Just Off Mercury - Feb 3 - 13

[a1moty]

Anne--haven't you heard about the 7 day grace period after cruising/vacations before returning 100% to the real world?

Just kidding--but one can dream! We leave on our cruise in 8 days and really hope that you'll have time to turn back on your fountain of knowledge before then:) ---

[Host Anne]

Hello all ~ a quick post from work. I leave for a biz trip on Saturday so I will have the rest posted before I leave. Boy, I sure didn't hear about that 7 day grace period. I sure could have used it! I already need another vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

[FinelyCruising]

Hi Anne!

 

Quick question for you....were the formal nights gown formal or pantsuit formal?

 

While I can go either way for this itin, I am trying to determine the savoir faire.

 

Thanks!

[Cruise Arizona]

We did the Merc to Mex. Riv two years ago, and had a fabulous time, and we'ved booked it for next fall as well.

 

Looks like things will be great in much the same way as they were last time.

 

Thanks for this balanced informative review.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

:p

Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance! I'm doin' the happy dance!

:p

 

I'm going on the Mercury in September and I was getting a little worried about her condition as I'm responsible for setting up this cruise with my DH, BIL and SIL. (I'm not a TA.) The last thing anyone wants to hear is "Why'd ya pick this???" Know what I mean? Well I booked us a couple of Sky Suites on the Sky Deck and I now think, thanks to Anne, that I can look forward to "Wow Ali! You did a great job!"

 

This is our second cruise, first was in '86, and I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks Anne, and all the rest of you positive-thinking folks!

[excitedofharpenden]

:p

Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance! I'm doin' the happy dance!

:p

 

I'm going on the Mercury in September and I was getting a little worried about her condition as I'm responsible for setting up this cruise with my DH, BIL and SIL. (I'm not a TA.) The last thing anyone wants to hear is "Why'd ya pick this???" Know what I mean? Well I booked us a couple of Sky Suites on the Sky Deck and I now think, thanks to Anne, that I can look forward to "Wow Ali! You did a great job!"

 

This is our second cruise, first was in '86, and I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks Anne, and all the rest of you positive-thinking folks!

Juneau, you'll love Mercury. I was on the Sky Deck in one of the balcony cabins, not a suite. It's a really good spot. Straight down the stairs or elevator to the cafe area and restaurant further down and very handy for the pool area and jogging track. There's even a hot tub not too far away if that's your thing.

 

Phil

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Thanks, Phil. I love these little info tips. I soak them up like a sponge. September can't get here soon enough!

 

Alison

[Lois R]

Hi Phil:) nice to see you.

 

Alison, I sail her In October so we can be excited at the same

time;) though I sailed her back in March '04 and had a fabulous

time. So I have no doubt your cruise will be wonderful as well.

[more from les]

Love the first half of the review Anne - will the second half arrive before the trip on Saturday I wonder.

 

We were very fortunate to be on the cruise with Anne - our first with a Cruise Critic host.... an enhancing experience.

 

My review is very different - posted on another thread -

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=297772

 

those planning to go on Mercury soon might pick up some ideas from a couple who cruise to a different drummer.

 

Cheers

Les

[Host Anne]

I'm still working on it....darn regular work keeps getting in the way. Thank goodness I'll be on a plane early tomorrow so I can really finish it, Les!

 

Les wrote and OUTSTANDING review in a unique and fun format. Be sure to check it out. Gotta pack....more to come.

[mahdnc]

Anne,

 

nice review! Looking forward to seeing the rest of it!!

[SuSu530]

What a great review!! I am taking that cruise in April and after having read your review I'm even more excited. Can't wait for the next chapter!

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed review.:)

[Host Anne]

Hi Guys ~ I apologize for the delay in getting the rest of this done but here it is. Pour a glass of wine or tea (or whatever you enjoy) ... I get very wordy! ENJOY!

 

DAY 7 – ZIHAUTANJO/IXTAPA

I had read that everyone loved this port and we can now understand why. Our time here, unfortunately, was short. We docked around 7:00 AM got off the ship around 9:00 AM. We tendered into Zihau and then took the water taxi to Las Gatas beach. $3 round trip for the water taxi. The beach is lined with small open air restaurants that all have beach chairs in front of them. Since we were only doing drinks, the chairs were $2.50 each. If we had been staying for lunch, the chairs would have been free. Port time here was short – 7:00 AM – 1:15 PM. We walked the beach, read, had a few drinks and a quesadilla. Our total bill for soft drinks, two beers and the food was $9. You can’t beat it.

