Just off Conquest 8 day S Carr. 18 year old, Playlist Show, Director!

[FloridaGirl1972]

My kids (ages 18, 16 (girls) and 14 year old son, and I just got off the 8 day Southern Caribbean Conquest Cruise and can I just say this has been my favorite cruise out of the handful (7) that I have been on.

Stops were Grand Turk-amazingly beautiful-walk off the ship, pull up a beach lounger or visit the pool (both free of charge) and enjoy the beauty! (we are not big excursion people so this suits us fine).

Dominican Republic-not impressed. Again not excursion people-we took a bus ride over to the downtown "market" area-very very pushy, and lots of SWAT team with big guns and covered in head to toe, aside from their eyes. At least we were being protected. :) I found it odd that cruisers were asking for, and given, poses with the SWAT team.

Curacao was incredibly beautiful! We walked up to the ferry which was free to get to the other side where there are shops. A bit bummed, as the floating bridge, which we were told was a must see, was down for maintenance, so the ferry had to do. Nice people over there. Got a few souvenirs, looked around, went back to ship and watched the sunset

Aruba-beautiful! $4 pp round trip to take a bus to the beach and back.

 

Our cruise was packed, and it was a big mix of people. From what I hear, 774 kids alone...and about 3300 guests total give or take? Of course there were Spring Break crowds, but they kept it under control if you ask me. The best was probably "Juan Pablo," he was "that guy" on the ship that was a party in a can wherever you saw him, but not annoyingly so.

 

18 year old daughter and no more "camp carnival." I will admit, when my daughter, who just turned 18 two weeks ago, and is a senior in high school was told there was no way they were letting her into the "teen club' she was very bummed, as she is social and she has always loved making friends on the ship. However she would not let it ruin her trip. Little did she know, the next day, she would fall in love with Conquest, mainly because of the Playlist Productions, the amazing Cruise Director Mike Pack, and the entertainment staff. Oh the movies and dinner pleased her too.

Playlist Productions has 4 shows on this itinerary right now -Epic Rock (If you are a fan of Queen, Aerosmith, and more) do NOT miss this one! :) I never thought we would lose our voice on a cruise ship show hehe. We had fun singing along.

Latin Nights-I think that was the name. Again, high energy performance of Latin songs.

Divas-just go see it

The Britts-Colorful, animated, and just a hoot to see.

 

Mike Pack is the best director we have ever had on a cruise. I told him I used to think a cruise director's job was just to wake us up early and give a list of activities for the day. Mike made sure he made his announcements so fun that we wanted to, and did, participate! :) He is very fun, energetic, and personal, handing out hugs and handshakes all over.

 

Great movies each night-Mockingjay Part 1, Interstellar, Guardians of the Galaxy, Transformers, Big Hero 6, Captain America, Ride Out, Grown Ups 2, to name a few.

 

Tons of activities always going on. Gender Showdown was hillarious! If you have 18-20 year olds, they may like it, my kids loved it! We laughed most of the time and they hand out great medals! Hasbro game show, trivia, dance parties. Never ending.

 

In the end, my 18 year old who was "bummed" never had a dull moment and refused to get off the ship today. (She did of course!) She also got to gamble for the first time. Nothing fancy, just some slot machines, but it was the "thrill" of it all.

 

DJ T Lake (who was on our last cruise) kept a great mix of music going.

 

No more chocolates on the pillow (I didnt care for them, but they are gone).

 

Food was great! I had never been on a ship with Guys or Blue Iguana (cantina) so that was a nice surprise! Dinning room staff was amazing as always. Still have the old menu

 

Only complaint-luggage :) We did not get our luggage until around 945 the first night. No big deal, just an observation. Debarkation-they "overlooked" three crates of luggage and had some VERY angry people trying to go home but could not due to luggage missing. Some of the carnival staff handled it very poorly, ignoring the people who were upset, until they get on their cell phones and called Carnival. Finally-they "found" the crates and all was well in the world. They did apologize and let us move to the front of the expedited check out, because we waited so long.

 

On our way back home, we talked about how the cruise is what you make of it. You can spend your time whining and complaining about everything you don't like or you can smile, hold your head up and try something new. Who knows...you might have fun! If you have any questions, I will try and answer them.

 

PS Sorry for the sporadic post- I didnt get my napkin placed in my lap or come home to turn down service with a towel animal, so im a little sad :D. Just kidding, I am tired but wanted to try and throw a few things out there that might help people with a question or thought they were having.

[cruisegirl29]

Thank you! I'm sailing on her 4/4/15! Can't wait!

[sjn911]

Conquest for some reason has always been one I want to try...liked the décor when she came out first I think...so glad the current status is good and we are getting great spring break reports...thanks OP!!! Just sounds like perfect good bang for your buck cruising...Sarah:)

[l2f]

Aruba-beautiful! $4 pp round trip to take a bus to the beach and back.

 

What beach did you go to? Were chairs/umbrella readily available?

