Just Off The Mercury

[ronandannette]

There are TONS of activities...you name it, they have it. We didn't get to do half the stuff we wanted to. Yes, they still had lots of activities on the port days. There was so much to take in, I didn't read either of the books I brought and we only played about 4 scrabble games. Some examples....name that tune, battle of the sexes trivia, karaoke, talks with the naturalist, dance lessons, bingo, health talks, fitness classes.....that's not even the tip of the iceberg ;)...the list goes on and on. The evening entertainment was also really well done. Trust me, you'll have plenty to do! Have a great great cruise!

;)

 

Hi YEG, YYC here...

 

Does Celebrity publish a "daily activity sheet" of some kind, and if so, did you bring yours home? Any chance of an upload? I'd love to see a recent Mercury one as we are sailing her (and Celebrity) for the first time in September. Thanks in advance to the OP or anyone else that might help out.

 

Happy Sails,

 

Annette

[aussie57]

Annette the Mercury has the Celebrity Daily which lists all the activities. Sorry I haven't taken photos of them but I'm sure someone will have them. there's all the usual activities like trivia, Battle of the Sexes, jackpot bingo, naturalist talks, ice carving, movies etc

[ronandannette]

Hello A & A,

 

Have you sailed the Mercury? I'm gleaning that it is the "worst" (using the term relatively here folks...) ship in the fleet, sort of like the Sovereign Class is to RCCL. That's o.k. I guess, as we've happily sailed the Monarch of the Seas twice. But the Mercury doesn't seem to stand out in any way...doesn't make any of the Conde Nast in any lists in any category or have anything else special to commend it. Your opinion please. Oh how I wish some line would let me get a taste of one of their "WOW" ships on a short cruise...

 

Happy Sails,

 

Annette

[Lois R]

Hello A & A,

 

Have you sailed the Mercury? I'm gleaning that it is the "worst" (using the term relatively here folks...) ship in the fleet, sort of like the Sovereign Class is to RCCL. That's o.k. I guess, as we've happily sailed the Monarch of the Seas twice. But the Mercury doesn't seem to stand out in any way...doesn't make any of the Conde Nast in any lists in any category or have anything else special to commend it. Your opinion please. Oh how I wish some line would let me get a taste of one of their "WOW" ships on a short cruise...

 

Happy Sails,

 

Annette

 

Hi Annette:) I must chime in.....I have sailed Mercury 6 times

and will be going for my 7th in September.

I have a good friend who is sailing her for his 9th time today and

he already has her booked again for next month. (He lives in Vancouver

so its very easy to get to the port).

 

She was built in 1997, so as for WOW....she is much more mellow

than the new S class ships for sure.

The WOW I receive?:D is everytime I step back on her and feel

like I have come home again:) with crew and staff that always

welcome me back with big smiles:D

 

If she is the worst ship in the fleet? I would choose to live on her

all year round if it was possible;).

 

I sailed Soveriegn of the Seas once, back in 2004....

to me there was no comparison...not even close, although

I have never been on Monarch. SOS is the only Royal ship I have

sailed.

 

I love Mercury:) and hope you will too!

[STUR]

Hi Annette:) I must chime in.....I have sailed Mercury 6 times

and will be going for my 7th in September.

I have a good friend who is sailing her for his 9th time today and

he already has her booked again for next month. (He lives in Vancouver

so its very easy to get to the port).

 

She was built in 1997, so as for WOW....she is much more mellow

than the new S class ships for sure.

The WOW I receive?:D is everytime I step back on her and feel

like I have come home again:) with crew and staff that always

welcome me back with big smiles:D

 

If she is the worst ship in the fleet? I would choose to live on her

all year round if it was possible;).

 

I sailed Soveriegn of the Seas once, back in 2004....

to me there was no comparison...not even close, although

I have never been on Monarch. SOS is the only Royal ship I have

sailed.

 

I love Mercury:) and hope you will too!

We have saled the Mercury 4 times and would book her in a hart beat

 

LOVE THE MERCURY

 

STUR DAYTON,OHIO

[nedward]

Our 6th Mercury cruise is set for spring of 2010.

 

We love her and the Galaxy. We're so sorry that Celebrity is moving ahead with all of the mega ships.

[aussie57]

I agree with all the above Annette. We did 13 nights on her last month to Alaska & she's a grand ship with a marvellous friendly & attentive crew who can't be faulted for exceptional service. She's kept in immaculate condition. Book your cruise. You won't regret it

[lavictoria]

Just got off the Mercury and even though she might be a little less than new and shiny she is a very nice size and relatively easy to get around (having the galley blocking the way between forward and aft sections of level 5 confused me at first).

