I went on this cruise with a friend who was joining 80 plus others she has cruised with before. This was their 10th anniversary group cruise. Everywhere we went people were awesome and friendly, except for the two people trying to save an entire row in the theater. They weren't considerate or friendly. What part of no saving seats do some people not get? The pool areas were clean and there were no kids in the adult only pools or hot tubs. I was pretty amazed by that. The Aruba shore excursion, "Downtown walking and food tour" was informative and tasty. The tour guide, Ron Wayne, was very knowledgeable about the history of Aruba and shared his knowledge in a very engaging manner. In Curacao we went on a golf outing not sponsored by Carnival and it was the first time I had played golf on vacation. The water hazards were amazingly beautiful, you know the Caribbean Sea...... I did lose a couple balls...... oh well. I would recommend this excursion to anyone. We golfed at the Blue Bay Resort and Golf Club. I have nothing bad to say about the ship or crew. I was very happy the entire 9 days. Read Less

We wanted to go to Grand Turk so we picked the Conquest and we did it back to back so we went to Grand Turk twice. We love live bands and love to dance. The Smooth Operators band was the best band we have experienced in 20 cruises. Randi Andi the Comedy manager also was awesome and the 8 singers/dancers put on a fabulous show of rock music. I literally have no complaints about anything. Service in main dining and food excellent, cruise director Matt was exceptional. Spa was just right, ship size was just right right service was great, inside room was just right for us. We moved from Serenity deck to the kids pool to the adult pool and they were all nice. Carnival also was great getting on board and transferring from the 8 day to the next 6 day we did not have to leave our room. The staff made everything very smooth. We liked the shows so much we saw the Epic Rock and 80s show twice. Amber Cove was a great port it had a free pool with bar like Margaritaville in Grand Turk so we don't even want excursions. We did go on an excursion to the Batik, and fort on St Kitts which was fine. Read Less

We loved this cruise that went to St. Kitts, St. Maartin, San Juan and Grand Turk! The CD, Mat was a hoot. He had more energy than an energizer bunny. He was so entertaining and related to everyone, young and old. We enjoyed the food - we did YTD. I will say some of the tables were just a little close (they actually had to pull the table out for my husband to be able to sit there. Even the Lido buffet food had excellent choices and were prepared well for a buffet. The entertainment was excellent especially in the atrium each evening. We enjoyed listening to Joanne in the piano bar - she has a wonderful sense of humor and can tickle the ivories like no other. Her voice isn't bad either!! Our cabin steward, Dmyetro, was very pleasant and efficient and made the best towel animals. I did not enjoy having to pass through the smoke infused casino - it would be helpful to glass enclose a smoking area in the casino so that non-smokers could pass through or play without inhaling other peoples smoke. We took one shore excursion and had a great time. Our driver was very knowledgeable about the island and handled the variety of personalities on the tour with professionalism. We chose to take our own luggage when we disembarked and found it to be very easy to do. Very organized and well run! We plan to book another cruise soon! Read Less

!6th cruise, first time on the Conquest. The date, itinerary and recommendation from friends were the reasons f we chose this ship. This was the first time we sailed from Fort Lauderdale and even without Platinum status (yet!) or FTTF, it was by far the easiest boarding and debarkation experience so far. Although an older vessel, it was clean and easy to find our way around. I wish there were better ways to circumnavigate the casino without having to go up or down to another deck and then back to avoid the smoke. As a reformed smoker the stench is very repulsive to me. The food didn't seem quite as good or as previously experienced on other ships and the serving temperature left a bit to be desired. Staff was great, Mat Sequin was our Cruise Director and was quite entertaining and engaging. We stayed at the Rodeway Inn and Suites in Ft. Lauderdale and for the price, amebnities and shuttle service, would suggest it as a possible overnight accommodation for your cruise. Read Less