[TeresaJ]

We were on this cruise too! The itinerary was amazing. The food options on the ship are endless, shows were great and Mike the cruise director was awesome!! Glad your daughter had a great time. Sorry to hear about your luggage situation. That would be frustrating!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forums mobile app

[CeleBrat]

We were on the cruise too, and can second the comments about the Cruise Director. His Lobby Trivia was hysterical! I loved the way that it became somewhat of a reality show, as he engaged the unsuspecting atrium elevator travelers and made them dance. So funny!

 

CeleBrat

[connieh1968]

My kids (ages 18, 16 (girls) and 14 year old son, and I just got off the 8 day Southern Caribbean Conquest Cruise and can I just say this has been my favorite cruise out of the handful (7) that I have been on.

Stops were Grand Turk-amazingly beautiful-walk off the ship, pull up a beach lounger or visit the pool (both free of charge) and enjoy the beauty! (we are not big excursion people so this suits us fine).

Dominican Republic-not impressed. Again not excursion people-we took a bus ride over to the downtown "market" area-very very pushy, and lots of SWAT team with big guns and covered in head to toe, aside from their eyes. At least we were being protected. :) I found it odd that cruisers were asking for, and given, poses with the SWAT team.

Curacao was incredibly beautiful! We walked up to the ferry which was free to get to the other side where there are shops. A bit bummed, as the floating bridge, which we were told was a must see, was down for maintenance, so the ferry had to do. Nice people over there. Got a few souvenirs, looked around, went back to ship and watched the sunset

Aruba-beautiful! $4 pp round trip to take a bus to the beach and back.

 

Our cruise was packed, and it was a big mix of people. From what I hear, 774 kids alone...and about 3300 guests total give or take? Of course there were Spring Break crowds, but they kept it under control if you ask me. The best was probably "Juan Pablo," he was "that guy" on the ship that was a party in a can wherever you saw him, but not annoyingly so.

 

18 year old daughter and no more "camp carnival." I will admit, when my daughter, who just turned 18 two weeks ago, and is a senior in high school was told there was no way they were letting her into the "teen club' she was very bummed, as she is social and she has always loved making friends on the ship. However she would not let it ruin her trip. Little did she know, the next day, she would fall in love with Conquest, mainly because of the Playlist Productions, the amazing Cruise Director Mike Pack, and the entertainment staff. Oh the movies and dinner pleased her too.

Playlist Productions has 4 shows on this itinerary right now -Epic Rock (If you are a fan of Queen, Aerosmith, and more) do NOT miss this one! :) I never thought we would lose our voice on a cruise ship show hehe. We had fun singing along.

Latin Nights-I think that was the name. Again, high energy performance of Latin songs.

Divas-just go see it

The Britts-Colorful, animated, and just a hoot to see.

 

Mike Pack is the best director we have ever had on a cruise. I told him I used to think a cruise director's job was just to wake us up early and give a list of activities for the day. Mike made sure he made his announcements so fun that we wanted to, and did, participate! :) He is very fun, energetic, and personal, handing out hugs and handshakes all over.

 

Great movies each night-Mockingjay Part 1, Interstellar, Guardians of the Galaxy, Transformers, Big Hero 6, Captain America, Ride Out, Grown Ups 2, to name a few.

 

Tons of activities always going on. Gender Showdown was hillarious! If you have 18-20 year olds, they may like it, my kids loved it! We laughed most of the time and they hand out great medals! Hasbro game show, trivia, dance parties. Never ending.

 

In the end, my 18 year old who was "bummed" never had a dull moment and refused to get off the ship today. (She did of course!) She also got to gamble for the first time. Nothing fancy, just some slot machines, but it was the "thrill" of it all.

 

DJ T Lake (who was on our last cruise) kept a great mix of music going.

 

No more chocolates on the pillow (I didnt care for them, but they are gone).

 

Food was great! I had never been on a ship with Guys or Blue Iguana (cantina) so that was a nice surprise! Dinning room staff was amazing as always. Still have the old menu

 

Only complaint-luggage :) We did not get our luggage until around 945 the first night. No big deal, just an observation. Debarkation-they "overlooked" three crates of luggage and had some VERY angry people trying to go home but could not due to luggage missing. Some of the carnival staff handled it very poorly, ignoring the people who were upset, until they get on their cell phones and called Carnival. Finally-they "found" the crates and all was well in the world. They did apologize and let us move to the front of the expedited check out, because we waited so long.

 

On our way back home, we talked about how the cruise is what you make of it. You can spend your time whining and complaining about everything you don't like or you can smile, hold your head up and try something new. Who knows...you might have fun! If you have any questions, I will try and answer them.

 

PS Sorry for the sporadic post- I didnt get my napkin placed in my lap or come home to turn down service with a towel animal, so im a little sad :D. Just kidding, I am tired but wanted to try and throw a few things out there that might help people with a question or thought they were having.

Will you please bring me the Funtimes for the kids ? Ages 10.

Thank you! I'm sailing on her 4/4/15! Can't wait!

