Conquest 2/14/10: A review and an attempt at pictures

[rangerdog]

Thanks so much for the review....I sail the Conquest in 2 weeks so I'm reading everything you have to say.

 

Who is the current CD? Did you play in the casino? Who is the casino host? Was he/she very friendly? Did you get "comp" drinks in the casino?

[jdotexas]

Great review! Can't wait for more.

[douglinc@msn.com]

Waiting for more...........

 

Doug

[Meyer2]

Still enjoying your review & pictures!!! We had friends on the Conquest same week as you. I know they had a great time too.

[ahaltom2007]

... We also opted for the “Tour of the Vineyards” package at $110 for 5 bottles of wine. We ended up the week with 2 bottles of white and 3 bottles of red and all of them were very good selections. ...

 

 

How does one purchase this wine package? It seems like something we would be interested in.

 

Thanks

[nybumpkin]

Thanks so much for the review....I sail the Conquest in 2 weeks so I'm reading everything you have to say.

 

Who is the current CD? Did you play in the casino? Who is the casino host? Was he/she very friendly? Did you get "comp" drinks in the casino?

The current CD is Chris Jefferson. Nice guy - we sailed with him on Valor two years ago. He goes on vacation March 14 and will have Mark, the assistant CD, covering March 14-21. John Heald comes aboard 3/21 for the rest of Chris' vacation.

 

Sorry, no info about the casino - the most I ever do is an occasional slot machine, and this time I skipped them.

[nybumpkin]

How does one purchase this wine package? It seems like something we would be interested in.

 

Thanks

There's a couple of ways to buy it. You'll see ads for it around the ship as well as in your dining room menu. We just purchased it the first night from our server in the dining room. You can also buy it at Formalities, the shop on board where you order cakes, flowers, etc. They give you a coupon with five tear-offs listing the available wines. You just select which wine you want for the evening, and give the coupon to your server. If you want to order the same wine every evening, you can do that - or you can vary your selection, depending on what you're ordering for dinner.

[rangerdog]

The current CD is Chris Jefferson. Nice guy - we sailed with him on Valor two years ago. He goes on vacation March 14 and will have Mark, the assistant CD, covering March 14-21. John Heald comes aboard 3/21 for the rest of Chris' vacation.

 

Sorry, no info about the casino - the most I ever do is an occasional slot machine, and this time I skipped them.

 

Is Mark, the assistant CD funny and fun from what you saw of him? We are taking some first time cruiser friends and I really want them to have an awesome experience, and as we all know, the CD plays a HUGE part in that.

[nybumpkin]

Is Mark, the assistant CD funny and fun from what you saw of him? We are taking some first time cruiser friends and I really want them to have an awesome experience, and as we all know, the CD plays a HUGE part in that.

I liked Mark, although my experience was limited to a couple of shows. He's definitely one of the "up and coming" folks. Chris, Mark, Nate and Stitch (the latter two are social hosts) all really seemed to work well together.

[krisbtr]

Stitch was our host for sports trivia in Gaugin's bar..We tried to joke and talk with him, but he was too concerned with time for any socializing. He was also a no show the last night. Left a good amount of people waiting. I can't see him, right now, as ever being a CD

[nybumpkin]

It was getting close to the time when we needed to board the bus back to George Town. We walked through the turtle exhibits one last time (you have to be careful how you pick them us – do it the wrong way and you’ll be soaked).

Doug picking up the turtle the right way.:cool:

 

Then went through the gift shop and onto the bus. The driver dropped off some folks at Seven Mile Beach and the rest of us returned to the tender area. We decided to save some money by going back to the ship for lunch, but not before pirate photos were in order.

AAR!

Tender area

 

Last tender was 3:00, and we sailed away at 4:00. This evening was the second “elegant” evening and, while not nearly as dressy as the first, the majority of folks dressed well.

The evening’s show was “Formidable.” I like this show, but again we decided to pass on it and instead listened to some of the music around the ship.

[nybumpkin]

I love Cozumel. It’s such an easy, laid-back port I think it’s almost impossible not to have a good time. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t completely cooperative – again, we awoke to an overcast day. We were joined at Puerta Maya by Carnival Valor; Costa Fortuna and Liberty of the Seas (both of which had been with us in Grand Cayman) were at the International Pier; and Norwegian Spirit was docked downtown.

 

 

Costa Fortuna arriving in Cozumel

 

 

Ship canyon: Conquest and Valor

 

 

The crew on the pier

 

 

Voyager OTS and Costa Fortuna at International Pier

 

 

Valor

[nybumpkin]

Our game plan for the day was to take our time getting off the ship, then get a taxi to Paradise Beach. Our sons love Paradise Beach for the water toys, and I love it for the frozen margaritas. We were rained on slightly as we disembarked, but that was the only rain for the day. We quickly found a taxi and in no time were at Paradise Beach. The boys and DH got wristbands (the server tried talking me into a wristband, but I told him I was there for the margaritas) and we found a row of chairs and two umbrellas three rows from the water, near the bar where I could listen to music and watch the boys.

