15-day Mercury Panama Canal or Venice in a luxurious hotel? What would you do?

[Clipper]

We are planning our December 2006 vacation (nothing like planning ahead). Currently, we have booked a sky suite on Mercury's 15-day Panama Canal transit. I'm starting to have second thoughts because it seems almost too reasonable -- essentially $200 per day per person. Is this a case of a pretty good deal or rather of getting what you pay for? We've never sailed Celebrity, but have sailed most of the other lines. Our favorite was Holland America, but that was several years back and it sounds from the HAL board that things there have not changed for the better. We like a refined atmosphere. Good attentive service is very important; rooms don't have to be brand new, but we do expect them to be clean, have decent beds, and be in working order and not falling apart. Disappointed by the lackluster service received on our last cruise in the top suite on the Grand Princess, our upcoming cruise will be in an average cabin on Silversea (a first for us in the luxury niche). Given that, would you do this trip on Mercury or put it off and wait for some other ship at some other time? The alternative is to spend about the same money for a week in Venice at a very good hotel. Both Venice and the Panama Canal transit are things I want to do before I'm no longer able. Thanks for your thoughts.

[arkcruiser]

Venice in December can be cold and damp. My wife has been to Venice twice. The first time she went in the winter and absolutely hated it and said she never wanted to go back. The second time was in late May with moderate temperatures and sunny skies. Now she can't wait to get back! If your vacation is in December, I would opt fot the Panama Canal cruise.

[melbcruise]

When are you sailing on Silversea?? Which ship and destination?? I have been on three sailings on the Whisper. Our trip last May was a Rome to VIllefranche-sur-mer. We started in Venice, spent four days there and then took the train to Rome for a couple of days and then off to the port for our cruise. The weather in Venice was gorgeous, however it was mid-May and we did have one day of rain. The rainy damp day didn't show the city in all her glory. IMHO Venice is a MUST-DO. But, December is not the month to visit there. I have been on the Infinity (to Alaska), but not the Mercury. I have done the Panama Canal (on the Whisper) in March-April of 2004. The Panama Canal is a cool trip, and I can answer any questions you might have. I will tell you this, Silversea is a different product from Celebrity. But, don't get me wrong I enjoyed my Celebrity cruise very much and am off on the Constellation next Thursday. Any questions about either line just ask.

[kitty9]

Don't do Venice in winter. The city, especially the area around Piazza San Marco, can flood very badly in the winter. Last winter, the Piazza was under 2 feet of water. Do Venice in the spring, summer or fall.

[caviargal]

I was recently on Mercury. She is a very nice ship and the food and service were quite good in the dining room. She is showing her age in some of the furniture (needs to be replaced), cabins (stained and cracked sinks, old mattresses and case goods, etc.

 

The service was not what it was on my prior 3 cruises with X. For example, not once in the 5 day cruise did anyone offer to carry my tray in the buffet, nor the trays of any of the 3 people I was travelling with, 2 of whom were senior women in the 70s. On my last cruises with X, I never got far carrying a tray by myself.

 

IMO, Mercury is a value offering by Celebrity and that is why the pricing is so competitive on her sailings. If you are expecting the amenities of M class, you will not got them. But, she does have a lot to offer if the price is right and you are willing to overlook some minor details.

[caviargal]

I was recently on Mercury (last month). She is a very nice ship and the food and service were quite good in the dining room. She is showing her age in some of the furniture (needs to be replaced), cabins (stained and cracked sinks, old mattresses and case goods, etc.

 

The service was not what it was on my prior 3 cruises with X. For example, not once in the 5 day cruise did anyone offer to carry my tray in the buffet, nor the trays of any of the 3 people I was travelling with, 2 of whom were senior women in the 70s. On my last cruises with X, I never got far carrying a tray by myself.

 

IMO, Mercury is a value offering by Celebrity and that is why the pricing is so competitive on her sailings. If you are expecting the amenities of M class, you will not got them. But, she does have a lot to offer if the price is right and you are willing to overlook some minor details.

 

Re Venice in December, I have been there in all four seasons. Venice is not a favorite of mine in any weather but I know there are many who love it. I love Italy in winter personally and travel often to Florence and Rome during the colder months. There are less tourists, fewer lines, and I think you can gt a much better flavor for the true flavor of the cities. And, the value is much better.

[Cruise Junky]

I'd take Venice but not in December...late September, early October or May. We just returned and it's now one of my favourite cities. Especially it you go out a little and get away from the tourist areas. I guess if you have to travel in December, then it would be the cruise.

