Carnival Conquest Reviews

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OVERALL If you have already booked your cruise on the Conquest out of New Orleans, please read this review only as guide to how best maximize your enjoyment and minimize disappointment. But don't worry--you are about to take a week-long vacation in paradise. There may be better cruises, but this is still a cruise and you can and will have LOTS of fun. Don' worry, Mon! If, on the other hand, you were a fan of the Conquest when it went out of Galveston then allow me to suggest you forget about this ship and move on. It is not the same. I convinced nearly my entire family to forego the 4-5 hour trip from Dallas to Galveston to take the new Carnival Magic and, instead, drive the 9 hour trip to take the Conquest out of New Orleans. Big mistake. As if doubling the commute wasn't bad enough, I felt like I spent the entire week apologizing to my family about the quality of the cruise experience. I last took the Carnival Conquest with my wife, then-3-year-old daughter, and my father and mother-in-law in May 2010. We took the western caribbean itinerary to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. And we absolutely LOVED it. We had to be pushed off the ship. This time, however, we were very ready to go home by the time Mother's Day and the end of our cruise came around. I still love the French Impressionist theme throughout the ship. And, while the ship has continued to age, it is still a very nice ship. It should be even better after its impending overhaul. But a facelift will not correct the problems we experienced. The food quality has suffered and the service and attitude of the crew and wait staff has suffered greatly. On past cruises, I found myself giving extra cash tips to the crew at the end of the week. This time, however, I ended up reducing the gratuities. You can continue reading for more in-depth explanation of the likes and dislikes of this cruise. It was not all bad (Camp Carnival, room service, and comedy shows were great), but I believe we could have probably done much better by booking with the new Carnival Magic. I have been a burgeoning "Carnivalista" and resisted my in-law's invitations to try out their fav Royal Caribbean. However, if I have another experience like I did this past week then I probably will be a Carnival "past guest" for good. STATEROOM During this cruise we chose a balcony stateroom on Deck 8, the Veranda deck, in the forward portion of the ship. We ended up about 3 rooms behind the ship's bridge. Although the bridge did get in the way of the occasional sunset/rise picture, it was interesting to be able to see the pilot or occasional glimpse of the captain on the bridge. Also, Deck 8 was a great location as it was a short walk up to the Lido Deck for swimming and buffet so we could avoid the slow elevators. The cabin was as expected and looked exactly as it had on our previous cruise. The only exception was that this cabin had a pullman's bed that our 5-year-old daughter absolutely loved and allowed us to maintain the couch for seating instead of giving it up for her bed throughout the day. The staterooms are somewhat dated with the old television sets that are not very responsive or clear. However, I imagine this will all be changed with the overhaul of the ship scheduled soon. CABIN STEWARD AND HOUSEKEEPING Our greatest disappointment this go-around with the Conquest was the very noticeable drop-off in the level of service provided by the crew. This downturn is enough to potentially scare us away from Carnival for good. (Although, we have decided we will give another try to the Carnival Magic out of Galveston before swearing off Carnival completely). On the first day, I handed a $20 bill to our Cabin Steward and introduced myself. I told him we were looking forward to a great week onboard. In the past, this has always helped in insuring that the Steward would be attentive and helpful. But, understand, I do not believe an up-front tip is necessary for the cabin steward to provide good service. I just like to let him/her know that good service will be appreciated. That afternoon I found our steward and asked that the partition between our and my father's balcony be opened. His response: "You do not understand the procedure. You must go to guest services to request that. I cannot help you." Although slightly perturbed by his answer, a trip to guest services a short time later confirmed that the procedures have changed. Still, I believe the steward could have provided a better answer than he did. Next, I asked our cabin steward to remove the alcohol from the mini-fridge. He replied: "I would rather not. You can take it out and put it somewhere; you should have room." To this, I responded: "I would rather not risk something getting lost and being charged for it." He simply smiled and said that he was sure I would find room for it and not to worry. The next day after sailing, my wife and I wanted to order room service but we could find no menu. I checked with my family in the cabin on either side and they had no menus. Further, while they had the hanging breakfast room service requests, we were lacking those as well. So I called room service and asked about the menu. I was told it should be in the cabin and I told them it wasn't. After having her read