 

When we first visited Paradise Beach five years ago, the only water toys were the trampoline, the iceberg, and the floats. Two years ago there were two trampolines, the iceberg, and the floats. Now they’ve added water slides to the equation. Younger son asked for a life jacket since he’s not a strong swimmer, and that allowed him to enjoy the water slides.

 

 

Matt on the water slide/gym

 

Water toys

 

 

More water toys

 

The life jacket helps....

 

 

As for me, I buried my feet in the sand and sat back with my margarita.

 

Going barefoot....

 

The good life....

 

For lunch, we ordered the Nacho Paradise with beef, chips/salsa, chicken fingers and Mexican fries. There was more than enough food for everyone. All told, our day at Paradise Beach, including wrist bands, three margaritas (one was for DH), two sodas, food and tip, came to a little over $100. Not a bad way for four people to spend the day.

[nybumpkin]

We stayed at the beach until about 2:45 (not before I bought a PB tee shirt), then headed back to the pier. I had a mission at Los Cinco Soles: some new earrings. I found two pairs of sterling silver earrings, one a plain round post and the other a knot. They totaled all of $11.00. I also bought hot sauces, a pan flute for youngest son, and a game for the older son.

I like the new pier area at Puerta Maya better than the old. It’s more airy and has a nice selection of stores and restaurants. And there were certainly a number of people enjoying Fat Tuesday’s and Three Amigos!

 

 

Conquest and Valor at Puerta Maya

 

 

Puerta Maya

 

 

We were back aboard the ship by 3:45, in time to get a drink and watch for Valor to depart. As I stood across the pier on deck 10, I could hear Valor’s Purser’s desk calling several times for a family. She also blew her horn several times – I assume a “last call” for anyone still ashore. I never did see anyone make the frantic dash down the pier, and I wondered whether the family ended up stranded in Cozumel. Great sailaway, with ships’ horns sounding back and forth. As for Conquest, we set sail promptly at 6:00.

 

 

Valor setting sail

 

 

Valor, pilot boat alongside

[nybumpkin]

In the dining room, it was rather apparent that lots of folks had patronized the many establishments ashore to party, and were still in a party mood. And this included the polka group, a number of whom showed up with instruments in tow. Sure enough, the next thing we knew there were a couple of saxophones and accordions out and people were doing a combination polka/conga line around the dining room.

 

 

Polka band

 

 

The folks at the table next to us, two twentysomething couples from Louisiana, were not amused. I thought one of the husbands was going to burst a blood vessel as he summoned the assistant maitre’d to voice his complaints. Not long after I saw the head maitre’d speaking to the polka folks and the instruments were put away for the duration.

This evening, our youngest son had the Camp Carnival 9-11 group late-night party. We dropped him off at Camp Carnival after dinner, with the promise that a counselor would bring him back to the cabin at 3:30 (good thing, because there’s no way we’d be awake at that hour!). He was a real trooper and made it to 3:30. We heard him come in, but immediately went back to sleep.

[Meyer2]

Wonderful review! I get so excited reading especially the Conquest reviews & seeing pics. Will be my time before I know it.

[nybumpkin]

Just noticed a slight mistake re Cozumel - Liberty OTS was in port with us in GC and Cozumel, not Voyager OTS.:o

[jdotexas]

While in Cozumel at Paradise Beach... What did the wrist bands get you? Was that for the water toys? Did you see para-sailing, any idea of the cost?

Was it crowded to the point it impeded your fun?

Enjoying your review thank you!

[nybumpkin]

While in Cozumel at Paradise Beach... What did the wrist bands get you? Was that for the water toys? Did you see para-sailing, any idea of the cost?

Was it crowded to the point it impeded your fun?

Enjoying your review thank you!

The wristbands covered all of the water toys (trampolines, iceberg, slides and a seesaw-type toy), floats, kayaks, snorkel gear and a bungee-tarmpoline toy on the beach. There is parasailing, but I'm not sure of the cost.

 

We didn't have any problem with crowds. There were plenty of chairs available and service was very good. There was plenty of room on all of the water toys for our kids to have a good time.

[kew1031]

Galveston cruisers: What can you tell me about the buildings in this photo?White domed church is St. Mary's Catholic church; to the right, building with peaked roof and spires is The Bishop's Palace. It is open for tours. both face Broadway Boulevard. there are many old Victorian homes on the island, some are open for tours, some have been converted to B&Bs, some are still private residences.

