Pirate’s Conquest Review- February 8-15, 2020 Photo Review

[pirate4me2]

Hello CC Family!

 

I am back from the February 8, 2020-February 15, 2020 sailing of the Carnival Conquest, and as per usual, it’s time to do my review. Please bear with me, my review may take longer than usual as it is tax season at work, which makes my days insane! I try and type everything up at work, then upload it and my photos from home, but that process may not be as smooth this time.

 

My husband and I traveled down to Miami the day prior to the cruise. Those who have read my previous reviews know that I have a major fear of flying, so against my husband’s wishes we drove down to Miami from Western North Carolina. Yes, the trip was long (13 hours) but we made the best of it. I made him stop at my favorite horse tack store in Jacksonville, and that tacked on some time, but we still arrived at our hotel before dark. I had booked us to stay at EB Hotel Miami, they had a stay & cruise package that included our room, a welcome cocktail, breakfast for 2, and a free shuttle to the port. For a flat $20 fee you could park your vehicle for 7 days…compared to the $20 a day that PortMiami charges, that is a steal!

 

All I can say about EB is….they are AWESOME. They upgraded us for FREE to a Master Suite, and upon entering the room Chris and I were blown away. THE ROOM WAS BIGGER THAN OUR HOUSE YALL! It had 2 bathrooms (our house has 1), a full kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and a balcony. The bathroom off the bedroom was HUGE and had the most AMAZING rainforest shower. Chris and I joked that we just wanted to stay at the hotel for the week!

 

Light fixture I was infatuated with in the lobby

 

Extra bathroom 

 

Kitchen

 

Balcony

 

Living area

 

Bedroom

 

Bathroom...LOOK AT THAT SHOWER!!! 

 

 

Kitchen

 

Lobby

 

Bathtub 😍

Edited February 19, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

After throwing our bags in the living room I called us an Uber to take us to the restaurant we had chosen to eat dinner at. I discovered Bahama Breeze in Tampa, FL and I was thrilled to see that Miami had one as well. We got there about 8:00and ordered ourselves some “Vacation Has Begun!” drinks: a One Love for Chris, and a Painkiller for me. His drink was wayyyyyyy better. We also got some Yucca Sticks for an appetizer, as we were both about to morph from Human Beings into Aussiegators (inside joke for my hubby and I: we have Australian Shepherd dogs, and when they are guarding the house we call them Aussiegators). The Yucca sticks were delicious and held us over until our entrees arrived: blackened mahi tacos for me (soooooooo good!) and some kind of rice, shrimp and mussel dish for Chris, which must have been good because he ate ¾ of it!

 

With full bellies we Ubered it back to EB, where Chris drunkenly “repacked” his bag before passing out and snoring so loud I heard him clear across that ginormous hotel room. I took advantage of that heavenly rainforest shower, then sat and made my daily notes until my eyes began burning. It was about midnight.

 

Next up: CRUISE DAY!!!!

 

Welcome drink at EB

Painkiller

 

Chris’s entree

 

Mahi tacos

 

Yucca sticks

 

One Love

Edited February 19, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

I was up bright and early (for me anyway) at 8:30 today. I quickly threw my jammies into my suitcase, did my hair and makeup and threw them in the bag as well, and we headed down to the hotel lobby for breakfast. The breakfast buffet was ok….the food was a tad cold, but we made do. We are about to go on a cruise, after all, aint nobody gonna starve!

 

The receptionist at the check in desk had told us that the shuttle to the port would run at 11, but we got a call to our room at 10:30 that the shuttle was here. Wait, what? We are not ready yet! Chris quickly ran his stuff he had decided not to take on the ship to his truck, and we were off to PortMiami.

 

The terminal workers were ON IT today, we breezed thru security and check-in…from the point that we handed over our health questioners (yes, we had to fill them out), we never quit moving. I would say from the time we got off the shuttle to the time we stepped foot into the atrium was less than 10 minutes.

 

We headed straight to our room to drop off our carryons, and when we arrived at stateroom 8461 (aft balcony) we were greeted by the floor supervisor, I forget what her name was. She was checking our room to make sure everything looked good, and she invited us in to drop off our belongings. She handed us her card and said if we needed anything, give her a call. That was a first for us! We thanked her and went into the room.

 

Thoughts on the room: it seemed smaller than usual, with no couch, just a chair. The hallway walking in was NARROW, even my skinny husband commented on that. But hey, we just needed a place to crash, and the balcony was wonderful. I did notice a lot of rust on it though, and it seems that Conquest needs some TLC. The room setup had the TV on the wall next to the bathroom, not across from the bed, which was a bit awkward, but whatever. I did like that the nightstands had USB plug in’s built into them for charging things, Chris and I didn’t have to argue over who got to charge their phone and when!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

We headed up to Lido (just 1 floor up!) for some lunch. Chris opted for the Old Fashion BBQ, while I headed to my favorite lunch spot: the Deli. I WAS planning on having my beloved tomato & mozzarella sammich, but when I saw the Daily Special board I was intrigued. An egg & cheese sammich…hmmm….you know what, that sounds REALLY good right now!

