"LIVE" from Celebrity Mercury / Jan 2, 2010

[dr28326]

Does the Celebrity mercury have a Kareoke bar or is that offered nightly? Also, I heard the pools are not open early in the morning. What time do they open?

[auggiemom]

Radio, due to a medical emergency I had to cancel my x-mas cruise with my family. I LOVE reading this as it makes me look forward to my next cruise and want to heal even quicker and book my next one. We normally cruise RCCL, however looking at this ship, I may want to try this one. Thanks again!

[Sailor's Girl]

Two weeks from right now we'll be headed down the Bay on Mercury. My husband and I have both enjoyed your wonderful photos, and are making plans for our cruise based on your posts.

 

We really didn't know what to expect of Cococay. That looks like it's going to be the perfect last day before we head for home.

 

We have one question: Do we really need to pack my husband's tux for formal nights, or can he get by with a suit in the MDR?

 

Thanks again for sharing your vacation with us all. Hope you have clear sailing on the way home.

 

Barb and Craig

[robtulipe]

I'm sure you posted before, but will you possibly scan a menu or two from the MDR? Interested in the "always available " choices, and theme night menus. Thanks, and it's only 2 weeks for us to board this GRAND ship! Bob & Debbie

Here is the "always available menu" from the Nov. 9th Mercury cruise.

 

 

Here is the second formal or lobster night one

 

 

This is the first formal night menu

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Two weeks from right now we'll be headed down the Bay on Mercury. My husband and I have both enjoyed your wonderful photos' date=' and are making plans for our cruise based on your posts.

 

We really didn't know what to expect of Cococay. That looks like it's going to be the perfect last day before we head for home.

 

We have one question: Do we really need to pack my husband's tux for formal nights, or can he get by with a suit in the MDR?

 

Thanks again for sharing your vacation with us all. Hope you have clear sailing on the way home.

 

Barb and Craig[/quote']

 

Hi Barb!

 

A suit is perfectly acceptable for your husband to wear in the MDR. You'll see lots of men in suits. Have a great cruise on a great ship!

[Lois R]

Does the Celebrity mercury have a Kareoke bar or is that offered nightly? Also, I heard the pools are not open early in the morning. What time do they open?

 

Hi:) they don't have a "Karaoke Specific Lounge" but they do offer

Karaoke and most of the time it is held in the Pavillion Lounge.

Deck 7 Aft. Other activities are held there as well. Karaoke is not

offered every night but it is held throughout the cruise.

I cannot recall when the pools open. Maybe someone else can get

that one for you.

 

Hope this helps a bit:)

[Sailor's Girl]

Hi Barb!

 

A suit is perfectly acceptable for your husband to wear in the MDR. You'll see lots of men in suits. Have a great cruise on a great ship!

 

Thanks, Linda. My husband is a happy guy!

[hotzej]

Is there a speciality restaurant on the Mercury?

[atb]

We are only 3 weeks out - and tonight - we were going through the packing list - thinking of things we need to add to the packing room. Some things are cruise use only - and pretty much live in the packing room - or on board ship. Other things come out of daily use for packing - and are late entries to the packing room.

These pictures are awesome. I have the COVA Bar picture on my desk at work. I have a picture of Grandeur OTS (poster size) at Labadee, on my wall. I am SOOOOO ready for a cruise.

Thanks Radio for the pictures - I am ready to cruise.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

NIce brunch pics. The lines seem long though.

 

Did the lines move quickly? Is it easy to get a table once you have food?

 

Overall how was the food at brunch?

 

Thanks for a great thread.

[Lois R]

Is there a speciality restaurant on the Mercury?

 

Hi Bill:), nope. She is the 1 ship in the fleet without a Specialty Restaurant.

[grandmaR]

Hello everyone.

We had the Tropical Celebration up at the pool deck last night at 10:30PM (Yes, I was able to stay awake. . .)

The weather last night was perfect. It was warm, with a cool breeze.

The music was great, and there was a ton of food for passengers. The Cruise Staff, and the Mercury Dancers were there, and they were able to get all the passengers in the mood for dancing.

.

 

Did they allow taking photos at the shows etc? I always take photos of my food and no one so far has objected, but I've often heard warnings about photography or videography at shows.

[CruisinManiac]

Hi Radio,

 

Considering this ship once again (always chicken out) although Charleston is so convenient for us. This cruise is expensive, but saving on hotel and air would help.

 

Anyway, will you be taking any photos of balcony staterooms?

[jgnova]

Except for sailaway day (and disembarkation, of course), the dailies from the 12/21 Mercury cruise say the pools are open approximately 8 am to 8 pm.

 

I think they don't want pictures taken during shows, especially those requiring flash. I didn't attend more than one, however, so I don't recall specifically.

 

DH will be posting his review with links to photos of our balcony cabin at some point soon. But the cabin itself looks just like Radio's cabin -- same layout -- walk in between closets and bathroom, bed just beyond bathroom. TV, shelf, safe, little fridge at the end of the closets. Desk opposite pull-out love seat that's beyond the bed (which has a small nighttable with 2 drawers and a lamp on each at each side). Our cabin (9134) had a regular door to the balcony, not a sliding door as in the description, which is in error. I don't know for a fact but I suspect pairs of cabins are mirror images so the bathrooms are back to back (and the heads of beds on the same wall). (DH agrees with that.)

