5/13-5/20 Carnival Conquest to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel Review w/ Pics

[RenoNanaOz]

I am really enjoying your review. We also swam with the Sting Rays and I always recommend it to everyone.

[sweetlissa]

SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2012 – Day at Sea

 

Since we went to bed so early, we woke up early and went to breakfast and then found a chair on the lido. We laid out all day and I burned (figures it would happen the last day of vacation!). We got great advice from CC about chair clips. The decks can get kind of windy and these were really awesome. They were $5 for two from bath and body works.

 

 

We rode the slide a lot and played in the pools and hot tubs. This was the most beautiful sunny day of our cruise and we enjoyed it as much as possible!

 

 

That afternoon, we decided we would treat ourselves to the café on the promenade deck. You must do this at least once! We accidentally each order a dessert, plus by husband ordered a shake. This was enough for twenty people!!! This was the biggest piece of cheesecake I had ever seen (way bigger and taster way better than the steakhouse). The white chocolate cake didn’t taste as good as it looked, but it was still great. The ice cream shake had at least 10 scoops of ice cream and a little milk. I can’t wait to have another piece of that cheesecake (but I’ll make sure I split it with about three other people next time).

 

 

 

We ended the day, hanging on our balcony watching the beautiful views:

 

 

I was on this same cruise and I'm just curious, on the last sea day, did you happen to sea any of the storms off in the distance, i got some pics of a water spout but so far, i'm having problems loading them. Was just wondering if y'all had saw them as well. Great review!

[Topo Gigio]

I love that white chocolate cake. It's a must on every cruise! btw everything at the cafe is great.

[wbc12345]

daijayx2 -- we loved our first seven day cruise. It is so different than a five day. When we got off the boat, we really felt like we had gotten our money's worth! I don't know if I'll ever be able to do a five day again without feeling like I am rushed.

 

slm0285 -- we shopped in Cozumel last year, so I really just wanted to have time to pick up a few souvenirs (I find they are the most reasonable compared to the other places we stopped on this itinerary). We bought the snorkle from Carnival too, but we didn't bring it since it wasn't advertised when we booked that all that would be extra. It wasn't a big deal, but I just would have liked to have known about that added cost. Plus we had to pay for lunch!!

 

cricket_7 -- have fun! I'm super jealous!!

 

ripjerry95 -- I love reading reviews too (even if it isn't the same ship I'm sailing on). I have to live vicariously through others until it's my turn again. :D

 

me-shel -- I totally agree. I does seem like a fair way to do it. It's just disappointing that it is one of the most attended shows, yet they put it in a small lounge where there aren't enough seats. There were two nights that I know off the top of my head where it could have been in the lounge and then everyone would have been able to attend. Oh well.

 

cruisinsly -- aww well thanks for reading!

 

Joe2sgirl -- you're going to have so much fun! I can't wait to go next year with all of our family. We're so excited about that. The ports are really great. I'll hope for better weather for you guys!

 

vegasmommy -- it was so cool! I'll never forget it for the rest of my life.

 

sweetsublissa -- no we didn't see any water spouts... I wish we would of! That would have been neat. We did have some crazy weather on our trip. :(

[Topo Gigio]

daijayx2 -- we loved our first seven day cruise. It is so different than a five day. When we got off the boat, we really felt like we had gotten our money's worth! I don't know if I'll ever be able to do a five day again without feeling like I am rushed.

 

slm0285 -- we shopped in Cozumel last year, so I really just wanted to have time to pick up a few souvenirs (I find they are the most reasonable compared to the other places we stopped on this itinerary). We bought the snorkle from Carnival too, but we didn't bring it since it wasn't advertised when we booked that all that would be extra. It wasn't a big deal, but I just would have liked to have known about that added cost. Plus we had to pay for lunch!!

 

cricket_7 -- have fun! I'm super jealous!!

 

ripjerry95 -- I love reading reviews too (even if it isn't the same ship I'm sailing on). I have to live vicariously through others until it's my turn again. :D

 

me-shel -- I totally agree. I does seem like a fair way to do it. It's just disappointing that it is one of the most attended shows, yet they put it in a small lounge where there aren't enough seats. There were two nights that I know off the top of my head where it could have been in the lounge and then everyone would have been able to attend. Oh well.

 

cruisinsly -- aww well thanks for reading!

 

Joe2sgirl -- you're going to have so much fun! I can't wait to go next year with all of our family. We're so excited about that. The ports are really great. I'll hope for better weather for you guys!

