Mercury - Just back from Alaska

[Iggipolka]

I, very reluctantly, left the Mercury in Vancouver yesterday. I'll be posting a lengthy review in a little bit, but I wanted to let anyone who is booked on her, or is thinking about sailing with her, that she is a fantastic ship with a wonderful crew!

 

I have read some really nasty comments about the Mercury and I honestly have no idea what ship those other people sailed on! The Mercury I was on was clean, no unpleasant smells or obvious worn spots. It was beautifully decorated with some lovely and some umm..interesting art. The food in the dining room at dinner was great. I'm not much of a beef eater, but the beef was so good that I had it several times. The fish dishes were my favorite and were perfectly cooked. The lunch buffet had some problems keeping hot food hot, which was disappointing, however, the ice cream was yummy and the pizza was always hot and fresh. The crew was so friendly and really went out of their way to keep guests happy.

 

We were in Sky Suite 1233 and felt the SS was well worth the money. Our cabin was large with an enormous balcony. Our butler, Arles, couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. We had breakfast every day in our suite as well as eating dinner in our suite several times. Arles delivered everything with a smile and a "my pleasure".

 

My only regret about sailing on the Mercury was that I had to get off! Don't hesitate to book the Mercury. We were absolutely thrilled with her and are already looking forward to our next sailing on her in the future.

[Kathie44]

Thank you for the words of encouragement. We have sailed Mercury the last two years and had wonderful cruises both times. I, too, can't understand why the naysayers have such comments.

Next Jan. we are sailing Galaxy, another target of the naysayers. But we loved her in '05 and are glad we have another cruise before she is transferred to TUI.

[DC2OC]

We sailed the Mercury to Alaska May 2006 and had a fantastic time.Best staff I ever sailed with and my favorite cruise.....................Frank:)

[Karynanne]

It's good to hear that you had such a wonderful cruise. We also love Mercury. It's crew and staff is one of the friendliest on all the Celebrity ships.

[Lois R]

Hi iggi:) welcome home!

 

I agree with the previous postings and love Mercury:D

and will be back on her for the 6th time in September.

 

If you want to sail her again you need to look quick because

in 2010 she will probably be going the same way of

Galaxy......leaving the fleet:(

 

Glad you both had such a wonderful time:)

[bugsy1968]

I, very reluctantly, left the Mercury in Vancouver yesterday. I'll be posting a lengthy review in a little bit, but I wanted to let anyone who is booked on her, or is thinking about sailing with her, that she is a fantastic ship with a wonderful crew!

 

I have read some really nasty comments about the Mercury and I honestly have no idea what ship those other people sailed on! The Mercury I was on was clean, no unpleasant smells or obvious worn spots. It was beautifully decorated with some lovely and some umm..interesting art. The food in the dining room at dinner was great. I'm not much of a beef eater, but the beef was so good that I had it several times. The fish dishes were my favorite and were perfectly cooked. The lunch buffet had some problems keeping hot food hot, which was disappointing, however, the ice cream was yummy and the pizza was always hot and fresh. The crew was so friendly and really went out of their way to keep guests happy.

 

We were in Sky Suite 1233 and felt the SS was well worth the money. Our cabin was large with an enormous balcony. Our butler, Arles, couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. We had breakfast every day in our suite as well as eating dinner in our suite several times. Arles delivered everything with a smile and a "my pleasure".

 

My only regret about sailing on the Mercury was that I had to get off! Don't hesitate to book the Mercury. We were absolutely thrilled with her and are already looking forward to our next sailing on her in the future.

 

Thanks so much for your feedback - it was a relief to read as we are sailinmg on the Mercury in 8 weeks on the July 6th sailing and are also in a sky suite. I can't wait to ready your review. :)

[drumleggagh]

iggipolka:

 

We are sailing on Mercury on January 3 and are in Sky Suite 1237. It's great to read about your experience and I hope Arles is still there when we sail!

 

Ed & Debbie

[Stoneyard]

Iggy: Notice that you were on the Spirit last year. I was on it a few weeks before you were and will be sailing on the Mercury in Jan.. Can you give me a quick comparison?

[texkan]

Iggipolka~ Please tell what you saw while on the cruise and what excursions you booked. Glad you enjoyed Celebrity.

[Iggipolka]

Iggy: Notice that you were on the Spirit last year. I was on it a few weeks before you were and will be sailing on the Mercury in Jan.. Can you give me a quick comparison?

 

I have to admit that I was a bit leery of sailing on Carnival. However, I was pleasantly surprised and had a lovely time. That being said, there is a noticeable difference in the quality of service, friendliness and overall professionalism of the staff on the Mercury. Carnival is great for the money, but Celebrity is just great, period.

 

Iggipolka~ Please tell what you saw while on the cruise and what excursions you booked. Glad you enjoyed Celebrity.

 

We just got home today, so in a few days, I'll have recovered from the travel and am planning on posting a day by day review.

[elena7seas]

I'm very happy to hear that you had a great trip.

 

Did you wear "the dress"? And if you did, did you take a picture you can share? :)

[shepp]

It was nice meeting you onboard.

