Conquest Review for 7-29-07

[Sports Mama]

First of all let me give you a little background on us. This was our 4th cruise and our 3rd cruise with Carnival. Overall, we had a WONDERFUL time. My parents cruised with us and they have cruised 5 times and this was their first Carnival cruise, most of their cruises have been on RCCL. Our traveling party ranged in ages of 71 – 14. Please keep in mind this is my opinion. My family and I are not extremely picky. To me, the only bad cruise is the cruise I am not on. Would I cruise Carnival again, yes, would I cruise the Conquest again, yes!!! The one thing that really made me upset on the whole cruise was the Club 02 -teen club. My son was 1 month and 2 days from his 15th birthday (his birthday is Sept. 1st) and has already completed 1 year of high school (yes, we had his school ID). The Club 02 director would NOT allow him to come to the teen club. She said he had to be one month away from his birthday and to come back on Wed. Well on Wed. while we were on the cruise he was exactly 1 month away from his birthday, she still would not let him enter after she told him she would. She claimed that this was company policy, well I remember a thread not too long ago where a Club 02 director from another ship said they usually let them in, if they are 2 to 3 months from their 15th birthday. Maybe for his ship, but the Conquest Club 02 director said one month was company policy. :confused: So those of you that are cruising with teens that are close to their 15th birthday, BEWARE!!!! I can understand a rule, but when he was 1 month from his birthday(which she claims is company policy), she still would not let him in.:mad:

Embarkation:

Arrived at EZ Cruise parking around 11:15 a.m. and was on board the ship by 1:15 p.m. and eating lunch. We were not able to go to our cabins until 2:00 p.m., but we did go and put our carry on luggage in our cabins in a closet. Right after we checked in and while my parents were checking in the computers went down and after we got back the following Sunday our porter told us the lines became very long. Lucky us!!!

Cabin:

We stayed in 6411 – balcony. We absolutely loved it. A lot of people complain of noises on this deck, but we did not hear anything from below, which is the casino, clubs, etc. I believe we were right above the coffee shop and sushi bar. Yes, I chose this cabin assuming that I should not hear any noise. The only noise I ever heard was the traditional hall noise you usually get. One thing I did like about this deck, it was really convenient to get to the public areas. My parents stayed in cabin 7453, which is an aft balcony. They really enjoyed it, except it did have a lot of sun and you had to walk a lot to get to the public areas, some trash and soot on the balcony, but I told them about this before they left and so they were not surprised. They said it wasn’t that bad. At first they complained about the walking, but they got use to it and said they would do it again. If you want a private balcony I would not choose an aft balcony. My parents did enjoy visiting with their neighbors. Our cabin steward Leonard was pretty good; he always attended to our needs. At first he had a little trouble figuring out when to do our turn down at night, even though he knew what time we went to dinner. It seemed like the first two nights, we would come back from dinner and then he wanted us to leave so he could take care of our cabin. Once, he kind of figured out that we went to dinner and then came back to change for the shows and the casino everything was smooth sailing and he did a great job.

Food:

