Just Off Mercury - Feb 3 - 13

[Host Anne]

How I wish we were still sailing! ;) This was a terrific cruise and I hope to have my review finished and posted here later this evening. Mercury is in great ship and she has one of the best overall crews onboard that we've ever had. More coming soon.....

[cml3]

Can't wait to hear your review!!!! We are sailing March 17.

[STUR]

How I wish we were still sailing! ;) This was a terrific cruise and I hope to have my review finished and posted here later this evening. Mercury is in great ship and she has one of the best overall crews onboard that we've ever had. More coming soon.....

 

Glad to hear you had a great cruise .Cant wait to read your review .What kind of cabin did you have?

 

We are booked fo 11 Night Mexican Riviera out of San Diego January 29th,2007 We did book a Sky Suite on Sky Deck The cruise is a little less rhan a year off (b/4 you know it January will be here)

 

if you have any extra info you can e-mail me stur2@woh.rr.com

 

Stur Dayton,Ohio:)

[Host Anne]

Here's a start....I didn't get it finished this evening as lack of sleep last night is now catching up with me. I'll try to finish up tomorrow. ENJOY!

 

Celebrity Mercury – February 3 – 13, 2006

Cabin 1201 – Deck 12 – Concierge Class

Mexican Riviera

For me, getting up the morning of a cruise is just like Christmas. The anticipation is so high that it’s difficult to sleep in. You just want to get up and get on the ship. This cruise was no different. We were staying at the Holiday Inn on the Bay right across the street from where the ship docks – I mean RIGHT across the street from the pier. We were so close that you could tell you’d be able to “reach out and touch the ship.”

SAN DIEGO

We arrived in San Diego on Wednesday, Feb. 1, two days prior to embarkation. We always arrive in our departure city at least a day prior to departure. We almost missed a ship years ago when our plane experienced mechanical difficulties the day of the ship’s departure. We haven’t traveled on departure day since. Since we were flying in from the east coast, it was also nice to arrive a few days early and adjust to the time change. Additionally, we had some business meetings in San Diego so arriving on Wednesday was perfect.

We checked into our hotel – the Holiday Inn on the Bay around 2:00 PM. We had gotten the hotel for $80 a night on Priceline. The front desk person checking us in was a new hire (we later found out). She initially told me there were no non-smoking rooms available. After speaking with her for several minutes, she said she “found” a non-smoking room. Then she wrote our room number (1070) on the key packet and sent us to Tower 2 (the north tower). When we arrived on the 10th floor, there was no room numbered 1070. I found a staff person who told us that room was in the “south tower,” a good hike back across the lobby and outside to the other tower. Once on the tenth floor over there, our key would not open room 1070. As we were trying the keys for the fourth or fifth time, another guest opened the door and asked if he could help us. He was in room 1070 for several more days. I used my cell phone (there was no house phone available on the tenth floor) to call back to the front desk as we didn’t want to haul luggage around again and after 20 minutes of being put on hold and finally getting a manager on the phone, we were told the person checking us in wrote down the incorrect room number – we were actually in room 970, not 1070.

The room itself was fine and the restaurant in the hotel – the Elephant and Castle – had a great lunch. There is plenty to do right around the hotel and the Gaslamp District is just about six or seven blocks away. Thursday evening we dined at Trattoria La Strada and it was the perfect dinner to get us in the “cruise” mood. Food was outstanding and service equaled the food. We had a table for ten and they happily provided separate checks. We’d recommend a dinner there before or after a cruise – www.trattorialastrada.com.

All in all, a great place to stay pre-cruise.

DAY 1 - EMBARKATION

We woke up early on Sailaway day. As I mentioned, the anticipation was like Christmas morning. At 5:45 AM, I decided to get dressed and see if our “ship had come in.” If you rode the glass elevator facing the street in our tower, you would be looking directly at the pier. A quick look outside revealed dense fog and no ship. I thought I’d sit next to the picture window at the end of our hallway and watch for Mercury. However, the fog got thicker and even the lights across the street quickly faded. We decided to down to street level, grab some coffee and wait. The fog horn began blowing. Finally, like something out of the Twilight Zone, Mercury appeared as she slowly moved into the pier area. She wasn’t visible until she was halfway up the pier. It was eerie and amazing. Got some great photos.

