We were on the Conquest

[PEB]

We were recently on the Dec 12 cruise on the Conquest. We have cruised Carnival in the past as well as many other cruise lines. It was our first time on the Conquest. I will not do a long lengthy review but I will give a few of our likes and dislikes of the cruise.

 

These are some of the things we liked:

Dining room food was good, not great but good. We ate all dinner meals in MDR.

Room size was very good, we had a balcony room deck eight mid-ship.

Crew was very friendly and helpful.

I found many nice areas to sit in and relax.

Room stewards were very good and helpful.

 

Some of the things I really did not care for:

Embarkation and disembarkation was some of the worst we have ever been involved in.

Buffet choices were not good with exception of the Deli.

Entertainment was not good compared to other cruises I have been on.

To many photo stations blocking walkways.

Poorly stocked gift shop.

Dining room wait staff got slower as the cruise went on. We were always the last to get served, however they did have 4 tables of 10 to take care of.

This ship rocked more then any ship we had ever been on of any size.

 

We did enjoy our cruise and found plenty of time to relax. We will look at Carnival again but in some other location. Carnival is not our favorite cruise line but we do always have a good time on a Carnival cruise. The only port we got off the ship was St Kitts because we had never been there before. It was not a good experience and would not recommend it to anyone. I will admit we have never really liked the Caribbean we were only there because we had gone for a Bingo tournament on the Oasis of the Seas before the Conquest and decided to stretch our vacation by jumping on the Conquest.

 

I am not sure if this helps anyone but this was our experience.

[evandbob]

We were recently on the Dec 12 cruise on the Conquest. We have cruised Carnival in the past as well as many other cruise lines. It was our first time on the Conquest. I will not do a long lengthy review but I will give a few of our likes and dislikes of the cruise.

 

These are some of the things we liked:

Dining room food was good, not great but good. We ate all dinner meals in MDR.

Room size was very good, we had a balcony room deck eight mid-ship.

Crew was very friendly and helpful.

I found many nice areas to sit in and relax.

Room stewards were very good and helpful.

 

Some of the things I really did not care for:

Embarkation and disembarkation was some of the worst we have ever been involved in.

Buffet choices were not good with exception of the Deli.

Entertainment was not good compared to other cruises I have been on.

To many photo stations blocking walkways.

Poorly stocked gift shop.

Dining room wait staff got slower as the cruise went on. We were always the last to get served, however they did have 4 tables of 10 to take care of.

This ship rocked more then any ship we had ever been on of any size.

 

We did enjoy our cruise and found plenty of time to relax. We will look at Carnival again but in some other location. Carnival is not our favorite cruise line but we do always have a good time on a Carnival cruise. The only port we got off the ship was St Kitts because we had never been there before. It was not a good experience and would not recommend it to anyone. I will admit we have never really liked the Caribbean we were only there because we had gone for a Bingo tournament on the Oasis of the Seas before the Conquest and decided to stretch our vacation by jumping on the Conquest.

 

I am not sure if this helps anyone but this was our experience.

 

Thanks for posting your opinions about the Conquest. I've found it to be an average ship in the Carnival line up.

 

But can you state what you didn't like about St Kitts? I've stayed at the Marriott there for a week, been to Brimstone Hill, South Friars Beach, Carambola Beach Club and taken a catamaran over to Nevis. I read you don't like the Caribbean, but what specifically did you find negative about St Kitts?

 

I do believe that most of the aggressive alcohol dependent green monkeys were removed from the tourist areas.

[Gallivanting Souls]

 

I will admit we have never really liked the Caribbean we were only there because we had gone for a Bingo tournament on the Oasis of the Seas before the Conquest and decided to stretch our vacation by jumping on the Conquest.

 

So did you do a B2B with two lines? We are scheduled to do this next December with Princess and Carnival Conquest. Can you tell more about going from one cruise line to the next? Did you go straight from one ship to the next, or get a cab,drop luggage and go somewhere, etc?

Edited January 7, 2016 by familyoutdoors

[beachbum53]

Two things you mentioned as "negatives":

You said the gift shops were poorly stocked. The gift shops are stocked and staffed by a company contracted by Carnival, so Carnival can't be blamed directly about that. You also mentioned that the ship rocked more than any ship you've been on before. If the seas are rough, because of weather conditions, there's only so much that the ship's crew can do to compensate for it. That would be true of any ship. Mother Nature, not the ship, gets the blame for that.

[golfb4cruzing]

I always found the "nothing we can do about rocking" statement a tad dubious. Are there not stabilizers that can be deployed and help the bouncing situation? Also could the Captain slow the speed of ship until calmer waters? We have been on some pretty rough trips with water from pools shooting up 2 decks from rocking. The rocking I can understand, the side to side rock is a different issues. Maybe someone can throw out some shipbuilding knowledge for us.

