Thanksgiving Cruise on the Conquest

[DES07]

We were on this same cruise and all I can say is that it was the best vacation I have ever had. The weather was great and the people were wonderful. I can't recall even one problem the entire week long. I'm already planning our next cruise well really our next two.... We are going on a short cruise April or May and an 8 day one the week before christmas next year on the new ship.... can't wait :p

[mightykat]

I cannot wait to read more of your review - my son (who will be 16 at that time) and I are going to go on the Thanksgiving week cruise on the Conquest in 2011 out of NOLA - so excited already :)

[liuyuehehua]

Hi dfmeeks,

Thanks a lot for such detailed information. We took cruise trip several time before, and we also prefer choosing shore excurshions ourselves. Both my husband and I are early 50's and we are pretty active. We may conisder reef snorkel, swim with rays and have some relaxed time on 7 Mile Beach. Did you try any one of these?

By the way, I really enjoy the pictures you posted.

Thank you again for your kindness.

[dfmeeks]

The sea days pretty much are a blur so, rather than give details, I'll just offer the highlights. I'll offer more detail for the POC days.

Anyway, when we weren't pulling into port, I woke up to this every morning....

 

 

 

 

 

At one point, we passed another small cruise ship.

 

 

I brought 2 books with me but didn't even complete 1. I found most of my time spent just gazing at the view. I can read at home but we're land-locked in Oklahoma!

[dfmeeks]

When my DD turned 13, DH gave her a diamond necklace. It wasn't expensive, only about $200. Anyway, on the first formal night, she wore it. After dinner, Tess & Anna sat in the hot tub. Well, she came to our cabin crying. Her chain broke & the diamonds were gone. We told her it was an expensive lesson not to wear jewelry in a hot tub, pool, etc. But she felt bad because it was of sentimental value. So Dave found someone on the Lido deck & asked them to check the hot tub whenever they drain it. We really thought it was a long shot. Later that evening, they came to our door with the diamond! I thought that was really cool that they made an effort. I was so impressed!!

We had any time dining which was great. We maybe waited 5 minutes tops. However, there was a long line on the first formal night. Rather than wait, we stopped at the service desk & asked them to see if the steak house had any openings. They did so we immediately made out way up there. It was so worth it! I had the crab cake, surf & turf, & that wonderful chocolate dessert.

 

I don't remember what everyone else had as an appetizer but, for main entree, Tess had the lobster tail, Anna had surf & turf, & Dave had the 24 oz porterhouse. Everything was flavorful & cooked to perfection! Later in the evening, it occurred to us that we were never offered veggie or potato. We still left there stuffed!

I just realized I have to get ready for work. I'll enter more later. Have a great day!

[okwriter]

Howdy, neighbor!

Great review so far, and I'm also enjoying your pictures. Makes me want to sail that ship!

[mandms40]

Hi Neigbor,

 

We are in Miami, OK. Not too far from you, we sailed on her a year ago and loved the ship. This next cruise we are going on the Miracle doing the S. Caribbean, and have a balcony, a first on Carnival. Love the review, am waiting for more.

 

Thanks,

Sandra

[dfmeeks]

I'm sad I've come to the end of the review for now! I'm not even sailing this ship, but I can't wait to hear more and see the pics...

 

Plus I know anyone who lives in Stillwater has good taste...having lived there myself once upon a college degree!

 

 

Ha ha! Well, I'm not from Oklahoma but we've been here about 9 years. I lived in Ct most of my life. OU & UCONN are playing in the Fiesta Bowl so I'm just thankful I'm in Stillwater right now & not Norman.

[dfmeeks]

We were on this same cruise and all I can say is that it was the best vacation I have ever had. The weather was great and the people were wonderful. I can't recall even one problem the entire week long. I'm already planning our next cruise well really our next two.... We are going on a short cruise April or May and an 8 day one the week before christmas next year on the new ship.... can't wait :p

 

I thought it was great too! I've been looking at booking another one as well. Which ship are you sailing on this spring?