Around 12:15, we headed back to the ship. As we got off the water taxi we noticed that the tender line to return to the ship was long extremely long so we walked through town for about a half hour while the line lessened. There were many nice shops in the village along with many of the same souvenir shops you see in all ports. There was a very nice rug shop where Mexican blankets/rugs were sold at reasonable prices. Turned out that some of our friends traveling with us bought one!

Once we got in line, it moved quickly (maybe a ten minute wait) and the crew served lemonade, water and cold towels. Nice touch and a good way to pass the wait.

DAY 8 – PUERTO VALLARTA

This was one of those “surprise” days. We booked a private van with Tony Sanchez here. He was great to communicate and make arrangements ahead of time. The cost for Tony and his van (that held 12 of us comfortably) was $200 !!!! That’s less than $20 per person. He brought along a cooler of soft drinks, water and beer for an additional $15 (for all of it … not per person!).

Our day began when we disembarked and our name was on a sign at the information desk. They paged Tony who promptly greeted us and took us to his van. It was very comfortable and made for a great way to see PV. We started with a short tour of the immediate area surrounding the port. Some very nice homes and resorts close by. We then drove to St. Michaels Church that is known for a huge hand carved Christ that is suspended above the church alter. It was just amazing. Surreal actually. Very different from anything we’ve ever seen in a Catholic church. Just beautiful.

From there we went to Nuevo Vallarta (which was nice as we drove through) and then onto the “Romantic Zone.” This is where we’d choose to stay if we were spending time on a land vacation. Narrow streets, great cafes and shops (Tony took us to a wonderful jewelry store – it’s the only place on this cruise that we bought anything). We walked to the beach where people were playing beach volleyball and we could see the ship docked in the distance. A delightful stop (could have stayed here longer).

Following our visit here, we headed to the “jungle” for lunch. As we left the paved road, everyone was wondering “where are we going.” After about a mile ride back a dirt road, we ended up in a parking lot where we then took a short walk to this spectacular setting (you felt like you were stepping back in time – someone said they felt like they were in Jurassic Park). Waterfalls, a series of palapas with tables that surrounded the waterfalls – how did they build this place way out here??? You gathered around the host who described the menu by showing you a tray of what was being offered (kind of like being on the ship). Then they showed you a board with the prices. It wasn’t inexpensive, but the food was good and the setting was breathtaking. This was a memorable spot that we will talk about for a long time to come.

If you are interested in contacting Tony to host your tour, here is his email: tonysan7@hotmail.com. He was absolutely wonderful and for me, this was my favorite stop overall on this itinerary.

Back on board, we celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Bob and Carole (friends sailing with us) with a wedding vows renewal we did on the aft deck just below the Palm Springs Café. We set it up ourselves (Carole and I planned it as a surprise for Bob) and the backdrop of Puerto Vallarta as we sailed away with Bob and Carole renewing their vows was wonderful. A bartender from the Palm Springs Bar came down and served us drinks. I brought along our bottle of Champagne that was in our room for being Concierge Class and friends Joe and Kirk brought their iPod stereo system (speakers and all) so we had music. Carole wrote the vows which were shared with 12 friends. It was a very special night. You can have Celebrity arrange a vows renewal package for you but they charge several hundred dollars to do it and our personal event was delightful. And Bob was indeed surprised.

DAY 9 – AT SEA

We needed a day at sea by now. Several days of ports in a row and a breather was really nice. We scheduled massages for this day (we did this when we boarded on day 1) and they were absolutely wonderful. I’ve never had a bad massage on a ship (although they are very expensive $120 for 50 minutes) but this one was particularly good. We were planning on trying to get a massage at the Krystal Resort in Puerto Vallarta ($30 for 60 minutes if you booked on-line or brought along the on-line printout) but our tour with Tony lasted longer than anticipated so the massage in the Aqua Spa was it for this trip. Massages are available for reasonable prices at most beaches and resorts on this trip (at the Acapulco Princess a massage on the beach was $1 per minute).

Our sea day rituals include a variety of activities – breakfast (of course – the waffle bar at the aft of the Palm Springs Café was outstanding), wine tasting this morning, trivia, lunch (burgers at the pool today – the best French fries at sea that we’ve found), Battle of the Sexes trivia (a cruise long tourney between men and women held on sea days), another birthday celebration and dinner.

