REVIEW, Mercury, 12nts, Jan 2010 Penthouse

[JEDIKNIGHT]

FYI....

 

(Light on port info on this review. Maybe a tad food intensive because so is the writer ;) Review is kind of long.

 

This is based on what I experienced, and on my point of view. Any observations or even suggestions I make are just that, and not meant to be absolutist to fit everyone's tastes.

 

I consternated for a a few days, wondering if I should mention certain things because frankly, I don't want to come across as a braggadocio but I figured, I'm gearing this review to anyone, but especially someone who may want to book a PH, or a lux-cruiser/lux-traveler curious about trying a "big ship" for the 1st time. I think it's important to know the writer's preferences to discern any review. So since this is anonymous I'll state that my travel preferences are chains like Ritz/Four Seasons. Regent cruises. Always avoided "big ships" worried about substandard quality, long lines, etc.

 

Also, like anything there maybe negatives or imperfections, I'll list them all at the end in bullet points, instead of rant format.

 

GREAT CRUISE, OVERALL

 

Cast of characters

 

Myself fulfilling every man's fantasy and rooming with the two most beautiful women on the ship(hey, gotta keep your interest) , the lovely DW and our angelic blessing of a 20 month DD. We had my parents come along for babysitting reasons, and also to enjoy family..they were in a Sky Suite, but spent much time in our PH with DD.

 

Booking

 

X could do better with their phone staff. I booked thru X's website, and then called to finalize. Called 3 times and two of them were uh..."clue impaired" and I felt uncomfy booking thru them. Finally talked to a great lady, forget her name but I think i mentioned her in another post. Anyway, that was that.

 

 

Arrival

 

Port Baltimore. So nice not to have to fly! I don't think this was X's fault but there was a considerable line at 12:30 that moved kind of slowly(In winter, be dressed!!! It can be a wait!) . The X rep in line said it wasn't usually like this so okay. There is no shorter suite line for security but once you get thru that, there's a special line way at the right side.

 

X agents GREAT at check-in. Went thru docs and a concierge personally greeted us and took us thru security. A reassuring 1st impression. It was 1 hour/70 mins from getting in line, to getting on ship. Concierge took us all the way upto PH #1047 where we were promptly greeted by Ram, the Butler who would proceed to offer 1st class treatment for 12 days.

 

ADVICE: Of course use X's bagtags, but also use your OWN labels on your bag with cell#, name, etc. On our and many other bags the X tags fell off, and we had to go down and identify our bags at 9pm or so.

 

Penthouse Suite

 

I won't repeat specific "wear and tear" items. It's an old ship, and I'll just say that yes, it does show age. But the furniture, bedding, etc is well maintained and clean. (Pillows a tad small IMO) It's well laid out and perhaps two things I wish were different: Lighting could be better, and the balcony while large can get crowded because to walk around, you have to disrupt someone who is lounging there.

 

The half bath is nice, but water pressure in sink was weak.

 

Master bath is lovely, AND practical vis a vis plenty of shelves, toiletry storage. Roomy with warm light colored marble. Seperate WC room with walk-in shower which also, was well thought out.

 

During slightly rough seas there is considerable noise, rattles, etc. Dunno if that's common on all ships, just reporting on #1047. The ceilings her high enough, and the huge windows all thru the suite are lovely.

 

BIG PLUS: A butler kitchen with microwave, ample cupboard space, and full size fridge! This was great for DD's bottles, milk, fruits, etc. I suggest hiding away a bowl of ketchup packets, salt, etc so you never have to worry if late-nite room svc doesn't bring enough.

 

*NOTE: There are DVD players in here. The X website says VCR...but it IS a DVD!

 

Butler Service, Penthouse

**********************

 

Many questions here, what does the Butler do? We had Ram who was fabulous and are trying to figure out what he DOESN'T do.

