Anyone back for the Mercury?

[starlake]

We also just got of the Mercury on Oct 18. We had a great cruise. I know that a few of the crew were a bit ill on the cruise. I believe it had a lot to do with them coming from Alaska for several months and then coming into a complete different climate. It just had a bit of an effect on their immune system.

I really enjoyed every minute of our cruise.

[cruisecluestoo]

Glad to hear that, How do things look ?

[notl342]

Select dining is not available on Mercury

[abellagal]

Thanks, Gaye, for the update. Hopefully it is not Norovirus. We don't need that. :eek: We board on Friday for a 10-night cruise.

 

I believe you were on our Panama Canal cruise (San Diego to Baltimore) on the Mercury last year and/or the February Caribbean cruise. Are you still ballroom dancing?

 

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy! Yes, we were on the Panama Canal in 2009 as well as 2010. We took a year off from cruising so Shelly could have 5 knee surgeries UGH. Still ballroom dancing and of course, the Mercury has the best dancing venues. The Solstice class ships have no dance venue other than the grand foyer so when the Mercury departs the fleet, we will limit our cruising to the millennium class.

 

Will you be taking the final on February 14? I know that Gail will be there and of course, we will be there to say our goodbye. That will be our 13th cruise on the Mercury.

[buffi001]

What do you mean select dining is not available on the Mercury?

They're taking reservations for it in November. Are we in for a surprise?

[Shilomare]

Just back from our 10/1 sailing on the Mercury through the Panama canal ending in Baltimore 10/18. We had a wonderful passage, great crew and enjoyed our select dining. Select dining was available on the Mercury from 5:30 to 9:30 Deck 6 Starboard. We will be sailing again on the Mercury for the holiday cruise 12/20 once again with their Select Dining option.

 

Enjoy her, and especially her crew, while she is still part of the Celebrity fleet.

[lambcom]

I have confirmed select dining seating in writing from Celebrity for the November 29th cruise

 

George+

[TourDeCruise]

Will you be taking the final on February 14? I know that Gail will be there and of course, we will be there to say our goodbye. That will be our 13th cruise on the Mercury.

 

Gaye,

 

Yes, we will be on the final sailing of the Mercury with X. We have the following cruises booked on the Mercury before she is sold: 10/29, 11/29, and 2/14. Gail is on the Mercury now and will do a b2b with our 10/29 cruise. She will also be on the cruise before the February 14th cruise, so that also will be a b2b for her. We had 9 cruises on the Galaxy including her final sailing with X, and we have had 3 cruises on Mercury (February 2010, Panama Canal 2009, & Mexican Riveria 2005) so that will make 6 Mercury cruises by the end of February.

 

Unless Gail has more than 13 cruises on the Mercury, Shelley & you may have the highest number of Mercury sailings.

 

I hope Shelley is recovering well from his surgeries and will be ready for some good ballroom dancing again on the final Mercury cruise. That will be nice and appropriate that so many Celebrity & Mercury veterans will be on the final sailing.

 

Still waiting for Gail's Live Report!

 

Kathy

[TourDeCruise]

Does anyone know if we can easily change our assigned dining to Select dining once we board the ship? I know we can ask, but do they usually accommodate the change if we request it shortly after boarding the ship? On Azamara we had the equivalent of Select or anytime dining because that is all they have, and we enjoyed the flexibility. On our upcoming Celebrity cruises, we didn't want to pre-pay gratuities, which we have to do if we request Select, because our shareholder sbc and/or sbc given by the TA usually pays a good percent of the gratuities.

 

I have confirmed select dining seating in writing from Celebrity for the November 29th cruise

 

George+

 

George: We are also booked for that cruise. I don't recall seeing you on the rollcall thread, but here is a link to it so you can join us:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1140464

 

Kathy

[buffi001]

Not intending to sound stupid, but knowing that it does , which deck

is deck 6 ? An earlier poster said that select dining on the Mercury is

on deck 6 starboard, and all of the deck plans I have mention the decks by

name only.

[ABDance]

We too were on the aug29-sep4 trip to Alaska, wonderful!

Deck 6 is Promenade deck, it is where the MDR is.

The MDR is on 2 levels, Lower is on deck 5 (=Plaza) and Upper is on Deck 6(=Promenade), entrance for dining is on Promenade. The Select Dining (yes there is Select dining) is on the starboard side of the restaurant. Use the Starboard side entrance for that. The fixed dining enters on the port side. The picture is taken looking aft, select dining is on the left on the upper part.

PS This picture was NOT taken during dinner, rather during the special brunch on Wednesday Sept 1 and presented to show you the arrangement of the dining room.

