I am still a fan of Carnival, but was not in the slightest bit impressed with the Conquest itself. My experience on the Magic was a thousand times better and I was soo looking forward to my second cruise to be just as good, if not better. I was disappointed with the lack of sleep I received due to all of the noise constantly going on above or outside my cabin. I did not feel rested after an 8 day cruise, two of which the last days at sea should have been nothing but relaxing.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
This was my second cruise. This embarkation was mediocre at best. The previous year on the Carnival Magic the embarkation was extremely live. The party on the lido deck was outrageous, exciting, entertaining. This embarkation was boring and lame. It set the atmosphere for the entire trip. The cruise director was boring, he did not pump up the crowd or anything.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food and drink is always good and pretty equal across the board. It's carnival, not much changes other than one or two different options per ship. The biggest issue I ran into in the morning were that the pastries were always dried out, and I was up early in the morning (7am) before the rushes, and before they should have had time to dry out.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Pools had to be emptied and cleaned almost daily, even the adult pool was pretty nasty at one point. There should be an adult pool in the serenity area, not just hot tubs. It's too hot to sit in a hot tub when you are already hot. We watched movies each evening, but the chairs are uncomfortable to sit for so many hours at a time. More padded chairs would be great.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
I only witnessed the dj on the lido deck. He was ok, but I can't even remember hearing him do much talking so not remember able.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff was always friendly and approachable. They work hard and deserve to be appreciated.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
I feel like this ship is very old and it was evident. I did not like that there was no shade around the lido deck area at all. Most people want to be in the middle of the action (which this ship lacked anyways), but do not want to be stuck in the sun the entire time. I loved that the Magjic had the second deck that was covered so you could still be on the lido deck and in the shade. If you wanted sun you could go up to the third deck above and still be in the action and the sun.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
This was the worst part of the entire cruise. Our cabin was under the lido deck/dining areas. We heard noise 24/8. Every night we heard scrapping above, banging on things etc. Then the stewards stock room was directly across the hall from us. SO every morning at 6 something in the morning they were outside of our room banging up against the wall, talking back and forth ect. We did not get one single good nights rest, and were not even able to take naps for the same reason. Every time I tried to sleep I had was woken up. We even slept with noise canceling headphones on and that didn't help much. I was extremely irritable and tired the entire trip.
Ship tip
Do not expect to be wow'd, you will be underwhelmed with this ship. If it is your first cruise, do not be discouraged, there are way better ships available.
Underwhelming. If you are not a beach/water person, this was a huge disappointment. There wasn't enough shopping or choices for food. They provided a bbq lunch. However, the meat was overcooked and dried out. There were flies flying all around everything, not enough options if you did not eat meat, or pastas.
Grand Turk was a little better options for excursions and shopping. We did the top 10 tour which was a little decieving and could definitely be a cheaper excursion. 20 people per bus shouldn't cost $1100 ,it does not cost that much for the guide or the gas for the bus to drive around that little island. WE only got out three times for a couple of minutes each. One of the main attractions was the light house, which we were not even able to go into without an additional cost, yet we weren't even offered the time to do so.
Curacao was absolutely amazing and beautiful!!!!! We had an amazing time on this island. The building structures and architecture are amazing. The people here are beautiful and kind.
Another stop we loved and would go back to again. Aruba was awesome, the waters were gorgeous, the shopping was amazing, wish we had more time at this port.
It was a long process, when picking up luggage there should be traffic lanes for going to get your luggage and one to come out with your luggage. it was a cluster and the line to get out took over an hour and a half.
Great advice about cabin research, I'm anal about the perfectly located cabin regardless of class. Location is everything. Only noise we had was neighbours, 1st night, put that straight! And we were inside on Deck 1, proper steerage if you've seen Titanic!
I think you will love the Mardi Gras, which will probably have much less appeal to many of us. Lots of "things to do," even a roller coaster! We love the Spirit and Conquest classes for the smaller size and (somewhat) larger cabins. We have done the Magic and it was fun, but have booked the Conquest for a back-to-back in September. Platinum working on Diamond - we have cruised several other lines, but keep coming back to smaller Carnival ships for great itineraries, good food, great crews, and fun. P.S. Great advice from others on choosing a deck level and cabin, no matter the ship or cruise line!
I totally agree with Summer, you didn’t do your research on your cabin. I’ve sailed on the Conquest twice and was booked in the Captains Suite both times. It was beautiful and their steakhouse was to die for. I had breakfast at the taco bar every morning. This ship has beautiful artwork also. I say to each his own. This was not a good ship layout for you but please don’t knock one of the best ships that Carnival has in its fleet.
Definitely need to do your research and remember every ship is different so choice your deck and cabin carefully check whats above and below your cabin before you book we always book Midship had 22 cruises and never had an issue with noise etc it's all in the research....
Honestly, I have been by the closet with the vacuum, people pushing against my door, trying to unlock my door when I clearly put on dnd. So now I search my decks and what above and beyond with a fine tooth comb. I honestly don’t mind being at the back of the boat because no one is back there and it’s really quiet. And you have to remember once you go on a new boat just like a hotel it’s not going to measure up. I’m going in July but we are going to terrific ports every single day so I don’t mind.
No sleep? That’s your fault. If you want quiet you always pick a deck that only has cabins below and above you. We have been on 8 other cruises and had never been on Carnival. We were on the Conquest in March. Loved it. Older but well kept and very pretty. Delicious food. Not too impressed with shows or cruise director, but loved everything else. Would definitely go on again.
The Carnival Magic is 9 years newer than the Carnival Conquest and much bigger. They really are not comparable. After going on the Carnival Magic it sounds like you are never going to be happy with any of the older and smaller ships. I have been on the Conquest 5 times and would go again tomorrow
Sorry you had such a poor experience. You now have learned what took us a while to learn, when choosing a cabin ALWAYS check what is above you and what is below you. Only recently did we learn about the “room steward” store room. We try to have cabins across from us now. You got that lesson long before we did.
It sounds as if you will be happier on newer ships. You can only decide this for yourself by trying each class of ship. Hope your third cruise is fantastic!
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