the menu to me, the room service attendant said she would have a menu sent with our food. It was not. That evening, with no menu, I went to guest services to ask for a menu. Again, I was told it was in our cabin and I had overlooked it. Insisting otherwise, however, I explained that NO ONE in any nearby cabins had a menu, either. Further, we did not having the door hangers. Guest services apologized and provided a menu. However, about 30 minutes after visiting guest services, I received a visit from the cabin steward. He had the door hangers and, after handing them to me, he said: "You should have called me directly. When you go to guest services, all they do is call me. So please call me first and do not call guest services." Now feeling quite awkward, I found myself apologizing to HIM because I went to guest services for HIS FAILURES. One night we returned to the room after dinner to find that a used and dirty scotch brite pad was left on the bathroom sink. Halfway through the cruise I needed some laundry done. There were no bags or request forms in the room. (Again, something else I was later informed SHOULD have been provided). I called the steward and he brought me a white paper bag. I put 3 items in, filled out the blank spaces on the bag, and left it for the steward to pick up the next day. However, that afternoon I returned from our excursion to discover that the bag was still in the room. Only now the steward had remembered to bring the laundry request form and left it on top of the bag. The problem then was that, in order to get the laundry done when I wanted because it was not picked up that day, it would cost me an extra 50% rush processing fee. Again, because the steward failed to provide the necessary papers. Finally, the towel animals were overall unimaginative and sloppy. Of 7 nights, we could only guess at 2 creations--an elephant and a heart. (And the heart was not very imaginative as I could roll up a towel to make a heart). The other nights we never could guess what the towel was supposed to be. FOOD SERVICE AND FOOD QUALITY We were also disappointed with the dining room service. On our last cruise on the Conquest, by the second night the wait staff had begun calling us by name and were becoming well aware of our preferences. Also, throughout the cruise they were always attentive, friendly, and never far off. We got to know their stories and shared ours. Before leaving, we made sure to increase our gratuity to the wait staff. That did not happen this time around. The wait staff never once referred to my wife by name. My 5-year-old only ate with us on about 3 occasions but she was ignored each time. Another toddler in our group was given attention and the wait staff made napkin animals to her delight. Not once did a single waiter even try speaking to my daughter. Furthermore, the wait staff always seemed to be busy with other tables. We had to wait to try and flag them down for requests of drink refills, condiments, or additional bread. On the first night we asked for iced tea; on the second night it was automatically provided. Each night after that, however, it was a wait to try and get anyone's attention to bring some iced tea and we settled for water the rest of the cruise. The food quality has lost much of its magic, as well. On our last cruise I was introduced to polenta--a vegetarian alternative dish--and eagerly anticipated having it again. This cruise, however, it was runny and cold and lacked flavor. The lobster tail was flavorless and chewy. The lasagna bolognese had a good flavor but the beef was grisly and poor quality. The prime rib was still good, however, and they offered a very good selection of delicious soups as starters throughout the week. The other highlight was that they still offer the warm chocolate melting cake each night and it is still a treat. The buffet also seemed to lack much of the pizazz it once had. At best, it might match the quality of a Golden Corral buffet but I'm not sure that description might not be overly generous. The pizza was still fairly good and served without too much delay. I only had the mongolian stir fry the first day and was not overly impressed, but then I can only compare it to Genghis Grill and do not believe that is a fair comparison. Finally, I will say that room service was MUCH improved on this cruise over the last. I was only able to order room service once on my previous cruise because I could never get anyone to answer. Even then it was served with an unreasonable delay. On this cruise, however, room service answered quickly and the food was delivered in no more than 15-20 minutes after the order was placed. The grilled cheese was one of the best I have ever had and both my wife and I loved the mozzarella and portobello sandwich and chicken fajita wrap. Sure, the menu is limited but what is offered is very good. Many times, the quality of room service well-exceeded what was offered on the buffet. ENTERTAINMENT As always, we loved the Seaside Theatre. They played family favorites such as Toy Story and Lion King. We also watched Field of Dreams and GoldenEye. The last night The Break-Up played and I would have loved to watch all of it but for the fact we forgot to put our suitcases out for collection. Still, there is nothing like sitting out on Lido with a blanket, drink, ice cream, piece