The activities crew kept us busy but was small enough that we were all great friends at the end of the 7 day cruise. At the moment John Grantham is filling in for Stewart T. as CD and does a very good job. They've also got a great young magician and a terrific acrobatic duo.

[Putterdude]

She sailed by us tonight on her way to Alaska...she is kind of the grand dame of the Alaska ships and remains very stately.

One question though....have they fixed those frosted windows in the Navigators Lounge yet?

[lavictoria]

One question though....have they fixed those frosted windows in the Navigators Lounge yet?

 

I'm guessing you're asking about how they're tinted to filter light (which unfortunately filters scenery) or maybe how they tend to fog up when a big group of people gather for wildlife watching.

 

In which case - Nope :(

[Putterdude]

There were a number of windows in Aug '07 where the seals in the windows had failed and the windows had become very cloudy.

[ronandannette]

I sailed Soveriegn of the Seas once, back in 2004....

to me there was no comparison...not even close,

 

Care to elaborate? That would be a comparison I could relate to.

 

Aussie57...we're booked for Sept. 21 in an inside on the Panorama deck. Hoping like crazy for a price drop that might justify upgrading to a balcony. Thanks for your comments.

 

Happy Sails,

 

Annette

[c-legs]

There were a number of windows in Aug '07 where the seals in the windows had failed and the windows had become very cloudy.

Goes back to earlier than that, in '06....Why on earth has == X == not replaced those window panes is beyond me....:(She's had a couple of long enough visits in the yard , drydocked, that this could have been fixed.

It's the one '' knock'' on an otherwise splendid vessel.

These window panes ( I almost have their location memorized....!!!! ) have been ''visible'' all along, specially painful when she used to dock at CanadaPlace ...with her Navigator Lounge in full view....as well as the fogged up panes. Now that she docks at Ballantyne, it's not so widely ''seen''.

We sailed her on a Panama crossing Dec'06....those fogged up panes were the only negative of the whole day....but did take some viewing space away.

Her ''sister'' Galaxy had the same condition on some of the glasses....never been fixed , at least as at the time she left == X== for TUI.

 

Cheers:)

[Lois R]

Care to elaborate? That would be a comparison I could relate to.

 

Aussie57...we're booked for Sept. 21 in an inside on the Panorama deck. Hoping like crazy for a price drop that might justify upgrading to a balcony. Thanks for your comments.

 

Happy Sails,

 

Annette

 

I went on a short weekend cruise in the middle of summer.

I would never do that type of cruise again. I learned from that sailing,

I prefer longer cruises with a more relaxing atmosphere.

This was 5 years ago so to be honest with you I can't remember it

all. A summertime weekened cruise (without being flamed here)

brings a totally different demographic......not something I enjoyed.

 

I love Mercury, as I mentioned, I have sailed her 6 times. Its more

than just one thing I love about the ship. A combination of many...

food, wonderful service, being pampered for a week, seeing lots

of familiar faces, the size of the ship.

[Imagineer]

She sailed by us tonight on her way to Alaska...she is kind of the grand dame of the Alaska ships and remains very stately.

 

One question though....have they fixed those frosted windows in the Navigators Lounge yet?

 

Hey there Putterdude,

...how are things on the Sunshine Coast? Next Sunday is the first cruise where the itinerary map for Mercury indicates she will cruise up the outside of the Island, can you make sure to watch this coming Sunday to see if she passes by your front door?

 

thanks,

 

the Imagineer

[josiemartinez]

Sailed on the Mercury on 6/7 returning 6/14. It was a fantastic cruise. It is so true re the staff - very friendly and helpful. Had an excellent room attendant, waiter and bus boy. All the staff, from the captain on down, showed an overall warmth and pleasure to see the passengers. Food was excellent - no King Crab Legs but I liked the combination seafood plate with the lobster, shrimp and scallops. On the day when we viewed the Hubbard Glacier, a humongous buffet was held in the Main DR. OMG, could not believe all the food that was there - delicious and nicely presented. Had to keep walking up & down the stairs to work some of the calories off. Yes, I liked all the shows in the Celebrity showroom; however, IMO, the singer in the Rendezvous lounge (So Cool was the name of the group) was outstanding; the violinist in the dining room was amazing. Mercury needs to show case these 2 talented people more.

 

The weather was great - sunny and quite warm in Sitka and Juneau. Ketchikan was partly cloudy - no rain whatsoever. Am glad I took several sweaters out of my suitcase and threw in extra t-shirts. Walked everywhere. I did do the Mendenhall Glacier and Salmon Bake excursion in Juneau. Excellent salmon and "fixin's". Was very pleased. Sitka - my friend and I walked to the Raptor Center, through the town, and had lunch at the Westmark Hotel - great fish & chips & Alaskan beer.

