Conquest Premier Casino 5/31-6/8/15 Review

And he we are at the end of the cruise already. :(

I had just a little bit of eggs and a croissant since I was meeting P&P for brunch. Read for a little bit and met them outside the MDR. We sat at a large table and used our drink coupons. I had my new "usual" - a peach bellini, and also my usual huevos rancheros. It was ok. Sampled the cheese grits that someone shared with us and they were really good. I don't even like grits (only eat them with shrimp and grits), but I'll definitely get them next time.

The Premier Slot Tournament began at 10:30. This one is free if you have enough points. Since I had fewer than 500 on my card (thanks to hardly playing the slots at all), I had no idea if I would qualify. You need 2,000 points for entry.

On Freedom, I had about 1,500 points on my card but since I was playing Roulette for the first time, I really didn't know if I qualified or not. When I went to check, the casino hostess said "I don't know what you were worried about," so I obviously had plenty of points. Unfortunately, I didn't see just what I had.

This time, I made a point of watching her look up my name and saw that I had almost 4,000 points from the table play. I was in the last heat (#11), so went up and got myself a cup of tea, and came back down to wait in the sport bar.

Finally my turn. I had slot machine #6 (of 8) and had a great score, ending up with the 2nd-highest qualifying score. So, I got the 2nd pick of which machine. Silly me chose the same one. I should've known it was tapped out! The man on my left was leading up until the last seconds when the woman on my right passed him for the win. So, machine #5 won him $400 and machine #7 won her $600! Machine #6 won me $50. Oh well. In all, I'd won $175 just for being in the Premier group. I'll take it!

Down to the cabin to mostly pack. Since I was on an excursion after disembarking, I had three different sets of luggage tags - #5 from the Premier group, #1 as Platinum, and #3 for the excursion. I decided to just pack my one large case to leave out and keep the rolling duffle for all my other stuff in the morning. It's manageable at least.

Too late for a final fish & chips for lunch, I had a shrimp burrito again.

After getting ready for dinner early, I went to the casino. This time (because I needed to leave for dinner), I was actually doing OK.

Again, I was mildly ignored to start dinner, but once my order was taken, the food came quickly. I got my dessert card and sat and waited. And waited. Everyone else was just getting their entrees, but it really wouldn't have taken much time to take my order.

So, I decided to just leave. Waved goodbye to P&P and went back to the casino for my last gasp. Of course, since it was the last night and I had to be ready for my excursion at 7:45 in the morning (so needed to get to bed at a reasonable hour plus I needed to put my suitcase out), I was way up and having good luck. Ademar stopped by to say goodbye and gave me a hug and I gave him a tip. He even came back again in a little while when he was officially off duty to give me another hug.

I cashed out and took my pile of chips and my S&S card to the cage. When I went back to the cabin and got my stash out of the safe, I had about $1,000! :D Sure, some of that was my money that I'd brought, but still! I had cash! And my S&S bill was $59. :D :D

I'm in Durham, just off I-40, across the interstate from Southpoint Mall. I work now just over the Durham/Orange County line in Chapel Hill. I don't often hear any noise from the airport, but I can hear the hum of I-40 traffic when on my patio. That is if it isn't drowned out by the screaming kiddies at the apartment complex pool that's almost in my backyard. Makes it difficult to have a relaxing day on the patio, reading. What is it with kids and proximity to water that makes them immediately starts shrieking and screaming at the top of their lungs non-stop?!? :p

 

Lived in Durham for about 7 years and moved back to home state of MD in 2007. Last year, DH went back to work in NC (in Chapel Hill) and we bought a condo in Woodcroft (near you). My twin DDs have 2 more years of high school and then we sell the MD house and I join DH in the condo...can't wait and can't wait to have more drive to port options (and drive to Disney...we don't mind 9-10 hour drives, but currently- from MD- PC/Disney is about a 15+ hour drive and a little much). Anyway...got to go back and read the rest of your report, thanks for sharing!!!

They just moved the past guest party to the last sea day when they excluded Golds from the party and started giving them a drink coupon that is only good on the last sea day to coincide with the timing of the past guest party.

Yes, I found that out and suspected that I hadn't missed it. I just wanted to confirm that I hadn't. Going to the service desk while most of the pax were off the ship seemed like a good idea at the time.