[dfmeeks]

I cannot wait to read more of your review - my son (who will be 16 at that time) and I are going to go on the Thanksgiving week cruise on the Conquest in 2011 out of NOLA - so excited already :)

 

There will be tons of families on board so lots of teens. Your son will have a ball!

[dfmeeks]

Hi dfmeeks,

Thanks a lot for such detailed information. We took cruise trip several time before, and we also prefer choosing shore excurshions ourselves. Both my husband and I are early 50's and we are pretty active. We may conisder reef snorkel, swim with rays and have some relaxed time on 7 Mile Beach. Did you try any one of these?

By the way, I really enjoy the pictures you posted.

Thank you again for your kindness.

 

We loved 7 mile beach! It was absolutely the most beautiful beach we've seen! We took a taxi to the sea grape section because Red Sail Sports has a kiosk there & the girls wanted to participate in activities. I rented a raft for $5 & just floated around. But we did use the water trykes ($30/hour) for a short while. Too much work! They also had parasailing, ski-doo, snorkeling, scuba diving, banana boats, & sail boats. Calico Jacks is also at that location but we didn't get anything so I can't comment on food or drink. I read that the water has visibility of 100 ft. I'm not sure if that's accurate but it was clear! I'd really like to return to Grand Cayman & do some exploring.

[dfmeeks]

The nightly towel animals are precious!

 

 

[dfmeeks]

 

Dave & I didn't swim in the pools or utilize the hot tubs but our girls did. Many evenings we found them watching a movie while relaxing in one of the hot (actually luke warm) tubs. Here are some pics of the pools:

 

 

I donated money to the casino almost every night. For some reason, a certain slot machine would help me to win, not big, but win nevertheless. Try the "Dummies" slot machine. I don't know if it's set differently or I was just lucky but I won between $60-$100 each night. However, I turned around & lost every bit of it. Some would be smart enough to stop while ahead but I only contributed about $25 of my own money each night & I was having fun so.....

I only saw 4 shows. The marriage show was hysterical! It's a version of the Newlywed game except they use a newly married couple, one that has been married about 25 yrs & then a couple with a very long term marriage, such as 60 yrs. I thought it would be dumb but it's really quite worth attending. We also saw Lady something, I don't recall her name. Dave enjoyed it. I wasn't impressed with her magic but her acrobatics were quite good. We attended a G rated & an R rated show in the comedy lounge. Both were quite good & I wish we attended more.

I really didn't find anything on the ship worth buying & neither did the girls.

We did utilize the exercise room daily & attended a few health seminars. They're really marketing type things where they try to encourage you to buy, for example, an evaluation of your metabolism, fluid retention, etc. The pills to detox your system cost $300 for a 3 month supply. It could take as many as 9 months to detox.

As I explained when I started this review, most of my time was spent relaxing on our balcony. So, if you have any questions about the cruise itself, ask away. Otherwise, my next installment will be Jamaica. I have lots of photos of the POCs.

Have a great day!

[dfmeeks]

Our first POC was Mo-Bay, Jamaica.

 

 

 

 

 

Any morning we didn't have a POC, I'd run up 1 deck with my insulated mugs, grab some coffee & we'd drink our coffee on the balcony before going to breakfast. But on POC mornings we'd order room service so we could enjoy sailing in to our port.

For our Mo-Bay excursion, we reserved 4 spots on a sail-type boat for $35 each to go snorkeling for about 45 minutes & then hit Doctor's Cave Beach for a few hours. Transportation to the boat was non-existent. All we had to do was take a right off the Conquest, walk about 2 minutes & they were docked waiting for us. Couldn't be easier!

[dfmeeks]

The crew was wonderful. Very friendly! Apparently, the owner resides in Michigan & owns 2 more boats besides the one we were on. I made a mental note to explore opening or buying an existing business in a tourist area. Write off!!! Anyway, while the girls & DH were snorkeling I took photos. I love to snorkel but DH gave me misinformation. He said he saw no fish. However, later the girls negated his comment & described some beautiful & brightly colored fish.

