When reading a review, it is important to remember that all reviewers are not created equal. We all see things differently and have our own criteria for grading. If we all felt the same way and looked at things the same life would be pretty boring. This was the third cruise for my wife and I. All on Carnival. Last year we went for 3 days on the Fascination and 5 days on the Holiday. We had a great time on both of those trips, which led to the 7-day Conquest cruise. I don't get bent out of shape very easily and will not let petty things ruin a much-deserved vacation. I'm not perfect, therefore, I don't expect others to be perfect. That said, here is a review of my October 12, 2003 cruise on the Carnival Conquest.

Embarkation: We are fortunate and have a friend who lives in New Orleans on the West Bank. We parked our car at his place and he dropped us off at the pier at 11:15. We went past the long line of cars waiting to park and he let us off at the curb. They had just finished unloading everyone from the previous cruise and a skycap took our luggage right away. We went inside and checked right in. It was still too early to board so they directed us to an area to sit and wait for boarding. We sat down and discovered we were sitting next to Gimper and his darling wife. (See above) We were shuffled to another room and again had to wait for a short time. We had to wait less than an hour before boarding and it was painless. We brought 10 bottles of wine in our carry-on luggage and they checked each bottle and said nothing. So far, so good.

Our cabin: We booked an 8e on the Panorama deck. The cabin was spacious and bright. The balcony large enough for two people and the bathroom was clean and well designed. We never had a flooded floor and that is even with 2 people in the shower on occasion. The Panorama deck is very quiet and secluded. There are not a lot of cabins up here so you are not walking down endless passageways to get to your cabin. Our cabin steward was Javier and he kept the room spotless and our wine chilled. If we needed anything, he provided it. If you are looking for somewhere to save money on your cruise, look elsewhere. Get the balcony! It is so nice to sit out there in the morning or evening and just chill. We saw sea turtles, flying fish and some beautiful sunsets. We also saw Leonard running to catch the ship in Cozumel. Read more