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

[nybumpkin]

Behind the Fun ended around 12: 30, so we didn’t get to participate in day 3 of Super Trivia. I can’t imagine our team caught up, anyway. We had lunch on the Lido deck followed by cards and coffee on the Promenade deck (we still had coffee coupons to use). A last gin and tonic (why do these drinks taste so much better on a ship than at home?) We went to the “fun farewell” reception before dinner and contrary to some reports we had read, this party was very well attended. Captain Sammartano and some of the officers attended and there was music for dancing.

 

Capt. Sammartano and Steve at the farewell party

 

 

Off to dinner for the last evening. It was our youngest son's birthday, so we ordered a cake for him.

 

 

Steve and his cake!

 

 

The waiters' "Leaving on a Fun Ship" song

 

After dinner the kids went to say farewell to the friends they had made that week. We packed our luggage to set out in the hall for collection. When we sailed Miracle in July, we received #1 debarkation tags for our luggage and instructions to meet in a lounge the next morning when we would disembark. This time we had “Concierge Class” luggage tags and a letter instructing us to meet in Alfred’s the next morning to be escorted off the ship once the self-assist folks had disembarked. Only it didn’t quite work that way….

[rangerdog]

Cindy, we will be doing this as well. I know the 2 men will do it (my husband and my friend's husband), but I'm not sure about me and my friend. Her knees give her problems and she's a little worried about the narrow, metal stairs. And, I'm a little claustrophobic and I read there are some tight spaces on this tour. We will be heading straight to the desk to sign up AS SOON as we get on too. I'm sure we'll see you there ;)

[rangerdog]

Behind the Fun ended around 12: 30, so we didn’t get to participate in day 3 of Super Trivia. I can’t imagine our team caught up, anyway. We had lunch on the Lido deck followed by cards and coffee on the Promenade deck (we still had coffee coupons to use). A last gin and tonic (why do these drinks taste so much better on a ship than at home?) We went to the “fun farewell” reception before dinner and contrary to some reports we had read, this party was very well attended. Captain Sammartano and some of the officers attended and there was music for dancing.

 

Capt. Sammartano and Steve at the farewell party

 

 

Off to dinner for the last evening. It was our youngest son's birthday, so we ordered a cake for him.

 

 

Steve and his cake!

 

 

The waiters' "Leaving on a Fun Ship" song

 

After dinner the kids went to say farewell to the friends they had made that week. We packed our luggage to set out in the hall for collection. When we sailed Miracle in July, we received #1 debarkation tags for our luggage and instructions to meet in a lounge the next morning when we would disembark. This time we had “Concierge Class” luggage tags and a letter instructing us to meet in Alfred’s the next morning to be escorted off the ship once the self-assist folks had disembarked. Only it didn’t quite work that way….

 

Kathy, you stated the priority debarkation "didn't quite work that way"???? I'm platinum too and was planning on doing this because we have to be off the ship pretty quickly because of some responsibilities at our church. Please explain and what time did you get off the ship? THanks.

[nybumpkin]

Kathy, you stated the priority debarkation "didn't quite work that way"???? I'm platinum too and was planning on doing this because we have to be off the ship pretty quickly because of some responsibilities at our church. Please explain and what time did you get off the ship? THanks.

We were fogged in (or out, actually) and docked late. I'm still working on this part of the review....

[nybumpkin]

Conquest doesn’t seem to want to let us go.

 

 

 

When we sailed in 2005, our return to New Orleans was delayed a day when Hurricane Dennis hit the Gulf Coast and they closed the port of New Orleans. DH ended up on the Sun Deck, calling the airlines to re-book our flights for the next day and calling our employers to let them know our vacation was being extended a day. No one complained about an extra day at sea!

 

 

This time we planned to wake up at 7 a.m., knowing that debarkation should start around 8. I awoke a bit early, went to the balcony and saw – nothing. Lots of fog, and absolutely no visibility. Conquest was dead in the water, fog horn sounding plaintively. Uh-oh.