[Leela]

I was on Mercury in late September for a 4-nighter. Hubby & I had a Sky Suite. Our room was very nice, our teak deck was lovely, and our butler Santoso took excellent care of us. My favorite thing that he did was to notice that I had stuffed some wadded up plastic wrap in the neck of a half-drunk bottle of champagne to save it. While we were out he replaced it with a cork and re-iced it so that when we got back from our day ashore we had cold champagne and clean glasses to drink out of. Also, the Thalassotheraphy Pool on Mercury is awesome -- there's all kinds of bubble jets and squirting water, etc, to soothe your muscles. It's a hot tub on steroids, with mineral water, a nearby steam room, and very very comfortable lounge chairs nearby. Do check it out early in the trip -- if you're not in a suite, you can buy a trip-long pass for unlimited usage. And if you are in a suite, you can use it for no extra charge. We ended up going in there nealry every day because we liked it so much.

 

The food on Mercury was not as good as what I had had previously on Century (very good) or Horizon (excellent). However, Mercury was very nice and if you keep in mind the good value you're getting on your cruise rate then it's definitely a very good trip!!

 

Mom & I are doing transcanal in 2007 on Summit. We had a choice between Mercury and Summit but we chose Summit for a few reasons, even though it was a little more expensive. First off, we've never been on an M-Class ship and so we wanted to try one. Second off, I've never been on a 14-night cruise and figured I'd better get on the biggest Celebrity ship I could (I adore Celebrity) so that I wouldn't go stir crazy. Third off, suites on either ship were a bit out of our price range so we decided to go for an aft Concierge Class cabin, and Mercury didn't have any of those.

 

I guess if you are having cold feet you could look into shifting your booking to Summit, assuming she is doing a full trans-canal trip about that same time of year. If not, Mercury won't be bad. I'd certainly rather sail Mercury than stay home, and would rather be on Mercury in December than in potentially wet, cold, and submerged Venice.

[JNLROSE]

Caviargirl, can you please email me, I would love to have some of your opinions on Italy travel on one's own during the "off months"!:D

[Clipper]

Thank you so much, everyone, for your input. I knew Venice would be cold, possibly rainy, and possibly flooded, but thought perhaps that would add an atmospheric and haunting touch. Another thought for going (way) off-season was to avoid the crowding. I was in Brugges last May and, while it plainly was a charming place, we tourists had so overrun it that it was difficult to enjoy its attractions. My fear is that Venice in high season might be the same way.

 

There is also a Crystal ship doing the Panama Canal about the same time in December, though it is about two and a half times the price for a smaller balcony cabin. I don't know if Crystal is that much better to justify such a steep increase.

 

Melbcruise: We are sailing Whisper out of San Juan on a 7-day southern caribbean cruise as an introduction to the luxury category. We'd be interested to see if we'd are happier with a smaller cabin on a line like that than with a larger suite mainstream. Lately, I've thought that the money we've spent for the suites on the mainstream lines hasn't been a particularly good value for what we got compared to spending the same money for a good hotel. That, I guess, is essentially what my question here is all about. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Thank you all, again, for your comments. They've certainly given us more food for thought.

[Liat]

We sailed the canal on Infinity in November 2002 and loved it. My thorough review is at http://www.cruisereviews.com. Click on Celebrity and then on Infinity and look under my name, Philip M. Haggerty, for the canal cruise. [i also have an Infinity- Hawaii review at the same location]

We sailed to Venice at the conclusion of a Millennium Med cruise in May 2003, and spent one night there aboard ship and two nights in a hotel.

Everyone says NOT to go to Venice in the winter, and I suspect they are right. But even in the best times [May, before the hordes descend or September. after they leave], I would not recommend a whole week there unless you are really an art and architecture nut (pardon me- afficianado).

Wait until you can take a cruise that ends there and spend a couple of extra days like we did.

We are sailing on Crystal at the end of this month for the first time; and look forward to it. But no way is it worth 2 and half Celebritys. We took Mercury around Cape Horn in January 2002 and thought it was one of our best cruises.

Even if Mercury is a little long in the tooth, Celebrity does an excellent job, and the price is right!

[Cruise Arizona]

Went to Venice 15 years ago when I was a college senior on a trip with my choir. We stayed at a youth hostel, so I would think that staying at a nice hotel would be such an improvement over that, that I don't think I'd notice the cold and the damp. I would think the lack of crowds might make up for the weather, however you may find youself having to do your touring under an umbrella and wearing duck boots.

 

It was cold and damp when I was there in early March, San Marcos was flooded a couple of nights, but the over all experience was amazing. I loved shopping, walking around the winding streets, checking out all the beautiful churches and historic buildings. The food was great, and my first exposure to true Italian food, not Italian American.

 

However DH and I went on Mercury two years ago. (Perhaps the ship has more wear and tear since then) But we found it to be absolutely delightful. We loved the fact that the ship never felt crowded. We just had a regular ocean view cabin, so I can't really comment on service or extras in the sky suite, but we loved it. Pax were great, and you could do as little or as much as you want to do.

 

I think if you choose venice you will need to go with the attitude that you might have lousey weather. If you do the Mercury, your compromise would be that you are on a smaller older ship, though these were not compromises at all for us.