Back from Conquest 9/19 WOW!!!!

[QTPieRye]

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!!! WHAT A VACATION :p

 

With all of the uncertainty that Hurricane Ivan brought, I was not sure what to expect from this vacation…

 

My flight departed Nashville Sunday MORNING arriving NO around 11:30 a.m. The rest of the girls did not arrive until 2:50 p.m. We rented a limo and arrived at the NO port by 3:40 p.m….

 

Words cannot express how I felt when I saw the Conquest for the first time at the dock! She is incredibly beautiful and MASSIVE!!! Much larger that what I expected. The ship was very clean and well-maintained and the service was spectacular!!

 

Embarkation: Arriving at the port at 3:40 p.m., there was no line whatsoever. We went to the information desk inside the port, showed our I.D. and gave them our Sail & Sign information. They gave us our S&S cards and we were on our way! Stopped for a picture before heading up the gangway! Again, this ship was beautiful. After showing our I.D. and S&S to several persons we were finally about to enter the ship! Right as you enter, there is a lady who takes your picture or what I would call a "mug shot" for your S&S identification. I would estimate that it only took 20 minutes to go through the entire embarkation procedure. A breeze!

 

 

 

Cabin: Our cabins were on the Empress Deck #’s 7336 and 7338. Balconies on both. The cabin was quite roomy with lots of closet space, drawers, cubbies, etc. Very clean and nice. I had my mom’s room decorated with the Happy Birthday theme package and it was far better than what I expected. We also had a dozen red roses waiting for her. Both the decorations and roses lasted the entire week of the cruise. Our cabin steward was named Philameno. Not exactly the friendliest guy in the world. I would say he gave us average service…. he did fill our ice bucket everyday. But wasn’t really good about the towels on the floor, etc.

 

One thing I was so disappointed about was that we were NOT ABLE TO OPEN OUR BALCONY DIVIDER AND MAKE ONE LARGE BALCONY. It was not possible, as the balcony hooks onto the balcony.. and the hook for this one was right onto my mom’s door. So every time she opened her door to go outside, she would have to unhook the balcony door and re-hook it… this may not sound like a big deal, but it actually is. These doors are quite large. Philameno said he couldn’t do it, as the door would flap too much from the wind…. It would have been ideal if we had rooms #7338 and #7340, as the latch for this balcony divider when opened was in front of the window. No big deal, just a little disappointed.

 

LUGGAGE: To my surprise our luggage arrived before 5:00 p.m. I received all of my luggage except the one with the Captain Morgan’s and I panicked for a second, thinking I had been caught… but it arrived a few minutes after the rest. Safe and sound. I figured that since we were probably close to the last ones on, we got ours faster than those that had boarded early. In fact, when we went down for dinner, there was still tons and tons of luggage on the carts, in the elevators, all over the place. Temporary mass confusion!!!

 

MONDAY & TUESDAY: Sea days… Monday there was a lot of motion on the ship. Felt like I was on a roller coaster, occasionally dropping down…. Lots of people sick and complaining of the motion. I slapped a patch behind my ear, took a nap and was fine…… great entertainment around the pool. Loved the games and activities and laying by the pool J Loved the Hairy Chest Contest and the Tarzan calls!!! Made some friends with our neighbors on Deck 8…. We even managed to send up some Captain Morgan’s via the telephone cord…. They unplugged their phone and lowered the cord, we tied on the little bottles and they lured it up… we were laughing so hard, I think we woke some of our other neighbors up!!!

 

WEDNESDAY: So glad to wake up and see the sunrise over Jamaica. From a distance Montego Bay looked beautiful. Upon arrival, we quickly realized it was not necessarily ready for visitors. For one, Margaritaville sustained lots of damage and was closed. They had temporarily made a make-shift Margaritaville at Doctor’s Cove or Cave (we didn’t go there), but I felt like we should have known this before getting off the ship.

