Suggestions for Conquest Cruise excursions?

Question

My family DH, myself, 10 year old DD, 6 year old DD; Mother-in-law, father-in law. Will be traveling on the Conquest Cruise ship out of Galveston. I would like to know safe, fun excursions in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

Any other suggestions about the ship--are appreciated.

Answer 1

My parents took their children and spouses on this cruise last year.  We were a group of 13 and had the time of our lives.  As far as excursions, my wife and I did not take part in any of the Carnival excursions.  We handled these on our own.  There is some risk involved because the ship is not going to wait for you to get back unless you are on a delayed excursion of theirs.  We used common sense and allowed ourselves plenty of time and had no troubles.

Jamaica-Got off the ship and took a taxi to Sunset Beach Resort.  Its only about 2 miles.  It is a secured, gated resort.  Cost $40 per person to get in.   All you can eat food and drinks (alcoholic or soft drinks).  We definitely earned the price of admission back with MANY frozen cocktails and Red Stripe beer.  The resort has beach volleyball, a couple of great waterslides, snorkeling (found a starfish), and paddleboats all included in the price.  It was fantastic and we will go back there when we do this cruise again.

Grand Cayman-If you like fish go to Stingray City, but once again there are many reputable outfits on the Internet that will do this for a fraction of the price of the ships excursion.  Just do some research to find the reputable ones.  They will not be nearly as crowded.  My wife hates marine life so we just went walking around the town.  Do NOT shop here unless you like spending money.  Next time we take this cruise we are staying on the ship that day and enjoying having the boat to ourselves.

Cozumel-Went through an Internet site, I believe cozumelexcursions.com, or something like that.  Its a pretty easy site to find.  We booked an excursion to San Franciso Beach on the Internet and were given a free lunch (we had fajitas) and all you can drink cocktails and beer (Modelo and Corona by the bucket).  They also reserved beach chairs and umbrellas for us.  The cost was $40 a person.  We also had to pay for a 15-20 min cab ride.  We left plent early to shop when we got back by the port.  Great shopping, willing to bargain, free tequila and pina coladas from the shopowners.  The beaches in Cozumel are all free, they charge you for food, drink, chairs and so on unless you book something.

The previous poster had some great tips.  I will add one more.  At the back of ship in the restaurant that has the lunch and breakfast buffets, the free pizza, and the grill, go up the stairs above the buffet lines.  There is a little restaurant called Sur Mer.  Great seafood such as fish and chips, an unbelievable soup and so on.  No additional charge for their menu, but not many people know about it until midway through the cruise. My parents had been on this ship 5 times and never knew it was up there.

Answer 2

We took 14 guests on the Conquest for Spring Break.  She is a very nice ship.

We took the horseback riding tour in Jamaica but I would not recommend.  I was a rough ride and we are experienced riders.  The only recommendation for Jamaica is to be sure to stay with a tour group and don't venture off by yourself.  Be sure to catch the marching band's performance at the dock close to departure time.

Be sure to take one of the Sting Ray excursions in Grand Cayman but skip the one that includes h**l and the Turtle Farm.  These side trips are not worth the extra time or money.  You have to tender (take a ferry) from the ship to the dock in Grand Cayman.  It took us 2 hours of standing in line to get back to the ship.  No worries, the ship will not leave with 200 people standing on the dock!

There are tons of fun things to do in Cozumel.  We loved the Cavern by Jeep tour.  You take the ferry to Playa del Carmen and drive jeeps to a cavern with an underground river.  You swim in the underground river which is a unique experience since they won't even let you touch the water in the US in caverns. Then back to the Jeeps for a visit to a private beach with an authentic Mexican meal.  It was great fun.

The dolphin experience was good but a bit expensive.  The submarine ride was fun for us but my 10 and 12 year old thought it was boring.

Do your shopping in Cozumel.  They will bargain with you but avoid the mall.  Shop at the port and in the open air market.  Grand Cayman is too expensive and they won't deal with you.  Shopping at the port in Jamaica is OK for trinkets.

Take plenty of $1, 5 and 10s for shopping in port, taxis, tips to shore excursion personnel.  Don't take too many big bills.

Allow plenty of time at the port.  Logistics are a bit of a zoo.  Hang on to your carry on bags because the porters are anxious to get you unloaded.  You unload your luggage and all passengers at the terminal and the driver has to take the car to the parking lot.  It can take the driver 15-30 minutes to get back to your group to start the embarkation process.

Carry on all valuables, medication and anything you want before midnight.    It can take several hours to get your luggage.

Take a power strip.  Only one outlet in the room.  Also, recommend a nightlight or clock with a night light.  Rooms are wicked dark.

Take one or two of those XXL Ziploc bags for wet, yucky sandy clothes.

Be sure to take a large canvas bag to carry items like towels, sunscreen, etc. on shore excursions.

Bar drinks are $4-12 plus 15% gratuity.

Soda by the can - $1.75 per can.  Recommend the Soda Fountain card if your group is soda drinkers.  $35-45 for the week.

Photos are about $22 per sheet.

Tips are $10 per day per person.  $70 per person for the trip.  Carnival adds these fees to your on board account the moment you step on board.

Don't miss the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake in the dining room.  It is awesome!  The dining room has some very good dinners. My girls love the 24x7 pizza and ice cream.  The sandwich station is a good option later at night.

Your kiddos are a bit young but we use the 2-way radios on board ship to keep in touch.

A light jacket is good for nights and in the theaters.  

For de-barkation, mark your luggage with brightly colored ribbon or yard.  There will be thousands of pieces of luggage in the terminal upon your return.

Get a porter for de-barkation.  They will expedite you through customs.  Tip them $1-2 bucks a bag.  It is worth it.

Have a good time!

Answer 3

whoa i am going on the same cruise leaving on the 15th. when are you leaving?

ok well i we went in a Royal Caribbean cruise last year (the Rhapsody) out of Galveston and it went to the exact same places(except it went to Ocho Rios Jamaica instead of Montego Bay:)) i dont know what shore trips we are doing for sure this year but last year in jamaica we di horseback riding along the beach. it was absolutely amazing! by far the best shore trip we did. in grand cayman we went to stingray city and snorkeled with the stingrays. it was stormy and so the waves were kind of big (you are out in the middle of the ocean on a sandbar) i guess it was ok but not something we will do again. in cozumel we just toured the island and then went shopping. cozumel is the best place out of the 3 to go shopping. they are the best and easiest to barter with and they have some good products. oh and the bartering part is an exoerience in itself. it can be kind of scary at first but once you try it it is actually kind of fun! and dont be afraid to go with a low low price and then work your way up if you have too. it is harder to start high and try to lower it;). Back to the shore excursions...try going to www.shoretrips.com this website has shore excursions for all three places and we booked 2 of our trips on this last year and these were much better organized trips than the other one. for example i have heard some bad things about the horseback riding but this was one of them that we booked through shoretrips and our group consisted of my family (4 of us) so it was nice and small and we had 2 tour guides. they were both excellent and were full of information. we were kind of nervous about booking a trip outside of the cruiseline but they work with you and they are an excellent company. nothing at all to worry about. on the website you can also read reviews of each shore excursion if that helps you at all. well good luck and have fun.

ps wouldnt that be weird if we were on the same cruise! lol