Carnival needs to show some TLC to Conquest

[tx121]

Currently sailing on the Carnival Conquest and I am shocked on the condition of this cruise ship. It is rusting pretty bad everywhere around the upper decks, there's a strong sewage smell around parts of the ship, the flooring and carpeting is stained....it really is in need of a overhaul. I am surprised they are letting this ship Sail in this condition.  I'm hoping there are dry dock plans in the near future.

[csm5986142]

Someone else posted about this recently and I mentioned that I saw this ship sitting in port (before it resumed cruising) and it was literally boarded up on the back where it appeared windows were missing.  I think Carnival is doing their best to get the ships back up and running like normal again, but unfortunately some of them got hit harder than others during the pandemic (probably weren't in great shape when it started).  But I agree, hopefully maintenance/refurbishment of some of these older ships is high on their list.

[CruizCuz]

I recently cruised on the Conquest.  My observations were that on the exterior of the ship, there was some rust.  I personally never saw it on my balcony and anywhere I saw it in other places, the crew was busy painting.  I truly never smelled sewage and I explored the entire ship.  I have a very sensitive nose.  All this said, I am sure that the original poster has their own opinions and observations, which are also true.  The Conquest is indeed one of the oldest in the fleet.  I have sailed many of the "sister" ships and found this one to be the most "tired".  

[mz-s]

Conquest is required to go into drydock this year, they must be drydocked at least every 5 years and she was last drydocked in 2017. That said, if the most recent drydocking of Sunshine is any indication - they may not do much beyond what is required to keep her seaworthy.

[CruiseAdict218]

2 hours ago, csm5986142 said:

Someone else posted about this recently and I mentioned that I saw this ship sitting in port (before it resumed cruising) and it was literally boarded up on the back where it appeared windows were missing.  I think Carnival is doing their best to get the ships back up and running like normal again, but unfortunately some of them got hit harder than others during the pandemic (probably weren't in great shape when it started).  But I agree, hopefully maintenance/refurbishment of some of these older ships is high on their list.

I think that was Carnival Glory, she was boarded up after her accident with Legend, and they only just fixed it prior to her resuming her sailings from NOLA. 
 

To the OP: We found Carnival Freedom to be in similar shape, very rusted out; sewage wasn’t an issue. She definitely looked worn. 

Edited March 22, 2022 by CruiseAdict218

[csm5986142]

Yes, Glory and Legend crashed into each other in 2019 and Glory sustained damage/was boarded up in port and went right back out to sea that night.  But it was definitely Conquest that we saw November 2021 in Miami (we were leaving on a different ship and sailed right by it) and we took note of it because some of the people in our group were booked on Conquest in the following weeks (we couldn't imagine it was going to be ready, but it did sail as scheduled).

[BlerkOne]

Conquest has an extended dry dock scheduled

Dry Dock: 9/05/22-10/09/22

[icft]

5 hours ago, tx121 said:

Currently sailing on the Carnival Conquest and I am shocked on the condition of this cruise ship. It is rusting pretty bad everywhere around the upper decks, there's a strong sewage smell around parts of the ship, the flooring and carpeting is stained....it really is in need of a overhaul. I am surprised they are letting this ship Sail in this condition.  I'm hoping there are dry dock plans in the near future.

Thanks for the condition report! Hopefully the upcoming dry dock will get her back in shape. Carnival will spruce up ships then let them run down, then spruce them up...   It is helpful to know where a ship is in that cycle. I do think Carnival lets ships run down too far and too fast before getting them back in shape.

 

We sailed Conquest a few times back in 2012 and 2013 when she was out of New Orleans. Have fond memories.

[sparks1093]

Rust is the enemy of sailors around the world (well, those sailing on steel ships, anyway). When we were in port in Nassau in November and February all of the ships in port had visible rust on their hulls- Disney, Royal, Celebrity, NCL. Even after a drydock rust is still going to be present because much of it is scheduled to be done by the crew at sea and that takes time. The sewage smell is likely from dried out drains somewhere on the ship and once those drains have some water poured down them it will mitigate the issue. Stained carpets are usually replaced in drydock, but the decision might be made to delay that replacement until Carnival has a more positive cash flow. The ships have been out of service for a couple of years with minimal crew onboard. It will take time to get everything back on schedule.

[ledges1]

The Conquest line decor has been a little out of style for many years. I like the overall design of the ship (easy to navigate). That may be because I have sailed this design more than others. Fighting rust is a 24/7 problem. I live at the beach and it is a constant problem. The dry docks usually freshens up the ship but the overall out of date decor does not change. It will take more than the normal 2 week/month dry docks to change the overall style/decor of the Conquest line of ships. The occasional smell of sewage has always been a problem on the cruise ships that I have been on. These ship will continue to sail as is with the basic dry docks until scrapped, sold or completely remodeled like the Triumph which I have not sailed since the remodel and renaming. I cannot speak to the success of the remodel.

[BlerkOne]

I saw some rust on our Mardi Gras balcony. Oh the horror.

[mz-s]

4 hours ago, ledges1 said:

The Conquest line decor has been a little out of style for many years. I like the overall design of the ship (easy to navigate). That may be because I have sailed this design more than others. Fighting rust is a 24/7 problem. I live at the beach and it is a constant problem. The dry docks usually freshens up the ship but the overall out of date decor does not change. It will take more than the normal 2 week/month dry docks to change the overall style/decor of the Conquest line of ships. The occasional smell of sewage has always been a problem on the cruise ships that I have been on. These ship will continue to sail as is with the basic dry docks until scrapped, sold or completely remodeled like the Triumph which I have not sailed since the remodel and renaming. I cannot speak to the success of the remodel.

I think the Sunshine dry docks have been a success for the Destiny class. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Carnival extend the concept to successive classes. The obvious next step would be to “Sunshine” the Conquest class. 

[hockeyluver]

On 3/22/2022 at 1:53 PM, BlerkOne said:

Conquest has an extended dry dock scheduled

Dry Dock: 9/05/22-10/09/22

Good to know,  we will be on the Conquest October 24th and for our 14 day Journey cruise in 2024, it was supposed to be on the Freedom  but they changed our ships

[Aplmac]

On 3/22/2022 at 1:53 PM, BlerkOne said:

Conquest has an extended dry dock scheduled

Dry Dock: 9/05/22-10/09/22

 

- and she'll be emerging with the new dark blue hull coloring
which will help to dress her up a good bit!

 

Should look something like sister ship Valor, shown here

docked in Miami...