Pre-Trip Blog and Review: Carnival Conquest 5/22/16 – Eastern Caribbean

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

 

 

 

 

A little later I shot some Facebook Live Videos. The first one does not appear to have saved to my phone, but here is the second one.

 

 

We arrived back at our car around 3:50 PM to grab our overnight bag and then we headed into the hotel just has it started to rain. The ladies needed to use the restroom so, I sat in the lobby with our bags until they returned. I checked my Hilton Honors App and found that it still showed to see Front Desk. It was a bit busy with everyone checking in so, I stood in line for a few minutes and a gentleman helped me get the digital key all setup and provided some additional keys just in case they were required. We arrived to our room, and wow, just wow. It was perfect.

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

 

 

 

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

 

 

 

 

 

I shot a Facebook Live Video of the room before we got it all messed up.

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by UTVolsFan4Life
Added Additional Information

[UTVolsFan4Life]

It's shortly after 4:30 PM and we watched Oasis of the Seas sail away. It never gets old seeing ships sail away and knowing that the next day it will be your turn. It just amps the excitement up.

 



 



 



 



 



 



 

We watched her sail out as far as we could see.

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

We were hungry and tired. We debated about getting an uber and going to PF Changs or Cheesecake factory, but with it raining and as tired as we were we decided not to go. We looked at the restaurants at the hotel and they are rather pricey and we were not sure if Cynthia would find something to eat. We decided on delivery so, we checked out the menu's that I had picked up from the Concierge's Desk on the way into the hotel. None of them showed any options that Cynthia could eat. We then looked on the Find Me Gluten Free App and found a few local pizza places, but they were too far away to deliver. We settled on Domino's. I placed the order on my phone and the wait time was 35-45 minutes. I was surprised because in most major cities that we use them or Pizza Hut it's at least an hour and a half wait. We received the confirmation e-mail and it confirmed the time. We decided that we needed a light snack and Cynthia needed something from the car so, the ladies decided to walk down to the car. I stood on the balcony to watch for them coming and going from the car. In a short time our pizza was delivered hot and fresh. We ate dinner and started to relax for the night while watching some TV. One of the ladies looked outside a little after 7:30 PM and noticed a beautiful rainbow.

 



 

I stepped outside to take a few pictures.

 



 



 



 



 

We watched a bit more TV and before we knew the time had just flew by and it was 9:00 PM. We were ready for bed. Tomorrow, we board the Carnival Conquest!

 

That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed our pre-cruise activities. Please join me on the next installment for my final thoughts on the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina and our embarkation day. Did we complete our trifecta and get our favorite cabana in Half Moon Cay?

[easypeasy55]

Can I ask how much was the nightly rate for your room and what was the room number? Thank you and I am enjoying your blog.

[cocacola86]

Enjoying the review, the Conquest was my very first Carnival cruise in 2004 out of New Orleans and that's where I got hooked on cruising, stayed on Deck 10 and I think it was an interior with a window but not an OV because you could see outside but was an obstructed view.

 

 

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[starfish the second]

cant wait for more we will be on the conquest end of july

[LizaMM]

Thank you for your review!

 

I am looking forward to your photos and comments on the Conquest. I sailed the Conquest in January :)

[UTVolsFan4Life]

Can I ask how much was the nightly rate for your room and what was the room number? Thank you and I am enjoying your blog.

I booked one year out and the rate was $189.00 per night plus tax. I checked on it regularly and found a Hilton Honors discount that got it down to $153.00 per night plus tax. The room number was 1228.

Enjoying the review, the Conquest was my very first Carnival cruise in 2004 out of New Orleans and that's where I got hooked on cruising, stayed on Deck 10 and I think it was an interior with a window but not an OV because you could see outside but was an obstructed view.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Very nice, the ship has aged quite a bit since then. Thanks for following.

[UTVolsFan4Life]

cant wait for more we will be on the conquest end of july

Thanks for following!

Thank you for your review!

 

I am looking forward to your photos and comments on the Conquest. I sailed the Conquest in January :)

Thanks for following!

[UTVolsFan4Life]

Just a quick update! I'm getting close to starting with Embarkation from Fort Lauderdale. All the videos have been uploaded and now I'm uploading over 100 pictures for the day. I know you're just as excited as I am to get started. Hopefully, I'll be back later tonight or tomorrow to get started.

