conquest or miracle?

[xrayvin]

I am trying to set up a cruise for my husband and myslef along with another couple who have never cruised before. ( DH and I have done 3 cruises, never on Carnival) We found great deals for the Conquest and the Miracle. With airfare they are pretty much the same price and they are for the same week in Jan 2007. Itinerary is slightly different both go to Grand Cayman and Cozumel but we would go to Jamaica and have an extra day at sea on the conquest while the Miracle goes to Costa Maya and Belize. For us itinerary is not a huge deal (or first cruise they switched the itinerary due to a hurricane) So I don't count on the stops as a "for sure" thing.

The ports are both new to me, I have never sailed out of Tampa or Galvaston. I do not know about either and I am not sure if this should be a desiding factor.

We are in our early thirties and want to have a good "night-life" experience and overall just a fun ship with fun people.

Does anyone have any preference between the two sailings?

Thanks for all the help!

[texasrosebud]

Hello Xrayvin,

 

I can only speak about the Conquest, but we really enjoyed our cruise on it last Nov. I heard mixed reviews about going to Jamaica, but I really enjoyed it there. We took an excursions but other people in our group did other things and they really enjoyed it as well. At the Grand Caymans you have to go and swim with the stingrays. Its the best!! Hope you enjoy your cruise whichever you choose.:)

[caribbean dreams]

I like the conquest because i like the larger ships, but my DH likes the smaller ships better, Cayman & Cozumel are both great ports, try going to the ports board and read what other people are saying about Jamaica, Costa Maya & Belize but i would lean toward Miracle because of the Itenerary, I have been to all the ports except Costa Maya, Ill find out next month how i like it.

[yst347]

First let me say that I live an hour from Galveston, I have sailed from there 3 times. I sailed on the Conquest and it is a fantastic ship and I will be sailing on her again in January....whew! glad thats out of the way.

 

If the price is about the same and you are indifferent to the itineraries I would suggest you sail the Miracle. The pier is only 15 minutes from the airport in Tampa. Galveston is 45 minutes from HOU and over an hour from IAH. Tampa will offer more for a tourist to do in January pre or post cruise than Galveston, and Tampa is a bit farther south giving you a better chance of warm weather on your first and last day at sea. Galveston in January can be very nice or very cold in January.

 

Now last January I had tomatoes in the garden so go figure the weather. :D

[walkswife]

We absolutely LOVED the Miracle.... the port of Tampa is extremely easy making embarking and disembarking a breeze..... If you get there early or have a late flight out after there are things to do right at the port area....

 

As far as the ship goes... it is beautiful... easy to navigate and the service was wonderful... we had a group of 12 and not one complaint...

 

The ports.... Costa Maya is now one of my favorites...... we left the port area and went to the fishing village.... Belize we did cave tubing quite the experience in itself.... Cayman we snorkeled..... Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach on our own...

 

The Miracle will not disappoint you, although I've never been on the Conquest

[venusjems]

I have been on both. I would think that if you are in it for the nightlife then go for the conquest. I like that it is a bigger ship too as you have about 20 bars to choose from, when the miracle only has about half that. Now i hated jamaica and hated belize almost the same, if we didnt do the independent tour in belize (which was great), then they would have been about the same. the local women at both want to pull the hair out of your head wanting to braid it. You walk by and they grab it, "pretty lady want your hair braided"

 

I almost think that having 4 ports is more exhausting, i like more days at sea, it seems like you get more rest and more relaxing.

 

Of course this is all my opinion. Whichever you choose, you will have a great time if you make it that way. When i go on a cruise i dont expect the food to be fantastic every day, i expect rocking of the boat, i expect to smell that smell from time to time, i expect the salon people to be aggressive, i expect the CD to be a cheeseball, and i expect to have a great time which i do!:D

[tkportersat]

Only been on the Conquest......so my only advice is that if you go to Jamaica go to Sunset Beach, it was wonderful and we were not bothered once! It is an all inclusive that is $40 for adults/ $20 for children - yes that includes all the alcohol you could possibly drink as well as food, kayaking, paddle boats, mini golf, waterpark, lazy river, snorkeling, or just laying in a beach chair. Three large pools, one w/ swim up bar - water volleyball etc. Good luck.

