Carnival Conquest Review
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Additional details
This was my third cruise, and as my other cruises were also on Carnival, the Conquest mostly met my expectations. The ship has a French Impressionist theme and perhaps that has a psychological effect because it seemed a bit more mellow than the Elation or Victory. There was less drinking and less noise. The trip was noticeably smooth and quiet--not nearly as rocky as the other two ships. That changed late on Day 6, and I thought perhaps we'd hit much rougher water on reentering the Gulf of Mexico. That may have been part of it, but the captain mentioned on Day 7 that the right stabilizer "was out." So I think on a typical day when everything is working correctly, the Conquest is an excellent ship for those worried about the possibility of seasickness.
Carnival cruises are inexpensive to begin with, and a couple days before sailing they called me an offered me a very reasonable price for an upgrade. That was fantastic! Be aware that they make their money off of alcohol, photographs, and the casino, but that's fine as you really have control over how cheap you cruise.
I felt the food on the Elation (sailed 2/2005) was fantastic and the food on the Victory (2/2009) was almost as good. The Conquest had a very similar menu to the Victory, but the quality seemed slightly lacking in some dishes. It occurred to me that they want you to splurge on the "supper club" restaurant for fantastic steaks and lobster every night. Sorry, no. The food was good enough in the main dining room not to resort to the supper club, but I had to wonder if they made an effort at deliberate mediocrity in hopes that people will seriously consider spending the extra cash. Most of the food (the chilled soups, the fish, and the fruit) was quite good, and the service was near perfect. Apparently, Carnival cruisers gain an average of five to fourteen pounds during a voyage, but I don't think I'm typical because I stuck with the "Spa Menu" for the desserts. I'm a junk food addict, but their lower calorie (made with sugar substitute) desserts were very satisfying. However, I can see how one can gain weight as the servers are happy to let you sample more than one appetizer and order more than one dessert.
Cabin Review
Ocean View
Nice steward, clean and well-lit room, pretty quiet even though it's not far from the elevator. Right below guest services (probably one reason why it's quiet). The TV remote was a little unresponsive, and when you're trying to book a shore excursion or check your expense account onscreen, that can be a bit annoying. It's definitely big enough for two people, and there's a sofa that could sleep a child. It has a "picture window" which was not huge, but certainly big enough.