REVIEW - MERCURY, May 8th, 11nt Alaska. VERY LONG!

[YYC F/A]

First off, this review is VERY LONG, so please stick with me here! If you're interested in our experience on the Mercury, then go grab a coffee or something stronger and settle-in for the long-haul! ;) :D

 

There was myself and my partner on this 11 night repostioning / Alaska cruise on the Mercury. I've broken down review into a few different areas. These are my views of Celebrity and the Mercury in particular. I have tried to be as balanced and factual as possible, and these are my experiences: Please, no flaming or bashing! Thanks!

 

EMBARKATION:

 

The Passenger Services Act (sometimes confused with the Jones Act) regulates that a non-US flagged ship cannot ORIGINATE from one US port and TERMINATE in a DIFFERENT US port without a stop in a 'distant' foreign port of call. Canadian ports of call do not qualify as 'distant', so this cruise in order to finish in Seattle had to start outside of the US. The embarkation point was Ensenada.

 

Celebrity asked guests to convene at the San Diego Airport on the day of sailing, where bus transportation would transport guests to the ship in Mexico.

 

We arrived at the San Diego Airport after a pre-cruise stay at the San Diego Sheraton to find a scene of mild chaos.

 

There was a lot of confusion at the airport and at the designated Celebrity area as to where to put bags, where to line up for 'bus boarding passes', and once one had done all this, where to line up to board the buses. People milled around, there was no signage, and no proper co-ordination. Given that the bags were being 'checked' here and not seen again til the ship, there was a lot of bags strewn everywhere. There was further arguing between bus drivers and the Celebrity Reps over whether "carry on" bags for the ship could go in the bus hold as the Reps insisted this would cause delays at the Mexican border.

 

We turned up at the Celebrity 'area' outside the arrivals hall about noon, and after about 2 hours, we were finally off. Unfortunately, the driver of our bus spoke no English, and when we arrived at the Coral Hotel, we pulled to a stop behind a long line of other buses, and the engine was switched off. The doors remained closed, and we eventually realised we were not going to be able to get off the bus after all (although no one actually spoke to us or gave us any information as to the hold up or what was going on). We sat on the bus just under an hour at the hotel before finally being allowed off to check-in, and then reboard another bus for the journey to the pier. Check-in was smooth in the hotel, but that was because there were no lines because everyone was being held cooped up in the buses! With keycard in hand, we finally looked forward to boarding the ship, but alas, when our bus pulled up alongside the ship, it was with several other buses, and we were once again kept on the bus, this time for about 45minutes, again with no information or word from the driver or any representatives. When we finally were permitted to leave the bus and pass through security, there was yet another long line up on the dock to board the ship.

 

By the time we boarded the ship, it was after 5pm, and we were on one of the first buses to leave San Diego! This fiasco meant that people were still lining up to board the ship even after dark, and as a result the muster drill was postponed to the following day and the ships sailing was slightly delayed. Luggage didn't arrive at our stateroom until after 10pm, and given that we were not permitted to "carry on" anything larger than what could fit on our laps or under the seat on the bus, I had no change of clothes or even any toiletries to freshen up until I got back to our stateroom after dinner. As Brian has posted on his review of the same sailing, the 'welcome aboard' champagne was laughable - the glasses are absolutely tiny to begin with, but they were only 1/3rd filled... I had to do a double take as I thought I was being handed one that had already been used/partially consumed!

 

I don't judge a cruise, and in particular, a specific ship, by embarkation or disembarkation. In this instance however, I felt it pertinent to detail the troubles we encountered. It certainly wasn't a hassle free or relaxing start to our vacation. HAL seems to have a much better idea of handling the start/end of Alaska season repo cruises - instead of starting in Ensenada, start in San Diego but finish up in Vancouver instead of Seattle thereby satisfying the Passenger Services Act regulations. This negates all the hassles such as we encountered. Holland America then operates a 'one-off' itinerary to Alaska from Vancouver and back into Seattle to position it for the season, or they do a 1night sailing from Vancouver to Seattle to position. Much more civilised!