Overall, I would say it was good. By far the best place to eat was the dining room. We had the 5:45 seating in the Monet and our waiters were Igusti and Igede. WE LOVED THEM!! My dad said they were the best wait staff he has ever had on a cruise!!! Unfortunately Igusti will leave after this week. He has finished his contract and will be going home for 2 months. I was not crazy about the 5:45 seating, I really wanted the 6:15, but it worked out okay. I wasn’t crazy about where our table was either, but if we would have changed times and tables, then we wouldn’t have gotten to meet Igusti and Igede!!!! We would come in from our ports of call, shower, take about 1 to 1 ½ hour nap, and get ready for dinner. Some people do not like the waiters dancing in the dining room, but we loved it. My parents had never experienced that on the cruise and they really looked forward to it each night. Some of the dishes that we really liked in the dining room during dinner were: shrimp cocktail, lobster, beef wellington, prime rib, veal parmesan, fried shrimp (starter), some mushroom dish (starter)—can’t think of the name of it, southwestern egg roll (starter), Quail, a couple of chicken dishes, and do not miss the chocolate melting cake if you are a chocolate lover. The buffet on the lido deck was good, but I personally felt that some of the choices on the grand buffet (during lunch) were not any good. I tried a few things and didn’t really care for them and neither did my family. We are not a picky eaters either. Believe me, we did find plenty to eat—my scale will tell you that. Some things not to miss in the buffet on the lido deck: pizza, Paul’s deli, the fish and chips, PC Woks, hamburgers, and hot dogs. The breakfast buffet was pretty good. Yes, they do offer just about the same things every day, but there is such a variety you don’t have to eat the same thing every day. Some drinks that I really enjoyed were: Miami Vice, Mango Margarita, & the Dirty Banana Daiquiri –that is just a few!!

Activities and Shows:

I was a little disappointed here. In our opinion the best show to see was on Friday night: Manuel Zuniga a juggler and Marc Rubben a comedian/ventriloquist. Marc Rubben’s midnight show was great too, well worth staying up for. Did not care for the magic show, which featured Deja. My parents went to almost all of the shows and said the Conquest dancers and singers were pretty good. On the first night comedian Greg Ray, was pretty good. I felt like their should have been more activities during the day on the lido deck by the pool on sea days, they especially needed more live music. They would only have live calypso music for about an hour or hour and half; Noon until 1 or 1:30 p.m. That is just my opinion. The cruises I have been on in the past, during the day if there wasn’t an activity going on they had live music, so most of the early morning hours and afternoon there was something going on. Believe me there were plenty of activities on board for anyone to find something to do. There were a lot of activities in different areas of the ship. We did not stay long for the Mardi Gras party, but everyone seemed to be having a good time. We were tired and had to get up early for a shore excursion the next morning, plus I am not a big night owl. By Thursday I was so tired, I couldn’t do anything after dinner except stay in my room and sleep.

Ports of Call:

Jamaica- I was really worried about this port of call, because of the things I have heard. We ended up taking a Carnival sponsored shore excursion. We did the snorkel and Doc’s Cave beach. They picked us up from the pier and took us directly to the catamaran and we sailed out to our snorkeling spot. We were there about 30 minutes and then they took us to Doc’s Cave beach for about 2 hours. They picked us back up at the pier at the beach and took us directly back to the ship. I did my shopping at the terminal and found all of the items I was looking for and got back on the ship. At no time did I feel unsafe. In fact, we really enjoyed the day. We were not solicited by anyone, but we were in a very controlled environment. Now, the people that were running the excursion tried to sale you necklaces, bandanas, and braids, but they were not pushy about it at all.

Grand Cayman—Snorkeled with Capt. Bryan. I would definitely use them again. They were absolutely WONDERFUL. As many times as my parents have been to Grand Cayman they never snorkeled with the stingrays. They did this time and loved it. When we went to our second snorkeling spot, we were able to pet and snorkel with a nerf shark. A lot of us found this to be very cool and an added extra bonus. They even stopped on the way back and showed us some starfish and we were able to get in the water and take pictures.

Cozumel: We did a discovery scuba dive with Eagle Ray divers. This was the third time we have used them and they were GREAT again. What can I say the water here is just beautiful!!! No place like it. Grand Cayman runs a very close second.

Debarkation:

Just a couple of weeks ago Carnival went to a number system for debarkation and the porter told us it seems to be working really good. My advice here is patience. Getting over 3,000 + people off of a ship takes time. We chose to not do self-embarkation, so we got off of the ship about 10 a.m. and we were heading home by 11:00 a.m. My advice is whether you self embark or not as soon as you get off the ship have one person wait in the porter line and if you have to get your luggage have your other family members retrieve your bags and meet you back at the porter line and the porter will take you to customs. They will have a short cut, so you can pass up the long line for customs. Your wait will be a lot less. Oh, when we went to go get our bags, they were all together and that is the first time in all of our cruises that this has happened. The porter told us that is because of the new numbering system.