 

Have only 2 gripes about the cruise: 1) The 2nd formal night was held on Friday at the Ketchikan port. Didn't think this was great planning. Most of the excursions were from 3 to 5 hrs long and with the ship docking at 2:30 pm and leaving at 8:15 pm, it did not allow people to return to the ship with time to prepare for the formal night let alone make the early seating. There were plenty of "no shows" at 6 pm. Since I went shopping and made a dent in my budget, I was back on the ship by 5:15 so no problem. Not so with a lot of the folks on the excursions.

#2) The "midnight" dessert buffet was set up on Deck 12 in one of the lounges instead of the MDR or the Palm Springs buffet area on Deck 11. There was hardly any space to move around, it was dark so you couldn't take good photos, and you were trying to balance the plates on your lap. That combined with the 70s music and dancers made the experience a little looney. These 2 items need tweaking by the powers that be on the Mercury.

 

Overall, I would sail on the Mercury again in a heartbeat. Again, the staff was fantastic, the ship was meticulously cleaned and I'm on my treadmill tonight. My friend was a 1st time cruiser and she couldn't believe how "pampered" she was. I've converted another soul to the joys of cruising!

 

Josie

[Telluride]

Josie,

 

Thank you for posting your experience. Sounds like you and your friend had a great time. We are on the 8 night Mercury sailing in September and wondered about which nights the formal evenings were held on. We shall see... :)

 

Counting the days until we sail away to Alaska!

 

Cheers,

 

Michelle

[Lois R]

Josie,

 

Thank you for posting your experience. Sounds like you and your friend had a great time. We are on the 8 night Mercury sailing in September and wondered about which nights the formal evenings were held on. We shall see... :)

 

Counting the days until we sail away to Alaska!

 

Cheers,

 

Michelle

 

Hi Michelle:) I took the 8 night sailing last year.

I wish I could remember what night the 2nd formal night was

held for you but I can't:eek:.

You go the week after me this Sept too:D

 

You have Victoria on your itinerary too....love it there!

 

Have fun!:)

[BluesCruise]

Josie, I was on this sailing, too! I had a great time, enjoyed the ship, the food, and the crew.

[beatlejuice]

Tami, you know the Mercury will be sailing from Baltimore soon. Really close to home...even though we have done the Caribbean many times , it's really nice to get out of town without going through the airport drama. We are sailing the 12 day january 11th cruise. I noticed you were on the Maasdam and the Galaxy, too. We really loved the Galaxy (14 day med cruise) and prefer the smaller ships to the mega ships. Maybe you will consider a trip down the Bay.:)

 

Sandy and Bob

[BluesCruise]

Sandy and Bob,

 

I like the smaller ships and cruising from Baltimore, as well. I think my next cruise destination will be the Mediterranean/Greek Isles, though, so Baltimore won't work.

[caramellatte]

Hi! I'm going on the June 28th Sailing and had a couple of questions:

1. What time is disembarkation? What's the earliest that passengers are able to get off the ship? I have a flight from Seattle on the same day and am quite anxious about getting off the ship on time and driving to get through the US border.

2. Did you have trouble getting a cab from the dock?

3. Where is the best place on the ship to view the glaciers?

4. Are the pools warm enough to swim in comfortably.

Thanks so much. It's so nice that you're answering all these questions!

[Tazzycat]

I was sposed to disembark at 715am, but customs delayed the ship and for an unknown reason, 3 police officers boarded the ship, so my disembarcation was not until almost 8am.

 

No trouble getting a cab; there are 20 of them all lined up with the trunks open, smiling at you when you exit the building.

 

Best place to view the glacier as you approach it is on the highest deck; just follow the crowd. The approach takes over an hour and the sji-p is going very slowly to avoid icebergs, so you will have plenty of time to get good photos. Then the ship turns around very slowly and heads out. Bring a hat, gloves, a warm coat, camera and maybe a scarf to cover your nose and mouth from the wind.

 

On the Mercury, there is a small pool with heated ocean water way in the back (far aft) on deck 11. The water was about 90 degrees. Same temp as a therapy pool for arthritis patients. No kids allowed, but they found it anyway, but not in large numbers.

 

Read my review on the Mercury posted today under New Cruise Reviews.

[Blue Lagoon]

My favourite spot to view the glaciers is on the Promenade deck (starboard side) where the kitchen exhaust fan is located. Not only is the air warm, I can enjoy the delicious smells of my meals cooking.:D

[caramellatte]

Tazzycat, I read your review. Thanks for all the great information. Where is the ice cream served? Is it everyday? Is it dessert after a meal or in the afternoon, when I usually have my ice-cream cravings? Is the midnight buffet offered a few times during the voyage, or every night? Is it worth staying up for? I'm rarely up that late anymore.

Thanks!