 

OUR STATEROOM

 

We booked a Sky Suite on the Sky Deck (12). The suite itself was nicely decorated with maple/walnut type wood panelling, marble surfaces and dark blue carpet. Calling it a 'Suite' is a bit of stretch as it is all one room and there isn't even any real seperation between the sitting area and the bed, however for the 2 of us it was more than adequate, and the closet/drawer space was good. One nifty thing was the little 'pantry' area next to the bathroom where the Butler keeps crockery, a selection of glassware and sugars/salt and pepper/table settings etc. The sofa and armchairs showed some wear and tear, and one of the sham pillows on the bed was dirty with a large greasy/oily stain and had obviously not been replaced from the previous cruise. Despite my removing the sham and leaving it on the floor/next to replacement towels etc, it never was replaced and the same dirty cover just ended up being put back on the pillow on the bed, so in the end we just stuffed the whole pillow away.

 

The balcony on the Sky Deck Sky Suites is really more of a 'terrace' as it is built on top of the jut-out windows from the Palm Springs Cafe below, and it is very large with nice teak decking, and furnished with 2 padded sun loungers, 2 other padded chairs and a full size table. It had obviously not been washed down from the previous Mexican Riviera cruise as there was still salt stains on the plexiglas and sand on the teak decking. The outside areas and windows/balcony glass were not cleaned during our voyage which I found surprising. NCL seems to be constantly pressure washing down the outside decks and windows.

 

A note posted on the door stated that fresh flowers had been held up by Mexican customs, and as such we'd have none until San Francisco. In the event, we never did get any flowers throughout the 11 day voyage. It's but a minor detail, but there were several little touches like this that seemed to be missing this time around on Celebrity.

 

Our stateroom attendants were smiling and friendly, but we had less interaction with them during our 11 night voyage than perhaps any other cruise we have been on. This is not necessarily a criticism, and I could certainly say that the service was 'discreet' and 'unobtrusive' which suits us well, but on other cruises we have usually ended up chatting to our attendants and getting to know a little bit about them and where they're from etc.

 

Our stateroom was always turned down efficiently, and our attendants were hardworking, but there is obviously not enough time for them to adequately give each stateroom a thorough clean between one sailing and the next.

 

THE BUTLER

 

We've never had a butler before, and it was somewhat of a novelty. On the whole, we're very self sufficient and I always feel somewhat embarrassed asking others to get things or do things for me... However, our Butler, Elias, was omnipresent and went to great lengths to assure us that he really wanted to take care of us; He seemed genuinely upset if he observed me bringing coffees or snacks back to the suite, gently chiding me and telling me that I should have called him to get them for us, which made me smile.

 

The Butler brings afternoon tea about 4pm on a trolley, with a selection of finger sandwiches, pastries and cakes as well as coffees and teas. At about 6pm, a plate of hors d'oeuvres is delivered, but in common with many CC posters, I found these to be of dubious quality and they usually were left untouched. One nice touch which is not really advertised was the ability to order Cova Cafe coffees via the Butler and have them delivered at no charge. I found it ironic that to have them delivered was complimentary, but if we were to go to the Cafe ourselves, we would have to pay. Maybe something Celebrity could change, as it's nice to soak up the atmosphere of the Cova Cafe and socialise sometimes.

 

We invited some friends over to our suite for sailaway from Ketchikan one evening, and Elias organised some hors d'oeuvres and a cheese/fruit plate which was a nice touch. Breakfast, when ordered through room service, was always delivered by Elias and the table was set with a linen and the correct place settings using the 'nice' silverware/crockery from the main dining room.

 

One evening, we elected to do 'in-suite dining'. Elias bought us the full dining room menu of the day with the afternoon tea and arranged a time to serve the dinner. The dinner was served and cleared course by course, and was a great way to enjoy a private/romantic dinner for two, being able to take in and enjoy the great views of the Lynn Passage passing us by outside our balcony door.

 

Assistance with packing/unpacking was not offered (not that we wanted/needed it anyway), and we were not able to get our shoes shined and would rather that a shoe shine sponge just be provided in the room.