 

vegasmommy -- it was so cool! I'll never forget it for the rest of my life.

 

sweetsublissa -- no we didn't see any water spouts... I wish we would of! That would have been neat. We did have some crazy weather on our trip. :(

 

I'm thinking of taking the Conquest in Nov. after her dry dock.

[wbc12345]

Topo Gigio -- I know! On our last cruise I walked by everyday and wondered why people would pay for dessert when they are so good in the buffet and MDR and they're FREE. But this cruise I was determined to try that cheesecake and it was out of this world. I was too excited about my dessert to try the white chocolate cake or the shake but my husband said that they were both awesome as well. Next time I may try them all! Haha.

[Topo Gigio]

Topo Gigio -- I know! On our last cruise I walked by everyday and wondered why people would pay for dessert when they are so good in the buffet and MDR and they're FREE. But this cruise I was determined to try that cheesecake and it was out of this world. I was too excited about my dessert to try the white chocolate cake or the shake but my husband said that they were both awesome as well. Next time I may try them all! Haha.

 

And don't forget the carrot cake too;)

 

Actually it's almost free..for the amount and quality you are getting...

[wbc12345]

Topo Gigio -- that's exactly how I'm going to rationalize it. You could never pay $2 for something of the quality anywhere else.

[joshd33]

Awesome review, thanks for posting!!

 

Question about Montego Bay. We are traveling this same itinerary in June, but will have our two kids (DS-10, DD-8) with us. Were there any children on your Catamaran excursion, or was it all adults? Still trying to decide what the heck to do there, so any advice would be awesome!

 

Thanks again for doing this review!

 

-Josh

[wbc12345]

joshd33 -- On our excursion there weren't any children, but there was no reason children wouldn't enjoy this excursion. It is a short walk to the boat (you walk off the Conquest and the catamaran parks right next to it), then a short ride to where you hop off and snorkel. There wasn't a strong current and they have life jackets if you want them. Then you get back on the boat and go to Margaritaville. While they do provide alcoholic beverages on the boat, it isn't excessive as there isn't much time to drink on the boat.

 

If I were a kid I would love Margaritaville. I wouldn't let them slide down the big slide (it really hurts when you hit the water since you go so fast), but you can get into the water from a ladder and play on the trampolines and slides that are in the water for free.

 

We picked this excursion because it was one of the more affordable options. After all that I read on the boards, I was scared of unfriendly people but we never went anywhere this would be a problem. So as far as safety goes I think this is a great excursion for kids.

[chasinraynbowz]

Thanks for the review. DH and I are scheduled to go on her in December after her 2.0 upgrades! Can't wait!!!

[gregg204]

Great Review...We are for LaPlace and daughter goes to LSU (Geaux Tigers!) We are going on the Conquest in July, same itinerary. Thanks for the pictures and advice!

[my3boysmom]

Where is the cafe' on the promenade??? How could I have been on Conquest for a week and not known about it??? The cheesecake looks heavenly!

[Topo Gigio]

Where is the cafe' on the promenade??? How could I have been on Conquest for a week and not known about it??? The cheesecake looks heavenly!

 

Between the casino and the disco.

[bougiet]

Really enjoyed your review and photos!! Thanks for sharing:)

[dreaminofcrusin]

Loved your review. Thanks so much for sharing:o

[CrimsonTideGal]

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012 – Embarkation Day

 

After a good night’s sleep we woke up at 7 a.m. to a beautiful day! We got dressed, then went downstairs to the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast. We ate the buffet which was $12.99 per person. It was worth it! They had everything you could think of… eggs, grits, oatmeal, hashbrowns, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, cereal, fruit, etc.

 

The only complaint I had about the hotel was regarding the FREE shuttle (how many complaints can you really have about something that is free though really!? Haha). At check in, we were given the choice between a shuttle that would leave at 9:30 or 10:30. We chose 9:30 since we like to be one of the first people on the ship. We were told to be there early since the shuttle would be leaving at 9:30. When we lugged all our stuff downstairs at 9:10 we were the only people there. The shuttle driver took us to the bus and helped us load our luggage, but we were told we would have to wait for some time before we left. We ended up waiting about an hour before we left. This was fine, but I just wanted everyone to know that the shuttle is anything but “prompt.” Also, the shuttle is only free on the way there. It is an option to pay $15 to make a shuttle to return to the hotel, but you can take a cab for the same price and leave immediately without waiting on the shuttle.