[UTVolsFan4Life]

Day 1: Embarkation Day – Port Everglades

Today is the day! Over a year in the making and we are finally getting on board on the Carnival Conquest. I woke up about 5:00 AM to use the restroom and I was ready to get the day started. I quietly walked out on the balcony to sit, reflect, and be thankful for all God has given us. Soon, in the distance I saw something large with a blue light coming from the end and I realized that Allure of the Seas was getting ready to come into port. I watched her come alongside the dock at 5:55 AM.

 



 



 



 



 



 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as Allure was docked I looked in distance and this is what I saw:

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

The Conquest was getting ready to come into port. I watched her until about 6:05 AM until I started my Facebook live video.

 

 

One of my pre-cruise traditions is to meet the ship so that I can see her come into the port. I have an excellent spot at Port Canaveral and I was concerned that I would not have the opportunity in Port Everglades, but this was so much better than I could have ever imagined.

 

After the video, I stood watching even further and taking a few pictures of the Conquest and Allure.

 



 



 



 



 



 



 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

There was a beautiful sunrise.

 



 

It was around 6:30 AM when I went inside and opened the windows so that the ladies could see the ship when they woke up. Cynthia was moving first and then Julie woke up shortly after. We all got ready and while the ladies was finishing up I opened my new GoPro Remote. There was a paper in it about needing an update so down to the lobby I went to the computers to see if I could get it updated. I went to the website that it told me and realized that it was talking about the camera. I did an update on the camera before I left home so I tried it and it worked. We packed everything up and we checked out of the hotel around 9:00 AM. It was a bit later than I wanted to leave and we needed to make a stop to get some duct tape as we found a tear in Cynthia’s luggage. We went looking for a store that Cynthia thought she saw on US 1, I forget the name of the store. After we went just past Las Olas, I decided to turn around and try the Walgreens we had passed on US 1.

 



 

We used the directions on the GPS to arrive at Port Everglades. Before we left Walgreens, I made sure that we had our ID’s and boarding passes out and ready for review at the checkpoint. We arrived at the checkpoint at around 9:40 AM where there was a very brief wait to get checked and receive a paper for the rearview mirror.

 



 

We followed the signs to arrive at terminal 19 which is the normal terminal for the Conquest. Cynthia was nice to snap some picture for me as we drive through the port.

 



 



 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

We arrived at the terminal and was stopped by an officer who asked if I was dropping off or picking up. I said dropping off and he pointed to the porters and I pulled all the way to the front as nobody else was in line. We got out checked bags out and to the porter with a nice little tip of $2 per bag and made sure he understood that we were faster to the fun. I got back into the car and I pulled around to the parking deck. As I was going to pull in a lady started screaming at me and her English was not that great so, all I understood was I could not park there and to go to the light and take a right. I went down and made the right at the light and found a sheriff’s officer so, I stopped and asked him where I needed to go. He told me that we would be coming back to Terminal 4 and that we would park over there and would be shuttled back to terminal 19. He gave me some directions and off we went to find terminal 4. The signs was a bit confusing and I missed the turn and had to go out of the port and then come back in. There was a longer line, but they had someone checking people ahead of the line so it went quicker. After another missed turn or two I found where we needed to park. We quickly grabbed our stuff and headed for the waiting shuttle. It filled up quickly and we were on our way to the port. We were dropped off on the side of the port and had to walk around to the entrance. It was a mad house with people still waiting from coming off the ship and people trying to get into the terminal. They had lines and people were trying to get into the priority line that did not have priority. We got into the terminal and there was a good line waiting to have our documents checked. When checking in we received a letter about the change in arrival terminal and the Zika virus. While in line to get checked in I started meeting some of the people from our roll call as we were checking in. There was a little line at check in, but there were lots of people to assist checking people in. The line also moved faster when I realized that there was a large party in the line. They take your Sign & Sail picture at check in now so there is no extra stops. We went to the waiting area and was directed to the FTTF waiting section that was just over half full. Cynthia and I took our we’re here selfie at 10:53 AM. We got settled in for the wait and I decided that it might be a good time to use the restroom and get some water. I took some pictures inside the area and after a few snaps I was told that I cannot do this. Sure, no problem.

 



 



 



 

I thought these people were going on a cruise. They don't look that happy for some reason.

 



 



 

Just a side note: I don't want to start to the FTTF debate, but all of these waiting areas were slammed packed by the time we started boarding. Sure, I don't mind that I got to pass all of them.