of pizza, popcorn etc., and watching a movie. The live bands were somewhat disappointing to us. The calypso band was mediocre, at best, and managed to mangle even Bob Marley's best. Other songs which we had a feeling we should know were nearly completely unrecognizable. Most of the time we could not even understand the lyrics being sung. Further, I thought on our last cruise more than one band performed around the pool during the week. This time we were stuck with the same calypso band throughout the week. This was disappointing. The band in the promenade which plays outside the casino was, bottom line, not good. I believe the singer in the atrium was the same as on our previous cruise and, while I admit she isn't American Idol material, we loved her then and love her still for her attitude, stamina, and smile. As for the shows in the Toulouse Latrec Lounge, we only caught the magic show and the Married Show. The magic show was the EXACT SAME ACT as we had the pleasure of watching two years ago---down to the snow in the theater at the end. It is a very entertaining show but we were disappointed that in two-years time Carnival could not manage to put together a new show. The Married Show (think "Newlyweds" Game Show on a cruise ship) was boring. We could not tell if that was a result of boring contestants or a bad host. Overall, we thought Cruise Director Paul was funny. However, he spent far too much time talking about his past marriages and not nearly enough time actually talking to the contestants and poking at them for their answers. The past marriage shows we have seen were far funnier. The comedy shows were very good. My favorite was probably Carl Faulkenberry, who showed up during the second half of the cruise. A Jerry Springer look-alike, Faulkenberry spends as much time successfully interacting with and playing off the crowd as he does going through prepared material. Still, all of the comedians were funny. Finally, Vincent's Bar featured the sing-along performances of "Barry." We loved Barry, but I will warn you that as the night gets older and the drinking heavier, Barry does get crude. Still, he is funny and friendly and I would highly recommend stopping in for at least 30 minutes during your week. CAMP CARNIVAL Our experience this cruise with Camp Carnival exceeded even the last--and the last time was not bad. These staff members are so well-trained and friendly, I believe they deserve their own gratuity. One in particular, Tessa from Canada, (known as Miss Tinkerbell to the campers) drew our respect and admiration. Our 5-year-old daughter was in heaven and loved every minute she had to spend in Camp Carnival. She never wanted to leave and insisted on eating dinner with the Camp nearly every night. And she was kept so busy that when picked up at the end of the evening, she quickly crawled up into bed and went right to sleep without fuss. Thank you Camp Carnival for being the absolute best part of this cruise for my entire family. KEY WEST We chose to walk Duval Street during our stop in Key West. It was about a 10 to 11 block walk down Duval to the Key West Butterfly Conservatory. I cannot more highly recommend stopping in. I imagined a greenhouse with a few butterflies. But the minute we walked through the double-doors and these beautiful Blue Morpho butterflies began swirling playfully around our heads, we thought we were in heaven. Between the sounds of the birds and water trickling and sights of thousands of butterflies dancing throughout, this was a very magical stop. It is a memory my family will hold forever. There are also plenty of great shops and restaurants. You definitely want to try some Key Lime Pie, but family said the chocolate dipped version was way too rich. We stuck with the Roof Top Cafe, recommended in the port-of-call guide by Carnival. We were not disappointed. The 2-for-1 margaritas were good, the conch fritters delicious, and the Key Lime Pie was everything we had hoped. My wife also loved the BBQ chicken sandwich. FREEPORT In one word: Disappointing. We chose to book our own excursion with Barry at Paradise Cove on Deadman's Reef. However, the beach was dirty and snorkeling not at all what we had hoped. Of course, the sea was very rough and we could not venture as far out as we hoped. Still, I would not return. The shopping at Port Lucaya Marketplace, while limited, was somewhat rewarding. The Carnival-recommended shops were good and offered very reasonable deals. Venturing a little ways off found some small independent peddlers who almost seemed put-out to even sell to the nosy American tourists. Both of our cab drivers repeatedly mentioned that Bahamas (and especially Freeport) is dependent upon tourism--and specifically American tourism--to survive. So, in ignorance, one might believe the Bahamians that rely upon that tourism to make a living might be a bit more cordial to those of us willing to hand over our green. But no. Overall, both in Freeport and in Nassau, the Bahamians were very rude and unprofessional. NASSAU We booked an excursion through Carnival for the Blue Lagoon Private Island with lunch. This is one I would highly recommend. The waters were crystal clear, the beach sand white, clean, and powdery, and there was more to do than could be jammed in to 3 hours. Blue Lagoon was one of the high points of our cruise.