 

 

DH woke. I told him “You know, I think we’re going to be late getting back to the pier this morning. We’re not going anyplace until this fog burns off.” A few minutes later, Chris came on the PA system to advise that yes, the Port of Galveston was closed until the fog cleared and we could get some more sleep if we liked. I took advantage of the offer, as did the rest of the family. We finally got up around 8, dressed, and made our way to the Lido deck for breakfast. Still dead in the water, pea soup around us. We had a table aft, and we could see a barge/tug behind us – and then we couldn’t see them – and then there they were again. Thank goodness for GPS and foghorns.

 

 

 

We cleared out of our cabin after breakfast, knowing that there was a new group of cruisers anxious to board and the crew needed to get ready for them. We took our carry-on backs down to the Promenade deck, found a seating area, and started the wait. Chris was very good about making announcements, even though there really wasn’t anything to tell us other than that the port was still closed.

 

 

Our flight home was scheduled for 3:20 out of Hobby. We figured that if we could get off the ship by noon, we’d have time to make our flight. As the morning dragged on, though, disembarking by noon didn’t sound promising.

 

 

Finally Chris announced that the pilot boat would be alongside around 11:10 and that we would dock around 12:45. At that point, we knew we’d be spending another night in Houston. Once again, DH made the trek up to the Sun deck to get a cell phone signal. Southwest Airlines was very helpful – they waived any change fees, chalking it up to an Act of God, and were very apologetic that they could not possibly re-book us to get home that day. (We already knew that.) They re-booked us on an 8:15 Monday fight from Houston to Orlando, then Orlando to Albany. Another call to the limousine folks (who already knew we’d be getting in late) and to the Country Inn and Suites where we stayed pre-cruise, and we were set. We spent the rest of the morning playing cards and reading, while sons went off to find their friends for a little while (they opened the Camp Carnival playroom). Sure enough, around 11:15 we saw the pilot boat come alongside, and then Conquest came to life and slowly – very slowly – made her way into the Port of Galveston.

 

 

At noon we went up to Lido to get some food (what a madhouse). The crew really responded well to the unexpected deluge of passengers, all looking for sustenance before disembarkation started. Finally, we could begin to see some landmarks as we entered the port area, and we finally docked around 1:00. They knew the passengers were anxious to be on their way, and I would “guesstimate” that self-assist debarkation started around 1:30. At that point, we went to Alfred’s, which was the meeting place for Platinum guests to disembark.

 

 

As we found, however, Alfred’s was also the meeting place for anyone with luggage tags 1-4 (VIP debark) and people needing disability assistance to disembark. The lounge was mobbed. At one point a crew member announced that she would be available to assist once debarkation started, but then she disappeared and we never saw her again. There was never an announcement for “Platinum” or “Concierge Club” paxs to disembark – so when they called luggage tags 1-3, we headed for deck 0 without waiting for an invitation. No problem doing this, and we were off the ship in no time. I think that if we hadn’t been delayed by the fog and started debarkation on time, we would have been off the ship by 9:00-9:30 – plenty of time to make that 3:20 flight. As it was, we got our luggage (Concierge tagged luggage is placed near zone 1), went through Customs in no time at all, and found our driver to take us back to Houston.

[nybumpkin]

Back to the Country Inn and Suites. Nice, comfy rooms and a shuttle to some local restaurants. We opted for Pappas BBQ – after all, when in Texas…. (I know it’s a chain – but when you don’t have a car you’re a little limited. Anyway, it was good BBQ.)

 

Next morning we were at the airport along with all the Monday morning warriors, heading out for their business trips. Our re-routed flight home took us from Houston to Orlando with a stop in New Orleans, then a flight from Orlando to Albany. Landing in New Orleans was really great – we came in over the Mississippi, the I-10 bridges by the convention center and cruise port, over the Superdome and into Kenner.

 

Flying from Orlando to Albany wasn’t nearly as fun. The plane was stuffed – lots of New York families returning from visiting The Mouse. We still managed “A” boarding passes on Southwest; DH and the boys took up a row on one side, and I opted for a window seat by myself on the other side. That’s when my seat mate appeared. I’ve always heard about him, but previously had never experienced him.

 

He was already three sheets to the wind, and he was a talker. For the first time, I said to myself “Please, God, isn’t there some unlucky soul with a “C” boarding pass who has to take the middle seat?” Yes, there was such an unlucky soul. She promptly buried her face in Sunday’s New York Times, while I buried my face in “Flags of our Fathers.” When beverage orders were taken, he wanted to buy both of us a Bloody Mary, which we politely declined. He ordered two for himself and, after imbibing, promptly fell asleep. And stayed that way. In fact, when we landed in Albany, he wasn’t moving. My seat mate and I had to climb over him to exit the plane. I hope he made it to his destination….

