Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Recent Conquest Capers??

teencruiser09

By teencruiser09,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

Recommended Posts

Kace

Kace

Posted
Posted

Just back yesterday. We kept our Capers, but they went home with another family member. I'll see if I can get copies to post.

 

I plan to post a review. I know people are all excited about the "post drydock" improvements, but unfortunately the ship felt tired and grubby in many places. I'm not even vaugely picky, but we noticed a lot of stains, wear, etc. And a lot of features weren't working (the bow cam, the bridge channel, etc.).

 

And this is off-topic since no one asked, but I hate the big screen. We were out on deck for early morning walking, sunrise, etc., and the big screen would be blaring (at 6:00 am) with CNN news. Personally, I like to escape during my vacation; if I want news, I can watch in my cabin. Being a captive audience to constant inundation about the economy etc. was not what I was looking for during my morning constitutional.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
5waldos

5waldos

Posted
Posted
Just back yesterday. We kept our Capers, but they went home with another family member. I'll see if I can get copies to post.

 

I plan to post a review. I know people are all excited about the "post drydock" improvements, but unfortunately the ship felt tired and grubby in many places. I'm not even vaugely picky, but we noticed a lot of stains, wear, etc. And a lot of features weren't working (the bow cam, the bridge channel, etc.).

 

And this is off-topic since no one asked, but I hate the big screen. We were out on deck for early morning walking, sunrise, etc., and the big screen would be blaring (at 6:00 am) with CNN news. Personally, I like to escape during my vacation; if I want news, I can watch in my cabin. Being a captive audience to constant inundation about the economy etc. was not what I was looking for during my morning constitutional.

 

Sigh- this is what I feared. I agree about CNN or any news. I really do not want to know unless something of true significance happens- and only if I can do something about it. Otherwise- the world will go on without me. And how can a ship come out of dry dock looking old and tired? Really too bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kace

Kace

Posted
Posted
Sigh- this is what I feared. I agree about CNN or any news. I really do not want to know unless something of true significance happens- and only if I can do something about it. Otherwise- the world will go on without me. And how can a ship come out of dry dock looking old and tired? Really too bad.

 

It's clear it wasn't a "refurbishment." Since it was a drydock, presumably they did below-water maintenance. Maybe they updated some cabins, but ours had torn upholstery and very tired carpet. They replaced the tiles in the Cezanne restaurante (the Lido dining room), but the contractors did a terribly sloppy job and left grout stains all over the floor. The ship's maintenance staff was cleaning sections each night, so that was slowly improving. We spent a lot of time on the aft Lido. There were big globs of paint staining the tables, and stuff that looked like varnish staining the floor.

 

There were also electronics problems, such as the bow camera and bridge channel weren't working on the in-room televisions. The bridge channel started working on the last night of the cruise. The navigation map on the lobby deck (yes, a trivial thing) also wasn't working until the last day. The kiosk at the future cruises desk wasn't working. I'm sure there were similar issues throughout the ship.

 

None of these things had huge impacts on our cruise, but there was a lot of hmmmmm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ADD Boy

ADD Boy

Posted
Posted
Just back yesterday. We kept our Capers, but they went home with another family member. I'll see if I can get copies to post.

 

I plan to post a review. I know people are all excited about the "post drydock" improvements, but unfortunately the ship felt tired and grubby in many places. I'm not even vaugely picky, but we noticed a lot of stains, wear, etc. And a lot of features weren't working (the bow cam, the bridge channel, etc.).

 

And this is off-topic since no one asked, but I hate the big screen. We were out on deck for early morning walking, sunrise, etc., and the big screen would be blaring (at 6:00 am) with CNN news. Personally, I like to escape during my vacation; if I want news, I can watch in my cabin. Being a captive audience to constant inundation about the economy etc. was not what I was looking for during my morning constitutional.

 

Looking forward to your full review and capers; thanks much for the post! My PVP told me the drydock would take the ship "down to the rivets"; doesn't sound like it! Did they even replace the carpet, much less install the flat screen tv's I read about? Sounds like CCL is in capital preservation mode.

