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

[DebOinKC]

I have been looking so forward to your review and once again you're off to a great start. 

[pirate4me2]

3 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

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.

Yes, check the special board!!!! 
 

3 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

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!

 

Hey there! I agree, I have to unpack before I feel like I’m on vacation. It’s like the last chore for the week! 
 

2 hours ago, retiring soon said:

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 ~ 😊

 

Jo, that Sunflower may show up later on in the review. 🙂 

 

2 hours ago, nybumpkin said:

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!

 

Thanks for reading! 
 

1 hour ago, d-train said:

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

 

I hope you have a great cruise! 

[pirate4me2]

17 minutes ago, DebOinKC said:

I have been looking so forward to your review and once again you're off to a great start. 

Thank you!! 

[pirate4me2]

Chris and I woke up at 8 this morning to go to John Heald’s FFS #3 Morning Q&A. We ran by the coffee shop on deck 5 at 8:45, he got his mocha blended frappe and I got my iced mochaccino. It was fantastic! I wish I could remember the barista’s name that always helped us, she made WONDERFUL coffee and was such a sweetheart. More on her later on…

 

We took our coffees to the comedy lounge, deck 5 aft, where all of John’s events were held. It was packed! There were 650 people in his group, and I think every single one showed up this morning! Haha. We ended up standing by the doorway, and the event was OK but a lot of people asked duplicate questions. We left a few minutes early to go to the main show lounge and get seats for the Live Morning Show with Kyndall.

 

What can I say about Kyndall Fire…I was skeptical about all the hype about how great a CD she is, but after last week….I’m a believer! She is so high energy and knows how to get the party started, and I think she truly cares about and wants to get to know her guests. I saw her all over the place walking around and talking with passengers, and she always had a smile on her face. I really think she has a bright future as a CD!

 

We left the Morning Show to go to the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle in Blues at 11:00. We never received an invitation in our cabin like we have in the past, I just happened to see it posted in the FunTimes. I think Carnival really dropped the ball on this one….the door to Blues was closed, there were no Carnival workers present, and no pastries/water/juice like in the past. We peeked our heads in and saw 4 other people in the piano bar, so we went in. Nobody else ever showed up, we hung out for about 10 minutes or so, then left and went to Sea Day Brunch in the Monet MDR.

 

I asked the server if I could possibly get a fruit plate, and he made it happen. Yay! I also got the Voyager burger, which was yummylicious, a side of coleslaw, which was good, and a Mocha Chocolate Getaway, which was FANTASTIC. I haven’t had one of those in a few cruises, and I remember why….they are dangerous! Haha. I could easily drink a few, forget that they have alcohol in them, and then be in trouble!

 

 

Atrium

 

This one’s for you Jo! 🙂

 

 

 

 

I love the MDR decor!

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

I decided to veg out on the balcony for a bit, and that is honestly where I spent my whole afternoon, up until 4:00. At that point, my laziness began to make me feel guilty so I headed to the gym. It wasn’t crowded at all, I had my choice of the treadmills and the weight machines that I wanted. I sweated it out for a little over 30 minutes, then headed back to the cabin to prepare for elegant night.

 

John was doing a photo shoot from 5-7, so Chris and I went and got our photo taken with him about 5:45. Unfortunately, I forgot to purchase them before we got off the ship….booo! We headed to dinner at about 6:30, and I got the spinach salad to start with, which was fantastic, and the root vegetable pie as my main, which was kinda gross. I have had it in the past where it was good, but today it wasn’t. I finished the meal off with the cheese plate since I wasn’t tasting anything sweet, and the cheese plate was good. I loooove the blue cheese!

 

We finished dinner just in time to go to the 7:45show of Epic Rock, which was great as always, and then we ran to Lido to grab second dinner. Hahahaha. My root veggies hadn’t held me over well. I got the buffalo chicken sandwich from the deli, and it was yummy. We then headed to the Piano Bar at 8:50 to check out Davey Wild. I thought I had heard good things about him from on here or somewhere, and wherever I heard them from was right…he’s a great entertainer! He is so friendly too! He not only plays the piano, but also the guitar, and we really enjoyed him throughout the week.

 

I ended up staying for just an hour, by 10:00 I was tired so I headed back to the cabin. Tomorrow we are going to be in wonderful Grand Cayman!