[billsrobb]

First let me say that I live an hour from Galveston, I have sailed from there 3 times. I sailed on the Conquest and it is a fantastic ship and I will be sailing on her again in January....whew! glad thats out of the way.

 

If the price is about the same and you are indifferent to the itineraries I would suggest you sail the Miracle. The pier is only 15 minutes from the airport in Tampa. Galveston is 45 minutes from HOU and over an hour from IAH. Tampa will offer more for a tourist to do in January pre or post cruise than Galveston, and Tampa is a bit farther south giving you a better chance of warm weather on your first and last day at sea. Galveston in January can be very nice or very cold in January.

 

Now last January I had tomatoes in the garden so go figure the weather. :D

 

How far are you from Missouri City? I have a cousin who lives there?

 

Robb

[yst347]

Hi Robb, Tomball to 30 miles northwest of Houston. It would take me a bit less than an hour to drive to Missouri City.

[xrayvin]

Thanks for all the replies. Although, you did not make it any easier!!!

 

I LOVE Costa Maya!! We also went to the fishing village and it was amazing and I plan to go back some day. That is the main reason I would lean toward the Miracle. However, I think I would be extreemly disappointed if I choose this ship because if CM and then we end up not going there for some reason. In fact it is really the only reason I would choose the Miracle over the conquest. All ports will be new for our friends while only Belize and Jamaica would be new for us, and honestly I don't have a huge desire for either.

 

Texasrosebud~I tried swiming with the stingrays and FREAKED out!!! The water was higher then normal so I was unbale to touch the ground and the waves pushed me all over the place I almost drowned my husband trying to climb on him! I was so afraid that I would be thrown onto a stingray and get stung!! I do want to try again but I would not pre-book it I would make sure the water was normal soI would have control!

 

Am I wrong about this....one of the people in our party is very concerned about motion sickness. I use Meclizine and have only been sick once (during hurricane and EVERYONE was sick) I really don't think she will have a problem as I have a tendancy to get motion sickness also. HOWEVER....wont the larger ship help some with the rocking. I also expect some rocking, in fact Navigator of the Seas rocked A LOT and it is a HUGE ship (but never got sick thanks meclizine).

 

I think we are leaning toward the Conquest. Pros-we really like Sea days, bigger ship and maybe a little more nightlife. Cons-cooler sail day, I heard there is no Bon Voyage party (with band and things) due to noise restriction on Sundays, no Costa Maya stop

 

Thanks for all the info and I will let you know when we book!!

[Hondo71]

My wife and I are both in our early 30's also. We sailed have sailed both ships. The Miracle is cleaner and the lines are shorter, but there is absolutely no night life. The party never stops on the Conquest. By the end of the week, I couldn't even look a a beer. So if you want to party, go with the Conquest.

Also, we had a blast at Doctor's Cave beach in Jamaica. It's only a short walk from Margaritaville.

You really can't go wrong with either one. Enjoy your cruise:D

[xrayvin]

hondo~

Thank you SO much for your post. I think it will be the Conquest, we do want the party atmosphere! I also just found out about the military discount and that might make a difference also, hopefully it will be available on the conquest!:D Was Doctors cave beach an excursion or a beach you went to on your own?

[Hondo71]

We did Doctor's cave beach on our own. The taxi ride was about 5 minutes. The entrace fee was $5 per person. We drank Red Stripe and it was $10 for a six pack. The food was great and it was reasonably priced also. We walked down to Margaritaville for a few drinks and then caught a cab back to the ship. Everyone says that Jamaica is scary, but we had a great time and the locals were friendly. As long as you are in a large group you should be OK. You just have to learn to say, "No thanks mon" when you are offered pot because everyone one on the street will offer it to you.