 

Totally agree about the news, and I am a news junkie, EXCEPT when I'm on vacation. Glad I booked that aft wrap, sounds like I may end up spending even more time there than planned!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
PlanoDebbie

PlanoDebbie

Posted
Posted
Sigh- this is what I feared. I agree about CNN or any news. I really do not want to know unless something of true significance happens- and only if I can do something about it. Otherwise- the world will go on without me. And how can a ship come out of dry dock looking old and tired? Really too bad.

 

That's disappointing that they were using it for CNN. I thought it would be used for some of the outdoor competitions that not everyone can see very well and to show movies late at night. Bummer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GUYnTEXAS

GUYnTEXAS

Posted
Posted

What a bummer about that big screen. As others have stated....The last thing I want to hear while on my vacation is CNN blaring about the economy bailout and what the new Prez is up to! Blah blah blah blah blah!

Looks like I will be spending more time on my balcony and also keeping the iPod earpieces in!

" if it ain't broke don't fix it" was always a good rule of thumb. Maybe Carnival should take pointers. I know I will probably catch crap for this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ctnecruisers

ctnecruisers

Posted
Posted

I agree about the big screen. The purpose of a vacation is to get away from those things. Going without the news for a week should not be a big deal for most and those that want it can get it in their cabin. I will wait to pass judgement until after our cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dnj1

dnj1

Posted
Posted

And this is off-topic since no one asked, but I hate the big screen. We were out on deck for early morning walking, sunrise, etc., and the big screen would be blaring (at 6:00 am) with CNN news. Personally, I like to escape during my vacation; if I want news, I can watch in my cabin. Being a captive audience to constant inundation about the economy etc. was not what I was looking for during my morning constitutional.

 

I agree...I dont want to see CNN or hear CNN. Is it really that loud? What about the band, heck I would even enjoy the piped in music, is all of that gone? So no music during the day? This really sucks. I know they spent a lot of money on it. But I hope they hear our plea and limited the tv time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tkportersat

tkportersat

Posted
Posted

I will definitely be bringing my Ipod ;)

 

I agree...I dont want to see CNN or hear CNN. Is it really that loud? What about the band, heck I would even enjoy the piped in music, is all of that gone? So no music during the day? This really sucks. I know they spent a lot of money on it. But I hope they hear our plea and limited the tv time.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Angelamu7

Angelamu7

Posted
Posted

Wonder if all the issues with being out of dry dock is more that it takes time to work the kinks out? When I talked to Carnival and found out about Dry Dock it was made clear to me it would not be a brand new ship more that things would be added and some things upgraded but not everything. Still bummed that it sounds like there is a LOT of clean up after dry dock. But hope it is all done by April! I sure hope so. CNN does not thrill me at all but you know I can tune it out pretty well! :cool:

 

I would also like to see the cappers angelamu7 @ hotmail.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites
houstoncruisers2001

houstoncruisers2001

Posted
Posted

Geez....we don't even turn on the TV in the cabin EVER. On my last cruise I found out about the death of Heath Ledger three days after the fact by some one talking about it in the elevator. I totally tune out the world, job, family back home, favorite sports teams, pets, weather....you name it. No TV and no internet, so CNN on the big screen will irritate the $@#$ out of me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
5waldos

5waldos

Posted
Posted

The CNN business does sound like something that people should really gang up and complain about. I could deal with a half hour update several times a day (NOT enjoy or need but put up with) but surely Carnival can't think that people on vacation want it on a huge screen around the pool? What are they thinking? Besides- if they insist on this kind of stuff they should at least have Jon Steward and Stephen Colbert so we could get real news!:cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
teencruiser09

teencruiser09

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Here is all the reviews of the conquest post dry-dock that I could find. In addition to the ones in this thread these are the rest...