I had simply avoided the threads here with the Golds complaining about how unappreciated they are now (because I'd felt for a while that the PG parties really were too large and there were too many inconsiderate drink hogs), so hadn't noticed that the PG party was also going to be on the last day.

I've been known to miss PG parties in the past because I wasn't paying attention to the day and time on the invitation. Given my tequila encounter at the beginning of the cruise, memory lapses were certainly a possibility! :p

There just was no excuse for the girl at the service desk to be unpleasant. I didn't even yell at her, like the woman on the scooter (who was served before me although she was in the other line because I told her to go ahead).

I don't think my question or my own behavior warranted her attitude. I was being pleasant enough, despite having been totally ignored. Like I said, all she had to do was LOOK UP and acknowledge the growing line. Just stop acting like we're invisible, especially when you aren't really even helping anyone!

Since I was supposed to be in the theater at 7:45, I set my phone's alarm for 6:45. Ugh. Now, normally, that would be considered "sleeping in" for me as I'm always up early, even on weekends and outside of tax season. I just wake up when it's daytime. But since I'd been sleeping rather later than this all week, it felt really early.

I went up and had my last delicious omelet and my tea, then back down to the cabin to pack up all the things I'd left out last night trying to make sure I didn't have any unallowed items in my tote bag, which doubles as my carry-on when I fly.

When I arrive at the theater right at 7:45, there's a line almost out the door on the port side. Of course, I had entered the starboard door. So I asked some folks to keep an eye on my bags and went and got in line. Now, there had been no mention of this lining up thing! I thought we were just to show up and they'd announce when the excursion was leaving.

Anyway, I stood in the very slow-moving line. There were two young women with a clipboard and a roll of stickers who had to look up each person's name, look at their ticket (and many people were collecting for their group and got there and didn't have everyone's tickets so had to call to them to gather them up and bring them down). I finally get my yellow sticker and headed for the ladies' room.

They called us just as I got back, so I grabbed my bags and headed out. Except they were wheeling someone in a wheelchair in and were blocking the entire aisle. There are wheelchair spots at the ends of many aisles, but instead of pulling over and letting the excursion people out, they just plowed ahead, forcing people to step back into aisles with their luggage.

On the way out, I saw my Roulette dealer of the night before (who had brought me such good luck) wearing a red "Ask Me" t-shirt. I bet the entertainment, casino, spa, shop people just love having to do these "extra" activities other than their real jobs. Well, maybe they do. I'm guessing they aren't crazy about it.

The long line snaked around the lobby and moved very slowly because no matter how many times it's announced, people get up there to the front of the line and don't have their S&S card. A woman in front of me apparently lost hers and the person had to call someone over, she had to show some other form of ID, and finally she was allowed to leave.

Down in the terminal, in luggage section 3, I immediately spotted my bag at the front on one of the lines and dragged it off into the very slow-moving customs/immigrations line. It wasn't as bad as in December, but it was still pretty slow. And wouldn't you know it? Once I finally get up to one of the lines for an immigrations officer, there's the same woman, who now apparently doesn't have identification to get back in the country! Good grief! So, we get diverted to another line while they deal with her. Oh, and there were officers walking around yelling at people to put the phones away. Again, no matter how many signs are posted or how many times it's announced, I continue to see people (during boarding and disembarkation) with their phones out, taking pictures (strictly forbidden), obliviously texting and talking. PAY ATTENTION! NO PHONES IN THE TERMINALS! Every time I see a review thread and someone has pics of the terminal while they're boarding, I just shake my head.

Finally back outside, we're directed all the way down to the big buses at the end of the building. I passed a couple of Roulette buddies and said goodbye, then talked to the tour guide and told him which airline, and boarded the bus. A few minutes later, we were off to the Everglades.

Our guide was a handsome older man, with an interesting accent. On the way, he gave us all the history of the Everglades and told us all about Marjory Stoneman Douglas and her preservation work.

We arrived at the park and lined up for the boats. We had a woman captain (Angela, I think). I had a good view, sitting on the end of a bench.

It was a beautiful (hot) day. I love how the blue sky and clouds were reflected on the water.

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We saw gators, birds (including buzzards), turtles, flowers, plants, trees, and I saw a large iguana very high up on a tree branch. Back at the park, we had a minute to get a drink (I was getting hungry; my braing and stomach said it was time for fish and chips!), then went under the tent to wait for the next Gator Boys show.