Tonight we celebrated Kirk’s birthday. We all met in the Navigator’s Lounge for pre-dinner drinks (this is really a wonderful spot at night) and then went off to dinner. We unfortunately missed dining with our group this evening because we had been invited to the Captain’s table to dine with the Assistant Hotel Director, Marie Noel. While we were very sorry to miss the fun that took place for Kirk’s birthday in the dining room, we did thoroughly enjoy the dinner with Marie Noel. She hails from Montreal and has risen quickly through the ranks to become an officer. In conversation with her throughout the evening, I definitely got the impression that Celebrity is genuinely trying to raise the standards of its onboard customer service and she was sincere when she told us that mentioning a crew member by name on your evaluation form for outstanding service has a positive impact for the crew. They have implemented perks for crew members who receive mentions – a massage in the spa for example. So be sure to include the names of crew members who go above and beyond for you!

Unfortunately, I should have remembered to mention that Celebrity’s land-based customer service could use some improvement (you always forget about these things when you are onboard). I’ll never understand why the land-based operations have so much difficulty with communication to passengers pre-cruise. With computer technology today, everyone should be on the same page.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening and if Celebrity’s future is in the hands of staff such as Marie Noel, we’ll be cruising with Celebrity for a long time.

The gala midnight buffet was held this evening but we decided to call it a night just before they opened the doors. This cruise goes through a series of time changes (two nights on the front of the cruise where you lose an hour and then two nights at the end of the cruise where you gain an hour – the ship goes to port time, by the way) so time adjustment was a little tough. But I saw the photos that Les took and it looked beautiful as usual. If you’ve never gone to one, be sure to take it in.

DAY 10 – AT SEA

The last day. Always a little bittersweet. This day included much of the same activities as the day before with packing thrown in about mid-day. The weather turned cool today and by mid-afternoon we were shrouded in fog (we’ve never had this happen before). The fog horn was blowing (and did so for a couple of hours) and the pool deck was deserted by 3:00 PM due to the temperature and fog. It made for some great photos.

My only disappointment today was lunch. The pasta bar at the rear of Palm Springs Café had been so good all cruise that I wanted that for our last lunch. Being a sea day, the line was extremely long and the staff just couldn’t keep up (they stir fry your selected ingredients first and then add pasta that is reheated in hot water and drained, and then your choice of sauce(s). A sous chef jumped into help, but everything was rushed and the quality of previous days just wasn’t there. They didn’t drain the pasta well enough so when they added the sauce it turned more into soup than the yummy sauces we had throughout the cruise. But this was about my only food disappointment. The ribeye steak I had for dinner was surprisingly good; in fact, I found the majority of the beef dishes at dinner to be excellent.

We did two final trivia games the last day – Dru’s Serious Sports trivia followed by the final round of Battle of the Sexes (which the men unfortunately won). Dru and his entire staff did an outstanding job all cruise long to ensure the passengers had a good time. If someone didn’t enjoy the cruise (I heard one person who said they didn’t – there just weren’t enough “fun” things for them to do), I think it’s their own fault. While this cruise had a majority of older passengers sailing (I actually prefer to sail with older versus younger passengers), there were a fair amount of 20 somethings first-timers who were having a great time.

I must mention that while there were very few children on this sailing (only 12 in the children’s program), they were VERY well behaved AND their parents were very responsible. We were poolside reading one day and a little girl and her dad were swimming in the pool next to us. As she kicked and splashed he asked her to be cautious not to splash the people reading next to the pool. I saw several other instances similar to this. I love having kids around and those on this sailing were delightful.

DISEMBARKATION

Our flight was at 1:20 PM so we were not in a hurry to get off the ship. We had a leisurely breakfast at 8:00 AM in the dining room with others we had sailed with. We had several choices of disembarkation (our luggage tags were based on our flight time and our Captain’s Club Elite status – they have a separate area set up in the dining room with pastries and coffee while you wait). We were disembarking with friends so waited with them in their designated area (the cinema). Actually, the cinema was crowded so we waited in the library next door (it was empty). They do not make disembarkation announcements on Celebrity. You disembark at the time noted on the information you receive with your luggage tags. This seemed to work efficiently. Because we waited to disembark with friends, by the time we got to the terminal to collect our luggage, most of the other “orange” tagged luggage had been collected and ours was very easy to spot.

One unusual thing about disembarkation was customs. We walked off the ship and before collecting our luggage, the customs agent collected our immigration form and didn’t even ask to see our passport. Seemed a little strange given all the security concerns today but this proved to be one of the quickest disembarkations ever. And there was Marie Noel on the pier to say good-bye to guests as we left. We gathered our luggage and walked back across the street to the Holiday Inn (Joe and Kirk were staying another night). We sat in the lobby and worked for awhile and then caught the shuttle for the 5 minute ride to the airport. San Diego gets high marks for its cruise port ease.

