Mercury AK Review: Positives and Negatives from a HAL Devotee

[Lois R]

Hi LoisR:

 

I never would write a "cruise from hell" type of post unless the ship actually sank!

 

However...

 

The problems I pointed out in the OP were like a giant boil on the face of Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie: sure, they are beautiful and elegant but you can't over-look that massive whitehead boil!

 

LOL:D you definitely have a way with words;)

[C 2 C]

they are beautiful and elegant but you can't over-look that massive whitehead boil!

I'm glad you did not burst the X bubble:eek:

[c-legs]

What's the sticky have to do with loud music and poor attitude towards customer concerns? The Mercury does not have those "sticky" *** items.

Arno,

That's one way to ''expend'' the scope of discussions......

Re; music....I'm getting the feeling this is more widespread than what I tought...What was your experience on your three Century shorties in the Carribean last winter ?? Did you notice a ''slight'' evolution towards louder and more techno-type music ??

Cheers

;)

[C 2 C]

Arno,

.What was your experience on your three Century shorties in the Carribean last winter ?? Did you notice a ''slight'' evolution towards louder and more techno-type music ??

Hi Claude

 

Joanne just jogged my memory. She said I complained of the volume, not the type of music. Our complaints normally involve music choices in the unattended lounges during the day. Various staff members pick music to play while they are cleaning and neglect to turn it down when they leave. I have had music changed by officers in the cafe area when it gets too repetitive.. (because I spend too much time onboard).;)

 

Arno

[SLove]

Hi Claude

 

Joanne just jogged my memory. She said I complained of the volume, not the type of music. Our complaints normally involve music choices in the unattended lounges during the day. Various staff members pick music to play while they are cleaning and neglect to turn it down when they leave. I have had music changed by officers in the cafe area when it gets too repetitive.. (because I spend too much time onboard).;)

 

Arno

 

Hi c-legs and c2c:

 

I have had similar experiences where at the end of a service in the lido deck the crew puts on whatever music to clean and put away things. I don't have a big problem with that but I guess it can get a little out of hand when they feel that they have the freedom to switch the music to whatever channel they want whenever they want. I do know that when we stay at a Disney resort the place is kept incredibly clean and the workers never need to change the music.

 

In thinking about what you had said before, I guess the music issue would have just been irritating in the pool area with the techno/rave music ( as the style of music was completely out of touch with the passengers) and it might have not been something that I would write extensively on. But the volume was on-land Dance Club at 1am level; incredibly loud. And it just didn't go along with a cruise in Alaska! Maybe it would have been more palatable on a Caribbean Cruise but not while you are sailing past majestic mountains and glaciers with "chick-a-boom chick-a-boom" going on throughout the journey.

[mrmac]

I certainly sympathize with the OP. I might have ripped out the plug myself if I had gotten nowhere. My suggestion would have been to go enmasse to the Hotel Manager and complain. I don't think it's the group coordinator's job to handle complaints like that. That was a ship issue not an issue for your group. But I have no clue what was going on in that CD's small mind. And I love music - but not that techno stuff.

[SLove]

I certainly sympathize with the OP. I might have ripped out the plug myself if I had gotten nowhere. My suggestion would have been to go enmasse to the Hotel Manager and complain. I don't think it's the group coordinator's job to handle complaints like that. That was a ship issue not an issue for your group. But I have no clue what was going on in that CD's small mind. And I love music - but not that techno stuff.

 

Hi Mrmac!

 

I use the term "Group Coordinator" for our Soveriegn staff as he and his staff are much more than travel agents. They are more like production and event coordinators that, in all of my other observations with them on NCL, HAL, RCCL and others, have direct access to the Hotel Manager, Cruise Directors etc. Usually, the Hotel Mgrs are around Mike a lot (like James Deering and John O'Hara did just in the past year on a couple of sailings we did with them) and are asking him what they can do etc. Soveriegn does big full ship charters and big groups so they usually work to please the group through them. This one seemed really different, with the staff being somewhat aloof and even argumentative with the Soveriegn staff. When you usually say something or complain to Soveriegn, the problem is taken care of immediately. I saw them in a meeting with the staff on several different occassions and the exchanges looked troublesome. He reported back to us that they said the channels used were a corporate decision and that the CD Donnell said that if they turn off the music, a bunch of other people would complain (I never saw anyone at the pool enjoy the techno dance music during the entire trip, so I don't know who these people are). From how I read the situation, it just looked like the music choice was what the crew wanted to hear.