First off to give some perspective, we have sailed maybe 25 times. We're obviously not first timers but we also have some relative experience with different lines. We have sailed Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival lines. We have stayed in Suites, Balconies, Oceanviews and Inside Cabins. We chose the Carnival Conquest primarily for the ports but also the holidays and past experience with Carnival. Although there were definite bright spots along the way, we ended our 6 night cruise with a definite decision not to come back to Carnival for the foreseeable future if ever.

We were a family of five and booked two suites on the Empress deck; my husband, son 22, daughter 16 and our stepdaughter 36. Embarkation at Port Everglades was fine. We had taken a red eye flight from PDX to FLL and arrived around 8am. A cruise staff person at the port was extremely helpful and assisted us in getting a porter to take our luggage early so that we could walk out and find some breakfast nearby. Great customer service. Suites allow for priority boarding and we were on the ship by around 11:30. Champagne offered poolside on the Lido deck was a nice touch and something we hadn't experienced before that was complimentary. Had a bite to eat - pretty standard fare and very predictable if you've sailed Carnival before. Rooms were available by 1ish and we unpacked and explored the ship.

Dining: Even though we booked 6 months before and had suite status we were unable to reserve a dining time which put us in the Your Time Dining category. Not initially a bad thing because there is some flexibility for eating when you are ready and not assigned a certain time. Your Time Dining was only available on the lower level of one of the two main dining rooms. Something we didn't know ahead of time. Also not a deal breaker but would have been nice to have some alternatives. First dinner was fine. Livia our waitress was very good. No complaints - just getting settled in. Read more