Carnival Conquest Cruise to Bahamas , January 2022
We embarked into a fun adventure right after Christmas, it was a gift for our nephew and grandmother to spend quality time together with us and what a great idea it was to spend it on a Carnival Cruise.
Traveling is one of Latin Family Now’s best times ever, we strongly believe that best times are family together times. The surprise was one so great that when they opened a Christmas card, an origami paper boat came out. They had no clue they were going on a cruise, and we had to tell them. We drove to Miami full of excitement without knowing what to expect, after all this was our first cruise after the 2020 pandemic. Our previous sailings had no protocols, and we did fine, but now all had changed, and we were a bit uncertain of the new policies. What made us feel safe was the idea that everyone had to get tested prior sailing in a window of 3 days prior to boarding and my unvaccinated underage 3 year old had to be tested twice once within 3 days of boarding and one time right there on the port right before boarding, The experience was nerve-wracking to think if she got covid we couldn’t board this cruise ship but it also made sense and made us feel like Carnival was doing what is right in order to make sure all passengers are kept safe. We went this time to Nassau and Half Moon Cay. It was a 4-night cruise and we had 3 cabins of 2 people each.
After the covid testing for our little one was done and clear we felt a relief and it was time to leave all pandemic stress behind, have fun and relax. It was a well-deserved trip after all we have been trough family wise and worldwide.
Carnival once again surpassed our expectations, we were welcomed and taken good care for by the staff, steward, restaurant Maître D’ , servers, fun people and even the customer service desk. One of our family members is Winnie the Pooh and he got lost in our first night – however, security went above and beyond in trying to find him and even surprised little Luna with a built a bear Teddy to ease her emotions. Winnie the Pooh was found and once again it was all about happy fun and quality family times. The cruise has adapted to the pandemic changes and implemented safety measures that will keep people protected while having fun. We didn’t felt any different from previous sailings except for use of masks in common indoor areas and little details like the hand wash station before the buffet. The cruise had employees constantly cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and it was all so easy to handle that we could forget we were traveling amid pandemic still out there.
First Stop Nassau:
Our first Stop was Nassau and that day we could get out of the boat but not the unvaccinated little toddler, we decided she could go on a bubble tour to the beach with daddy, but he canceled due to rainy weather. We went along to Nassau and enjoyed some shopping and some scenery sightseeing was nice and the straw market, we also tried the conch fritters and the Bahama Rita which are typical to the islands of Bahamas. On the other end Baby Luna stayed with her dad in the cruise and there was not much to do for her, the kids club gave her a goodie bag with crayons and some coloring pages. We trade mid-day with dad and he was able to go into Nassau while Grandma and the teens went back to the cruise to take care of the baby and get ready for dinner. Nassau was great we chartered a tour guide and went around the island looking at historical sites, stopped at a beach and even saw Atlantis and the swimming with pigs beach, the straw market full of local artisans and we also visited the Spanish fort and the famous and historic Queen’s Staircase that leads to the Fort Fincastle and was carved out from a single limestone rock by slaves in the late 18th century. The stone that was carved out was used to construct the fort . The 65 step staircase , is named after Queen Victoria and a beautiful walk.
Dinner was one of the favorite times of the day, we got catered by CeCe from Philipines and the Maître D’, Suresh, was amazing in accommodating our requests. He was so nice that he came every night to say hi and to chat. We ended dancing on the dining room with the servers and also our last night we ordered lobster from the grill menu, it was the cherry on top of a great service and great food.
We recommend trying all kinds of flavors and foods, after all this is an adventure and food is part of it. Speaking about food, our teens couldn’t get out of the buffet, teen club or the arcade. Is great for bottomless teen appetites a money saver for parents. We traveled with a group diverse in ages, a 16-year-old an 18-year-old, a 3-year-old, two 45-year-old and a senior over 80. There was always something fun for every one of every age. Our 18-year-old finally could go to the “adult” comedy club and other activities while our 16-year-old could still participate on the teen club which she adores and made great friends at.