 

 

 

 

Epic Rock pre show

 

 

 

 

Davey Wild

Edited February 20, 2020 by pirate4me2

[grandmarnnurse]

I enjoyed Epic Rock on our Glory cruise, as well. Some very talented performers! I’m also loving the decor of that ship, especially that sunflower. I kind of liked all of the Farcus designs, and some of the newer ships are missing some of that pizazz. I may be in the minority on that, though. Most readers are liking the more muted tones and designs in the newer ships. That root vegetable pie looks kind of like the Pumpkin Cheese Pie that I had on the Glory, but minus the top crust. Mine was very good. 

[dreadpirate3]

Following a fellow pirate! I want to thank you for sharing about EB hotel. We're sailing out of Miami again next February and will look into rates there including parking. Did you book directly with them?

[pirate4me2]

3 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

I enjoyed Epic Rock on our Glory cruise, as well. Some very talented performers! I’m also loving the decor of that ship, especially that sunflower. I kind of liked all of the Farcus designs, and some of the newer ships are missing some of that pizazz. I may be in the minority on that, though. Most readers are liking the more muted tones and designs in the newer ships. That root vegetable pie looks kind of like the Pumpkin Cheese Pie that I had on the Glory, but minus the top crust. Mine was very good. 

 

I too enjoy some of the Farcus designs too, when we sailed the Vista and Horizon I kept saying that although those ships were pretty, they didn't have the "personality" that the Farcus ships have.

 

7 minutes ago, dreadpirate3 said:

Following a fellow pirate! I want to thank you for sharing about EB hotel. We're sailing out of Miami again next February and will look into rates there including parking. Did you book directly with them?

 

Ahoy there! :) I did book direct with the hotel, and I cannot say enough good things about our experience there.

[dreadpirate3]

23 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

 

I too enjoy some of the Farcus designs too, when we sailed the Vista and Horizon I kept saying that although those ships were pretty, they didn't have the "personality" that the Farcus ships have.

 

 

Ahoy there! 🙂 I did book direct with the hotel, and I cannot say enough good things about our experience there.

 

Great news! Thank you. I look forward to the rest of your adventure.

[JaniceB]

Hoping to sail the Conquest in December, hope we have a great Piano Bar entertainer.  Great photos.

[JandPB]

4 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

I enjoyed Epic Rock on our Glory cruise, as well. Some very talented performers! I’m also loving the decor of that ship, especially that sunflower. I kind of liked all of the Farcus designs, and some of the newer ships are missing some of that pizazz. I may be in the minority on that, though. Most readers are liking the more muted tones and designs in the newer ships. That root vegetable pie looks kind of like the Pumpkin Cheese Pie that I had on the Glory, but minus the top crust. Mine was very good. 

 

I personally love the Farcus ships. I like quirky and unique. 

[NCTribeFan]

First time I sailed Fantasy I thought the decor looked like it was designed while someone was having a bad-acid flashback! 🤣

After a few more times on her, I decided I really liked how she looked!  Nothing beats Miracle's MDR, though.  It's just hideous.

 

I much prefer the more muted colors on the new ships.  I just also prefer smaller ships.  Loved the decor on HAL's Koningsdam - all cream and pale aqua.

 

Have seen Epic Rock a couple of times and thought it was pretty good.  Not a fan of JH.  Really not a fan of "high energy" CDs.  They just wear me out!  Probably why I tend to avoid the activities where they're featured.  And, NO, it's not just because I'm old, thank you very much! 😜  OK, maybe age has something to do with it.

 

But I'll take Matt Mitchum as CD any day. 😁

[pirate4me2]

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2020 at 11:34 AM, JaniceB said:

Hoping to sail the Conquest in December, hope we have a great Piano Bar entertainer.  Great photos.

 

Thanks for following along!

 

17 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

First time I sailed Fantasy I thought the decor looked like it was designed while someone was having a bad-acid flashback! 🤣

After a few more times on her, I decided I really liked how she looked!  Nothing beats Miracle's MDR, though.  It's just hideous.

 

I much prefer the more muted colors on the new ships.  I just also prefer smaller ships.  Loved the decor on HAL's Koningsdam - all cream and pale aqua.

 

Have seen Epic Rock a couple of times and thought it was pretty good.  Not a fan of JH.  Really not a fan of "high energy" CDs.  They just wear me out!  Probably why I tend to avoid the activities where they're featured.  And, NO, it's not just because I'm old, thank you very much! 😜  OK, maybe age has something to do with it.

