Conquest April 1-8 review

[ghsmith178613]

ahem... can we get back to the reviews :)

 

 

plleeeezzzz?:) purty pleeeezzzeeeee?

[Suburban Drudgery]

My family just returned from the Carnival Conquest on the April 1-8 cruise – it was a fantastic time! Here is my review:

 

My wife and I have four daughters, ages 16, 12, 8, and 6. DW and I have been on one previous cruise, also on the Conquest, and we intentionally booked the same cruise this time to take our children.

 

SATURDAY: We flew into Houston IAH and stayed at the Sheraton North. A phone call to the hotel and the hotel’s airport shuttle bus arrived about 10 minutes later and delivered us to the hotel. Two nice rooms for $38/night through Priceline. I was very happy with the Hotel and staff there.

 

SUNDAY: I arranged for a limo from Houston to the port with Karr Limousine. The price was cheaper than paying for 6 Carnival bus transfers, and almost the same for a shuttle bus. The driver arrived at 9:30 in a nice black stretch limo, loaded the bags, treated my family kindly and professionally, and we were off to Galveston! The ride took about an hour and 20 minutes, and I was unloaded at the pier at 11:00 a.m. The limo driver found a porter, and the driver and porter transferred the bags from the limo to the porter’s cart.

 

I had 10 bags and tipped the porter 10 bucks to push the bags over to the ship. The porter carefully counted my tip, and seemed offended that I didn’t give him more. Sheesh! Maybe my bags won’t show up on the ship after all.

 

We then went inside the terminal at about 11:00 a.m. and stood in line behind about 100 people, which appeared to be the very first of the line to board the ship. I was given a piece of paper saying that although Carnival doesn’t technically allow boarding until 1:00 p.m., they are happy to board me early and give me lunch while I wait for my room to be ready by 2:00 p.m. Cool.

 

The embarkation personnel were very friendly and happy, hugging my wife, talking about what a great time we will have, etc. They did a great job. We waited in line for about 30 minutes before security even opened the line to start processing the passengers. I saw a few teenagers holding 12-packs of soda – no one cared a bit about them bringing it on board.

 

We made it past the metal detectors and went to the check-in counter, where I gave them my passport and 5 birth certificates for the other family members. I applied for passports for them 8 weeks before the cruise, but they didn’t come on time. (they still aren’t here) The guy at the counter didn’t even look at the birth certificates. He just counted them, asked if they were for the 5 other family members without passports, and took my credit card for the Sail and Sign cards. Gold Sail and Sign cards for DW and I as repeat passengers, and blue cards for the children. We were directed to sit in chairs while the ship finished getting ready for us. At 12:30, we were told we could board and go eat lunch up on the Lido Deck. Our cruise had started!

 

We went on board, ate a great lunch, and was reminded how the food on the buffet was very good, and very nicely presented. I also stopped by Sur Mer for some seafood, as it tends to get more crowded as the week goes on. It’s above the Cezanne restaurant and a little out of the way, so people take some time to see it is there.

 

After lunch, we checked out Camp Carnival with the kids. Lots of games, Playstations, craft items, and a fun schedule planned. Got some more ice cream (12-year old is on her 3rd ice cream cone) and went to check out the rooms: a balcony for DW, 6-year old (on the convertible couch), and me; an interior room across the hall for the 16, 12, and 8 year olds. My kids liked how the third bed pulls down out of the ceiling. I like how my balcony (first time) makes the room bright and open with a fresh breeze. Our rooms were on the Upper Deck 6, midship, port side. I loved the location, except for the mild smokers on one side and the late night partiers on the other. More on our neighbors later.

 

More ship exploring, and then we found that all the bags had arrived by 4:30. I guess the porter didn’t throw them in the water after all. The room steward comes by to introduce himself and find out our dinner time so he can clean our rooms while we are at dinner. We picked the 5:45 dinner this time because of the children. That time was fine, but I want to try out late seating next time.

 

The Muster Drill was at about 4:00, and we stood in the big crowd of people for about 20 minutes. It was difficult to hear much of the instructions as there were lots of people talking all around me. Hope the ship doesn’t sink.

 

Dinner was in the Monet Restaurant in the aft of the ship. Our table was on the upper deck, near the doors, so our table was next to the busy “road” of incoming diners and waiters bringing food in. I was worried this might be a big problem, but it wasn’t for two reasons. First, our waiter was so good, I didn’t want to move to another location. Second, we were sitting at a table for 9, and there were only six in my family. There was a family of 3 also assigned to our table, but they never showed up for a single dinner in the dining room. So we took the seats away from the “road” and it was fine.