 

Now, what I was expecting, and what I ended up getting, were 2 totally different things. LOL. I was thinking a nice fried egg with super melty cheese, a traditional breakfast egg sandwich, you know? I ended up with a cold, egg salad sandwich, with cheese on it, which was different. I didn’t know what to think at first when they handed me my plate. The board didn’t say it was egg salad. Feeling defeated, I headed to find Chris. When I sat down at the table I let out a sigh, said, “what the heck, let’s try this,” and took a bite.

 

I was very, very pleasantly surprised! The sammich was DELICIOUS! In fact, it was so good that I would go back by the deli throughout the week secretly hoping that it was the special again….but no luck. Oh well. I was glad I tried it the first day!

 

It was about 1:30 at this point, so we headed back to see if our luggage had arrived yet. Chris’s bag was waiting, and he celebrated the fact that he *cough* may have *cough* snuck some *Cough* Fireball onboard. But where was MY bag? I’m not the one smuggling anything! Chris unpacked, and he hogged up all the storage spaces. No fair! I ALWAYS get my bag first, so I get the prime pickings! Chris decided to nap while I paced the floor waiting for my bag to come. 

 

They called for the Muster Drill at 3:45, and my bag was still unaccounted for. So much for Platinum bags being a priority when they deliver luggage! I huffed my way angrily to our muster station, and the drill wasn’t horrible…until I witnessed the little snot-nosed kid standing next to me PICKING HIS NOSE. Like….he was digging for gold or something up there, he was on a mission. I turned to Chris and gagged, about throwing up on him (would have served him right for hogging all the best storage spaces in the cabin!) and he just laughed when he saw what was happening…and he refused to swap places with me! For the last 10 minutes of the drill I stood there paralyzed with fear, praying I wouldn’t a) throw up,  or b) have the little bugger-picker touch me with his slimy hands.

 

When they released our Muster station I took off in the opposite direction of BuggerBoy, praying that I wouldn’t see him anymore throughout the cruise. When I got back to the cabin, I was ecstatic to see that my luggage had arrived! Yay! I quickly unpacked, throwing some of Chris’s items overboard if they were on shelves that I deemed he didn’t need. Just kidding, I didn’t throw them overboard, just out into the hallway with a “Free” sign.

 

Blues, the piano bar

 

 

 

Aft pool

 

Handy USB chargers

 

Elevator lobby

Edited February 19, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

We sailed out of Miami about 4:00. I may despise Miami, but I have to admit….it is a pretty cool port to sail from. We went past Horizon, Norwegian Escape, and Symphony, and soon we were in the open waters. THE CRUISE HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

At 5:00 we had a welcome aboard cocktail party with John Heald’s FFS #3 in the main show lounge. They had a few drinks on offer, but bar service was pretty terrible where we sat…we had to fetch our own. We headed right from there to The Pointe Steakhouse, where we had a 6;00 reservation. We love starting the cruise off with a yummylicious meal! I got the risotto for my starter, and it was so delicious, and the baby spinach salad with warm bacon bits and blue cheese crumbles that I followed it with was to die for. For my main I got the filet mignon, which was cooked and seasoned PERFECTLY, and I paired that with the sautéed ‘shrooms, which were great. I also sampled Chris’s Mac & Cheese, which was phenominal, and his mashed taters, which were OK. I finished the feast off with a scoop of strawberry cheesecake ice cream (it was OK) and a scoop of the salted caramel ice cream (that was soooooo good!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

I started feeling guilty for all the food I had ingested, so I decided to go check out the gym around 8:30. I had the place all to myself! I grudgingly got on a treadmill and sweated for 30 minutes, and to the 2 ladies who came in to look around a cheered me on with words of encouragement….THANK YOU. I was about to say to heck with this crap, but you made me feel more energized when you said, “You go girl!” I really, really appreciated it.

 

Stairway decoration 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

I got back to the room, and Chris was in a food coma, passed out snoring on the bed. So much for him claiming, “ We ARE going to the welcome Aboard show this cruise! We have skipped it and been boring old people the past few cruises, in bed by 9! We are staying up for it this time!” I poked him and asked him if he wanted to go, and all I got was, “Go take a shower, you stink! You’re dripping sweat on the bed!” OOOOOOOOOOOOkay then!

 

Tomorrow: Fun day at sea!

[MzShae]

LOL enjoying your review so far! 

