At 110,000 tons, the Carnival Conquest is a flurry of fun, excitement and entertainment. The French theming includes murals of Impressionist artists, crazy colors inspired by Moulin Rouge district, and a splash of New Orleans French Quarter. It holds true to the Carnival style—which is over the top with color and whimsy.
Conquest was built at the Kvaener Masa Yards in Finland in 2002. She is registered in Panama and commanded by Italian officers. Her maximum speed is 21 knots. The international crew serves 2,974 passengers at maximum capacity. The majority of passengers are from the U.S. and all announcements are in English. Summer and school holidays are busiest and packed with families, family reunion groups and younger travelers.
Conquest's home port is Galveston, but she has operated out of the Bayport Cruise Terminal in Houston since Hurricane Ike (September 2008). The ship currently does a 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary with stops in Montego Bay Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. She is scheduled to start a Bahamas Itinerary in March 2009 with stops in Key West, Nassau and Freeport Bahamas.
As on most Caribbean cruises, there are dozens of snorkeling, diving, canoe & kayak, sailing, city tours, beach and water adventures from very tame to adventurous in every port of call. Unique excursions include underwater helmet dives, Stingray City and Jungle Canopy adventures. One place that Carnival is lacking is in enrichment lectures or specialty learning excursions (like history or cooking).
The ship's layout is anchored by the main atrium, which is decorated in gold and glitz with colorful glass elevators and rich colors. Each public room is named after a famous French artist or place.
Most of the evening entertainment revolves around the French Quarter-inspired Promenade deck. There passengers will find the Tahitian-themed casino (with jungle motif and bamboo accents) as well as other lounges. These include Henri's Disco, the Teen disco Montmartre, Vincent's Lounge with rock and variety musicians, Degas for comedy and karaoke, Blues sing-along piano bar, and Alfred's cigar and jazz bar. The main show lounge is the Toulouse-Lautrec Lounge, which has over-the-top red and gold decor complete with Moulin Rouge's famous windmills. The shows are Vegas-style reviews (glitzy costumes and big numbers) as well as fly-on comics, jugglers and other entertainers.
During the day, the pool area of the Lido is the centerpiece. There is a small main pool as well as a second pool on the upper area with the trademark waterslide. The tiered deck has ample seating and at the rear of the Lido deck there is another pool which has a retractable roof in case of bad weather.
One space which seems to be absent of all theming is the spa-gym area. At 15,000 sq ft, it houses exercise equipment and treatment rooms. Optional classes are offered for a fee. A jogging track is located on the open deck, and half-court basketball and volleyball areas are here. The spa has a full menu of massages and beauty treatments.
On-board shopping is limited to a souvenir and T-shirt shop, and shops for liquor, duty -free jewelry, cosmetics and perfume. The Internet cafe on this class of ship is a disappointment, and it is difficult to find. The ship does have wireless Internet signal throughout, however.
One area that Carnival excels is in its activities for Children. Carnival Conquest has an expanded Camp Carnival and O2 Teen Program. The new kids' area is over 4,200 sq ft and has all modern entertainment and a children's pool. Carnival also offers several new programs targeted to various age groups and interests. The Edu-Seas program has a variety of education and fun activities.
The two main dining rooms, Monet and Renoir, serve from identical menus. They offer international cuisine with a rotating themed menu each night. Seating is fixed with four dining times. The food quality on Carnival has definitely improved but still would fall into the "average" category. The supper club, located atop the ship, is called The Point and serves gourmet quality steaks and specialties in an elegant atmosphere for a $30 surcharge. During the day, the Lido-deck dining Cezanne Restaurant is bright and sunny and offers several buffet lines serving a rotating international fare as well as lines for Asian cuisine, Deli, Outdoor Grill and 24-hour pizza. The food is typical buffet fare. One often-missed highlight is the SurMer Seafood Station above the Lido buffet. It serves special seafood selections, and cooked-to-order fish. As it is hidden from the masses, it almost always has seating, even on the busiest of sea days.Other food venues include a coffee bar (specialty coffee and sweets for a nominal charge) and the complimentary Sushi Bar (supermarket quality), both of which are located on the Promenade deck. Complimentary room service operates around the clock.
Carnival continues to have some of the largest standard cabins (195 sq ft inside and 220 sq ft ocean view) with a majority of cabins being balcony or oceanview. All standard cabins contain two twin beds convertible to a king (some with third and fourth berth) and are nicely appointed and designed with a good amount of stowage space for the small quarters. Conservatively decorated, each cabin has TV, safe, hair dryer, basic toiletries, high-thread-count sheets and duvets. Higher cabins have robes. Pool towels must be checked out on the Lido deck and returned daily.
Suites are substantially larger with separate sitting areas, closets, whirlpool tub, marble accents and larger balconies. There are also new Family Cabins next to camp Carnival that are larger with floor-to-ceiling windows.
For families, groups and those looking for a fun cruise at a good value, Carnival continues to lead the way. For those wishing a less structured cruise, Carnival cruises in general might be an issue that cruisers must consider when booking. Overall the Conquest is a fun, exciting ship that offers a variety of activities and options for families, groups, couples and singles of all ages.
