MITSUGIRLY decides to CONQUEST new ports-complete pictorial review

[ilovetotravel1977]

If you look in this picture, you will see a guy dressed up in what appears to be Michael Jackson? I'm not sure what he was doing. On our way out of the port, I did see him standing on a stage or box or something (I can't remember exactly) and people were taking pictures with him. This time he was just standing there and had a tip box in front of him. I don't know if he was acting like the one's that you see in Cozumel that stand real still and you don't know if they are real or not and then they jump and scare you???

 

 

 

That happened to me in Cozumel. I screamed...people laughed...he was pretty good!

 

[mitsugirly]

 

We walked in at 4:18pm and our room number was finally called at 5:02 and she was standing on the stage picking our her "bear"...only it wasn't a bear, it was a turtle.

 

 

Putting her "heart" in the turtle to give it life.

 

 

Putting it some guts in.

 

 

 

Getting his back surgically stitched up.

 

 

The end result:

 

 

I swear I thought the last time we did this it was under $20 without clothes. But this time, I believe just the animal was $25. Oh well, small price you pay for your kid not to play with the animal yet to date and it's still sitting in the original BAB bag it came in on the basement floor. (This is VERY strange for Sakari not to play with an animal like this. It usually keeps her entertained for HOURS if not DAYS).

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

After BAB we were on our way back to the room and decided to stop and get some pop. I had to use the restroom, so the fam sat down to wait on me. When I returned, this is what I found. Where they tired? Where they hiding from me? Nope, they were trying to stay out of the sun because we got a little red in Grand Turk the other day.

 

 

We put the new member of our family up in the room and headed to the BBQ area to drop Sakari off to eat "dinner #1" with her friends.

 

We really weren't hungry for some reason, even though it had been since 11:30am when we last ate, but decided to stop at the buffet and just make a salad.

 

 

After that, it was off to the casino to still play on our $20 donation from day 1.

 

This is the frog game that I liked to play and always did decent with hitting the bonus round, but always contributed my winnings back into the game.

 

 

 

My favorite was still Alice and I always did well on this game and hit bonus games. This would be a $51 win for me on a .50 bet and my third spin.

 

 

Meanwhile, hubby is over here on his favorite game...Money Rain where it was definitely raining money that day for him.

 

MIxl5cK3-Z8

 

Now this was a .02 game, so his points was 13,035 which meant he just won $278.04! Boom! And we were done for the night. LOL

Notice at the end of the video above, he says "well, there's my door"...meaning it should pay for the glass in the door that would now need to be replaced from the kids breaking into the store while we were away.

 

 

[nybumpkin]

The taxi was my one complaint about our Seavis tour in La Romana. We had no problem finding Casa de Campo at the taxi stand, but they didn't have enough taxis for everyone who booked a Seavis tour. We ended up in an overcrowded cab with a 20-something girl sitting on my 19 YO son's lap.:o

[rtw68]

Tahiti Casino: The place where either magic happens and you are grinning from ear to ear...or on the opposite side of the spectrum and you are frustrated because all you did was donate your money.

 

 

Really enjoying your review! We sail on Conquest next April. How was the smoke in the casino? Just having left the Vista the casino was really bad. :o

[mitsugirly]

Off to the Atrium we went to check out the 80's trivia. This is my favorite era and I knew all of the songs but 1 and I love to just sit around and watch (I don't play). But the cruise director was a lot of fun and man she can actually sing. She really got the audience pumped up and even serenaded someone. It was a lot of fun to watch. Then of course Phil Collins came on...the entire video is hilarious and the drums...ahhh the drums. Everyone at some point and time has played the air drums to this song. She was bringing down the house!

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=VaiJWjL6iaU

 

When this was all over, we decided to pick up the munchkin and head to the deli and the pizza place to eat dinner #2.

 

Sakari was excited because she had a new "shark" medal necklace, since she's officially 9 now and a shark.

 

We ended up with a chicken wrap and also I tried the quattro pizza. Man was that good! Four different cheeses, I believe, and garlic. YES!

 

 

We sat down and ate in the very loud Sky Pool location where the teenagers ran rapid and screamed with every jump into the pool. I watched a girl run toward the pool, slip, fell into the pool striking her back and bouncing into the pool. I gasp. You could tell it hurt, but she played it off in front of the boy she was with. She would manage to disappear for a good 20 minutes or so and then she returned.

 

Then...back to the room to pack our beach bags for tomorrow.

 

As I packed, Sakari was still on a bird kick...she entertained herself until it was time for bed.

 

She said "mommy, what type of ending do you think this will have?" gasp

 

I set the alarm and we headed for bed. Only I haven't mentioned just how loud it is on this floor. The engines, pulling into port, the slowing down and turning of the ship...it's just so loud and noisy. Tonight we would hear sounds that I can only describe as a cat scratching the carpet over and over or someone with a comb running their fingers over the bristles. I have no idea what it was. I do know that it drove me nuts!

[Kfamilycruise]

I set the alarm and we headed for bed. Only I haven't mentioned just how loud it is on this floor. The engines, pulling into port, the slowing down and turning of the ship...it's just so loud and noisy. Tonight we would hear sounds that I can only describe as a cat scratching the carpet over and over or someone with a comb running their fingers over the bristles. I have no idea what it was. I do know that it drove me nuts!

 

Yikes! Good to know how the loud the floor is. Congrats on the new grandbaby! Enjoying your adventures as always. Love that I am also getting to see pics of Thrilled and family! Hey all!

[CamaCama]

So, today is Sakari's 9th birthday.

 

 

 

 

Awesome and a great day for a birthday... 4/17 rules!! I've never done a birthday cruise, but planning it for my 40th in 2020, hopefully Alaska. :) I love reading your reviews since my older daughter is about a year younger than Sakari, fun to see what the ships offer for the kids and how the kids clubs are.

[momonthego17]

Sakari's art work is amazing!! She has such attention to detail. I showed her work to my mom (who is an artist) and we both agreed that we would have thought this was work from an adult.

Love her photos too! Thx for writing a great review!

[mitsugirly]

And you are now BFF's with Mitsugirly, so you are famous now...LOL

 

I totally busted out laughing just now! :')

That happened to me in Cozumel. I screamed...people laughed...he was pretty good!

 

 

Yea, they have a bunch of them in each port in Cozumel. Ever seen the gold guy?

 

The taxi was my one complaint about our Seavis tour in La Romana. We had no problem finding Casa de Campo at the taxi stand, but they didn't have enough taxis for everyone who booked a Seavis tour. We ended up in an overcrowded cab with a 20-something girl sitting on my 19 YO son's lap.

 

I'm still confused about what Casa de Campo is??? Is that a taxi service name? Or the name of where the taxi's are located? I just walked up and told the lady that was putting people in taxi's and she seemed to know what we were talking about.

 

 

LOL at the girl on your son's lap. I bet he didn't mind. :p

 

What ticked me off is the communication between the port and Seavis. They told them that we were no-shows and there wasn't anyone there waiting to go to Seavis when clearly we waited for almost 45 minutes. :mad:

 

 

Really enjoying your review! We sail on Conquest next April. How was the smoke in the casino? Just having left the Vista the casino was really bad.

 

I would imagine it's probably the same. If smoke bothers you in an enclosed place/casino, this would probably be no different since basically the entire casino allows smoking.

 

 

Yikes! Good to know how the loud the floor is. Congrats on the new grandbaby! Enjoying your adventures as always. Love that I am also getting to see pics of Thrilled and family! Hey all!

 

Thanks so much! We had a blast and can't wait to do it again. (Thank you!)

 

 

Awesome and a great day for a birthday... 4/17 rules!! I've never done a birthday cruise, but planning it for my 40th in 2020, hopefully Alaska. I love reading your reviews since my older daughter is about a year younger than Sakari, fun to see what the ships offer for the kids and how the kids clubs are.

 

I think 4/17 is pretty awesome (I picked that date for her delivery because my other daughters bday is also on the 17th...but September).

 

 

Will your daughter be going with you on the Alaskan cruise? I've been trying to convince Sakari for years to go on one. She wants to see the animals that we normally wouldn't see on a Caribbean cruise, but not being able to go to the beach might hinder things a bit.

[mitsugirly]

Sakari's art work is amazing!! She has such attention to detail. I showed her work to my mom (who is an artist) and we both agreed that we would have thought this was work from an adult.

Love her photos too! Thx for writing a great review!

 

Thank you so so much. I am so proud of her and her artistic ability. She has been drawing since she was 3 years old and her preschool teachers brought her "detailed drawings" to my attention and even donated stacks and stacks of paper to her for summer break because they knew she would use it up...and she did!

 

 

I am desperately trying to find a school that caters to her abilities, but so far, I have only been able to find a middle school...so she has 2 more years to go before she can enter a school of art program. Until then, I guess she will continue to practice.

 

 

She was tested, last year in 2nd grade, and was determined to be "gifted" in the arts, but nothing more ever came of it and I didn't need them to "test" her to tell me that. I'm really not sure what the purpose of it was for.

 

 

I love to showcase her work (and keep it all in totes) and here are some of my favorite pieces (starting when she was 5 years old).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I continue to see the improvement every year. I can't wait to see what this year brings.

 

If your artist mom has any suggestions for improvement or things I could help her out with...please let me know.

 

 

One "odd" thing about her and her drawings...she usually can only draw with pens or markers. She has tried many times with crayons and pencils (and I try to convince her that with a pencil, she can erase if she makes a mistake...she claims she never makes a mistake :')). She is NOT good at coloring and NOT good at painting (I wanted to try to find a "paint night" for us to go to around here, but they all only cater to adults :(). She is also VERY FAST at her drawings. Some very detailed ones can take her about 10 minutes and she's done. She has a photographic memory and will see an animal and several hours later go back and draw every single detail about it.

[mitsugirly]

DAY 4: ARUBA April 19 2pm-11:30pm

 

I promised myself I would sleep in today, since we weren't going to be in port until 2pm. But...it never works out for me since I have been getting up at the crack of dawn every other day. It was 8am and I was wide awake due to every time I turned in bed, I felt my slight sun burn ache and create another crease in my skin.

 

 

 

 

I headed outside to check on the weather (the only thing I hate about being in an inside room is having to go upstairs to check the weather and sunlight situation). It was a little cloudy outside and it appeared "foggy" in the distance.

 

Now according to some "facts" I read about Aruba...this just couldn't turn out to be anything but a good day!

 

Aruba Facts (according to an article I read prior to the cruise):

1) Aruba has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the world. Most speak English, Dutch, Spanish, Creole and Papiamento. Population consist of over 90+ nationalities and ethnic groups.

2) Aruba's diet is strongly influenced by Indonesia with Indonesian food.

3) On a clear day, you can see Venezuela, which is 90 miles away.

4) Aruba is the wreck diving capital of the Caribbean.

5) The white sand beaches are barefoot-friendly due to the unique crushed coral shell composition, which keeps the sand cool on your feet.

6) Aruba is the pioneer of purified water for over 80 years.

7) Breeze from the northeast cause the divi-divi trees, that look like bonsai trees, to bend and grow that way.

8) It is common practice to let the goats, donkeys and ostrich out during the day to feed and you can sometimes see them on the hillside grazing.

9) Gambling winnings don't get taxed here! You keep it all. (Some will keep the winnings and invest in property here so that they don't have to pay taxes when returning to the US). <---sounds like a plan to me...if only I could win that kind of money!

10) 20% of the island is a national park.

11) ARUBA HAS THE MOST SUNNY DAYS OF ANY ISLAND IN THE CARIBBEAN!!! They have the least amount of rainfall, with about 15" for the year! You are almost guaranteed a sunny day in Aruba. ALSO...Aruba lays on the outside of the hurricane belt, so hurricanes rarely touch Arbua shores!

 

YES! Hardly any rain...with my luck and the clouds in the sky, I will probably have a rainy day in Aruba. I guess that would be something to write home about! lol

 

Since I was the only one up, I headed to the gift shop for a little quick shopping and on the way back to the room...I just happen to pass the casino...well....I knew the casino's would not be open all day or tonight, due to being in port late, and we sure wasn't about to stay up late just to play, I figured I'd throw $20 in and see what happens real quick.

 

I headed to my favorite game on this ship...Alice. I put in $20 from my key card and within 2 minutes and a few spins, I won $48. Whelp, good enough for me. Time to head back to the room to get the fam up. Like I always say, if I'm up, they might as well be too!

 

When I returned to the room, everyone was already up and dressed and daddy already had Sakari in a bathing suit. Shocker! We headed for breakfast and got our usual. Only this time, Sakari would decide she wanted an omelette as well and daddy decided he wanted the all white omelette. I was shocked they changed things up a bit. Of course "Mo" the parrot was hungry too, so she just had to bring him along.

 

 

I got my normal omelette and slab of pig and then of course my new found pastry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

After breakfast, we headed outside and decided we would try to find the putt putt area (since we haven't managed to run into it yet). We felt a little sprinkle...seriously? This couldn't be happening to me. But the more I thought about it, the more I figured...well, we aren't really IN Aruba YET, so maybe that's the problem.

 

We headed up on the back decks, toward the whale tail, and circled the area of the putt putt, trying to figure out how to get in. After a complete circle, I finally figured out that you had to go INSIDE the "basketball/soccer" court (usually that term lightly) and cut across to another set of stairs to go up.

 

We finally made it and located our putters and balls.

 

 

 

There really wasn't anything spectacular about the putt putt area, like some of the other ships, but it was still fun and interestingly challenging at times.

 

 

 

 

It did make for a challenging game due to the wind on that high of a deck. I blame anything over 3 putts on the wind moving my ball because I know that it would have been a hole in one otherwise. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

After putt putt, Sakari insisted on trying to play ping pong again. There were people on both sides, so it was a bust. I honestly don't know how they were playing with the wind. It's more like a chase the ball game.

 

We headed back to the room to pack our things for our day in Aruba and we already had our towel animal of course. (This is still just really weird to me to have a towel animal during the morning cleaning).

 

 

[mitsugirly]

I think at some point we ran into Thrilled and we both had made plans to head to Arashi Beach for part of the day (prior to the cruise). I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do about transportation. I knew you could walk somewhere and catch the local bus to the beach for $2.60/pp. It definitely was enticing to think about how cheap that would be, but with arriving in Aruba so late, I also wanted to maximize my time at the beach. I knew that taking the bus would be a bit of a detour and we would have stops along the way, limiting some of our time. I had read that a taxi would range anywhere from $21-25 (different reports coming in) and although that's a lot more than paying around $8 total, I was willing to do it. However, I wanted to get Thrilled's opinion on the situation and if she was willing to take the bus, I'd do the same. It's always easier, I think, if you have a group or other people with you...that way if we screw up, it's a lot funner! LOL

 

She had told me that she had planned on taking the bus. So, I was fully prepared to do that as well.

 

Here we are finally pulling into Aruba.

 

 

 

 

 

The buses were all lined up and ready to tour the cruisers.

 

 

It seemed to be a very colorful city.

 

 

 

 

I don't know what those little buildings on the left in the center that look alike are, but at night, they lit up colors that changed constantly. It was really pretty.

 

 

 

All the pastel colors reminded me of Bermuda...and makes me want to go back to Bermuda.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Looks like a party bus ready to pick up the cruisers that are willing to crawl back to the ship either right before sailaway or after in some cases.

 

 

Just look at that color of blue! Amazing!

 

 

 

 

You better believe once that ship was "parked" I was in line getting off and headed for the taxi's.

 

Only...we just had to stop for our pictures of course.

 

 

Sakari had found a "peacock" and just had to have her picture taken with her. Absolutely stunning costumes they had there. I'm so glad that we stopped for her to get a picture here because they LOST our other family picture from that day and we have no family pictures from Aruba. (More on that later).

 

We headed into the building and was winding our way around to get out. It was hot outside and my lens would continue to fog a lot.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Sakari discovered all of these beaded costumes. She was amazed and insisted on getting pictures with them all...whether we were in a hurry or not.

 

 

I decided we had time for more pictures. It was actually a stall tactic to see if we might find Thrilled passing by and heading to the bus.

 

 

 

Still no thrilled or munchkins in site.

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, time to head out of the building and see if we might see her out there and to check out how things work out there.

 

 

 

 

 

[RenoNanaOz]

Thank you so so much. I am so proud of her and her artistic ability. She has been drawing since she was 3 years old and her preschool teachers brought her "detailed drawings" to my attention and even donated stacks and stacks of paper to her for summer break because they knew she would use it up...and she did!

 

 

I am desperately trying to find a school that caters to her abilities, but so far, I have only been able to find a middle school...so she has 2 more years to go before she can enter a school of art program. Until then, I guess she will continue to practice.

 

 

She was tested, last year in 2nd grade, and was determined to be "gifted" in the arts, but nothing more ever came of it and I didn't need them to "test" her to tell me that. I'm really not sure what the purpose of it was for.

 

 

I love to showcase her work (and keep it all in totes) and here are some of my favorite pieces (starting when she was 5 years old).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I continue to see the improvement every year. I can't wait to see what this year brings.

 

If your artist mom has any suggestions for improvement or things I could help her out with...please let me know.

 

 

One "odd" thing about her and her drawings...she usually can only draw with pens or markers. She has tried many times with crayons and pencils (and I try to convince her that with a pencil, she can erase if she makes a mistake...she claims she never makes a mistake :')). She is NOT good at coloring and NOT good at painting (I wanted to try to find a "paint night" for us to go to around here, but they all only cater to adults :(). She is also VERY FAST at her drawings. Some very detailed ones can take her about 10 minutes and she's done. She has a photographic memory and will see an animal and several hours later go back and draw every single detail about it.

Just keep encouraging her to follow her love of Art. My daughter was the same way and is now 32 and a Graphic Designer and LOVES it! She now is encouraging her little girl who has the same passion. Your little one definitely has skills.

[As You Wish]

Sakari's drawing skills really are remarkable. Who knows where that will take her, but what a great skill and passion to have at such a young age.

 

Aruba looks breathtaking. I think my next booking may have to include this port.

[Thrilled2012]

 

You are very welcome for the settings info. You can absolutely steal the picture. I'll email the original w/o the stamp on it and not resized (makes for a better pic). I only wish that Xander would have been in the pic too but by the time he was in it, you were out of it. Boo!

 

Thank you!! And, yeah my ducklings need to learn to stay closer to mama duck

 

Replying just to say that I live near you! LOL We live in Milford...small world!! And you are now BFF's with Mitsugirly, so you are famous now...LOL

 

LOL ;p. It sure is a small world. I just drove through your neck of the woods today on my way upstate for a work meeting. LSD leaves a lot to be desired, but its home :)

[Thrilled2012]

 

I slowly but surely made my way out as the hubby looked on and I wasn't sure if he was hiding back his laughter or had to go potty.

 

 

LOLOLOL....I can sooooo picture him doing this!! Too funny ;p

 

 

 

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention...I have a new "friend" I am going to be taking with me on cruises. I found this mentioned on a scuba social media site and I just knew I had to have one! A lego scuba diver that's holding a camera!!! YES!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love it! He does wind up looking much bigger in your pics than in real life. Perfect. He needs a name :D

[Thrilled2012]

The taxi was my one complaint about our Seavis tour in La Romana. We had no problem finding Casa de Campo at the taxi stand, but they didn't have enough taxis for everyone who booked a Seavis tour. We ended up in an overcrowded cab with a 20-something girl sitting on my 19 YO son's lap.:o

 

Oh my! I doubt he was complaining, lol. I would have loved to have been crammed into a taxi rather than having to wait 45 minutes. We wound up missing our much anticipated dune buggy tour as a result (the tour company would have waited for us but when they called the taxi company they were told that we were "no shows", I'm sure they were told this by the same lovely person that told Mitsugirly's tour company the same thing) :(

 

Yikes! Good to know how the loud the floor is. Congrats on the new grandbaby! Enjoying your adventures as always. Love that I am also getting to see pics of Thrilled and family! Hey all!

 

Hey, hey! Good to 'see' you. You didn't tell me that your next cruise will be in a 2 bdrm Haven suite (I see that in your siggy). Lucky duck! Can't wait to hear about that one

[CAC104]

I have been waiting for this and love reading this next chapter in all of your great cruising adventures!

[mitsugirly]

Just keep encouraging her to follow her love of Art. My daughter was the same way and is now 32 and a Graphic Designer and LOVES it! She now is encouraging her little girl who has the same passion. Your little one definitely has skills.

 

No need for me to encourage her...she never stops. She lives and breathes drawing. She doesn't play with toys too often (unless they are animal related) and would rather draw. For Christmas and birthdays, she always gets things related to drawing or crafts.

 

 

Of course when I ask her what she wants to be when she grows up (hoping to get some type of great career), I still get "I'm going to be a Mermaid!"

 

 

 

Sakari's drawing skills really are remarkable. Who knows where that will take her, but what a great skill and passion to have at such a young age.

 

Aruba looks breathtaking. I think my next booking may have to include this port.

 

Yes, I'm very proud of her. I use to love to draw when I was little too (and was told I was pretty good as well). If you ask me what I was going to be when I grew up, my answer was always "An Artist". However, I do not have a photographic memory. I have to actually be starring at something to draw it.

 

 

Aruba is amazing. We left there saying we would love to do a land vacation there.

 

 

 

Love it! He does wind up looking much bigger in your pics than in real life. Perfect. He needs a name

 

You're right, I do need a name for my scuba girl! Suggestions? :')

 

I have been waiting for this and love reading this next chapter in all of your great cruising adventures!

 

Thanks so much. Glad you are here.

[mitsugirly]

So once we made it outside, Thrilled was no where in site. We stood around for awhile, didn't really see the bus station in site (which I knew you actually had to walk to it, but wasn't sure how far), and after a few minutes, I made the executive decision that we would just cab it there.

 

There was a long line, right in front of the stairs and doors and we quickly jumped in. It was about a 10 minute wait (which honestly seemed longer to me) until we were in the cab and moving. We stood there for awhile with no cabs pulling up. It was really weird. Then when they did, there would be maybe 2 or 3 and a family would pile in and they'd leave and then we would wait for more to come. I thought it was a really weird way to do things knowing that everyone was getting off of the ship...you'd think they would be better prepared. I have NEVER been to a port where they are not just lined up waiting and rolling out one after another.

 

Before it was our turn to get in the cab, Thrilled found me! Or did I find her? I forget. But, she also decided to cab it. However, we couldn't cab it together due to a very strict rule in Aruba...no more than 5 people to a cab! No exceptions! Well, we had 6...but I would call it 5 1/2...but that didn't matter to them.

 

We told her we'd meet her and the kids at Arashi and then off we went in the cab. We pulled away at 2:21pm.

 

 

 

When I ask the cab driver about the taxi's not being there and ready to get passengers, he explained they were running thin that day because of the other ship arriving earlier. Other ship? Well holy cow, there was another ship in port with us. I hadn't even noticed but looked back and snapped a picture and yep, he was right. LOL

 

 

Pictures along the way to Arashi. Here's some of the Divi Divi trees along the beach.

 

 

 

Now I remember posting on the boards that I wanted a picture of the "Aruba" sign and was told "Sit on the right side of the cab/bus" and you'll pass it on the way to Arashi. I ask the cab driver about it and he said "No, it's on the left", so that's where I sat. WELL GUESS WHERE IT WAS??? On the RIGHT! My peeps on here are more knowledgeable than the people of Aruba that drive that route daily! Well, at least I knew exactly where it was now, which would be before the mall area and it was before the roundabout in the road on the way. I would just sit on the left side going back and catch it. No worries...

 

The shopping mall that we had planned to go to later in the evening.

 

[mitsugirly]

 

I really wish that I was in a normal cab car that I could roll the windows down and get good pictures without the glare and off balance colors from the tinted windows.

 

This beach had TONS of kite surfers in the water. It looked amazing and I wish that we could have stopped just to watch and get pictures. There were so many of them.

 

 

CASINO!!! (For those that win and want to purchase property there to avoid US taxes!!)

 

 

 

 

 

We pulled up at Arashi at 2:35pm. So, it was a total of 14 minutes there. Not bad at all. I honestly thought it was supposed to be a lot further than that since it's the furthest beach away going that direction (from what I've read).

 

My first glimpse at Arashi...=heaven!

 

 

So prices: Our cab to Arashi (for up to 5 people) was $23.00. Our driver gave us his business card and told us to call him and he'd come back and get us.

 

Ice Cream is $3.00

Pop is $2.00 for a can

For 2 chairs and umbrella $30