Just off the Conquest!

[eastexascruiser]

We just got off our Thanksgiving week cruise on the Conquest. This was our 3rd time on the ship. Wonderful as usual! Here is a quick review. Let me know if any questions - I would be happy to help!

 

Embarkation: A breeze. We used EZ Cruise parking. We took the suggestion off this board to drop off our group at the pier then DH took the car to the parking lot then came back and met up with us. This was a huge time saver. You can get to the pier as early as 10:30 and get on the ship for lunch!

 

Warning - They were very strict on the size limits for coolers. I had a rolling cooler packed with my water and juice. It was bigger than the 12x12x12 limit (by 3 inches). We had to take the cooler back to the car. It turned out to be no biggie as we had a frig in the room, but the fiasco did slow down our getting on the ship ;)

 

Rooms: We booked an aft balcony this cruise. Loved it!! We had 8457 & 8459. 8459 had a huge balcony (bigger than the rest). It was a great place to hang out, relax, enjoy sunsets, sunrises, etc. I was a little nervous about being under the Lido deck, but turned out this wasn't a problem at all. We did hear them cleaning and moving chairs every night, but not a problem at all ... to be continued ...

[MicksMom]

Glad you had a great time. We will be on her for the 2nd time in just under 5 weeks! Can't wait.

 

Can't wait to read your review!!!

[HoustonTodd]

Can't wait to hear the rest. I'm also coming up on a repeat cruise on the Conquest, would love to hear how she's doing.

[firefly333]

Warning - They were very strict on the size limits for coolers. I had a rolling cooler packed with my water and juice. It was bigger than the 12x12x12 limit (by 3 inches). We had to take the cooler back to the car. It turned out to be no biggie as we had a frig in the room, but the fiasco did slow down our getting on the ship ;)..

 

I wonder why people keep ignoring the warnings. Its lucky you were parked close enough to take it back to the car. Many people have had to abandon their coolers and carry their soda on in their arms.

 

Hopefully, some others will see this and not decide they can see if the rule applies to them. thanks

 

My last cruise on the Conquest was my best ever too. Glad to hear you loved your cabin(s) and had a great time.

[gr1634]

We are 13 days out from our 5th Conquest cruise - DW's favorite ship. Just want to confirm something if you can help: Tues night is lobster night and second elegant night is Thursday?? Assume it is the same for the Western and Eastern iteneraries. ??

GR

[Peddler&Tass]

Interesting about the coolers ... we have used a soft side cooler and checked it with the luggage with no problem...It measures 11X11x15

Later

Jim

[DFW Airwolf]

Yeah I dont even bother with coolers. I just spread the case or 2 of 20oz sodas I bring among the various suitcases. This has a 2-fold effect. It lets me get the soda on without a hassle. And then the extra room I get from their space when I come home is for T-Shirts etc we always pick up.

 

We are staying in 8452 in January, hopefully you got some pictures you can post so we can get an idea about these cabins.

 

Hey there to HOUSTONTODD, looks like we are sailing together on the Conquest in January. Looking forward to having some FUN & hopefully she wont be too corwded or anything being in January. (We have always cruised in MAY)

[firefly333]

Interesting about the coolers ... we have used a soft side cooler and checked it with the luggage with no problem...It measures 11X11x15

 

Later

Jim

 

Just because you got away with it before, doesnt mean you will next time. Id go prepared to have to deal with it, if they do say you cant bring it onboard. Just fold it into your luggage and bring it on in your luggage, why take the chance? Thats why people use soft sided coolers, so they can fold them up into their luggage.

[eastexascruiser]

I wonder why people keep ignoring the warnings. Its lucky you were parked close enough to take it back to the car. Many people have had to abandon their coolers and carry their soda on in their arms.

 

Hopefully, some others will see this and not decide they can see if the rule applies to them. thanks

 

My last cruise on the Conquest was my best ever too. Glad to hear you loved your cabin(s) and had a great time.

 

Firefly,

 

I didn't ignore the warning about the cooler - I just wasn't aware of the policy, new or not. We had taken the same cooler on our past cruises and it never was an issue. It was only 20 bucks so it wouldn't have been a biggie to just hand it over to security. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that this is now strictly enforced, at least for our cruise. In the future, we won't even mess with the cooler -we didn't need it anyway.

 

More of my review to follow ... :)

[eastexascruiser]

We are 13 days out from our 5th Conquest cruise - DW's favorite ship. Just want to confirm something if you can help: Tues night is lobster night and second elegant night is Thursday?? Assume it is the same for the Western and Eastern iteneraries. ??

GR

 

Our first elegant night was Tuesday & yes it was also lobster night (and Mardi Gras deck party). The 2nd elegant night was Thursday night (Grand Cayman). Not sure if they stick with these nights for both itineraries. Happy cruising!

[lady_cruiser]

We have 8445 booked for our September cruise. Do you have pictures of your AFT that you can share with us?

[Peddler&Tass]

A question ...

 

Are these coolers that were turned away carry on or checked luggage. :confused:

 

Thanks

[ConquestJan17]

Is there vegetarian Indian food on the Conquest?