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This was the 5th Annual Howell (and Duren/Sarraile) cruise of which my wife and I have been on 3. My brother Turkeyman is the coordinator and did a great job of getting the group together, including dining together, excursion scheduling, etc. Due to the Jazz Fest in NOLA, we used some points to stay at the Crown Plaza in Baton Rouge since we were driving from Houston. The stay there was very nice, getting an upgrade to concierge level and a delicious dinner at Ruth's Chris next door. Sunday morning, drove over to Middendorf's restaurant in Manchac where we met the daughter and grand daughter who live north of NOLA. Great lunch there and then made the 45 min. drive to the dock. We arrived around 1:30 pm and boarding/parking was quick and easy since the crowds had thinned somewhat. After dropping our carry on's in the room we made it to the Lido for drink of the day and met our friends from Alabama. For this trip, we did not tell any of the family members we were going on the cruise. I had a cell phone picture taken of my wife and I on the Lido and sent it via text to my brother saying "guess where we are?" It took him about a minute to find us and the reunion party was on. Besides my brother and spouse we had three first cousins with spouses and a friend and daughter of theirs. Total of 14 in the group. We had early dining in the Renoir - nice table for us in the aft/port corner, upper level, giving us a nice view. Very good service from our assigned staff and we enjoyed the food - no surprises and we received what we expected. Also, my wife and I purchased the Wine package, which saved us around 30% on our dinner wine selections. One drawback from not telling our family we were cruising with them prior to boarding was that our friends from Alabama were seated away from the family table. No more surprise cruises for us. The itinerary was changed to a "reverse" route that put us in Cozumel for our first port stop after the Monday sea day. Wife did the Spa thing on Monday, the guys started our regular sunrise "Board" meetings on the Lido where we drink coffee and tell lies for a couple of hours. My wife and I did not participate in many onboard activites since we use the cruise to de-compress from our regular lifestyle. Instead of "Eat, Pray, Love", we did "Eat, Drink, Relax". From the header, one of the pleasant surprises was the mongolian-style wok, which became our favorite lunch. Passed a pleasant Monday on the Lido getting some sun with the family and friends and had good beverage service there from G-man. Had another good dinner in the Renoir and turned in early - seems like relaxing can be exhausting sometimes, especially when alcohol is involved. Since we had no excursion booked for Coz, we left after the crowds and made our way to Diamonds Intl. at the Puerto Maya shops. Seems like on our 6 prior visits to Coz, we somehow find our way to DI and leave with some jewelry. Our salesman, Alvaro, has sold to us before on prior trips and remembered us. After looking at a few watches, he took us to his office and then brought us two beers, two margaritas, a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses. Now that's the way to sell jewelry! Needless to say, we made a purchase. Alvaro directed us to an off-strip bar/restaurant in downtown Coz called Wet Wendy's. Great drinks and food there and appears to have a local clientele along with the tourist trade. While there, we also pick up some good cigars from Havana Bob's shop - Bob is a transplant from East TX and has a good selection of products. Back on the boat by 3:30 and watched folks stagger back on board from our balcony. Grand Cayman is not our favorite stop since tendering is somewhat incovenient and we are not into watersports anymore. Made the obligitory stop at Buffet's, bought some rum and returned to the boat before the crowds. The rest of our group did the stingray tour and had a great time. This was our third cruise stop at Montego Bay, so we knew what to expect. Did the bamboo raft trip down the Martha Brae river and found it just as relaxing as the first time we did this. As expected, after the raft trip we were dropped at the shops on the highway for about 30 mins. Back on the ship with a few trinkets in time to see the band perform on the dock from our balcony. Dinner that evening was "Chef's Table" ( the second pleasant surprise). What a wonderful and special four hours to spend on the ship - put this one on your bucket list. Two sea days returning, one evening at the Steakhouse and more relaxing. Prior to the steakhouse dinner, we hosted a small reception in our suite for the group. When trying to order several bottles of wine and other stuff for this, I was told that standard procedure dictated that they could not deliver more than one bottle to us. This is completely contrary to Carnival's DNA, which calls for relieving as much $ from us as possible. After escalating this to a manager, at least four room service folks appeared quickly with our complete order, including a "free" bottle to compensate for the incovenience. Debarkation in NOLA was efficient and trouble free - off the ship, collected the luggage, waved through Customs (Welcome home) and in the car by 08:15. Lunch at Crawfish Town in Breaux Bridge and back home by 4pm. One final item: - This was the first cruise by our friends from Alabama and they put down their $100 for a future cruise. I think they enjoyed it.

