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Recently off Conquest -- any questions?, plus some answers

Pellaz

By Pellaz,
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Pellaz

Pellaz

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We were on the Conquest sailing that returned on the 15th, so it's still fresh in my mind. If you have any questions about the ship, fire away!

 

Some observations:

 

-- We were NOT asked if we wanted once- or twice-daily room service, and we got morning and evening service. Our steward was great.

 

-- The Pizza Pirate "Plus" menu is from 11pm - 1am, and they expand the menu to include beef lasagna and a rotating option of a meatball hoagie, chicken parmesan or sausage and peppers, along with the usual pizza offerings and caesar salads.

 

-- the new Ol' Fashioned BBQ location (formerly Fish'n'Chips, Deck 10 mid) was really good for a free/included eatery. I liked the BBQ beef best, followed by the pork, and then the chicken. There was never a line of more than two people there when I went. It's still not shown on Carnival's official deck plans, nor is the Seafood Corner on Deck 9 aft.

 

-- MDR service was among the best we've ever had on any cruise. Kudos to Andy and his crew!

 

-- We had aft balcony cabin 8450 and had NO idea it was half again as large as the other aft extended balcony cabins. It was, frankly, awesome. :D

 

-- We missed HMC and according to the Captain during the BtF tour, it sustained major damage. I'm now only 2-for-5 in attempts to make it to HMC. :(

 

-- We took the southern route past Cuba back to FLL from Grand Turk instead of the shorter "over the top" route because, per the Captain, they would have had to drain all the pools and hot-tubs due to swells from Hurricane Nicole if we'd gone the more northerly route. (We arrived at Grand Turk at 7:30 and left at 4:30, a half-hour early each time, to help make up the time and distance.)

 

-- Ports we made were Amber Cove and Grand Turk; we really enjoyed both. We did the "Secluded Villa" excursion at AC and thought it was great.

 

 

Go ahead with any questions!

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Pellaz

Pellaz

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Did your balcony have loungers or just chairs? We're booked in 7450 for next December and am curious.

 

Your balcony is deep enough for loungers or chairs, but I'm not sure how many of each it will have.

 

8450 was wide enough (half again as wide as a "normal" aft balcony) for

TWO loungers and TWO chairs, plus a table.

Near as we can tell, all the other aft-facing balconies are smaller than 8450 and 8457, which are the two on the far ends of Deck 8.

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kjh1990

kjh1990

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Thanks for the info, we sail in December! Did you use the HUB app and if so how did it work? And how about the newly implemented staggered check in at Port Everglades? Any info on how that went?

 

We were also on this sailing and we did have the hub app. It worked well for the most part and I found it useful. I didn't like the staggered check in as it didn't seem to be enforced. We had an 11:00 am check in time and when we were in line at 11:00 there were people in front of us that had a 2:00 check in time and were not turned away. It seemed people were still getting in whenever despite their check in time. Maybe this was just because it was new, but if it's not going to be enforced I don't see the point.

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kjh1990

kjh1990

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We were on the Conquest sailing that returned on the 15th, so it's still fresh in my mind. If you have any questions about the ship, fire away!

 

Some observations:

 

-- We were NOT asked if we wanted once- or twice-daily room service, and we got morning and evening service. Our steward was great.

 

-- The Pizza Pirate "Plus" menu is from 11pm - 1am, and they expand the menu to include beef lasagna and a rotating option of a meatball hoagie, chicken parmesan or sausage and peppers, along with the usual pizza offerings and caesar salads.

 

-- the new Ol' Fashioned BBQ location (formerly Fish'n'Chips, Deck 10 mid) was really good for a free/included eatery. I liked the BBQ beef best, followed by the pork, and then the chicken. There was never a line of more than two people there when I went. It's still not shown on Carnival's official deck plans, nor is the Seafood Corner on Deck 9 aft.

 

-- MDR service was among the best we've ever had on any cruise. Kudos to Andy and his crew!

 

-- We had aft balcony cabin 8450 and had NO idea it was half again as large as the other aft extended balcony cabins. It was, frankly, awesome. :D

 

-- We missed HMC and according to the Captain during the BtF tour, it sustained major damage. I'm now only 2-for-5 in attempts to make it to HMC. :(

 

-- We took the southern route past Cuba back to FLL from Grand Turk instead of the shorter "over the top" route because, per the Captain, they would have had to drain all the pools and hot-tubs due to swells from Hurricane Nicole if we'd gone the more northerly route. (We arrived at Grand Turk at 7:30 and left at 4:30, a half-hour early each time, to help make up the time and distance.)

 

-- Ports we made were Amber Cove and Grand Turk; we really enjoyed both. We did the "Secluded Villa" excursion at AC and thought it was great.