 

We went to SUNSET BEACH RESORT. Took a Taxi from the port for $5.00 total. Upon arrival at the resort, I was a little surprised to see the armed guards outside at the gatehouse. They escort you into the hotel and see that you get checked in. Upon paying our $20.00, they put your S&S card in an envelope and hold it at the gate. This place was gorgeous! Well worth the money. We snorkeled, ate, drank and partied all day long. I won the Name that Tune contest and they gave me a bottle of Rum from Appleton’s. The snorkeling wasn’t great, but it was good. Saw no jellyfish. But did see a large family of squid…. That kind of freaked me out, as all at once they were there about 12 of them… The food and entertainment were excellent. Highly recommend this place.

 

THURSDAY: Sea day….. fun, fun, & more fun on the ship.

 

FRIDAY: Cozumel J We went to Chakanaab National Park. Took a taxi that cost $10.00 for the four of us. I had prebooked the dolphin swim & snorkel directly through Dolphin Discovery and paid $99.00. It cost $170 to book through the ship. This was the best part of my trip. Swimming with the dolphins is incredible. Well worth the money. Also, snorkeling at the park was also incredible. Saw lots of beautiful tropical fish and coral. I was amazed at how much this beach had to offer. The food was great and the drinks were excellent….. my mom and aunt drank a few too many Bahama Mama’s, but they also had a blast!!!

 

SATURDAY…. Seaday…. Quite windy on the ship with an occasional mist shower.

 

WORTH NOTING & TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:

Late Monday morning I went to the laundry on the Empress deck in my PJ bottoms with one pair of pants that needed ironing….. I was shocked to see one couple in there with what appeared to be their entire suitcase of clothes… I mean they had at least 30 items they were ironing…. So after standing there for 10 minutes or so, I asked her if she minded if I could just iron my one pair of pants so I could get my day started…. Well, let me tell you it went downhill from there. This witch says, well I would also like to get my day started, but can’t until I’m done ironing, so you’ll have to wait…. So I said whatever…. I stood there NO JOKE for over an hour watching them iron…. When she was done she started to put the ironing board away and I told her to leave it and I would do it when I was done…. Well about that time the entire board fell off the wall, including the iron and it took them about 10 more minutes to fix it… she had the nerve to tell me at least the board is now higher up than she had it… I told her to shove it up her you know what…….. don’t you know every single time I saw that woman on the ship she had the same scroungy t-shirt and biker shorts on… never once saw her in any of the clothes I watched her iron!!!!!!!!

 

I believe it was Wednesday…. The days became a blur to me, as I completely lost track of time… anyhow, I was in my cabin when the emergency signal went off!!! I rushed out onto the Lido Deck and to my surprised the ship was stopped. There was a ship sinking and we stopped to do the rescue!!!! This was a very strange occurrence, as it is not everyday you stumble across a sinking ship. The vessel which looked to be a yacht was almost complete submerged in water… the passengers had abandoned ship and the coast guard had asked us to stop as we were the closest vessel. Not sure if the passengers were ever located, but after a long stop, we began our travels again!!!!

 

Do not miss the entertainment on the Promenade Deck 5 near the Casino. They are awesome. It was so much fun to sit and listen to the music and watch the people!!!

 

FOOD: The food on the ship was good. Not great, but good. I didn’t care much for the buffets on the Lido Deck, but did enjoy the dining room food. Hint: LISTEN TO YOUR WAITER. They really do know what the best selections are. A few times I went with something different than what he said was the best, and I ended up with his recommendation anyway!!! He usually had his recommendation sitting there waiting for me anyway J Thank you Sutan!!!

 

HENRI’S DISCO: This appeared to be the happening place after 10 p.m. Good music.. mix of 70’s, 80’s and a little new stuff. Great Disco music. Loads of fun… Don’t be turned off by the 20 year old party crowd! They really were a lot of fun. Some had obvious drinking problems and were slightly out of control, but still had a great time. Great place to dance and burn off those calories eaten!!!!!

