The theater was equally impressive with ample seating, sparkling lights and opulent touches. The theater never filled up for any of the shows as the seating was ample. We did not see the shows but heard that they were good. Most of the talent on the ship was very good.
The library was disappointing for a ship of this size as it was the size of a large closet. It's hours were short and the selection was very disappointing. No children's books were available.
The gym, although not large, was very satisfactory. The equipment, although well used, was in good condition and, other than the first day at sea, lines for the equipment were almost non existent.
Shops around the atrium were impressive, although crowded and smoky. They were continually full in the evenings and surrounded the atrium on an upper level.
Other high points of the cruise included amenities that many of the other passengers did not use. One was the 5th floor sushi bar. Most people who enjoy sushi may be skeptical of a cruise ship sushi bar but this one impresses with very good sushi rice and imaginative combinations of vegetables and cooked fish. Well worth trying even if squeamish about sushi. The other hidden treasure was the Sur Mer café located on the 10th floor in the aft portion of the Cezanne Buffet Restaurant. This little treasure offered seafood salads, soups and appetizers not found in the buffet line. This café was not well utilized by the passengers.
The Cezanne on the Lido deck was the buffet restaurant that we frequented for breakfast and lunch. Food was adequate although not especially good or bad. Grit, although not my thing, were continually soupy. Breakfast was the standard eggs, breakfast meat, French toast, mediocre danishes, and good fresh fruit faire that you can find in any American buffet line. Gone are the nice cheeses, smoked salmon and specialty breakfast items of the past. Lunch was similar offering nothing with any real imagination. Occasionally a good seafood salad would show up. I will admit that the desserts were consistently good. At one meal, my tart was still frozen but, otherwise, I was not disappointed. Piped music into the Cezane was questionable as it was normally that insipid, wailing Celene Dion kind of music which made my want to stick a butter knife through my sternum and turn it. The theme to Titanic was continually played (???) and many people questioned this choice of music. What made this more frustrating was the fact that the music was continually skipping. The CD deck needed a good cleaning.
There were two grills for pizza, burgers and hotdogs aft of the Cezanne. These were hugely popular and the lines were always long. Soft ice cream, iced tea, hot drinks, and juices were available at all times. This is, of course, great for those with kids. Paul's Deli offered sandwiches. Lines were long here as well.
Formal dining in the Renoir Restaurant was enjoyable. Our wait staff was attentive, the company was good at the table and the food was adequate. Once again a very good starter or dessert would make an average meal better. The cold starter soups were delicious. The restaurant itself was impressive in appearance.
Room service was lacking. Once it never showed up and often I'd have to call to find out where it was. Getting through on the phone to room service was difficult as the phone line was normally busy.
Although most of the wait staff was excellent, many of those on the crew were surly and, sometimes, downright rude. Often crew members would clamor into and out of the elevators before paying guests. On one occasion, when the deli opened, crew members were the first in line making the rest of us wait longer than necessary. Bartenders were sometimes surely although the service was quick most of the time. Wait staff in the Cezanne was ok and the staff in the Renior (sit down dining) was very good.
Debarkation was a breeze. This ship has a new procedure for those who don't mind lugging their own stuff off of the ship. These people get off first. We had debarked, were through customs and in a cab by 7:10 a.m.
Overall, we enjoyed our cruise on Conquest. As mentioned, of the 4 Caribbean cruises that we took, the Conquest took a solid 4th place. It's not that the ship was poor but that the other cruises were just better. We'll have good memories of the cruise of November 2005 but will not cruise on this ship again.
