Any questions about Conquest?

[BeachinBeauty]

I got this idea from another thread recently posted. I just got off of the Conquest (11/23-11/30), which was a Thanksgiving cruise. I'd be happy to take any questions from anyone since my memory is fresh. I have a huge, detailed review planned out, which I will be posting in the next few days. I actually had the first installment typed out and then my browser crashed :mad: But, in the meantime, if anyone wants to know anything about Conquest feel free to comment or leave a private message.

 

Itinerary:

 

Miami (Embark)

Nassau, Bahamas

Sea Day

St. Thomas

San Juan, PR

Grand Turk

Sea Day

Miami (Debark)

 

Cabin:

 

L-shaped aft on deck 6 (6450 and 6442)

 

Excursions Purchased:

 

FTTF (not really an excursion, but an add-on)

Balmoral Island Beach Day and Dolphin Swim

Grand Turk Cabana Rental

[bradboy]

How was Balmoral and dolphin swim. I've read so many neg post about it but it's a good price on our cruise.

What did you do in San Juan and St. Thomas?

We're doing the Screamin Eagle ( for the 2nd time in STT) but should be able to fit extra in too

 

 

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[BeachinBeauty]

How was Balmoral and dolphin swim. I've read so many neg post about it but it's a good price on our cruise.

What did you do in San Juan and St. Thomas?

We're doing the Screamin Eagle ( for the 2nd time in STT) but should be able to fit extra in too

 

 

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I'd read some pretty bad reviews about Balmoral after booking, too, which made me a little scared. But, I have to say it was nothing like some of the bad stories I read. You have to take a charter boat thing (I don't know what to call it!) over to Balmoral Island from the cruise dock. Getting from the ship to the charter boat is a breeze. The boat ride takes about 45 mins. For us, Nassau was a very short day in port. Debark began around 8 AM and we needed to be back onboard by 1:30 PM for a 2:00 PM departure. So, we were cutting it close.

 

The beach was small, but the island was not dirty. The bathrooms could've used some sprucing up, but I was expecting a total shack and it was not at all a run-down place. Definitely save your drinking for back at the ship if you do Balmoral. Drinks are pricier and bartender uses far less alcohol. My $12 Miami Vice was more of a refreshing slushie than anything.

 

The dolphin swim is divided into two parts. Keep in mind, you cannot have family members on the shore taking photographs. Obviously, you know why. They have their own photographers. And, if you want any sort of documentation of this very incredible and unique experience, you must shell out $69.99 for a CD of photos. That really upset me. But, anyway, the first part of the dolphin encounter is a free swim in deep water. It's a roped off section with about 8 or so dolphins swimming around. The dolphins on that side did not seem thrilled with the presence of we humans. They were almost trying to hide. So, for thirty minutes, we kind of just bobbed around in the water, hoping for a dolphin to swim by. We had life jackets on and the water was rough, so it was hard to really navigate. Several people did get plenty of interaction with the dolphins on this deep swim, but they swam out to the farthest end of the designated section and I could not do that. Eventually, I gave up and sat on the shore anticipating the next part.

 

The second part was a shallow water interaction, which made the whole entire thing worth every cent. In that part, I got to hold a dolphin in my arms, kiss her, touch her teeth. It was amazing!

 

We almost missed our ship. I don't know that I would ever take an excursion that far from the ship on such a short stop ever again. Conquest reportedly left 24 people in Nassau the week before our sailing. We had to run, breathlessly, back to the ship once the charter dropped us off. Keep in mind, due to some kind of law they cited, the charter cannot drop you off where it picks you up. It drops you off about a five minute walk from the ship.

 

If you do Balmoral dolphin swim, bring water shoes. Also, the water was a bit chilly last week. Not sure when you're going, but the temp could be a deal breaker for you.

 

In San Juan, which was my favorite stop, we walked around Old San Juan and explored the history of the area. I am a history buff so I was astounded at how old it all was. It was Thanksgiving day so a lot of big name attractions were closed. Locally owned shops and restaurants remained open. We stopped in and ate lunch at a little place called, "Tropical Taste." I wanted an authentic, Puerto Rican meal, despite it being Thanksgiving. The server offered us a turkey dinner, but I went with the pernil, rice and beans and mofongo. It was one of the most fabulous culinary experiences I had that week. Souvenirs in PR were also far more affordable than those elsewhere.

