I have only been on one other cruise before this one and that was in November of 2002 on the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas. Out of 10, this cruise would have gotten a 10 on my scale. It is this cruise that I compare the one I took on the Conquest.

We sailed from Gulfport on Mother's Day, 2003. We should have left from New Orleans but because the Mississippi River was so high, the Conquest could not get under some power lines and we were sent to Gulfport (which made no big difference to us because we were driving down from Little Rock, AR and the distance is basically the same). When we arrived at the pier, we unloaded luggage then went to a parking deck several blocks away to park at the Grand Casino. At the Grand Casino, check in was set up in a large building. Check in went smoothly. We then had to board a bus to be taken back to the pier and it was a pretty good walk from where the bus dropped us to where we boarded the ship. I was traveling with my daughter (25), my mother (75) and my mother-in-law (80). I am 48.

Once on board we found our stateroom quickly and the luggage arrived quickly and nothing was lost. Read more