 

But I'll take Matt Mitchum as CD any day. 😁

 

Ahhhhh yes, Matt.....I very much enjoyed having him as my CD for the 3 cruises I did on Vista. The joke between my husband and I was that if he lost me, he would just look to see where Matt was and he'd find me there,

[nybumpkin]

On 2/20/2020 at 7:13 AM, grandmarnnurse said:

I’m also loving the decor of that ship, especially that sunflower. I kind of liked all of the Farcus designs, and some of the newer ships are missing some of that pizazz. I may be in the minority on that, though. Most readers are liking the more muted tones and designs in the newer ships. 

I like the newer ships, but so many spaces just seem to be "corporate" - Red Frog, Alchemy, etc. Just about every Farcus-designed ship we sailed has a "What was Farcus thinking?" spot for me, but I always enjoyed his unique designs.

[pirate4me2]

Sorry for the delay in any updates, I’ve caught a nasty head cold that has me exhausted! I’m gonna try and truck on with at least a port day’s update today. 

[pirate4me2]

Ugh, I hate early port days! I really need to start looking at the times we are in port when I book cruises and not choose an itinerary with a port time before, let’s say, 10 a.m. LOL. 

 

Chris and I were up at 6:30 to get ready for the priority tender (oh, sorry, they are called WATER SHUTTLES now) over to Grand Cayman. I grouched my way to Blue Iguana for a breakfast burrito, and it was so good that is ALMOST made me human. Almost. I still had Aussiegator tendencies and was liable to bite if anyone looked at me wrong, but I made it safely to the Renoir MDR without attacking anyone. We waited there for about 20 minutes, then were loaded onto a tender (crud, I did it again….WATER SHUTTLE!) for the quick 5 minute ride from the ship to the pier.

 

We have been to Grand Cayman numerous times now, we love the island. We have done the jet skis, swam with the stingrays, and just walked the town, so we were not really seeing any excursions that were of interest to us. I was tempted to go to Hell, but my friends said it was kind of overrated, so Chris and I decided that for this trip we would just go check out Seven Mile Beach. We got a $6 per person bus ride to the Public Beach dropoff, and we walked over to Calico Jack’s.

 

 

Brilliance of the Seas in port with us today

 

 

Edited February 23, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

I must say, this was a good place to spend our day, BUT I was disappointed in the beach. It seemed steep….is it that way in other parts of Seven Mile Beach?  Still, the water felt GLORIOUS, the sand was soft, and I thoroughly enjoyed my day here! The WiFi was spotty, I managed to connect after a while, but Chris never was able to get on, but that was no biggie. Even the rain could not dampen my day, I just took cover under an umbrella. We rented 2 beach chairs and an umbrella, I think the total for that was $25, but that was money pretty much wasted….we spent the majority of our time in the water!

 

While we were at Calico Jack’s, I ordered 3 drinks, and they were all STRONG…they weren’t skimpy on the booze here! The highlight of those drinks was the Cayman Momma, it was phenomenal, and the runner up was the Rum Runner, it was soooo good. The disappointment was the Cayman Sunset, it just didn’t taste all that appealing. I decided I needed some food to help soak up the alcohol, so I ordered some fish tacos at the end of our time there, and they were yummy.

 

Look at that water!! 

 

 

 

One of Chris’s drinks, I forget what it was 

 

 

Rain, rain, go away! 

Edited February 23, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

We left Calico Jack’s at about 12:15 to head back to the ship, where we cleaned up and Chris took a nap while I vegged out on the balcony. We stayed that way until we decided to go get some dinner at about 7:15. There was no wait time tonight, and we got seated in the upstairs of the MDR. I started off with the Caesar salad, which was good, and the broccoli soup, which was really yummy! They had my favorite dish, the salmon cakes, which were so yummy, and I had a side of basmati rice, which was blah. My beloved s’mores parfait was for dessert, and it was sooooooo good but sooooooo sweet. I enjoyed every bite of it.

 

We hit the atrium after dinner for the 90’s music trivia, and what a party that was! We stayed until the piano bar fired up at 9, then we went and sang along with Davey for about an hour, before calling it a day.

 

Next up….the HIGHLIGHT of the cruise, Roatan!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 23, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

Today is the day that I was most excited about this cruise. I had booked us an AWESOME excursion for this port (Roatan), and I could hardly sleep last night due to the excitement. Today, I GET TO HOLD A SLOTH!

 

Chris and I were up at 8:00 so that we would have time to eat breakfast in the MDR before our excursion. We swung by the coffee shop on deck 5 for our usual go-go juice, today I went with an iced latte. It was strong, but it sure got me going! My broccoli cheddar scramble I ate for breakfast was delish, and the service in the dining room this morning was excellent.

