MITSUGIRLY decides to CONQUEST new ports-complete pictorial review

[BettyPC]

I have really enjoyed this trip! Thanks for all the great pictures - I will need to go back & look at your others!

[mitsugirly]

Always enjoy your reviews! Thanks for taking the time to post so many pics and details. I hope you'll review your Vegas trip once you end up going (and post it somewhere? I guess not on Cruise Critic, LOL). Hubby and I renewed our vows there last year and it was super-fun.

 

Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed it. I probably won't do a Vegas review (maybe other than on TA). I just don't have time to keep up with more than my cruise ones. :')

 

 

 

I have really enjoyed this trip! Thanks for all the great pictures - I will need to go back & look at your others!

 

Thanks and glad you enjoyed it.

[ABQrobin]

MDR is always a nightmare the first night of every cruise! After that, things are better, service better, etc. I hope next time you try to make it there a few times instead of eating pizza (blech, not a pizza person). And the deal about your hubby having to change clothes...people here on CC are constantly complaining about the dress code not being enforced. I guess you got one who was enforcing it. They recommend men wear a collared shirt at dinner, like a polo, etc. We saw it enforced a few times on the Magic last month. The first night they don't enforce it because many people haven't gotten their luggage yet.

 

The diving....well, I do hope you continue to explore the idea of getting certified. Nowadays it is so much easier with the online classes. When we did it (in 2000) it was a classroom 4-5 hour lectures and tests, then 4 hour pool practice for 2 full weekends. It was rough. Plus now I don't think they even teach "tables" for dive profiles, which is a freakin' math exercise for hours and hours. Ugghh. Now I think they just teach dive computers since most consoles have those now instead of a depth and air gauge. So getting certified now, you don't have to do the math we did. You still have to learn dive physiology, which you will ace. And practicing the gear setup and breakdown is still done.

 

Anyhow...hubby and I are going to be diving very soon. We are leaving on the Freedom going to Roatan and Cozumel in less than 2 weeks. He has finally been cleared to dive again ( he had some surgery on knee and hip). Woo hoo. We figured this would be a good chance to see how we both with only 2 dive days, no stress. We have done tons of dives at both destinations and love them, should be fun. I'll take video and photos to share when we get back. I think you would love diving Roatan, the reefs are lush gardens.

 

Thanks again for doing the report, it was fantastic again.

 

robin

[mitsugirly]

FINAL THOUGHTS:

 

We booked the Conquest based on the itinerary, not the ship. I honestly didn't care what the ship was like and was determined to have a good time, like always. The ships do not make or break my vacation and they are just a means for transportation to my destinations. It's kinda like deciding "should I take the Pinto today or should I take the Corvette". Either one of them will get you there right? Well, hopefully at least.

 

If I had to rate the ships, I'm sorry to say that the Conquest is my least favorite ship in the Carnival fleet that I have sailed so far. I know a lot of people really like her, but it just wasn't the greatest to me. Just my personal opinion. She was clean and taken care of, I just really didn't care for the decor in most places or the design. However, it wasn't something I couldn't deal with and did not distract from my adventure. I would definitely try another ship in that class for a new experience.

 

The staff was friendly and smiling (with the exception of the photostaff who was in an uproar), the ship was clean, the shows were ok, casino met my needs :'), and like any ship...the pools are too small but we managed.

 

I really don't have any complaints other than the slow MDR staff the first night because they were busy catering to the single unknown guy, photography department losing my pictures and not having a way to find them, I just don't like the food hours on the Carnival ships and the offerings this time just wasn't anything to write home about, and embarkation/debarkation being extremely slow or not moving.

 

I have gained a lot of weight over the last few years of cruising. When I say a lot, I'm talking 60 pounds. I call this my "cruise weight" and rightfully so because...I usually gain 8-10 pounds on a cruise. It's the ONLY time I ever gain weight. Otherwise, I remain consistent. HOWEVER...this will be the very first time that I actually LOST weight on a cruise. I came back 8 pounds lighter. I was shocked. I knew that we were having trouble finding food and when we did, it wasn't really something I went back for seconds. Maybe I need a few more cruises like this and I can get back to my normal weight. ;p

 

ITINERARY: I loved this itinerary and would definitely do it again.

 

GRAND TURK: We had an awesome time visiting Gibbs Caye and swimming with the stingrays and exploring the small island. The snorkeling...I could have lived without, but that was because of having to struggle with Sakari that day. I would recommend Grand Turk Divers with the only mishap being their extreme lateness that morning.

 

LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: We had a decent time with Seavis Tours, going to Saona Island. The island is beautiful and picture perfect...just the day wasn't and no fault of anyone other than mother nature. The only complaint I would have is that there isn't enough time spent at the island, but in order to fit everything in to a few small hours in port, this must happen. I would highly recommend them and going to Saona. Food was good, service was friendly, island was beautiful, starfish sandbar was fun.