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Let me start off by saying- This was not my favorite cruise. Of the three it was my least favorite. But it was not horrible and by no means will it be my last cruise. I bought a future cruise certificate so I definitely plan on cruising carnival again. But not sure if it will be out of NOLA again, unless they make some changes as far as the port goes. I know it was Jazz fest so that made New Orleans busy, but it should not have impacted the port too much. Pre-Cruise: Stayed at Quality Inn in Gretna. Decent hotel. Nothing spectacular but it was clean and served its purposed. I did like that they had a park and cruise special which included hotel, parking and round trip transport to the port for $129. However, we waited on the return shuttle for over a hour after calling and two of them left full and we were unable to get on. I am not sure what the purpose of calling was, if we could not get on the shuttle. If everyone called then you would think they would have sent a larger vehicle or at least advised that it would be a long wait. If I had known, I would have taken a taxi. Embark/debark-Worst part of the trip and why I may not go back to NOLA (but we will see maybe time will decrease that part of it). We got to the ship early like 9:15-9:30 and security and check in process was a breeze. If you are traveling with a little one or someone needing special assistance, I recommend it as it can be difficult to go through security, including getting baby out of stroller and back in and collect your belongings with a long line of impatient people behind you. We were assigned zone number 1, yeah. Which means they escort the wedding and VIP people, then special assist, then zone 1. So we got through the check out and waited. And waited. And waited. About 11:30 they start boarding and finally about 12 we were on the ship. I thought that seemed late, but at the end of the cruise, when we went through the debark process, I understood why it took so long. When it came to debarkation, we did the "relaxed debarkation" as there was no way we could do self assist with luggage and a stroller. They started self debark about 8 or 8:30. We were in debark group 21. Finally we got off the ship and through customs about 10:30. Then the porter drops us off in this small loading zone with about 20,000 other people and all our luggage to wait for hotel shuttle. In this same area there are people waiting for taxis, buses, parking shuttle and to be picked up. You have to be careful to stay out of the way of traffic. Also in the same place is where everyone is dropped off. It was a madhouse. I am not sure if that is why it took so long to get the hotel shuttle or that was the hotel's issue with not sending a big enough shuttle but we ended up waiting about an hour and a half or so. We finally got to our car at the hotel around 12:15 to get started on the 12+ hour drive home. Ship- The ship was nice. There were cracked floor tiles here and there and it seemed like its really ready for 2.0 upgrades. Room- our room was good. It was on the 6th floor aft area, above the piano bar which was not noisy. It was our first balcony. The balcony was nice. No issues with sort or excessive smoke or anything. Our dining room was forward so that made for a long walk to/from dinner so that was a bother, but it was not a big deal. We were near the aft elevators so we could go right up to the back part of the lido deck so breakfast and lunch were convenient. Food/drinks- The food was pretty good. Its not like either of us lost any weight on the cruise or went hungry. But it was not spectacular. It was about like any food we have gotten at an all inclusive in Mexico or at a nice wedding reception. Breakfast was good (not great). Fish and chips was great. Lunch buffet was hit and miss. I could always find at least one thing I liked but it was nothing to stock up on. Lunch in the dining room- not impressive. The first time I got a steak salad. It came with this tiny little thing about half the size of a butter plate with lettuce in it and three thin steak strips. It was good but I am not sure why they felt the need to skimp on the lettuce. It was about as much as a sandwich garnish! Dinners were good. Other than the lobster there was never a dish that I finished and though I wish I had ordered another one of those (or wish I had room to eat another one of those). Like I said, I never went hungry but nothing really that I would rave about (except lobster). DH is not a picky eater at all and he said he thought the food on our last cruise