We had a good time on our first Journey Cruise. The staff on the Conquest are used to short party cruises and it seemed they were unprepared for the older, less partying guests that were on this ship. Meals took forever and the entertainment was limited. The ship was kept pretty clean.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Our Uber broke down in the tunnel near the port. Once we were towed out and got to the terminal, it was smooth sailing. We were on the ship in less than ten minutes. We dropped off our backpacks, did the self-muster and went back to our cabin to find out bags were already there. We were unpacked and fully "organized" by 2:30 PM.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We found the food in the MDR to be very good. The buffet was about what one would expect. The Old Fashioned BBQ was not as good as the Guy's BBQs on other ships. Guy's Burgers were great as always. The big issue was the speed of service. Dinner took almost 90 minutes most evenings. The waiters worked hard but the kitchen must have been very shorthanded.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We were a little disappointed that there was only one Playlist Production show during the entire 14 night cruise. There were several Dive-In movies on deck and a number of variety shows in the main theater. There were fewer things to do than we expected.
My beautiful wife and I spent several mornings on the Serenity Deck, which was very nice.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Most, if not all, crew were very friendly and tried hard to please. The ship ran out of lids for hot drinks in the coffee shop very early in Week Two of the cruise. Diet Colas were pretty much gone with several days remaining in the cruise. This was the first cruise of over five days for this ship in a long time and they seemed unprepared for the older demographic and the longer length of this cruise.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The Conquest is showing her age, but the crew keeps it pretty clean. Nanang, our stateroom attendant did a great job.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We had an ocean view cabin on Deck One. The cabin had plenty of room and good storage. There was only one AC outlet and no USB ports near the bed. (Some cabins do have these per other passengers.). The only issue was the significant noise nearly every morning from the ship's mechanicals.
Ship tip
The ship and crew are probably better suited for shorter cruises rather than Journey cruises. We still had a great time celebrating our 40th anniversary. We look for the positives and don't get too hung up on the minor issues. We have several more Carnival cruises booked over the next three years and expect to have a great time each time.
We love Grand Turk. Lots of fun for no extra cost. We spent time on the beach and snorkelled right at the port. (Unlike one knucklehead who chose to swim past the ropes necessitating security to go out and get him via a jet ski, we stayed within the swimming area and saw a lot of fish.
We did the Shipwreck, Turtle Snorkel and Copacabana Beach excursion. It was not that good. Folks had to wade out to a smaller boat in driving waves, which was challenging for many. There were multiple boats arriving and departing at each of the two snorkeling sites, making it crowded and a bit dangerous. The beach was nice, as there were chairs and umbrellas for each participant.
Took a ship-sponsored tour that lasted about four hours. We were in the bus about 75 percent of the time. We saw a fort, a waterfall and a small part of a national park. The roads are very curvy, so take meds if you are prone to motion sickness.
Took a snorkeling trip that went to two places, Champagne Beach and Scott's Head Point. The Scott's Head Point part was fun as we had good guides who were very patient with everyone. The Champagne Beach experience was the opposite.
We requested our luggage tags though the app. They were delivered to our room about 6 PM on the last day of the cruise. We picked a later time because our flight was after 2:00 PM. We debarked at last call and found the terminal still very busy. Once we navigated through the crowd we found our bags, grabbed an Uber and headed to MIA.
Nice itinerary. Appreciate your feedback and positive attitude. I agree that sometimes the ships seem unprepared for the Journeys cruises and older crowds. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.
We have been on 10 cruises and the Conquest was our only Carnival cruise. We loved it but that was before COVID. (2019)There were 6 in our group, myself, spouse, daughter, son in law and 2 of our grandsons, both teenagers. We had a fantastic time. Food was always delicious in MDR. Guys burgers were ok. Deli and pizza really good. We didn’t really go to the buffet as we prefer the MDR, even for breakfast. The staff on the ship was great. We had 2 cabins and they were able to connect our balconies which we really enjoyed. The ports were wonderful. We didn’t really care for the shows we saw but we had plenty to do. Always bring our card game Phase 10 which is a lot of fun. The last night of the cruise they had a balloon drop which we loved. Great, great cruise. Anyone who hasn’t been, make sure to see Deck 5 which is the Sunflower Atrium. Beautiful. Peek into the bar that is there too. We always pIck a late disembarkation so we can have a leisurely breakfast in MDR before leaving.
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