 

My children (especially my 6-year old) LOVED having a waiter put the fancy-folded napkin on her lap and push her chair in each night. The 6-year old also loved eating off of the adult menu and not having to split her adult-sized meals with a sister or parent. The waiter encouraged the younger children to try the regular menu items all week, and if they didn’t like the food, it was fine. They liked most of it anyway. Warm melting chocolate cake for dessert became a big hit for my family, and became the choice for about 75-percent of the desserts at my table.

 

Went to the Camp Carnival orientations that evening, filled out the necessary paperwork We skipped the Welcome Aboard Show and mostly hung out up top and on the balcony that night, eating ice cream cones, pizza, and room service cookies.

 

I later learned that the ship had over 1,300 children on board (imagine parents bringing so many kids on board! Oh, wait, I brought 4 of my own), and it seemed like about a third of the guests were Spanish speaking. Time to brush up on my Spanish.

 

Day 2 coming soon.

 

You should tip 2.00 per bag/suitcase espically if you arrive in a limo.

[Cruiser Joe]

You should tip 2.00 per bag/suitcase espically if you arrive in a limo.

OK, I guess I will from now on.

[Cruiser Joe]

Day 3: Jamaica

 

We docked that morning with the port side of the ship facing land. Room service breakfast for everyone to help get off of the ship quickly. It was fun to see the port people getting ready. A boisterous, happy Jamaican appeared at the gangway greeting everyone, giving high fives, etc. The photogs were ready to snap pictures of everyone debarking. There was the 3-man group playing the guitar/drums and singing Jamaican songs for more pictures (apparently there for the tips).

 

Getting off the ship, we made our way to the information booth inside the terminal and found our tour guide: Barrett Adventures. My family of six, and another family of 4, were taken in a shuttle bus up into the mountains to Y.S. Falls. (http://www.ysfalls.com) It's straight south of Mongego Bay near the southern coast (Montegy Bay is on the north coast) - about 1.5 hour trip, slightly shorter I think than the trip to Dunns River Falls.

 

Our driver's name was Percy, who was friendly and talkative about the sights as we drove through the mountains. We stopped at a shack in the mountains and met with the people living there - they seem VERY poor. The tour bus stops there to buy some fresh pineapple for everyone to tast. DW and I stopped here before on our first cruise. DW later sent a care package through the tour group to the family, and we received a nice thank you letter from the mother. This time, DW brought a suitcase full of children's stuff to give to the family. The family was gracious in remembering us, expressed thanks for the new stuff, and it was a great experience for my children to see how good people in the US have it compared to most living in Jamica.

 

Then on to YS Falls. About 2 minutes before we got there, 12-year old is car sick and throws up in the car. Thank goodness for the Carnival beach towls. ;) Percy drives like a madman - I'm sending an email to the Barrett about this - that was the only downside to the entire tour.

 

YS Falls was extremely beautiful, very well kept, and very well staffed with polite help everywhere. I was impressed with the professionalism and service of the employees there. We all swam in the falls, took lots of pictures, and 16-year old and I did the zip line. They also offer river tubing, but the water level was too low for this time of year. The zip line was quite short (2 short stages and 1 long stage over the falls) but was fun. I paid $30 each - it was probably worth $15-$20 each. We ate lunch at an outdoor grill there and bought some stuff at a giftshop. Lunch was included in the tour (big portions) and the prices at the giftship were reasonable. My 8-year old now brags to her friends that her bracelet cost $400......Jamaican dollars (about 7 bucks $US)

 

Outside the ship as we returned, a youth marching band was loudly playing - for tips from people in line and people on the ship watching them. As the ship left port, the frindly Jamaican guy was back, smiling and loudly yelling goodbyes to everyone on board. Carnival should give that guy a raise.

 

 

Dinner was good again - the waiters were great again. 12-year old was then off to Camp Carnival. I think this was the night 8-year old went to the Harry Potter activities and had a blast.

 

Next: Grand Cayman

[bdann]

Thanks to the both of you for most excellent reviews. All the detail is great!

[Cruiser Joe]

The ship arrives early in the morning to Grand Cayman. There are a lot of ships in port that day, each with the tenders busily ferrying people to/from the ships.

 

The family is kind of slow getting ready to go, and I am worried about meeting up with the tour at 8:15. It is scheduled to leave at 8:30. We finally go downstairs at about 7:45 (tenders started at 7:00), didn't look for tender tickets or anything, but just got in line at the gangway. It took until about 8:20 to wait for the next tender, load everyone up, ride to the pier, and unload everyone. We were the last people in our tour group.