Our senior enjoyed the food and the shops, and the Broadway Style shows while us mid age adults enjoyed the rest of the fun activities like dances and pool time and the serenity area away from kids.
Second Stop Half Moon Cay:
The second stop as a Half Moon Cay, also known as Little San Salvador Island, is Carnival Cruise Owned and Operated private island which is a piece of heaven on earth. If there is such a thing like a perfect day well spend with the ones you loved, it was there in Half Moon Cay. We took the ferry boat to get to the crystal-clear blue and turquoise water. There was plenty of amenities including the big wheel floating water bikes that we rented. There was a Splashpad for the little ones, a nice bar and a buffet area, some shops but not many and the cruise had a day planed full of activities. The girls participated in a Sandcastle competition, and they won first prize! We rented a seashell looking cabana for shade and related all day on the most beautiful private beach. Half Moon Cay is a destination we recommend to travelers that enjoy the beach. This destination has all you ever want and need to relax and enjoy a little piece of paradise. The beach s beautiful and the amenities are scheduled with the cruise ship traveler in mind.
Into the cruise we went again for a day at sea filled with activities and fun. We enjoyed the pool and the sales at the shops along with an art auction and pictures before dinner with our formal attire. The captain was not available to meet on captain night, but it is acceptable since we are still on pandemic protocols. The food was amazing once again and we were invited to eat at the blue iguana by lunch time. We got the restaurant Maître D waiting for us there to showcase the taco salads and great food. He went above and beyond to make sure we were catered to and he made every member of our family feel appreciated with an honest heart for service.
The day progressed and we wished the time was not over, that was our last day at sea, next day we were coming back to reality. The night shows where incredible and the afterhours comedy club was the adult place to be for those of us who don’t drink but want to have some fun, we also did some dancing on the lido deck and enjoyed a million dollar sunset as the sun disappeared on the ocean it was breathtaking.
We escaped from the daily routine and embarked into an adventure on Carnival’s Conquest. This boat is not as big as the Celebration or Mardi gras, but it is decorated with paintings from Monet and the renaissance era. The details of this vessel are art deco and certainly a pleasure to enjoy. The night went on saying goodbye to wonderful crew that hosted us and even some hugs from our server and the fun director Samantha Shamz Lee who was also a little sad to see us go. The breakfast at the restaurant was amazing and the cruise ended up with hopes to recover the lost traveling time we had during the pandemic. I thought the protocols for safety where necessary and it didn’t ruin the fun at all, it complemented security and safety on our journey. We will cruise again hopefully sometime soon and we hope your family does too. The best memories are the ones we spend just relaxing together taking a nice picture or even dining. That is priceless. Cant wait to tell yo more about our next adventure!
About the Vessel, Carnival Conquest:
The Carnival Conquest was built in 2002 and is among Carnival’s 25 ships in its fleet. In 2017, the Carnival Conquest was refurbished. During this dry dock, the ship experienced all the Fun Ship 2.0 upgrades including: Guy’s Burger Joint, Punchliner Comedy Club, EA Sports Bar, RedFrog Pub, Blue Iguana, Alchemy, and Library Bars. Additionally, the Conquest added the Seafood Shack. The ship features 12 restaurants, 4 bars, 36 activities, and 8 other features for your enjoyment and it has 14 decks. The passenger capacity for the Carnival Conquest is 3,756 guests. The average capacity for the 25 active ships in Carnival’s fleet is 3,868 passengers. The passenger capacity range for all Carnival ships has a minimum of 2,606 guests and a maximum of 6,630 passengers. From end to end, the Carnival Conquest length is 953 feet (291 meters). Compare that to the average ship length of all 25 active vessels in Carnival’s fleet, measuring 964 feet (294 meters).
About The Author:
Migdalia Fernandez is a travel writer, she dedicated 25 years in hard news. Fernandez is now the Publisher of Latin Family Now and a professional award-winning journalist (fellowships from: New American Media, National Press Foundation, 3 awards from Hispanic Periodicals), who likes to spend her time with family and friends enjoys life and loves to write about all their fun times. Her traveling adventures have been published in at least 5 countries and translated to Spanish, English and Portuguese.
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