 

He'll handle most room service orders and always deliver them if you order direct thru room service. Dinner....is a course-by-course affair and it was the warmest room service food I ever had. He'd book our shore excursions saving us from standing in line. Once he knew our routine/preferences there would be DD's milk replenished as needed, nighttime fruit plates left in fridge for DW, and DD's bottles/bowls/spoons magically got cleaned daily. Ram was instrumental in fixing a maintenance issue after the Maint Dept's response was so-so. Ram handled special dining requests, and without being asked would arrange a custom Indian dinner for my parents if they had dinner in PH while babysitting. (Parents are Indian)

 

I wrote a post about him days ago, search "RAM" and you'll find it. The man made me feel the closest I'll ever feel to being President and living in the White House. If a hotelier could clone Ram, they'd drive Regent, Ritz, and Four Seasons out of business. Seriously he was that stellar.

 

Housekeeping/Attendant

************************

 

MIRKA and her ass't did a fine job twice a day and you could NEVER tell she was "at work". Everything was responded to with "oh, my pleasure". Once when DW and I got to the room, I was reaching in my pocket and Mirka walked up "oh, let me open it for you" and she let us in with her keycard. 1st class all the way.

 

Neither Ram nor Mirka came home to live with us. Stinkers.

 

CASINO

 

90% friendly staff. The smoke-free casino caused me to spend more time (and money) there.

 

 

Overall Service

*************

 

Gotta make realistic allowance for a hurried busboy, or cocktail waiter. But overall, EVERYONE was super. The omelette chefs, ESPECIALLY the stir-fry guys, most of the buffet servers, guys manning Indian food station, etc.

 

Example: We're at the front desk looking for DVD's for DD just for those 15 mins we might need distraction for her. ELLIE is helping us and when she learns we can't find much kid stuff on "the dvd list" she walks back, and comes back with Madagascar and a few others. She says "these aren't on the list, but I think she'll enjoy them. I've seen this one and it's good". She could've just shrugged and presented us the list.

 

SURESH a chef, and UTTAM the food boss were hands-on and floating around all day. They knew my parents were vegetarians, and would seek them out in the crowd to make sure things were okay. Overall, the staff is EAGER to deliver great service.

 

Main Dining Room

***************

 

Lovely room, we were on the upper deck and never felt crowded, or too noisy. EMO our waiter, and ARNOLD his assistant were flawless. Overall, the food was very tasty, well presented, well prepared, and served at proper temperature. Breads never tasted stale, even on day 12. Ordered multiple appetizers, or soup AND salad as starters and EMO had no issue. ZEFEER the asst maitre'd was a prince too. Things that were notably good, or so-so:

 

*Grouper filet: I'm not a fish guy but this was delish!

 

*Chateaubriand: Great! I had seconds just to be safe.

 

*NY STEAK: On the everyday menu. Very good, especially on nites they used Cafe du Paris butter.

 

*Lamb Shanks, Rack of Lamb, Osso Bucco: Tender, moist, great.

 

*Spaghetti Bolognese, lovely.

 

*French Onion Soup: Ate it 12 out of 12 nights, loved it!

 

*Ceasar salads/Caprese Salads were very nice.

 

*Shrimp Cocktail (everyday menu) was cold and fresh.

 

*The Asian springrolls one night were great.

 

What I'd avoid next time....

 

*Beef Wellington, and Lobster Melange.

 

Deserts were average...they should re-examine this part.

 

 

Buffet

*****

 

Can get crowded on sea days but the good was great.

 

All regular breakfast items, plus excellent to-order eggs. Meats were warm/fresh. Phenomenal waffles. Enjoyed fresh croissants (that's french) in the morning. Potatoes gotta be changed.

 

Lunch

 

*Stir Fry: Great Chefs, did it all to order. Variety of sauces and toppings. I ate it twice a day. Piping hot.

 

*Indian Food: I ate more Indian food on this cruise than I ever have at home, despite Indian parents and an Indian wife! It was as good as most Indian restaurants. Daily specials.

 

Fruit was always fresh.

 

Daily ethnic specials which were good.

 

 

*Pool Grille

***********

 

I avoided on sea days due to lines. But FRESH off the grill burgers were decent. Fries are GREAT. They warm the buns on the spot which is a nice touch.

