Conquest Dec 14th to 21st. Pictures and a little chatter.

[PamalaX]

Recently back from our second Carnival cruise and one that always enjoys reading trip reports here I thought I should offer up one myself this time around. Give a little back?

 

First time out traveling on The Breeze in Aug of 2013 we chose the Conquest for our second Carnival cruise. On this journey we have myself, the husband, our dear son (17) and my darling daughter (20) who was actually cruising for the first time as she skipped the Breeze trip because of and I quote "Scars from seeing Titanic as a child." Yep, fearing sinking she actually stayed home the first time around. :eek: All of us along to the fun this time and having a great trip I'm quite excited to share.

 

Hope you enjoy and by all means ask away if there is anything you'd like to know about the trip or Conquest along the way.

 

Time to leave cold Detroit behind and head for warm Miami.

 

And away we go.

Assuming adding the pictures works and this post okay I'll add more very soon.

[PamalaX]

Seeing all seems to be working properly I shall add a little more and get things rolling proper.

 

We flew in on the 13th and stayed at The Clarion Inn at MIA the day before. We actually stayed the day after the cruise too because Sunday return fares were sky high but one or two night is really all the same for this purpose. Nothing fancy and downright ugly on the outside the hotel was actually quite nice, comfy for an extremely good price AND came with a full breakfast in the morn. On top of that it was right across from the airport which gave my plane loving son one heck of a view from our top floor room.

 

 

 

All up bright and early on the 14th we grabbed our free meal and headed to the port. Originally planning to take the shuttle back to the airport and get the flat rate cab there I was pleasantly surprised when the cab driver at the hotel said he could take us straight from the hotel for a flat rate of $28 compared to dragging everything back to the airport and going from there. Not sure if all would be willing but I sure would ask because it was so much easier to just go hotel to port rather than sticking the airport in the middle to get a slightly cheaper fare. Never hurts to ask, right?

 

Got to the port, onto the ship and into our room. Room 8240 was a balcony, port side and forward. Nice size and turned out to be quite comfy even with four adults sharing the space for the week.

 

 

 

Next up sail away.

[sistersfirstcruise]

Sailing on Conquest Jan 18. Cannot wait to see your pics and read your review!

 

 

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[PamalaX]

Things were a bit rocky to start ( FTTF but room not ready... one bag missing for hours ... people taking FOREVER to show for safety briefing so we leave late.... ) but being on vacation at long last we all shrugged off the bumps and jumped right into enjoying ourselves.

 

We grabbed some food, purchased my bottomless bubbles, looked around the ship and eventually made our way up to the smoking area on deck 10 to enjoy a sunny and 80 degree sail away.

 

All the way to on the end facing the other way means we were last out got to do the turning basin. It was cool.

 

 

Breeze ( our ride for 2013 ) leading the way out.

We followed the Breeze out into the setting sun and we are on our way.

 

Next up sea day on day one.

Any questions at all just shout. ;)

[campdaan]

Subscribing ! You are off to an awesome start !

 

Hope your DD got over her Titanic fears :eek:

[PamalaX]

Oh yeah she got in the groove and is now working on planning one with her sorority sisters down the line.

 

She was a little uneasy at the start but by the time we had a day in Cozumel that included massage, fish pedicure and lunch with 2 Corona's and a shot she warmed ( just wait until you see those pictures) to the idea of cruising real fast. LOL

[trish4bruce]

Joining in! We are also cruising on the Conquest January 18th so you report and pics are getting me even more excited!

[cruisexlife]

Thanks for the review! While many tire from the 7-night ships from Florida, I love reading the reviews, and living up north, they make cheap and great vacations!

 

Looks like you enjoyed yourself!

[junglecat]

We sail on the conquest the 7th of February and can't wait for more info & pix!

[PamalaX]

What's the itinerary you're doing in January? I know Conquest is moving out of Miami and was just wondering if that move comes with different trips. Our cruise, the one you're coming along on through the pictures, was Miami to Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Grand Cayman. Western Caribbean compared to the Eastern we did on Breeze the year before.

[just nik]

Joining in as we are on the conquest on jan 11

 

 

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[iheartmarshall]

Great start! I miss the Conquest. We were on her in May and I want to go back!

Edited December 28, 2014 by iheartmarshall

[PamalaX]

First day was a sea day. We actually had 4 ports in the middle so the first and last were the sea days. While I loved all the ports and had a great time I think in the future I will look for something with a sea day somewhere in the middle. When we did the Breeze it was only 3 ports and ran sea day every other day. That may be a little much but it was nice having those breaks in there so I may keep an eye out for something with a sea day in the middle next time.

 

All that said sea day was fantastic and I must say all I learned here came in very handy for making it all the better. On advice from all of you we made sure to do both brunch and tea, enjoying both a great deal. Good advice!

 

Late sleep in and then it was off to a delicious brunch for all. Rested and bellies filled long enough to hold us until we happened by Guy's we took in the ship from one end to the other. Shopping for the girls and ping pong ( another excellent suggestion bringing our own ping pong balls ) for the boys we just took it all in until we met up at the pool for the always glorious hairy chest contest. Bright sunny relaxing and loads of fun.

 

 

After all that fun the boys headed back to ping pong ( it was a grudge match all cruise long ) while the girls got spruced up and went off for a proper afternoon tea. Enjoying it very much for the two of us I must say the best part was several little girls arriving all dolled up to have a proper tea party with Mom. So cute! Still not much of a tea gal I must say the pastries were fantastic and I really did enjoy the experience

 

 

Next up Cozumel. :)

[sistersfirstcruise]

Conquest moves from Miami to Ft Lauderdale for Jan 18 cruise. She is disembarking in Miami and then moving to FLL for embarkation. Hence the 9pm :( sail away.

