Mercury 3/30/05 review

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Hello all you past and future cruisers!

We are just back from our cruise and I will be uploading a review today. I will try and break it down into specific sections so you can find what topic is of interest to you and not have to wade thru the blah blah blah:D

I also have over 800 pix and will post them tomorrow with a link to view them.

It was a memorable cruise..............40-50 mph headwinds and 10 ft seas at one point!:eek:

Well, I better get started so, more later!

[wtevrfltsurbt]

OK, here we go:

Staterooms:

We were in 9208 an oceanview delux room. There were 3 of us, myself, DH and DD. The room was very small for the 3 of us but I am pleased to say that they little geniuses who designed the room, built the beds to sit high enough to fit your suitcases underneath them to maximize closet space!:D The fold-out couch is twin size and once it is open there is no getting at the desk anymore:( there is a small table in the room but we found it to be in the way and had it removed for the duration. We also had them remove all the minibar items so we could make room for bits and pieces of our own in the fridge. The tv and vcr are well placed so all can view them, (free videos available at the guest services desk) and the channel selection was ok. ESPN, CNN, Animal Planet, TVLand and several in-ship channels that you can watch with info about the next port of call, shopping and daily activities reviews. One small complaint: the windows were always dirty:mad: so if you really wanted to see something or take a picture, you should go out on deck.

Finding your stateroom: Just remember what "staircase" your room in near, there are 3. "A" "B" and "C" as there are 3 elevator shafts that correspond to those staircases "A" is for rooms near the front of the ship, "B" is for room that are midship and "C" is for the aft rooms.

 

Childrens activities:

Our 13 yr old really did not fit into any group, too old for the "Fun Factory" and too young for the "Teen" group. The "Fun Factory" seems great for the little ones and we saw them all over the ship with thier couselors do various activities from pizza parties to scavenger hunts, sleepovers and xbox. The "Teen group has a "couselor" but I never saw them together, the teens (Mostly 16 and up) just seemed to hang out by themselves alot. There are 2 arcades on the ship, one for the smaller kids and one just for the teens. You have to pay money to play these games, so be aware. Both are located at the entrance to the Navigator Club, deck 12 forward.

[eandee]

OK, here we go:

Staterooms:

We were in 9208 an oceanview delux room. There were 3 of us, myself, DH and DD. The room was very small for the 3 of us but I am pleased to say that they little geniuses who designed the room, built the beds to sit high enough to fit your suitcases underneath them to maximize closet space!:D The fold-out couch is twin size and once it is open there is no getting at the desk anymore:( there is a small table in the room but we found it to be in the way and had it removed for the duration. We also had them remove all the minibar items so we could make room for bits and pieces of our own in the fridge. The tv and vcr are well placed so all can view them, (free videos available at the guest services desk) and the channel selection was ok. ESPN, CNN, Animal Planet, TVLand and several in-ship channels that you can watch with info about the next port of call, shopping and daily activities reviews. One small complaint: the windows were always dirty:mad: so if you really wanted to see something or take a picture, you should go out on deck.

Finding your stateroom: Just remember what "staircase" your room in near, there are 3. "A" "B" and "C" as there are 3 elevator shafts that correspond to those staircases "A" is for rooms near the front of the ship, "B" is for room that are midship and "C" is for the aft rooms.

 

Childrens activities:

Our 13 yr old really did not fit into any group, too old for the "Fun Factory" and too young for the "Teen" group. The "Fun Factory" seems great for the little ones and we saw them all over the ship with thier couselors do various activities from pizza parties to scavenger hunts, sleepovers and xbox. The "Teen group has a "couselor" but I never saw them together, the teens (Mostly 16 and up) just seemed to hang out by themselves alot. There are 2 arcades on the ship, one for the smaller kids and one just for the teens. You have to pay money to play these games, so be aware. Both are located at the entrance to the Navigator Club, deck 12 forward.

 

Great review so far!

How many kids would you estimate were aboard?

Did they behave or take over pools and hot tubs?

 

Just curious.................

Liz

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Soda Cards:

We are soda drinkers but opted not to buy the cards, with the 3 of us for 11 days the cost would have been around 150 dollars:confused: . If you do purchase the card you get a sticker on your sea pass and a "Go-Mug" type insulated cup with the coca-cola logo on it, which is nice because it keeps it colder longer!:) The variety of free juices, coffee, teas etc were more than enough for us. These free drinks were available in the Palm Springs grill 24-7. For those of you who are wondering what to drink at dinner in the Manhattan Restaurant, they offer regular and chocolate milk, water, iced tea or iced coffee as your choice of free non alcoholic beverages. However: if you are in a lounge and order a "Shirley Temple" for yourself or your child, they charge just as much for it as they do an alcoholic beverage! 4-6 dollars.