To end this “journal,” just a few final comments:

SHIP STUFF

Having just gotten off a Princess ship several weeks before taking this cruise, it was a great opportunity to closely compare the two lines and the two ships. Don’t get me wrong, there is no bad cruise (and Princess did do some things better -- pizza; muster drill). Some are just better than others. And after being on two cruises so close to one another (this doesn’t happen very often), I can honestly say that we feel Celebrity is an overall better cruise experience for us. Others may feel differently but to us, Celebrity just offers better service, better food, better amenities (for the most part) and a better value for the money paid.

COULD USE IMPROVEMENT

High priced drinks – I had read about the increased drink prices and they are pretty shocking. My recommendation – buy a bottle of wine at one of the bars (they’ll keep it for you and you can go back for another glass anytime) – it’s far more cost effective.

Martini Bar – narrow layout of this area just outside the dining room makes it difficult to really enjoy the bar. It gets very crowded and it’s tough for a group to gather here. We still did it because Boom Boom the bartender was terrific but it would be nice if it weren’t such a small area.

Muster Drill – I won’t repeat everything I said earlier, but please stop having passengers going up and down stairs with life vests on before the drill.

Internet Service – While the staff serving the internet café was terrific (FAR better than on Grand Princess last month), the cost of Celebrity’s internet access is pretty outrageous -- $.75 per minute. Princess was $.35 per minute. While you could purchase a package of 100 minutes for $70 and reduce the per minute cost to $.70 per minute, there was no cruise long package (which would be really nice). Don’t get me wrong….I’m not in favor of even using a computer while on a cruise but unfortunately sometimes you can’t be away from work or family for 12 days and not have internet access.

THINGS WE LIKE ABOUT CELEBRITY & MERCURY

Crew -- In general, the staff on Celebrity has been outstanding. All crew greets you with a smile at all times of the day and that’s everyone from the guy cleaning the railings to officers. The crew on Mercury seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and the passengers. I’m sure they all have ups and downs like we do but you sure didn’t see it surface on this cruise. It’s amazing how many of them remember you by name and greet you that way throughout the cruise.

Nice Welcome -- Champagne and orange juice were provided upon boarding.

Cabin Escorts -- Crew members were available to escort you to your cabin if you wished (we knew where we were going so an escort wasn’t necessary).

Captain’s Club Cocktail Party -- At the Captain’s Club cocktail party for Elite and Select members, a wide variety of crew was in attendance and visited individually with passengers. This included members of the singers and dancers (I can’t ever recall a member of the dance cast approaching us to engage in a conversation) along with the officers, Captain’s Club hostess, etc.)

Returning to the Ship After Being in Port -- Cold towels, water, punch and lemonade distributed to everyone waiting for a tender or arriving back on the ship.

Constant Cleaning of the Ship – everywhere. From hand rails to elevators, to windows, to carpets. The cleaning never stopped.

Cruise Critic Party – very nicely done. Coffee, tea and pastries (at 11:00 AM the first sea day) with the event coordinator (Uma), Activities staff member (James) and Cruise Director (Dru) all in attendance to welcome us.

Activities Staff – Dru Pavlov and his team are among the best at sea. Rebecca, the Assistant Cruise Director (or Activities Director as they now call them) is Cruise Director material. Anyone who can handle Battle of the Sexes the way she did will move up! James & Quentin were awesome, too!

Sommeliers – Celebrity still has sommeliers in the dining room. They are non-existent on other mass market lines. Miriam, our sommelier on this cruise, was outstanding. If you enjoy their service, be sure to let Celebrity know we want to “Save Our Sommeliers” before they do away with them as a cost-cutting measure!

Café Cova – what a great place to have a coffee drink and listen to some great music. You can also get wireless internet service here (as well as in Michael’s Club).

Captain’s Club Elite Status & Concierge Class Perks – Elite brought us invitations to private events such as a galley tour, wine tasting, back stage tour and the Captain’s table invitation. Concierge class brought flowers in our cabin (on the desk and in the bathroom), a choice of pillows, bathrobes, Champagne; hors d’ourves each afternoon and an expanded breakfast room service menu (which is VERY nice).

Attire – The greater majority of people on Celebrity adhere to the requested evening attire. There was a good mix of tuxes and suites for men on formal night (there were three of these all on sea days) and a mix of gowns and cocktail dresses for women. Even on casual night (there were five of these), I don’t recall seeing many in jeans (if any). Attire certainly doesn’t affect our cruise but it is nice to see people dress as requested.