Now, I don't watch Animal Planet and have never seen Gator Boys. Some of the reviews of this excursion on Carnival's website said the show was really dull and boring and not what they were expecting. Since I wasn't expecting anything, I rather enjoyed it. I sent this photo to my DD with the caption "Perfect - a hot guy with a large reptile!" I imagine she rolled her eyes at that.

We were given another 30-45 minutes to waste shopping/eating/drinking. It was hot, but I just sat at a picnic table in the shade and caught up on my emails and FB.

Back on the bus, our guide gave us a lot of background info about his past. He was born in California but grew up in Argentina. His mother was French, so we moved to Paris when he was 17, I think, and went to university there. He then worked in theatre/opera (sets/costumes) and learned German and Italian. He also did some modeling. I can imagine he was very handsome when young. Now, he has silver hair and a beard, with a dark tan, and bright blue eyes. I was tempted to ask him if he was married. :p

The bus was making two stops for 4 terminals, so those of us departing from one of the first two were dropped between them. Naturally, SW was the first in Terminal 1, so I got to haul my bags all the way back to the entrance. On weekends, you can't check in until 2 hours before your flight time, but on weekdays, it's 4 hours. I only had to wait about 15 minutes, so I found a plug (but not a seat) and recharged my phone a little.

I checked in, poured my water out, went through security, and to the gate. There were no plugs (that worked) available and my battery was getting low, so I found a seat off in a corner and just read for a while. Some flights departed and I was able to finally get a stool at one of their charging stations. I was starving, so went next door for another of those tasty airport turkey sandwiches which I proceeded to tear into tiny pieces and eat with my fingers. People probably thought I was very weird. Hey, it's the braces, OK!?!

Having done my online checkin that morning, I was mildly surprised to get a B boarding number (although a high one). Even more surprising was finding a seat in the emergency exit row (I need the leg room; I'm 5'10" and all legs). Unfortunately, the man on my right had his left elbow glued to the armrest, and the man on my left had his right elbow glued to the armrest, so I got to sit with my elbows tucked in at my waist, which made reading my book a little difficult.

It was an uneventful flight and the bags arrived quickly. The taxi stand is right outside, so I was off in a flash. The driver said it was good I wasn't there a couple of hours earlier (I'd forgotten it was a weekday). He said traffic westbound on I-40 had been at a standstill forever and had only just cleared up.

I was home in about 15 minutes. Dragged my bags inside, turned the a/c back on (boy was it stuffy in there). Started one load of laundry, and plopped myself on the sofa. I was not looking forward to getting up early and going to work on Tuesday.

Why do vacations go by so very quickly?

Great review and wonderful pictures. Thank you so much for sharing and giving me something to look forward to in September!

If you are able to scan the Fun Times (which I know you were having a difficult time doing), it would be great to see.

Thanks again!

Thank you for the review. I too love those premiere cruises.

thanks

Enjoyed your review :)

Without asking, you answered some of my questions about the casino offer and what that entailed. Thanks!!

I'll try to scan the FunTimes. In the past, I've saved them as pics instead of pdf files, but then I end up with a photo of every page. And it's very time-consuming. I may try again over on the "practice" board and see if I can get a pdf that will upload. I may just need to change the settings on the scanner.

But I can look up anything in there if there's something specific. Of course, they're in my file cabinet at the office, not here on my sofa.

And I'll try to summarize my thoughts tomorrow. I always think of lots of things I meant to say after I've already posted. And then I usually forget what they were when I come back to add them! :o

Didn't feel well yesterday and spent most of the day at my desk staring into space. Not very productive and now I need to get some good, billable work done so not sure if/when I'll get to scan FunTimes. Sorry!

Been meaning to come back and wrap this up. I don't think scanning the FunTimes is going to happen. Sorry!

I failed to mention something from my day in St Marten. When we boarded our van, the driver said something about the ship. It seemed that everyone except me and a couple of women sitting in the back were on Oasis (which was leaving port an hour before us). When I said "I'm on Conquest," the woman across from me said, "oh, you POOR thing!!!" with heavy emphasis on the poor and said it very loudly so everyone would hear.

I looked at her and said, "Why? I like the ship, the decor, the food, the crew, the cabin, and the price! It's my 22nd Carnival cruise. And, yes, I've sailed Royal Caribbean."