 

 

Go ahead with any questions!

 

We were also on this sailing and we had a good time overall. However we did not have a good experience in the main dining room. We had late dining in the Monet and the waiters were very impersonal. They didn't know our names and were not talkative at all. I don't even know what their names were. It was disappointing as we usually have great waiters. I was also not impressed by the variety or quality in the dining room and since we had late dining we missed a lot of the comedy shows that started at 9:30. Also, all of the hot tubs closed at 10:00 which we found early for them all to close and i thought on other ships they were open later. I definitely agree that the BBQ was very good! We always ate at the tables up there as it was never crowded and there weren't any lines. We didn't try the seafood but the prices seemed very reasonable.

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Pellaz

Pellaz

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What is the pizza pirate plus menu? Was the Hub app active on your sailing? Did you try the seafood shack?

 

Pizza Pirate is the 24-hour pizza place that is now featured on (I think) all Carnival ships.

On Conquest (and perhaps other ships), between 11pm and 1am the menu at Pizza Pirate expands to include lasagna and a second rotating item (meatballs on a hoagie roll, chicken parm, and sausage and peppers) in addition to the usual pizza choices and caesar salad. The expanded menu is known as Pizza Pirate Plus.

 

The Hub was active for the first time on Conquest.

 

We didn't try the Seafood Shack, as I'm not really a seafood person. There was never a big line there but I often saw people at the counter.

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Pellaz

Pellaz

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We were also on this sailing and we did have the hub app. It worked well for the most part and I found it useful. I didn't like the staggered check in as it didn't seem to be enforced. We had an 11:00 am check in time and when we were in line at 11:00 there were people in front of us that had a 2:00 check in time and were not turned away. It seemed people were still getting in whenever despite their check in time. Maybe this was just because it was new, but if it's not going to be enforced I don't see the point.

 

I asked the lady at our check-in counter about the staggered check-in -- first time at Port Everglades -- and she said she was actually on loan from PortMiami and that it had worked very well there, where it was started a month or two ago. We had FTTF so we weren't in a good position to see how it was being handled. We were on board about 5 minutes after the first call for FTTF.

 

BTW, we had a later than normal boarding because the ship arrived late from its previous sailing, which was affected by Hurricane Matthew. When I did the BtF tour, our tour guide mentioned that the ride had been so bumpy that ALL the porthole-covers on Deck 0 had to be closed and latched....just in case. :o

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Pellaz

Pellaz

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We were also on this sailing and we had a good time overall. However we did not have a good experience in the main dining room. We had late dining in the Monet and the waiters were very impersonal. They didn't know our names and were not talkative at all. I don't even know what their names were. It was disappointing as we usually have great waiters.

 

That's a shame. For future reference if you really think your MDR service was sub-par you can ask the maitre'd to move you to a different table. I wish we'd done that on our Liberty cruise a few years ago.....we had 6 pm dining and the first night we didn't get our dessert orders until 7:55. :o

 

I was also not impressed by the variety or quality in the dining room and since we had late dining we missed a lot of the comedy shows that started at 9:30.

 

Oddly enough this was the first time on any cruise (except the first) where I ate in the MDR every night. It was due more to our excellent company (3 of us and 6 who joined us from Virginia) and our wait-staff, who we requested after the first night. We weren't always successful in getting them, but the other wait-crew was also pretty good.

 

Also, all of the hot tubs closed at 10:00 which we found early for them all to close and i thought on other ships they were open later.

 

Now THIS I agree with. On Fantasy class ships the Serenity hot-tubs are open until midnight...or until 2 am if they forget to stop by and close 'em. THAT was nice. :cool:

These are supposed to be "fun" ships...but not much after 10 pm.

 

The aft pool WAS open until midnight but I was usually the sole occupant.

 

 

I definitely agree that the BBQ was very good! We always ate at the tables up there as it was never crowded and there weren't any lines. We didn't try the seafood but the prices seemed very reasonable.

 

It's important to note that according to other CC members, the $12.00 price for "Lobster Roll" apparently includes two (2) lobster rolls.

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deborahjo

deborahjo

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I asked the lady at our check-in counter about the staggered check-in -- first time at Port Everglades -- and she said she was actually on loan from PortMiami and that it had worked very well there, where it was started a month or two ago. We had FTTF so we weren't in a good position to see how it was being handled. We were on board about 5 minutes after the first call for FTTF.

 

 

 

BTW, we had a later than normal boarding because the ship arrived late from its previous sailing, which was affected by Hurricane Matthew. When I did the BtF tour, our tour guide mentioned that the ride had been so bumpy that ALL the porthole-covers on Deck 0 had to be closed and latched....just in case. :o

 

 

Two questions for you. We were on the sailing before you. We did arrive on time. I watched us come into port

of not early.

