Just home from the Conquest 7/26-8/2...

[jensing317]

and we truly had the time of our lives! The trip was practically flawless and I must say...if you EVER, EVER, EVER have the chance to sail with Chris Jefferson as your cruise director, TAKE IT!!!! He is absolutely wonderful, very entertaining and gave our trip that extra touch that made it extra special. I'm uploading pictures now, so review will be forthcoming...:):D

[Scott_F]

Sounds awesome. We had a great time on Conquest last summer and the wife and I just booked another Conquest 8/23/09

[jensing317]

Sounds awesome. We had a great time on Conquest last summer and the wife and I just booked another Conquest 8/23/09

 

 

Aww...I'm jealous! :( But, I think you may miss out on Chris. He said that he had a couple of more weeks before he went home for a couple of months vacation. But, he did say that he loved sailing out of Galveston so much that he had requested, and had been granted, a return run on the Conquest when he returns in a couple of months.

 

Have an awesome trip! I really am jealous. :p

[Carguylee]

Can't wait for the review, we are on conquest in about 5 months

[Scott_F]

We had one really good cruise director on Rhapsody our first cruise and it was pretty much downhill from there. The CD on Ecstasy in June was pretty much a no-show. Just as good. They can be a real pain the butt sometimes. :) Especially the ones that LOVE to hear themselves talk.

[jensing317]

Background:

We are a party of 5 sailing together. My DM, DS, Mom’s best friend and our replacement cruiser who took my DB’s place last minute. (He lost his wallet with his ID and after every possible solution had been exhausted, we found a replacement. L) This was mine and DS’s 4th cruise, Mom’s 3rd and the other’s first cruise. This was our second time on the Conquest and on the Western itinerary. We were given a great deal on an upgrade to a Cat 11, so we took it. More on that later. Here’s luggage for five. J

Saturday

We drove down from Central Texas to Galveston so that we could enjoy the embarkation day and not feel so rushed. So, I had booked a great deal at the LaQuinta on the south end of the Seawall using my teacher organization discount. We checked in, found that our rooms were more than sufficient with a so-so view of the gulf…more of the Denny’s rooftop, but oh well…we’d be seeing plenty of ocean for the next 7 days! J My mother had requested a while back that we have dinner at the Rainforest Café, so we headed there about 7ish. Big mistake…if you want to go…go early!! Lol. It’s a terrific place with lots of atmosphere but we waited for about an hour and a half for a table. It was ok though…we were on vacation and there was plenty to do and see in and around the restaurant.

We enjoyed the hula dancers outside as well as the thunder storms and animated animals inside.

We were also mesmerized by the aquarium at the dining room entrance. They have some of the most beautiful (and ugliest) fish I’ve ever seen up close.

[jensing317]

Dinner was fish and chips. My mouth was set for Sur Mer fish and chips and these, while tasty, were nothing compared to what I knew I would be experiencing in the days to come. We had a great dinner and left with our bellies full and anticipation growing…we knew that our next dinner would be on our favorite dining room of all.

After dinner, we drove around Galveston looking at the damage and rebuilding efforts. I have to say-it looks a lot better than I expected it to. You can see water marks on some buildings so you know that there had to be extensive damage but, the strand was alive and hopping and houses were either repaired or in process of repair. Kudos to the people of Galveston for taking their town back in such a fine manner.

Here's a few more pictures from the Rainforest Cafe. The last one is of the mist that sprays during the "rain storm"

 

 

 

[douglinc@msn.com]

Would love to hear more, we are leaving on the Conquest 8-30.

 

Thanks,

Doug

[Scott_F]

Would love to hear more, we are leaving on the Conquest 8-30.

 

Thanks,

Doug

 

+1. I'm leaving on 8/23. Keep it coming. Love it.

[douglinc@msn.com]

Scott,

Don't break anything or drink up all the booze.

 

Doug

[*Mach*]

and we truly had the time of our lives! The trip was practically flawless and I must say...if you EVER, EVER, EVER have the chance to sail with Chris Jefferson as your cruise director, TAKE IT!!!! He is absolutely wonderful, very entertaining and gave our trip that extra touch that made it extra special. I'm uploading pictures now, so review will be forthcoming...:):D

 

 

Yep... Chris is wonderful, isn't he??

The Conquest is 'MY' ship... my favorite.

Did you meet Massimo Marino... the Ship's Master? Fantastic gentleman...

:)

[flynnsport]

sounds positive so far...taking my honeymoon on oct 11 sailing!

[flynnsport]

that lisy lin is popping up on all the boards...beware

[ober]

:Dflynnsport we will be sailing on the 11th of October also. Have you signed up for the Meet and Greet?:D

[flynnsport]

:Dflynnsport we will be sailing on the 11th of October also. Have you signed up for the Meet and Greet?:D

absolutely, fiance did (samantha)...looking forward to it

[jensing317]

Embarkation Sunday

We had set the alarm for 7 so we would have plenty of time to get ready, repack the car and grab a bit of breakfast that the hotel provided. (How come it’s so much easier waking up at 7am on embarkation Sunday and yet so hard to wake up at 7 on disembarkation Sunday?!?!)

