Mercury 10-12-09 Just Back

[BonnieVA]

We are cruising on Mercury out of Baltimore for the 12/12/09 cruise to the Bahamas. Question is it okay to wear jeans the first day in the dining room if our bags haven't been delivered by then? Thanks.

 

I'm on Mercury 11-21 & was wondering the same thing.

[Patrick IL.]

Hi Dean! My wife Ellen and I sat with you guys at the CC get together. I agree the cruise and food was wonderful, as was the incredible staff of the Mercury.

 

Patrick

[bug_dan]

We are cruising on Mercury out of Baltimore for the 12/12/09 cruise to the Bahamas. Question is it okay to wear jeans the first day in the dining room if our bags haven't been delivered by then? Thanks.

 

On a trip to Hawaii on the Infinity, one piece of our luggage did not make it to the ship in time, so all I had were jeans & shorts. We ate in the MDR the first night and nothing was said, but for the rest of the crossing to Hawaii, we ate in the alternative dining room.

[NVanHiker]

I was on this cruise also. This is not the kind of cruise you book a year in advance. It is not the cruise of a lifetime. It is a coastal repositioning cruise. We booked it cheap and last-minute. It was a pleasant way to kill time for a few days and, with meals, cheaper than Greyhound to San Diego, a city we really liked. The ports were agreeable. The activities and entertainment are the usual lame stuff you get on all cruises - so banal I didn't bother saving any newsletters. The crew are well-trained and the ship is well-kept. (The clock overlooking the pool is kept at one hour and five minutes fast, though, undoubtedly so you won't be late for the art auction) The gym is pretty good, especially the range and condition of aerobic equipment.

 

I believe that spa services are utter fakery, so I can't comment on that aspect, although I did notice that the therapy pool was 20.00 per day (described as a 'nominal' charge - hey, I always thought 'nominal' was about two bucks. Maybe five.) or 79.00 for the cruise. I sat in a much larger Thalassotherapy Pool for free on the Infinity. It's a warm water pool with a wave machine. Whatever.

 

No one at our table seemed very impressed by the food. The general agreement among several other passengers we met was that the food was pathetic, although to be fair some found it ordinary. The salmon, from the 'regular' side of the menu, is dependable. After three dinners in the dining room we didn't bother returning anymore. Also, we were stuck with the late seating, and finishing dinner at 1045pm is not our lifestyle. (And maybe it's just me, but on all cruiselines the false bonhomie of the waiters and the pretentiousness of the maitre d' and wine stewards is starting to give me the giggles).

 

Safest bet for a healthy meal was grabbing dinner from the meager little salad bar upstairs. You might get chickpeas and kidney beans for protein. Or you might not. It varies.

 

Speaking of the CC get-together, did you TASTE those canapes??? A nice gesture, but they were sad, tasteless little things and maybe a portent of things to come.

 

Upstairs in the buffet, the kitchen cannot even make ordinary things well. I have famously low standards, but after one bite I abandoned the desserts, the fries, the ice cream. The stir-fry was a bit better at two bites. And how can you screw up cookies - choc chip was barely ok, but avoid the double-chocolate and the pecan. On the plus side, breakfasts items were good, including the oatmeal and waffles and excluding the sausages. And the pastry chef seems to have real talent.

 

Normally, like all good cruisers, we stuff ourselves at breakfast in port to avoid having to buy any food ashore. For the first time is our dozen-or-so cruises, we actually looked forward to buying lunch in port!

 

You can tell that food service is being managed to reduce waste, and that is laudable and understandable given that revenues are down and expenses are up. However, it also means that you have to examine the daily schedule very carefully to avoid going hungry at certain times. The day of the anytime-buffet seems to be over. Various food stations are open for limited times. If you're snackish at 900pm, for example, there is ONE choice: the pizza-and-pasta station - the salad bar just closed. The pasta involves a bit of waiting, but is fine. The pizza is ok.

 

True story - on disembarkation a woman in our lineup gave (ok, threw) back the key card, proclaiming she didn't want a souvenir of the cruise. Reason? The food.

 

Gee, I've gone on longer than I meant to - maybe I'll add some port info and paste this into an actual review...