 

Second. When did Pt Everglades start staggered check in? It was normal boarding for us.

We had FTTF so we boarded early. My sisters who had 1:00 pm boarding boarded 10 or 15 minutes behind us with Zone 1 tags.

 

 

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Pellaz

Pellaz

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We have cabin 8448 in December which I think is next to you. We have had the same location on other ships and loved it. Did you find any garbage on your balcony? Could people from the top see into your balcony? Quiet? Thanks?

 

Yep, 8448 should be next-door. It will be a "normal width" aft extended balcony.

We did not find any garbage on our balcony.

People standing at the back of the Lido deck (i.e., behind the tables near the adult-only hot-tubs) CAN see about half of your balcony from above. As far as I could tell, people standing on the taffrail above (on Deck 10) cannot see your balcony.

Your neighbors on either side just have to look over the slanted divider between balconies to see you.

 

It was generally quiet (except when anyone moves the metal chairs and tables around on their balconies....it's like nails on a chalkboard), although you will hear some noises from the Lido Deck above. Once we realized what it was we basically ignored it.

 

Thanks! What was your favorite bar? Favorite food we must try? Favorite bartender we should look for? LOL Thanks!!

 

Our favorite bar became the aft bar, and Benjamin became our favorite bartender; by the end of the first night he knew all of our names and then later he would report on where my traveling companions had gone to.

 

I had quite a few favorite food spots on this ship -- the new BBQ place is definitely worth trying and I discovered that I really like the Ringer at Guy's Burger Joint (I'd only just gotten the Plain Jane before). We had prime rib on the menu two nights in the MDR, which was a pleasant surprise.

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Pellaz

Pellaz

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Two questions for you. We were on the sailing before you. We did arrive on time. I watched us come into port

of not early.

 

*shrug* Well, that's what they told us. Our boarding started after noon but a little before 12:30. We didn't mind too much; I know how crazy embark/debark days are for the crew.

 

Second. When did Pt Everglades start staggered check in? It was normal boarding for us.

 

Ours was the first sailing at Port Everglades with staggered boarding. We had FTTF so we didn't see what -- if any -- problems resulted at the terminal due to staggered boarding.

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wytyger1

wytyger1

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Glad to hear they've added some items to the late-night pizza menu. Were the lines very long?

 

Any thoughts on the piano bar? Did the piano player draw a big crowd?

 

Best place to dance?

 

Did you see any of the shows? If so, what did you think?

 

Thanks in advance. We sail on her in 38 days. :D

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originalgeek

originalgeek

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Can you please explain what types of food is available at Guy's? Is it a specialty restaurant?

 

It's been a few years since we cruise on the Conquest and this was not available at that time.

 

Guy's is Guy Fieri's (FoodTV network personality and restaurant owner) branded hamburger joint. It's only open for lunch but it's no extra cost. I didn't get to try them in July because we just never had time. But I'm going to in December as much as I can. It's burgers and fries and a toppings bar to put all kinds of stuff on your burger. Looks great in pictures! lol.

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mrpayroll

mrpayroll

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Guy's is Guy Fieri's (FoodTV network personality and restaurant owner) branded hamburger joint. It's only open for lunch but it's no extra cost. I didn't get to try them in July because we just never had time. But I'm going to in December as much as I can. It's burgers and fries and a toppings bar to put all kinds of stuff on your burger. Looks great in pictures! lol.

 

On the Magic, Guys was open till 6 pm.....:)

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kjh1990

kjh1990

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Yep, 8448 should be next-door. It will be a "normal width" aft extended balcony.

We did not find any garbage on our balcony.

People standing at the back of the Lido deck (i.e., behind the tables near the adult-only hot-tubs) CAN see about half of your balcony from above. As far as I could tell, people standing on the taffrail above (on Deck 10) cannot see your balcony.

Your neighbors on either side just have to look over the slanted divider between balconies to see you.

 

It was generally quiet (except when anyone moves the metal chairs and tables around on their balconies....it's like nails on a chalkboard), although you will hear some noises from the Lido Deck above. Once we realized what it was we basically ignored it.

 

 

 

Our favorite bar became the aft bar, and Benjamin became our favorite bartender; by the end of the first night he knew all of our names and then later he would report on where my traveling companions had gone to.

 

I had quite a few favorite food spots on this ship -- the new BBQ place is definitely worth trying and I discovered that I really like the Ringer at Guy's Burger Joint (I'd only just gotten the Plain Jane before). We had prime rib on the menu two nights in the MDR, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

 

I agree Benjamin at the aft pool bar was great! Also, Tiffany who worked at Alchemy made an amazing strawberry martini!

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