Waiting for the time to pass until we knew we could leave was excruciating but somehow we managed and before we knew it, we were heading across the island to the terminal!!!

We arrived at the port around 10:30 and dropped all our luggage with a great porter who promised our bags would be in safe hands and arrive safely to our cabin. Since there were nine bottles of wine packed in bubble wrap and sealed in heavy duty XXL Ziploc bags, we were extra concerned for their care. We carried on nothing but our purses.

With the car unloaded and the tires breathing a sigh of relief from the weight being lifted, lol, we headed around the corner to Lighthouse to park the car. These people are as nice as they come. I handed the lady at the gate our confirmation and we were directed to a parking space and were on the shuttle ready to go! We rode to the pier with the nicest couple from Oklahoma who had been surprised with this cruise by their son who had just returned home from Iraq. He told them it was a belated birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Mother’s Day/Father’s Day gift. WOW!! They were so sweet and I love to see the excitement of first time cruisers.

We arrived back at the port before they had opened the doors, so we stood in the only line we would have to endure that day. We found out that the hold-up was 3 wedding parties that they were waiting to arrive. They arrived and about 10 minutes later, we were in the building riding up the escalator and on our way to VIP check-in. We got to wait in the lounge while the two agents checked in the 3 brides and their party but we were 1st on the list to check in once they were through. The wedding check-in took some time, but when you’re sitting in comfy couches in the a/c, who cares?!?! J The agent called us to his desk, and got us checked in. Based on past experiences, this check in was a breeze and it is totally worth the money to upgrade. I’m not sure we’ll ever cruise again without this perk. We were walked over to the waiting area, waited maybe 5 minutes in the VIP chairs and then we were smiling for the cameras…our adventure has begun!!! We were on board by 11:30.

[jensing317]

Yep... Chris is wonderful, isn't he??

 

The Conquest is 'MY' ship... my favorite.

 

Did you meet Massimo Marino... the Ship's Master? Fantastic gentleman...

 

:)

 

 

Chris is terrific!

 

I wish I could sail on the Crazies cruise with you all. I LOVE that ship but taking a week off from school....well :rolleyes: maybe next time.

 

I met Capt. Marino at the past guest party briefly. He walked past us and Tyler said really excitedly (read: LOUD) "That's the Captain!!" He heard him and stopped and said hello and asked if we were enjoying ourselves. Well, yeah...of course we were!!!

[jensing317]

We arrived back at the port before they had opened the doors, so we stood in the only line we would have to endure that day. We found out that the hold-up was 3 wedding parties that they were waiting to arrive. They arrived and about 10 minutes later, we were in the building riding up the escalator and on our way to VIP check-in.

We got to wait in the lounge while the two agents checked in the 3 brides and their party but we were 1st on the list to check in once they were through. The wedding check-in took some time, but when you’re sitting in comfy couches in the a/c, who cares?!?! J

The agent called us to his desk, and got us checked in. Based on past experiences, this check in was a breeze and it is totally worth the money to upgrade. I’m not sure we’ll ever cruise again without this perk. We were walked over to the waiting area, waited maybe 5 minutes in the VIP chairs and then we were smiling for the cameras…our adventure has begun!!!

We were on board by 11:30.

A quick check at our room and found that Glenn had our room almost ready and he was more than willing to let us drop our bags off before we headed out to the Lido deck for lunch. He told us he was finished with our rooms and we were welcome to return anytime we wanted to. Glenn and his assistant Tri are very sweet and very attentive to their passengers. We ate a yummy lunch on the Lido (yep…the fish and chips were just as yummy as I remembered!!) and went back to our rooms.

We were booked in rooms 7242 and 7238 which are side by side. We asked Glenn opened up our divider and doubled the size of our balcony!! Man that thing is HUGE!!

Our bags arrived before 1 so we unpacked…yep…all the wine arrived safe and sound…all 9 bottles. J We ordered a bucket of ice from room service to get the first bottle chilling and from that moment on, Glenn made sure that the bucket was never empty. The items I had ordered from Bon Voyage were also waiting on us.

Muster drill was the usual except in past trips, I don’t remember it being bi-lingual. This made the drill twice as long but thankfully, we did not sail away until after it was over and we had time to get back to our behemoth balcony. We watched the dolphins and the jet skiers pass by while we waved goodbye to reality and Galveston for a few days.