 

We went with Native Way (http://www.nativewaywatersports.com/) for their "Reef, Rays, and Rum Point" tour. This is our second time with Native Way - and I would not hesitate to use them again. Our group had about 20 people on the boat, the "Yo Yo 4", with 2 native guides. The guides did a great job - they were very attentive to my older and younger children, and were patient with the beginners. First stop: Stingray City. Cool place - the guides found a good spot, got some food to attract the stingrays, then caught one for everyone to hold/kiss/photo - even the younger ones. Everone had a turn for some 1-on-1 time with the stingrays. The water came up to my bellybutton. 6-year old was terrified with a death grip on me, but managed to pet one. The rest of the family loved it.

 

Then onto the reef for snorkling. Native Way provides the gear - the water is about 6-10 feet over the reef. Those guides can really swim! 12-year old freaks out when she sees an eel and heads for the boat. That's ok with me, as she can take my place in watching 6-year old who sits out this activity. 8-year old and I float around and see lots of cool stuff before it's time to get back in the boat and head over to Rum Point Beach.

 

Rum Point is a beautiful, laid back beach with a couple of bar/restaurants. Lunch was included in the tour - it was a seafood grill place - excellent food. Our family walked down the beach about 50 yards or so to a secluded spot next to trees, shade, colorful fish in the water, and nice sand.

 

This was my favorite day of the week.

 

Then back to the ship by 3:00, worried we would miss the last tender. Wrong. We waited in line behind hundreds of others for about 45 minutes before we could tender back to the ship.

 

Then on to the waterslide. Hint: plug your nose before hitting the bottom splash. Gag, sputter. Then ice cream, and ready for the second formal night and lots of formal pictures with the family. 12-year old heads off to the teen disco, 8 and 6 year old do an activity, and everyone relaxes for the next day in Cozumel.

 

To be continued.

[GayleR]

We booked with Nativeway last year and loved them! One my sons was terrified of the stingrays, too. (He was 13 at the time and spent most of his time in the boat taking pictures.)

 

Love your review!

[Cruiser Joe]

Cozumel:

 

The ship arrived early in the morning, and we were docked facing another ship at the pier. I think it is named Punta Lagosta or something like that. I think there are six ships in port that day - they seem all over the place.

 

We decide to eat breakfast up on the lido deck today and not get up so early. Same breakfast food as always - I had 2 eggs cooked to order this time instead of an omlet - much better. I hope the ship doesn't run out of cocoa krispies or my 12-year old will be upset!

 

We walk off the ship at about 10:00 a.m., past the passengers taking pictures with the bullet proof vest/machine gun wearing police on the pier; turn left at the street and find the taxi line. I quickly line up two taxis to take the six of us to Nachi Cocom - $15 for each taxi. Maybe I could have negotiated a few bucks off, but didn't try. It seemed like about a 15 minute ride where I practiced my Spanish while looking at the damage to the trees by a hurricane last year.

 

We get to Nachi Cocum by taking a dirt road from the highway to a partially closed gate, and then up to the entry way. I pay the driver for the 2 cars (didn't think about tipping him - felt bad about it after he left), and am immediately met by a friendly guy asking me if I had reservations. I said I did and showed him my reservation confirmation. He escorts my family past the restaurant/bar, pool, and to the beach, and gets help in putting 4 lounger chairs together under a cabana and puts mats on each of them. I then pay him the remaining amount of the reservation in travelers checks. He tells us the bar is open, and we can order whatever we want from the lunch menu in about an hour. He also gives each of us a wristband.

 

It's about 10:30 am, and there are probably less than 10 other people at the entire beach. We don't drink alcohol, but we had non-stop virgin drinks delivered to us on the beach - pina and peach coladas, strawberry somethings, "coca-cola light" (diet coke), etc. The drinks were good and the service was friendly. The beach was clean (they were raking the high-tide debris when we arrived) and there were lots of small shells for the kids to look at.

 

It was quite windy that morning, and the small waves kept my younger daughters squealing in delight for 30 minutes straight. It was too deep for the 6 and 8-year old to wade in the water, but they had fun by the waves. I waded in up to my waist with the 16-year old and had fun playing in the larger waves. I have never seen the 6-year old so happy for a sustained amount of time. The sand was perfect for her. Later, the wind and waves died down, but the wind had stirred up some debris in the water - it wasn't nearly as clear as it was that morning.