[momofzeke]

Hondo is right, the Miracle is pretty quiet in terms of night life. We absolutely loved the Miracle, and found our fun in the evenings anyway. But, if you are looking for a party-hearty type of cruise, I think the Conquest might be more what you're looking for (haven't been myself, but from reading the boards I get that impression).

 

Also, as far as Costa Maya on the Miracle itinerary, that is one port that gets cancelled pretty frequently because the seas get rough and the ship can't dock. We were lucky and did get to dock there, but others haven't been so fortunate.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[venusjems]

oh yeah we were able to dock in costa maya. Made it over to that fishing village did some shopping, sat down for 6 beers (10 bucks) and no sooner did the waitress bring it did she say your ship is leaving in 20 minutes! it was not even 11 and we were not supposed to leave till 4. Other ship mates were saying oh they wont just leave early, others got up right away, and we were not sure what to do. It rained earlier that morning and frankly i believe they would have left us, so we rode back to the pier with 2 beers each and sure enough the ship was leaving early but at 2 not in 20 minutes.

We didnt end up leaving till 3 waiting for a tour to come back. the captain mentioned that the rough seas was pushing the ship up against the pier or something, so if we stayed longer we wouldnt have a ship.

I really dont know what the point is in me telling you all this, but you mentioned costa maya so i thought i would tell my story! And in the future if someone mentions your ship is leaving i'd believe them!

[DqALEX]

I am trying to set up a cruise for my husband and myslef along with another couple who have never cruised before. ( DH and I have done 3 cruises, never on Carnival) We found great deals for the Conquest and the Miracle. With airfare they are pretty much the same price and they are for the same week in Jan 2007. Itinerary is slightly different both go to Grand Cayman and Cozumel but we would go to Jamaica and have an extra day at sea on the conquest while the Miracle goes to Costa Maya and Belize. For us itinerary is not a huge deal (or first cruise they switched the itinerary due to a hurricane) So I don't count on the stops as a "for sure" thing.

The ports are both new to me, I have never sailed out of Tampa or Galvaston. I do not know about either and I am not sure if this should be a desiding factor.

We are in our early thirties and want to have a good "night-life" experience and overall just a fun ship with fun people.

Does anyone have any preference between the two sailings?

Thanks for all the help!

I was on the Carnival Miracle and I have to say that was my best cruise ever. I would do that ship again in a heart beat.

[billsrobb]

Hi Robb, Tomball to 30 miles northwest of Houston. It would take me a bit less than an hour to drive to Missouri City.

 

Thanks. Just wondering how close you were. Not very!!!

 

Robb

[ttg]

I have been on both ships. I would pick the Conquest. The conquest class seemed less crowded because of the layout. I loved the miracle and it was on of my best cruises. But 4 stops is almost to much and Belize has nothing to offer. I felt the night life was about the same on both ships. The shows where better on the Conquest and the dinning room service was better. The miracle only has one dinning room and 2 seating time compared to the conquest with 2 dinning rooms and more seating times. Our waiters just seemed rushed the whole week. We never experienced that on the Valor or Conquest. You will love either one you pick, so have fun. But my choice would be the Conquest.:)

[ttg]

I have been on both ships. I would pick the Conquest. The conquest class seemed less crowded because of the layout. I loved the miracle and it was on of my best cruises. But 4 stops is almost to much and Belize has nothing to offer. I felt the night life was about the same on both ships. The shows where better on the Conquest and the dinning room service was better. The miracle only has one dinning room and 2 seating time compared to the conquest with 2 dinning rooms and more seating times. Our waiters just seemed rushed the whole week. We never experienced that on the Valor or Conquest. You will love either one you pick, so have fun. But my choice would be the Conquest.:)