 

 

THE SHIP - PUBLIC ROOMS

 

There was the occasional evidence of the previously documented 'bleach cruises' such as the odd faded sign, the occasional elevator button that didn't work... but on the whole, I found the ship to be in good condition. No, she didn't look 'brand new', but nor did I feel she 'tatty and ratty' as some others had posted. In fact, I was impressed with the cleanliness, decor and general ambiance in the public rooms. The Cova Cafe in particular is a beautiful area with rich colours and a stylish and comfortable feel. Some carpets had obviously been recently replaced, and I could not fault the QUALITY of the interiors and decor of the public rooms... I would say that many of the public areas are somewhat bland compared to the M class ships, and certainly compared to the brighter colours and bold design of HAL's Vista Class fleet... but decor is after all a very personal matter of taste.

 

There *IS* as others have posted, a lack of artwork around the ship compared to other ships in the fleet. The emphasis is on photographs and prints rather than actual art pieces, and many of the photo-collages were bland and didn't lend much ambiance. Even a lot of the NCL ships have more artwork than the Mercury.

 

I found that the Mercury absorbed it's full passenger load very well, with no real crowding (the exception being the Palm Springs Cafe - see below). Unlike as Brian posted in his review of the ship, I found that passenger flow was very good. The only 'stairs to nowhere' are the stairs to the dining room at the aft where it is not possible to move forward unless you go up one deck, but this is due to the placement of the ships galley, and it has been noted that such placement on the C class ships is actually beneficial to the service in the dining room/facilitates the serving of hot food as hot etc.

 

Indeed - the 3 sets of stairs and elevators on the Mercury made getting around a breeze, unlike the larger Radiance Class ships of RCI where the lack of aft elevators is a major flaw. The aft open deck areas also had an outdoor staircase which were barely used and were a neat way of getting up and down - the outside aft deck areas were also nicely tucked out of the way and very secluded.

 

OUTSIDE DECKS / POOLS

 

As above, I loved all the little deck spaces at the very aft of the ship - underused, out of the way, and shaded from the wind with a great view of the ships wake. All in all, I'd say that the outside deck space on the Mercury is one of her strongest features - but somewhat wasted for the most part on an Alaska cruise. On the Mexican Riviera sailings she has several quieter out of the way open spaces with loungers in addition to the main lido deck pool areas and surrounding balcony deck.

 

The main pool is actually split into two pools in the main mid-ships pool area. Unfortunately, the temperature of the pool was very cool and I didn't once in the entire 11 days observe anyone use these pools! There is another pool at the aft with a magrodome cover... this pool was unfortunately taken over by the kids, there pool area a few decks below being unused due to the cool climate.

 

For the adults, it was pretty much the Hot Tubs or the T-Pool. Sadly, the Hot Tubs were not so much 'hot' as 'barely luke warm'. One would have thought that for the chilly Alaska climate, there more than anywhere the hot tubs would be nice and toasty. Sadly not, the temperature of the Hot Tubs was remarked on by everyone, and we identified it day in day out to the 'Pool Butlers', bartenders working the pool deck, and indeed anyone who walked by with a name badge. Everytime we'd get the same line: "I'll call 'them' and let them know". Who 'them' was I can't say, but the temperature of the hot tubs remained poor throughout the entire 11 days.

 

The T-Pool was warmer, and the jets powerful. Suite guests are entitled to free use of the T-Pool, other guests can pay (a somewhat steep) $20 per use or $99 per cruise fee. Despite being entitled to free use of the T-Pool, the Spa Manager tried to charge us for it's use on the first day/sell us the $99 pass. I can only assume that she a) knew we were entitled to complimentary access but was trying to boost sales/commissions or b) doesn't know how to identify suite guests (it's not difficult, the key cards are a different colour!). Either way, not very impressive, especially for the Manager.

 

DINING

 

The main Manhattan Dining Room is beautifully appointed, and the Maitre D had done a good job of assigning us to a table with guests of a similar age. Being 28 and 31, we were some of the youngest guests on board, but we were seated with 3 other 20/30-something couples, including 2 other Canadians. We made good friends with our dining room companions and our nightly dinners were a highlight of the trip. Service from our Waiter and Assistant Waiter was exceptional, with truly amazing attention to detail. Lemons were requested for the water on the first night, and subsequently the table was always set with 2 dishes of lemon wedges every evening. The bread sticks were always the first to go, and do our Assistant Waiter always stocked up our bread baskets with plenty of extra bread sticks every night. Our waiter enquired individually as to how everyones steaks were cooked, and immediately rushed to replace a couple of 'mediums' that were cooked 'well done'. It's all the little touches like that which differentiate 'good' service from 'excellent'.