Elyssa. She's beautiful. Wish we had time to see her. Multi story white office building American National Insurance building. Has basement parking garage with flood doors that close and seal to keep out the storm surge. Was the tallest structure on the island until a few years ago when some new high rise condos went up along the Seawall. Foreground, just behind the Elyssa, is the Harbor House hotel.

[nybumpkin]

kew1031- Thanks so much! DH thought these were really neat looking buildings. We definitely need to come back to explore.:)

[nybumpkin]

It’s a good thing youngest son didn’t want to sleep late, as our “Behind the Fun” tour started at 8:45. We booked this as soon as we boarded, having read on CC that it sells out. Sure enough, both tours (there was another at 9:15) sold out and there was a waiting list. There is a minimum age of 13 for this tour, and for good reason. You go to a number of places where there’s no room for “goofing off,” like the laundry and the galley. We met in the library, where we received our passes and were checked by a security guard. You cannot bring cameras or cell phones on the tour. Also, when they say “wear closed-toe shoes,” they mean it. This is no tour for sandals.

 

(Note: I’m trying to re-create this tour in order, but this old brain is a little fuzzy a week later on the exact order of our tour. I know we saw all of these areas, but my order may be a little off.)

 

From the library we went forward to the crew muster station. With some exceptions, the crew would not evacuate the ship in a lifeboat; rather, there are barrels with inflatable rafts that are used for the crew. From there, we walked out to the deck nearest the bow, where we saw the crew outdoor area and the ship’s bell, and had a group photo taken. (No opportunity for a “Look, Jack, I’m flying!” photo.)

 

From the bow, we went to the stage in the Toulouse-Lautrec Lounge, where one of the techies showed us the props and sets used for the various shows. It all looks very different up close! We then went to the dressing room and met the dance captain, who explained how they do costume changes as well as cast changes. We then walked through crew areas (including the brig and the morgue), out to I 95, the main crew deck area.

 

To give you a bit of perspective: Most people are familiar with deck 0, which is where the tenders load. Below deck 0 are decks A, B and C. They’re all crew-only areas.

 

The crew areas we then visited included the crew mess and galley, the crew training room and lounge, and the laundry (the amount of laundry on the ship is amazing). We then went to the engine control room. We were monitored by security here, as you might imagine. To make clear: this is not the engine room, which is below; this is the control room. On the walls were schematics of the ship and various instruments showing the functioning of all the various systems – aside from the engines themselves, you’ll find controls and information about electrical operations, temperature, firefighting equipment, environmental operations, etc. Being an engineer on ships like this requires much more than an understanding of how the engines (actually, in the case of Conquest, motors – the “MS” in the name stands for “motor ship”) work. We were guided in this room by the chief engineer, who pointed out all the elements of systems engineering here. (I have to admit to some prejudice here. As I noted at the start of my review, our oldest son is studying to become a ship’s engineer. This is right up his alley. When I told him we were going to do this tour, he grinned and said, “If I were sailing with you I bet I could get to see this area without paying $95.” And I noticed that the chief engineer’s insignia on his epaulets (aside from stripes) was the same as our son’s. Must be something about the fraternity.)

 

We could have spent a lot more time in the engine control room, but our guide moved us along to other parts of the ship. We saw a number of food storage areas (the meat locker is COLD) and the recycling area (I was impressed with the environmental controls). Then we went to the main passenger galley.

 

Our guide here was the chef de cuisine. We saw a number of food preparation areas, and then watched chefs create “food flowers” – in my case, slices of turnip with radish roses. We had a chance to make them ourselves and take them back with us. It was a much more extensive tour than the one offered to all passengers – or even the Platinum passengers. From there, we went into the main dining room for a break and from there…

 

We went to deck 8 to enter the bridge. Once again our security guard was present. The bridge is amazing – what a view. I tease oldest son that he should be studying to be a deck officer rather than an engine officer – the view is much better. One of the junior officers explained how the controls work (for the most part, the ship sails on autopilot) and showed the communications system, and then we were joined by Captain Sammartano. He posed for a group photo and individual photos, and then spent some time with us answering questions about the ship, his career, etc. Definitely the high point of the tour.

 

From the bridge we went to The Point, the supper club, where the chef de cuisine re-joined us to talk about the cuts of meat available and how they are graded. This was the end of the tour; we then sat at tables, were served water or juice, and filled out evaluation forms. We all received bags with several gifts, including a hat, a wristband, a lanyard and a carved soap sculpture from the galley crew. What a wonderful tour. It was a great way to spend a morning.

