Carnival Conquest

[cruisekitty22]

What's everyone opinion of the Conquest. Good ship? Yes or No.  We need a 4 day cruise badly and are considering this ship. We are an older couple who like to find a cool bar to hang out in and people watch.  We aren't beach people but do want a fun time. Are there a ton of kids on this ship?  We  are thinking next May 2021/June 2021 4 day cruise.  I know about the Serenity area.  Any thoughts?

[Earthworm Jim]

I'm not the best person to answer this question, since my most recent cruise on the Conquest was back in February 2019, at which time I liked it a lot. Which is why I was disappointed when they demoted (in my view it was a demotion at least) from 6 and 8 day cruises to the short cruises. Conquest was one of my preferred options when booking a cruise, since we book 6 to 8 day cruises.

 

But perhaps part of why I liked it was the reason for the demotion: It had reasonable prices compared to whatever was newest and shiniest in the fleet at the time. If it wasn't generating enough revenue, maybe that was the cause of the demotion. Though to my knowledge Carnival hadn't sold off any of their other ships that were sailing short itineraries, so I don't know why they needed another short cruise ship.

[CruzinKristin]

I was on the Conquest for a 7 day last October.  The ship is probably one of my favorites; easy to navigate; clean; etc.

 

I can not comment on the kid situation, however, I do think that on a shorter trip in May/June, you will likely have an abundance of kids on the ship if school is not in session.

 

Go for it!

[JaxsMama]

I love the Conquest, it's my favorite class of ship.  Lots of bars and lounges and no huge lines for comedy shows.  To me the only thing it's lacking is more pay food options for dinner. 

[pe4all]

Conquest is also one of my favorite ships.  We were disappointed when it was moved out of FLL.  Crew was great, ship was clean, food decent.  Never seemed too crowded.  We did 6/8 dayers on her.  When you do shorter (4 day) cruises you are more apt to get a more "partying" crowd - especially when school/colleges are out, as they will be in May/June - unless you go at the beginning of May when most colleges and schools are still in session.  Toward the 2nd week of May all bets are off.

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Earthworm Jim said:

I'm not the best person to answer this question, since my most recent cruise on the Conquest was back in February 2019, at which time I liked it a lot. Which is why I was disappointed when they demoted (in my view it was a demotion at least) from 6 and 8 day cruises to the short cruises. Conquest was one of my preferred options when booking a cruise, since we book 6 to 8 day cruises.

 

But perhaps part of why I liked it was the reason for the demotion: It had reasonable prices compared to whatever was newest and shiniest in the fleet at the time. If it wasn't generating enough revenue, maybe that was the cause of the demotion. Though to my knowledge Carnival hadn't sold off any of their other ships that were sailing short itineraries, so I don't know why they needed another short cruise ship.

Conquest is replacing Victory, which was doing short cruises out of Miami the last several years. Victory is some where in the process of becoming Radiance. 

[PhillyFan33579]

28 minutes ago, pe4all said:

Conquest is also one of my favorite ships.  We were disappointed when it was moved out of FLL.  Crew was great, ship was clean, food decent.  Never seemed too crowded.  We did 6/8 dayers on her.  When you do shorter (4 day) cruises you are more apt to get a more "partying" crowd - especially when school/colleges are out, as they will be in May/June - unless you go at the beginning of May when most colleges and schools are still in session.  Toward the 2nd week of May all bets are off.

We have been on multiple short cruises on Victory over the last few years, including several last Summer. I wouldn’t consider any of these cruises to be party or booze cruises. Since Conquest is replacing Victory in Miami, I would assume the passenger demographic will be similar.  However, I agree that the possibility of a cruise becoming a “booze cruise” is more likely on shorter cruises. 

[lobster1313]

1 hour ago, pe4all said:

Conquest is also one of my favorite ships.  We were disappointed when it was moved out of FLL.  Crew was great, ship was clean, food decent.  Never seemed too crowded.  We did 6/8 dayers on her.  When you do shorter (4 day) cruises you are more apt to get a more "partying" crowd - especially when school/colleges are out, as they will be in May/June - unless you go at the beginning of May when most colleges and schools are still in session.  Toward the 2nd week of May all bets are off.

 

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

We have been on multiple short cruises on Victory over the last few years, including several last Summer. I wouldn’t consider any of these cruises to be party or booze cruises. Since Conquest is replacing Victory in Miami, I would assume the passenger demographic will be similar.  However, I agree that the possibility of a cruise becoming a “booze cruise” is more likely on shorter cruises. 