All and all we had a wonderful cruise. The staff and crewmembers of the Conquest were always friendly and kind. It is unbelievable how nice they are with the hours they work. There are some very hard working people on those ships. I am so depressed and looking forward to another cruise. Hopefully, we will be able to have a family cruise next summer. If you have any questions I will try to answer them. I will be on and off of the boards for the next few days. Those of you that are getting ready to cruise the Conquest, you will love her and the staff. Mark Price the cruise director is a very talented young man.

[mrmrscheese]

Great review! Were so counting down the days! We just love the Conquest!

[jaku4058]

We were in 8277 and had a great time. The food was great as you stated and the Filet Mignon was something I will never forget....well that and the Chocolate Melting Cake desert that we had pretty much every night. We were in Monet at the 8PM seating and we preferred the late seating because it did not make us rush to dinner and if we were on board we just ate a late lunch.

 

To the lady that went postal because my wife sat on your lounge chair that had a towel blow off in the wind, bite me. You were a nasty one and need to learn to play well with others. My wife got up, and we moved, no big deal, an no need to react like we took your last meal. And the fact that you got up and left 10 minutes later means you will pay for that move in some way I am confident.

 

Jamaica was ok, but I won't go back. We had a blast on the Canopy tour zip lines, but we were not comfortable there and no American tourist should.

 

Grand Cayman, we had 10 in our party, we did the snorkel and sting ray thing but we chartered our own boat for $500 so that was $50 each and we only had 10 people and all people we knew. Spent more time doing what we liked and had a blast.

 

Cozumel, did the booze cruise on the catamaran right there on the pier. Was great, snorkelled, but was hesitant as we saw two sharks from our room that AM in the water below. Went to the private beach and back. Did Senor Frogs, got hammered at Senor Frogs, but it was a blast.

 

I will say this, on the 7 day cruise you are done when it is done. Maybe all the nights of smoke at the Blackjack tables, all the days by the pool, and the sun....but when it was over, it was good and just right.

[ballarinamom]

Am I to understand that it took you 2 hurs to check in and get on board? That seems unusually long! But I haven't been on Carnival in a long time. We've been doing Norwegian and RCI the past 10 times. Is this the norm on Conquest?

[Snoozeman]

good one Sports Mama:)

[*Mach*]

Thank you.

 

I am SO ready to sail! You're review made the wait even worse but it was very well done.

 

Thanks a bunch!

[gfsmith]

Thanks for you review. I am interested in this new number system?? How does it work does it effect the self disembark system???

[GinnyJ]

Do you remember the O2 club director's name? I think she is new to the Conquest - seems like I read a review where they were bringing someone from the Holiday to run the Conquest O2 club.

[mustwork2cruise]

Do you know how much longer Mark Price is going to be on board? We had Todd Wittmer last year and he has to be one, if not the best CD's Carnival has.

We normally get to the port around 10 and are on the ship by 11:30 or so. I hope this time it is the same.

 

Sounds like you had a great time! I am glad to hear it. I believe I may check on the renting your own in GC. Sounds pretty neat.

[Rita]

I noticed that you said you did EZCRUISE parking- How did it go and would you recommend it- We will be saling September 9th and can't wait- I plan on using that parking- Thanks

[GayleR]

Thanks for you review. I am interested in this new number system?? How does it work does it effect the self disembark system???

 

Yes, please tell us more about the numbering system. Also, did you have paper docs or Edocs? Did you receive debark tags in your cabin?

 

To the lady that went postal because my wife sat on your lounge chair that had a towel blow off in the wind, bite me. You were a nasty one and need to learn to play well with others. My wife got up, and we moved, no big deal, an no need to react like we took your last meal. And the fact that you got up and left 10 minutes later means you will pay for that move in some way I am confident.

