Conquest

[Rachshawzy17]

My family and I are going on a cruise on the Conquest in August we would just like to know a few things because we have had a few different experiences on Carnival.

 

We would like to know how non-american citizens (we live in Canada) have to clear customs in the morning. On the Fascination we had to all meet in the stage area and wait to be called row by row to make sure we were all there and get our passport numbers checked to clear customs, but last year on the Paradise we got off the ship and did it in the port and it was much more organized. Just wondering what to expect?

 

Second how long does it take to get from the air port to the cruise terminal and what do you recommend taxi or air port shuttle?

 

Lastly what are some of good shore excursions for Amber Cove, Grand Turk, and Half Moon Cay?

Edited March 7, 2016 by Rachshawzy17
Wrong ship name

[soccersharon]

We are Canadian as well, and debarked with everyone else :). Easy peasy!

 

Personally, I would grab a taxi. The port is only a few minutes away from FLL.

 

Grand Turk and HMC are two easy beach days :). In GT, we head down to Jack's Shack to enjoy great food and drinks - and play with Topher!

 

 

HMC, is paradise, and so relaxing. We bookd the Stingray encounter, and really wasn't worth it. I'll stick to the beach, next time we're there.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited March 7, 2016 by soccersharon

[Rachshawzy17]

Thank you so much for all the helpful information it'll make for a less stressful time for us!

[Organized Chaos]

I think a lot of people use Half Moon Cay as primarily a beach day. We took the island tram tour, which was nice and we found it interesting, but it's not the most exciting thing in the world. Very small island and not much to it, so there honestly isn't a whole heck of a lot to tour. But it was fun talking to our guide about their lives working on the island. For instance, our guide rides a bus from her home to a boat on her home island. She then takes a 2 hour boat ride to HMC every day. In the evening, she has to do it all over again. We did see a lot of people on the horseback riding expedition, so that seems like a popular one.

[Pellaz]

We're going on the same cruise itinerary aboard Conquest in October. Can't wait!

 

Your options for excursions in HMC might be limited if you're cruising there this month; I'd expect some of the popular options like the cabanas and villas might be sold out. We've had a cabana there twice and thought they were a really good deal, and we've booked a two-story villa for our larger group for our upcoming cruise. I was eyeing the snorkeling excursion since the snorkeling off the beach is so-so, but really, anyone can just enjoy the day at HMC with no worries. Free barbecue, gorgeous white-sand beach, it's awesome. If you're worried about finding shade, you can rent a clamshell (covers two loungers) on the beach for around $20. Do so early as they run out of them.

Note that it IS possible you'll miss HMC due to weather and/or waves. I'm currently 2-for-4 on making it there during cruises, and I'm hoping this next one will bring me above .500. :)

 

For Grand Turk, I've done the snuba excursion twice and might do it again...but this is another port where you can basically just relax. The loungers along the beach in front of Margaritaville and by their pool are all free. You can also walk down to Jack's along the beach (maybe 8 minutes' walk), and a bit farther to Governor's Beach for (reportedly) good snorkeling. Although Grand Turk includes the capital of Turks & Caicos, it's only 8 miles long with a population of 4,500, so when your ship docks the population almost doubles. :)

 

Have no idea about Amber Cove since it's a relatively new port. We've booked the "secluded beach villa" since it had good reviews. You might also want to check the ports-of-call forum here on CC for recent reports on excursions. There is a pool area and cabanas for rent there, as well as a zipline, but apparently no nearby beach area.