Celebrity Mercury Mini Review

[DaveEdwards]

This is not a review since it only represents a small glimpse of our cruise and all that was offered. We do not normally attend the shows or did we take any tours and we did not leave the ship at any port. I did not bring a camera or did we purchase any photos, not that we did not try, but they were not very good. Maybe it was the subject matter that was the problem?

We started our cruise by leaving our dog at my son's house. He and his wife then followed us in his car to San Francisco. We dropped off our luggage at Pier 35 and headed to Scoma’s Restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf. We were met by my other son and his two children. We had a marvelous lunch, which Scoma’s is famous for providing and headed back to Pier 35. We were onboard within 15 minutes of our arrival. Celebrity provided special consideration for handicapped passengers and we were escorted to a different section that had an elevator. They had a young steward do all the pushing of the wheelchair, which was a nice touch since it was quite a trip ending with the upward ramp to the ship. We were met with a glass of champagne as we set foot aboard from the ramp. It was quite refreshing and certainly set the mode for one of our best cruises.

We were then escorted to our cabin which was located very close to the public relations desk on Plaza deck #5. This was situated very conveniently to elevators and a small Internet Café. There are only 8 handicapped cabins on the Mercury which 7 were outside and 1 inside. The outside cabin (#5065) we had was extremely large. The bed was configured in a queen size and I had our steward, Newton, change it to twin bed accommodations. I bribed him with a $20 bill and he responded accordingly by having the changeover when we returned to our cabin from the life boat drill. It is much more convenient to have the beds in this configuration when a wheelchair is required 100% of the time.

The cabin almost looked like a bowling alley once they beds were divided. There was more than ample room in the cabin and even looked a little sparsely furnished. Besides the twin beds, there were 2 small end tables with lamps attached that had 2 small drawers. Also was 1 small round glass topped table and 2 uncomfortable arms chair that appeared to be stuffed, but I can assure you that was an optical illusion because they were very uncomfortable. In the corner was a desk like unit that contained 6 small drawers, 3 on each side. This was facing a large mirror which was concealing a storage area that was great for storing the hairdryer, shaver and miscellaneous goodies. Behind the mirror was a wall safe that was easily operated by putting in your own code. I find this type of safe to be much more accessible than the type that requires a credit card to activate. In another corner was a small refrigerator that was stocked with liquor, soft drinks and water. We had most of it removed and had Newton fill it with Coke and Diet Coke. In the entrance area there were 5 closets, one containing a drawer unit with 4 drawers. Two of the closet had a feature that contained a handle that could be pulled to bring the clothes closer to someone in a wheelchair. The cabin could have had a dresser or something else to help fill the void, as well as offering a little more drawer space. The bathroom was very organized for a handicapped passenger with a shower that was wheelchair accessible containing a seat and movable flexible shower head. We found this to be very satisfactory and were quite happy with the setup. The bathroom could have used a little more shelf space. It provided 2 small shelves next to the hairdryer that was wall mounted. There was 1 shelf over the sink as well as 2 glass holders. The commode was well appointed with grab bars, with one that was able to lift up for more room. One point of contention was that the bath towels were stored on a little shelf at the corner next to the ceiling. A person in a wheelchair could not possibly reach these towels. Overall we were extremely happy with our cabin and would recommend this to any handicapped passenger.

HAL does not have the market cornered on senior passengers. The ship average age was much older than I expected. We are in our late 50’s and often felt like kids.

Now for a glimpse into where Celebrity and the Mercury really shined was that of dining. The food was excellent and the wait staff was outstanding. The white glove service and attention we received from our waiter, Custodio and his assistant Salim, was very pleasurable. Custodio was from India and Salim was from Turkey. Meals were served in a most professional manner with just enough conversation to enjoy their personalities. The food was always delicious and the menu offered a wide selection. I think the food on this cruise was the best that we ever experienced on 33 previous cruises. The head waiter was very cordial and made many appearances, not just before the end of the cruise. The assistant waiter was relatively new and was trying very hard to get promoted to the position of waiter. He paid particular attention to Niki and wheeled her out of the dining room each evening. For some reason, he started cutting her meat for her, even though it was not necessary. The wine steward was excellent, possessing good knowledge of the wines and was most helpful in suggestions not only with the wine, but also with the food. I cannot overstate how happy we were with the dining room.

We ate breakfast every morning in the dining room. We find it more comfortable than trying to balance a tray for two and pushing a wheelchair in the buffet. We usually went to the outside grill for hamburgers and pizza for lunch. I was very impressed with both. I really enjoyed stopping by for a frozen yogurt cone after lunch.

The bars were very good, especially the martini bar. They were good, but cost about $10 for 1 martini. If you had the old 3 martini lunch, you would be talking some money. They were doubles, however. The bar service was excellent, but their lack of appetizers were very noticeable. They offered a couple of appetizers to us the whole cruise and only served their version of a trail mix. Holland America should give them a few pointers with regard to hot appetizers.

We visited the casino quite often and maybe just once or twice too often. We did enjoy our time there and found the casino staff to be very good.

We liked the ship so much that we booked another 11 day cruise for February 28, 2005. This was the first time that we have ever booked onboard and was delighted with the $200 cruise credit that was offered.

I was thoroughly impressed with Celebrity and will make every effort to consider this line for any future cruises.

[JSR]

Thanks for your review. We have only sailed on RCl but our looking to try other ships for variety.
Your reveiw helped.
Jean

Granduer 3/99 Eastern Carib
Explorer 11/00 Eastern Carib
Adventure 8/02 Southern Carib
Radiance 7/5/03 Alaska
Voyager 11/23/03 Western Carib

[jukeboxy]

Dave, thank you for putting into word my review of the same cabin. We did two cruises on the Mercury and had the same cabin twice. We have it booked again for November and I wouldn't change much about it.
I travel with a scooter and it is perfect the hallway is wide so it makes for easy in and out. The only thing I would warn someone who has to charge different items and a scooter is there is only one electric outlet. You need power strips and or extention cords to live with that.
Also because of the shower access there is no lip to contain the shower water if you hit rolling seas or a list. You can end up with water all over the floor. Don't put your slippers on the bathroom floor while showering. hehehe

Not enough good can be said of the Mercury crew when it comes to assisting a person who is inconvienced.