[buffi001]

Thanks so much for the explanation. Is the picture in a different

post, or did I miss it?

[ABDance]

I am not so good with the pictures, I'll try again:

[abellagal]

Does anyone know if we can easily change our assigned dining to Select dining once we board the ship? Kathy

 

There was a note card in our room upon boarding indicating that a limited number of Select Dining slots were available. Upon observation, however, the Select Dining section was pretty empty during the late dining period so my guess is that as long as you don't want to eat at 6PM, you will be fine.

 

One issue that occurred was that people wanting to make their Select Dining reservation at 7PM had to wait until the early diners cleared.

 

Also, Select Dining is on the Port Side of MDR, Deck 6 (upper level).

[spmd]

Yes, the casual (alternative) dining is in the Palm Springs Cafe on Deck 11 while the Select and assigned dining are in the MDR.

 

 

What is the surcharge for the alternative dining in the Palm Springs Cafe?

[derf5585]

What is the surcharge for the alternative dining in the Palm Springs Cafe?

 

I believe the Palm Springs Cafe is the buffet.

[jcpc]

Last year the alternative dining surcharge was $2.00 per person.

[TourDeCruise]

Gail has posted Live from the Mercury! Here is the thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1297102

 

What is the surcharge for the alternative dining in the Palm Springs Cafe?

 

Last year the alternative dining surcharge was $2.00 per person.

 

Yes, it should still be $2.00 which is a "suggested" amount and a gratuity for the server(s).

 

There was a note card in our room upon boarding indicating that a limited number of Select Dining slots were available. Upon observation, however, the Select Dining section was pretty empty during the late dining period so my guess is that as long as you don't want to eat at 6PM, you will be fine.

 

Thanks, Gaye. We would want to eat around 6pm, so I'll see what Jack wants to do regarding keeping our scheduled early seating or changing to Select.

 

Kathy

[B'moreTraveler]

I am confused. If they are both in the Main Dining Room, what is the difference between scheduled dining and select dining? Is it a different menu or just a different time?

[TourDeCruise]

Both Select & assigned dining are in the MDR but in different areas of the same two-storied (two-decked) restaurant with Select being on one side of the 6th deck only and flexible regarding time. With assigned dining, you have a specific assigned time - either early or late seating on either the 5th or 6th deck - with the same assigned waiters, table, and table companions each night. Both have the same menu and same dress code. So if it is a formal night or smart-casual night, it is a formal or smart-casual night for both assigned and Select.

 

Additionally, there is the alternate dining for the recommended $2.00pp & per night in the Palm Springs Cafe. You can leave more than the $2.00 (or less but that isn't very nice). For the alternate dining, they have a menu that is different from the MDR but it has a fish and/or seafood dish (like salmon or halibut), chicken, steak, and probably a pasta option.

 

Also, there is pizza throughout the late morning or noon until into the evening sometime, sushi & miso soup from 5:00 or 5:30pm until 9 or 10pm, and the stir-fry grill until 9 or 10pm (not sure of exact times for these options). There is a regular grill too, but I don't know the hours for the grill as we don't eat hamburgers and hot dogs. There may also be a pasta option where the pizza is. For the sushi, pizza, and stir fry option, there is no additional cost so the $2.00 alternate dining charge does not apply for these options. The $2.00 only applies for the alternate dining with the menu and waiter.

 

On formal nights, one does not have to dress in formal clothing for the alternate dining (someone correct me if I am wrong.) Sorry I don't have all the details about alternate dining as we always go to the MDR although we sometimes stop for sushi first.

 

Here is a question I have. Does the regular grill serve chicken & vegetable brochette/kebobs like Azamara does?

 

Kathy

[TourDeCruise]

Because of a requested clarification on another thread of my earlier post on this thread, I posted the following response on that other thread and am providing it here for the convenience of others who may have the same questions.

 

The alternate dining is at tables with tablecloths, vases with flowers, and place settings. You are waited on as in a normal restaurant complete with menu, wine list (costs extra for wine), and servers. A host seats you. The server provides you with a menu, takes your order, and serves the meal. The server or helper sets the table (set already when you are seated) and clears the table. Part of the Palm Springs Cafe becomes the alternate dining area in the evenings. The $2.00pp is for this service.

 

For pizza, sushi, & stir fry, you go up to the counters and are served by servers behind the counters. You seat yourself at your desired table in a separate area (but near) from the alternate dining. This self-service does not incur the $2.00 charge.

 

Kathy

[B'moreTraveler]

Thanks for your responses Kathy.

 

Since we my friend and I will both be on our first cruise, I think we'll start out with our early seating in the MDR. I'm sure we'll be happy as we have seen the Celebrity menus posted and will have no problem making a selection.