We booked this cruise in mid November, which is last minute for us. Hubby's 65th birthday was coming up and his original birthday plans fell through, so we decided on a cruise. Since he loves diving, I searched the Carnival itineraries for something close to his birthday with lots of diving opportunities and found this one. We were lucky enough to get a balcony cabin in a great spot.
We had never been on this ship before but it was really nice and the crew were all wonderful. Turned out to be a memorable birthday trip!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Faster to the Fun is worth the money for us.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining room was great (including Sea Day Bruch)-all staff were attentive and friendly. We didn't eat at the specialty restaurants. Guy's Burgers was our favorite lunch. Only really ate at the buffet for breakfast and a few snacks (the desserts are fabulous).
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Used the gym a few times when it was too windy to walk on deck-very nice and not crowded.
Entertainment
Not really what we go on a cruise for--we go to see the ports, hubby goes diving and I relax on our balcony.
Children's Programs
No kids with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Wait staff in all the venues were helpful and friendly. Our room steward was great-took care of things before we asked. Other ship staff were very nice and willing to help when you needed it.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The center galley layout is confusing especially when they would close off one end of the dining rooms at certain times and not allow you to pass through. The ship was clean although you can tell it has been a while since its last refurb. There seemed to be some spaces underutilized such as bars and lounges, though not really sure what else they could have been used for.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Size and layout was the same as other Carnival balcony cabins we have had, although we usually get an extended balcony which I don't believe this ship has. The cabin was in a perfect spot-not too close to stairs or elevators so not a lot of foot traffic and with cabins above and below us, it was quiet. Did really appreciate the USB outlets on the bedside tables--saved a lot of plug swapping.
Ship tip
If you select Anytime dining, there seem to be more tables for 2 on the 4th deck of the dining room than the 3rd deck.
Shops on pier nicer that last time we were here (9 years ago). I did the sloth/macaw sanctuary tour-it was so exciting to actually hold a sloth! Hubby was scuba diving and saw big turtles and lots of big fish.
Shops on pier were nicer than last time (2005) but still not a place I would wander around in. Hubby scuba diving again and really enjoyed the reef diving. He saw lots of soft coral and a 5 ft. long nurse shark. He also liked that the dive company picked him up from the ship and returned him to the ship so he never had to take the tender ride to the pier.
I took the bus excursion to Chichen Itza. It is a long way to the site from the ship but it was worth it. It is amazing and our Maya tour guide gave us lots of information all the way there so the time went fast (he let us sleep on the way back). Hubby scuba diving again and, as usual, he loved it. The dive crew was very knowledgeable. He saw an eagle ray with a 6 ft. wingspan and a toadfish (first he had ever seen).
Again, Faster to the Fun is worth it! We were off the ship in 15 minutes and were only slowed down by all the people doing self-debarkation who weren't really prepared to handle all their luggage. Got through Customs in 5 minutes-wish they had Global Entry here. We took the Carnival transfer bus to Ft. Lauderdale airport due to the construction at the cruise port. We were afraid it would be too confusing to try to find an UBER in all that.
We were on the Conquest in March and loved it. We didn’t care for any of the shows we saw but that’s not why we cruise so really didn’t care. Dinners in the MDR were absolutely delicious every night and we ate breakfast there every morning also. We’re not crazy about buffets so didn’t go there at all. For lunch we had Guys Burgers, pizza or The Deli. All very good. Our cabin was great and in a perfect spot. Close to elevator and took us right down to MDR. Air and plumbing worked great. We had 2 cabins together and the cabin steward was able to connect our balconies to make one huge balcony. It was wonderful. We had cabins 7397 and 7401. Deck 5 on the Conquest is beautiful.. Make sure to see it. It’s called the Sunflower Atrium. I would definitely go on the Conquest again.
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