After another cup of coffee at Starbuck’s with cruising friends, Kirk and Joe and their friend Erika, we finished some work and then packed up to head over to Mercury. We walked across the street about 11:20 AM and by 11:30 we were on the ship. We presented our express boarding printout (I printed out before leaving home) and we had our seapass within minutes. The longest line for embarkation was the five minutes or so in line to get your seapass photo as you entered the vessel. It wasn’t bad, though, as champagne and orange juice were being handed out (I mixed them to make a mimosa!). This was the quickest embarkation we’ve ever had.

We did our typical ship routine upon boarding. Dropped our carry-ons in our cabin and then set out to reacquaint ourselves with Mercury (we had sailed on her in 2000). We made appointments for a massage in the spa, checked out our dining table arrangements (12 of us had requested to be at two tables of six together) and then grabbed lunch in the Palm Springs Café (the buffet on deck 12).

I like the layout of Mercury’s buffet. There are four buffet lines in the main area (hint – go to the lines towards the rear of the ship as the lines are always much shorter) and then there is the pasta and pizza buffet at the back of the ship, starboard side. The buffet lines go in one direction (unlike the Grand Princess I just got off of that you could enter a line from two directions – more on that later). The flow seemed to work well. I opted for the pasta where you can select your type of pasta, the items you want in it (such as onion, peppers, spinach, etc), and the sauce (there were four – meat, marinara, alfredo and a veggie). It was outstanding.

After reading some recent reviews about Mercury, I was looking VERY closely at the condition of the ship as we walked around the first day. For a ship that is nearly ten years old (and considering what passengers do to ships), she is in fantastic condition. In fact, they were in the process of laying new carpet in the buffet area during the late evening hours. The overall condition of Mercury far surpasses the condition of the past three Princess ships I’ve been on (and I like Princess, too). Everything is clean and always being cleaned. Furniture is in very good condition. I noticed very little real wear anywhere in the ship. Anyone complaining about Mercury should be trying other ships to make a real comparison.

MUSTER (LIFE BOAT) DRILL

The muster drill took place at 4:15, 45 minutes before Sailaway. For years, I’ve had a problem with cruiselines that ask you to put on your life vest and then go to your muster station. First, some people don’t know how to put them on yet as they haven’t been instructed (don’t laugh, I’m serious). Second, it’s very dangerous walking up or down steps with a life vest on when you can’t see where you are going. This is one place where Princess shines. They request you to carry your life vest to your muster station where they will instruct you in the proper way to put it on and then you do it. By the time the Celebrity staff was trying to demonstrate how to put the vest on, no one was paying attention and no one could see actually, either. CRUISE CRITIC MEETING & SAILAWAY

I stopped and checked with the Captain’s Club Hostess, Delia, who told me our official Cruise Critic party was scheduled for the next morning at 10:00 AM. But our roll call had planned for an informal gathering following the muster drill. We met in Navigator’s Lounge to say hello and put faces with names. About 20 people showed up and it was great to finally meet everyone. As we pulled away from San Diego, many of us headed out to the Sky Bar for a Sailaway drink and watch San Diego fade away. It was rather chilly and overcast as we left so I highly recommend a light jacket or sweatshirt as it can often be cool leaving and returning to San Diego.

DINING ROOM

We had two tables on the upper level of the dining room. The are in near the rear of the ship and both tables had the same wait staff who were efficient and friendly although our assistant waiter, Luis, tended to be quiet and shy. My first unusual request was met with “I’ll see what I can do,” but was accomplished quickly. I like to ask for a small sample of the evening’s pasta entrée as my appetizer (on Princess, pasta used to be a course between the salad and entrée so I got used to it). The pasta was delicious and my prime rib entrée was delivered medium rare as requested (and also very good). We were off to a great start.

Still on east coast time, we called it an early evening and didn’t make it to see any entertainment on day 1.

DAY 2 – AT SEA

I love those words – “At Sea.” They are two of my favorite words! They mean relaxation, unwinding, no stress, not much to think about.

The Cruise Critic party went off beautifully at 10:00 AM in the Navigator’s Lounge on deck 12. I’d say the majority of those who signed up to attend the party did (thanks everyone!) and even though some of us met for Sailaway, it was great to meet additional Cruise Critic members along with some of the Celebrity staff. Uma is the Event Coordinator on board (that means she is the person who coordinates getting the invitations to your stateroom, arranging for the Navigator Lounge to be available, ordering food and beverages, and making sure some of the Cruise Staff is there to greet us. Sometimes I think we forget or don’t realize that there is a fair amount of time and effort that goes into planning these gatherings. Uma did a great job and the next time you attend a Cruise Critic party onboard Celebrity or Royal Caribbean, please be sure to thank the staff member who coordinated the party. They really appreciate it. Along with Uma, James from the Cruise Staff (now called the Activities staff) and Dru Pavlov, the Cruise Director, were on hand to welcome us. Thanks again to Uma and the staff for a very nice Cruise Critic get together!

