Would appreciate advice on Conquest

[DNCButler]

I've been out of cruising for 5 years now due to my husbands failing health and now that he's passed, I'm looking at cruising again. My sister and I are looking for a cruise that would include Aruba and Bonaire. I'm someone who likes to follow rules, I do appreciate formal nights, I don't have a problem with dress shorts on casual night, but hate to get nickled and dimed to death with extras that are included on other lines. I haven't sailed Carnival before but have sailed quite a bit on Princess, RCCL, Celebrity and even 1 NCL. We're looking at the Conquest but after reading reviews about the ship looking old, smelling like sewage and an overworked crew etc, I'm a bit worried. I'm turning to you all for advice please.

[originalgeek]

All I can tell you is we celebrated our 30th anniversary on Conquest in July and it was one of the best times we've ever had. Never smelled sewage (and we took a behind the scenes tour where one might expect such a thing). Our room steward was terrific - friendly, helpful, smiling and accommodating the entire week.

 

Our MDR staff were also attentive and friendly. The guest services people I spoke with at various times during the cruise made us feel welcome and special. Our stateroom was clean and comfortable (I like it to be very cool when I sleep and it was fine).

 

The crew everywhere went out of their way to, at the very least, smile and nod but usually were just warm and and did a great job of making us think they were happy to see us.

 

We were entertained continuously, fed well and treated magnificently. So much fun I've told my wife that cruising is the only way I'll vacation in future. We have a December trip booked and are working out details with our family for a big trip next year.

 

Yes, there are things that cost extra and we paid for some of them being newbies and wanting the whole experience (bought more photos than I would normally) but we don't have to do any of that again unless we want to. I drank as much as I wanted without getting the Cheers package and never felt I was missing out. I didn't have time to eat everything I wanted but that's what future cruises are for. We ate at the steakhouse on the evening of our anniversary and were treated royally. It cost 35 bucks each and was more than worth it as we'd have paid 150 easy for the meal we had if we had done it at one of our local favorite steakhouses.

 

We won't do as many excursions in the future as we did this time because they wear you out. Glad we did them, had great times on all of them, but we're too out-of-shape for that much tramping around the wilderness lol. But at least when we got back to the ship we could go to dinner and shows and be waited on hand and foot for the rest of the night.

 

I even won 27 bucks in the casino. High Roller! :)

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise and remember the good times.

[tattoos]

We sailed on the Conquest in May this year and have booked another cruise on the Conquest for April 2017.

 

The food was good in the MDR and our wait staff was excellent. Our Room Steward was the best we have ever had on any ship (35+ cruises and counting), I wanted to take her home with me. Our experience was that every staff member we came in contact with on the ship was always smiling and engaged us in light conversation with good humor and respect. My omelette cook in the morning on the Lido deck remembered me and my order after the first day.

 

I know the Conquest does not have a dedicated Serenity area but there are two areas on Deck 10 that have those nice sofas, chairs and hassocks (a great place for a nap mid-day).

 

We never detected any sewage smell in the halls, stateroom or open decks.

 

We would not hesitate to book the Conquest again and again, it was a great cruise experience.

[riffatsea]

Wow! Very strange reviews??? We were on the Conquest last October and thought the crew was wonderful and there was no "sewage smells" anywhere. I wonder if that depends on the type of cabin you book???

We were also celebrating our 30th anniversary and had a wonderful time!

We actually saw men turned away from the dining room on elegant night when they tried to enter in shorts!

You don't need a tux or a suit but slacks and a collared shirt seem to be still required.

Carnival may not suit you perfectly but the things that you are writing about were not at all present during our cruise!

[bluecruisin]

We sailed the Conquest about a year and a half ago and will be cruising it again next month. What time frame on you looking to cruise?

[BallFour4]

Can you share where these reviews are?

 

 

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[lizzyplague]

I went on the Conquest in May and it was absolutely fine. My review is in my sig. if you're interested in reading it. :)

 

To sum it up, there is no sewage smell, extremely minor cosmetic things that don't affect the cruise one way or the other, and the staff is extremely welcoming.

[bakersdozen12]

I did a B2B on the Conquest this past July and I loved, loved, loved the ship! Seriously, the ship had a fantastic crew that always seemed to be in a good mood and always helping out whenever they could. The food in the MDR wasn't just good, it was excellent. My only complaint about the ship is that I like the layout of the Dream-class better (better lido deck and I missed the promenade that wraps around the outside of the ship). I would sail on her again in a heartbeat, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the ship to anyone.

 

 

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[easyboy]

I went on the Conquest in May and it was absolutely fine. My review is in my sig. if you're interested in reading it. :)

 

To sum it up, there is no sewage smell, extremely minor cosmetic things that don't affect the cruise one way or the other, and the staff is extremely welcoming.

Thanks. Tried to read your review on your sig (Carnival Conquest - May 2016 (Eastern, review), but "server not found".

[RWolver672]

You will find that on this board, more people will write bad reviews because they are mad. If they had a good time, more than likely, they won't write a review. Once they start having a bad time, they look for things to complain about. I've even seen a review where someone complained that the ship had rust on it. Really??? A steel ship in salt water. Go figure.

[Pisgah]

We are returning to the Conquest for a B2B in Jan 2017. We sailed her years ago right after she was added to the Carnival Fleet and loved the ship. The reviews I have read a great. A cruise is what you make of it. We don't buy pictures or do a lot of extras and still have a great time. If you look at my past cruises in the signature you will see we have had several Carnival Cruises. We keep coming back because we have never had a negative experience.

[bluecruisin]

Many cruises, including our upcoming Conquest cruise just go to Aruba and Curacao. RCCL's Navigator goes to all 3 ABC islands plus Labadee for a 9 day cruise. We are booked for it for 4/18. We just did a different cruise on her this past April and she was in very good shape.