Definitely agree with PhillyFan33579. We have also been on the Victory a few times, including summer and it never felt like party cruise. We haven't been on the Conquest yet but definitely will since we're close to Miami which makes this a quick last minute option for a getaway.

Edited June 9, 2020 by regoodwinjr

[ninjacat123]

We have cruised on Conquest 4 times but they all have been 6 to 7 day cruises. My DH and I find Conquest very easy to get around although you will need to get from one end of the ship to the other on level 5 since the galley is on level 3.  Alchemy Bar is a great place to chill and people watch.  The theater has comfy seats (not chairs) and the Steakhouse is great. Serenity is a bit of a hike up on 11 but there is an elevator inside that you can take. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great cruise!

[skrufy]

25 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

We have cruised on Conquest 4 times but they all have been 6 to 7 day cruises. My DH and I find Conquest very easy to get around although you will need to get from one end of the ship to the other on level 5 since the galley is on level 3.  Alchemy Bar is a great place to chill and people watch.  The theater has comfy seats (not chairs) and the Steakhouse is great. Serenity is a bit of a hike up on 11 but there is an elevator inside that you can take. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great cruise!

 

25 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

We have cruised on Conquest 4 times but they all have been 6 to 7 day cruises. My DH and I find Conquest very easy to get around although you will need to get from one end of the ship to the other on level 5 since the galley is on level 3.  Alchemy Bar is a great place to chill and people watch.  The theater has comfy seats (not chairs) and the Steakhouse is great. Serenity is a bit of a hike up on 11 but there is an elevator inside that you can take. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great cruise!

Have cruised Conquests sister ship Glory 5 times with a 6th coming up. It’s my favorite ship, not to big,  not small. All our cruises are 7 day or longer. A 4 day could turn into a booze cruise or lots of young children on board.

[MistyRo76]

If you want to avoid cruises with alot of kids, try booking in late April or early May. That's usually after the Spring Break/Easter travel but before schools get out for the summer. So there will be less children. Late April is my favorite time to cruise as the weather is usually picture perfect! Not too hot and humid yet, but still plenty of warmth and sunshine! 

 

I've not cruised on Conquest yet, but I've loved the sister ship I've sailed on! We are booked for a four day on Conquest this October (fingers crossed) going to Key West/Cozumel. That's a fun little itinerary esp. if you're not focused on beaches. Key West has plenty of nice little watering holes to get a drink, listen to music and people watch or you can do a walking tour of the town very easily. We actually have done the KW Pub Crawl (Carnival excurision) several times and have had a blast each time! In Cozumel, you can take a tour to the Mayan ruins, swim with dolphins, do a cultural experience or many other things. 

 

If we do end up being able to cruise this October, I plan on writing a cruise review. So keep an eye out for that! 

[tattoos]

The Conquest is my favorite ship in that class.  We always book a stateroom on the Lido deck so it is a quick walk to grab lunch or beverage.  There are three bars on the Lido deck, the aft bar adjacent to the pool, the Red Frog and Blue Iguana.  Great bars to just hang out and watch the ocean and people go by.  

 

As MistyRo76 stated, the months in the spring that have less children are the weeks in April following Easter when most children are back in school until mid May.  Also, you can get better pricing during this period, once you hit the middle of May, prices start to increase.  A lot of people book short cruises during the Memorial Day holiday.  No one knows how the school term will go this year or next year.  The next best time of year to cruise from Florida, in my opinion, is the last two weeks of October until mid-November.  

 

There is always something to do on the Conquest, you can participate or not.  The Conquest has good food, lots of activities, plenty of lounge chairs if you sit away from the pools (Deck 10 mid-ship or aft either port or starboard side), and a wonderful crew.

 

We ate in the Steakhouse on the Conquest and the service and quality and quantity of food was great.  Last year we sailed on the Magic and booked dinner in their steakhouse and it was terrible.  When I asked our waitress for another warm roll, she actually rolled her eyes at me and let out a very audible sigh.  The lobster tail was smaller than the one that is served in the MDR for free and the beef was tiny and tough.

 

The Conquest has those great scenic ocean view staterooms in the front of the ship that have those big floor to ceiling windows.  We were lucky on two cruises and grabbed one of these staterooms.  

 

I don't think you will be disappointed if you sail on the Conquest.