 

Lunch was good - not fabulous - and there was lots of food to go around. We could eat under the cover of the outdoor restaurant or at our beach chairs. The staff was friendly - they worked hard to make us happy. The pool was unheated but warm enough and clean. Restrooms - very clean. Hot tub, started out cold, warmed up as the day went on, with many children (not mine) playing in the hot tub with their parents next to the "Adults Only" sign. It wasn't crowded, so no one including me seemed to care. At its fullest, I would estimate there were around 80 people at the beach. 75-percent didn't have on wristbands like us, and I saw the woman in the cabana next to me paying cash for her beer. I don't know what deal they had with Nachi Cocom - didn't really care.

 

The employees called cabs for us when we left at about 3:30 to go shopping. $30 for a taxi van back to the pier, where we shopped at a little outdoor mall across the street from the pier. I could haggle with the outdoor vendors, but not with the established inside shops - go figure. Hair braids for the girls, bracelets, hats, Mexican vanilla, and we were running to be back at the ship at 5:30.

 

The dress code was relaxed for early seating dinner that evening, as people were getting back on the ship right at dinner time. Shorts, flip flops, tank tops - all allowed and all present that night. (they did say no bikinis - I guess they didn't want to distract the waiters too much!)

 

Another show that night at 10:30 (I think it was that night) - a juggler and comedian. Everyone else was asleep so after a nap I went alone. The juggler was good - I saw him before, and I was quickly board with the comedian so I left to check out some more blackjack.

 

Nachi Cocum was the big hit of the week for my 6-year old and 12 year old. I would definitely consider going back the next time I am in Cozumel.

 

Tomorrow: Last sea day.

[ShoMeChiefsFan]

The OP's thread was hijacked, unfortunately. And I love how the Nascar fan had to point out that there were several "mexicans and italians" on the cruise and how it was their kids that were causing the trouble.....hmmmm

I see no point in that or how that is useful information:confused: .

I would love for the OP to continue, his review was enjoyable. :)

 

 

was not hijacked....he already started a thread...for the Conquest sailing date, why start another one. I can just add my review to his thread, since we both were on the same ship....even past each other from time to time...

[1gramma]

1GRAMMA, did you book with a TA or direct with carnival. My fiance and I are on the same cruise and still dont know what cabin we will be in.

 

I booked with a wonderful TA. I also told her when I booked that I wanted upper deck and we had a Military discount so maybe these things had a hand in our getting our room numbers.

[cuestic66]

I booked with a wonderful TA. I also told her when I booked that I wanted upper deck and we had a Military discount so maybe these things had a hand in our getting our room numbers.

Thanks. I called carnival and they gave me my cabin #. It is 2479, I am going to see if it is possible to get it changed. I have been told that it is not a good cabin because of all the vibrations from the motors. Will just have to see what can be done if anything.

[mr.p]

Please keep 'em coming. I appreciate not having to change threads to read reviews on the same cruise. Thanks for taking your time to keep us informed.

 

p.

[nybumpkin]

Then on to YS Falls. About 2 minutes before we got there, 12-year old is car sick and throws up in the car. Thank goodness for the Carnival beach towls. ;) Percy drives like a madman - I'm sending an email to the Barrett about this - that was the only downside to the entire tour.

It happened to our younger two sons in Jamaica as well - different tour, different part of the island. I think all the guides must drive like maniacs, and the roads are the worst we've experienced. Ever since, we've brought bags with us - but we've never needed them on any other tour.

[briankinley2004]

Well I will join in..We also were on this cruise.

 

Stayed at Gaidos on Sat. night and met with some of the members from here. Had a great dinner at Caseys restauraunt and got a 10 dollar discount. The other restauraunt was very expensive and we decided against it because we would be eating well on the cruise. Gaidos rooms are clean and comfortable. I wouldnt book here if I were going to stay a week for vacation but the free parking (which is lighted, fenced and in view of the office) makes this an excellent bargain. Went to the aviation museum Sunday morning before boarding the ship. It was good and had an excellent restored Blue Angel plane and old Continental DC3 passenger plane. Well worth the drive over. I took DW and kids to port around 10 and then caught a cab back from Gaidos. Split it with another couple and only cost me 6 bucks plus tip. DW already had baggage checked in and we went thru and were on board by 11:30 or so. Typical Carnival boarding process except this time we went to room to put up carry on around 1 and room wasnt ready. They let us put stuff in room, safe, etc and we went on to explore ship, etc. Also ate Sur Mer for lunch and it was OK. Got to eat octopus for the first time. The food wasnt good enough for us to go back (except one night at 8 and it was closed already) but it wasnt bad either. Everyone should at least try it during the trip. Went to a CC meet n greet and again had a great time followed by the muster drill. This time we got to go straight to the muster stations and not sit in a lounge or other area until called. Went to dinner. We requested 8pm but got 8:30. Didnt request to be moved but later in the week we wished we had as 8:30 is just a little too late for us. Carnival usually does a good job of assigning like families, couples, etc. to tables but the first night we got assigned with some people from a totally different life style than we are used to. It was ok but a little tense at first. We had accepted this but the next day there was a large table shuffle among alot of people and we wound up with 2 couples that were from our walk of life and shared our interests. The food, as we remember, wasnt quite as good as the past probably because we have eaten the same menu more or less on every cruise but the kids were happy this time since there was an alternate menu to select from. The service in the formal dining room was top notch and our waiter Roland did a great job each night. Will write more on the next post.

