Summit Vs Mercury

[lynbrookgirl]

I posted previously and in error wrote the wrong ship name for the second trip. I've repeated the post with the correction.

 

Before I found this fantastic msg board (last week) we had made a reservation (fully refundable) for 6 of us. We're taking our 2 kids and their spouses (all in their late 20s) on a trip to Alaska for a one time family trip.

 

The dilemma - we reserved on the Summit ( VAN to ANC) for a 7 day cruise BEFORE we were aware of the ship's problem pods and the transfer from Seward to ANC being several hrs on train (at $65pp) not to mention long flight back to JFK from ANC (10 hr+ flights)

 

Last night we found a similar cruise on the MERCURY- same dates. In and out of VAN. The difference onboard is that the summit does icy strait point and ends further North. Trip home to JFK under 5hrs.

 

Please give your opinions on these two choices total costs are about the same.

Many, many thanks for your wise input.

[stired]

I have not been on either ship, so you can take this for what it's worth. I am sailing on the Coral Princess this June. But when I booked my excursion in Ketchikan last month, the first thing the vendor asked me is if we were sailing on Celebrity. When I asked her why, she told me that all the vendors know that Celebrity ships (she did not specify which ship) are notorious for being late into port, which screws up their excursion schedules.

[kruisecat]

I have not been on either ship, so you can take this for what it's worth. I am sailing on the Coral Princess this June. But when I booked my excursion in Ketchikan last month, the first thing the vendor asked me is if we were sailing on Celebrity. When I asked her why, she told me that all the vendors know that Celebrity ships (she did not specify which ship) are notorious for being late into port, which screws up their excursion schedules.

 

 

The M-class ships (Summit is one) have had notorious POD propulsion problems. And have had problems getting into port on time or at all.

 

Mercury is one of the C-class ships and does not have the POD system. However, Mercury in the past 2 years has had problems getting into port on time due to the fact that she just doesn't go as fast and they had her going in and out of Seattle. By moving Mercury to Vancouver it should alleviate the time issue as it will no longer have to go out into open ocean. From what I understand when Mercury sailed out of Vancouver in the past there were no real issues.

 

Not having been to Alaska myself but after reading these boards for a LONG time now, I would say to you that if you are not planning to do any land touring after the cruise you would probably be better off going with Mercury and saving the time and potentially the $$$ flying in and out of one city.

 

Good luck!

[Chat Noir]

...if you are not planning to do any land touring after the cruise you would probably be better off going with Mercury and saving the time and potentially the $$$ flying in and out of one city.

 

Pretty much sums up my reply to the OP's original thread!:) I'm looking for a RT this summer because I don't want that long Anchorage flight this year, or the multi-city (open jaw) cost!

[jer_l]

The M-class ships (Summit is one) have had notorious POD propulsion problems. And have had problems getting into port on time or at all.

 

Mercury is one of the C-class ships and does not have the POD system. However, Mercury in the past 2 years has had problems getting into port on time due to the fact that she just doesn't go as fast and they had her going in and out of Seattle. By moving Mercury to Vancouver it should alleviate the time issue as it will no longer have to go out into open ocean. From what I understand when Mercury sailed out of Vancouver in the past there were no real issues.

 

Not having been to Alaska myself but after reading these boards for a LONG time now, I would say to you that if you are not planning to do any land touring after the cruise you would probably be better off going with Mercury and saving the time and potentially the $$$ flying in and out of one city.

 

Good luck!

We've done both the r/t out of Vancuover on Mercury and the southbound Summit. There are advantages to both.

 

Regarding your concern over the trip from Seward to Anchorage. If you book your flight with Celebrity then the transfer from Seward to the Achorage airport should be included. Thir transfers are on a tour bus and it is one of the most scenic rides you will ever take. We also found that the cruiseline gave us a much better price on the one-way flight out of Anchorage than we could get on our own.

 

Regarding the pod problems. While Celebrity is having pod problems I wonder how many cruises this actually has affected. In addition to the Summit cruise we also took a 12 day Alaska cruise on the Infinity out of San Francisco. There were no delays, no missed ports and no late arrivals on either of those cruises. We plan to book a Summit Alaska cruise in 2008 as soon as the new schedule comes out.

 

Regarding the Mercury cruise. The Mercury is a wonderful ship. We've sailed on her three times, the latest was a Mexican Riviera cruise in January. She is due for some renovations this spring so she will in even better shape for this summer. The Vancouver port is a beautiful port to sail from and back into.

 

I don't think you'll go wrong with either choice.

 

Jerry

[Sunshine Gal]

I posted previously and in error wrote the wrong ship name for the second trip. I've repeated the post with the correction.

 

Before I found this fantastic msg board (last week) we had made a reservation (fully refundable) for 6 of us. We're taking our 2 kids and their spouses (all in their late 20s) on a trip to Alaska for a one time family trip.

 

The dilemma - we reserved on the Summit ( VAN to ANC) for a 7 day cruise BEFORE we were aware of the ship's problem pods and the transfer from Seward to ANC being several hrs on train (at $65pp) not to mention long flight back to JFK from ANC (10 hr+ flights)

 

Last night we found a similar cruise on the MERCURY- same dates. In and out of VAN. The difference onboard is that the summit does icy strait point and ends further North. Trip home to JFK under 5hrs.

 

Please give your opinions on these two choices total costs are about the same.

Many, many thanks for your wise input.

 

Lynbrookgirl, Given the choice of the Mercury and Summit, I would recommend the Mercury as by far the best choice. The Summit has had five pod failures, since its launch in 2002, or at least one every year. Each pod failure has resulted in shortened itineraries and canceled cruises. The Infinity, which is also sailing Alaska this year has an even worse record with six major pod failures and minor trouble with pods through almost the entire Alaskan season last year. As I write this the Infinity is reported to be experiencing pod problems once again. For me if I were going somewhere that I did not really care if I got to the ports or not I would consider on of the Celebrity M-class ships, but if I wanted to have the best chance to get to all the ports, I would look elsewhere.