 

The shuttle was such a good idea and made it worth it to stay at the hotel. We heard so many people complaining about the very long line to get into the parking garage for the cruise terminal. We were at the terminal for 10:15 and the line was so long! We heard there was only two people/lanes letting traffic into the garage. The shuttle just went around all the traffic so we were one of the first people into the terminal. We had no lines and it was so nice!

 

 

At the terminal, check in is divided among the floors. You go to certain desks based on this. There you get your sign and sail card and your boarding zone number. Then you find a seat in the huge seating area. The purpose of the zoning is to keep people from getting backed up in the tunnel (not sure what it is called…) leading onto the boat since it isn’t well air conditioned.

 

View of the ship from the tunnel:

 

 

 

We stayed at this same hotel in March and used the shuttle. Had no problems getting to the port but once we got off the ship using self debarkation we had to wait one hour and 45 minutes for the shuttle back to the hotel. We were told he wouldbe there by 8:20am Only paid $6 pp for the ride back. The hotel also tried to charge us for parking also but we were able to get it removed. We had purchased the parking package.

[CrimsonTideGal]

EDIT: We actually went to the Lady Hellevi Magic show the night we were in Jamaica. This was the only production show we saw the whole cruise and it was AWESOME. I really encourage everyone to go. My husband was trying to figure out our all of her magic tricks. Plus, the choreography is neat and the magician does a routine with aerial silk acrobatics which is totally cool!

 

 

 

Loved this show!

[chill6x6]

Wbc12345.....

Awesome review! One of the best! Lots of detail and PICTURES!

Really enjoyed reading it!

[ksquaredmomma]

What an awesome trip report!!! My husband and I took our very first cruise a couple years ago aboard the Conquest with this same itinerary (out of Galveston) and these pictures are bringing back some incredible memories. We're actually from Lafayette, just west of BR and the Conquest had not yet offered sailings out of NO :(. Your trip review has me UBER excited for our next cruise!! Glad you guys had such a great time, we still rave about this trip. Only thing we'll do different for our cruise coming up is...bring some Tony Chachere's seasoning lol. Hailing from Louisiana can make it just a little difficult to enjoy all the amazing food onboard!

[zumbaguy]

Loved the review. We cruise July 15th and I am just about ready!

[wbc12345]

chasinraynbowz -- Thanks! I can't wait to see what the Conquest will be like with the 2.0 upgrades. We're going again next summer.

 

gregg204 -- Geaux tigers! You're going to have so much fun. It was one of the best vacations I've ever been on. I hope you have better weather!

 

my3boysmom -- Oh no... I'm so sorry you missed the cafe! Next time you MUST try it.

 

bougiet -- thank you!

 

dreaminofcrusin -- thank you! It was fun to relive our cruise!

 

CrimsonTideGal -- we didn't have any problems with the hotel trying to overcharge us. I knew the driver of the shuttle had to have been lying when he said he would be there every thirty minutes after the cruise got back. We just jumped right into a taxi. Looks like we made a good decision! :)

 

chill6x6 -- thanks! It took awhile to post all the pictures, but I like pictures a lot when I'm reading a review.

 

ksquaredmomma -- I know we're going to rave about this trip for a long time. Like I said, we were so excited by it that next summer our whole family is coming with us! I totally agree about the food... while I love cruise food it's definitely nothing like what we can make at home. Hope you have a GREAT time on your next cruise!

 

zumbaguy -- It's so close to your trip! Just a couple days now. Those always seem to take forever to me! Have a blast :)

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Excellent review and pictures! Thank you for taking the time to post it! :)

 

Also, I agree with you about emptying the comedy club after each show...it's so annoying, especially when you're sitting there all comfortably with a drink in hand.

[wbc12345]

YankeeFan4Ever -- The shuffling of people out of the comedy club really is unnecessary. Like I said, the same people that want to stay end up back in there... it just ruins the passenger's time and it keeps people from purchasing drinks for the 15-20 minutes it takes to get everyone out. I talked to someone else about it and they wondered why they try to regulate that one activity, when they don't regulate any of the others. It's not like they clear out the lido deck once an hour to make sure no one is hogging the chairs there.

[newdestination]

Nice review! BTW, I agree with you and Yankeefan4ever about the comedy club. It is really annoying to have to leave your seat and stand in line to get back in.

 

Ahhhhhh....Grand Cayman. I love it too.