Excellent ports of call, terrible customer service in many aspects. Some awsome people some Horribke things. Our room steward was super sweet though we only had cleaning once a day. Bought the ultimate WIFI package with horrible service due to need to do job searches and staying in touch with family! It took literally 3 days for one fb post to load on the ship. It did not matter if I was online at 3 am or 5 pm the WiFi was hideous. The 5.00 hub chat was broken!! I complained about my WiFi mid week my money was refunded and they neglected to tell me they were shutting it off!! In st. Kitts our exercusion was canceled with no notice, Also wheel chair assistance was horrible returning to the port I couldn’t even get my moms name on the list we ended up walking her out!!! We were told to put my moms name on the list with the guy that had the clipboard he stated one sec and was calling a few people to be taken out. I came back up to him and he was writing down people’s names that were coming in the door after we had!!! By then we had, had it. My mom has had a knee replacement in one knee and needs her other knee replaced. She can’t walk stairs or long distances. She had decided she was going to attempt to walk from boat to cruise terminal by then we were so mad. So debarkation was awful!! When we got in cruise terminal it was nice to gather luggage and not have to fill out a customs form and easy to get a porter. I followed close behind him and he was nice enough to wait for my mom to catch up Behind us to go through customs. When we got out he was kind enough for me to follow him and took is straight to the carnival bus to go to the airport. Over all we will never sail on the conquest again this was our second journey on it, and we will NEVER go out of ft Lauderdale’s port. We have used Orlando, New Orleans, and been out of California overall ft Lauderdale carnival port is horrible. Read Less

We go on a cruise every year. We picked this cruise because it only had one sea day. We had one of the rooms with floor to ceiling windows on the 9th floor. The 9th floor is the perfect location. However, every day around 530am a loud noise exists which is rediculous and lasted a couple minutes. I think it's the opening if the blinds in the floor above. This ship had the worst entertainment we have seen thus far. Every single show was some sort of musical. Very limited. We are vegetarians and they had very limited almost non existent options. The dining room had very good Indian vegetarian option though. The ports were naturally amazing. They had very good movies at the outside screen. The ship never seemed crowded which is a very good thing. The water slide allowed for use for smaller kids and they had nice doctor suess activities. This ship had more to do for kids than I was expecting. Very nice. Disembarkation was the longest I have ever been involved with by far, but I don't hold that against carnival. In end, I think we will stick with Royal Caribbean. Don't get me wrong as the cruise was amazing any cruise would be amazing. The two main negatives were shows and lack of vegetarian food at the buffet. Read Less

Stepping on board the Conquest and your party begins! Entertainment and enthusiasm from the crew was so fun and energizing. From sail away to the very last night this Carnival crew was fabulous. The dining options were plenty and the variety of food venues was no exception. The ports of call were great. We got off the ship at each port, whether it was to enjoy a beach day or take in an excursion. We sat on the beach in Princess Cays where chairs were free and plentiful and the views were stunning. Our stop at Grand Turk was gorgeous where we were mesmerized by the beautiful blue water and great sandy beaches. Curaçao was where we took our first excursion and had a great tour of some of Curaçao’s most famous highlights. Aruba was our last port and we certainly saved the best for last. We also took an excursion here called, “The Highlights of Aruba”, and learned so much about its history and culture. The entire cruise was filled with more entertainment and adventures than I expected. Having the opportunity to travel the high seas and to be able to visit places in the Caribbean that I’ve never been to is such a joy. There’s no vacation like a cruising vacation! Read Less

