First Time Questions

Okay, so far I have learned a lot on this board. So much, I am now more excited about the cruise than my family. But I have a couple of questions that some of you might be able to answer. We are on the Conquest on 3/12/06.

1. Supper club sounds great. The only problem is what night to pick. Do you get a preview of the upcoming menus? Are reservations made when you arrive at the ship?

2. Spa reservations? Are they made aboard ship or in advance?

3. Kids in the supper club? Good, bad, prohibited?

4. How formal is formal nights? Do I need to get my kids some new suits?

5. Tendering. How early should we get in line? How long does it take to get back to the ship? I don't want to miss the sailing, but I would hate to cut short time in port.

6. Anything that is a sure "do not miss" that we might not be aware of?

7. Any special staff members that we should seek out?

Thanks for the information. I appreciate all the helpful hints. I am now blaming Carnival for my broken windshield, since I was daydreaming about my cruise when the soccerball hit it.

We are booked for our 5th Carnival cruise (8th overall) and the only thing I can tell you is DO NOT MISS OUT ON WHAT YOUR FAMILY ENJOYS!!!

If it is the hanging out by the pool, Camp Carnival, lounging on your balcony or what ever it is your family enjoys...DO IT!!!!!

A cruise lets you enjoy/lets you do things that you normally wouldn't do...SO ENJOY!!!!!

Hope you have fun and post a review. We sail the Conquest in July.

On regular nights on the Elation, my 3 youngest boy (19, 16, 12) wore khaki pants and polo type shirts tucked in with belts. My 22 yo son wore a jacket (My boys love to dress up) Our friends' son wore the same.

On formal nights our friends' son wore a nice jacket and my boys all wore tuxes.

Not sure about supper club..sorry!

On Elation, we made spa reservations when we boarded.

Whatever you decide....enjoy your family and your cruise. :)

dchi72, come join our roll call for March 12!!!! Glad to see another CC member on this cruise!

Okay, so far I have learned a lot on this board. So much, I am now more excited about the cruise than my family. But I have a couple of questions that some of you might be able to answer. We are on the Conquest on 3/12/06.

 

1. Supper club sounds great. The only problem is what night to pick. Do you get a preview of the upcoming menus? Are reservations made when you arrive at the ship?

 

DH and I went on one of the "non-formal" nights. They do require a jacket and will give you one if you forget! The menu for the supper club is the same each evening.

 

2. Spa reservations? Are they made aboard ship or in advance?

 

You are encouraged to make your reservation soon after you board, however I have never had a problem booking later during the cruise. Port days offer the best prices.

 

3. Kids in the supper club? Good, bad, prohibited?

 

Well-mannered children are always welcome!:D

 

4. How formal is formal nights? Do I need to get my kids some new suits?

 

Dark suit or tux for men; male children should follow the same guideline, however, khakis and dark jacket should suffice.

 

5. Tendering. How early should we get in line? How long does it take to get back to the ship? I don't want to miss the sailing, but I would hate to cut short time in port.

 

You will informed when the last tender leaves for the ship. As long as you are in line BEFORE that time, you should not be left behind.

 

6. Anything that is a sure "do not miss" that we might not be aware of?

 

Check your newsletter every day. It will list all the daily activities.

 

7. Any special staff members that we should seek out?

 

Some people swear by Damien at the piano bar, however we weren't that impressed (sorry!).

 

Thanks for the information. I appreciate all the helpful hints. I am now blaming Carnival for my broken windshield, since I was daydreaming about my cruise when the soccerball hit it.

...and you are correct!!! They shouldn't make cruising so much fun:p

Okay, so far I have learned a lot on this board. So much, I am now more excited about the cruise than my family. But I have a couple of questions that some of you might be able to answer. We are on the Conquest on 3/12/06.

 

1. Supper club sounds great. The only problem is what night to pick. Do you get a preview of the upcoming menus? Are reservations made when you arrive at the ship?

 

2. Spa reservations? Are they made aboard ship or in advance?

 

3. Kids in the supper club? Good, bad, prohibited?

 

4. How formal is formal nights? Do I need to get my kids some new suits?

 

5. Tendering. How early should we get in line? How long does it take to get back to the ship? I don't want to miss the sailing, but I would hate to cut short time in port.

 

6. Anything that is a sure "do not miss" that we might not be aware of?

 

7. Any special staff members that we should seek out?

 

Thanks for the information. I appreciate all the helpful hints. I am now blaming Carnival for my broken windshield, since I was daydreaming about my cruise when the soccerball hit it.