[modernscarlett]

Great attitude to have! Can't wait for my first time on the Conquest.

[momonthego17]

Sounds like a great cruise except for the bump in the road with the luggage. Did you have swim suits in a carryon? What did you wear to dinner in the MDR? I'm just imagining what I would do, so I would like to know how you managed. Thanks and thanks for writing your review!

Edited March 30, 2015 by momonthego17

[babys mom]

Very nice review can't wait now till Sept 13 . I would also like to know about beach chairs in Aruba . So glad u all had a good time . Thank you .:)

[FloridaGirl1972]

Sorry it took me a bit to get back! Having to go back to work (I am a teacher) the very next day after an 8 day cruise is not fun hehe.

 

The day we set sail, my kids always wear their bathing suits under their clothes. However the clothes we wear on the ship are not really suited for the MDR, so, we just decided to hit the buffet that night. We have never had that happen before, but it was not a deal breaker. We love the dinning room, but we made sure to make it the rest of the cruise. I am not huge on what people wear to the dinning room, because to each his/her own, however I will not have my kids in "shorter" shorts, cutoffs, or backwards baseball caps (all of which we saw each night).

 

For Aruba, I believe the beach we went to was Palm Beach. The bus was $4 round trip, and dropped you right outside The Radisson. There is a walkway that takes you to the beach. Now...we did not go down to the beach, as we had had way too much sun, however the whole trip there, the bus stops at various public beaches and I guess it depends on what you want. Palm Beach has shops, restaurants, etc. ALl have chair rental, but I do not know prices. The ride is about 15 minutes, with busses running every 10-20 minutes. This post by ArubaLisa is very informative and I printed it out to reference! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2145343

 

Mike the director is hilarious! His elevator dancing antics that he gets the guests to do are awesome. he is always dancing and singing along, thanking guests for coming, and just a blast.

 

There was always plenty of seating for buffets, etc, and never too long of a wait.

 

I really wish I was back on the ship! Everyday one of my kids will say....guess what we would be doing right now on the cruise? haha. It really left a positive impact on us all! :)

[cruisegirl29]

Thank you! I'm boarding the conquest today with 2 crabby teenage daughters. On who doesn't want to go at all... should have left her home. The other is excited but tired lol

[FloridaGirl1972]

Thank you! I'm boarding the conquest today with 2 crabby teenage daughters. On who doesn't want to go at all... should have left her home. The other is excited but tired lol

 

 

So you are going on the same itinerary we did! Have them go to the shows (epic rock, divas, latin nights, and the Brits) each night! (have them sit up front or as close as possible) They will not be sorry and will most likely have their whole cruise made :) Also, the gender showdown (forget which day it was) was hillarious!! If they get involved, or even just watch,they will love it.

[diamonddaddy]

Thabks

[SoulPhyre]

I'm glad your 18 yo had fun. This will be my son , whose just turned 18 in Feb. first non teen club cruise. I had some concerns myself because he always met and had a grand time with those kids. Thanks for the update.

 

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

[Clarea]

Thanks for taking the time to post the report.:)

[linbobky]

Thanks for taking the time to post the report.:)

 

even though it is a year old!

[Micahs Grandad]

even though it is a year old!

 

better late than never. Mike Pack though is the best CD we have sailed with

[FloridaGirl1972]

It was fun to see this post brought up again, as I relived the memories of last year! For the first time in 5 years, we did not go on a cruise for Spring Break-for a good reason tho! My youngest daughter made it to state level for the Thespian competition in Tampa, and since it is her senior year, I wanted her to enjoy it. Reading back on my report, I really was missing our cruise, but there will be others. We will definitely look for the ship with Mike Pack on it :D.

[TravelE]

"Mike Pack is the best director we have ever had on a cruise. I told him I used to think a cruise director's job was just to wake us up early and give a list of activities for the day. Mike made sure he made his announcements so fun that we wanted to, and did, participate! He is very fun, energetic, and personal, handing out hugs and handshakes all over."

 

I totally agree with this statement. He is so refreshing! He is one of those cruise directors that seems to not only like his job but also likes the passengers and wants to make sure they are having fun. He also energizes the rest of the cruise social staff.

[flips7]

It was great reading about this again. We were on the Conquest the next week with Mike Pak and DJ Lake. What a great pair to have as a CD and DJ. We were also on the Conquest on 3/5/16 and what a difference. Josh the CD was not very good and the DJ was boring. I never realized what a difference the CD and DJ can make in my cruise until we had Mike and DJ lake.

[GMRPHRN]

Thanks for your review. Taking my 15 yo daughter and 18 yo son on this ship with a different itinerary in June. I agree that post-cruise depression is pretty rough. You have a great attitude and I think it makes all the difference.

[Micahs Grandad]

Mike Pack is the best CD we have sailed with

[beccawes7471]

Great review, considering Conquest for Spring break 2017 with a 7 and 17 year old, glad to hear you had an awesome time, thanks so much for your review!