Review-Mercury to Alaska 5/17

[fhowell2]

This is my review of our cruise to Alaska on the May 17 voyage of the Mercury. I tend to not be wordy and will impart a lot of observations as simply as possible.
Before embarkation- We (Carol (my lovely wife), Judy K. (our really nice friend), and I (Rick)) left Oak View, CA, and traveled to So. San Francisco and the La Quinta Hotel therein on Sat., May 16, because it is 357 miles to get there and we wanted to be there fresh for the sailing on Sunday.We got a deal where we stay one night and get 14 days of free parking, and a shuttle ride to the cruise dock. Saturday nite, we ate at a Lyon’s restaurant which is right next door to the La Quinta. We were all tired and crashed early. We were lucky enough to meet up with fellow Cruise Critics Judy and Arvid, and Judy and Jim at the LA Quinta and they rode on the shuttle with us to the cruise dock.
Embarkation-What a mess!! The May 5 cruisers were getting off and we were coming in. We got into a sitting area about 11:30 AM and met with another bunch of. Cruise Critics. Finally boarded about 12:30pm. Lunched soon after.
Sailing out (beautiful weather)-We left the dock soon after the light boat drill and it was sunny and windy as we sailed out under the Golden Gate Bridge. Met the B-52’s for a set-sail party. Went to dinner in the dining room and met our dinner mates, Sherri and RT from Sacramento and Barbara, Robin, and David from Harrisburg, PA. Dinner was fine, no problems.
The next day, first day at sea, we relaxed and checked out the ship. No problems. I played bridge in the afternoon and Carol took advantage of the various activities on the Ships calendar and then we played dress up for dinner. Went to the evening’s entertainment which consisted of a mix of the different types of entertainment we could look forward to.
Victoria(beautiful weather)-Pulled into port and watched various pontoon planes take off and land from our verandah. Left the ship without any particular plans and hopped onto the Grayline double-decker shuttle ($5pp for all day) to go downtown to the Victoria Hotel. There, