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MITSUGIRLY decides to CONQUEST new ports-complete pictorial review

mitsugirly

By mitsugirly,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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tlw3184

tlw3184

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Yay! Another awesome review is on the way! I'm so excited to follow along. I was on the Conquest in September 2015 (my first Carnival cruise) and absolutely loved it! I would love to go on another Carnival cruise. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this review!

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rjl1977

rjl1977

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I'm a big fan of your reviews and I'm looking forward to this one since I'm not sailing again until January. Thank you in advance for all the time and effort that you will put into this review. It is greatly appreciated.

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bluejay555 Great Review Rare

bluejay555

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I am SO EXCITED to see your review of the Conquest!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are my go-to when I'm researching ports. You are the reason we've been to LFK twice now, which is my absolute favorite place ever! So yeah, I am definitely following every word because I will be on the Conquest June 3 sailing!

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As You Wish

As You Wish

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I've gotta admit, this is going to be hard for me. I love your reviews and your gorgeous photos, but I've been fortunate enough to read almost all of them after you've finished them. Having to be patient and wait for you to post each installment just might kill me, but I know the anticipation will totally be worth it!

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tlw440

tlw440

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Hey Kim! Welcome home! Really looking forward to this one since we'll be on the Conquest for the first time next April. :cool:

Great ship, you will love it. We've sailed on the Conquest 3 times, one of our favorites.

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Cruisermom2nick

Cruisermom2nick

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It looks like I have some anxious followers that are waiting on another review. So, I decided to get started in between my very hectic life at the moment.

 

But first...the "formalities" to get out of the way.

 

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ABOUT MY FAMILY AND WHO CRUISED THIS TIME:

 

This cruise was just for myself, my husband and Sakari (pronounced just like it's spelled Sa-Kar-ee, our now 9 year old daughter. This time, my 3 other adult children would remain home (Kenny-30, Kendra-28 and Kolin-22). Kendra tried (as she always does) to go, but her fiance talked her into a Vegas trip instead and she had a blast (but was wishing she was with us instead for the first few days).

 

So...what does this mean for us? It means we had a "peaceful" cruise that wasn't too stressful with a hyper/hard too control/off the hook grandson and a slow moving family (Kendra) that lives her life on "island time".

 

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My Cruising Experience:

 

As you can tell from my signature line, we mainly cruise with NCL and I have been trying to cruise the entire fleet. I have yet to be on the Gem or Escape.

 

I decided to try Carnival, back in 2013, and I'm so glad I did and we have a wonderful time on Carnival. So far, this will be our 5th cruise with Carnival and not our last for sure.

 

In the 80's and 90's I also sailed with NCL and Royal Caribbean.

 

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ORGANIZATION FOR THE REVIEWS:

 

People always ask how I organize for my reviews and it takes A LOT to put together a review like this. Once I decided to post how I personally organize for my reviews and if you are interested, it can be found HERE-1ST HALF and the 2ND HALF HERE.

 

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CAMERAS:

 

I am constantly questioned about what type of camera's I use for my reviews.

 

Several years ago I decided to purchase my first Olympus point-and-shoot camera (not by choice, but because I had one of my many "bloopers" with my Canon cameras). I have loved the Olympus since that purchase that we actually have quite a few of them.

 

This entire review was shot with my Olympus Tough TG2. I take my model 620 & 830 along with me for back up because you never know what might happen and I would be devastated if I was without a camera. For Christmas, we also purchased Sakari her own camera (I think we got her the 620 model).

 

I'm a photography FREAK! Always have been. I do have a DSLR with tons of equipment, lens, and so on, but I find that I just don't want to lug it around with me on a cruise...and of course it's not waterproof.

 

When I process my photo's, I do take it in to PS (I have to get my watermark on there somehow) and I have an "action" that resizes the picture for a more appropriate posting size, and sharpens for web and I put my stamp on it. Every once in awhile I'll get a really crappy picture that just needs something (like white balance) done to it and I really want to share it and I might white balance it. For the most part, I don't do much of anything...no one has time for all that with the thousands of pictures I take!

 

I take thousands of pictures on vacation and I do a lot of walking and snapping. Yes, I may get some outstanding photos and quality, but for every good picture I get, there may be 3 bad ones. You win some, you lose some. I've been known to stand in a spot and take 3-5 pictures of the same thing, using different settings on the camera, just to get what I'm looking for to share. That's just me.

 

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ABOUT MY REVIEWS:

 

I am a very open and honest person. Everyone has a different expectation and experience, but I report how I feel during mine. You may or may not agree with my thoughts or views, but that's the beauty of it...everyone is different and all thoughts and comments are welcome.

 

We are a fun loving and outgoing family that, for the most part, don't get upset about much and roll with the punches. We've had a lot of "bloopers" (especially when the kids come along=Kendra lol), but it is what it is and I have learned over the years that getting mad or upset doesn't solve the problem and only takes away from the fun, so I try not to dwell on bad things (although I will always report them...not to be a Debbie-Downer, but to show this is the experience I had and how it contributed to what was going on at the time) and I move on.

 

We are BEACH people. So, if you are the touristy type of person that like historical stuff, seeing the sites, or likes to do the land tours, this review might not benefit you too much as far as the ports. If there's a beach, we will be there! I have to drag Sakari the Mermaid out of the water every place we go. So, to the beach it is for us. Sakari decided last year that she wanted to "be a scuba diver" and took classes and is now a certified PADI Seal. She is waiting to turn 10 years old to get her open water certificate...but we will see. So, you will find us doing some scuba diving in reviews as well.

 

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LAST BUT NOT LEAST: WHY I DO THE REVIEWS

 

My reviews are meant to be helpful to others looking for information. I'm a "picture" kinda girl and if I'm looking for information, give me a picture to help me understand and it will go 10x further in helping me with a decision. So many of you wonderful cruisers have helped me decide places to try out, shared your experiences with me, and even cruised with me....and this is my way of thanking you and continuing to help others the way they have helped me.

 

I'm keeping this "opening" a little shorter than normal. Most people around here know me and I hate to constantly repeat things...so if you want a more detailed "opening" statement, you are welcome to click on one of my other reviews (in my signature line) and it will give you more info on us. :)

 

With that said...I hope you enjoy the review. :cool:

 

I am excited to hear your thoughts! :) We loved the Conquest! :) Check my blog and FB page out too! :)

 

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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

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Whew, sorry about the delay. There's a lot going on here at my house and my kids just left.

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We usually cruise during Sakari's Spring Break since there was one year that we didn't do/go anywhere and it just about killed me knowing everyone I knew actually "got out of town". I said "never again" and I meant it. So, Spring Break is always a given time for us and for some reason, we always end up on Carnival for that cruise. This time would be no different. However, this year her Spring Break was a little late compared to others and all the previous years.

 

I started searching cruises available and knew that I wanted something "new" again...new ship, new ports with the ports being the priority. For several years we went back and forth between the Western and Eastern (with the Western being the most traveled) and for the last several years, we have been trying to do "new" (to us) ports...such as Southern and Bermuda.

 

At this point, I didn't care WHICH ship, as long as it went to any new ports. I came very close to doing a cruise before, that went to the ABC islands (something I have always wanted to do), and ended up booking something else that was new for us. I couldn't find an ABC cruise this time around, so...I settled for A & C and whatever else came with it.

 

We decided on the Conquest: Grand Turk (already been there a few times now and enjoy it) and 3 NEW PORTS FOR US!!! La Romana, Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao!!! I was super excited to experience these places. I knew nothing about the Conquest and had never been on that class ship, but knew that others seem to like it a lot. So...we booked.

 

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BOOKING INFORMATION:

 

I recently discovered something I didn't know about for a few years now. This REALLY benefits us and I wish I would have learned about this earlier. But, better late (my late, not Kendra's type of late) than never.

 

My husband owns his own business (a store that sells bikes, blades, scooters, skateboards, penny boards, wake boards and long boards....because even though you can't tell these days, he used to be a bladder and was really fit and it's his passion...so they always say work in something you are passionate about and you will succeed). We have a Southwest Business card that earns points. Ok, this is nothing new. HOWEVER....I recently found out (using a good old google search for something else I was trying to figure out using points) that SW has Carnival gift cards! SCORE!!!! I had no idea. In the past, I have been frantically and impatiently waiting for the Carnival gift cards to show up randomly on Verizon to purchase them at a discounted price and then other times I have went to my local grocery store to 1) purchase the cards using my credit card to earn cash back on the cc, then 2) earning free gas using the points from the purchase (I once had free gas for...I think it was 3 months and 2 days)...but NOW...whoa...we are taking it to an entirely different level now!

 

So, I used some of our points to purchase the gift cards to pay for our cruise. THEN I purchased more gift cards to use as OBC on the ship. So what does this mean you might ask? IT MEANS FREE CRUISING!!!!!!!!!! Yes! I have found a way to cruise for free now!

 

It doesn't get any better than that....or does it? Well you are about to find out!

 

Next....Since we also earn so many points, we also fly for free. Every time we reach 110,000 points in a year (which we can do in a month) you get a "companion pass" and the companion will fly for free for the rest of that current year PLUS the following year until December, potentially getting almost 2 free years of flying. Sam is my companion (he claims these benefits comes to him with the ring on his finger) and Sakari and I book using all the points. Basically, we each pay $5.60/pp to fly (imposed 911 fee you HAVE to pay).

 

Summing this up so far...

1) Free cruise

2) Free OBC for everything we do while on the ship

3) Flying there and back for free.

 

It can't possibly get any better right?

 

Moving on...

 

A little more research revealed that there were also certain hotels that you could either buy gift cards for or gift certificates. Well whatcha think 'bout that? I would also be able to purchase the certificates for my hotel stay=free again!

 

Life doesn't get any better right?

 

Well, yea that's about right for now. At least until I find other ways to beat the system. (I have also found gift cards and tickets for places like Sea World and Universal Studios and we have also been using points for those for mini vacations as well).

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So I purchased mounds of Carnival gifts cards, booked the cruise and purchased more for the cruise.

 

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Oh yea, the other good thing about these cards and purchasing them using SW is that their office (that ships the cards) is located here in my state and once it's processed, I receive them within 2 days.

 

Once my cruise was booked, I was off to research each port and find new ideas for our water-loving family to experience. That's usually where the fun begins. :D

 

 

 

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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

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Months of planning and anticipation and it was almost time for our cruise.

 

The previous (and current) month before the cruise I finished up one of my nursing classes (for those that don't know, I'm a nurse and currently going back to school for my bachelors...S.L.O.W.L.Y and I'm in no hurry...I actually schedule my classes AROUND my cruising...;p).

 

Next on the list, we also decided to purchase a house during this time frame. Eek! Things took a little longer than expected (2 months) and we actually closed right before the cruise. Immediately, we started remodeling and tearing the place up. My oldest son, Kenny, decided that he was going to do our bedroom remodel while we were on vacation, so we didn't have to worry about using the room or a place to sleep (and probably not have mom supervising during such an extensive project). Instead of packing for vacation, I was packing up my room and moving it out...into the hallway, Sakari's room, the loft, and anywhere I could find space. Talk about a stress-filled week, I didn't really even have time to get excited about the cruise. There was just too much on my mind at the time.

 

I think I have made it abundantly clear in my previous reviews that we are NOT morning people. We are night owls. Cruising really does take a toll on us because we usually stay up really late (2-3am) and get up late. We completely have to adjust our schedules and hope that our circadian rhythm catches up to the time change when cruising. I can confirm that once we return...it definitely hits us like a brick wall and I'm ready for bed at 11pm now. LOL

 

With us liking to sleep in, I try my best to find an "appropriate" flight that suits our schedules. This usually means anything after 12 noon. Anything before that is just absurd to us and I just want to cry when I get stuck with earlier flights. I was lucky enough to find a non-stop flight from Ohio at 3:20pm and arriving in FLL 5:50ish I think it was. Perfect!

 

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Vacation day:

 

A little last minute packing, some charting on my patients, circling every room about 5 times to make sure I'm not forgetting anything, dropping my time sheet off at the office, eating "breakfast" and it was time to head to the port. My son arrived minutes before we were leaving to start working on our bedroom "project/remodel" and I decided to snap a few pictures of our "old" "small" room and then we said our goodbyes and off we went.

 

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We arrived at the parking lot and waited on the shuttle to pick us up and take us over to the airport. Sakari was super excited! The hubby was busy trying to adjust his new pair of shoes he grabbed out of his store because he managed to paint his other ones the day before (spraying all of our wood trim white in the garage turns your shoes white if you get to close, from the over spray...who knew?),

 

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Our shuttle arrived quickly and off the airport we went.

 

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We checked our luggage, checked ourselves, and then found a spot at our gate that had outlets close by to charge our phones to full capacity for the flight (we always watch movies if the plane has wifi or play games on them).

 

 

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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

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At this point, my husband gave me this worried look. Oh no, what did we forget? Then he showed me this...

 

IMG_7120-M.jpg

 

And then this...

 

IMG_7122-M.jpg

 

Boy my son doesn't waste any time!!

 

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At that point, I felt my body get hot, my face overcame with a worried look, and I started to fret! I was not going to be there to over-see this project and what could potentially go wrong...but I think that was the point in doing it while we were gone...that way I wouldn't have to be there to experience it.

 

Our plane was 10 minute late, but eh, whatever...we didn't really care and wasn't in a hurry since we always fly in the day before.

 

I had so many thoughts and emotions racing around in my head from the pictures my son was sending me...but it was time to line up in our respective "B" sections and get on the plane.

 

For some reason, even though we checked in at the same time, I was about 20 numbers ahead of my husband, so I boarded the plane first and grabbed some seats with Sakari and waited on daddy. Then I discovered it...........in the mound of emotions my brain was experiencing...I had forgot to unplug and grab my charging phone inside!!! GASP!!! I frantically waited for the hubby to appear on the plane and started flailing my arms and giving sign language...GO BACK! MY PHONE! I DON'T HAVE MY PHONE! TURN AROUND! GRAB IT OUT OF THE WALL! People must have thought I was a mad woman at that point. But, we read each others minds 99.9% of the time and he immediately knew what I was trying to relay to him in a rage of frantic-ness.

 

He disappeared and the plane was filling up. Please don't make me have to get off the plane to search for him...please don't. I don't want to start out this vacation like this. And then I seen him peek around the corner with a sad look on his face and shaking his head "nope". I must have had a blank, lost stare on my face because it didn't take long before he just couldn't keep a straight face anymore and started laughing. What a jokester! He had it in his hand and we settled in for our flight.

 

Everything was good in our world once again! Sakari and I played around with some phone pics to say goodbye to Kendra, Kenny, and Kolin.

 

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Then off we went!

 

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