She will stop in Key West, Cozumel and Grand Cayman (6 day not 7)

Looking forward to more of your review to get me by the next 3 weeks.

 

 

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Edited December 28, 2014 by sistersfirstcruise

[PamalaX]

That actually sounds like an fantastic itinerary to me.

Grand Cayman and Cozumel were loads of fun on this last trip and Key West is still my all time favorite -- if I ever win the lottery I am moving there -- from last years cruise. I like that set up so much I may have to think about hoping on the Conquest again in the future.

[pusywillow]

I'll be taking my first Carnival Cruise on the Conquest in April. Looking forward to reading the rest of your journey.

 

Sue

[PamalaX]

Tuesday was our first port day; Cozumel, Mexico.

Arriving bright and early the Celebrity Silhouette had already arrived.

 

As soon as we pulled into port a conga line of ships formed behind us.

 

 

Most important of all was our constant companion all trip long the Carnival Pride. I actually came to know folks from the Pride almost as much as the people we met on the Conquest. :)

 

Everyone off time to eat, drink and spend, spend... SPEND

[PamalaX]

The port area was very festive for the holidays and while we didn't do an excursion here we thoroughly enjoyed our time shopping, having lunch and splurging on massages and this awesome fish pedicure thing.

 

 

Also found myself one heck on a view relaxing at the waters edge.

 

With this little guy keeping me company.

 

I love an great excursion as much as the next person but sometimes these is nothing better than a relaxing moment one a quiet bench with the sun on your shoulders.

[PamalaX]

I will end today with a little pictorial update on my darling daughter and her journey to becoming a cruise lover. As you may or may not recall from the start this is the child who actually stayed at home when we cruised the Breeze Aug 2013. Skipped a cruise saying she'd never cruise because of *Titanic*.

There was also some issues with water depths and sneaky dolphins but I think you get the idea when it comes to my Emma and cruising.

 

Rather than go into details I'll just give you some pictures and let you decide if Emma finally found her cruise groove. LOL

 

 

Last but not least I suspect THIS is the real reason for the new openness with Cuba.

[united4life]

Great review so far. Can't wait for more

 

 

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[PamalaX]

Mellow day to be sure I actually can say I enjoyed the Cozumel -- seriously get the fish pedicure thing. Its weird but its good -- stop a lot more than I expected to considering we went in with no big plans.

 

Time to get back onboard.

 

Then we are underway.

The Pride left first.

These guys took off right after we did.

 

Sail out into the setting sun, head off to dinner and look ahead to Belize in the morning.

 

Speaking of dinner more thanks for all the great advice on dining.

Nothing huge but my daughter loved the option to order more item if she liked and in that had a fruit plate and dessert every night because " I am a college student and I can't afford fresh fruits." She took advantage all the time and the boy was very pleased when one night he said "I'll have the steak and the shrimp entrees." Like I said not a huge thing but we had no clue first time around and it made dining so much better this time.

[KPfromCT]

Great review!!!

Thanks!!!

 

Any chance you have any pictures of the fishies munching on your toes?

:D:D

[PamalaX]

I didn't get any pictures being in the process of being munched but I do believe my son may have taken a few so I'll see if I can dig up a few.

 

If you're heading to Cozumel I really do recommend it. Strange but good and a real bargain at 20 for one or 30 for two. I have terrible leather like feet and my tootsies felt great afterword. Heck I suffer from Fibromyalgia foot pain and besides feeling good to the touch the sucking action they used seemed to improve circulation and helped my pain for days. Odd to be sure it was good stuff in the end. If I could find those fishes here I'd be on it. :D

 

Oh and in addition to my foot fish adventure the man and daughter opted for a waterside massage in Cozumel. Another amazing deal at 30 minutes for $30! I didn't do that one but they seemed very pleased and I feel sure they'd recommend that as well.

 

Good eats, shopping and pampering to be had right at the pier I personally think it was great stop all can enjoy even if you don't have an excursion set up.

Have fun!

[PamalaX]

Sorry I took a couple days off but I sudden got payback on getting away to warm from the Michigan cold and was struck down with nasty cold. UGH!

A bit better now I'll get back to it. Want to make sure to get all the way through. Nothing epic but once I start in reading about a cruise I really like to get all the way through and don't want to leave you hanging.

 

After Cozumel we moved on to Belize. All new ports to us we enjoyed each but this was a new experience for us since we had never tendered before. This was also a divide and conqueror day as the boys did an excursion while myself and the girl simply soaked in Belize.

 

The boys had a long day planned with cave tubing and zip lining. I started the day worried about them getting back and spent the whole day fretting about it. They did their trip with Nacho? Popular one to do and I'm sure many know of them. No problems and they had a great trip so know that it was just me worrying on the getting back on time and its a great excursion to do. They said it actually worked out great because they saw the larger groups arrive after them and doing the two items in a reverse order of the ship excursions they had no big crowds to fight. Both recommend it all , right down to the lunch , very highly so that is worth a looksee if you are looking for excursions in Belize outside those offered by the line.

 

While they were up and out early ( FTTF is a big help! ) Em and I slept late and headed out for shopping and cocktails mid morn. Doing nothing more than a lot of Christmas shopping and warming a stool at the bar I must say we enjoyed Belize just as much as the boys even if was for totally different reasons.

 

First taste of tendering. It is a long way in here!

 

As you can see Titanic is now completely forgotten and she is in

[PamalaX]

For anyone wondering or looking for info hubby says it was NCQ tours in Belize.