[briankinley2004]

It happened to our younger two sons in Jamaica as well - different tour, different part of the island. I think all the guides must drive like maniacs, and the roads are the worst we've experienced. Ever since, we've brought bags with us - but we've never needed them on any other tour.

 

You should have driven I-10 from Lake Charles to Winnie....it was worse than any of the roads we were on in Jamaica...

[briankinley2004]

Sea Days (Mon/Tues)

 

Monday we laid by the aft pool on Lido Deck. The hot tub labeled "adults only" was full of kids and I have picture to prove it. Nothing was done but also noticed less kids thru the week. The label was in English so it is possible that many of the Mexican kids didnt know but the guards did nothing. Ate dining room breakfast and the grits and coffee are definitely better here. Also had coffee delivered for room service in AM. Didnt do much but relax today. Got in bed and kept hearing the " Spainish Train" ( a bunch of kids running up and down the hallway) going up and down the hall until well after 1AM. This seemed to get better later in the cruise or maybe its because we just stayed up later than them after that. Our room was cold and I guess this is because we were getting all of Jims (KC FANs) air. Seems like it was either hot or cold as Carnival uses volume dampers controlled by a thermostat on this ship. Your room temp is regulated by the volume of air and there is NO way to turn heat on...To us most of the ship was cold especially the first couple of days but it got better later in the week. Also went to Capitans party tonite (i think) and drink service was slow but didnt really want all that. It was a good party and the band was pretty good.

 

Tuesday..Woke up this morning sore from sleeping on the "Carnival Comfort Mattress". DW and I both agreed this was worst bed of any cruise ship and we had never slept so badly on a cruise. We reported this to our room steward and he said yes he could take care of it. If he did we never knew it. Seemed like tonite he did flip the mattress or something. I began practicing my Espanol today. I was looking forward to going to Cozumel to do this but I had plenty of opportunity on the ship. I began talking ( in Spanish) to many of the Latinos on board. At first I was a little upset thinking we had so many Americans who were either citizens and didnt practice English or who were illegally on board. Well after talking to a couple of people I found out that there were 1000 Mexicans on board and 80% of them were from Monterrey MX. Having been to Monterrey a couple of times and having friends from there made it very interesting. It seems that it was Spring break there and it is just a short plane ride to Houston for them. I was so glad to have them on board and really enjoyed getting to talk to them. I found that every group had at least one person that spoke English well. Towards the end of the week hearing all the Spanish wore on me mostly as I found myself trying to understand what they were saying and I was working myself to death trying to get an education instead of relaxing. I could, however, see how someone who knows no Spanish could get tired and also run into issues. The crew all (or mostly) seemed to speak the language but it really did keep alot of people from meeting and enjoying each others company due to the language barrier.

Ate lunch at the buffet and made our way to the CC party. It was great and our CC host did a great job of putting it together. Got to meet everyone. Found out past guest party was after this...oooops our slip/pin said 330 or something but that times past...well just got in line for the next one and they let us right in. We had never went to one of these before. The drink service was way better than the Capitans party and you were almost forced to take drinks. Watched some kind of movie. Did some kind of elevator tour of the ship??...or was that before...hmmm...well didnt make it to dining room but ate the buffet...gotta get up early tomorrow for shore excursion so went to bed. Tonite or maybe it was Wed nite we went to see a guy sing in the Toulouse lounge. He was ok but not that great. Most of the entertainment was that way. Not as good as past Carnival trips but ok. I did discover Randy in the Casino tonite or maybe Wed. Good ole country music. My son was complaining about no country onboard so I told him Wed. he needed to hear him....to be continued

[jckvpa0]

You should tip 2.00 per bag/suitcase espically if you arrive in a limo.

 

Says who :rolleyes: !!!

 

Also you could really just quote the part of the thread you want to comment on instead of the whole post.