First off to give some perspective, we have sailed maybe 25 times. We're obviously not first timers but we also have some relative experience with different lines. We have sailed Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival lines. We have stayed in Suites, Balconies, Oceanviews and Inside Cabins. We chose the Carnival Conquest primarily for the ports but also the holidays and past experience with Carnival. Although there were definite bright spots along the way, we ended our 6 night cruise with a definite decision not to come back to Carnival for the foreseeable future if ever. We were a family of five and booked two suites on the Empress deck; my husband, son 22, daughter 16 and our stepdaughter 36. Embarkation at Port Everglades was fine. We had taken a red eye flight from PDX to FLL and arrived around 8am. A cruise staff person at the port was extremely helpful and assisted us in getting a porter to take our luggage early so that we could walk out and find some breakfast nearby. Great customer service. Suites allow for priority boarding and we were on the ship by around 11:30. Champagne offered poolside on the Lido deck was a nice touch and something we hadn't experienced before that was complimentary. Had a bite to eat - pretty standard fare and very predictable if you've sailed Carnival before. Rooms were available by 1ish and we unpacked and explored the ship. Dining: Even though we booked 6 months before and had suite status we were unable to reserve a dining time which put us in the Your Time Dining category. Not initially a bad thing because there is some flexibility for eating when you are ready and not assigned a certain time. Your Time Dining was only available on the lower level of one of the two main dining rooms. Something we didn't know ahead of time. Also not a deal breaker but would have been nice to have some alternatives. First dinner was fine. Livia our waitress was very good. No complaints - just getting settled in. The next night was New Year's Eve and it was a total disaster. Wait times were over an hour and when we finally got a table we were stuck in a booth with a chair on the end of it. Still not a dealbreaker but we literally had NO staff ever. Everything we got was because we had to literally flag a person down and ask for it. Very much an afterthought. Finally after waiting the hour to be seated plus another 45 minutes to have anyone come to our table I went to the hostess station to let them know. Shortly after that someone came and took our order but there was nothing nice about it. Disappointing for what we hoped would be a really nice elegant New Year's Eve dinner with our family. Food was so marginal. Because of the time dinner took, we missed the evening show. And our experience was consistent with many other diners who left before the meal was completed. After that experience we stumbled upon I Wayan in the Renoir Dining Room and never went anywhere else. We opted to wait for his section than to take an earlier seat. Very professional and reminded us of what cruises and dining used to be like. He was excellent for the four remaining nights we were seated in his section. Food in the formal dining room was fine; some things better than others but you won't get a lot of perks that you may still get on other lines; pulling your seat out, putting your napkin on your lap, offering coffee at the end of the meal. They used to have more fanfare with Baked Alaska, Cherries Jubilee table side etc. That didn't exist on this cruise or maybe just with Carnival. Casual Dining: The first day we tried the Lido deck for breakfast. Long wait lines for what was institutional type food with no variations throughout the cruise. We had breakfast every remaining day at the Blue Iguana Cantina poolside. It was amazing and the staff were excellent. Made to order burritos, tacos, huevos rancheros - definitely a plus. Deli was fine, pizza was good and Guys Burgers were good but greasy. We ate dinner every night in the formal dining room so no input on the Lido dinner fare. Desserts were adequate. Pastries in the morning were horribly dry, tired and not worth putting on your plate. Soft serve ice cream stations were nice if they had cones and were operating properly - hit and miss. Staterooms: Our suites were very nice. Bedding was wonderful, very comfortable. A lot of storage and very generous bathroom size. Anita our steward was wonderful. You can opt for once or twice a day service. We opted for just one in the morning to get fresh towels and bedding done. Anita was very attentive, learned our names the first day and always had a smile and a kind word. No complaints with the cabin or service. Ship: This is a nice sized ship. Not a mega ship but big enough to feel like you had some options. Activities were lacking which didn't really bother us. We're not big poolside contest people but again, just not impressed with the offerings or even the delivery. Carnival has gotten away from a lot of the paper information they used to provide. But they will still paper you to death with 'offerings' and attempts to get you to buy something I miss the newsletter that we used to get talking about the next day activities, port information, dress for dinner, weather, etc. They still gave you a small brochure but just not the same. They expect you to utilize their Hub app instead which brings me to another negative - wi fi. Cleanliness of ship was lacking. The windows were filthy. They washed them on the last day. Paying for a suite and not being able to see out of your balcony is a definite negative. Wi-Fi: Short and simple, don't purchase it. Not worth it and is really just a money maker for Carnival and a source of frustration for the consumer. My family all purchased wi-fi; our oldest daughter purchased the premium for work reasons, our 22 year old the middle option and our 16 year old the basic. None of them worked adequately. Save yourself the frustration and cost and don't bother. Ports: We booked in large part because of a couple of ports that we hadn't visited before but also for some diving options that my oldest daughter and husband wanted to repeat. Bahamas was fun - walked to Junkanoo Beach and spent the day there. Half Moon Cay was fine. It's the cruise line's private island. Drink prices are high and they served the drinks the first time in $16 carnival funship glasses that we didn't ask for and didn't want. Turks and Caicos is beautiful. Lots of shopping and drinking if you like that. Amber Cove was fine - again not really authentic but just an artificial cruise port. A taxi to Puerta Plata was $70 roundtrip. The pool area was very nice. Diving: My husband and stepdaughter dove twice on the trip. Staff was great but organization was very poor. Debarkation: Smoothest debarkation so far. Our flight was leaving late so although we had priority debarking we opted to stay up on the Lido and get off near the end. No lines, no issues. Read Less