[BTromboneFrack]

I always found the "nothing we can do about rocking" statement a tad dubious. Are there not stabilizers that can be deployed and help the bouncing situation? Also could the Captain slow the speed of ship until calmer waters? We have been on some pretty rough trips with water from pools shooting up 2 decks from rocking. The rocking I can understand, the side to side rock is a different issues. Maybe someone can throw out some shipbuilding knowledge for us.

 

I have never been a captain of any ship, but from what I have learned (and there is probably a lot more to learn) there is actually quite a bit that can increase and decrease the rocking of the ship as it moves. The direction the waves are coming from is a big factor. We have been through 13 foot seas and felt virtually nothing when we were going into the wind. However, when we were the Conquest last week, the waves were coming directly from the port side (starboard side on the way back) at a 90 degree angle for much of the trip. The ship did roll side to side a bit, but nothing too serious. The captain apologized and told us he was doing everything possible, but we had to get to the next stop and there was no choice of course that would improve the conditions. I am sure the rocking we had would have been much worse if those stabilizers were not in use. I also think the speed of the ship might have something to do with it too, but I would think speeding up might actually help it cut through the water (don't know on that one). I do know that these ships can adjust their ballast to ride higher or lower in the water, depending on conditions. I am pretty sure every captain (and cruise ship company) wants the passengers to feel very comfortable, and will do everything in their power to make sure wave motion is minimal. Nobody wants customers who are throwing up while on a cruise.

 

Anybody with more knowledge???? I am curious too.

[Retired_to_Cruise]

We were recently on the Dec 12 cruise on the Conquest. We have cruised Carnival in the past as well as many other cruise lines. It was our first time on the Conquest. I will not do a long lengthy review but I will give a few of our likes and dislikes of the cruise.

 

These are some of the things we liked:

Dining room food was good, not great but good. We ate all dinner meals in MDR.

Room size was very good, we had a balcony room deck eight mid-ship.

Crew was very friendly and helpful.

I found many nice areas to sit in and relax.

Room stewards were very good and helpful.

 

Some of the things I really did not care for:

Embarkation and disembarkation was some of the worst we have ever been involved in.

Buffet choices were not good with exception of the Deli.

Entertainment was not good compared to other cruises I have been on.

To many photo stations blocking walkways.

Poorly stocked gift shop.

Dining room wait staff got slower as the cruise went on. We were always the last to get served, however they did have 4 tables of 10 to take care of.

This ship rocked more then any ship we had ever been on of any size.

 

We did enjoy our cruise and found plenty of time to relax. We will look at Carnival again but in some other location. Carnival is not our favorite cruise line but we do always have a good time on a Carnival cruise. The only port we got off the ship was St Kitts because we had never been there before. It was not a good experience and would not recommend it to anyone. I will admit we have never really liked the Caribbean we were only there because we had gone for a Bingo tournament on the Oasis of the Seas before the Conquest and decided to stretch our vacation by jumping on the Conquest.

 

I am not sure if this helps anyone but this was our experience.

 

Any ship will rock more on this itinerary since you are mostly sailing along a line where the Atlantic and the Caribbean join each other and you are sailing across the major currents. I was on the same cruise as you were and agree with your likes. I did not find the buffets lacking in the morning, and then there is always breakfast burritos at the Blue Iguana Cantina, as well as Guy's burgers and Blue Iguana burritos and tacos for lunch. We never eat in the buffet dor dinner - always eat in the MDR and love the American Table Menu.

 

As you will see, we always sail Carnival because we love the product and it meshes with our lifestyle.

[CoastieBMC]

Stabilizers do not work in every sea condition. Slowing down would make the ride rockier. I am retired coast guardsman and spent a few years at sea on other than cruise ships. If you do not like the rock and roll of the ocean don't go!!

[Retired_to_Cruise]

We were recently on the Dec 12 cruise on the Conquest. We have cruised Carnival in the past as well as many other cruise lines. It was our first time on the Conquest. I will not do a long lengthy review but I will give a few of our likes and dislikes of the cruise.

 

These are some of the things we liked:

Dining room food was good, not great but good. We ate all dinner meals in MDR.

Room size was very good, we had a balcony room deck eight mid-ship.

Crew was very friendly and helpful.

I found many nice areas to sit in and relax.

Room stewards were very good and helpful.

 

Some of the things I really did not care for:

Embarkation and disembarkation was some of the worst we have ever been involved in.

Buffet choices were not good with exception of the Deli.

Entertainment was not good compared to other cruises I have been on.

To many photo stations blocking walkways.

Poorly stocked gift shop.

Dining room wait staff got slower as the cruise went on. We were always the last to get served, however they did have 4 tables of 10 to take care of.

This ship rocked more then any ship we had ever been on of any size.