 

BLUE’S BAR: Lots of fun! They have a piano sing-a-long that is great! Billy Joel and Elton John………

 

TOULOUSE LOUNGE: (I think that’s how you spell it…. Still not sure how to say it). Always something going on in there. Game shows were fun to watch. I got picked to play in one, but my buzzer was broken ;( The Magic Show is great and I really liked Point & Click…. The others were okay… wouldn’t want to see them again. The talent show was also great…. And I loved the surprise ending J

 

DEBARKATION: I had originally booked my return flight for 5:40 p.m. to Nashville, as the other ones were all before Noon departures… I went to the information desk mid-week and told them I was going to switch to the early flight. Gave them the flight information, and they gave me VIP tags… I was off the ship by 8:10 a.m. and was at the airport by 8:50 a.m. I made the 10:05 a.m. flight and got home 8 hours earlier than planned. What a treat to see my DH and kids.

 

Great Vacation. Great Ship. Can’t wait to cruise again!!!!

[SxyEbnyFem]

Thanks for you review, QT. I am glad you enjoyed yourself. Question: how was the karaoke?

 

Happy sailing,

T.

[QTPieRye]

T~ I believe there was Karoke every single night in Vincent's Bar. It was lots of fun.... saw lots of people overindulging with alcohol and acting like fools... jumping off the stage, acting like 2 year olds~ but for the most part it was lots of fun!

 

Every night it was packed with standing room only... in fact a few nights, some people had to wait outside just to get in.... most of the singers were typical Karoke.... sound great with the background music and vocal accompanyment.....

 

however, the Talent Show was another story. I founhd it rather amusing when these same people attempted to sing with a big band and no words on a screen!!!!! Big difference in singing Karoke and singing with an orchestra in front of hundred's of people on stage! You could definately tell the difference in the Karoke wannabes and the real stars!!!

[MrNobody]

Thanks for you review, QT. I am glad you enjoyed yourself. Question: how was the karaoke?

 

Happy sailing,

T.

Karaoke????...and I thought you were a party animal T!!...ZZZZ!

[SxyEbnyFem]

Karaoke????...and I thought you were a party animal T!!...ZZZZ!

HA! Hey there, MrNobody. Who ever said I was asking for myself?! :rolleyes: LMAO! Who doesn't like a good karaoke night?

Happy sailing,

T.

PS. You miss me, don't ya, Jake? :p

[matt082600]

QT....Thanks for the review. The ioroning incident was an unfortunate one. I must admit that at the begining of reading that section, I thought someone was going to give you problems for ironing in your pj's, but my guess was wrong!!!!

[matt082600]

HA! Hey there, MrNobody. Who ever said I was asking for myself?! :rolleyes: LMAO! Who doesn't like a good karaoke night?[/color][/font][/b]

 

 

Sometimes a good karaoke night is a wild party night!!!!!!.....lol

[SxyEbnyFem]

T~ I believe there was Karoke every single night in Vincent's Bar. It was lots of fun.... saw lots of people overindulging with alcohol and acting like fools... jumping off the stage, acting like 2 year olds~ but for the most part it was lots of fun!

 

Every night it was packed with standing room only... in fact a few nights, some people had to wait outside just to get in.... most of the singers were typical Karoke.... sound great with the background music and vocal accompanyment.....

Thanks for answering, QT. Standing room only? Wow, the pressure of it all! :rolleyes: LMAO! Oh, heck. I better start practicing my Madonna songs, then, eh? :cool:

<clearing throat>

I made it through the wilderness....

Happy sailing,

T.

[matt082600]

LMAO.........Too funny T!!!

[SxyEbnyFem]

Sometimes a good karaoke night is a wild party night!!!!!!.....lol

Dayum, right it is, Matty. :D

Happy sailing,

T.

[matt082600]

 

For some reason my quote button seems to not be working properly....oh, well. In any event, are you looking forward to your first cruise T? Who are you going with?

[SxyEbnyFem]

For some reason my quote button seems to not be working properly....oh, well. In any event, are you looking forward to your first cruise T? Who are you going with?

Ok, Matty - when you want to quote someone, just hit the quote button at the bottom of that particular post....not to say that isn't what you are doing anyway...but hey? I am trying to help here! :p

 

Now, for my first cruise, I will be with my bf & about 6-10 other couples. I can't tell you just how excited I am about this! January cannot come soon enough! Some may think I have gone off on the deep end. I even have a cruise notebook that I put together. Sure, they all made fun of me at first. BF even called me Clark Grizwald. :rolleyes: Now, whenever we all get together, someone always calls to make sure that I bring the cruise notebook. Go figure! Seems as if I have the last laugh!