I knew the ship was older, refurbished, when booking but it was the itinerary that was most attractive--Southern Carib, 8 days. Shocked to find only 1 standard US elec outlet in the stateroom. All other elec outlets were European style. The ship must have been built for a different market and moved to North America later. So bring a converter! FORMAL DINING We could never get in and out in less than 2 hours. Service was consistently slow, even at the end of the week when most people decided to forgo dining room. The only good thing about the dining room was Manu, a roving magician. Amazing card tricks and very entertaining. He hit our table two times during the week. ENTERTAINMENT Not as good as Vista a year before. Joanne the Piano Bar Entertainer is amazing and funny and best talent on the ship. EXCURSIONS Snorkeling in Aruba, booked outside Carnival system directly with vendor, located right near port. Try Full Throttle in Aruba, especially if you like to be in a small boat that goes FAST. Read Less

Carnival Conquest We cruised out of Fort Lauderdale on 12/22/18 for our Christmas cruise. We flew in a few days early and stayed at the Embassy Suites (17th Street). The hotel is very nice and was decorated beautifully for Christmas. The pool area and koi pond was very enjoyable. Breakfast was good, very busy at times but during the holidays that is to be expected. Evening appetizer and drink reception was fine. Apparently gone are the days of hot food (wings, poppers, etc.) for the reception, but the chips, veggies, and popcorn were ok. Lots of shopping and restaurants in this area. One night we walked to the 15th Street Fisheries, I would highly recommend this. We ate in the casual area (dockside). They light up the water and you can feed the fish (including tarpon). I would recommend going at night. We were able to experience the new Pixel photo program that Carnival is offering. No more searching through thousands of prints to find yours. There are IPad’s all over the ship where you can look up your photos and download them directly to your device. There is still an option to have your photos printed, if you like. Big fan of this, but thought the cost was high. This was our first Christmas cruise. The crew did a great job with all of the Christmas programs and giveaways. Meals – we had the early seating and enjoyed our waiters (especially Gus). Service was good somedays and not good others. Seems that they are understaffed. We have noticed this on our other recent cruises as well. Several nights we skipped dessert so we could make it out in time for the Dive In Movie. Bars – we enjoy the Alchemy bar but were disappointed in our two other cruises this year that the staff was lackluster. We however did enjoy the staff (and the drinks they served us) on the Carnival Conquest. Embarkation This was very easy with no issues. No more checking in at the desk, we just walked right on the ship. First stop “Guys Burgers”, then a little exploring. Before we knew it, it was time to get into our cabins. Muster Station Carnival needs to do something about this process. First of all, deck 4 had a horrible sewer or oil smell. Bad enough that most of us felt sick to our stomachs. Secondly, the drill took an HOUR. We were already leaving dock before we were done. There should be no more waiting on people who do not show up. Start charging them $200 per person and that should get their attention. It is ridiculous to make the people who are doing the right thing by showing up, wait an hour. Survival of the fittest, if you can’t figure out how to put on your life preserver, then…. Also, kids could be given their wrist bands when getting on the ship. Princess Cays We rented a cabana in the adult section and we had a very relaxing day. First on the tenders, then they give you a ride to (and from) the cabana. Waiters delivered drinks during the day and it was just a short walk to lunch. Make sure you bring water shoes, as there is no “beach” in front of the cabanas but only rocks and coral. Also we found some sand burs, so be careful. We were provided with one float which we took with us into the water to snorkel (we brought our own). Beautiful fish and coral to look at. Grand Turk One of our favorite ports! We got right off the boat, then took the kids to see the NASA Mercury display. Stopped by the “whale” for photos and then headed on down the beach. Went to the conch shell graveyard and snorkeled for a bit. Then headed back and had a drink at the Beached Whale Bar. Some of our group wanted to head back to the ship. The remainder of us plopped down in the sand at the beach in front of the cruise ships; we also did some snorkeling here. Washed off at the showers and headed back to the ship. Aruba We booked a tour with Sonny Binns https://sonnytoursaruba.com and we had a great time. There ended up being only 4 of us on this tour, which was AMAZING! We visited the Lighthouse, Aloe Factory, Natural Bridge, and climbed Rock Formations. Plus, lots of “extras” along the way. This tour is highly recommended. We ended up being in port for about 5 hours extra because of a crime that was committed on board. Very unfortunate for everyone involved, but it did make me think that the ship could have stayed at this port longer. Which would mean more beach time for us. As we still made it back to Fort Lauderdale in plenty of time. Curacao We booked the Beach Hopping tour with Irie Tours http://irietours.com/ Four beaches and a stop to see the flamingos. All of the beaches were beautiful, but at one we were able to swim with sea turtles…amazing! So much fun! Read Less