Pool Towels – We love having pool towels available pool side. The pool butlers did a good job at picking up (including books and towels left unattended for a long period of time). Your cabin attendant also leaves two beach towels in your cabin.

Special Attention – One member of our group had special dietary restrictions (gluten intolerant). Our head waiter was at our table every evening to review the menus for the next day with our guest with the dietary restrictions to ensure that they could develop a menu that was satisfactory. They even ensured a flourless chocolate cake for his birthday. Everyone in our group was impressed with the concern shown for special needs.

Mercury – The ship itself is among our very favorites. It’s big enough to have everything you’d want in a ship but not too big that it loses its “ship” feel like the megaships do. We don’t cruise to be amused by all the festivities on the big ships. We cruise to get away and relax.

Friends – It’s the best thing about cruising. We cruised with friends and met more on this cruise. There’s a special bond between people who enjoy cruising. It reminds us why we work so hard – so that we can enjoy cruising with friends!

SHORE EXCURSION RECAP

Cabo – Rissalena Whale Watching

Eduardo Padilla

rissacat@prodigy.net.mx

www.allaboutcabo.com/rissalena2.htm

RISSALENA MARGARITA RECIPE

· The juice of two small limes (really small limes – about the size of a golf ball -

- don't know if we can get them in the US – we heard we should try Costco)

· A shot (and a touch more) of GOOD tequila

· A shot of Cointreau

• A shot of simple syrup (sugar water)
  
• A splash of Sprite
  
• Serve over ice

Mazatlan – City & Colonial Tour

Mazatlan Frank

fkole2000@hotmail.com

www.mazatlan-frank.com

Acapulco – Acapulco Princess

www.fairmont.com

Puerto Vallarta – Tour with Tony Sanchez

tonysan7@hotmail.com

www.vallartasxlntours.com

HAPPY CRUISING!

[Host Anne]

Sorry the review got so long. If you'd like a copy of the review with photos in a pdf (might be easier to read) let me know and I'd be happy to email it to you! For those sailing on Mercury in the near future, please tell Dru, Rebecca, Delia and Uma we send our best ... AND have a fantastic cruise!

[Lois R]

WOW:D Anne, what a FABULOUS review!

I am glad I booked Mercury again! Different Itinerary than yours

but same ship;)

Now I have to wait until October:eek: but from reading everything

you wrote I can't wait!

 

Glad you had such a wonderful time!!!! And nice to have you

back:)

[FinelyCruising]

I simply can't wait!

[Host Anne]

Lois ~ you are so sweet ~ you'd LOVE any ship! Mercury will be waiting for you! :)

 

Finely ~ I didn't get to answe your earlier formal night attire question. We saw everything on formal night. I did see several women in formal pant suits (they looked terrific) but there were gowns and cocktail dresses, too. Whatever you decide will be terrific.

[FinelyCruising]

Thanks Anne! Right now, no matter what length or style, it's all in the color black! Also, the PV information was very helpful. Glad you had a great time. Thanks again!

[Host Anne]

Finely ~ you are most welcome. PV actually turned out to be my favorite port on this cruise (altho the whale watching on Rissalena was awesome, too but we didn't really spend anytime in Cabo itself). Have a fabulous time.

[Buckeye Geo]

Anne, thanks for the great review. I am sure we will have a wonderful cruise in April and plan to follow some of your great advice.

[stinsowm]

Hi Anne,

 

Cruising the Mercury end of April and can't wait and for the first time will be Elite as well as CC class on sky deck. I am anxious to order room service breakfast and sit out on our balcony. I am really excited and appreciate all the detail you provided regarding your cruise experience. I too have sailed Princess and like you enjoyed the cruise, but it was not the same as Celebrity.

 

Thanks,

Walter

[Chiliswick]

Thanks Anne for the great review. Could you send a copy to me?

Thanks

Maud

chiliswick@aol.com

[fun2travel]

Anne, thanks for the helpful info.

 

I would like to clarify something. Does the ship change time, so that it has the same time as PV, instead of being an hour different? I scheduled tours thinking the ship would be different. If they are on the same time, then I need to do a little work. Thanks for this heads up and please let me know for sure.

 

Thanks!

[rspro]

The ship absolutely changes to conform with local time at each port. The change is sometimes done earlier to take advantage of a day at sea, but when you hit port, ship time and local time are the same.

[STUR]

Host Anne

BEST REVIEW EVER

I SENT PRIVET E-MAIL FOR COPY OF REVIEW

ALSO A FEW ????

 

CANT WAIT FOR JANUARY 29TH,2007

 

STUR DAYTON,OHIO