 

The tv is nice...but yes way too much CNN. CNN was on most all morning and night, when movies were not shown. I'm sorry I went on a cruise to forget about the world, if I want to watch the news I can turn on the stateroom tv. I was sitting there on conquest watching the water and trying to enjoy lido breakfast and have to listen to Obama news confrences and lots of coverage of the stimulus plan.

 

The cruise itself was great, the first few days and fun days at sea were quite cold, windy, and choppy. The weather in ports was excellent. NOTE: The conquest now ports at Punta Maya port not International Pier. That was a change for us from last year.

 

The seaside theater shows the cruise director morning show. Which by the way is a complete joke, maybe they are still working out the kinks. Perhaps it was Kyle Post. I know he is only an acting CD but he was not good. In fact there was lots of talk on the ship about how annoying he was, all his jokes on stage bombed, and he never recieved very warm welcomes. William the acting ACD was great though!

 

I still noticed ripped carpet spots, rusted areas, broken tiles, no big deals didnt bother me. I was just surprised as I thought they replaced and touched up everything over drydock. The bedding and mattresses seemed to be new. I slept so much better this cruise and bed was much better than last year, not sure if they replaced bedding or just had a bad bed last time.

 

The big board map near the casino was not working during our entire cruise, I like looking at that. Also they have two new late night adult only activities. They host the LIARS CLUB and an adult only game show. Both were sort of lacking, I was really excited about both, but they said it was there 2nd week to "perform" these shows and it sort of showed. Much of the crowd left after it began. THe shows are hosted by all the entertainment staff (social hosts) in the degais lounge deck 5 aft. (TheWiseRacoon)

_________________________________________________________________________

The only thing that stood out to me was the addition of the Theater by the Sea big screen on the Lido deck. This was my first time on the Conquest and overall I was very pleased with the decor and fit and finish. The carpet did not look brand new and my room 1409 had the old CRT TV....which was fine.

 

My wife purchased a soda card/souvenier mug for $47. We probably broke even.

 

The two things I appeciated the most were 1) The staff was excellent. Everyone from the room stewards, dining room staff, purser's desk, etc were extremely helpful and had positive attitudes. It was consistent thoughout the ship every where I went. Someone is doing something right in training at Carnival.

2) The entertainment and shows exceeded my expectations. I based my expectations on the lousy shows I attended on AOTS Royal Caribbean cruise last FEB 08. I don't normally enjoy shows involing lots of dancing and singing but Carnival did a bang up job. The magic show featuring Madam Helliva?sp was the best all week....absolutely fantastic. The best: Consistently good service thoughout the ship. Entertainment was excellent....great shows.

 

 

The least: Having CNN blaring on the big screen every morning dumping all of the crappy news I originally took a vacation to escape. The big screen is fine....they just have to learn how to utilize it better. I took my coffee and escaped the the back of the boat to have my coffee. Mongolian Grill was up and running. I thought I would use it more...only ate there twice. Food was okay but nothing to get too excited over. The Chicken Kung Pao was pretty good. The pannini sandwich window on the opposite side of the same deck had some good grilled sandwiches. The reuben was excellent. (Rebjen)

_________________________________________________________________________

Just home from the Conquest today. Yes, ship wide WiFi. While we didn't log onto here...we did check our mail almost everyday from our cabin on our laptop. So much easier than going to the internet cafe. (readytogo12/07)

_________________________________________________________________________

The new large screen was up and running. During the day they showed music videos and some CNN news as mentioned by Arthierry.

 

I think they still have a long way to go to figure out how to get the most out of this new addition. The music videos were okay I guess for times when there is not a live band playig on deck. Much of the time they had CNN on thought there was a band playing so they had the audio from the news turned down. Am I the only one who finds it annoying to have a news report on the screen with no chance to hear what is being said?

 

I checked out the movies briefly a couple of nights but temps on this cruise were slightly on the cool side so sitting out there in the cold,damp dark was not overly appealing on warmer cruises it would be better, also the reception wasn't great, with the screen frequently breaking up into large pixellated areas.