 

Conquest got into port at 10, and our excursion met an hour after we arrived, so at 10:30 Chris and I made our way off the ship. I had booked us with Daniel Johnson Monkey & Sloth Hangout, an independent excursion that I had read good things about on these boards. Chris loves monkeys (I despise them, they are creepy little animals!) so he was excited about the day, and I couldn’t wait to hold a sloth! Since our excursion was not booked thru Carnival, we had to make the short hike to outside the cruise port to meet them, but it wasn’t bad. The hill looks worse than it is!

 

Our driver for the day was Norma, and this was the first excellent surprise about this excursion: we had our own private driver to take us around for the day! She told us as she was driving us to the Hangout that after we went there, she would take us wherever we wanted to go. SAY WHAT? I thought all she would do was take is to the Hangout and then the beach, but nope, she told us if we wanted to go anywhere else she would take us. I was NOT expecting this kind of service, it blew me away! She gave us a little info about the areas we were driving thru on the way to the Hangout, so it was almost like an island tour.

 

Once we got to the Hangout, we paid our $40 per person and met our guide, Gavin. He was super nice and informative, and you could tell her really likes the animals. He told us about the hangout and the different animals they have, and then he introduced us to Granny, the sloth! I GOT TO HOLD A SLOTH, MY LIFE IS COMPLETE! She was so calm, and I always thought their hair would be kinda wiry feeling, but she was so soft! Everyone had a chance to hold her, and then we got to meet Mike the Situation.

 

Gavin warned us that Mike was a kleptomaniac, and boy, was he right! Within 2 seconds of me walking into the enclosure Mike had pounced on my head, ripped out my hairties, ruffled up my hair so it looked like poo, and took off to the TOP of the enclosure! Gavin laughed and told me not to worry, that the monkeys were like toddlers with ADHD and that Mike would loose interest in my hairties in a few seconds. After he had held them and stared at them for a little bit, Mike did loose interest, dropped them on the ground, and ran down another man’s shirt. I quickly grabbed my ties and laughed as the other monkey also shoved himself down the guy’s shirt.

 

When our time with the monkeys was up, we got to go see the birds. The macaws are absolutely stunning, especially Fiona! They were not feeling very social, so we didn’t get to interact with them, but that was OK.

 

 

 

 

Mike the Situation 

 

 

 

Fiona

 

A very rare photo of me

Edited February 23, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

Our time at the Hangout was over, so Norma asked us where we would like to go. Chris and I decided that just the beach stop at Los Palmas was fine, they had a bar and food there so we didn’t need to go elsewhere for lunch. Norma escorted us to the entrance of the beach club and told us that we could leave whenever we wanted to, she would be waiting in the lounge for us. A server escorted us to 2 lounge chairs and an umbrella, which were free for us to use, and handed us some menus. He informed us of the drink special of the day, a 2 for 1 deal, and Chris opted on that drink….I forget what it was. I went for the Painkiller, and it was DELICIOUS. I actually think it was the best drink I have had in a long time. We placed an order for some food, Chris got coconut shrimp and I got the tequila shrimp, then we headed into the water until the food was ready.

 

Los Palmas is an absolutely beautiful facility. They have swings in the water, little tiki huts in the water to set your drinks on, and the beach was sooooo clean. It was like a slice of Heaven on earth! We stayed in the water until we saw our food coming, then went back to our chairs to eat. I was a bit disappointed in my meal, the shrimp were just OK. The plantain chips and rice & beans were delicious though! Chris’s shrimp was much, much better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painkiller

 

Tequilla shrimp

 

Salad that came with my shrimp

 

 

 

Chris’s shrimp

Edited February 23, 2020 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

Once we had ate our lunch we went back into the water, it was perfect. I ordered another Painkiller and just relaxed in the ocean, the water was so clear and beautiful. We stayed until 3, then decided that we probably should head back to the port. We found our server and paid our bill with the credit card, and here is a tip for you about Los Palmas: make sure to bring cash to tip your server! If you pay by credit card it doesn’t give the option to leave a tip. Luckily we had some cash on hand. 

 

As promised, Norma was waiting for us and she took us back to the port and dropped us off. We gave her a tip and thanked her for her service, then walked back thru the store and up the pier. We got back to the room, cleaned up, and just relaxed for a bit before heading to dinner at 7. Again, there was no wait to be seated, and service was pretty good, as was the food. I had the fried shrimp appetizer, a Caesar salad, Chicken Milanese, and creamed spinach. For dessert I went with a scop of butter pecan ice cream, which hit the spot after a warm day in port!