[ShoMeChiefsFan]

Sea Days (Mon/Tues)

 

Monday we laid by the aft pool on Lido Deck. The hot tub labeled "adults only" was full of kids and I have picture to prove it. Nothing was done but also noticed less kids thru the week. The label was in English so it is possible that many of the Mexican kids didnt know but the guards did nothing. Ate dining room breakfast and the grits and coffee are definitely better here. Also had coffee delivered for room service in AM. Didnt do much but relax today. Got in bed and kept hearing the " Spainish Train" ( a bunch of kids running up and down the hallway) going up and down the hall until well after 1AM. This seemed to get better later in the cruise or maybe its because we just stayed up later than them after that. Our room was cold and I guess this is because we were getting all of Jims (KC FANs) air. Seems like it was either hot or cold as Carnival uses volume dampers controlled by a thermostat on this ship. Your room temp is regulated by the volume of air and there is NO way to turn heat on...To us most of the ship was cold especially the first couple of days but it got better later in the week. Also went to Capitans party tonite (i think) and drink service was slow but didnt really want all that. It was a good party and the band was pretty good.

 

Tuesday..Woke up this morning sore from sleeping on the "Carnival Comfort Mattress". DW and I both agreed this was worst bed of any cruise ship and we had never slept so badly on a cruise. We reported this to our room steward and he said yes he could take care of it. If he did we never knew it. Seemed like tonite he did flip the mattress or something. I began practicing my Espanol today. I was looking forward to going to Cozumel to do this but I had plenty of opportunity on the ship. I began talking ( in Spanish) to many of the Latinos on board. At first I was a little upset thinking we had so many Americans who were either citizens and didnt practice English or who were illegally on board. Well after talking to a couple of people I found out that there were 1000 Mexicans on board and 80% of them were from Monterrey MX. Having been to Monterrey a couple of times and having friends from there made it very interesting. It seems that it was Spring break there and it is just a short plane ride to Houston for them. I was so glad to have them on board and really enjoyed getting to talk to them. I found that every group had at least one person that spoke English well. Towards the end of the week hearing all the Spanish wore on me mostly as I found myself trying to understand what they were saying and I was working myself to death trying to get an education instead of relaxing. I could, however, see how someone who knows no Spanish could get tired and also run into issues. The crew all (or mostly) seemed to speak the language but it really did keep alot of people from meeting and enjoying each others company due to the language barrier.

Ate lunch at the buffet and made our way to the CC party. It was great and our CC host did a great job of putting it together. Got to meet everyone. Found out past guest party was after this...oooops our slip/pin said 330 or something but that times past...well just got in line for the next one and they let us right in. We had never went to one of these before. The drink service was way better than the Capitans party and you were almost forced to take drinks. Watched some kind of movie. Did some kind of elevator tour of the ship??...or was that before...hmmm...well didnt make it to dining room but ate the buffet...gotta get up early tomorrow for shore excursion so went to bed. Tonite or maybe it was Wed nite we went to see a guy sing in the Toulouse lounge. He was ok but not that great. Most of the entertainment was that way. Not as good as past Carnival trips but ok. I did discover Randy in the Casino tonite or maybe Wed. Good ole country music. My son was complaining about no country onboard so I told him Wed. he needed to hear him....to be continued

 

sounds like your cruise was like our cruise, from what i read so far....i really wasnt impressed with the Conquest.

[Cruzfan34]

You should have driven I-10 from Lake Charles to Winnie....it was worse than any of the roads we were on in Jamaica...

 

You got that right!! We drive from Southwest La. to Galveston for our cruises and we take I-10 through Lake Charles and Winnie. It's awful. But haven't they started reconstruction? :rolleyes:

[bluefins]

Great job getting your reviews out so quickly guys!

[Calgary Guy]

OK here goes.. My first cruise and my first cruise review.

Flew into IHA. It was the same price to rent a car for the entire time than it was to take a limo or a cab. That and we appreciated the freedom of having our own car. (had to stop at Bass pro shop on the way back:) )

 

We spent our first night in Galveston at Guido's (Sp). Not a great hotel, our room was beat up and the beds wore out. OK if you just need a roof. But dont expect much. Actually I was disappointed with all of Galveston. Dumpy, Old, Dirty. I dont know why, seemed like a great place 10 years ago.

 

Boarding wasn't a issue, in fact as Canadian we have our own line once we got by the metal detector. For those that want to bring your own booze, we actually saw people in line with cases of beer on top of their luggage. Go figure.

 

More later

[briankinley2004]

You got that right!! We drive from Southwest La. to Galveston for our cruises and we take I-10 through Lake Charles and Winnie. It's awful. But haven't they started reconstruction? :rolleyes:

 

Yes but the reconstruction is making it worse...lanes narrow along with bumps, water on road, etc..maybe it will be good when done but right now its definitely 3rd world country!