 

I did stick it out for the whole of the Superbowl and this large screen was a great way to watch an event like that but again it was cool with a scattering of showers some guests actually went down to their cabins and came back with their comforters to keep them warm but most except a few die hards had left the open deck long before the game ended.

 

I think the screen is a nice addition but Carnival needs to tweak it a little. On Princess they did serve popcorn and for the late night shows they had small blankets available on the deck to provide added warmth, both of these are things Carnival might want to consider adding.

 

ETA:

I did have a great cruise, loved the food and our cabin was good with nice bedding and enough room...the locked fridge which was of no use to us and just took up space, was a bit of a waste but the stewards kept the cabin nice and neat and brought ice when we asked, room service was prompt and good. The staff was all friendly and helpful. (sunshine_229)

 

I have been on the Conquest before and was not real happy with the screen and also thought the material condition of the ship was not what I would expect out of dry dock. The

screen was great for the superbowl but I don't cruise so I can watch CNN. Also the music videos were not the kind of music I like and I doubt you can make everyone happy if you are going to use it for music videos. Worse, sitting on the Lido Deck waiting to disembark you could not hear the announcements because the TV volume was too loud. I saw several people complain but nothing was done. As to the material condition; one of the aft elevators was out the entire cruise and one mid ships was a lot as well (the elevators are slow even when they all work), and I noticed more on board maintenance going on than normal. We were with a couple that had been on about 15 cruises (many on Conquest) and they noticed the level of service was down a little (probably cost cutting. e.g., no midnight buffet) but overall service was good. The big screen in my opinion allows them to cut back on live talent and is also a cost cutting measure (the reggae band, while OK, is now two guys with electronic steel drums).

 

Overall we had a great time. Nothing in the above is a deal breaker and we will likely cruise on Conquest again. Just that we live on the Lido deck and this time it was not as fun. (jkuben)

_________________________________________________________________________

I for one enjoyed the jumbotron screen. And there was one midnight buffet, not sure what night but it was a Mexican feista. Very good!!! I have been on four cruises in the past none with Carnival and thought the service and the ship was excellent. Not many signs of drydock except a few rolls of new carpet hidden in one corner. Everything seems to be in correct order here. Don't be afraid to cruise on the Conquest. (denali99)

_________________________________________________________________________

We stayed at the Hotel Galvez the night before the cruise...very nice hotel for the price we paid on priceline. Took the 11:00 shuttle to the ship. We were in line at 11:05 and in our cabin before 12. The ship had come in the night before. Walked around the ship, got a burger at the grill then went back to the cabin to unpack. Life boat drill was around 3:15. Ended just in time to get back to the Lido deck for sail away. Very cool and windy but exciting. Watched the Superbowl in the lounge...best superbowl party I've ever been to. Didn't see cabin steward till day 2 due to us being out of the cabin all day. Did leave him (Putu?) a note to empty the frig and when we finally came back at 2AM it was emptied. Tried room service the first day, left the card on the door but never received it during the time requested. Called and waited but ended up going to dining room. That was the only problem the whole cruise. We had an AFT wrap cabin that was great...not a lot of noise just gentle rocking at night. Makes it hard to sleep at home. Found the bed slightly hard but loved the comforter and pillows. Can't tell about any upgrades during dry dock as this was our first cruise. Went to the supper club on Tues.. don't think I ever ate so much at one sitting before. Food all around was very good. Didn't think the pizza was that great tho. Went to the shopping talk on Mon and Tues to get ready for Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Moria was very informative and ended up being very helpful in the shops. Only did one excursion and that was to the Appleton Rum Estate in Jamaca. Very long drive on narrow winding road. Interesting to see the country side. Don't know that I would do it again. Just did shopping (can you say lots of "bling") in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Did have some nachos and margaritas at Margaritaville. All prices are in Grand Caymen currency so is actually more expensive than on menu.

I know I've skipped a lot but it was a great trip and I am ready to go back (harleydudesat)

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...