Carnival Conquest vs Grandeur of the Sea

[Hamp 6.5]

Hi!
I wanted to get some valued feedback on a cruise question about which ship would you go on?
Carnival Conquest or Grandeur of the Ses

We went on the Conquest last year and had a wonder first time cruise in a room with a balcony. We need to leave out of New Orleans thats why are choices are limited.

We are a married couple in our mid thirties and like to have fun and do activities. Ship, room, and food is highly ranked on our list.
Thanks for everything!
Hamp 6.5

Carnival Conquest-2003

[Crazsea]

Tough Decision! Wow!!

I see that you have been on the Conquest. That alone would help in the decision for me because I like to try them all.

I just got off the Triumph in April and I have the Valor Booked for April 2005, Carribean Princess for December 2004 and RCCL Navigator of the Seas for December 2005. I love Carnival, but as you see, I really like variety and FUN!

With that said, and because I have been on Grandeur of the Seas, I will offer this advise. The Grandeur is a beautiful ship. Quite elegant looking throughout the ship and very easy to navigate. The crew was friendly and efficient. The food was very good. The only stark difference I noticed was that the atmosphere was more subdued than what I found on the Triumph. Not that it was bad by any means, just a little more elegant or refined. Trust me, it was a nice feeling, not stuffy. The ship will be a bit smaller than the the Conquest, so keep that in mind.

I say give it a try, you can't go wrong by chosing this ship and because you are limited for now by having to sail from N.O. it's definately on the list of a must do. You will broaden your horizons and simply have another wonderful cruise!

[Ronn452]

[img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]Greetings Hamp 6.5!
My wife, son and I have sailed on both the Conquest and the Grandeur. Both are beautiful ships! As Crazsea noted, the atmosphere is different; more subdued on the Grandeur. The ship is also more subdued in it's colors. On the Grandeur,there is a less glitzy scheme. The solarium area is beautiful and the Windjammer has a truly nautical look. I would suggest trying the Grandeur just for a change. When I am in-country, we also sail largely out of N'awlins for the convenience. We have sailed on the Inspiration, the Conquest, the Rhapsody and the Grandeur from there. Love the ability of parking next to the terminal and not having to drag everything through an aiport. Hope this has helped. If anymore questions, just ask.

Captain Ronn

[yuyi64]

I agree with Crazsea, try the Grandeur since you have already done the Conquest. We have cruised on both and we love them both for somewhat different reasons. The Grandeur is more like a classic cruise ship than the Conquest. It is a beautiful ship with lots of wood and brass and a tremendous number of windows. It seems you can't go anywhere on the Grandeur without seeing lots of glass and natural lighting. We loved that and prefer its decor to the Conquest's much darker interior and intense color scheme (lots of neon). The cabins on the Conquest were larger and the bathrooms more spacious but the ones on the Grandeur had more storage spaces. The food was equally good on both ships, with the Grandeur having the edge on the size of the portions (larger) and the Conquest having more dining venue options. If you like having dinner every night in the formal dining room (like my wife and I do), I would give the nod to the Grandeur. If you prefer having a lot of informal dining options and 24-hour food availability the winner would be the Conquest. The entertainment was about equal on both ships, with the music on the Grandeur being primarily 50's,60's, and 70's and the music on the Conquest being more 90's and today's top hits. Corey Schmidt(Conquest CD) was more entertaining than Tom Canosa(Grandeur CD). The average age on the Grandeur was definitely older than on the Conquest and there were hardly any children onboard the Grandeur. In summary, we enjoyed both ships tremendously and would not hesitate to book either one again. Since I'm in my 40's and past my disco years, I would have to say that I preferred the more laid back atmosphere on the Grandeur. If you have any specific questions about either ship I would be happy to answer them for you. They're both winners; go with the best deal and you won't be sorry!

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