[briankinley2004]

Wednesday--

We booked the Dunns River Falls thru Carnival because it is a 2 HR drive to the falls from the port and having been to Jamaica before we felt best to be guaranteed that we would be able to get back on the ship. DW and I have been to falls before via a resort tour but felt the kids needed to see Jamaica both for its beautiful countryside and poor living conditions. We got off the ship after waiting in line a while but went directly to the tour bus and left. We had an excellent tour guide and driver. The roads were alot better than they were in 01 when we came before and there were some nice new resorts being built. Arrived at the falls and did the tour just as we had expected. Thankfully because we had to get back to the ship we were not hearded thru the "shopping village" but did have a guy harrass everyone to buy beads. Never once offered dope but we didnt stray far from the group. Stopped at a jerk joint on the way back and got to eat some good jerk pork/chicken. Also got to stop at one of the gated shopping malls and got coffee, souviners, etc....Arrived back and discoverd the true meaning of Carnival CruiseLINE...The LINE was soooo long to get back on the ship. Only one gate was open at the ship. A guard came about 5 people ahead of us and said go to the second gate as it was opening to form a new line...well the idiots behind us began to run to the second gate as they saw it opening cutting us off...masses of people were running to this gate. Talk about no common courtesy. Anyway this was one of many lines we had to wait in on this cruise...After boarding we went to the 3rd deck and stood on the balcony and watched the local band play/dance. We enjoyed our short stay here and look forward to our planned return to one of the resorts this winter. Next time we will do another excursion on the cruise as we have all done the falls now. It is worth going to but after twice its pretty much the same. Ate in the dining hall with our new dinner guests. Went to the casino after. I discovered I could play 1 1/2 to 2 Hrs on 5bucks at the nickle video poker. Im not a gambler and have better luck working for money but this was cheap entertainment and the music was good. Also as a side note we purchased 100min. on the internet to contact home, etc. We didnt use all the minutes but only checked email and thats about it. In the past on shorter cruises we used the 100 min. up but this time didnt. Thursday to follow...

[briankinley2004]

Thursday--

As we had to tender DW was worried sick we wouldnt get off the ship on time for our excursion. We booked Capt. Marvins all day Conch dive, snorkel, sting ray and beach lunch. Well we went to the lounge early and got on tender boat #1. Got off, walked 3 or so blocks to left and there was Capt. Marvins. Got in line, paid and sat around for an hour or more waiting for 9AM. Called home on one of the pay phones (dont know what that cost yet). Got coffee, GC dollars and promptly at 9 AM boarded the tour bus to the dock which is in a residential area. This was probably the best or second best shore excursion we have been on for any cruise, especially for the money. We left the dock and arrived for the conch dive. Capt. Marvin himself piloted the boat at the young age of 90 or 91. He was such a nice man and was very alert and agile for his age. The crew told us right before the conch dive that conch had been hard to find lately and dont expect much....well while snorkeling around i was sorta mad asking myself why did they book a conch dive knowing there are no conch...well after seeing someone get one and seeing that they were under the weeds it made them easy to spot and we began to bring them up. I think every group found one big enough to keep and they began to clean them on the boat. Went to the next stop which was a snorkeling reef and saw alot of fish, rays, coral, etc...probably second to bahamas for fish and better as far as coral/plants...even found a few big starfish and sand dollars. the crew also found more conch...From there we went to the stingray swim and that was an experience. Got to hold them, touch them, kiss them, etc. I was thinking they would be close to shore in a tourist trap type atmosphere but they were actually way off land and for sure wild and free (although fed regularly by all the boats of people). Our last stop was at a beach resort with coconut trees on the beach. We ate an appetizer of conch salsa using the conch we caught. Then we got an awsome meal of fish/chicken prepared by Capt. Marvin himself. It was served buffet style on the beach and sort of like a picnic but hearty & tasty food. Returned to the dock and was thinking what an awesome trip this was and how special it was to be able to go out with the Capitan himself. He personally greeted everyone on board and went out of his way to see that everyone was taken care of. The crew cleaned our shells for the conch and each group got to take home a conch shell as a souviner...well return to reality...arrived back at the port and we were greeted with another cruiseLINE...The tender line was long (probably 1/4 mile) and wrapped from the tender boats, along the street and to the back of a shipyard loading dock. Probably took at least an hour to get to the tender boat. Also it was odd...there were several boats in port including the Carnival Valor but the only one with such a long line was the Conquest. We noticed on leaving that the RC cruise line had its own private tender boats and was not using the ones from the pier....Too tired to eat at formal dining...Ordered room service and this was a disappointment....We ordered some snacks and it took over 1 HR for them to arrive at our room. Never before on a cruise have we waited so long for room service. Around 7:45 we were very hungry from cruising all day and I was craving a burger...well got to the grill at straight up 8pm and it was totally cleaned up, closed and nothing to be had...wanted to go up to sur mer again but it was closed. Only one buffet line was open and the deli...I was glad to eat but a little ticked that your selection was so limited after 8 although our dining time was 8:30...surely wasnt going to call room service and we were just too tired to get dressed up for the 2nd formal night...Spent time in casino on nickle slots listening to Randy. Went back to my "Carnival Comfort Mattress"...when I got to the room there was an advertisement on the bed with towel animal, etc. trying to sell me the same mattress I was (not) sleeping on...what a joke..guess they were trying to sell them to get some new ones to replace these awful mattresses...anyway it was a great day at port and a bad day with Carnival