was MUCH better. Drinks were good. I really liked the "Kiss on the lips" My new favorite drink. It tastes like frozen peaches. Its very fresh tasting. Service- Mostly good. We had anytime dining. The hostess were great. They got us seated quickly and doted on our little girl. Several of the wait staff did as well. But the food service was very slow. We went at multiple different times between 6 and 9 and had similar experiences. First you wait to get water, then they may or may not take bar order, then 15 minutes later bread (and even longer for milk for the baby), then take orders, then wait about 15-20 for appetizers. Then wait again for main course. And then again for desert. It never took less than 1 1/2 hours and it was not because we lingered between courses. I have a 15 month old so our goal was to have things move efficiently, not not have her restless. That goal was not really met. But we always got the food we asked for eventually and the wait staff was pleasant. I had no issues with the personality of the wait staff or their demeanor, it was mostly with the wait for everything. Ports- This was another thing that I was kind of annoyed about. Our itinerary was changed prior to leaving, but we did not get notified. Also no announcement over the PA, which would have been nice. WE had some private excursions booked which I probably could have changed if I had found out when we had cell service. But I did not find out until Monday night about the change. The revised itinerary noted on the shore excursions brochure, but I did not notice it until later. We ended up forfeiting our deposit for one excursion in Cozumel, but it was only $10. We might have been able to change the day, we did not think it was worth the hassle and decided to do something else. WE went to paradise beach and loved it. It was nice with a pool where our daughter could swim. We did not go to the beach part. It cost $12 each way for taxi and $2 pp to get in/get chairs. Well worth it. Also, they had buckets with 5 beers for $18 for coors light or $15 for XX and sol. A decent deal compared to the ship. Due to the change (I guess) we ended up arriving late in Grand Cayman and by the time we got off the tender it was after noon. Last tender back was at 4 so there was not much time to see the Island. It was okay though, we had enough time. In Montego Bay we used the hop on/hop off shuttle. It is the way to go if you are not planning on doing excusions. We felt very safe. But if you have a little one I would not mess with the stroller here. Too much hassle. The vendors at the craft market were pretty aggressive and one guy did offer to sell drugs to someone near doctor's cave beach, but other than that it was not bad. I love Jamaica. Camp Carnival- Our daughter was too young to use Camp so I do not have much to say. But they have play time from 8-10 on sea days which is free if you stay with your child. It is nice because its a large space to run around and there are toys to play with. We used the late night baby sitting one night but the other nights we were too tired, as our little one did not want to nap and was fussy most days. Activities- We did not do many activities because of having the baby with us, but we did go to the past guest party, a cocktail party for our roll call, and farewell party, each with free drinks flowing. They were nice. I also made a nice donation to the casino. lol. Miscellaneous- I am not sure I would go again with a child under 2. There was not much break and our daughter was cranky alot of the time. If she were old enough for camp that might have given her a little more structured activity and chance to interact with other kids, instead of spending time with just us. I also wish I had brought our small umbrella stroller and a baby carrier, like bjorn. Carrier would have been handy in ports, because stroller was a hassle especially on buses. We brought the big stroller because we originally planned on bringing the carseat (infant seat which she still uses) and it snaps into the stroller. But when we were getting on the shuttle bus to the port, we saw that the carseat was not something we would be able to use on there and figured the ports would be the same. Which was accurate. We did not miss the carseat. But the stroller was too big to fit through the cabin door so we had to take her out and fold it up, in the hallway. That was a pain. Also, If you have a baby bring plenty of diapers and wipes. I brought more than I need and we did not come back with as many as I thought we would. She had a lot of dirty diapers, probably the food.