 

St. Thomas was a bust. It was all of our least favorite port. That made me sad because I'd been wanting to go to St. Thomas since I was a little girl. Basically, we paid $80 to sit on Sapphire Beach for one hour. Next time, we'll just hitch a ride downtown and shop.

[CaptainFluffy]

Hoping you can help out, wondering if you recall if the chairs in the dining room or the buffet area have arms on the chairs or are they harmless. I'm a big guy and the little details help. Thanks

[pusywillow]

Did you go into the casino? How was their selection of Video poker machines? Was it very smokey? Thanks!

 

Sue

[taylorray]

I know the conquest doesn't have a serenity deck but I want to know what occupies that space. Is tywreba hot tub? Deck chairs?

[canwegonow]

Thanks for doing this! Can you tell me what shows were being offered in the theater at night? Is the Conquest one of the ships with the 30-minute quickie shows, or the longer ones with live music?

[jdcml]

Cabin:

 

L-shaped aft on deck 6 (6450 and 6442)

 

Hey - did you break the balcony door? :p We were in room 6442 right after you! The door was a bit of a hassle at first, but then we just started to push it further open so it would stay. Curious if you had a lounge chair on the balcony when you were there. We didn't have one and the steward brought us one, so I didn't know if he took it back after each sailing. We ported next to another Conquest class ship in Cozumel and all of the long balconies had them. It must be up to the hotel manager on each ship or something since most of ours didn't, but all on that ship did!

[sandij]

Looking forward to your review, we are on the Conquest in February after she moves to Ft Lauderdale. I agree with you on St Thomas, it has become so commercialized that it is uncomfortable to go to.

[jdcml]

Hoping you can help out, wondering if you recall if the chairs in the dining room or the buffet area have arms on the chairs or are they harmless. I'm a big guy and the little details help. Thanks

 

Not trying to hijack the thread... but the chairs were pretty harmless for us whenever we ate there :p

 

They did have arms on them, but there were booths as well. We ate in the Renoir (mid ship) and they have booths on the lower level that kind of ring the raised center section. Those tables were booths on one side, and chairs on the other. I only mention that because sometimes people in a party don't like booths and want chairs so that would be the best of both options. The chairs though were fairly wide and more of a U shape to them as opposed to a traditional squared off shape.

 

The buffet area chairs were smaller, but even more booths available up there with a lot of booth/chair tables. Check out the upstairs area with fish and chips which was never crowded and often didn't have more than 3 or 4 tables being used in the whole area!

[BeachinBeauty]

Hoping you can help out, wondering if you recall if the chairs in the dining room or the buffet area have arms on the chairs or are they harmless. I'm a big guy and the little details help. Thanks

 

 

In the buffet, I know they did. In MDR, they did not.

 

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[BeachinBeauty]

Not trying to hijack the thread... but the chairs were pretty harmless for us whenever we ate there :p

 

They did have arms on them, but there were booths as well. We ate in the Renoir (mid ship) and they have booths on the lower level that kind of ring the raised center section. Those tables were booths on one side, and chairs on the other. I only mention that because sometimes people in a party don't like booths and want chairs so that would be the best of both options. The chairs though were fairly wide and more of a U shape to them as opposed to a traditional squared off shape.

 

The buffet area chairs were smaller, but even more booths available up there with a lot of booth/chair tables. Check out the upstairs area with fish and chips which was never crowded and often didn't have more than 3 or 4 tables being used in the whole area!

 

We were in Monet and the chairs did not have arms (at least not on the upper level!) I agree with you about going upstairs at the buffet. We always did.

 

 

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[BeachinBeauty]

Did you go into the casino? How was their selection of Video poker machines? Was it very smokey? Thanks!

 

Sue

 

I believe there were good bit of video poker machines and they were hardly all taken when we would go in there, so you should have a good shot :) It actually wasn't very smoky like I thought it would be. Conquest has two other indoor smoking venues, so it wasn't an issue where everybody was rushing there to smoke.

 

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[BeachinBeauty]

I know the conquest doesn't have a serenity deck but I want to know what occupies that space. Is tywreba hot tub? Deck chairs?

