Any tips for 1st time Celebrity (Mercury) Cruisers?

[rubrrick]

Save yourself the heartache and cancel Mercury.

 

Got to love the guy with 14 posts.....and knows all about X and the Mercury!

 

Without getting into an altercation...........both my DW's mother and father are joining us for our 10th anniversary on the Mercury in December, through the Panama Canal.

 

This will be our 5th trip on the Mercury. You bet......she is not the newest ship in the fleet........but she outshines some of the new ones with more class..........and just a cozy feeling. The food has always been first rate, and the service a step above other mass market lines.

 

Hommebronze has cruised with us ............or maybe we have cruised with them.........and they tell the story of the Mercury.

 

And then I listen to others that have cruised on this humble ship........and they have come away talking about the champagne bar.........or other memorable areas of the ship.

 

Watch for trolls!!..

 

Rick

[cruisin'mama]

I was on Mercury on the June 23 sailing in Sky Suite 1221. I LOVED it !!!!!!!!! Our butler was Mateus and was vey sweet and would bring us things without us even asking ( above the normal things they bring you ). He tried to anticipate our every want. Our verandah was huge and I spent LOTS of time enjoying the scenery from there. The location was very handy for the casual dining and I brought my food back to eat on my verandah many times. My son had the sushi one night and actually went and got it and ate in in the the showroom during the show and enjoyed it. I didn't go with him so I can't comment on the sushi bar. The food and the service on Mercury were excellent and I am trying to plan another cruise on her as soon as possible. I wouldn't hesitate at all booking on Mercury.

Have fun!

Cathy

[USNDiver]

A sincere thanks to all the veteran Celebrity cruisers for the information you provided (this should be a great cruise.) I wasn't aware of the problems the Mercury was having when I booked the cruise and, if I had known, I wouldn't have cared. I chose Celebrity because it offered the cruise I wanted at the time I wanted. I look at the recent problems like this, with all the negative press/reviews the Mercury has received (whether deserved or not) I'd be willing to bet that it is now the tightest run ship in the fleet. The Wife and I are still novice cruisers. Our first cruise was on the Grand Princess on it's 3rd cruise in the Carribean (very nice trip but it really set the bar high.) Our second was a 3 day trip, L.A. to Ensenada, on Carnival (no comment.) I think we're low maintenance passengers, if we can get a decent martini, a good meal, a clean cabin and a staff that makes the effort we'll be happy. Really looking forward to the trip and doing a review afterwards.

 

Again, thank you for the information.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dave

[SheilaNC]

Dave,

You'll love the Martinis on Mercury. Sit at the bar the first time and get to know the bartender (not sure how he spells his name but we called him Ronnie). He's delightful - loves to please his customers and acts like he's the owner of the bar. Thereafter if you grab a table, he'll remember you and always know your tastes - he'll even transport the martini to your dinner table if you're concerned about spilling. A real gem.

[first celebrity cruiser]

This will be our 5th trip on the Mercury. You bet......she is not the newest ship in the fleet........

 

To each their own - you obviously have much lower expectations than our family to do it five times. Once was enough - I could not imagine subjecting ourselves to that experience again. The constant lining up for everything, pushing and shoving to get off and back on at tender ports, bland overcooked food, scooter convention in the hallways (my daughter was knocked down twice by a scooter and they didn't even stop - hit and run on Celebrity) and army cot beds all led to a stressful vacation. Service was nice but not sufficient to make up for the many other shortcomings.

 

Again if you don't care for the finer things in life you are probably just fine. To us Celebrity was not as it advertised itself to be and certainly is no better than any other of the mass market lines - you just pay a little more for the same old stuff. We are off to Regent, Crystal, Seaborne, Silver Seas or Oceania - we will pay more, however, we presume this time we will get what we have paid for.

[libramitch]

We are booked to sail on her in October. I am more than happy to say that I am happy to belong to the group of people who have lower expectations. After reading the rest of the posts on this thread, I appear to be in good company.