 

 

*5pm-9pm stir-fry

****************

 

Stir-fry as above. This venue is so uncrowded at night! Very relaxing. Add sushi and the sandwich bar to the mix. Sushi rolls were okay but if you eat sushi somewhat regularly, avoid the nigiri pieces.

 

Room Service

************

 

Late night, always delivered in 30 mins or less. Overall, grilled sandwiches, fries, fruit and soups were delivered warm and yummy.

 

PORTS

******

 

It might surprise you but I'm more of an eater and prefer sitting around quietly on vacation. BUT, I must say that St Croix, Thomas, Marten were WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than the Bahamas. In the latter I've always gotten mean vendors, locals, etc and always felt hustled. The folks on these islands are warm, nice, try to make a living but with a smile. Proud of their countries where applicable, and not ooozing bitterness about the European colonization they were subjected to like most of the world was. Shore excursions were good, well organized but for a 10 min delay here or there.

 

Upon return to ship X has cold drinks, and ice cold face towels....love that!

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

MR LUCAS, the juggler/comedian was STELLAR both nights and the best cruise show I've ever seen. Comedian Gavin was worthwhile.

 

ANTONIO SALACI is a pianist....but the most unique one I've seen. He puts his own twist to popular songs and between him, and how he led the Celebrity band......those were two great shows!!! Don't think it's a "boring music show" and skip it.

 

I'm not much for broadway singing/dancing so I'll refrain from reviewing the rest. It's just not my thing.

 

 

Debarkation

**********

 

An extra 'guide' at our muster station would've helped. A few couples ran around 10-15 minutes or so trying to figure out where to go. But OVERALL can't complain. At muster station 8:35am, bags loaded in our car by 9:10.

 

Now to top off the service..............

 

9 am im in the baggage claim and AHMED, Chief Housekeeper is out of breath and asks "Are you xxx from #1047?" With that, he presents me with a wristwatch I forgot in the room. (Could easily sell on ebay for $300 or so). Here's to honesty, and also they could've done typical lost and found procedure. Yet, he ran off the ship to return my watch.

 

That last move kinda sums up the cruise.

 

KID'S PROGRAM

 

Limited, not too many kids as you can imagine but it was a good size, the staff was GREAT with 20 month DD. There were a few older kids, and parents reported that kids were very happy with the kiddie program. It may not be Disney, but it isn't supposed to be. This was better than I thought it would be.

 

 

THINGS TO IMPROVE, OR CHANGE IMO (random, and nitpicky. This cruise was great.)

*********************************

 

(This cruise was so good. They try so hard. I think realistically, they can do some things to really be superior)

 

*I will not get into an exchange about this on this forum. I hope they'd offer more diversity in news programming. CNN was fine, but FOX, a top rated network should also be offered. Red meat and white meat is great on MDR menu's, should be the same vis a vis TV channels.

 

*Hot Dogs at grill: Change the vendor. I don't expect Allen Brothers gourmet dogs, but even Oscar Mayer would be a step up.

 

*MDR salads could be more chilled, entrees could be hotter. I know, it's hard in a big MDR. I'm just putting it out there.

 

*Waffle Station: It's popular! It's great! But there's only one at the back of the buffet. One more would really alleviate some milling around and crowds.

 

*Buffet Carvery: They could do a better job keeping it warm and fresh. It's very possible without high cost.

 

*Water service: I know cost is an issue, but tableside water svc at the buffet would eliminate alot of the "cattle effect" that can happen on sea days.

 

*Brunch: On this itinerary, do it on the LAST sea day. It's cold outside, meaning the pool people come to the buffet and it gets real crowded. If you have brunch, it'll alleviate the crowds.

 

*Maintenance: After reporting bad air conditioning the 1st time, the maint dude told us "just leave the thermostat at 62, don't change it". Ok, so we gotta freeze all day too? That didn't work at night and so I called Ram and he admitted, the room was not 62, not even 72! He got a new maintenance dude, who said he "adjusted it downstairs" and then we were fine. Oh, tried to take cold showers those 1st few nites....but no cold water in the shower.