 

Having both a Sommelier for wine and bar staff for bar service drinks in addition to the wait staff team DOES make a tangible difference. On RCI, our assistant waiters have always been so rushed off their feet getting wine/drinks etc. that the service level can really suffer - not so on Celebrity - and this one thing alone contributes significantly to a better overall dining experience in the main dining room.

 

The quality of the food was good, though I'd hesitate to call it 'gourmet' as the brochures tout. However, it was nicely presented, and unlike RCI who seem to consistently fail on this score, the food was always piping hot.

 

Unfortunately, the Palm Springs Cafe did not live up to the Manhattan restaurant. The selection at lunch was often pretty dismal, the food barely hot, and the service was mediocre at best. The trays lined with linens, linen wrapped silverware, smiling waiters to hand you the trays or help you find an open table - non existent. My biggest bug bear of all with the Palm Springs was the lines. Long lines. Everywhere. All the time. Unfortunately, the poor design of the layout of the food service areas is such that one ends up in a long cafeteria style line, shuffling one's tray along slowly whilst one's food goes cold(er). Ships like Jewel of the Seas have it down pat with the seperate stations dotted around meaning one can 'dive in and out' and quickly serve oneself without the long snaking lines. One of our dining companions stated that by the end of the cruise, she just couldn't face visiting the Palm Springs again - she was just so 'over the line-ups and the mediocre food'.

 

Room Service was acceptable, if somewhat uninspired in menu selection.

 

The outdoor Grill area had a selection of hot dogs and burgers, and these were all freshly cooked and served hot with a nice selection of accompaniments.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

Neither of us is big fans of the 'razzle dazzle' dance review type shows, and we were disappointed at the poor selection of entertainment on board. Some lines have seperate lounges with comedy acts etc. but there was only one night with a Comedian (Noodles - who delivered a humorous but well-rehearsed script that was tailored and tamed to the type of audience on board).

 

Like the ships decor and artwork, entertainment is very subjective and it's hard to please everyone, however I would say that the entertainment aboard the Mercury was nothing to write home about. We ended up spending most of our time (and way too much money!!!) in the Casino where, whilst our luck may have been somewhat dubious, the Casino Staff were noteworthy in their friendliness. I've never been to a Casino with such friendly and approachable dealers and staff - top marks.

 

We also spent a fair bit of time in the Navigator Club which served as the ships 'late nightclub/disco'. The DJ was accommodating on playing requests, even if he didn't have any of the recent chart or pop hits.

 

The Cruise Director, Stuart Turnbull was friendly and personable. He was omnipresent around the ship, would always smile and say hello, and was definitely one of the better Cruise Directors we've had.

 

BAR SERVICE

 

Another disappointing area... with the exception of Nelson in the Casino Bar who quickly learnt your favourite drinks and knew just how you liked them, the bar service was below par. In particular, I was surprised at how pervasive the 'penny pinching' has become at Celebrity - a supposedly 'premium' cruise line. Drinks in most bars were strictly measured using a 1oz/2oz measure, no chance of getting a rowdy crowd with these drinks! In the Navigator club, I ordered Bombay and Tonic, but on one evening the tonic syrup ran out, so the drink was more like Gin and Water (eugh!). When I sent the drink back, there was no apology, I was curtly told that there would be no more tonic for the rest of the night. I ordered a Vodka and Grapefruit instead, and was annoyed to see that although I had been charged for a 'premium' level drink (Bombay) my replacement was made with generic/house brand vodka. When I asked if I could have Goose or at least Absolut vodka, I was flatly told no. On another occasion, I ordered 2 glasses of champagne. Evidently the bartender didn't have any in the bar, and when he returned with the bottle, he tried to push selling us the whole bottle. When I declined and again requested just 2 glasses, I got an eye roll and a sarky comment. I didn't push it, but it irks that one is still forced into paying an 'auto gratuity' for such shabby service.