[CRUZBUDS]

Wow - We're looking forward to our third trip on the Mercury in the past year. We love the Mercury, we didn't know our expectations were so low. :confused:

 

One word of advice - If you run into to any snobs on board - run the other way. They are usually pretty easy to spot - They're the one's not having a good time. ;)

[SheilaNC]

Jim and Allison,

Amen...we can't wait til our next Mercury cruise. Our first was so good. And people are always telling me that I'm toooo critical. Guess we'll look for you on our next cruise. Go Mercury!

[Lois R]

As you can easily read, there are many folks who have had

wonderful cruises on Mercury while others hated their experiences.

Yes, I know that hate is a strong wrong, but that is the impression

given on here.

 

I sailed Mercury in May for the 2nd time and it was a fantastic

week. My service, food and overall time was wonderful.

It was my first time to Alaska and that was just totally breathtaking:)

 

Both of my Mercury crusies are listed below in webshots and

yahoo, if you want to look at the photos.

 

As for the product Celebrity provides, for me personally, I love it.

Yes, maybe my expecations are different from the next persons,

but of course we are all individuals. That is what makes the

world go round.

Alaska was my 9th cruise on X~I keep coming back because

for me, I do get the finer things from them!

#10 is Millennium in December and I can't wait!

 

I hope you really enjoy your cruise:) ...if you see Zafer or

Richard (Dining Room Maitr'ds)...tell them Lois says hello!

[SheilaNC]

And tell Zafer hello from the Englebardts as well. He was so wonderful to our 5 grandchildren (along with Osman and Tony) and helped to arrange our anniversary and birthday celebrations....a real gem.

[USNDiver]

Wow - We're looking forward to our third trip on the Mercury in the past year. We love the Mercury, we didn't know our expectations were so low. :confused:

 

One word of advice - If you run into to any snobs on board - run the other way. They are usually pretty easy to spot - They're the one's not having a good time. ;)

 

WELL SAID!! - I'll be happy to drink a toast to low expectations, dry martini's & lack of snobbery. :D

 

Dave

[DC2OC]

Sailed Mercury in May and had a great time .The deck below the buffet is a great place to relax,not to crowded.Enjoyed the pastries a bit too much.Would sail the Mercury again.AND I'M SEMI-PICKEY...FRANK:D

[DancerOT]

While I have never been on Mercury, I have been on her sister ships, Century and Galaxy. I have always experienced wonderful service on Celebrity, whereas I have not always experienced this on other lines. The bottom line I have truly discovered is that a cruise is simply what you make of it. If you have a smile on your face, say hello, goodbye, and thank-you you will receive amazing service. Everyone wants to help the person with a smile on their face!

[RLM77]

We loved our March cruise on the Mercury so well, we have booked 4 more cruises on Celebrity! :D

 

What more can I say?

[GaryfmCol]

USNDiver: This Marine Colonel (Ret.) recommends that you wear your miniature medals on formal nights. After all, we are at war. I've reviewed the uniform manuals, and all permit wearing of medals on formal attire when appropriate. Your cruise is bound to include some important dates in the history of the US Navy (and if not, the U.S. Marine Corps!) If you are still on active duty, consider wearing the appropriate formal dress uniform. You won't be able to buy a drink for yourself!

 

We will be on the cruise with you

in March '07 for the T/A, on the MILLENNIUM. :D

(and, the Caribbean cruise before that too ;) )

 

Remind me to buy you a drink Colonel...

Semper Fi.

 

Looking forward to seeing you aboard.

(from this EX-USN guy) :)

[bravemom]

i'm sailing on the mercury for the first time in september-and i can't say i'm worried by the negative posts on this and other boards. while not having cruised as much as many folks on this and other cruising boards-i feel i've had a varied enough experience that makes me accepting of differences between lines/ships within lines/duration of cruises to realize that different ships/duration of cruises/itineraries provide different experiences.