 

I think for maintenance calls, someone who cares should check it out, and HE should instruct the maintenance guys.

 

*FELLOW PAX: Met some wonderful people overall. Buuuuuuut, people, a few 'please' and 'thank you' to crew might help! A saw a few ppl being downright rude to the omelette guy who did a perfect job. Oh, and if you see an elevator crammed up, it's okay to wait 4 minutes for the next one. I saw a few old folks get physically pressed due to people just having to take the elevator.

 

 

Overall, this was a marvelous cruise as you can tell.

 

If you are used to lux travel, and smaller ships for cruising but due to budget, geography or curiosity want to try a "big ship", I can easily suggest the PH Suite, and the Celebrity Mercury. Mind you, it's not SUPPOSED to be lux so please don't go comparing it to your line of choice all the time. But speaking for myself, all things being equal, if Merc and Regent were leaving out of Baltimore, I'd go with Mercury's Suite Life.

 

When Mercury is renovated or grounded, I sure hope X give Baltimore a nice ship and crew. Most of these Baltimore cruises were SOLD OUT and while all our hometowns are great, I will say that due to diversified economy, record hiring by the government, etc.....I believe this is a great market for cruising and I can honestly say that it would be a HUGE deciding factor for me when booking a cruise.

 

Overall, marvelous job Mercury. And here's to that crew who are away from home months at a time, and working harder than I've ever had to work. I have nothing but gratitude and respect for all of them, and I really hope they find what goals and dreams they are looking for in life.

 

If you read this far, you are either really bored, really interested, or just a nice person. Thanks ;)

 

Feel free to post questions, comments, insults, or whatever you desire. :)

[Texed]

*Waffle Station: It's popular! It's great! :)

 

Agreed! Thanks for posting. :)

[pumpkin 11]

can't beat the waffles!!:):D

[kimanjo]

Thank you very much for such a well thought out and detailed review. We were on the Mercury in 1998? and the Galaxy 1999? and are headed on the Summit March 6th. DD and I happened to be fortunate to get a once-in a lifetime deal on Azamara Quest 14 night Med cruise 2 years ago and swore we would never go back to a "large" ship. We are, and I hope we have an experience as lovely as the one you did.

[STXCruisers]

Appreciated your review, especially descriptions of PH Suite since I have not experienced it.:( Glad you had a nice cruise. It is also good to hear your positive remarks regarding the crew. The crew tries so hard to please - I think more so on Mercury than on the other X ships we have sailed. I think they take personal pride in being Mercury's crew. I love Mercury.:)

Doris

[portofrome]

Thank you for posting your review.

[atb]

We leave on Monday, on the 12-night Caribbean cruise. We came to Celebrity with a cruise on Galaxy, from Baltimore. We love the port of Baltimore, and we really enjoyed the Galaxy so we are looking forward to the Mercury.

I do agree with the OP, whatever X has planned in the future, I hope they keep Baltimore on the itinerary. :)

[madelinerose]

When Mercury is renovated or grounded, I sure hope X give Baltimore a nice ship and crew. Most of these Baltimore cruises were SOLD OUT and while all our hometowns are great, I will say that due to diversified economy, record hiring by the government, etc.....I believe this is a great market for cruising and I can honestly say that it would be a HUGE deciding factor for me when booking a cruise.

 

If you read this far, you are either really bored, really interested, or just a nice person. Thanks ;)

 

Feel free to post questions, comments, insults, or whatever you desire. :)

 

 

Great review and here's to Baltimore from one of the nice people. Thanks!;)

[jcpc]

Thanks for the review. Just a note: We were in PH 1044 in November - Richard was our butler and I'm thinking he was equal to Ram. Also, the water pressure in the sink in our guest bathroom was non existent until I mentioned it to Richard -- that night it was "full force". I'm guessing that since you had the same issue in 1047 that they must intentionally turn that water pressure down -- although I can't imagine why.