 

I’ll finish up later with some thoughts and observations about our trip.

[waiting4acruise]

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!

My daughter did parasailing at Paradise Beach 2 years ago. Actually it is at the beach next to Paradise Beach. I beleive the cost was $55.

[douglinc@msn.com]

Great review, thanks.

 

Doug

[waiting4acruise]

Great Review.

[ahaltom2007]

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.

 

 

Thanks for the information. I will pass it along to my mom.

 

Amber

[Meyer2]

Great review! My DH & I want to do the Behind the Scenes tour when we cruise. We are already planning to go to Guest Services as soon as we board. LOL!

 

As for the fog delay, DH & I happened to be staying in Kemah that night & we had wanted to watch the Conquest that day sail away, but didn't get too. We did drive down to the port area around 4:00 & it was crazy! LOL! But it cleared up pretty quickly I think, but still forever for the cruisers to board. Oh & our friends from church were on the same sailing as you & we talked some about the cruise, but we haven't gotten her full review yet.

[jdotexas]

Nice job on the review.

[jdotexas]

Thank you waiting4acruise for the parasailing info at Paradise

[Rdy4Passion]

thank you so much for such a great review! we can't wait to be on the conquest on 4-11-10

[arthierry]

Great review! My DH & I want to do the Behind the Scenes tour when we cruise. We are already planning to go to Guest Services as soon as we board. LOL!

 

As for the fog delay, DH & I happened to be staying in Kemah that night & we had wanted to watch the Conquest that day sail away, but didn't get too. We did drive down to the port area around 4:00 & it was crazy! LOL! But it cleared up pretty quickly I think, but still forever for the cruisers to board. Oh & our friends from church were on the same sailing as you & we talked some about the cruise, but we haven't gotten her full review yet.

 

 

I HIGHLY recommend the "Behind The Fun" tour. It was pretty amazing and quite impressive on what goes on behind it all. Well worth the $95!

[nybumpkin]

I always try to wrap up a review by including my own thoughts and observations about the cruise. Really, we've had very few "bad" observations on any of our cruises, and this one was the same - we had a great time. These thoughts are completely random....

 

Probably my biggest complaint would be the debarkation. Now, this is completely unrelated to the delay - hey, weather happens. However, even if debarkation had gone according to schedule, it is apparent that they planned to use Alfred's as the sole "special" debarkation point - for Platinum cruisers, suite passengers (zone 4), early zone debarkations (zones 1-3), and people needing assistance with debarkation (they had a fleet of wheelchairs lined up in the aisle). That's way too many people. The staffer who was trying to make announcements (before she completely disappeared and never returned when the first zones were called) couldn't make herself heard over the crowd in the lounge. When we sailed on Miracle last summer, they divided up the "special" debarkation meeting places so there were far fewer people in each place, and it went very smoothly.

 

Kids' activities. Older son was Circle C, younger son was Camp Carnival 9-11. There weren't as many kids on this cruise as we've had on other President's Week cruises and the 9-11s were frequently grouped with the 6-8s in the Camp Carnival playroom, although they had completely different activities. It certainly didn't bother younger son at all, but it was different from other cruises where the 9-11 group goes to a lounge or deck area for their activities. The scheduled activities generally were very good. Older son spent lots of time on the sports deck during the day with Circle C and Club O2 kids. He spent more time with Circle C at night.

 

The entertainment staff seemed to work well together, although there were times they seemed to be running from one activity to the other. Chris Jefferson is a very good CD. The scheduled activities were varied and a lot of fun.

 

Fellow passengers were mostly from Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, as you might imagine. There were several of us refugees from New York winters, away for the President's Day vacation. There were all age groups, although the polka group appeared to be mostly 55+. DH made the comment that both times we've sailed Conquest, we've found her to have a friendly crew and easygoing passengers (for the most part). She's a very comfortable ship.

