my husband, sons (23 and 21) and i took the carnival conquest out of Galveston, TX on Feb 6, 2011. what a great vacation. we attended a wedding in Austin then drove to Galveston. we had an easy time finding the port. it was very easy getting through the check in and on the boat. we did the usual life boat drill. i was happy to see that we didn't have to drag the life vests up with us anymore. it seemed to take quite a while to finish that, but still less time then other cruises. the rooms were nice. the stewards were great. everything was wonderful. our main steward introduced himself the first day and called me by name every time he saw me there after. nice touch. the hallways were narrow and add all those suitcases made it an obstacle course to get thru. glad we didn't have a handicap person. the food was good. not exceptional but very yummy. my sons loved the lobster. i only say the food was not exceptional because my husband and i ate the last night of the cruise in the steak house. that food there was beyond exceptional. the chef came out and introduced himself and brought us an extra course. we were not going to go to the steak house but i won it in a contest in the casino. i would do that again and i would pay the extra money. it was WONDERFUL we both had surf and turf. the turf was a little tougher then i liked but it was still very good. the lobster was out of this world. the other courses were just as wonderful. the whole evening was topped off with a gorgeous sunset and the young couple behind us. he proposed... what a sweet thing to see. the casino is always fun. my sons had a great time. my younger won enough to pay for his extra expenses (drinks, souvenirs etc) so he was happy. we did some entertainment on board. it was great too. i wish we had gotten to see more. the ports were fun we mostly went shopping. my boys enjoyed themselves more then we did i think... they were invited on stage for the games. and played several games. corn hole, scavenger hunt etc. they had a great time too. they are both ready to go back on another cruise. debarking was so easy. we chose to take our own luggage off instead of putting our suitcases out the night before. it was sooooo much easier. we were the first off the ship and were pretty much through customs and on the road home before the rest of the people were allowed off. i am looking forward to going to New England and Canada in the fall with a group of girlfriends. we had a great time...