 

Happy sailing,

T.

 

 

PS. If you are ever my way, lemme know. I can karaoke with the best of them! :D

[NinaCO]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review! I have a couple of quick questions:

 

1. Sunset Beach -- were there cabs waiting to take you back to the ship?

 

2. Time in port -- did the increase the port time at all in Cozumel & Jamaica since there were only two ports of call (instead of 3)?

 

Thanks! :)

[btrtigerfan]

Great Review!

 

Did you guys do The Pointe supper club?

 

Sunset Beach...Which beach did you try? No lying!!!

 

Isn't cruising at least 37% better than real life?

 

 

Btrtigerfan

[tdysert]

Hi. Great review. Do you remember who was playing in the piano bar?

[QTPieRye]

NINACO~

As soon as you exit the pier area, there are tons of cabs, shuttles, buses, etc. You will recognize people in uniform. Just tell one of them where you want to go and how many are in your group... they will arrange for the taxi. ONLY GET IN A TAXI WITH A RED PLATE!!!!

 

As far as the time in the ports, NO they did not increase the length of time. I believe in both parts you had to be back on the ship by 5:30 p.m.

 

BTRTIGERFAN~

We did not try the Point Supper Club, but did hear it was great and well worth the money!

 

As far as Sunset Beach... we stayed at the beach right below the pool area! It was so nice. There were only 8 people in that area total... plus, it was close to the bar!!! The "other" beach is quite aways down away from everything....

 

Cruising is more like 80% better than real life ;)

 

TDYSERT~ I am not sure of the name of the guy playing in the Piano "Blue's Bar. I do have my capers at home and will check to see if it says his name!

[hstrybuf]

Thanks for the review! I noticed that you booked directly with Dolphin Discovery. Did they include the price of admission to Chankanaab or did you have to pay extra?

 

Good tip about listening to your waiter! My DH found out about that the hard way! :D

[jnnifer01]

Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed the Conquest. That was our (DH and I) 1st cruise and so far, our best. We loved it.

[S.S. Cruisers]

 

WORTH NOTING & TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:

Late Monday morning I went to the laundry on the Empress deck in my PJ bottoms with one pair of pants that needed ironing….. I was shocked to see one couple in there with what appeared to be their entire suitcase of clothes… I mean they had at least 30 items they were ironing…. So after standing there for 10 minutes or so, I asked her if she minded if I could just iron my one pair of pants so I could get my day started…. Well, let me tell you it went downhill from there. This witch says, well I would also like to get my day started, but can’t until I’m done ironing, so you’ll have to wait…. So I said whatever…. I stood there NO JOKE for over an hour watching them iron…. When she was done she started to put the ironing board away and I told her to leave it and I would do it when I was done…. Well about that time the entire board fell off the wall, including the iron and it took them about 10 more minutes to fix it… she had the nerve to tell me at least the board is now higher up than she had it… I told her to shove it up her you know what…….. don’t you know every single time I saw that woman on the ship she had the same scroungy t-shirt and biker shorts on… never once saw her in any of the clothes I watched her iron!!!!!!!!

QT: Well, how rude was that? Just a thought, there are laundry rooms on other floors also. I would have hot footed up/down the stairs to another laundry room rather than stay in that cramped space with a "lovely"! :D

[QTPieRye]

Hstrybuf.... The cost for the Dolphin Swim & Snorkel was $99.00. This DID NOT include the $12.00 entrance fee to the park. Note: They only take cash for the entrance fee. I did use my credit card inside the park to purchase the dolphin photos :)

 

S.S Cruisers~ In addition to the fact that I had been up much of the night having too much fun ;).. I was in my p.j. bottoms. Besides, I think it was much more fun to stand there and watch witchy-poo iron her 3 suitcases of clothes, while bossing around her hubby... Besides, I had visitors that came to talk to me. My mom was ready to tear her a new a$$, but in the end it really didn't matter. I got my pants ironed and I was off again for a foo-foo drink!!!

[hstrybuf]

Thanks QT! :)