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This was our second cruised on the Conquest; the first was several years ago when the Conquest was first to port in N'awlins but had to divert to Gulfport, Mississippi due to a low-hanging power line across the river. We stayed the night prior in New Orleans and took a cab to the port; arriving about 12:45. As Platinum cruisers with Carnival, the check-in and arrival on the ship took about 15 minutes. We joined the other cruisers on the Lido deck for a quick lunch; then to the cabin to drop off our carry-on luggage. The Cabin: Good sized with two portholes. We noticed a bit of noise as waves hit the bow during the cruise but it wasn't too bad. However, for anyone staying in the forward area of the main deck; be aware that you are under the stage of the main lounge. Therefore, you will hear the dancers and entertainers footsteps, scenery being moved and several asundry thunderous noises of equipment being moved during and after the last show of the evening! The Room Steward: Punja was the most attentive and truly gracious steward I have ever met. If I were wealthy, I would have stolen him to be my butler. No detail escaped him in his pursuit to make our cabin perfect. The Main Dining Room: We opted for Any Time Dining and were assigned the Renoir Dining Room in the 3rd Deck. We had great wait staff each evening; including Ari, Ruel, and Melody, among several others. The food was quite good each night. While I do not profess to be a food gourmet, I was quite please with the meals each night. The quality and presentation were impeccable. The desserts were also quite good and varied. The Cezanne and Lido Buffets: Breakfast was good and as varied as breakfast foods can be. I have no complaints; only wish someone could teach the bakers how to make southern biscuits! As for the lunch foods in the Cezanne, they did lack in variation and taste. There could have been a daily salute to various countries or a choice of spices. Most days, we opted either for the burgers, a salad, or the Mongolian stir fry. All days, we opted for the frozen yogurt! We did not attend any of the evening entertainment, therefore cannot address it other than to say that the two comedians got rave reviews by fellow passengers. We did see a few of the movies on the Lido deck. This was nice; popcorn and blankets were provided. Lido Deck: The tables on the deck were cleaned often and the staff quite attentive to keeping the area as a whole maintained. The bar staff were super efficient, professional and friendly. Deck Chairs: Even on sea days, when most were out sunning, chairs were available. I did notice some that were creatively draped for hogging for groups by one poor soul who was tasked with trying to hoard four to six chairs for those who had partied the wee hours away and now were sleeping off the haze. By and large, one could find a chair. The Ship: As with all ships that are more than just a few years old, the Conquest has it's bruises, bumps and minor scars. However, unless one is so very bored as to specifically search for them, they will go mostly unnoticed. The Ports: In Cozumel, we shopped a bit at the port, bought a few litres of tequila and some silver jewelry; then spent the remainder of the day at Paradise Beach. It is quite aptly named; beautiful and with superb staff. In Grand Cayman, we decided not to dive this trip, so we chose to spend an hour or two just wandering. Men, this is a dangerous sport and can have disastrous effects on your credit card!!!! However, the benefits you derive from gifting your spouse well overcome the cost. If you are a diver or snorkeler, this is one of the islands to do so. In Jamaica, we only visited the vendors at the port and picked up three carved mahogany fish and a few litres of Appleton Rum. We have been here several times before and toured much of the island. We heard several complain about Jamaica, but they never left Mo'Bay. To truly appreciate the island, one has to get away from the towns and travel along the shores and up into the mountains to see the real beauty of Jamaica. As for the vendors, we were pleasantly amazed to find them less assertive than in the past. They offered their crafts, but were not pushy or aggressive. It made the experience much better for interacting with them in purchasing and in just conversing with them. In summary, we found the ship, the staff, and the crew quite acceptable. All personnel we encountered were friendly and courteous. The ports were good and varied. I'm sure we will cruise the Conquest again before she leaves New Orleans.