 

 

While everyone snorkeled, some of the staff brought out trays of jewelry to sell. At first, I was a bit uncomfortable but they weren't pushy at all. After about 45 minutes, we sailed to Doctor's Cave Beach. I wasn't terribly impressed with the beach. The water was beautiful but garbage, though not a lot, lined the dock. We've been to the Riveria Maya several times & I thought those beaches were far superior. However, Grand Cayman far surpassed RM IMHO. Anyway, we were hungry so we ate first.

[travelingtriumphess]

I have been checking everyday. The pictures are great, and I am really enjoying your report.

We will be taking the Conquest in March (but the Eastern route). So this is especially fun for me. I just love the pictures of the food and the pool. It looks like the weather was great!

Keep up the good work! :D

T. Umphess

[dfmeeks]

 

 

They all ate burgers AGAIN but I had the conch fritters. Yummy!! The dough was light with a generous amount of conch & just enough of a hot pepper to give it some bite. They all tasted my fritters & wished they ordered them.

Next, swimming (at least for the girls). So, here's what happened. They took off to the beach while we were paying the bill. However, we searched up & down the beach & couldn't find them. A mild panic set in. Once we found them innocently swimming we lectured them on being in another country, danger, always letting us know exactly where they'll be, etc. We had this talk before but apparently it didn't sink in. We have it again with them in Grand Cayman but it didn't cease until I warned them that if I wsent inti panic mode just 1 more time they were going to be glued to my hip for the remainder of the cruise. Apparently being glued to my hip was worse than not feeling grown up & free so they told us every move from Grand Cayman on ;).

Our time at the beach was shorter than I expected but that was ok. Unfortunately our search took away from swim time for DH & I. The captain blew the boat horn & everyone headed back to the boat. On the way back, we passed Margaritaville.

 

 

[dfmeeks]

And then the dancing started.....

 

 

 

 

 

When we docked at our pier, we were directed to not walk directly to the ship but rather walk through this area that was fenced in. The gentleman at the gate denied access & told us to just walk directly to the ship. But, the security guard or who ever she was, insisited we walk through a gated area. It looked quite questionable & visions of the movie genres of Hostel & Hostel II entered my mind. However, they just wanted us to show passports & look through the shops. I'm glad we did because Dave bought me a beautiful black & white diamond ring! Anyway, we looked through the shops & vendors & we were entertained by a "marching band" while we entered the Conquest.

 

 

Next POC, Grand Cayman!

[dfmeeks]

A few miscellaneous photos:

I don't recall if I put this in. It's the restaurant at Mo-Bay.

 

 

I guess every country has a Burger King or MacDonalds!

 

 

 

Looking at the beach

[dfmeeks]

I have been checking everyday. The pictures are great, and I am really enjoying your report.

We will be taking the Conquest in March (but the Eastern route). So this is especially fun for me. I just love the pictures of the food and the pool. It looks like the weather was great!

Keep up the good work! :D

T. Umphess

 

 

I am so jealous! The Conquest is a beautiful ship. I kept Fun Times & most of the inserts. I'm planning on scanning them in & will announce it when I do. If you're interested, send your email to me & I'll forward everything to you. The only condition is that you take me on your cruise :D

[MichelleChell]

I had the Conch Fritters too and they were YUMMY!! They actually walked the beach and delivored your food to you! The burger was pretty good too. We shared those 2 things.

[dfmeeks]

Our next POC was Grand Cayman. We didn't pre-pay for an excursion & intended to shop a bit for alcohol, Tortuga rum cakes, etc & then head to Sea Grape Beach which is a subsection of Seven Mile Beach. As usual, we ordered breakfast & sat on our balcony watching GC get closer & closer.

 

GC is a tendered port, meaning you have to take a smaller boat to the pier. The Conquest doesn't dock directly on the pier. Since we didn't book a scheduled excursion, we weren't in a hurry to get off so there was no waiting for us. Typically, you go to the theater, get a ticket, & wait for them to call your number. The staff at the theater told us they were ahead of schedule & we could just get on a tender.

