Mercury disappointment

[Sky Sweet]

Originally Posted by Sky Sweet

One of Celebrity's best features is that it has more crew per passenger than other mass market cruise lines.

 

With that in mind, how is it possible for them not to have enough crew to provide good service on a cruise?

 

Is it because their personnel resources were not properly allocated on this cruise or that they no longer have the same crew per passenger ratio that they once did, but the statistics have not been amended accordingly?

 

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(Posted by Finely Cruising) Sky Sweet--- We were on the Connie last March and they sold so many of the martini glasses as souveniers that there were no clean ones available for use!!!

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(Posted by Sky Sweet) Finely Cruising - That would explain the shortage of glasses but I was questioning why some posters had to wait a long time to be served in a lounge, not have a drink order taken in a timely fashion in the dining room, or sit through a show without anyone offering them a drink, when Celebrity supposedly has more crew per passenger than any other mass market cruise line.

 

That leads me to believe that either there are management issues pertaining to the allocation of personnel resources or Celebrity no longer has the crew to passenger ratio that they had in the past.

[FinelyCruising]

(Posted by Sky Sweet) Finely Cruising - That would explain the shortage of glasses but I was questioning why some posters had to wait a long time to be served in a lounge, not have a drink order taken in a timely fashion in the dining room, or sit through a show without anyone offering them a drink, when Celebrity supposedly has more crew per passenger than any other mass market cruise line.

 

That leads me to believe that either there are management issues pertaining to the allocation of personnel resources or Celebrity no longer has the crew to passenger ratio that they had in the past.

 

I can confirm that unless one gets to the show early enough, as in re-show, cocktails are not readily available once the theatre goes dark for showtime. That might be part of this issue based on our own experience and what we have learned in how to navigate that venue. You get one or two tops depending on when you get there.

 

As for waiting for a cocktail in the Martini Bar yes, I have waited too...every one wants a martini, and it does take time to make them! Particularly when they have a star server or too on the job with all the mixology theatrics. I have yet to hear anyone complain they were lousy martinis though once they got them, including me.;)

[Saratee]

First time Celebrity cruiser after 6 cruises on Princess. Thought we would try Mercury out on a quick 3 day Northwest excursion before our planned Solstice adventure next year. Walked right on at Seattle pier without problem. Thought the champagne at the gangway was a nice touch. Unlike Princess surprised rooms not ready when they let people on. Buffet was ok and surprisingly not very crowded for first day. Friend's cabin was to have two twins but it was made up as double but room steward quickly remedied. Second seating dinner was to be a table for all eight traveling together however they set us at a table for six and 2 of our group had to eat at another table as they were unable to fix it on the spot. However it was remedied on the second night. The food had beautiful presentation but the variety was strange. They served lamb for lunch at buffet then served it as entree choice next two nights at dinner. There were three dessert choices shown on a tray to pick from but they had bread pudding the first two nights. We were wondering if it was left over. The only steak served was a london broil on the last night and it was not available on the "always available" menu. All three nights at dinner we had to ask several times to send the person to take our bar orders. We tried to go get a snack at 4:30pm but there was no buffet open so went to pool grill as it was the only place serving and there were about 25 or more people in line. With the exception of the comedian who was excellent the entertainment was expected cruise ship fair. Surprisingly the drink order taker never got us to order anything during the entertainment. There were not enough people wainting on the croud. They missed a lot of revenue. Somehow we overlooked a form that we were supposed to turn in the first day allowing the auto tips. Because we had not turned it in we had to deal with those silly envelpes. I thought the auto tips were just that...automatic!

Disappointed in that I had thought Celebrity was supposed to be a step up from Princess. The ports were wonderful however when we had to tender they only offered two tenders so even by 11:30am they were still requiring tender tickets which caused some angry passenger vs staff confrontations at the tender gangway from people thinking by then they should have been able to walk right off without tickets.

We will give Celebrity a second try however I met a lot of first time cruisers who were using this as a trial to see if they liked cruising and I am afraid Celebrity Mercury did not do enough to step up to make people want to crusise again.

We spent two weeks on Mercury from New Zealand and thought we had the best service and food. The four of us ate in casual dinning every night after the first night and the chef worked his magic and got us the same food that was being served in main dinning including the lobster from the captains meals. We had excellent bar service. (and boy did we tip) Our wait staff and our bar server actually shed tears after our two weeks together. I just put out my hand (figuaratively) and I had my diet drinks. Mike had his butterscotch schnapps on the table each night when we sat down for dinner...maybe service is better on the longer cruises because the staff gets really acquainted with the cruisers....we so loved Mercury staff and service that we are taking the Hawaiian cruise (15) in March and looking forward to seeing the same crew members we saw on the positioning cruise. (5th cruise on Celebrity) Have heard that Mercury was refurbished this year and she was in need of some TLC to be sure...We always seem to have impeccable service on Celebrity...not so on Norwegian which we will never sail again. We learned long ago that if you make a real effort to treat the crew with respect and show gratitude for their work , you get better treatment also...I love having the crew smile when they see us on the ship, call us by our first names, rush to open our cabin doors for us, show us pictures of their families and children, and write to us after the trips....Norwegian wouldn't let the crew talk to us...but boy do we enjoy our conversations with the Celebrity crew.....Makes it feel like home and a friendly neighborhoood....