 

as an example-i was one of the first cruisers when disney took over control of their own line. while subsequent voyages have beeen (as compared to some other lines i've traveled on) steller re. meals and customer service-they've in no way compared to the inital treatment we received. i've traveled on holland america and despite rave reviews from other passengers-i found their service terribly lacking (but i can attribute a portion of that to the fact that we cruised soon after their 'mandatory tipping policy' came into effect).

 

i've traveled on some lines that get rave reviews for longer cruises-but my experience on shorter ones have been less than steller-so i've not counted them out for a longer itinerary.

 

my attitude for my upcoming cruise (3 nites) is as long as i feel safe, comfortable and relaxed it's a success. i use shorter cruises to somewhat guage the service and facility potential may offer for a longer one.

 

everyone is different, expectations are different.

[rubrrick]

To each their own - you obviously have much lower expectations than our family to do it five times. Once was enough - I could not imagine subjecting ourselves to that experience again. The constant lining up for everything, pushing and shoving to get off and back on at tender ports, bland overcooked food, scooter convention in the hallways (my daughter was knocked down twice by a scooter and they didn't even stop - hit and run on Celebrity) and army cot beds all led to a stressful vacation. Service was nice but not sufficient to make up for the many other shortcomings.

 

Again if you don't care for the finer things in life you are probably just fine. To us Celebrity was not as it advertised itself to be and certainly is no better than any other of the mass market lines - you just pay a little more for the same old stuff. We are off to Regent, Crystal, Seaborne, Silver Seas or Oceania - we will pay more, however, we presume this time we will get what we have paid for.

 

God bless you for giving up a cabin to someone that may want it!!

What kind of statment would you want to make against my cruise experience when you don't even know about it.

 

Did you take the Penthouse Suite, and were waited on as royalty would be, for the price of one of the lower cabins on Crystal, or Silver Seas?

 

Having been snubbed by you..............and yet I have no idea why you would do that to me...........and you have no idea of how I cruise.:eek:

 

So spend the big bucks........you obviously know what you are doing.....and say goodbye to Celebity. Your kind is way too good for us.

 

Rick

[bravemom]

have to ask as a first time celeb and first time mercury cruiser-what is the deal with tv's? what is the base offering? do they offer pay per view-and if so are they recent releases or just stuff that's been available for rent? what's the ppv charge?

 

what is the deal (in suites) re. some type of snack/appetizer pre dinner? is it some set item you can opt out of, multiple choice, or if theres something on board you realy like you can request each night that the 'butler' serves?

[ozland]

I'm hoping someone call offer some advice. My in-laws are sailing on the Mercury November 2007, Ensenada to Sydney. The ship arrives in Sydney on 12/23. They have asked us to join them for the last leg, Auckland to Sydney. This will be great for me -- I'm from Sydney originally and my family is still there. I will be able to spend Christmas with them.

 

Now to the questions: Princess website shows only Sky Suites and above available when I enter "3" for number of persons. (This would be DH, DD and me.)

 

1. Do the standard balcony cabins not have a sleeper sofa that can accommodate a 3rd person?

 

2. The Sky Suites available are directly below the gym . . . :eek: I have been there, done that on another ship and the noise (thump, thump, thump) was really loud, from early morning until very late (the staff used the gym after hours). Has anyone experienced this on the Mercury.

 

3. This is more an observation than a question but maybe someone has some insight. The Auckland to Sydney leg of the voyage is the final southbound leg. If new passengers are embarking in Auckland that would mean that either a) the same number of passengers are disembarking in Auckland or b) the ship is sailing with vacant cabins to accommodate the new passengers.

 

The reason I am curious about this is because I can't convince DH that we need to get our cabin locked in now. My guess would be that the majority of passengers would be travelling on to Sydney. If you go that far, why not . . .

[ozland]

I'm sorry . . . I hit the submit button instead of the preview button on my previous post. I should have edited it but here I am again!

 

I really just wanted to finish with a thank you to anyone who might be able to help with any of my questions. (That is, if you can understand my ramblings . . . :) )