 

Any other questions??

 

S

[jgnova]

For the brunch on the 12/21 sailing, they seated you first (lay your napkin flat, leave your "stuff" at your place if you want), and then you go get your food. The lines weren't bad and did move quickly since they had stations all over the place. There was a diagram of the stations at the top of the stairs which I forgot pretty quickly, of course.

S

[robtulipe]

Did they allow taking photos at the shows etc? I always take photos of my food and no one so far has objected, but I've often heard warnings about photography or videography at shows.

You are allowed to take photographs without a flash, which is difficult to do and get decent shots under most show lighting conditions, but not video or audio recordings at the shows. Typically they have an announcement about this at the start of each show.

[Radio]

Hi Radio,

 

Considering this ship once again (always chicken out) although Charleston is so convenient for us. This cruise is expensive, but saving on hotel and air would help.

 

Anyway, will you be taking any photos of balcony staterooms?

 

 

Yes, My plan is to take photos of all cabins. . . (and Suites)

 

They will be posted on my site tomorrow. . .

 

 

Radio

;);)

[2552phxcrzr]

For those who want to see photos from CC Cabin 1200, I have some on my blog ... http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2009/12/embarkation-day-celebrity-mercury.html

[jgnova]

Anyway, will you be taking any photos of balcony staterooms?

 

You can see 9134 here.

 

j

[Radio]

Hello everyone. . . Welcome to Day 9 of my cruise on Celebrity Mercury.

 

I had a great dinner last night. It seems that Hotel Director, Sheldon Thompson invited me to the Captains table last night at formal night. I felt very honored to be invited. It seems that our talented Cruise Director (Lisa Richard) is a fan of my “LIVE” from Cruise Critic posts. Thanks Lisa !

 

We are about 30nm east of Cape Hatteras, and it appears that the 1st Navigation Officer (Irene Cop) was correct. We are in the middle of the Sea Smoke (Steam) effect as we were last Sunday. It truly an unusual site. I was able to shoot more video, and will publish a new video when I return.

 

Today is not a good day. I must prepare for my return home. Maybe I can stay for another week ? Hmmm . . . . Maybe not. Mrs. Radio will be happy to see me tomorrow. I love the ship and don’t want to leave. . Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to

Rebook another cruise on Mercury !

 

 

Here are a few pics from last night and this morning. . . More pics later !

 

 

Thanks for tuning in. . .

 

 

Radio

 

 

 

“Dance around the World” in the Celebrity Theatre last night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pool area looked lovely last night, but there were no passengers out on deck !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The effect started early this morning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atlantic Ocean “Steam” Effect

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are about to leave the warm Gulf Stream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our current location

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

[JMG]

Radio,

 

Thanks for posting so many great photos. As I mentioned earlier, my parents are on this cruise and I enjoyed being able to follow their activities through your photos.

I noticed your next LIVE reports will be from the Oasis. We were in FLL right after Thanksgiving and had the opportunity to see the Oasis leave port several times. What a ship!!! During the naming festivities they had the firework display at sea which we were able to enjoy from our seats at Bubba Gumps. I will make it a point to check out your live reports to see photos of the Oasis.

 

Enjoy your last day at sea!!

[TPKeller]

We are about to leave the warm Gulf Stream

 

 

Wow, it's amazing enough that this even happens, but to see that it starts and stops on such a well defined boundary is just astonishing!

 

Theron

[grandmaR]

Yes, My plan is to take photos of all cabins. . . (and Suites)

 

They will be posted on my site tomorrow. . .

 

 

Radio

;);)

 

We will have an inside cabin. From the Celebrity website it looks like the inside cabins do not have the VCR or the fridge. I also wondered whether you could see TV from bed in an inside cabin. Do they have plugs (for a laptop) in the computer areas? On the HAL ships I always have to get down on my hands and knees and look on the baseboards to find a plug.

[kannna]

It's called sea smoke (as the nice lady from Maine pointed out earlier) We get it alot in the winter. I thought it was just a New England term, but I found the following on Wikpedia:

 

Sea smoke is a cloud over the sea, which could otherwise be called fog, and is usually formed when very cold air moves over warmer water. The physics are in principle similar to lake-effect snow.

 

Evaporation from exposed water surface depends upon its vapor pressure. If the water temperature is greater than that of the nearby air, the evaporation continues faster than the air can absorb the water vapor, even though the cool air's relative humidity is 100%. This further evaporates immediately and re-condenses as visible fog, which rises up in convective currents. If the wind blows across cold icy areas like the Arctic, the breaks in the ice sheets where clear water is exposed, the water surface steams up into the air, producing fog.

 

The condition for such fog formation requires not only low surface temperature but also a preexisting surface inversion of temperature to inhibit the rapid development of instability.

[Lois R]

We will have an inside cabin. From the Celebrity website it looks like the inside cabins do not have the VCR or the fridge. I also wondered whether you could see TV from bed in an inside cabin. Do they have plugs (for a laptop) in the computer areas? On the HAL ships I always have to get down on my hands and knees and look on the baseboards to find a plug.

 

Hi grandmaR:) I have had an inside cabin on Mercury quite a few times

and they do have a mini fridge.