BACKGROUND: This was our 4th cruise and the first with Carnival. My wife and I have cruise twice with RCL and once with Holland America.. We were in a group of 33 parents and High School Graduates. We flew into Houston Hobby the day before but most of the group drove down from Tulsa. The cab ride from Hobby to Galveston was 80-85 dollars. We stayed at the LaQuinta Inn And Suites, I got a good gov't rate, otherwise it ran about 150 per night. They do provide a shuttle to the port for $10. We ate at Willie G's at the port the evening before, this seems to be the hot spot. Good food but crowded.

EMBARKATION: We got on the first shuttle and arrived at the port around 11am. We went through security and a few lines and was on the ship at 12:30. It seemed we had to wait awhile because there were still passengers on the ship from the last cruise. But, it was not too bad a wait. Ship and Stateroom Info: The Conquest is a very nice ship, very big, nice size hallways and the rooms seemed a little bigger than we have had before. We were in an inside stateroom on floor 1, Riviera. It was the first time we were in an inside room. No problem there. It was very nice and unless you get a balcony, I wouldn't spend the extra money just for a window. The room steward did a very good job, I think we only saw him twice the whole week. Room was always clean and clean towels available, ice etc...We did have the infamous shower flooding problem, but that's what the towels are for....lol The room was nice and dark in the evenings and you didn't know when it was light out in the morning. We slept great. There are lots of activities on the ship, trivia, casino, bingo, shows, bars, a waterslide, and we had plenty of sun. Dining and Food: We had late 8pm seating in the Monet Dining room. Our waitress was very good as was the food. Filet mignon and prime rib was very good as was the lobster tail. The lido buffet had a nice selection, I particularly like the Chinese food and the sur-mer( seafood) they had great bouillabaisse. You also have 24 hrs , Hamburgers , hot dogs, fries and pizza….so you can get a snack when you go to the room for the night, as if you haven't eaten enough all day….lol. I gained 8 pounds, so be prepared.

Shore Excursions: We went to The Sandals Resort in Montego Bay, very nice, they had buffet, drinks, chairs, kayak, sailboats etc and transportation to and from the ship. T Cayman we did the Stingrays again, all of our roup had one boat to stingray city , so that was nice. Then we hit Margaritaville before getting back on the ship. We didn't have any plans at Cozumel, so we did a snorkel trip from some outfit on the pier when we docked. A good price and beer and soda included and we hit 3 snorkel spots. And their boat was right there so didn't have to drive anywhere. They have nice new shops right on the pier when you get off the ship at Cozumel. Disembarkation: This was not quick, but with over 3000 people it is quite a chore. We put out our bags between 8pm and midnight as our flight wasn’t until 4:30 pm, so we weren’t in a hurry, Thank goodness. Most of our group did the self assist and still didn’t get off the ship until after 9:30-10:00. We got called about 10:45 got right off and claimed out bags and had to wait in a line for customs about 30 minutes and got to Hobby Airport by 12:30. Overall: We had a great time and great weather. If anyone has any questions just feel free to email me and I’ll be glad to answer. Have a great trip.