[pe4all]

Can't wait to read more.  Love the Conquest - so sad it moved to Miami from FLL.  Quick question - was the aft pool adult only?  It was on our last Conquest cruise.  Disappointed that Magic (sailed on her last month from FLL) was open for everyone, and overtaken by kids in pool and hottubs.

[pirate4me2]

10 hours ago, MzShae said:

LOL enjoying your review so far! 

 

Thanks for following along!

 

3 hours ago, pe4all said:

Can't wait to read more.  Love the Conquest - so sad it moved to Miami from FLL.  Quick question - was the aft pool adult only?  It was on our last Conquest cruise.  Disappointed that Magic (sailed on her last month from FLL) was open for everyone, and overtaken by kids in pool and hottubs.

 

I honestly never spent any time back there, so I cannot say for certain, but when I walked by all I saw around were adults so I am thinking it possibly is? I meant to get in the pool on our day in Belize, but didn't.

[CheersPkg4Us]

Great review, love all the pics. Will be anxiously awaiting the rest of cruise recap. We will be sailing the Conquest at the end of April.

[mcgore83]

Looking forward to more!  Thank you for posting!

[pirate4me2]

1 hour ago, CheersPkg4Us said:

Great review, love all the pics. Will be anxiously awaiting the rest of cruise recap. We will be sailing the Conquest at the end of April.

 

I hope you have a great cruise!

 

53 minutes ago, mcgore83 said:

Looking forward to more!  Thank you for posting!

 

I will try and post more tonight!

[AmBear]

Love reading about the Conquest, we did  b2b ultra casino cruises totaling 14 days last Oct., the buffet was really, really good! Went out of the way several times to compliment the buffet to their mgr.!

BTW, whats EB hotel, and how much is a regular room? Why did you get the upgrade?

Looking forward to reading the rest about your trip! 

We're beach people, and jut can't find anything we like in Belize, so looking forward to see your experiences!

[JaniceB]

Great start to your review.

 

[ricew001]

Enjoying your review and your sense of humor - from a fellow North Carolinian!

[pirate4me2]

2 hours ago, AmBear said:

Love reading about the Conquest, we did  b2b ultra casino cruises totaling 14 days last Oct., the buffet was really, really good! Went out of the way several times to compliment the buffet to their mgr.!

BTW, whats EB hotel, and how much is a regular room? Why did you get the upgrade?

Looking forward to reading the rest about your trip! 

We're beach people, and jut can't find anything we like in Belize, so looking forward to see your experiences!

 

EB Hotel Miami is a new-ish hotel, I believe that right now they are mostly all in Europe. They said the hotel we stayed at is their first property in the USA. I am not sure about the price of a regular room, or why we got the upgrade....I was just thrilled we lucked out like we did! Their stay & cruise package wasn't too much more than other hotels we have stayed at pre-cruise.

 

2 hours ago, JaniceB said:

Great start to your review.

 

Thank you!

 

1 hour ago, ricew001 said:

Enjoying your review and your sense of humor - from a fellow North Carolinian!

Hello fellow North Carolinian! Thanks for following along. :)

[Jamman54]

Great start to your review! Looking forward to the next installment. 😀

[pirate4me2]

33 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Great start to your review! Looking forward to the next installment. 😀

 

Hey Jeff! Thanks for following along!

[grandmarnnurse]

Enjoying your review! Can’t wait for more! On our recent Glory cruise February 2-9 out of NOLA, my hubby kept wishing for an egg salad sandwich. I just told him he better check the special of the day on our next cruise, our B2B on the Magic April 5 & 11.

[NCTribeFan]

Yay!  Another Pirate review!

 

I sailed Conquest twice (I think) and really liked the ship.  I love the Impressionist art theme.

 

I'll have to check out that hotel.  I usually fly into FLL and shuttle to Miami since I fly Southwest, but it looks fabulous!

 

Looking forward to reading more.

 

Oh, and btw, I swear that once FTTF started, I always got my "priority" bags LATER.  Priority tags don't seem to matter even one tiny bit.  Oh well.  As long as I can unpack before dinner, I'm fine.  I just never feel like my cruise has started until I'm unpacked!

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

pirate ~ nice start to your review. I didn't realize you went on Conquest. It's a ship I've been on so recognized that stairway decoration. Hoping to see the sunflower outside the MDR & ballerina in the comedy club too!!😉

That hotel looked lovely! So did the drinks & food!

Looking forward to the rest of the story.

 

~ Jo ~ 😊

[nybumpkin]

44 minutes ago, retiring soon said:

Hi all!

 

Hoping to see the sunflower outside the MDR & ballerina in the comedy club too!!😉

 

As I was reading pirate's review I thought about the sunflower too. Conquest is a favorite. Thanks for posting your review, pirate, and looking forward to more!

[d-train]

Going to be on Conquest in April, thanks for posting your experiences!