Not to start a "them vs us" thing, but, geez. I personally have no desire to sail Behemoth of the Seas. I know people love them, but I just can't see the point. But don't give me this "poor thing" crap because I'm on little old Carnival Conquest. I don't like ship snobs. :mad:

Overall...

There were times I was mildly bored. That's not Carnival's fault. That's because I don't WANT to do things on sea days. I want those days to read and relax. And if I don't do that, I find myself back in the casino and I never do well during the day, so that isn't a good alternative.

Speaking of reading, the library isn't any longer. The good news it seems to be open most of the time. Used to be you had to be there one of the rare times there was a crew member who unlocked the cases and signed out books. The bad news is there are no books! What kind of library doesn't have books?!? :(

Now, there's one cabinet that has a few books that people have left. It's just an exchange. Saying that, I did deposit 2 of the 3 books I read. I was able to find a couple of books (but it turned out I realized that I'd already read one). Doesn't it just figure? So, that was rather disappointing.

The Platinum gift was the game board. I didn't really even open it. I put a Post-It on it the last day that said "Free to a Good Home" and took it to the library and left it on a table. Next time I walked past, it was gone.

I know it's pointless to complain about the volume of everything, everywhere. But, really, does the girl with the (miked) acoustic guitar in the lobby need to be so loud that they have to crank up the volume on the TVs in the sports bar so people can hear, which means people have to crank up their own volume to be heard by their neighbors. And what makes them think we need blaring pop music at all hours in the buffet? I just don't get it. And I love music! Just turn the volume down. There apparently is no one who adjusts any of this at any time, so the volume is as loud when a venue is full as it is when empty. The big, blaring TV is as loud while sitting in port as it when zipping along in the high winds at sea.

I'll complain once again of them NOT putting in the Serenity Deck when they did the 2.0 upgrades. That was just stupid.

Food - pretty good, overall. Disappointed in Guy's, liked Blue Iguana more than before, don't "do" regular buffet food but the little I tried was very tasty. Rarely eat desserts. Didn't order room service. Didn't eat in the steakhouse.

Didn't go to the spa. Didn't play trivia. Didn't go to Karaoke.

Only went to the two shows I mentioned. I just don't understand the rabid complaints about the Playlist shows. Didn't spend time in the Piano bar. Didn't have anything to drink at Alchemy.

The Latin band wasn't nearly as good as some others I've had (trio on Conquest repo 11/2013 was really excellent).

See. There are more things I don't do on a cruise than things I do do. <snicker>

I do think I need some variety in the future (after Milestone). But what's the point in having different things to do when you don't do any of them anyway? :confused:

I enjoy reading your photo review...hope you find a strap for your phone (camera). :):):):)

Enjoyed reading your review. I am more excited now and cannot wait until August cruise on the Conquest!!!

Hey, thanks for bumping this up. Made me realize that I never posted the link to my Flickr albums. Lots more photos there (and from several other cruises, including Conquest on 11/16/14).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nctribefan/albums

I started breaking down the photo albums by port days and then the pre-cruise and ship photos are separate. You can tell by the dates which are which.

If you're in the casino, find Edamar the drink server (tall with dark hair, from Bosnia) and tell him "Ms Pinot Grigio" says hello.

~waves from the OBX~ How does the solo traveling work? Does it cost more? How can i check? thanks

Usually, a solo pays the full price for the cabin (double occupancy). So I get to pay for two people when I sail solo.

When I sail with a friend who pays half, it really helps my finances.

Last year, there were some no-single-supplement sailings but I haven't seen many lately. My Pride 5/3/14 sailing was like that (which was the only reason I could afford it as they're usually pretty expensive for "just" the Bahamas). I even splurged and got an aft balcony for less than I usual pay for an inside.

Honestly, I really enjoy sailing solo. It's very liberating. Don't have to worry about anyone else. Spend as much or as little time doing whatever I want. Be as sociable or anti-social as I want. Eat alone or with others. Dance by myself if I want.

But, yes, it would be nice to get some sort of price break. Yes, the cabin steward has (almost) as much work as for two, but I'm only eating for one. But I'm also only spending for one on drinks, gambling, and excursions.

There are online sites where you can search for fare reductions for solos. Can't name them here, but they're easy enough to find. Or get a PVP at Carnival and let them know you're looking for no-single-supplement sailings.