 

ARUBA: Amazingly beautiful place. We had a blast at Arashi Beach and it is picture perfect. The snorkeling wasn't the best for us that day, but the beach and water were amazing. It's an added plus that they now have service there with drinks, food, and a bathroom. The chair rental...well, you all know the story on that so if you go, make sure you see how long you will have the chairs before paying full price to have them snatched away around 5pm.

 

CURACAO: We had a blast and it was quite an interesting day. We had new accomplishments and also a few bloopers. Although I believe a few rules were broken that day with scuba diving, it made for a wonderful experience and I'm so happy I got to actually scuba dive with my daughter and husband the entire time. It was an experience I won't forget! Roel at Curious 2 Dive was extremely nice and helpful and it made for a good dive, not to mention he was generous and took my hubby to the local skate shop. I would recommend them because most divers aren't in the same situation that I'm in with a little one having needs as well.

 

Over all...wonderful cruise as always. Now I need to start planning my next for the summer....I'm open to suggestions. :D

[LMBB]

It just goes to show that ship is such a personal choice. I would take the conquest over a fantasy class ship any day of the week! I've read many of your reviews and love to hear your thoughts. Thanks again for the time spent putting it together. I'm on conquest in 12 days and your pictures are helping to get me through!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ABQrobin]

Haha.....suggestions?

If you want to get certified on vacation, I would suggest a land vacation to AnthonysKey dot com. More than meets all your needs, and it is lovely. Fly direct into Roatan, spend the week. Sakari will love the dolphins, too.

 

Cruises.....for diving, of course that is all I will talk about... Bonaire, Roatan...easy diving, zillions of fish in Bonaire, Roatan has the prettiest reefs we have ever seen in this hemisphere other than Cozumel. Both Bonaire and Roatan are easy diving. Very little current, which is good for divers who take photos. Cozumel is best diving on this side of planet, but it is drift diving, and reefs are deeper, so probably not what you want quite yet. Taking photos is challenging there, too.

[Thrilled2012]

. I wasn't doing the best and thrilled was skipping around like a frog on the machines. Wait...what's in your drink Kia? LOL

 

Ummm, if you see me on a cruise with a tumbler or water bottle that clearly does not contain a transparent liquid resembling water....then you can bank on the fact that it contains some sort of juice mixed with my Bon Voyage/FunShops vodka! ;p. Ahhh...good times

 

Couple of other things (no time to go back to try to quote the original posts): bread pudding: best thing about an 8 day cruise on Carnival is that you still can get bitter n blanc! lol

 

What is this "Reef" book that you speak of? As a semi-new snorkeler, I need a good hard copy reference book to look up the sea life that I encounter. I am using the internet for now but would like a good reference book

 

If we are able to work it out so that we can cruise together again, I am counting on my parents coming too....so they can watch the munchkins while in port... so that I can come with you to do DSD! BTW, at what age can you do DSD (I do understand that kids can only go 6' but I am guessing that's only if they have taken PADI classes)? Just wondering if Michaela can do it or if she has to take classes first in order to do it.

 

Lastly, I'm sorry you never did find that Aruba sign. I know you were on a mission to find it that day. Good news is that it sounds like you will be back there for a land vacay so you will have another opportunity! You might want to try looking into renting a timeshare for a week or so. I don't know about Aruba, but on lots of Caribbean islands, people are unable to use their week that year so they put them up for rent for nothing more than their annual "maintanance fees". This makes for a very affordable vacation (less than a decent hotel) and you wind up with a condo that has a kitchen so you can save money by eating some meals in the condo/timeshare and still have the amenties of a resort.

 

Thank you for this wonderful review and for allowing me to "relive" this trip through your eyes!!!!

Edited May 8, 2017 by Thrilled2012

[ABQrobin]

The FISH ID books.... I just posted down on the Scuba/Snorkeling forum:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=53023538#post53023538

 

I highly recommend these!

 

..

[Thrilled2012]

So after that I honestly don't remember how we killed our time because I know that we had to wait until the kids came back to camp from eating dinner. Once they did, the camp instructor made a comment about "She's now 11 and she needs to make up her mind which age group she wants to be in". I ask her what she meant and she said that the night before, she had ask her which camp she wanted to be in for the rest of the cruise...either 6-8 year old's or the 9-11 year old's. Well, thrilled's daughter is 11, so last night she decided that she would stick with that age group so that she could be with her. The only problem is, she never really went (but once that I know of). So tonight, I ask her which she'd like...in hopes that Michaela would be there, she decided on the 9-11 year old's. Big mistake I guess and she would now be stuck in this group for the next 2 nights.