 

Liquor:

Cool secret! Everyday by the pool they have a 2 for 1 special on the drink of the day, Bahama Mamas, Margeritas, Rum Runners etc. This is usually from 12 noon on. 2 drinks about 6 bucks!:D

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Eandee,

There were about 180 kids on board, and they were scattered about the ship. They tend to congregate in the aft covered pool area as that pool is only 2-3 ft deep.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Pools and Jacuzzis:

There are 5 pools and 3 jacuzzis on board. The jacuzzis are all on the main pool deck 11. They are all raised and accessed by stairs. I RARELY saw any kids in the jacuzzis. The security personel on board are present most days by happy hour on the pool deck and will not allow you to take a beer bottle into the area. It is the only drink on the pool deck served in glass, all other types of drinks are served in plastic tumblers. The pools are as follows: one 4ft7in deep, one 7ft11in deep, one 6 inch deep, and 1 1 ft deep. These are placed in a clover leaf pattern all in the same area. The covered pool is seperated from the rest and is located aft on the same deck.

[koolforkatz]

Wow! That is the beauty of this ship. I was also on this voyage and I would never have dreamed there were 180 kids on it. I thought there were hardly any and I was poolside a lot. But on the other hand, I couldn't believe there were 1,800 passengers on the ship. It rarely seemed crowded at all.

 

Katherine

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Restaurants:

We mostly dined at the Manhattan, we had "main seating" which is 6 pm on formal nights and 6:15 on informal and casual nights, this way we could attend shows etc after dinner. There were a few night we opted to eat by the pool (killer hambugers!) and sometimes we did the Palm Springs grill. All the food we saw/ate/viewed etc was excellent, fresh and well presented. Lobster is last formal night and yummy:D They serve Sushi every night in the alternative dining room as well as a regular menu. A 2 dollar per person gratuity is expected for these last 2 mentioned.

Pizza and Pasta:

by the covered pool there is a station that serves pizza and build your own pasta for both lunch and dinner. The same location is a waffle bar for breakfast. There is no charge for this locations food.

Hamburgers and hot dogs:

Directly adjacent to the main pool is a station that serves hamburgers and hot dogs and some sandwiches at lunch and dinner, no charge.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Clothing:

Yes, formal nights are formal! I saw the majority of men (80%) in tuxes and dark suits, ladies in everything from long gowns to sparkly cocktail length, black tuxes, white dinner jackets even spotted a powder blue one! LOL

Daytime wear was all over the place, from shorts and halter tops to flowing caftans to jeans and t-shirts. Ladies BEWARE!!!!! If you are wearing a short skirt and going from one deck to the next using the stairs, especially by the pool, be aware that anyone below you will get a birds eye view of what you are wearing (or NOT wearing) under your skirt! I saw alot more than I ever want to..............:o "Flirty" skirts, the ones with the floucy panels tend to do a "Marilyn Monroe" number as it is almost always windy on the pool deck.

 

Photos:

The ship offers a multitude of photo opts. They will take your photo in the dining room twice on a 11 day cruise, they have 3 different locations on the ship where they have mini studios set up with different backdrops to take your pix on informal nights and formal nights as well, (including a backdrop of the staircase from the movie "Titanic":D ) and they are displayed for you the following day in the Photo gallery-for sale of course:rolleyes: They will take your pictue as you get off at various ports too, with parrots or Mariachis or whatever. The photos range in price from 9 dollars to 25 each.

[MaggieCruzin']

OK, here we go:

Childrens activities:

Our 13 yr old really did not fit into any group, too old for the "Fun Factory" and too young for the "Teen" group. The "Fun Factory" seems great for the little ones and we saw them all over the ship with thier couselors do various activities from pizza parties to scavenger hunts, sleepovers and xbox. The "Teen group has a "couselor" but I never saw them together, the teens (Mostly 16 and up) just seemed to hang out by themselves alot. There are 2 arcades on the ship, one for the smaller kids and one just for the teens. You have to pay money to play these games, so be aware. Both are located at the entrance to the Navigator Club, deck 12 forward.

 

My 10 year old son didn't really fit into the mold either. Fun Factory was too young for him and teen group too old. He played basketball non-stop and did play in the arcade. He had a good time but I could do without the arcades on board.:eek: $$$$$ Water was wayyyy too cold to swim. What was that about?