We didn’t do much of anything else on day 2. We ate (always important), relaxed, played the Battle of the Sexes trivia game (the women take the lead!) and got our walk a mile in. It was a formal evening for dinner and I’d say the greater majority of the passengers adhered to the dress code. Men were equally split between tuxes and suits. Everyone looked terrific.

DAY 3 – Cabo San Lucas

This was one of those days that you thought would be a good one and it turned out to be fantastic. Based on some recommendations I read here on Cruise Critic, I booked the catamaran, Rissalena, for a half day whale watching cruise for our group of 12. This is a tender port so we all met to disembark together. Everyone in our group had priority tender tickets as well so getting off early was fairly quick and easy. It was a short tender ride to the dock and then we took a short water taxi ride ($3 per person) from the dock over to Rissalena’s dock. You could see it from the tender but it was on the opposite side of the marina from the tender dock. If you were walking, I’d say it was a good 15 – 20 minute dock around the marina. I’d suggest walking back if you want to check out the yacht’s located in the marina. Just amazing.

As we stepped on Rissalena, I knew it was going to exceed our expectations. To start, you can’t get a feel for just how pretty this vessel is on line. Owner and Captain, Eduardo, built Rissalena himself. It is perfect to do these kinds of excursions. There was seating for nearly everyone on cushioned areas, the restroom was amazing and spotless, and Eduardo’s crew of three treated us like royalty. The first question they asked was “what would everyone like to drink?” At 10:00 AM in the morning, it would never have occurred to me to have a margarita. But after listening to everyone say how good they were (they were made from scratch including hand squeezing the limes) I had to have one. It was hands down the best margarita I’ve ever had. We got the recipe and I’ll include it at the end of the review. We sailed out of the harbor and first stopped at Cabo’s famous rock formations where the crew took photos (using your own camera) of everyone in front of the famous Cabo arch. We then got us close and personal with the resident sea lions (man do they smell awful) before heading out to open water. It didn’t take but a few minutes to spot whales. They are amazing creatures and we spent most of the next hour watching and following them. Got plenty of great photos!

By the time we had finished with whale watching, the crew had set a wonderful buffet lunch of grilled chicken, rice, pasta salad (with a kick), salad, and fresh fruit. And of course, more margaritas. Everything was delicious!

As we finished lunch, we cruised to the south of Cabo San Lucas for a closer look at some of the beautiful resorts that line the beaches.

We have been on many, many shore excursions over the years all around the world. Rissalena ranked up there in the top three of our all time favorite excursions. Besides being a fabulous excursion, it was a bargain. It included the whale watching, open bar and lunch for $45 (booked back in October of 2005). Eduardo tells me his rates have increased to $50 for 2006 – still a terrific bargain! Rissalena is booked far in advance so I highly suggest contacting Eduardo well ahead of your cruise if you are considering this excursion. You can contact him at: rissacat@prodigy.net.mx or visit the Rissalena website.

BACK ON BOARD

We have late dining which allows for a “little” snack in the late afternoon. Today we opted for a slice of pizza (it was very good) as we watched the sunset.

Tonight was a casual night and we had a pre-dinner show – Gaby and Jean-Paul, a Cirque-type acrobat team who were very entertaining (how DO they do some of that stuff?). Immediately following their show, Celebrity Idol was held and I got pulled out of the audience to serve as a “judge” along with Scott (a Celebrity dancer) and Colby (a Celebrity singer). There were four passenger contestants and three of the four sang Frank Sinatra songs. You never know what you are going to get at these types of competitions but in this case, all four passengers were outstanding….especially to get up in front of a theater full of other passengers. It was a lot of fun and perfect entertainment just before dinner.

DAY 4 – MAZATLAN

We had pre-arranged a tour through Mazatlan Frank – City and Colonial tour. Frank was already taking another group from Mercury that day so he arranged for another guide to take care of us. Ismael did a great job of showing us the sites. We headed out of town into the countryside where we made stops to see brick making by hand (pretty hot and labor intensive when doing it by hand) followed by a stop to see tiles made by hand (very pretty and very inexpensive – although heavy). Then it was a stop to see furniture making by hand (the items were beautiful but not easy to get home) and then we went onto the town of Concordia, a small town probably 25 miles southeast of Mazatlan. Our stop here was marred by a restroom stop where the only word I can use to describe the restrooms were disgusting. They were public restrooms and I won’t go into graphic detail but suffice it to say it really put a damper on the day for everyone. If you are wondering “why did people use them,” there wasn’t any choice. We were at least 45 minutes back to town where we were having lunch and people in our group really needed a restroom.