 

 

This time around there was a new guy with new material. We seen Thrilled in the front row seats and sat almost directly behind her. She would take several pictures of her and "little thrilled" and my hubby would stand behind them to try to photo bomb the pictures. She didn't even know we were there the entire show until it was over. We told her she had been photo bombed...we are still waiting to hear if the pictures turned out with a hairy faced dude behind them????

 

 

I'm still so sorry about that...I didn't know that Sakari would be stuck in the 9-11 group as a result until you told me! Michaela, being 11 (12 in July), is in that "tween stage" (she feels to old for camp and too young for Circle C). I thought she would have more fun in Circle C so I talked to them and they said that they would allow her to go there but she felt uneasy and not comfortable with the "bigger kids". She preferred to just "stalk" Sakari during the times that Sakari wasn't at camp, lol. The ONLY reason that she went to camp that ONE time was because of Sakari. And she said she had a blast! I really think that the reason she didn't go back is because she (and I) were happy to spend mommy/daughter time together since lil man lived in camp. At home, being a single mom, she doesn't get as much 1:1 attention because he usurps attention!

 

Yes! My pics came out 100% photo bombed and I LOVE them! LOL. We truly had NO idea you guys were behind us until after the show. I am far less perceptive than you!

[sonicbuffalo]

Thanks for the great review! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will look forward to your future cruises and reviews!

[Thrilled2012]

The FISH ID books.... I just posted down on the Scuba/Snorkeling forum:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=53023538#post53023538

 

I highly recommend these!

 

..

 

Awesome! Thanks so much Robin :D

[Hadiez]

Thank you for the review. My wife and I are doing the same cruise next April. My only suggestion would be for you to cruise more so I can read the review. My laughs at me because I refer to you as my favorite author!

[Thrilled2012]

Thank you for the review. My wife and I are doing the same cruise next April. My only suggestion would be for you to cruise more so I can read the review. My laughs at me because I refer to you as my favorite author!

 

Funny that you say that because, although I did not talk to Mitsugirly about this, I had a talk with her hubby about him directing her towards ways to make some money with her reviewing skills! So many people follow her and so many businesses make money based on her reviews (I don't think she has ever "recommended" things but we can tell from her reviews whether it is a place we wish to visit or not) that I believe that a financial reward is in order, especially with the amount of time and effort that goes into these reviews during and after the actual trip!! ;p ;p

 

Heck...I even know of at least one venue that is even using her pictures on their own website (with her permission of course)! That speaks volumes to me, lol

[DebOinKC]

Thank you for an amazing review. Loved all your pictures too! We will be on the Conquest in October, but different ports (6 day).

[kidlessatsea]

I always read your reviews and love them but never post. Sorry about that! This time, I do have a question!!

 

Where did you get the super cute swimsuit cover up that Sakari is wearing on the last day? The green lacy looking one? My daughter would LOVE that!!

[my_crib_too]

Kim:

 

Glad you finally got a Southern Caribbean cruise taken. Aruba and Curacao are great places to visit and so different from each other. Enjoyed your review and certainly will check back for your next family adventure! Thank you for taking the time in putting this together and taking/sharing so many pictures.

 

bruce...

[candigirl41]

I always wondered why the buffet wasn't open later. I tend to favor the main dining room for any meals they serve. I like the deli area. Did you ever try room service? I know it's limited but at least you would have been able to get something other than pizza. At least their pizza seems to be good from what I have read. I love your reviews. Thanks for posting all the awesome pictures and detailed information.

 

Candi

[tropicaledrink]

you actually finished before we left!

 

The Conquest is actually one of our least favorites as well. We loved her sisters though, the Liberty and the Freedom. I'm actually not certain that we will make an effort to get back on them any time soon though - that aft pool and hot tubs used to be adults only on this class, and this is a recent change. I don't really care as much about the pools - but I will miss the adults only hot tubs as the one up on Serenity Deck are quite a bit smaller. We've been sticking with Dream class lately (we board the Magic later this week, and we are scheduled for the Dream in December), and I think that's a trend we will continue - we want to do the Breeze when she comes to Port Canaveral so we can "complete the class." :)

 

I know Port Canaveral is not your favorite to get to, and I **think** you tend to sail in August? BUT there is a very cheap 8 day on August 26 (not sure if you can go that late with Sakari being in school) on the Magic that goes back to Aruba and Curacao. There's also another 8 day earlier in the month, which is the itinerary we are doing later this week (Grand Turk, San Juan, St Kitts, St Maarten). I can email you fun times when we get back if you are interested. Just let me know!

[Thrilled2012]

you actually finished before we left!

 

I know Port Canaveral is not your favorite to get to, and I **think** you tend to sail in August? BUT there is a very cheap 8 day on August 26 (not sure if you can go that late with Sakari being in school) on the Magic that goes back to Aruba and Curacao. There's also another 8 day earlier in the month, which is the itinerary we are doing later this week (Grand Turk, San Juan, St Kitts, St Maarten). I can email you fun times when we get back if you are interested. Just let me know!