 

Though the cruise had its (mostly very minor) flaws, the ship itself certainly wasn't one of them. Like you, I'd read folks kvetching about the Mercury, and, like you, I wonder just what ship they were talking about. (One poster, for instance, persists in complaining about the gym equipment, though since her cruise, it's been completely replaced.) It's a beautiful ship, showing just a very few subtle signs of her age. So the sink in the bathroom had a few stains, so what? How anal-compulsive do you have to be to let a few dents in the elevator doors ruin a cruise? The only maintenance problem I'd read of that actually did make a difference were the clouded windows in the Navigator Club - they certainly did take away from the sweeping views. On the other hand, I love modern art (the MOMA kind, not the Park West dreck), and the amazing collection onboard was wonderful; it was like spending time in a floating art gallery.

 

Of course, tastes vary. (For instance, my aunt and uncle are X enthusiasts themselves, but have a collection of Lladro clowns I can only see as overpriced kitsch.) But to me, the sleek, modernist, tasteful Mercury was just simply gorgeous.

[Cruising Greek]

Thanks so much for your review. It was getting unsettling reading all the negatives lately. I can't wait to sail her to Hawaii in November!

[berryhappy24]

Thanks for the update. We're scheduled to sail on June 15th and are very much looking forward to a relaxing week onboard Mercury.

[Piperpals]

I am really happy to hear that. We are on the Mercury this Sunday, May 18 and like others have read some perhaps not so positive reviews, so am glad to hear that it is a great ship. Would take more than a few dents in the elevator to ruin a holiday for me. We are in SkySuite 1231 so was glad to hear that you felt it worth the extra and that the service was great. We did the inside passage three years ago on the Infinity, but this is the first time that we have had a balcony and we are really looking forward to the scenery from it.

 

Thanks for the great comments, makes me feel a lot better.

[Putterdude]

Glad you had a good time, we had pretty much the same experience last August on the Mercury. Even though we have done 3 cruises in the past 10 months we are kind of thinking that we would like to do that Mercury trip again towards the end of the season....we'll have to see.

[NCMTgal]

Happy to hear that you enjoyed the Mercury so much! We will be on her in early June and can't wait. BTW, what kind of weather did you have while you were in Alaska? Was it very rainy and how were the temperatures? Trying to decide what to wear on our trip.

[shepp]

Happy to hear that you enjoyed the Mercury so much! We will be on her in early June and can't wait. BTW, what kind of weather did you have while you were in Alaska? Was it very rainy and how were the temperatures? Trying to decide what to wear on our trip.

 

It was variable from port to port and day to day. Plenty of overcast some days, occasionally quite chilly (but it's still early in the season), some rain but nothing very heavy or long-lasting. As everyone else has said, think layers, including fleece and a breathable rain jacket. If you're planning on anything outdoorsy, bring something heftier than running shoes. We went hiking alongside the Mendenhall glacier, and there was still lots of snow and ice on the trail. Nothing better than hiking through a rainforest in light rain, but I was glad I'd brought leather boots and hiking poles. However, if the most vigorous thing you're planning is a trek to Diamonds International, I suspect that nothing heavier-duty than a credit card will suffice.

[Lois R]

Some of the best advice I have ever been given from these

boards was about Alaska attire.

Layering, layering, layering is the way to go!:)

Bring layers.....if it gets a bit warm, you can peel off and if

you need more, you can throw on sweater or jacket.

[Rrdstarr]

My wife and I are going this Sunday, May the 18th, on Mercury to Alaska!!! She was so excited that she sent me this link at work tonight!!!:) Two years ago we went on the Diamond Princess, our first cruise, and enjoyed every minute of it! It was the first week of August. Now I am really looking forward to boarding Sunday afternoon for a week of leisure and no stress!

 

Thanks to all for the heads up!

[waterlizard]

We have sailed the Mercury 2 times previously and the ship and crew were wonderful. We leave May 25 on the Mercury for Alaska and appreciate the update on the ship and the weather. Did you happen to save your dailies? We were looking for some reading material prior to the cruise.

 

Thanks for the update and looking forward to your review.

[Iggipolka]

We have sailed the Mercury 2 times previously and the ship and crew were wonderful. We leave May 25 on the Mercury for Alaska and appreciate the update on the ship and the weather. Did you happen to save your dailies? We were looking for some reading material prior to the cruise.

 

Thanks for the update and looking forward to your review.

 

You are very welcome! I'm excited for you that you've got a fantastic trip coming up. I did save my dailies. I'll see if I can figure out how to scan them and stick them up somewhere.

 

Working on a more complete review as well. :)

[Stoneyard]

I have to admit that I was a bit leery of sailing on Carnival. However, I was pleasantly surprised and had a lovely time. That being said, there is a noticeable difference in the quality of service, friendliness and overall professionalism of the staff on the Mercury. Carnival is great for the money, but Celebrity is just great, period.

 

 

 

We just got home today, so in a few days, I'll have recovered from the travel and am planning on posting a day by day review.

 

Thanks... about what I was thinking. :D

[GillCC]

Thanks... about what I was thinking. :D

 

another cruiser just off Mercury (Hi William, Hi Monika) and can only repeat what has been said. Alaska was amazing! Mercury was wonderful, the staff excellent, the food great and the T Pool to die for lol (wish I could have brought it home !) Splash (no pun intended) out on the full cruise pass (if like us you're not in a suite) its worth it - but take an OLD swimming costume

[cruisequeen10]

My niece and I were on the wine cruise last Nov from Vcr to San Diego. We had a great time. The cruise staff were great. Do you know if Jose, Sara, Bijay (spelling), EK is still on board. We had attended all of their trivia games, so got to know them well. We have decided to go to Alaska (again) on the Mercury in August. Can't wait. 79 more days.