[briankinley2004]

Friday--Cozumel

Got up a little late as ship didnt dock until 9am...went to dining room for breakfast and got the good grits and coffee. The ship did alot of shaking and vibrating while we were docking to the point of empty glasses rattling on the table. Took a few tries to get tied off but realized the winds were bad once we got off the ship. There were 6 ships in port today. Got off easily and caught a cab to Chakanab as that was our planned excursion on our own. Well the taxi driver as well as everyone else here went so far out of there way to try to speak English. They would rather talk English but I could understand their Spanish better. Anyway after finally getting the cab driver to talk Spanish I got out of him that Chakannab may be closed to snorkeling due to the weather (high winds) and we may want to go to Paradise Beach (although we couldnt snorkle there either even if winds were down). Anyway the fluent English speaking greeter at Chakkanab informed us snorkeling/swimming was closed (red flagged) due to the rough seas but may open later in the day. Not knowing what else to do we paid the $14pp (we printed the online discount coupons) admission. We had a great tour of the garden area and in the Mayan ruin area (artificial) we were invited into a Mayan kitchen and fed home rolled tortillas with salsa by an old Mexican couple that were so nice. I was going to put a tip in what I thought was her tip jar but her DH explained this was to keep the tortillas warm in. I guess they were paid by the park and saw no one leaving a tip but this was a great escape and a good snack....Went to the beach and laid in the hammocks...around lunch or so the yellow flag was put out and people began to snorkle and swim. We rented fins and went out for about an hour at most and the wind picked up and it rained...didnt last long but was about 2 before it cleared up so we decided to go back for shopping and lunch. Went to Casa Blanca where we had eaten before...this time we ordered too much...the waiter insisted speaking English and recommending stuff to us inspite of what we wanted...wound up it cost 92 bucks for 4 peoples food with 2 rounds of drinks...I left a 100 with him and would have ordered different next time..I think they use the language barrier to their advantage some places...The food was very good but would have paid half that in the states. We did some shopping and were worried about the cruiseLINE so went back to the pier about 1/2 hour before last call....NO line at all and walked right on the boat...imagine that....now this is how cruising was on our other ships and how it should be....Ate at dining room that night and wound up in casino again...kept doing good at nickle poker and next thing I knew Randy was done singing....I looked up and he was watching me play LOL...I talked to him a bit and told him how much my son enjoyed his music...he got his name and next night brought him a CD and autographed picture...seems he played with Andy Williams and this was his first cruiseline gig...He was very nice and down to earth...anyway about 1:30 I had enough and cashed out...decided I would see what happened on a "funship" after midnite...well I walked all over the ship and was surprised to see that only 2 places had any people and that was the casino and a place called Henrys (I think)...I went in there to ask where the older crowd went at night and the bartender was very rude to me and walked off...I kept standing there and when he came back I asked him again where the older crowd went at night (mostly 20s/early30s in here with rap type music) and he then said casino which I had just left. This was just one of the rude episodes by a waitstaff..First sea day or so at the back of the Lido deck the barmaid waited on 2 people that arrived after me although I was sitting there with my card in hand. She asked who was next each time and I said I was but she went past me..got mad & asked for a supervisior and wound up talking to a guy under her...anyway the staff here was not as friendly as other cruises. Again walked all over the boat and other than a few teenagers "wind walking" on the track up high and those two places all was dead...Im not a party person or nite owl but if I were booking for a "fun ship" I would be thinking the nightlife would go on much past 1:30am....oh well went back to the "Carnival Comfort Mattress" with the For Sale sign on it and got a little shut eye but not much...