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Best Cruise, Best Crew Ever On Mercury

AJD

By AJD,
in Celebrity Cruises

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AJD

AJD

Posted
Posted

I have hesitated writing a review of our Mercury cruise as so many good things have been well written and presented previously, e.g. by Radio, however I finally decided to get on with it as I thought I had a slightly different perspective which might be of interest.

Overall

I am writing this review because our cruise on the Mercury was simply the best ever and the single thing, above everything else, that made it the best was the fantastic crew.

Pre Cruise/Baltimore

We live in New York State and chose Baltimore as Celebrity had just returned there and we could do it without the hassle of flying. Travel by train from Newark, our nearest Amtrak station was fine but with an hour’s journey to get there, not too convenient for us. Arriving in Baltimore the day before boarding we stayed and dined in the new hotel Monaco, the accommodation was really very nice, they offered a complimentary wine tasting and dinner was excellent, all at a very reasonable price. It is unlikely that we will sail out of Baltimore again, nothing at all against Baltimore, simply that New Jersey or New York would be much more convenient for us.

Back to Back

These were back to back cruises and we kept the same cabin which was nice. It was necessary to get off the ship and go through Immigration between cruises, but this was a breeze, escorted off and back on in 15 minutes, just as well as it was very cold!

Our winter cruises are designed to get away from the snow and cold for 3 or 4 weeks which necessitates back to backs and this is another reason for not sailing out of Baltimore or the north east. In January/February two days in each direction getting to and from the Caribbean are likely to be spent in cool weather and on this cruise two of our four trips past Cape Hatteras were quite rough for about twelve hours.

The Ship

Mercury is a nice size ship and well maintained, it features multiple lounges for dancing and entertainment; the theatre is well laid out, comfortable and there is never a problem getting a seat or a beverage.

Cabin 8001, looking out over the bow of the ship is one of a few very large ocean view cabins on Century class ships; we enjoyed having the extra space on our three week cruise. But, be warned, there is a downside to these cabins, being that far forward and high up, it gets a lot of motion and the thrusters are pretty noisy docking and departing. These are great cabins and a bargain if you don’t mind these issues which we didn’t.

The Staff

I thought Celebrity’s publicity about being “treated like a celebrity” was cheesy, but that was truly how we felt on this cruise. Everyone from the Captain down constantly went out of their way to interact with passengers. We noticed Captain Patsoulas taking time to speak with and fill out a form for a bunch of little kids on a treasure hunt. The Hotel Director, Jill Herman, was visible all over the ship, talking to passengers and actively seeking their comments and dealing with any issues they had. The good natured, friendly Food and Beverage Manager Uttam Chakraborty also seemed to be everywhere again actively seeking out and talking to passengers, not just passing the time of day. Misha Graafmans the Executive Chef is an absolute comedian, his cooking demonstrations are not to be missed and he again was always about the ship talking to people. The Restaurant Manager --- could not have been more accommodating, constantly checking if guests were satisfied. I could go on, but there are simply so many good humored, helpful hard working senior staff I can’t mention them all. That is what made this cruise for us; we are used to excellent service from Celebrity cabin stewards, waiters, sommeliers, assistant Maitre D’s etc. but have never seen such attention from senior crew members, I’m sure this is more possible on these smaller ships, but this was quite exceptional and the entire crew is to be congratulated.

The Food

We thought the food on this trip was the best we have had, out with Celebrity’s specialty restaurants, which unfortunately Mercury lacks, I think that was the only thing we missed even though we had just sailed on the brand new Equinox. Fish dishes and lamb were always good as were the soups and starters, particularly those borrowed from the specialty restaurant menus. Traditional escargot, French Onion soup and steak are all available on the everyday menu and are all favorites of mine. A wine connoisseur’s dinner is offered once per cruise, this is a hosted event at the Captains table and a lot of fun with good food and generous portions of excellent wine paired with each of five courses, very enjoyable! We also had the pleasure of being among the Captain’s dinner guests on a formal night and guests of the Hotel Director on another, nice experiences to have.

Entertainment

The production shows, which we are not big fans of, were very good. The Mercury has much better facilities for dancing then Solstice class ships, with three venues every evening to suit most tastes. Party Band Fusion which played by the pool and in the Pavilion nightclub in the evening was good to listen to and for dancing as was the quartet who played in Rendezvous Square most evenings. Valerie a French singer/pianist put on excellent shows; the string quartet and guitarist/singer were also very good. So, lots of live entertainment in multiple venues every evening till about midnight, after that there was the disco, but there was not a lot of late night partying on done on this cruise.

Captains Club

Our Captains Club Hostess, Juliana Charles, was wonderful, the best we have experienced. Juliana was very good at getting round the room at both breakfast and cocktail time and willing to help with anything raised by guests. Celebrity Elite perks are now very good and I’m sure will enhance brand loyalty. We utilized private lounge for continental breakfast each morning with Cova Café cappuccinos and pastries, a nice feature. The two hour complimentary cocktail party each evening was also a nice way to relax before dinner and share some time with fellow guests. Free internet time was sufficient to get my mail daily and check news and weather headlines without exceeding the limit.

Conclusion

All in all a cruise that will stick in our minds for a long time and a crew we will never forget; thank you Mercury and Celebrity!

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librarylady19

librarylady19

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Thank you for taking the time to write your review. I was impressed that you remembered the staff who provided such excellent service by name. You should send your compliments on to the powers that be at Celebrity. I'm sure they would appreciate your review and appreciation for the outstanding service you received on Mercury.

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cruiseacecat

cruiseacecat

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Thanks for the kind comments.

 

Sorry, I had us in the wrong cabin number, we were in 8004.

 

John.

 

Thanks for your review. And you had one of the very best cabins on the ship along with 8007. :) I looked at sky suites on our cabin crawl which were not as nice. :eek: Looking forward to being back on Mercury next month.

 

Anne

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AJD

AJD

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Sandi,

 

I have to admit I had a crib sheet for the crew names, my memory is not that good, I kept the insert from the daily newsletter.

 

I did send the review to Celebrity management.

 

John.

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bug_dan

bug_dan

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John,

 

Nice review, sorry we missed most of the 1/11 cruise due to my wife's fall in cabin 8007:( As you pointed out, the front of the ship can be more subject to the motion of the ocean. Cabins 8004 and 8007 are very spacious and have a lot of room, but if one has mobility problems, they are probably not the best choice:( Strange, because in Nov '09, we had cabin 8001 and didn't really notice any excessive motion.

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AJD

AJD

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Dan,

 

Sorry we missed you too and about your wife's fall, how is she? Fully recovered I hope.

 

We had two nights with enough rocking to knock over the water pitcher vases etc. But not enough to keep us awake! We have been near the front before but had calmer seas on that occasion.

 

John.

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bug_dan

bug_dan

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John,

 

She's doing great, still using a walker and going through therapy. She was operated on in St Thomas on the 15th, so it's only been a little over a month. The fall was on the 12th about 5:15 pm, it was a rogue wave that caused the ship to list to starboard and as she was walking toward the port side, she suddenly went backward and down fracturing her right hip:(

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