Title:: 03-02-08
Author:: lashl
Catagory:: Carnival Conquest
Information::
This was a very enjoyable cruise. The Conquest was clean, staff very attentive, and there were many first time cruisers that always makes the cruise fun.
We took our oldest son and his wife on their first cruise as an Anniversary present. We drove from Kansas City to Galveston (780 miles). Weather was great and we ran on time all the way. Stopped Saturday night north of Houston leaving 90+ miles to Galveston for Sunday. Of course everyone was excited and got up early. Arrived in Galveston about 9AM, dropped off the luggage and went site seeing until time to board.
We had VIP boarding so embarkation was a breeze. Luggage was delivered about 5 PM. One of the wonderful new luggage tags was hanging on by a thread! That was a real great idea they came up with on those new luggage tags!
The Conquest was in good shape but is starting to show it's age. No big problems but I noticed some carpeting and drapes could stand to be replaced. This was the third "Conquest" class ships we have sailed on (Liberty & Glory). It is not my favorite ship design. The middle dinning room makes it a little tricky getting around for someone who is on it for the first time. With more than the usual first timers aboard I gave lots of directions!
The cruise went to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. We left Galveston right on time. The weather was cool, low 60's, cloudy, and windy. The life boat drill was done right after we left the dock. Never one of my favorite activities this was made even better. I was forced to stand under a slowly dripping pipe!
Soon after we entered the Gulf the wind got stronger and waves were about 6-8 ft. Even in a ship this big there was some movement. It stayed that way all night and Monday. Tuesday we rounded Cuba and the seas calmed and the temp warmed up to 80. It stayed that way the rest of the week.
Montego Bay...Were supposed to go river tubing but the river was too low so the trip was cancelled. Took the shuttle to town and found a local guide who showed us the island for two hours. I talked to several guides before picking. Settled on a gentleman who has been doing this for 35 years. His name was Jolly!
How can you go wrong with someone named Jolly Mon! Took us to the Dewar's manson which sits high above Montego Bay and to other expensive houses. Had him drop us at Margaritaville. I'm a "Parrothead" at heart.
Grand Cayman...Went to a new beach, Sea Grape Beach. Very nice, not too crowded, plenty of toys to rent, and it was a beautiful day. We all had a great time.
Cozumel...This is always one of my favorite places and it did not dissapoint this trip. We went on the "Twister"excursion. The Twister is a high speed cigar boat that holds 20 people. We went to Pasion Island. At 60 miles an hour it only took about 10 minutes to get there. Once at the beach we did several high speed passes all ending in power 180 degree turns. It's a blast! If you take this tour be sure and wear your bathing suites. You will get totally drenched! They let us off at the island where we spent 3 hours+. Excellent facilities. All white sand, numerous palm trees for shade, tables, chairs. Beach chairs were free! Also had outdoor dinning facility with good choices and of course a bar. When it was time to leave we boarded the Twister, did some more high speed turns then headed back. I did not hear a negative comment from anyone on the boat.
We had breakfast every morning on the Lido deck and dinner in the dinning room. The food was as good or better than any of our previous 5 cruises. A little disappointed with our dinning room crew. Service wise they were great, couldn't ask for more, but they were pretty much all business and not very outgoing. I always enjoy meeting these kids from other countries but couldn't get anything going with them. Thurday night we had dinner in The Pointe, the extra pay restaurant. This is the 5th time we have eaten in this type restaurant. The food was excellent as was the service. It is well worth the extra $30.00 a head. Service was excellent in the bars and on Lido deck. All were very friendly and really seemed to enjoy their jobs and having you there.
Our cabin steward, Dave from Trinidad made up for the dinning room crew. Very personable. When he came into introduce himself he asked me in Spanish if I speak Spanish. He gave it a great "pragnant pause" then said "Neither do I" with a big smile. He did a fantasic job, always friendly and making sure everything we needed was taken care of. One evening the light switch stopped working in the bathroom. As we were leaving for dinner there was Dave. Told him about it and by the time we got back to the room it was fixed.
Just as we were leaving Cozumel a thunder storm came in. Later that night as we again entered the Gulf the winds again picked up. It lasted all Friday night and Saturday morning. The seas looked like 8-10 ft waves and slowed us down. (The ship not us!) Around mid-day Saturday the seas and wind calmed down and were fine the rest of the way.
Because we had to run slower than normal we didn't get back to Galveston until a little after 9AM. Approx 2 hours late. This made disembarkation a little hectic. We had chosen self assist since we had to drive back to Kansas City Sunday. Even being one of the first off we did not get on the road until 11:20 AM. The line at customs was very long. Approx 1-1/2 hrs to get through. I got a porter who took us right to the Customs Officer. Gave him a $15 dollar tip for 5 bags, it was well worth it, he saved us about an hour.
Trip home was uneventful. Arrived back home at 12:30 AM.
We all had a great time and no major complaints. As usual met some really nice people. Almost forgot, Lynda actually one on the slots! Still can't think of a better vacation than taking a cruise!
Steve
