Brief Conquest Review 6 day 1/17/16 sailing

[srenter]

There were four of us sailing with one being a completely newbie to cruising and for that matter flying. It was nice seeing the trip through someone else's eyes who never had the chance to do it.

 

We flew in the day before aboard Southwest. The crew was great and of course we had to make the newbie got his wings, even if it took him 17 years to get them. The flight was smooth with no problems, landed in FLL and proceeded to contact the hotel for shuttle. They were prompt in responding and picked us up in no time. This is our second staying at the Crowne Plaza in Fort Lauderale and can't beat the locaton to the airport or cruiseport. Across the street in the entrance to Port Everglades. Plus it's nice waking up the next morning walking outside and seeing all the ships in port waiting for their next guest. We used there shuttle service from hotel to pier that morning. The cost was $8.00 pp, so it wasn't that bad.

 

We arrived at the pier around 11:00 to the normal hectic/chaos of people still leaving and us arriving. Seeing the mess outside, we weren't what we were in for to get our sail and sign cards to get on the ship. The process wasn't that bad, maybe 30-40 minutes until we were waiting in the holding area. They started the boarding around 11:45 and our zone by 12:15. Not a bad wait for no FTTF or any other special boarding. Eating lunch by 12:30.

 

The ship itself is really in pretty decent shape for its years and amount of travelers that it has carried around. Yes, you could find something in all areas if you looked hard enough that needed improved but we were on vacation, not there to pick apart the little problems. Once on board the ship is was like watching a little kid at xmas with the newbie. He was in total awe of it. To him the ship was in pristine shape and great condition. Every turn, every deck, etc it was the did you see that or wow look at that. It really added something to the trip to see and hear all the excitement at every stop. One of the best ones was right after lunch the first day. We were all walking towards the pool, when he looked up and said "they have a water slide too". You would of thought he was 7 not 17 at that moment. lol

 

The cruise was memorable from the start to the end. We all had a blast. There were two negatives but nothing to ruin or even put a dent in the amount of fun we had. The main shows were ok, nothing special. The comedy shows were great, we saw 90% of them with each being a little different but just as funny as the previous. Any show, where the participants is a fellow guest is always a must see. The CD Josh aka "Big Sexy" did a good job getting everyone involved and we actually enjoyed everything about him. He was truly everywhere and a lot of fun to interact with.

 

We were on deck 8, our room stewart was John. He was the classic Ninja. You would see him in someone else's cabin and before you came back yours was done. He kept everything order and the ice bucket always stocked.

 

The food was good not great but never had a problem finding something to eat that was worth while. I did miss the old menus though. Our son was even disappointed in them since they took of some of the staple desserts for formal nights (cherries jubilee and baked Alaskan).

 

We have to give a special shout to our pool side bar server Suishi. He was fantastic. We always bring a soft sided cooler with us and he made sure it was always full of ice and the 8 beers it will hold. On that note, we did not use the cheers program and actually came out a few dollars a head on our trip compared to what it would of cost. It does help that we only had two see days on this trip and the weather was not so great. It really limited the pool time on the last sea day. I did notice the ones that were not using the cheers program seemed to get just a little better service from the bar staff throughout the ship.

 

The ports of call were Key West, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Key West, we did the basic tourist things, shopped and walked around. We have been to all these stops a few times so not much new to see. Grand Cayman was suppose to be a sting ray excursion but was cancelled due to the choppiness of the water. So again more shopping and some fun hanging out in Margaritaville. At Cozumel, we like to walk into town stopping along the way taking pictures and visiting a couple cantinas along the way. Again some more shopping and a great lunch at Senor Frogs. Taxi back to the ship.

 

All is all, we can't wait to get back onboard the next Carnival cruise. Here are the limited negatives about the trip, since we all know it never goes:

 

1. Traveling with us was our son (18) and his friend (17) aka newbie. They are only separated but three months. Birthdays are end of November and first of February. you would of thought it was years apart since they had a hard time doing activities together. One couldn't be in Club O2 and the other quite a few other places. So it did make for some awkward situations with them being apart doing different things because of the age difference. I understand Carnivals thinking and applaud them for being strict but did make it tough at times.

 

2. Disembarkation process - this was the worse process that we have ever seen. We have done 10+ cruises including the giant Oasis of Seas and never seen such chaos. We were in zone 2 for embark. I am guessing close to half the ship was in the first three zones. Then you can guess what they call first for the disembarkation, zones 1 through 3. It took almost an 1 1/2 hours from the first call until we were out of customs with our bags. Why put us in zones if you are going to let that many down at once, just have a free for all, that's what it was. Carnival please send someone on the Oasis and see how smooth the process can be with twice as many people to get off the ship. Its not that difficult just basic common sense.

[ancfun]

Thanks for sharing! It's so fun to see it through someone else's eyes. :)

[bigdog1958]

Could you advise me which nights were the elegant nights on this cruise. I am going on the feb 14th cruise with the same itinerary. thanks

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for the review! Your disembarkation sounds a lot like what I experienced off the Victory in Miami last October. I had zone one, but at least 50pc and probably more of the passengers did self assist, therefore by the time I got down to the customs hall, the line ups were huge and chaotic, though I must admit those lines did move, and there were plenty of customs agents manning the wickets. I have also done disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale a couple of times, once was very good, and another time chaotic.

[funinthesun1964]

Thanks for commenting, will be on the Conquest 3 weeks from today. 2nd time on the ship and really looking forward to it! :D

[LHP]

Thanks for the heads up about Debarkation.

 

Do you remember who your Hotel Director was??? (on the front of your Fun Times.)

[srenter]

The two formal nights were Monday (Key West) and Thursday (Cozumel)

[I Luv Crusin]

Thanks for the heads up about Debarkation.

 

Do you remember who your Hotel Director was??? (on the front of your Fun Times.)

 

Big Sexy

[funinthesun1964]

Big Sexy

 

Is the hotel director same as the cruise director?

[JAGR]

Is the hotel director same as the cruise director?

 

No. Hotel Director is in charge of the housing side as well as customer service

[WindsorFred]

We were also on this cruise, 2nd leg of a B2B. Agree with everything you said although we did not have young adults with us so those activities/venues did not come into play. Also had a great bar server up on deck,Harta, and found all the crew we came in contact with to be great.We did self-assist and were Platinum and some of the first to leave the ship, the disembarkation went well for us.

Edited February 4, 2016 by WindsorFred

[Folsom]

Thanks for the heads up about Debarkation.

 

Do you remember who your Hotel Director was??? (on the front of your Fun Times.)

 

Hi, I have a real question...

 

I see people ask this type of question, "Who was the Hotel Director, or Maitre'd or Casino host". I can never quite understand how this matters, has one of those positions ever made or broke a cruise?

 

I can see people how have favorite Cruise Directors (although I have only met one and he was quite rude), but I don't quite get the ones listed above. Please shed some light.

 

Thanks

-F-