I have cruised the Caribbean several times before. This time my friend and I were looking for a short cruise escape to de-stress so we took the Conquest 4-day cruise out of Miami knowing it was an old vessel. It was crowded all the time, with long lines at the buffet pizza place, deli station, everywhere. No dress or behavior code whatsoever. It felt like a market-place all day unless you were in your cabin or found a quiet spot on one of the upper decks.

We stopped going to to Lido deck for any type of food on day two and resorted to the restaurants for meals instead. While the breakfast menu was good, the dinner menu at the two restaurants did not offer much and the food was below average. On the second night we did the Steakhouse and this was even a bigger disappointment. We were seated and no one came after half an hour until I had to notify one of the staff that they had forgotten us. The steakhouse ambience itself is poor and the place looks like a rushed makeover to look like a restaurant, but it has zero dining ambiance and layout. Service was unprofessional, with none of the waiters even suggesting a wine to with our meals. The steak and lobster were tiny (4oz steak and a tiny lobster tail). I do not recommend the specialty steakhouse as it was truly disappointing.

One of my favorite eating places on Carnival cruises is the seafood shack just above the main buffet area. I used to enjoy their seafood soups and shrimp. The menu has changed and for the worse. And now they charge for their food. I bought the lobster roll and clam chowder soup. Both were horrible. I never tasted the lobster flavor, and the clam chowder soup was more like a potato soup with small strips of clams here and there. It is a disaster and I would not bet on it surviving due to the menu choices and prices of the items. Read more