 

At this point, I’m wishing we would have left the hotel earlier and arrived to port sooner. I know we are going to be in some stiff competition for the cabana choices so, I’m starting to get nervous that we won’t get the one we want or our 2nd or 3rd choices. The FTTF section was overflowing to the point that there was no longer any sitting room. The other people were directed to sit down in another section, but some of them decided to stand. At 11:40 AM, FTTF got called for boarding and we were asked to go in single file by the row that we were sitting. Some of the people standing decided to rush the line while those that had waited even longer than we had went to board the ship. This frustrated me a little bit and I was a bit vocal about it, but it passed soon as we were going on vacation. Thank you to the people that was standing that was respectful and waited to the end of FTTF. We were up the escalator and took a quick sail away photo and then on the ship we went. I went in front of the ladies so that I could get Julie’s reaction to getting on the ship and so that as soon as we were on the ship I could make a mad dash to the Excursion Desk.

 

 

What happened to grand entrances to the lobby?

 

We was on board and in line in about 5 minutes. The Excursion Desk was open, but the line was moving very slowly as there was only one person working the station. We had at least 5 groups ahead of us and I know knew most of them from our group that they were there for cabanas. All of the people in line had priority so, there was no skipping ahead in the line. We would just have to wait it out. There was a second person that came behind the counter to assist and the line started to move a bit faster, except for a gentleman that must have stood at the counter for about 15 minutes. We met a few more people in our group and finally it was our turn in line. I told the lady that we needed to reserve our cabana. She quickly passed me the sheet and our favorite #10 did not have a mark by it. I told her that we would like #10 and checked to make sure it was not taken. It was not and she marked it off the list so that it could be passed to the next person. She took our drinks and fin sizes and provided us with our ticket so, we did not have to wait and get it in the room.

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

We arrived in our room a little before 12:30 PM. We are on the Rivera deck in room 1316. I took some pictures before we messed up the room.

 



 



 



 



 



 



 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

A couple of shots out our window.

 



 



 

Julie discovered her favorite place in the room.

 



 

The water that we pre-ordered was in the room when we arrived.

 



 



 



 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

Cynthia joined in on the window fun!

 



 



 



 



 



 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

This sign is no joke, so please pay attention to it. These showers get hot fast!

 



 

It was time to take a closer look at today's Funtimes.

 



 



 



 



 



 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

 

 

 

 

While the TV was playing earlier, there was some safety video playing I heard the guy say that his name was Paul and he was the Cruise Director. I thought that was weird as I had heard earlier that Wee Jimmy was to be our Cruise Director. I'm not sure what happen to him, but for this cruse Paul Stantley was the Cruise Director.

 

I checked the mini fridge and it was not open. I will have to ask for it to be opened when we return. We were getting hungry, but I looked at the time and we wanted to be first in line to speak with the dinning staff about our special dietary concerns. We waited in line for a few minutes and talked with some guys at the head of the line when the hostess asked how she could help and then asked us to be seated in the dining room and she could go ahead and assist us and we did not need to wait in line. Cynthia had her list of allergies written down so, it was easy. Cynthia talked me into eating gluten free on the trip with some splurges and Julie has started getting sick when eating anything with lemons so, we made sure that was taken care of and we ordered dinner for that evening. Now, it was time to eat and by 1:15 PM, I had my first Guy’s Burger in my hand. Guy’s has gluten free buns that they prepare in the back and will provide if you ask for one. Also, the fries are gluten free. Julie and I had a real Guy’s burger and fries while Cynthia had a bun with some toppings from the toppings bar as she does not eat meat and the veggie burger contains gluten.

 



 

Next, we had some froyo that was very tasty. By around 2:45 PM, we were back in the room to get settled. It was then when I meet our steward, Tamrin. I asked for the mini fridge to be unlocked and for a bucket of ice. He came right away and as he was coming into the room, I checked again and he had opened it while we were gone. He quickly provided us our requested ice. As I was unpacking my carry on, our luggage arrived. We pulled it in and I started unpacking for the week. In checking the FunTimes one thing that I noticed was that there was no assigned time for Muster Drill. We assumed the time and made our way to our station around 3:45 PM. We got to the door that leads to the deck, but it was closed. Announcements were being made for the crew to get into position and at 4:00 PM the muster lines started forming. While it felt like a long time muster was over around 4:20 PM. They released in a staggered fashion and as our luck would run it started on the other side of the ship.

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

We made it to the rear of the ship in time to get a few pictures.

 



 



 



 



 



 



 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

 

Our Hotel from last night.

 

 

 

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

Then we found a nice spot in the shade with some couches to use for our sail away location. I believe that this was on deck 10. We made calls to our parents to let them know we were getting ready to leave. It was now time for sail away.