[Cindy]

It’s a good thing youngest son didn’t want to sleep late, as our “Behind the Fun” tour started at 8:45. We booked this as soon as we boarded, having read on CC that it sells out. Sure enough, both tours (there was another at 9:15) sold out and there was a waiting list. There is a minimum age of 13 for this tour, and for good reason. You go to a number of places where there’s no room for “goofing off,” like the laundry and the galley. We met in the library, where we received our passes and were checked by a security guard. You cannot bring cameras or cell phones on the tour. Also, when they say “wear closed-toe shoes,” they mean it. This is no tour for sandals.

 

(Note: I’m trying to re-create this tour in order, but this old brain is a little fuzzy a week later on the exact order of our tour. I know we saw all of these areas, but my order may be a little off.)

 

From the library we went forward to the crew muster station. With some exceptions, the crew would not evacuate the ship in a lifeboat; rather, there are barrels with inflatable rafts that are used for the crew. From there, we walked out to the deck nearest the bow, where we saw the crew outdoor area and the ship’s bell, and had a group photo taken. (No opportunity for a “Look, Jack, I’m flying!” photo.)

 

From the bow, we went to the stage in the Toulouse-Lautrec Lounge, where one of the techies showed us the props and sets used for the various shows. It all looks very different up close! We then went to the dressing room and met the dance captain, who explained how they do costume changes as well as cast changes. We then walked through crew areas (including the brig and the morgue), out to I 95, the main crew deck area.

 

To give you a bit of perspective: Most people are familiar with deck 0, which is where the tenders load. Below deck 0 are decks A, B and C. They’re all crew-only areas.

 

The crew areas we then visited included the crew mess and galley, the crew training room and lounge, and the laundry (the amount of laundry on the ship is amazing). We then went to the engine control room. We were monitored by security here, as you might imagine. To make clear: this is not the engine room, which is below; this is the control room. On the walls were schematics of the ship and various instruments showing the functioning of all the various systems – aside from the engines themselves, you’ll find controls and information about electrical operations, temperature, firefighting equipment, environmental operations, etc. Being an engineer on ships like this requires much more than an understanding of how the engines (actually, in the case of Conquest, motors – the “MS” in the name stands for “motor ship”) work. We were guided in this room by the chief engineer, who pointed out all the elements of systems engineering here. (I have to admit to some prejudice here. As I noted at the start of my review, our oldest son is studying to become a ship’s engineer. This is right up his alley. When I told him we were going to do this tour, he grinned and said, “If I were sailing with you I bet I could get to see this area without paying $95.” And I noticed that the chief engineer’s insignia on his epaulets (aside from stripes) was the same as our son’s. Must be something about the fraternity.)

 

We could have spent a lot more time in the engine control room, but our guide moved us along to other parts of the ship. We saw a number of food storage areas (the meat locker is COLD) and the recycling area (I was impressed with the environmental controls). Then we went to the main passenger galley.

 

Our guide here was the chef de cuisine. We saw a number of food preparation areas, and then watched chefs create “food flowers” – in my case, slices of turnip with radish roses. We had a chance to make them ourselves and take them back with us. It was a much more extensive tour than the one offered to all passengers – or even the Platinum passengers. From there, we went into the main dining room for a break and from there…

 

We went to deck 8 to enter the bridge. Once again our security guard was present. The bridge is amazing – what a view. I tease oldest son that he should be studying to be a deck officer rather than an engine officer – the view is much better. One of the junior officers explained how the controls work (for the most part, the ship sails on autopilot) and showed the communications system, and then we were joined by Captain Sammartano. He posed for a group photo and individual photos, and then spent some time with us answering questions about the ship, his career, etc. Definitely the high point of the tour.

 

From the bridge we went to The Point, the supper club, where the chef de cuisine re-joined us to talk about the cuts of meat available and how they are graded. This was the end of the tour; we then sat at tables, were served water or juice, and filled out evaluation forms. We all received bags with several gifts, including a hat, a wristband, a lanyard and a carved soap sculpture from the galley crew. What a wonderful tour. It was a great way to spend a morning.

 

Kathy,

We'd really like to sign up for this tour when we board the Conquest in 2 weeks.:) What time did you board, and were you able to sign up as soon as you were on the ship?

[nybumpkin]

Kathy,

We'd really like to sign up for this tour when we board the Conquest in 2 weeks.:) What time did you board, and were you able to sign up as soon as you were on the ship?

We were aboard around 12:30 and it was available at the Guest Services deck when we boarded. It's not something they advertise heavily - it's not listed in any of the shore excursions materials.

[Cindy]

We were aboard around 12:30 and it was available at the Guest Services deck when we boarded. It's not something they advertise heavily - it's not listed in any of the shore excursions materials.

 

Thanks! We should be boarding fairly early (as soon as they start letting folks on:rolleyes:), so I'll take care of it first thing!