 

My last cruise before Conquest was in 2003, so I haven't cruised on a ship with Serenity. But, from what everybody says, on Conquest, the area that would normally be Serenity is just chairs. There is an adult pool and hot tub (aft). The pizzeria is back there so there may be a kid or two in the vicinity, but surprisingly, we never saw too many.

 

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[BeachinBeauty]

Thanks for doing this! Can you tell me what shows were being offered in the theater at night? Is the Conquest one of the ships with the 30-minute quickie shows, or the longer ones with live music?

 

I was very disappointed on the show aspect. I hadn't cruised since 2003, and Carnival has done a lot to cut costs since then. Example: I was pretty confused when the waiter in MDR didn't just place an assorted bread basket on our table. Instead, you're only allowed to pick 2 items and they take it away. So, I was most certainly in shock when we got the Fun Times and didn't see a different and exciting show being offered every night. There was one show that the name escapes me, but it was 70s and 80s rock themed. DH loved it, and it was alright, but he hadn't cruised in the old days of Carnival. They did it two nights. There was also a Latin pop one and a club pop type one, I believe (if I'm not mistaken they took place the same nights as the 70s/80s show). Then, there was a show called Divas that was offered at least one night that I know of. We didn't go to that one. I'm not sure what it was about. I'd have to get the Fun Times out and look back to see if there was anything else.

 

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[BeachinBeauty]

Hey - did you break the balcony door? :p We were in room 6442 right after you! The door was a bit of a hassle at first, but then we just started to push it further open so it would stay. Curious if you had a lounge chair on the balcony when you were there. We didn't have one and the steward brought us one, so I didn't know if he took it back after each sailing. We ported next to another Conquest class ship in Cozumel and all of the long balconies had them. It must be up to the hotel manager on each ship or something since most of ours didn't, but all on that ship did!

 

It was a hassle for us, as well. I'm not sure why. There were a few times I could not get the darn thing open to save my life so DH did.

 

 

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[BeachinBeauty]

Looking forward to your review, we are on the Conquest in February after she moves to Ft Lauderdale. I agree with you on St Thomas, it has become so commercialized that it is uncomfortable to go to.

 

It was just not what I was thinking. Next time I'll be better prepared. I think a large part of my negative experience also had to do with my father in law. He is never pleased or happy with anything. I was so worried about what he was thinking and then he was complaining the whole hour at the beach about the taxi cost. Yes, I still would've been disappointed if I hadn't had him with me, but I think it was exacerbated by the fact that I knew one negative experience in St. Thomas, and he was gonna paint the whole trip based on that.

 

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[pusywillow]

I believe there were good bit of video poker machines and they were hardly all taken when we would go in there, so you should have a good shot :) It actually wasn't very smoky like I thought it would be. Conquest has two other indoor smoking venues, so it wasn't an issue where everybody was rushing there to smoke.

 

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Thanks! That is very good news. Now all I need is some luck on the machines.

 

Sue

[evandbob]

Thanks! That is very good news. Now all I need is some luck on the machines.

 

Sue

 

During my B2B on the Conquest in October, several of the quarter machines in the smoke free section were paying out hits of 500 to 800 quarters over and over again. The double triple diamond, the 5x and the double diamond (all in the same row) were the loosest machines. Even after one player hit 3 or 4 times, the next player was still lucky. Nothing during the day, but at night after 10pm was the hot time.

[jdcml]

I was very disappointed on the show aspect. I hadn't cruised since 2003, and Carnival has done a lot to cut costs since then. Example: I was pretty confused when the waiter in MDR didn't just place an assorted bread basket on our table. Instead, you're only allowed to pick 2 items and they take it away. So, I was most certainly in shock when we got the Fun Times and didn't see a different and exciting show being offered every night.

 

This is weird... We had a different type of cruise and people could essentially eat anywhere. We had YTD and one night a couple that had set dinning came to eat with us. They were surprised that the bread basket was left for us because it hadn't been for them upstairs! Even when it was just two of us they left the basket with probably 6-8 rolls but only really two varieties. I don't have any idea why they would do that differently between YTD and set dinning. I saw plenty of other tables in the area treated the same so it wasn't just our server. I would have to guess that if you asked though that they would leave it... at least they would have you had them make three trips for more bread the first night :p

 

Entertainment has changed just a little in the way they lay it out. They now run two different shows on the same night, and then later run those shows at the opposite time. It used to be that the show would run once for early and then repeat for late seating. I'm also trying to recall the show schedule (but again we were a charter so it may have been different). I believe they had three big production shows, the welcome aboard (kinda production, kinda meh) and then a main stage comedian one night. Some nights they only had an early show and then it was a charter specific show at like 9.