 

The Mercury Suite life definitely is a good life.....

[bug_dan]

JEDIKNIGHT,

 

We were fortunate to meet your parents albeit for too brief a time. It's easy to see where you get your outlook on cruising. Thanks for the great review:)

[cruzeluver]

Thank you so much.

 

For someone who usually goes with the more upscale lines, you praise is high indeed.

 

And I agree that fellow guests can have a huuuuuge impact on your enjoyment. It makes me crazy to see other passengers treating the crew like dirt.

[wvufan]

Hi Jediknight

 

It was a true pleasure to be talbemates with your parents and to meet you, your wife, and darling daughter:).

 

I also had special diet needs so our waiter had to contend with those as well as your parents' vegetarian diet. He and the maitre d' did a fantastic job. Really enjoyed the Indian appetizers and the sambal.

 

It truly was a great cruise-we may do it again next year.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[travelgenie]

Great review....it is refreshing to read one full of positives. We leave on Monday in an inside cabin we were able to get at an extreme bargin, which leaves more money to spend on JEWELRY!!! Woo-hoo.

[hrprof]

Jedi

 

As indicated on an earlier post, we'll be sailing out of Charleston in a few weeks in PH 1047. Your comments are quite useful. We are regulars on Regent and have been on all their ships, past and present, and have just returned from a 3 week B2B in French Polynesia and Fiji on the PG. Since we are not big on shows, casinos or lounge sitting, we place a premium on cabin space, ergo the PH. We have been on Celebrity twice - both times in RS. Based on value received, we think that X delivers a great deal. What would we change? Make it all-inclusive. Signing for things all the time makes it obvious that you are a customer and not a guest - it destroys the sense of hospitality created by a first rate staff.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

hrprof...

 

Yeah, I hear you on the all-inclusive and DW and I discussed it and I guess there's pros and cons. I also can't stand signing for stuff too much like at dinner....DW would get wine, me a Sprite. Then the soda guy and sommelier would seperately bring out checks to sign....so I stopped soda for the rest of cruise at dinner.

 

BUT in defense of not being all-inclusive, I guess that's how the "value" quotient is so high and maybe even beneficial. For instance, I don't drink yet on Regent, my all-inclusive fare assumes I'll have nice $10 drinks regularly, or wine with dinner. Likewise, I DON'T shop at ports, DON'T spend money on booze....but food is my addiction and I'll gladly spend extra for a few more good lobster tails, filets, whatever but again, why should the vegetarian, or salad eater pay inflated 'all inclusive' fares for my lobster?

 

 

I like all inclusive, but on X I saw such a great value also.

 

FWIW...

[CruisinCadie]

Travelgenie,

 

If you stop in Antigua, check out the Jeweler's Warehouse. Just about everything is half price. I got a great deal on pearls.

 

Kathy

[Muushka]

I enjoyed reading your report. It sounds like a wonderful cruise.

 

FOX, a top rated network should also be offered

 

Fox news was offered on our recent Equinox cruise, sadly. I am a news junkie and found myself on a beautiful ship watching Shep and Bill. Pitiful.

[TourDeCruise]

Thanks for the great review! We board Monday for our third cruise on the Mercury (& numerous other X cruises).

 

The Indian food is delicious on Celebrity, and now you have me all excited for the dal and curry vegetable dishes in the lunch line. Maybe I'll have a chance to try the curry fish this time. The best dal we have ever had was on Royal Caribbean & we have had dal 100x or more in Indian Restaurants or prepared by friends in the US. Occasionally, we have special ordered Indian food in the dining room on X and Royal Caribbean. Have you been to Kohinoor and/or Haandi in Northern Virginia?. Those were our favorite Indian Restaurants in the DC area. We moved away 15 years ago, so I don't know if they are still there and as good as when we lived there. If you can't tell, Indian food is my favorite.

 

Great review....it is refreshing to read one full of positives. We leave on Monday in an inside cabin we were able to get at an extreme bargin, which leaves more money to spend on JEWELRY!!! Woo-hoo.