 

We did enjoy our cruise and found plenty of time to relax. We will look at Carnival again but in some other location. Carnival is not our favorite cruise line but we do always have a good time on a Carnival cruise. The only port we got off the ship was St Kitts because we had never been there before. It was not a good experience and would not recommend it to anyone. I will admit we have never really liked the Caribbean we were only there because we had gone for a Bingo tournament on the Oasis of the Seas before the Conquest and decided to stretch our vacation by jumping on the Conquest.

 

I am not sure if this helps anyone but this was our experience.

 

Any ship will rock more on this itinerary since you are mostly sailing along a line where the Atlantic and the Caribbean join each other and you are sailing across the major currents. I was on the same cruise as you were and agree with your likes. I did not find the buffets lacking in the morning, and then there is always breakfast burritos at the Blue Iguana Cantina, as well as Guy's burgers and Blue Iguana burritos and tacos for lunch. We never eat in the buffet dor dinner - always eat in the MDR and love the American Table Menu.

 

As you will see, we always sail Carnival because we love the product and it meshes with our lifestyle.

[golfb4cruzing]

Stabilizers do not work in every sea condition. Slowing down would make the ride rockier. I am retired coast guardsman and spent a few years at sea on other than cruise ships. If you do not like the rock and roll of the ocean don't go!!

 

There's rock and roll. Then there's pitch and throw.

[Sun-Sand-Palm-Trees]

I'm curious about this process since I have a 10:10 flight.

 

If all goes well and the stars align, does the process begin at 8:00 am or possibly earlier? Is there a Global Entry line to clear customs in the cruise terminal?

 

What is the quickest way to depart the ship? We have always done self-assist, but is there now another fee-based option with Carnival? If so, what is that cost?

 

My thanks to everyone for sharing and assistance!

[Djptcp]

DH and I were also on the Dec.12th Conquest cruise and we didn't experience any out of the ordinary rocking and rolling. Not sure the OP was talking about as we were also in a balcony cabin midship. I agree that embarkation was a madhouse, but we are Platinum, so we didn't have to wait in those awfully long lines thank goodness. I felt sorry for those hundreds of people waiting to check in. Disembarkation was a breeze for us, but we did notice loads of people waiting to get off. Again, Platinum so we were escorted off. Port Everglades is definitely our least favorite port to sail from.

[drvmywifecrzy]

DH and I were also on the Dec.12th Conquest cruise and we didn't experience any out of the ordinary rocking and rolling. Not sure the OP was talking about as we were also in a balcony cabin midship. I agree that embarkation was a madhouse, but we are Platinum, so we didn't have to wait in those awfully long lines thank goodness. I felt sorry for those hundreds of people waiting to check in. Disembarkation was a breeze for us, but we did notice loads of people waiting to get off. Again, Platinum so we were escorted off. Port Everglades is definitely our least favorite port to sail from.

 

What makes this port your least favorite? Layout? Staff? Something Else?

[John Reid]

Two things you mentioned as "negatives":

You said the gift shops were poorly stocked. The gift shops are stocked and staffed by a company contracted by Carnival, so Carnival can't be blamed directly about that. You also mentioned that the ship rocked more than any ship you've been on before. If the seas are rough, because of weather conditions, there's only so much that the ship's crew can do to compensate for it. That would be true of any ship. Mother Nature, not the ship, gets the blame for that.

 

Didn't see the OP blame Carnival; she just said it was poorly stocked.

[fer]

I'm curious about this process since I have a 10:10 flight.

 

If all goes well and the stars align, does the process begin at 8:00 am or possibly earlier? Is there a Global Entry line to clear customs in the cruise terminal?

 

What is the quickest way to depart the ship? We have always done self-assist, but is there now another fee-based option with Carnival? If so, what is that cost?

 

My thanks to everyone for sharing and assistance!

I just got off the Conquest on Jan 23rd. We had FTTF and we self-disembarked. We met in the Renoir dining room at 06:45 and were let off the ship after the special needs, diamonds and plats. We zipped through customs and we hopped in a taxi for the airport at 07:25.

[Sun-Sand-Palm-Trees]

I just got off the Conquest on Jan 23rd. We had FTTF and we self-disembarked. We met in the Renoir dining room at 06:45 and were let off the ship after the special needs, diamonds and plats. We zipped through customs and we hopped in a taxi for the airport at 07:25.

 

That's amazing! Did your cruise have an arrival time of 8:00 am back into FLL? Does the FTTF group disembark before the regular self-assist group?

 

When we did self-disembark on the Breeze, it was absolute chaos. If FTTF removes that stress and gets us off the ship quicker, I'm all in.

 

Thanks again!

[erinmarie424]

The last time I had fttf we got to sit in the dining room and were first out after the self assist were through. This was on the conquest last year when Mike was the cd.