hollywood Ale House. I had a pineapple mango mojito which was excellent, and the ice cream cake was extremely delicious. Everything else was just OK. One caution about this shuttle, it runs every two hours. So, be prepared to spend some time over dinner, or, call an uber.

We were on this same cruise with my in-laws and had a great time. I will also be writing a review

They definitely do have email issues. Every day since I emailed them, at their direction, I get a failure to deliver message in my inbox, something about being unable to make a connection with their server. I highly suggest calling them and staying on top of it. I got the impression that many people on Cruise Critic thought I needed to chill, but I'm glad I didn't. I got it straightened out and I don't know how long I would have been uneasy waiting for them to reply.

I did get through to them and got my confirmation e-mail. They needed me to stay on the phone with them to make sure that my e-mail address was correct, because the e-mail hadn't gone through for them multiple times. So, it all worked out.

I have checked my spam folder, repeatedly.

We are going to be docking in Roatan on June 29th on the Carnival Conquest. After discussing different options with our family, we decided to book 6 passes to Bananarama. When I booked, I gave the lady our info and paid for the passes. She said that they would be e-mailing us a confirmation with info on how to meet our driver and all of that. Well, that was Saturday. They charged my card on Saturday, but, never e-mailed me a confirmation. I called, they said they were busy but, they would send me the e-mail later that day. OK, fine. On Sunday, still no confirmation e-mail. I called again, according to the woman I spoke to, Victoria, their internet was out but, she would make sure I got a confirmation e-mail before she left on Sunday. Today is Monday, still no confirmation e-mail. Bananarama was highly recommended on both Cruise Critic and Tripadvisor, but, I am definitely getting the impression that they're trying to give me the run around. I tried calling this morning and no one answered. This is making me nervous and irate. They had the time to charge my credit card but not give me a receipt? Has anyone booked with Bananarama before and had a similar experience? Any advice on what to do to get through to them would be much appreciated.

I agree with the previous poster. We have FTTF for a cruise on the 25th and I need all the info you can give me!

Thanks for the info. I contacted Rony's and got a prompt reply. Has anyone ever worked with them before?

Hello,

I just saw a review on here that mentioned day passes for Infinity Bay. Has anyone done this before? If so, how did you arrange transportation and purchase the passes?

Thanks for the review. We are going to be in Roatan this month and were thinking about LFK, but Infinity Bay sounds awesome. How did you go about purchasing the day passes?

Loving the review! We're going on the Conquest at the end of this month and, I can't wait. We are also considering going to Everglades Holiday Park because we will be in Ft. Lauderdale for an extra day after the cruise. I am nervous about embarkation, we have FTTF and are hoping to get to the port early. What time did you guys get to the port?

Does anyone know the Dive In movie lineup for June?

Looking forward to it!

Enjoying your review.

Reading the review. We're on the Conquest in June, different ports, but, I love reading about the ship.

Looking forward to your review, we'll be on the Conquest June 25th. Different ports, but I love to read about the ship.

We go to the steakhouse each cruise and, we do like it. I agree with the comments about dessert. I actually do not care for the chocolate sampler. I'm thinking about ordering the apple one next time. I love apple pie and ice cream, so, that might be a good choice. Anyone ever had it? I love the appetizers, crab cake and lobster bisque are delicious (and, I live in Maryland, so, I know a good crab cake). I think the salads could use a change. I've gotten the tomato and mozzarella one in the past, and it was just too much mozzarella and tomatoes. I think this time I'm going to go for the spinach.

Enjoying your review! We'll be on the Conquest in June and I'm excited. We're probably doing a different itinerary, but, I love reading about the ship beforehand.

Loving your review! We're on the Conquest in June. Different itinerary, but, I love reading reviews about the ship we're going to be sailing. Was your mini bar stocked? I would like to order some things for the cabin before we go.

Was your mini fridge stocked?