This was my first cruise, (my husband's 7th) so I really had no idea what to expect. My husband wanted me to experience everything for myself, so he wouldn't offer his opinions until I had voiced mine. All I can say is that this vacation exceeded my every idea of how great it would be and I'm already planning my next cruise.

EMBARKATION: We were leaving out of Galveston, and live nearby, so we just drove and parked at EZ Cruise parking. (If you make your reservation on line at www.ezcruiseparking.com its $5 cheaper.) The parking was easy to get to and the employees were great, but it was a long wait for the bus, which was not their problem. Apparently there was a problem with customs that morning, so at 12:00 noon they were still trying to get people OFF the ship. It was pretty crazy trying to get into the terminal because people were trying to get in and out at the same time. Once inside, it was about a 1-1/2 wait in line, but we took the opportunity to meet new people who we would later spend some time with on the ship. The main negative I saw was the Carnival Fun Pass. They made a big deal of getting it filled out ahead of time and how it would help speed you up, but it basically gets you nowhere. Everyone still waits in the same long line, so I see no benefit to it.

THE SHIP: Conquest is big and at first was a little confusing to get around. Once we figured out the 5th deck is the main deck with all the shops, casino, bars, etc., we could figure out where to go from there. The maps by each elevator turned out to be pretty handy. Overall the ship was very clean, and there seemed to be people cleaning at all times of the day and night. The employees were very friendly and helpful if you needed something. The pools were always clean and had fresh water every day. The pool chairs were not that hard to get if you got out there in the early part of the morning. It seemed like the good chairs were usually taken by about 11am. I went to the adult's only pool one time. They had a security guard standing to make sure no kids got in, and they did a great job of keeping out the kids. I found this pool to be a little too boring, so I spent all my time lying out by the waterslide. There was plenty of people watching, plus the band was playing in the afternoon in this area. The waterslide was fun, and it was never that crowded with kids. Both the kids and adults were on it. Read more