What hours can we get sushi at the sushi bar?

 

We are on the Jan. 17th cruise. I don't see a "roll call". My daughter isn't thrilled about being the oldest in Camp Carnival. Anyone been in this situation?

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

Adina

[astros fan]

Adina-

We are going to be on the same sailing...counting the days. I don't have answers to most of your questions, but I can point you to our roll call.

P.S.--welcome to CC.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=923824

[nybumpkin]

My daughter isn't thrilled about being the oldest in Camp Carnival. Anyone been in this situation?

Which age group? In February when we sailed on Glory, my youngest son turned 9 toward the end of the cruise. We probably could have put him in the 9-11 group, but we opted to have him in the 6-8 group because he had always enjoyed that group's activities. He was the oldest, but it didn't faze him - he had lots of friends among the 8 YO boys in the group.

[Shewuf]

We're on the Conquest December 13th. It's a vacation, which means I don't want any hassles, like dragging a cooler along. So, what's in those coolers that you can't get on the ship? :o

[Luluwa]

Is there vegetarian Indian food on the Conquest?

What hours can we get sushi at the sushi bar?

 

We are on the Jan. 17th cruise. I don't see a "roll call". My daughter isn't thrilled about being the oldest in Camp Carnival. Anyone been in this situation?

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

Adina

I was on the Conquest in April and the Indian dish was the first night on the ship - yum. I believe the sushi bar is open each night 5:30-8 except "formal nights." That could have changed.

[lindnet]

 

 

We are on the Jan. 17th cruise. I don't see a "roll call".

 

Adina

 

Hi Adina! You posted on the roll call a couple of days ago. I know it's not very lively yet, but come back and chat with us some more! :D

 

Adina-

We are going to be on the same sailing...counting the days. I don't have answers to most of your questions, but I can point you to our roll call.

P.S.--welcome to CC.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=923824

 

Hi there Dixie! You haven't posted on the roll call in a while......come back! :p

 

(Sorry to hijack your thread, I'm just rounding up my little lost sheep. ;) )

[waiting4acruise]

On cruise critic there was a mention that there was a man overboard or the Conquest responded to a man overboard call Saturday night.

Can you confirm this?

[beemergal]

What was the weather like? Too cool to sunbathe?

[GlendaleCruiser]

Just had to say, "I love that ship".

 

Hope to sail on her again soon.

[eastexascruiser]

A question ...

 

Are these coolers that were turned away carry on or checked luggage. :confused:

 

Thanks

 

 

We brought ours as a carry-on as we were oblivious to the regulations on the cooler size limitations. As it turned out, we didn't need it anyway since we had a frig in our room. We just asked our room steward to take all the bar drinks out of the frig so we could use it.

[eastexascruiser]

Is there vegetarian Indian food on the Conquest?

What hours can we get sushi at the sushi bar?

 

Adina

 

One one day, there was vegetarian Indian food on the lunch buffet. The Sushi Bar is open from 5p-7p on Promenade Deck, but the lines can get long. Sushi is also served at Sur Mer, above the Sun Deck Pool area.

[eastexascruiser]

What was the weather like? Too cool to sunbathe?

 

The weather was a little chilly, but that didn't stop most people from sunbathing and enjoying the pools!

[eastexascruiser]

Food: The food on the Conquest was wonderful as usual. The food in the buffet lines and main dining rooms is not 5 Star quality, nor is it advertized as such. If this perspective is kept in mind, I don’t see how the food could possibly be a disappointment. The main issue our group had was regarding beef/steak. My suggestion would be to order your beef 1 degree lower than you normally would. If you prefer medium, order your beef medium-rare. If you are very particular about your beef, you might want to just choose of many other options that are available each night.

Breakfast: Since this was our 3rd trip on the Conquest, I wanted to try the main dining room for breakfast for a change of pace. We enjoyed our eggs benedict and Belgium waffles with blueberries and cream! Only problem is that the coffee is served in tiny little cups. I would think it would be easier on the wait staff if the coffee cups were normal size... The breakfast buffet had the usual fare – scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, hash browns, pancakes or French toast, fruits, cereals, yogurts, etc. There also were the omelet stations, which again tend to be a source of crowding and hurt feelings because the line is confusing. I would grab an egg white veggie omelet if there wasn’t a line. Otherwise, I would just enjoy something from the buffet.

Lunch: Sur Mer is our favorite. Nice place to escape the crowds and eat some fish n chips, ahi tuna, etc. Of course there are also the lunch buffet areas, deli, grill, wok station, pizza, main dining room … again an option to satisfy any craving!

Dinner: We always ate dinner in the main dining room. We did the assigned dining time as their were 14 in our party. I mentioned above that there were a couple issues with the beef dishes, but other than that, I cannot complain. I just find it amazing that the staff can service such wonderful dishes to thousands of people! The lobster was as good as any I’ve ever had. The pasta dishes were always a hit. DH’s saying is that if ribs are on the menu – order them! … And this from a man who has lived in TX his entire adult life!

I gained 5 pounds and am still in withdrawals from lack of chocolate melting cake … what more can I say about the food!