Overall, the cruise itself was amazing! Carnival did a great job accommodating our group at dinner and throughout the entire cruise. Everyone had a blast and I highly recommend taking the time to try new things while on a cruise. Whether that be food, drinks or adventures! Can't wait for my next adventure!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Due to a lot of inclement weather up north (snow) Embarkation went a lot differently than I have ever experienced. We arrived earlier than our scheduled boarding time due to flying in earlier than planned and expected to wait. (We arrived at 10:30AM and were scheduled to check in from 12:00-12:30) We were allowed to check in right away and they explained that a lot of people had to change their flight plans and they were going to check people in as they arrived. Since we arrived so early our bags were at our rooms once they were ready :) I do wish there was a shop I could have purchased soda from like they have at Port Canaveral but other than that it was a smooth experience.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
For dinner the group I traveled with ate in the Monet on the upper level. We had the early dining option but for future cruises I will be doing Your Time dining. The food was pretty good and I was able to try different things that I have never had before (like alligator). Our wait staff was amazing and gave great suggestions on what to eat.
Guys Burger's was a hot spot for our group during lunch. Not once did we have a bad experience with them. Everyone loved their burgers! Only thing is that they were always out of ketchup but that was an easy and quick fix once brought to the staff's attention.
Breakfast in the buffet on the lido deck was also nice. I personally don't eat omelettes but everyone in my group who did loved them and usually went up for seconds.
Pizza Pirate was the go to spot after clubbing and once all other options were closed. The pizza delivery option came in handy once but we realized it was a waste of money to have them deliver to the room since they were on the 9th deck and our cabin was on the 8th deck so we just went to them after that
Alchemy Bar
4 out of 5
This bar was visually appealing and the staff were absolutely fabulous. The drinks there however did not sit well with me and my group. We tried different ones and drank them all because well we paid for them but we only went there once because we did not enjoy the drinks at all.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The adult only hot tubs were one of the highlights for my group. We enjoyed being able to enjoy a drink and adult conversation at the back of the lido deck. It was right next to a bar, pizza pirate and the 24 hour ice cream machine. On the last night we brought our speaker to the hot tub and had our own party. Got our group two margarita pitchers and danced the night away in the hot tub.
My brother frequented the fitness center but he was not too impressed with what they had available and he said the sauna wasn't very hot for him. (He is a gym junky so his expectations for a gym are higher than most.) From what he explained to me it has the basic equipment but if you frequently used the stairs and got lost easily the whole ship was your fitness center lOl.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I didn't get to attend as much as I had planned to but I did get to the comedy show once and saw Vince perform. He was halarious! My friends and I still laugh about the animal print jokes he was telling. My mom also saw him and she still laugh at some of his other jokes.
The DJ on the ship (can't remember his DJ name but it started with a V) was pretty good as well. I just wish he didn't change the song so often. Unless it was a line dance he didn't let much of the song play out which was different than what I experienced on the Sunshine with DJ Devine. I understand that different DJs have different styles but that was one thing our entire group agreed on. He did rock the adult only deck party before the rain shut us down though! But after the first two nights we stopped frequenting the club and had our own party's on our balcony and the hot tubs.
Carnival's Seaside Theater
4 out of 5
I really enjoyed the seaside theater. Sound was at a great level so we were able to hear very well even if people were talking near by. I only wish the hot tubs in that area stayed open later so that you could enjoy the later movies from the warmth of the hot tubs.
Children's Programs
We did not travel with any one under the age of 18.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
When I tell you that Faruk was the greatest room steward I have ever had I am not exaggerating. He was amazing and had such great energy with us! He knew our entire group by name even though they weren't all in his section and he took great care of us. If we needed something he took care of it right away. He did so well that I am looking to go on another cruise that he will be on just so I can see him away. We really did appreciate him on this cruise and he made a lot of our group very comfortable. Especially since this was the first cruise for many of them. Carinval if you are looking at this Faruk is amazing and deserves recognition for awesomeness!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I was not too crazy about the layout of this ship. I really enjoyed the layout of the Sunshine and I guess that's what I was expecting. The biggest thing was that the serenity deck didn't face the dive-in movie so we didn't have that privacy like we did on the Sunshine. Honestly, I might have enjoyed this ship more if I went on the Conquest first.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
There were three of us in this room. Once we unpacked it was quite cozy. Can't get over the small showers but that's every room. The extended balcony was a huge plus! Believe it or not we were able to 10 people on that balcony and had our own little party. Faruk did a great job cleaning our room as well!
For embarkation it went very smooth. For disembarkation we did the Port Everglades tour. The tour itself was interesting. There was an issue at the beginning because there was a lady on the bus who didn't realize that her flight was too early for this excursion and held up the excursion 30 minutes which caused another family to miss it as well. I felt bad for them, not the lady who didn't read what she was signing up for though.
The port itself was very crowded but there were also four other ships there with us. My friend and I did the Adrenaline Jetboat Excursion. It was very exciting and so much fun. DeAngelo and Antonio were great guides! Saw some dolphins and even went under water (A bit shocking at first but the second time I was prepared) After our excursion we went to Oh Andros and had some conch fritters and Snapper that was amazing!
The water here was absolutely GORGEOUS! I personally did not do an excursion on this island but most of my group did the Stingray Adventure. Needless to say they are not the biggest fan of stingrays lOl.
I love this port! It might be one of my favorite stops. We did not have an excursion booked here but we made our way to Margaritaville and had a great time. I won a free drink so that's a plus lOl. Then a few of us walked down to Jack's Shack and enjoyed the less rocky part of the beach. Also since it is a bit of a walk away there are less people on the far end of the beach.
The DR never disappoints me! My best friend and I did the Zipline over the Ocean Excursion. After the 45 minute ride we ended up at the adventure park. In the description of the excursion it says that lockers and lunch were included but when you get there you realize that yes they are there but you must pay for them. Lockers were $5 and lunch prices varied depending on what you got. Once we were fitted for our gear and went over the rules the entire group (about 45-50 people) went to the first ZipLine. There was only a wait at the first ZipLine. Once we got started you moved relatively fast. There were four total ziplines to go on; two went over trees and the last two went over the ocean and beach. You are technically not allowed to carry your phone or a camera because you have to hold on to the ropes with both hands. They did have someone to take pictures of you while you zip lined over the ocean and the beach the first time. This same person also took pictures once you had your gear on at the beginning of the excursion. Then after the excursion we were able to relax at the beach until it was time to head back to the port. We did not eat during the excursion but rather back at the pool in port.
Some of us in my group booked the Port Everglades transfer through Carnival. Once we made it down to the lobby there were crew members there to guide us into the lounge where we waited further instruction. Many of us in the excursion were under the assumption that meant we would have a separate debarkation line to go through but that was not the case. We went through customs with everyone else before heading to the bus to take us to our tour. There was a lady who held up the excursion for about 30 minutes because she would have missed her flight if she went on the excursion. Then after all the wasted time another family had to get off as well because since the first lady held us up and she had to be taken back to the port. That was not a great start to debarkation and then when we got to the tour location most of those workers were rude, "biased" and din't want to help us. I probably won't ever do the Port Everglades tour again. Not because of the tour guide or carnival but because of the location we were taken to.
Thanks so much for the great review. We will be on the Conquest in March, our first time trying Carnival. Hope all goes well as our daughter and her husband and 2 of our grandsons (12 and 14) will be joining us.
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