The good news is that our lunch stop was at Tony’s Restaurant on the beach back in Mazatlan. The view was awesome (check out this sandcastle on the beach) and the food was very, very good.

On the way back to the ship, Ismael took us on a scenic road overlooking the Pacific where we made several stops to take photos. The views were breathtaking.

DAY 5 – AT SEA

Another relaxing day at sea. A little reading by the pool (while the pool chairs did fill, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it usually is. You could usually find a chair in the pool area and Mercury has lots of different places on where you can find a chair to relax out on deck. Some of the best are located aft on decks 8, 9 and 10. Very quiet and it takes a couple of days for people to find these spots.

We also fill sea days with playing trivia, wine tastings, meeting friends for lunch or afternoon coffee or tea, and getting our mile or two walk in (we like to walk the promenade deck …. I dislike the walking tracks that go around the top deck of the pool. Unless you are out there early in the morning, you are always dodging pool chairs and people. The promenade is much more “walkable” even though you can’t go all the way around on Mercury (we cut across the inside just before you enter the Celebrity theater.

We had a birthday celebration this evening for our friend Emery’s who was traveling with us. We met for drinks in the Rendez-Vous lounge before dinner and made sure our wait staff gave him the “traditional” happy birthday singing and dessert after dinner. This was our second formal night and perfect for a birthday celebration.

After dinner we took in the Broadway hits show by the Celebrity singers and dancers. If you’ve cruised a lot, it was pretty typical Broadway entertainment, but all of the singers and dancers were very talented and the orchestra sounded great, too.

DAY 6 – ACAPULCO

We took a taxi to the Acapulco Princess (now a Fairmont hotel). What a delightful day. We paid $35 for a day pass to use the resort facilities. This got us beach chairs with a cabana, chairs poolside and access to the hotel itself. We ate lunch at the beach restaurant and spent most of the day swimming and exploring the variety of pools. We debated whether to go back to the ship for sunset but decided it was so nice at the resort that we decided to stay for appetizers and drinks and watch sunset from the beach. As we got a table at the restaurant, we discovered the hotel had a program where they raised and released baby sea turtles. As luck would have it, this was a day when they were releasing baby sea turtles at sunset. It was amazing. They were about three inches long and oh so cute. We each got to pick one up and “name it” and when told, we all released them at the same time. It was a wonderful experience and a fabulous sunset as well.

On the drive back to the ship (we were in port here until 11:00 PM), the lights of Acapulco were all aglow and the city took on a “Vegas-like” feel to it with the many high-rise hotels, neon lights, new malls, and restaurants. This is one big city.

Just before Sailaway, the pool deck was transformed into an island paradise and everyone partied the night away to the sounds of the pool band (Intenze – they were AWESOME) and grazed on the outdoor buffets set up by the dining staff. It was a perfect night for an island party outdoors and everyone seemed to have a great night. Sailaway from Acapulco was beautiful and we were even treated to a brief fireworks show.

[Host Anne]

Stur ~ just moved from Cincinnati to Florida (haven't even begun to unpack yet). We didn't time the cruise to be in the middle of a move...it just ended up that way. You'll enjoy the Sky Suite. Convenient to many things. But it is strange to have to walk down a flight of stairs to get to the buffet area. You'll enjoy this cruise alot. Let me know if you have questions as you read through my neverending dialog! That goes for everyone!

 

Happy reading!

[Lyn2005]

The sailaway from Acapulco was something I will never forget as long as I live. It was just magical. The crescent moon looked like it was sitting on the mountaintop and the hills just glimmered with lights. I've never experienced anything so spectacular.

[Andy]

Hi Anne !

 

Thanks for the great review, and Welcome to Florida ! Mercury is one of my favorite Celebrity ships. I hope she will be back in Florida in the next year or 2.

[stinsowm]

HI Anne,

 

Thank you...Thank you for the great review of Mercury. I can't wait to read the rest. I am taking my mother and we have cabin 1200 in CC class in April. Your details are teriffic. I am anxiouis to hear the rest and what you think of the CC class cabin on the sky deck. : )

 

Walter

[fun2travel]

Thanks for the awesome review. We leave on the ship Mar 6. Can't

wait to hear more.

[Texed]

Hello Anne.