 

OVERALL / GENERAL NOTES

 

As a physical ship, I liked Mercury. It lacks the 'wow' factor of the M Class, HAL or even some of the RCI ships, but I liked things such as the real teak decks - I can't stand the horrible non-slip or blue bubble plastic that some ships use. The large amount of outside space, the little 'hidden' deck areas, and the fact that the ship seemed to absorb so many guests so well.

 

I loved our main dining room ambiance, and our service from our dedicated team was flawless... much better than NCL's 'freestyle' concept where service is hit and miss at best.

 

Our Captain (who I have subsequently learned has been dismissed from Celebrity after the alcohol testing affair in Seattle on our return) might as well have not existed. We didn't hear or see him once until day 10 of the cruise when he made a (very) brief announcement about our routing. Whilst I appreciate Celebrity's 'no announcement' policy, we've always in the past had our Captain make an announcement once a day with details of our routing, ships heading, speed, expected weather, etc. and it is usually followed by the once a day Cruise Director spiel.

 

Overall, I found that the notion of Celebrity as a 'premium' line is somewhat lacking. All the little details, the absence of things one is promised, the pervasive penny pinching... when taken in isolation, they seem trivial. But, to quote HAL in their most recent marketing literature "It's just a little thing - but is it? Those little details are what build the ship". I couldn't agree more. And whilst those missing details or little annoyances didn't ruin my vacation, it did give me pause for thought.

 

To be honest, the difference between RCI and Celebrity seems to be narrowing all the time. Our experience on this cruise is such that Celebrity is still of a higher overall service than RCI, NCL, Princess etc. However, that 'difference' is only by a shade. All things being equal, I'd still go on Celebrity again if the price and itinerary were right. But my next cruise will probably be on HAL. I've only been on one HAL ship, so it remains to be seen whether HAL can deliver up a comparable or even better experience than Celebrity on a consistent basis... but whilst we enjoyed our vacation and the Mercury, I would question whether it was really that much better than our (cheaper) cruises on RCI's Jewel of the Seas, or NCL's Norwegian Spirit.

 

The Mercury offers a good all round cruise experience, but perhaps as a line, Celebrity is slightly overselling and under-delivering on the delivery of the product and the end experience.

[ocngypz]

Excellent review. Thank you.

[excitedofharpenden]

Thanks for the review YYC. I enjoyed reading it and thought it well balanced. Interesting to read from you the comparison with RCI and how the difference is narrowing. I haven't been on RCI so can't compare. I was surprised to read of your poor experience with bar service. I've never had a problem with ordering one or two glasses of champagne from a bottle. That was in Rendevous Square, where the turnover is more brisk, but it shouldn't really matter.

 

One question I have to ask you. If the pillow was dirty at the beginning, why didn't you tell your room steward or butler? I certainly would have, to get it changed and make the point to them for future.

 

Thanks again for taking time to write your review.

 

Phil

[Longboysfan]

Thanks for the information.

 

May want to stay away from Repo cruises where it's a one time stop in the embarcation port.

[bububr]

Non-bashing...and honest.

 

Thanks.

 

I am looking forward to my trip in September on the Mercury after the ".........." cruise I was on March 17th. It sounds like things are almost back to normal, withthe exception of the "little" things that we have also begun to find lacking. I have to also agree that the difference between RCCL and X is now only a shadow.

 

Dave:eek:

[poetic license]

You made some good points; thank you for a balanced review.

 

Cheers~

Nicki

[stinsowm]

Good review. Thank you very much.

[Andy]

Hello !

 

Thanks for the excellent and balanced review !

[SandyMc]

Wonderful review! I do agree wholeheartedly about the bar service - and your assessment of Nelson in the casino bar. He is the ONLY bar staff who ever bothered to learn what you drank much less your name.

 

Our trip on Mercury was the only cruise we have ever taken (others were RCI, HAL, Princess and NCL) where not one person in the other bars bothered to address any of us by name. In fact, the only time you were "acknowledged" was by the fabulous wait staff in the dining room!

 

The absolute worst service was the buffet - that coupled with bland, cold food and a very poor layout, made breakfast and lunch an ordeal rather than an event.

 

Your review sounds as if I could have written it - if the bleach had not overtaken our entire cruise.