After sailing onboard Carnival Celebration and Carnival Vista in 2023, I decided to try one of Carnival's older ships on a short 4-night cruise to The Bahamas.
It was my first time sailing onboard a Conquest Class ship, so I wasn't sure what to expect considering my only Carnival experiences had been on newer vessels.
At 185 square feet, it was one of the more spacious interior rooms that I've stayed in, especially compared to my 158-square-foot cabin onboard Carnival Celebration.
One unfortunate cruising trend is that cruise lines are making cabins smaller to pack more passengers onto ships.
Having launched in 2002, Carnival Conquest is one of Carnival's oldest vessels at sea. It's also on the smaller side, measuring 110,000 gross registered tons (GRT).
In comparison, Carnival Vista measures 133,500 GRT and Carnival Celebration 183,521 GRT.
When I cruised onboard Carnival Vista, a relatively newer ship, my suite felt worn down, so I wasn't sure how updated my interior room onboard Conquest would feel.
For example, the shower had a lot of scuffs on the wall.
Upon entering, however, I was pleased with its condition, especially considering we only paid a total of $817.30 for two people, or $408.65 each, including gratuities.
It didn't feel as new as my inside room on Carnival Celebration, but it was surprisingly cozy.
Our stateroom, 7436, was located at the aft of the ship on Deck 7. We were only two decks below the lido deck and two above the fun shops!
It was a great location and made moving about the ship much easier! We learned the layout in no time.
Despite the overall condition of the cabin, some elements revealed its age, such as the tiny television and lack of outlets.
This, however, is pretty common on older ships.
With only one American outlet, I was thankful that my friend and I brought USB cables, as we were able to charge our phones simultaneously thanks to the bedside lamps with USB ports.
Older Royal Caribbean ships typically don't have beside outlets, so I definitely wasn't expecting this feature in my cabin on Carnival Conquest.
Unlike newer ships, we didn't have to leave our Sign & Sign card in a slot near the door to turn the lights on.
This meant our room always stayed at a comfortable temperature, which was appreciated after returning from warm days ashore in Half Moon Cay and Nassau.
On every cruise I have been on prior, I've had a shower with a glass door. My interior room onboard Carnival Conquest had a shower curtain instead.
While the clingy curtain wasn't my favorite feature, it was not a dealbreaker. I definitely prefer glass doors, though, and I'm glad Carnival started adding them on its newer Excel ships.
All standard rooms aboard Carnival ships have the same provided toiletries in the shower.
They aren't the best quality, so I'd recommend bringing your own shampoo and body wash, especially if you have a specific hair texture and/or sensitive skin.
I was pleased with the water pressure; however, I found that the hot water ran out pretty quickly.
Sometimes, my friend would opt to shower in the gym.
There was plenty of storage in the bathroom.
Even though the cruise was only 4 nights, it was nice to have enough space to keep all of our stuff organized.
The cabin also wasn't short on storage space.
Though my friend overpacked, the three closets gave us plenty of room for all of our clothing; some shelves were left unused!
My friend also remarked that she appreciated the life jackets in the middle closet since it was her first cruise.
While it's smart to know if your cabin has life jackets or not, you likely won't need them!
There were four drawers attached to the vanity; however, only the bottom two were useable for bulkier items.
The first contained the hairdryer, while the middle had information about laundry.
Because they were shallower, they were ideal for medication and jewelry.
Did you know that if you're a Platinum member within Carnival's loyalty program you get up to two bags of laundry on sailings that are less than 7 nights?
That's a neat perk that allows you to return home with clean clothes!
We used the mini-fridge to keep our two bottles of wine and water bottles cold, and it worked very well!
I was impressed that it could hold everything.
The safe was rather interesting. Instead of setting up a four-digit code, we had to swipe our Sail & Sign card to open/close it.
I suppose that if you are forgetful, this could be beneficial, but you don't want to lose your cruise card!
One con of the stateroom was that it wasn't very soundproof.
It seemed as though we could hear everyone's conversations word for word as they passed by.
Plus, there were times I even heard other toilets flushing.
That's how thin the walls were between the rooms!
Overall, we had a great time on the 4-night cruise, and the interior cabin had all the amenities to make our stay comfortable and cozy.
While I had heard some interesting comments about Carnival Conquest before boarding, we had a positive experience.
The crew members were friendly, and the food was delicious (especially the Point Steakhouse and Guy's Burger Joint!).
We also loved our day ashore at Half Moon Cay! I'm looking forward to seeing what enhancements Carnival makes to support its new name: "RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay."
I'd definitely consider another cruise aboard a Conquest Class ship in the future, especially since many will visit Carnival's new private destination in the Bahamas, Celebration Key!
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on nearly 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