 

Travelgenie: The line below is to the rollcall thread for the February 1st Mercury cruise. Come join us. Although most have been posting for months, there are a few more who just joined in the past week to say they are sailing on this cruise. If you would like, you can also sign up for the meet-and-greet Connections party that Celebrity hosts for the Cruise Critic members. The link for this Connections party registration is at the top left of the Cruise Critic page. Here is the rollcall.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=850606

 

Kathy

[Ships R Great]

What a great review! Not because it was so positive but because it was well-thought out, fair and inclusive. We will not be in the PS next month but I will happily sail inside just to be on a ship! Well, an X ship! Well, on Mercury!

[ch175]

Thanks for the great review! We board Monday for our third cruise on the Mercury (& numerous other X cruises).

 

The Indian food is delicious on Celebrity, and now you have me all excited for the dal and curry vegetable dishes in the lunch line. Maybe I'll have a chance to try the curry fish this time. The best dal we have ever had was on Royal Caribbean & we have had dal 100x or more in Indian Restaurants or prepared by friends in the US. Occasionally, we have special ordered Indian food in the dining room on X and Royal Caribbean. Have you been to Kohinoor and/or Haandi in Northern Virginia?. Those were our favorite Indian Restaurants in the DC area. We moved away 15 years ago, so I don't know if they are still there and as good as when we lived there. If you can't tell, Indian food is my favorite.

 

Kathy

 

I was on the same cruise as the OP. Have fun - we had a great cruise, minus some questionable weather.

 

On our last couple of cruises, we tended to avoid the buffet and stick with the MDR for breakfast and lunch. But we found the Indian food early on, and wound up eating in the buffet most days. I would also suggest looking for other "special" dishes at the very back of the buffet, near the salad bar. They had Thai one day, and Indonesian on another. I thought both were very good and a nice change from the typical food you might find on a buffet.

 

I also heartily recommend the waffles at breakfast. We also liked the French toast. It took some time for us to figure this out, but there was one station that offered turkey sausage links at breakfast. I just can't eat regular sausage any more (and to think I used to hate turkey sausage and turkey bacon). Also, the omelet chefs at breakfast and the stir fry guy at lunch (I think his name is Paul) were outstanding. So on this cruise, we were really happy with the buffet.

 

I hope you have a great cruise!

[Waterlily777]

Thank you so much for a great review. I loved your upbeat attitude and your respect for the hardworking crew. I also love Indian food and am glad to hear that it was available on Mercury.

 

I can't wait to sail out of Baltimore. I'd love a 12-day itinerary that included Baltimore, Charleston, Savannah and Key West. Anything else would be bonus.

 

Hey Celebrity...keep Mercury and give us those interesting itinerary choices. I miss those Pacific Coastal cruises on Mercury as well.

[jerseyk]

Great review. We were in 1047 on the 9 day just before you! Ram was wonderful and could not do enough for us. PH was great and we wish that we had a longer cruise in it!

Thanks,

Walter

[mdmourges]

Nice review. My wife and I have been doing most our cruising lately on some of the smaller ships you spoke of but decided to do Millennium as opposed to taking a Silversea cruise next month. Basically the same inten., same length, etc. And we could get the Penthouse Suite for about the same price (after you factor in the cost to drink, since that is included in the SS cruise) as a Silver Suite on SS. Your review has amped up our anticipation that much more. We are hoping to make some new friends on the ship so we can have some parties in our room. If we could just get the snow to end here in Annapolis. lolol

 

Mark & Janet

[WineDown17]

Jedi-

 

Had fun chatting with you prior to your cruise- and so glad you loved it!!!

 

Appreciate you review style and positive attitude!!!

 

Hope you cruise again soon!

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Thanks WineDown, and appreciate your responses pre-cruise.

 

Hoping to cruise again on X but really love the Baltimore departure so may wait till next January.

 

Now, if over the next few months, 21 month old DD figures out how to sit still for more than 6 minutes, I might consider Jersey...but that's only if I have cruise-itis really badly.