 

Here are some photos of the pier.

 

 

Pirate ship which, I assume, is used as a party boat.

[dfmeeks]

Pirates are most definitely a theme here!

 

 

So, I've been reading about this rum named after a pirate "Big Black Dick" and wanted to bring a few bottles back as gifts. The problem is it's not sold in every Tortuga Rum store, only the Flagship store. There are about 5 or 5 Tortuga Rum stores in the area. Anyway, at the first store, I was very tentative about asking "Excuse me but I'm looking for this type of rum. I think it's called Big Black something." However, I don't know if it was courage or frustration that set it but the final 2 inquiries were pretty blunt "Hey, you guys sell BBD? My husband wants some BBD." We finally found it, ordered about 4 bottles of vanilla, coconut, & traditional, as well as a variety pack of BBD, & a bottle of Havana rum. You can't take it with you. Instead they drop it off at your ship & Carnival brings it to your cabin on your last night of cruising.

Satisfied that we purchased our rum, we looked for a taxi to Sea Grape Beach. We figured we'd shop a bit more after the beach. On our way to hail a taxi we passed a law school.

 

Tessa is fluctuating between wanting to study family law & sports medicine. How cool would it be to be able to study in Grand Cayman!! Just saying. Anyway, we made it to the beach & it was gorgeous!! We loved it!!

 

[dfmeeks]

 

Red Sail Sports sells a variety of fun stuff to do, ie, parasailing, banana boat rides, ski doos, water trykes, snorkel & scuba diving, sail boats, etc. We rented the water trykes at $30/hour. Dave, Tess & Anna all "complained" about how much work they were but I thought it was great! A woman from Canada was renting lounge chairs & floats at $5/day each. We spoke to her for a little while & she told us she lived in GC for the past 4 years. She said it was expensive to buy a home in GC so she rented & that they had no income tax & some other type of tax as well. I forget. Anyway, it makes you wonder about opening up a business.

After relaxing for the day, we headed back towards the pier & finished our shopping. We taste tested a few varieties of Tortuga Rum cakes & purchased 9 small cakes. If you spend X amount on alcohol, you are given a certificate for a free large cake. Also, if you buy x amount of small rum cakes you get a free large cake. So, we walked away with 2 large free rum cakes! WE bought a few tee shirts & Dave purchased a coin from the shipwreck El Cazador.

We loved GC & would like to return & stay a few days. I think that's one of the aspects of cruising that I've come to appreciate. It gives you a taste of different countries, islands, etc so that you get a sense of the places you'd like to return to or learn more about. I had never been to Jamaica before this cruise & I'm really not interested now in staying there on vacation. GC I'd love to return to!

Photo of looking at Conquest just before getting on tender to return to the ship.

A welcome sign in the tender.

[Luv2cruise14]

what beach is this from????

 

 

 

So, I've been reading about this rum named after a pirate "Big Black Dick" and wanted to bring a few bottles back as gifts. The problem is it's not sold in every Tortuga Rum store, only the Flagship store. There are about 5 or 5 Tortuga Rum stores in the area. Anyway, at the first store, I was very tentative about asking "Excuse me but I'm looking for this type of rum. I think it's called Big Black something." However, I don't know if it was courage or frustration that set it but the final 2 inquiries were pretty blunt "Hey, you guys sell BBD? My husband wants some BBD." We finally found it, ordered about 4 bottles of vanilla, coconut, & traditional, as well as a variety pack of BBD, & a bottle of Havana rum. You can't take it with you. Instead they drop it off at your ship & Carnival brings it to your cabin on your last night of cruising.

 

Satisfied that we purchased our rum, we looked for a taxi to Sea Grape Beach. We figured we'd shop a bit more after the beach. On our way to hail a taxi we passed a law school.

 

 

Tessa is fluctuating between wanting to study family law & sports medicine. How cool would it be to be able to study in Grand Cayman!! Just saying. Anyway, we made it to the beach & it was gorgeous!! We loved it!!