 

We decided to people watch in the atrium for a bit, so we hit up the atrium bar for a drink. Seti the bartender there is awesome yall! He is very personable, and he mixes up a great chocolatini! We hung there until 9:30, then headed into the theater to get seats for John’s Love & Marriage Show. He really is hilarious, and it was not like the show they do now with the same questions every time you see it.

 

The sun and fun of the day finally caught up with us after John’s show, and although I really wanted to go to Quest I was beat and decided to call it a day. It was about 11:00, and I was so glad that tomorrow was Belize day and we would be staying onboard so I could sleep in.

 

Byeeeee Roatan!

 

 

 

 

 

Look at Seti’s artwork! 

 

 

 

Edited February 23, 2020 by pirate4me2

[NCTribeFan]

Hope you're feeling better!

 

Haven't been to Roatan in years.  Was there before they even developed Mahogany Bay!  I really need to get back there.  Beautiful beaches.

 

Oh, and I absolutely refuse to call them Water Shuttles.  Sheesh.  Talk about 'dumbing down.'  People have the internet.  If they don't know what a "tender" is, they can just Google it!!

[HWC_Mom]

Those painkillers looked amazing.

We get on the Conquest on Saturday!!!!  I'll have to make sure to find Seti.  

When we did Roatan it was a rainy day, but weanaged to enjoy lots of local beers.  I enjoyed your pics 

[pirate4me2]

4 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

Hope you're feeling better!

 

Haven't been to Roatan in years.  Was there before they even developed Mahogany Bay!  I really need to get back there.  Beautiful beaches.

 

Oh, and I absolutely refuse to call them Water Shuttles.  Sheesh.  Talk about 'dumbing down.'  People have the internet.  If they don't know what a "tender" is, they can just Google it!!

Roatan really does have some gorgeous beaches, oh my. I love it there!

Im glad I’m not the only one who finds it funny they are having to now refer to the tenders as water shuttles. 

 

2 hours ago, HWC_Mom said:

Those painkillers looked amazing.

We get on the Conquest on Saturday!!!!  I'll have to make sure to find Seti.  

When we did Roatan it was a rainy day, but weanaged to enjoy lots of local beers.  I enjoyed your pics 

Yes, find Seti! He’s so funny and personable. He was working the atrium bar on our cruise, in the evening. 

[pirate4me2]

I get to sleep in today, hooray!

 

We are not fans of Belize. We have been there a few times now, the first time we did some river tubing, which was fun, but the transit time to get there was so long….the 30-40 minute tender ride, then over an hour to get to the excursion site…it wasn’t worth it in our opinion. The second time we were there we just wanted to wander around, but the guards at the port exit told us that was a bad idea….but all the excursions required such a long transit time….we just walked the port shops and got back onboard. Since then we have stayed onboard the ship when we stop there, and that was the plan this time.

 

We got up at 9:00 and made our way to our usual morning stop, the coffee shop on deck 5. What shall I have today? Let’s do an iced cappuccino! It was good, but I think so far the mochaccino has won. We took our coffees to go to Port Day breakfast in the MDR at 9:30, but the hostess turned us away saying that it ended at 10:00 and they wouldn’t be able to serve us before they ended. Um….ok. There was no line, so we could easily have been seated, and they had 30 minutes to get the food done. That just seemed kind of weird to me. Oh well, up to the Lido deck we wentto grab a bite, and I got a yummy Blue Iguana breakfast burrito.

 

We decided to go ahead and see if we could get on a tender (crud, sorry, WATER SHUTTLE) to just head to the port to walk around and maybe get a drink. It was 10:00, and when we went to the “gangway” there was no line whatsoever, we just walked to the tender boarding area…and I got to experience something new.

 

Have you ever boarded a tender boat via STAIRS? I have not, they always had the little bridge thingy from the ship to the boat that you just walk across. That’s how it was earlier this week in Grand Cayman. But on the Conquest,  I guess when you stop in Belize, one of the tender loading/unloading sites uses STAIRS. I was a bit freaked out by this, I mean, I know it’s safe, but it was a tad scary. I managed to take a deep breath and got on the tender boat, and shortly after we took off to shore.

 

The ride was only about 25 minutes, I guess we had an express ferry to the island! Haha. We walked around and took some pics, browsed a few shops, then stopped at the Wet Lizard for a drink. The AMF (Audios Mother F) was good! We sat and used the free WiFi for a bit, then decided to head back aboard at 12:30 to grab some grub. 
 

 

 

Jeff, I had you in mind when I took this picture! 😂

 

Bye Belize! 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by pirate4me2