Family Cruise on the Conquest

By Peddler

• November 1, 2010

Ship; Carnival Conquest

Port of Departure; Galveston, Texas

Itinerary ; Western Caribbean

( Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel)

Room ;8262 port side balcony fwd.

Time; Oct 17, 2010

We had parking at Lighthouse parking which includes a shuttle bus to the cruise terminal...eliminates a lot of hassle. We arrived at the dock about 11:00 AM, Check in was swift and after a short wait, we were on the ship by 12:30...access to the room was not until 1:30 so we had to sit around and wait to deposit some carry on junk. The halls were even blocked and doors were shut and locked.

Muster drill was @ 3:30 and we sailed at 4PM .

This was our 4th time on the Conquest ... the ship is starting to show some wear and tear in areas like TVs, plumbing, paint, but the main part of the ship was clean and well kept. I understand the she will have a refurbish before she goes to new Orleans.

Room steward ... we had a little (and I mean little) Filipino named Tamarapon , she was excellent, room stayed clean and straight and ice was maintained both in the little ice container and also in a small cooler I brought on board.

Dinning ... This is always a sticky point with a lot of cruisers...I'd give the dinning an overall "B". Our first night as well as the second night, the service was slow, (not disrespectful, not ignored, just not organized...like the wait staff was overwhelmed). I spoke to the Mat re D and on Tues night we had a new head waiter and things started going smoother. I feel that the corporate cutbacks have affected the wait staff by having more tables with a 3 person staff instead of fewer tables and a 2 person staff. The food was good , served with taste, and was adequate. The selections seamed to be short but I'm a steak and potato person and am easily pleased.

Ports of call:

Montego Bay; arrived and boarded a bus to the Croydon Plantation ... (off and on showers) Bus excursion was more like a jungle safari going on a one lane dirt-gravel road into the mountains. The Plantation was really nice, well manicured and we were served dinner of jerk Chicken, Rice and beans, and greens. rate a "B+"

Grand Cayman Is.; Stingray City and rum point Beach.

Rain and more rain...debarked and waited on the bus group (raining), got to the bus and travel to the boat pier (still raining), boarded a boat to Stingray City and proceeded to the sandbar. About half way there the rain stopped and the sun came out. We had an excellent time at with the rays and on to Rum Point Beach where we had dinner and a couple of beers and swam a bit. On the way back to the boat it started raining again and rained all the way to the ship. Rated "A".

Cozumel: What can I say about Coz that someone else hasn't said. Six of us shopped at the pier the grabbed a cab to downtown, shopped a bit more, then back to the pier where we at @ Pancho's Backyard ("A).

Disembarkation: This was a nightmare as the ship's personnel didn't all seem to be on the same page. We did self-assist and even with the disorganization were in our car and on the road by 9:40AM (an hour later than last year).

Because we sailed with family and friends instead of the two of us, we probably had the best cruise that we have had out of the nine we have taken.

Overall I'd give the Conquest an "B+ to A-". The ship need some sprucing up...dinning needs improvement (I really don't see this happening) Entertainment in the theater needs a huge improvement ("C"). the comedians in the Dega Lounge were superb ("A").

Would I do it again....you damn right Skippy.

Later

Jim