 

Great review.:D

[excitedofharpenden]

Great review Anne. Oh how I wish I was back on Mercury.:( I agree on the look of the ship. A lot of our Cruise Critic group including myself really couldn't see what the fuss about the condition of the ship was all about. We thought she was beautiful. As time passes I miss the Mexican Riviera more and more. I thought I wouldn't be as impressed as say the Caribbean, but I loved the place. I think part of it was that there weren't the number of other cruise ships around and it felt less crowded. San Diego is a lovely starting point too.

 

Phil

[JNLROSE]

Hi Anne!

GREAT review! I knew you'd have a wonderful experience on Mercury. :D Isn't that view from the HI in SD wonderful when she's coming in? We also got some fabulous pix of Mercury sailing in on the morning of our departure.

[Fblack]

What is the attire these days on non-formal nights? Must men wear sports coats?

[mkringen]

As we got a table at the restaurant, we discovered the hotel had a program where they raised and released baby sea turtles. As luck would have it, this was a day when they were releasing baby sea turtles at sunset. It was amazing. They were about three inches long and oh so cute. We each got to pick one up and “name it” and when told, we all released them at the same time. It was a wonderful experience and a fabulous sunset as well.

 

This sounds alot like a shore excursion we have booked in Acapulco through X. But you got to do it for free. We will be touring a sea turtle facility too though. I think some of the money we pay goes to the facility for their projects. So it is for a good cause. Sound like you had a good end to your great day.

 

Michelle in SoCal

[nu2sea]

Nice review, Anne. Thanks for sharing your impressions with us. Makes me wish I were back aboard the Mercury. Maybe in 2007...

 

She does have a wonderful crew.

 

Susan

[Buckeye Geo]

Thanks for the great review. We leave on April 17th. This will be the second time on Mercury for us. I have one question "How did you get that $80 a night rate?" We are paying a great deal more. We book directly with the Hotel and they said that was the lowest price, ??????????

 

Hi Phil

[excitedofharpenden]

Hi George and to Joyce too!

 

Your cruise has come round very quickly:eek: I can answer how I got the rate of the equivalent of $80 on the HIOTB. Priceline and done early. About 9 months beforehand. The cheapest rate I found on the net was $149 and then I was advised by some nice folk on these boards to try Priceline and voila!

 

Have a great time on Mercury and tell us all about it when you get back.

 

Phil

[Cindy G]

Terrific insight....thanks!!!

[Lois R]

Hi Anne, what a wonderful review:D but I never expected anything

less from you:);)

I am sailing Mercury again in October. Different Itinerary but really

looking forward to sailing her again.

 

So you are down here in Florida now? Maybe one of these days

we can meet in person! Tell Andy and Amanda hello from me.

You know I always use those wonderful luggage tags you made me!

They are permanently around the handles of both my large piece and my

carry-on!

[Buckeye Geo]

Thanks for the info Phil....I tried, but I think because our cruise is the Monday after the Easter Weekend I think they were holding to the published rate. "OH WELL" you can't take it with you.

[MAN86]

We are also booked in April - thanks for the information. :)

[FinelyCruising]

Anne Thanks, we will be on her in just a short while and I can't wait to hear more!!!

[STUR]

Stur ~ just moved from Cincinnati to Florida (haven't even begun to unpack yet). We didn't time the cruise to be in the middle of a move...it just ended up that way. You'll enjoy the Sky Suite. Convenient to many things. But it is strange to have to walk down a flight of stairs to get to the buffet area. You'll enjoy this cruise alot. Let me know if you have questions as you read through my neverending dialog! That goes for everyone!

 

Happy reading!

Host Anne

 

You said you just moved to Fl. From Cincinnati My Wife and my Self Grew up In Cincinnati The old Avendale / Bond Hill And Roselawn (when it was Safe and Nice)

 

Cant wait to go an our Cruise A Year is a long way off But Befour we know it January 29th 2007 will be here Looking foward to the Sky Suite We booked

 

Stur Dayton,Ohio

[Host Anne]

Hi everyone....tried to finish up the rest of the review tonight but didn't get done with "real" work till 8:00 so hopefully I'll it posted tomorrow (sorry). It's so hard to come back to the real world. It gets in the way of all the fun stuff !!!!

 

Stur ~ we lived in Anderson! Small world!

[teedee]

What a wonderful review Anne - Thanks so much for posting. I'm looking forward to reading the rest. It's making me look forward to my April Mexican Riviera cruise on Mercury even more than I already was. I didn't know that was even possible!

Terri