 

 

[wishfultraveler]

Jensing,

I am so sorry I missed the M&G you organized, but my tired caught up with me and I slept through it. We too had a wonderful cruise. I think I was just a cabin or 2 down from you in 7250 and Glenn and Tri were our cabin stewards as well. I wish they were here-my house certainly could benefit from their touch!:)

[jensing317]

Jensing,

I am so sorry I missed the M&G you organized, but my tired caught up with me and I slept through it. We too had a wonderful cruise. I think I was just a cabin or 2 down from you in 7250 and Glenn and Tri were our cabin stewards as well. I wish they were here-my house certainly could benefit from their touch!:)

 

 

Oh yeah! We tried to use our key cards in 7250 a couple of times when we weren't paying attention. lol

 

Tri said he was getting off after this coming week's cruise. I asked if I could come pick him up from the ship and take him home with me. He laughed and said that his momma missed him very much and she wouldn't like him going home with some girl. haha

[jensing317]

Once out at sea, we decided to change our clothes and get ready for dinner. We chose early seating and were assigned to the Monet Dining Room. This is where we ate last year, so we were excited to be there once again. The view from that dining room is amazing and you can see some spectacular sunsets from the Monet aft windows.

We (a party of 5) were assigned to a table for 10 along with another party of 5. This family had two little girls (ages 6 & 8) who were evidently brought up without any manners whatsoever. The girls made sure that we knew they had the window seats for the entire week. We tried to make conversation but except for the husband, they weren’t interested. Later on in the meal, my DS went to the side window behind our table (not next to the girl’s seats) and was sitting there watching the waves and the younger girl went over and sat with him. A few minutes later, DS came back fighting back tears telling that the little girl had been kicking him (she left bruises) and was telling him that his name was stupid. Mom and Dad laughed it off and Dad said…”Oh, she’s mean to everyone, she even sent me to the ER once.” Excuse me?!?!?! I don’t think so. To top it off, the service was not what we were use to. The head waiter was a sweet, sweet guy but slow. His assistant wasn’t as friendly. They were clearing tables and resetting them for the late seating before we received our entrees. So, we ate, made our own conversation and left a little disappointed. The food was good (Sweet and Sour Shrimp) and the Crème Brule was even better but it was still sad that the events of the night had occurred. But, we thought that maybe everyone was just having an off night and things would get better…of course they would get better! We were on a cruise!

DS and I went to get him signed up for Camp Carnival and then we went back to our room to relax. Glenn had left a walrus for us on the bed. We were planning on going to the Welcome Aboard show but fell asleep. We watched it on the tv the next day and it looked like it would have been fun to see live. Just another reason to go back again, right? J

[jensing317]

Monday/Fun Day at Sea

We woke up to the room service waiter delivering our breakfast. Yum!! Oh, how I got use to room service. After breakfast, we had planned on going to the pool and waterslide and maybe play some mini-golf but while I was getting dressed, DS came in from the balcony and said it was pouring down rain and that he’d rather go to Camp Carnival than the pool. Ok, no worries and off to Camp we went. DS could have been allowed to sign himself in and out but after reading some of the other horror stories about children roaming around lost on the ship, I decided that maybe that wasn’t such a good idea for my DS who is ADHD and has Asperger’s and gets distracted very easily.

While he was gone, I spent the afternoon getting the weirdest spa treatment I’d ever had. Somehow, I’d signed myself up for one thing thinking it was another and soon, I was attached to electrodes that were giving my belly, butt and thighs a workout like they’d never known. It was strange but I lost 6 inches, so hey, it wasn’t all that bad huh? J Nicki was nice but she was there to sell a product and she wasn’t going to give in until I bought a detox kit that was extremely expensive. No thanks…sorry.

[jensing317]

So, I picked Tyler up from Camp and we went back to the room to get showered and dressed for our first formal night. (Or as Tyler calls it…Lobster night!!) He had been telling me that he was going to order more than one lobster this year and I told him that was fine as long as he ate the entire thing. Well, when we got to dinner, we arrived before the little girls and their family, so we sat by the window. I knew when we did it that it was going to cause a problem, but I was not prepared for what happened next. When they arrived, the older daughter screamed that we were in her seat. Her mother said that maybe we’d just have to take turns but she sat there and pouted the entire night. At one point, I heard her tell her dad, “You made us go to Camp Carnival and they took our seats…what kind of parent does that to their child?” I said a quick prayer thanking God that my little boy didn't talk to me or other adults that way.

 

Tyler did in fact order more than one lobster...three to be exact. He ate every bite and enjoyed it all.

Lobster#1

Lobster#2

Lobster#3

The Aftermath!!

The little girls came down to look out the window and Tyler again had to endure their rudeness. I finally told them to stop talking so ugly because I was tired of hearing it.

The waitstaff did some dance, I’m sure, but our waiter never participated because he was still serving entrees.

Since service was again less than stellar and we had tablemates with the girls from hell, I decided I was going to ask for a different table after that night.

[neekaemt]

cant wait to read more of your review. I am also on the Oct 11 sailing. and i am so sorry you guys had to deal with rudeness. If my kid ever acted so rudely i would be horribly embarassed.

[jensing317]

cant wait to read more of your review. I am also on the Oct 11 sailing. and i am so sorry you guys had to deal with rudeness. If my kid ever acted so rudely i would be horribly embarassed.

 

 

Me too!! Tyler knows that he'd suffer consequences if he ever acted that way. BUT, this story has a happy ending. :)

 

Stay tuned. :D