 

What comes around, goes around! I just like to be there when idiots like this lady get theirs!!!!! :cool:

[shimmerini]

Thanks for the great review! We will be using Capt Bryan in a few weeks. What time did you tender in Gr Cayman? I was hoping to let the majority off the boat before we left. We booked the Buccaneer so leave later in the morning.

[Matlily]

Another great review on the conquest - can't wait to go :)

[Cruise, J.D.]

Great review and glad you had a wonderful time!

[earl_m]

Glad you enjoy your cruise!!!

[Sports Mama]

Am I to understand that it took you 2 hurs to check in and get on board? That seems unusually long! But I haven't been on Carnival in a long time. We've been doing Norwegian and RCI the past 10 times. Is this the norm on Conquest?

 

 

That was the time we parked are car until we were sitting in the buffet eating. That will include shuttling over to the cruise terminal, going through security, checking in, taking pictures, walking to our cabins and puttting our stuff down and then eating. It really wasn't that bad at all. I have had quicker check ins, but this was the largest ship I have been on and there were 3,600 people on this sailing.

[Sports Mama]

Thanks for you review. I am interested in this new number system?? How does it work does it effect the self disembark system???

 

You have two choices: self disembarkation or assisted disembarakation (where they take your luggage the night before--the traditional method). The night before disembarkation everyone receives luggage tags with a number on them. The morning of disembarkation, you can either wait in the buffet on deck 9 or wait somewhere on deck 5. You must be out of your rooms by 8:45 a.m. If you self embark they will call you by deck number and even or odd cabin numbers. When your deck and cabin have been called you leave with your luggage--the number system doesn't really matter if you self embark. If you get assisted debarkation then you will wait on either deck 5 or 9 and wait for your number you were given to put on your luggage to be called and then when you get to your luggage there is numbers posted and you will find your luggage. All of our luggage was right together. I hope I answered your question.:) If you self disembark, you will get off of the ship a little quicker. No matter whether you self disembark or use assited disembark I highly recommend getting in the porter line and then going through customs--it is a lot quicker.

[Sports Mama]

Do you remember the O2 club director's name? I think she is new to the Conquest - seems like I read a review where they were bringing someone from the Holiday to run the Conquest O2 club.

 

My DS said there were two of them and one of their names was Lindsey!!! I would really like to give her a piece of my mind right now. My DS was really looking forward to hanging out there!! He still met a lot of new friends and had a great time in spite of it all. It really makes me mad when somebody says one thing and then doesn't follow through!!:mad:

[Sports Mama]

Do you know how much longer Mark Price is going to be on board? We had Todd Wittmer last year and he has to be one, if not the best CD's Carnival has.

 

Wasn't mentioned, but he was great!!!:D

 

I noticed that you said you did EZCRUISE parking- How did it go and would you recommend it- We will be saling September 9th and can't wait- I plan on using that parking- Thanks

 

This was the second time I have used EZ cruise parking and I have not had a problem at all. You park, take your bags the the covered area and a shuttle will pick you and you luggage up and take you to the cruise terminal. When you come back they have a place where you go to (they will have a sign) at the terminal and they will take you and your luggage back to your car.

 

Gayle--I had paper docs and we received disembarkation tags in our cabin the day before we left.

[gatorinark]

Great review. We have same aft balcony room 12-30-07 as your parents had. Can't wait.

[pugmommy]

Great review! Thanks so much for the information. Im sorry that your son got the treatment he did but I'm glad he made some friends. Im also glad that you liked Captain Bryan's. We used them last November and will be using them again this October. I loved them last time too!

 

~pugmommy

[The Installer]

Jamaica was ok, but I won't go back. We had a blast on the Canopy tour zip lines, but we were not comfortable there and no American tourist should.

 

 

What was the deal with that....we are sailing 9/9/07 and were thinking about going on that excursion....tell me more...