 

But no, no live band and flashy dancers with feathers and g-strings any more. One thing I did notice and liked a lot was that they had bands playing all over the ship at various time all night long and we spent a lot of time just sitting in the lobby listening to O&O a young acoustic couple.

[CRUISESTARR]

Do they show you whats on the menu in the main dining room that day on the tvs or by the restaurants ?

[ceight]

Thanks for posting this thread, and I hope you had a great time on your trip, even if St. Thomas was a bit of a bust.

 

Question - I saw that you had FTTF. How was the experience for embarkation? What time did you arrive? We're sailing in a week and a half, (eek!!!) and it would be nice to know if there's some optimal time we should get to the ship.

 

Also going along with that, and if you remember, what time did bags arrive in your room?

[evandbob]

Do they show you whats on the menu in the main dining room that day on the tvs or by the restaurants ?

 

The menu can be accessed from the TV in your cabin and is usually posted outside the MDR.

[BeachinBeauty]

This is weird... We had a different type of cruise and people could essentially eat anywhere. We had YTD and one night a couple that had set dinning came to eat with us. They were surprised that the bread basket was left for us because it hadn't been for them upstairs! Even when it was just two of us they left the basket with probably 6-8 rolls but only really two varieties. I don't have any idea why they would do that differently between YTD and set dinning. I saw plenty of other tables in the area treated the same so it wasn't just our server. I would have to guess that if you asked though that they would leave it... at least they would have you had them make three trips for more bread the first night :p

 

Entertainment has changed just a little in the way they lay it out. They now run two different shows on the same night, and then later run those shows at the opposite time. It used to be that the show would run once for early and then repeat for late seating. I'm also trying to recall the show schedule (but again we were a charter so it may have been different). I believe they had three big production shows, the welcome aboard (kinda production, kinda meh) and then a main stage comedian one night. Some nights they only had an early show and then it was a charter specific show at like 9.

 

But no, no live band and flashy dancers with feathers and g-strings any more. One thing I did notice and liked a lot was that they had bands playing all over the ship at various time all night long and we spent a lot of time just sitting in the lobby listening to O&O a young acoustic couple.

 

I am certain they probably would've left the basket but I didn't wanna seem like a traditional, fat American asking for an entire basket of bread lol! I've lost 50 pounds this year and counting, so it's kinda good I had a limit so I wouldn't go overboard (no pun intended). But now I'm wondering if the bread baskets have been removed from all Carnival ships or just from set dining rooms... or if that was a Conquest thing. Hold on, I'm not done typing my phone submitted too soon...

 

Anyway, yeah I can't remember the exact show lineup. We liked sitting on Promenade at night listening to the live music.

 

Did you experience a lot of movement in your room from rough seas? It totally slipped my mind when I responded to you earlier, you were in 6442, which was my in-laws' room. I can't promise you they didn't break the door, after all lol! But ours was hard to open in 6450. Also, I forgot to respond to the part about the loungers. No loungers for us, only two chairs and a small table. I didn't know you could ask for those!

 

I forgot our bartender told us that the ship was being chartered the week after our sailing. Sounds like that was the sailing we should've been on, they were expecting it to be a ton of fun! Were you apart of the group, or did they open booking to the general public at the last minute?

 

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Edited December 10, 2014 by BeachinBeauty

[BeachinBeauty]

During my B2B on the Conquest in October, several of the quarter machines in the smoke free section were paying out hits of 500 to 800 quarters over and over again. The double triple diamond, the 5x and the double diamond (all in the same row) were the loosest machines. Even after one player hit 3 or 4 times, the next player was still lucky. Nothing during the day, but at night after 10pm was the hot time.

 

Oh wow, where were you before I sailed? Lol! We were casino newbies and I should've asked more about the machines before we left.

 

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