[MaggieCruzin']

Soda Cards:

Liquor:

Cool secret! Everyday by the pool they have a 2 for 1 special on the drink of the day, Bahama Mamas, Margeritas, Rum Runners etc. This is usually from 12 noon on. 2 drinks about 6 bucks!:D

 

Another secret...when you want a drink, go to the bar and order it yourself. I had a bloody mary each afternoon. When I went to the bar, they used a shot glass for the vodka. When I ordered one poolside, they used a thimble.:( I'm not a big drinker so I can tell right away if my drink really has any liquor in it!

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Spa treatments:

LOVE the spa! I had a couple of things done and the staff is awesome, but here's a secret: on a budget? go to the spa and ask what the "Port" specials are and save alot of $$$ sometimes up to 1/2 off!

 

Shopping:

Gotta love the Duty Free! Liquor and cigaretts are 45 to 65 percent lees than at home, and yes, they have specials on certain days too! Don't go and buy everything the 1 day as they have at least 4/5 specials (1/2 off) per day! This includes sweatshirt and t shirts and other goodies too. When the ship is in port the shops (and the Casino) are closed and will not reopen untill they are 10 miles out to sea.

 

Internet:

The folks there are very saavy and very nice. I did not purchase a "Minutes" packeage and just used it as I needed it. They also have a great service for your digital camera: When your memory cards is full they will dowload the images and store them till the end of the cruise, so you can clear you card for more photos. You can do this over and over, then at the end of the cruise they will burn a CD of all your pix for 15 dollars!

I never had a problem with logging on or getting a good connection with the internet service, but I did not use their email, I simply logged into the net and accessed my own email thru Explorer.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

:mad: Cruise Critic Party:

How can I say this without cussin?

OK, so we get the invitation, they were 80 of us signed up, we show up to this cavernous room, no real managment to the meeting, no structure, and the first guy shows up and does some chit chat, then the C>D> Dru shows up, more chit chat i.e. "Everbody tell us your name ands where you are from" oh! and by the way there's coffee over there...............and then "ok! thanks for coming bye"

and we were pretty much dismissed. End of story.

Now mind you, the Friends of: Bill W. and Dorothy were listed on the daily activity sheet and held regular meetings per schedule even Mass was held almost daily and Sabbath services, but all we got was a 1/2 chit chat and thats it? NOT COOL. Due to the "in-and-out" "party" we had, virtually none of the group from CC ever met again during the whole cruise!

[Tatka]

Is basketball court in a good condition?

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Rough Seas:

Boy did we get it! At one point we were fighting 40 to 50 mph headwinds in 10 foot seas, (barf bags are free) The 1st 2 days going out of San Fran are rough as are the last 2 coming back in. Bring the Bonine!

[eandee]

My 10 year old son didn't really fit into the mold either. Fun Factory was too young for him and teen group too old. He played basketball non-stop and did play in the arcade. He had a good time but I could do without the arcades on board.:eek: $$$$$ Water was wayyyy too cold to swim. What was that about?

 

I heard the water is salt water they empty every night.

Is that why it is always cold?

 

Looks like the hot tubs it is.

How about the inside pool, was that one cold too? The one under the retractable roof??

 

Liz:confused:

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Yes, from what I saw it was, mind you it is in a net cage on deck 12 so its windy up there! BTW the ping pong table is next to as is the golf simulator.

Is basketball court in a good condition?

[wtevrfltsurbt]

I don't know that they empty the pool every night..................but yes, its always salt water and always cold, even the covered one. Princess is the only line I know of that has fresh water pools.

[MaggieCruzin']

Is basketball court in a good condition?

 

The hoop wasn't in great condition. But it was good enough for my son to play for hours.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

There's also a hoop in the main pool and they have 1 or 2 organized pool hoops games.

The hoop wasn't in great condition. But it was good enough for my son to play for hours.

[donnalroe]

Thank you so much for the awesome review!!! We leave in 2 days for SF and will be boarding Mercury on Sunday....Thank you for your time.

 

Donna and Francis

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Ship condition:

I found the Mercury in fine fettle for an "older" ship LOL. The employees are constantly cleaning, varnishing, vaccuuming and polishing.

 

Chair Hogs:

They must have all been on vacation on a different line, did not see any, there were chairs available all the time.

[Robrph]

Thanks for a terrific review- we'll be on Mercury with Donna and Francis and the whole "Mercury Maniac" crew this Sunday!

 

Rob

[pzerba]

Thanks for all the tips - as I too will be with the Mercury Maniacs in a few days. Just the type of review I was looking forward to before going.

 

I've only the Caribbean before, I get the impression this will be a tad "rougher" - oh well, haven't had problems yet - don't expect to start now!

[Cruisin Rick]

great review. Just one thing for future cruisers.... you never know what to expect on the sea. The next cruise could be glass. It's usually the last night heading into SF that's the worst. I was told it got ruff that night but I slept throught it and never knew.

 

Cruising Rick