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We sailed on the Carnival Conquest from New Orleans on April 22, 2012 for a 7 day trip to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. We had a great time. I'll go into further detail for each point: BEFORE THE CRUISE I highly recommend that anyone from out of town look into the Quality Inn and Suites in Gretna. They have a park-n-cruise special that was $129+tax. For the $129, you got a nice room, two drink passes to their bar, a hot breakfast, a free shuttle to the Algiers ferry until 9pm, free parking for the duration of your cruise, and a free shuttle to and from the port for the cruise. It was an amazing deal. We arrived at the hotel at 3pm. We were checked in quickly. The front desk clerk gave me a gift bag with a bottled water and bag of chips JUST for being a Choice Privileges member (it's free, sign up to gain points for free hotels!). She also gave us all of the information we needed on where to park our car for the week of the cruise, free drink tickets, and signed us up for a shuttle ride to the port the next morning. After settling into our room, we took advantage of the FREE shuttle to the ferry. The ferry is cool. Pedestrians ride free and it takes you straight to the aquarium, which is walking distance to the French Quarter. We went for a walk to the French Quarter, had a wonderful dinner, and took a stroll through Jackson Square. The next morning, we boarded the shuttle at our scheduled time (10am) and went straight to the terminal. It was so convenient. On debarkation day, the shuttle was there waiting on us at 7:30am as we got off the ship. Perfect. EMBARKATION We arrived at the port at about 10:20am. We of course had to wait to get onboard because we were there pretty early, but other than that there were no problems. It went really smoothly. ROOM We booked an oceanview a few months ago with CruiseVacationOutlet.com. They are really cool because it is the SAME exact price that you pay Carnival, except depending on how much your rate is, you get an onboard credit! Our onboard credit was $100. Anyway, we originally booked an oceanview, but I was checking the prices a few days before my cruise and I saw that they had dropped drastically, so I called my agent at Cruise Vacation Outlet, and she was able to upgrade us to a balcony room for only $40. Amazing. We loved our balcony room. We will never be able to cruise without one now. The room was very large. It had a pull out sofa, king size bed, three large closets, and an adequate bathroom. There were only two things. One: if you need an outlet next to the bed, bring an extension cord. My fiance has a CPAP machine and the cord didn't reach. We had to borrow one from Guest Services. They put a $25 charge on his account until it was returned. It was just a hassle... Also bring a splitter. There is only ONE outlet. Two: the TV kinda sucked. It was an old tube TV with a bad screen. They really should update them. The room was obviously kept very clean and tidy by our cabin steward. FOOD This was my 5th Carnival cruise, and until now the food has always been pretty much the same. But this cruise I kinda started thinking that their quality is slipping. We ate most breakfasts in the main dining room. We ate most lunches on the Lido (try Fish and Chips on Deck 10 right above the Lido). We ate most dinners in the main dining room. We had Anytime Dining, which worked out really well. We usually do Early dining, but I liked not having to drop everything at 6pm to go eat. There was never any wait, and they also honored our requests for a table for two without blinking an eye. I think the room service menu needs a little updating, though. After five years, it hasn't changed at all. COZUMEL We've been to Cozumel several times before. This time we decided to check out Chanakaab. We booked early online to save. We paid $39 for admission to the park, lunch, and snorkeling. We also got to see the manatees, dolphins, and an excellent sea lion show. The sea lions were our favorite part. After the awesome show, they sat us on a bench and the sea lion "kissed" me on the cheek for a picture. It was $15 and totally worth it! Snorkeling was alright. Not the best, but enjoyable enough. The lunch was eh. GRAND CAYMAN We booked our on excursion with Captain Marvin's. It was $35/each. We were taken by shuttle to the boat and went out to Sting Ray City. It was really cool. We got to swim with the rays, kiss them, etc. They had a camera guy taking pictures of everything. He would put them on a CD for $45, which is pretty steep. Normally I wouldn't have paid that much, but I left my own waterproof camera on the boat and didn't want to not have any pictures at all. The second stop was snorkeling at a reef. It was beautiful. They threw food into the water to attract the most beautiful fish. There were even rays swimming towards the bottom. Very nice. On the way back to shore, one of the crewmen had cleaned and prepared some conch he had gathered from the bottom. It was delicious. I highly recommend Captain Marvin's. I know if this is your first cruise your gut tells you to book through Carnival, but let me warn you....you will pay three times as much and be crammed shoulder to shoulder on a rickety boat with 70 people. This actually happened. The people jampacked on this boat pull up to sting ray city with us and there were so many kids and people it was ridiculous. One of the women told me they had booked through Carnival and paid $150. Our really nice boat only had 20-30 people. JAMAICA In Jamaica, we kinda did our own thing. No excursion or event, really. We got on a taxi to go to Margaritaville when the driver offered us the full days use of his bus for $20/person. Those not interested were let off at Margaritaville. The rest of us continued on. We got a tour of the city, taken to some cool unique spots, shopping, and more. For lunch he took us to this little hole in the wall looking place called Scotchies. It was amazing jerk chicken and pork. So amazing. Overall, the cruise was pretty amazing. We had a great time, met some cool people, and enjoyed our vacation. Also, if you haven't before, check out CruiseLineRooms.com. Your stateroom may have actually pictures posted! If it isn't, you will at least be able to see similar rooms. I find that the website gives a better idea of what your room will be like than the pictures on Carnival's website.

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