[CamiLovesToCruise]

Our family (10 of us spanning 4 generations) will be sailing on the Conquest next June. We have done lots of research and have zero qualms about sailing her. We are counting the days!

[golfb4cruzing]

If you enjoy rules being followed, Carnival is not for you. It's a free for all. Personally I'd stay with Princess. We were on the Conquest this past April and the ship is fine, they all are. But it was poorly run and no controls. We were late boarding, tenders were a mess and we were late coming back. I blame that on management. The ship was in great shape and food was okay (ship food). Depends on your tolerance level. I'll be kicked around for my opinion but we've done several other Carnival that were okay. Does not compare to Princess though.

Edited September 20, 2016 by golfb4cruzing

[Florings]

So far, Conquest has been my favorite ship - wonderful and relaxing. And though I've only sailed Carnival, I have to agree with some of the comments from golfb4cruzing. There are always those who do not follow the rules, in every aspect (ie saving chairs, dressing as they choose, letting kids into adult venues, etc) and the crew does not seem to step up to prevent it.

 

Still, the vast majority does follow the rules and we have always enjoyed our cruises on Carnival.

 

2018....looking at Princess for a Thanksgiving cruise when the schedule comes out!

[BrezQ]

I went on the Conquest in May and it was absolutely fine. My review is in my sig. if you're interested in reading it. :)

 

To sum it up, there is no sewage smell, extremely minor cosmetic things that don't affect the cruise one way or the other, and the staff is extremely welcoming.

 

I can't seem to find your review! (I'm sure I'm doing something wrong) do you have another link to it? thanks!

[loubetti]

Sorry for your loss, my dear.

 

My first thought was to say "go with what you know", ie: Celebrity, RCCL, Princess.

 

However, my comment now is: You don't know until you try it. Worth a shot, eh?

[FloridaMommyof3]

I'm loving hearing all these things. I'm taking my boys for Thanksgiving on Conquest exactly TWO MONTHS FROM TODAY!!! WOO HOO!! I can't wait and reading all these things has me very excited.

[Julienatul]

Carnival is not the horror story you hear about, especially the longer voyages. I believe the voyage you are looking at is an 8 day cruise. The lines are more similar than different. Carnival does not have all the "pay venues" like NCL. There is a steakhouse on the Conquest and a Seafood shack which are pay venues but the rest I believe are free. I honestly enjoy Carnival food more than any other line I have sailed and their staterooms are more spacious. I think if you give it a try you will enjoy it.

[cruzinlisa]

I have sailed Conquest twice and enjoyed it. If you are looking for an upscale experience, then you might keep looking. But if you are looking for fun, with average people (not weirdos and not Abercrombie models), it should be fine.

 

As far as the dress thing, I don't pay that much attention to it. I know that DH and I dressed in church/family photo type clothes for elegant nights. DH either wore khakis or jeans and DD and I wore dresses and we neither felt over or underdressed. I don't particularly pay close attention to what people are wearing because I don't care that much, as long as I feel like we are in the norm. I am sure if someone was wearing something super outrageous or inappropriate, I would notice. Last carnival cruise was the first time that DH wore shorts on casual nights though. Usually he would wear khaki's and a polo. And I don't think he brought a tie, not positive.

 

I don't think there is a lot of nickel and diming. Every cruise line I have been on (Celebrity, Disney and Carnival) has had some upcharge and extra cost items. I never felt like I had to pay it to get the same experience. We have eaten in the steakhouse a couple of times but not every cruise. We bought photos once and usually buy a couple of drinks. Its like any other vacation, if you want it and decide to buy it, you do.

[Keys2Heaven]

Cruise Conquest back in April of this year. My wife and I did Chef's table and explored the ship. No sewage smells anywhere. I wonder who started that anyway?!

 

Our cabin steward was excellent and went above board getting our formal attire ready when the laundry rooms where shut down. Great entertainment staff, shows and food.

 

I wish we could really get away from some of the nitpicking that goes on between cruise lines. Sail with whom you want. The most important part is to have fun and RELAX!!!

[DNCButler]

Ok thanks everyone. I feel better keeping this in the running now. We've narrowed it down to this one or Navigator. Same dates (close enough), similar itinerary, just need to decide which one is best for us. I appreciate everyone's assurance. And it's not nitpicking, it's trying not to pick the wrong ship. What is fun and relaxing for 1 person could be a real disappointment for another, that's why we have so many "flavors" in cruising. :D

[DNCButler]

Carnival is not the horror story you hear about, especially the longer voyages. I believe the voyage you are looking at is an 8 day cruise. The lines are more similar than different. Carnival does not have all the "pay venues" like NCL. There is a steakhouse on the Conquest and a Seafood shack which are pay venues but the rest I believe are free. I honestly enjoy Carnival food more than any other line I have sailed and their staterooms are more spacious. I think if you give it a try you will enjoy it.

 

Thank you! I've heard actually from many people that they preferred Carnival's food better. And yes, we're looking at the Dec 10th sailing.

Edited September 20, 2016 by DNCButler

[ourcruiseyears]

Didn't read through the replies to see if someone gave you a heads-up but Conquest does not have a Serenity Deck. The lack of cushioned lounge chairs was the only thing we missed on this ship. Everything else was fabulous. :)

[tattoos]

On Conquest, the cushioned sofas and lounge chairs are located on Deck 10, Port and Starboard side of the ship under the overhang which provides some nice shade. The Starboard side is for smokers. It is a very nice area with lots of sofas, chairs and tables just like the Serenity area on other Carnival ships. However, these areas were never crowded and we always found a nice, soft, sofa to take an afternoon nap.