1. Make reservations the first day for sure.

2. Haven't used spa, but I understand those are done first day too.

3. I went to the Supper Club last year on Legend and did not see any kids. Being this is a drawn out, 2 hour thing, most parents use it as a "date" while the kids are at Camp Carnival.

4. My son wore a suit when he cruised two years ago, but he likes to dress up.

5. This is my first time on Conquest, but in the past, you had to get tickets for the tenders. Depending on what time your excursions are will mandate how early to stand in line for tenders. Getting back to the ship will again depend on time of day and how many hundreds of people are also waiting for tenders.

6. These boards are great sources of information for people's opinions of what not to miss. I've gained a lot of insight and tips from fellow CC members, and I look forward to the same experience with the Spring Break cruise. Your first cruise will always be memorable. I personally loved the Stingrays in Grand Cayman and have done this excursion each year we've been there.

7. I plan on keeping track of future reviews for the Conquest to see which staff members are still on board and recommended. Sometimes, you don't have a choice with waitstaff or cabin stewards, but bartenders and bar staff you would. I make it a point to make a certain bartender and/or bar staff person my best friend for the cruise. The bar staff at the pool area are usually the same people who are serving drinks during the evening shows, so it's nice when they "know" you already.

I hope you and your family have the time of their lives. I look my kids on their first cruise when they were 11 and 8 also. My son was 8 and he can't wait to cruise again! The SB one will be without kids, but I plan on taking them again in the future! Please let me know if I can help anymore with 1st time questions. I may not be much help with Conquest details, but I like helping out first time cruisers enjoy themselves.

Maria

Okay, so far I have learned a lot on this board. So much, I am now more excited about the cruise than my family. But I have a couple of questions that some of you might be able to answer. We are on the Conquest on 3/12/06.

 

1. Supper club sounds great. The only problem is what night to pick. Do you get a preview of the upcoming menus? Are reservations made when you arrive at the ship?

 

The best nights are non-formal sea days. Make a reservation promptly upon boarding at the supper club. The menu in the supper club is always the same.

 

2. Spa reservations? Are they made aboard ship or in advance?

 

Aboard ship. Cost is higher on sea days. Discounts abound on port days. Also, if you hate to be pressured, make sure to tell them in advance not to try and sell you anything. Steiner makes those poor women sell harder than a used car salesman (no offense to used car salesmen). But they're usually good if you tell them "no sale" in advance.

 

3. Kids in the supper club? Good, bad, prohibited?

 

I don't know the age of your children. It is $30 pp and the atmosphere is comparable to a nice steakhouse such as Morton's or Ruth's Chris. My children are all younger than 8 and we've sent them to Camp Carnival.

 

4. How formal is formal nights? Do I need to get my kids some new suits?

 

Again not knowing the age...If you have early seating, the CC staff will feed your kids for you and take them back to CC for the evening's activities. They do this every night and our kids preferred it to the dining room. The had so much fun with the counselors! Our daughter did dine with us on one of the formal nights. If you decide to take them to formal nights, kids suits are cheap at Burlington Coat Factory.

 

5. Tendering. How early should we get in line? How long does it take to get back to the ship? I don't want to miss the sailing, but I would hate to cut short time in port.

 

Tendering to port, those with shore excursions get priority. Then it's a ticket system. First come, first served.

 

As long as you're in line at the time of "last tender", they won't leave you. The lines do get long the last hour. Be prepared to stand in the hot sun if you wait.

6. Anything that is a sure "do not miss" that we might not be aware of?

 

Everyone eats in the downstairs part of the Lido restaurant (I forget the name). Get your food and go upstairs to Sur Mer. Most people either don't know it's up there or are too lazy to climb the stairs. It's always uncrowded and window seats abound.

 

The magic show Deja, while sometimes cheesy, is entertaining and worth seeing.

7. Any special staff members that we should seek out?

 

Everyone is great on the Conquest. Don't get sucked into the Vacation Club schpiel.

 

 

Thanks for the information. I appreciate all the helpful hints. I am now blaming Carnival for my broken windshield, since I was daydreaming about my cruise when the soccerball hit it.

The Conquest is a fun ship. In Jamaica, the river tubing with Chukka is fun.

Hope this helps!

Great answers, thank you.

The boys are 8 and 11. They do not mind dressing up, but the 11 year is really starting to like jeans and t-shirts.