 

One comment on our suite: We very frequently heard deck chairs moving, even though we were on deck 7 and not deck 8. I'm not sure if it was from the Lido deck or from other balconies, but it was very noticeable. I did see in the crew area while we were on the "Behind the Fun" tour a notice listing the top 10 passenger complaints, and deck chair noise was one of the top complaints - so they are aware of it.

 

Ports: We sail for the enjoyment of sailing at this point, but I always feel as if I should get off the ship and explore the ports - there's always something to be learned, something new to experience. I felt badly that our excursion in Jamaica was canceled. However, spending most of that day on board the ship was a nice experience as well.

 

Having said that, I realize that by now we've done all of the Western ports except Ocho Rios and Key West, and a fair number of the Eastern ports as well. For something new next February, we have to look west to the Mexican Riviera, or south to sail our old friend Carnival Victory out of San Juan. Stay tuned - we're working on it!:cool:

[waiting4acruise]

Thank you waiting4acruise for the parasailing info at Paradise

You are welcome.

[hot cocoa]

Kathy,

 

Thanks so much for your review. I really enjoyed it. It gave me something to look forward to in April, as it will be my first time on the Conquest. I hope I have as good a time as you did.

[jstanokiegal]

Great job, Kathy! (fellow cruiser) Thoroughly enjoyed your review and pics.

 

Sheila

[keene state mom]

Hi Kathy I met you and your family last year on the Glory, your review was so awesome.

I just got off the dream the same week, and we had the same cool weather, we also did the behind the tour and we loved it, good for you giving up your wrap, I do not know if push come to shove if I coud have done that but then again money does talk, would you do it again, or did you miss your wrap. I am working on my next cruise and just like you looking at the availability for wraps fist ports second take care and hope to see you again some day

 

Gail

[nybumpkin]

Hi Kathy I met you and your family last year on the Glory, your review was so awesome.

I just got off the dream the same week, and we had the same cool weather, we also did the behind the tour and we loved it, good for you giving up your wrap, I do not know if push come to shove if I coud have done that but then again money does talk, would you do it again, or did you miss your wrap. I am working on my next cruise and just like you looking at the availability for wraps fist ports second take care and hope to see you again some day

 

Gail

Hi Gail! I did miss the wrap, but it was worth switching - we came home with the smallest Sail and Sign bill of any of our cruises.:) Hopefully we'll be able to get an aft wrap on another cruise.

 

I'm looking at next February as well - President's Day is late next year, so I need to check with our school district to see whether the kids will be off the whole week.

[nolejagbuc]

Kathy, loved your review! The turtle farm looks like fun. We might try that while we are in the Cayman Islands. We were there last June and did the Stingrays and Rum Point. We will be at Paradise Beach in 3 weeks. I saw that your son had a life jacket. Did you bring it with you or did they have some there for the kids? My 6 year old DD would feel more comfortable in one and wondered if I should pack one. How was the water temperature? Thanks for your help!

[nybumpkin]

Kathy, loved your review! The turtle farm looks like fun. We might try that while we are in the Cayman Islands. We were there last June and did the Stingrays and Rum Point. We will be at Paradise Beach in 3 weeks. I saw that your son had a life jacket. Did you bring it with you or did they have some there for the kids? My 6 year old DD would feel more comfortable in one and wondered if I should pack one. How was the water temperature? Thanks for your help!

I had the same question before our cruise and posted before our cruise on the Cozumel board - they have the life jackets available there. It really helped my son's comfort level, otherwise he never would have gone on the water slide. The water temperature was a little chilly at first, but DH and the boys got used to it quickly and stayed in the water a lot.

[RWolver672]

If you'd like to see the full set of photos, they're at http://travel.webshots.com/album/576847767qrpcbe.

 

Not to hijack your posting but I was looking at your photos and off to the right of it is a picture of mine that they used for advertising. First time I ever had them use a photo of mine without my knowledge even though I know they don't have to once you post them for the general public. http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2921758060094346881bGATFf I just clicked on it again and the picture has changed but it's still one of mine.

[Teetah86]

NYBUMPKIN, I am a newbie to this site and was looking for information on Carnival cruises into the western Caribbean when I found your excellent review above. I really enjoyed reading it and looking at your pictures. Now I have to figure out how to post photos too! :D

 

This was really fun to read and gave me several tips...my thanks to you!