 

That Magic trip sounds great! I can tell you that she can't pull Sakari out of her first full week of school 8/26 (I tried to get her to come with us on our Fascination cruise that week). I'm hoping that she is not too interested in that cruise earlier in August so that she can save her money/points for a fall cruise, lol

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

I over heard someone say that the Chocolate Exravaganza was going on in the buffet. For those of you that indulge in chocolate, this is for you. I don't really like chocolate, but I always like to go to these to take pictures of the creations they have. Only problem is, there really wasn't many creations to see. It's nothing like NCL's chocolate night with the fountains of chocolate and the sculptures made out of chocolate. So, if you are expecting this...forgetaboutit.

 

Mitsugirly- I have to say I'm a serious fan of your writing style-thank you for taking the time to put it altogether and share it with us. I have read most (if not all) your reviews and this "forgetaboutit" got such a chuckle out of me because I just said that exact same thing to my DH. Our very first cruise was NCL and we let our boys stay up to go to the midnight chocolate extravaganza (very impressive). So when we started cruising Carnival, it was a little of a let down (that's putting it mildly), in not seeing all the sculptures and such.... but I can honestly state that neither actually taste very good-I'm a milk chocolate lover and the sweetness just isn't there (imo).

[shealea]

Hi! I'm enjoying your review. I've read some of the others you have written!!! We're leaving on a cruise to Alaska this Sunday. Very excited!

 

A couple of questions ..... Do you ever do any shore excursions besides Beach excursions???? As Sakari gets older, do you think she'll be interested in learning some of the history of the places you visit or interact with the people??? Or other outings that she can see animals besides on the beach???

 

Our kids and grandkids are all grown. We used to stick with the beaches and that sort of thing or the kids would have been bored. When we went to museums or learning center type things, they always wanted to zip on through. Now we can do some of that at our leisure. But I DO still love, love beach outings!!!

 

Second question ...... You take a TON of pictures. Very good ones, YES!!!! You have mentioned at times that you save this or that for your scrapbook. Do you actually do 'scrapbooking' with your pictures and things you save from your trips???

 

I do as much scrapbooking as I can. It does take time. I do quite a bit of writing along with it as well, so the kids will hopefully enjoy reading about and remembering our fun family times.

 

Do you save your reviews here to disc (or however you save this sort of thing)??? What wonderful pictures and narrations for your kids and grandkids to have.

 

And you really do need to cruise to Alaska. There are some super sales going on when it gets close to sailing. We don't have to get airfare since we live near Seattle, so we can watch for big price drops. We just got a balcony for 7 night cruise for $649, That is a very, very good price for Alaska cruise. It's on the NCL Pearl. Insides are $399.

 

Shores excursions in Alaska are really very pricey. But I'll bet Sakari would love getting out to see Bear or whale watching. And they do have scuba diving and snorkeling.

 

On with reading more of your review while I enjoy our lunch!!!!!

[Jamman54]

BRAVO Kim!! Another GREAT review in the books. Really loved all of your scuba pictures. Looking forward to your next adventure! (y) (y) (y)

[Destaw71835]

This was another amazing review from you. I'm with you, I cruise for the destinations and not the ship, the ship won't make or break my vacation either. You create your memories at the destinations.

 

Where are you guys sailing next, back to NCL or another Carnival? What I love about NCL (besides the amazing crews) is that you will ALWAYS find something to eat no matter how late.

 

Thanks for sharing your vacation experience [emoji16]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[cainlr]

Thanks for another amazing review. I have been looking for a cruise that goes to some of the ports you visited as they would be all new ports for us. Love the scuba pictures but I think I will be sticking to snorkeling. I look forward to your next adventure.

[NSPenny]

Hi there,

I was on the same cruise as you - I believe we saw your mermaid in the pool one day.... Thanks for the full review - I was interested to read about your experience compared to ours. This was our 2nd time on Conquest and we were quite disappointed this time compared to our cruise in 2015. It seems that the service, food and standards have gone down quite a bit in the 2 years since we cruised. I am not sure if it's Carnival overall or just the Conquest. We also left the cruise 'hungry" and after 6 cruises, this was a BIG surprise. I actually didn't even like the pizza. :-) Guys's Burgers is great but only open at limited times. After 4 cruises on Carnival, we have decided to try other cruise lines in the future. Like you, we loved the itinerary with some exceptions. La Romana was a disappointment as we didn't book an excursion for that day. We often pick up tours or excursions once we get to a port and there was absolutely nothing there. (Admittedly, the rain didn't help so we didn't try super hard.) We loved our day in Aruba and have this on our list for a future land vacation as well!

 

Thanks for your review - I enjoyed following along as I remembered our family's experience as well. I even picked out my husband in the distance in one of your photos at the pool area. So, we must have crossed paths at some point.....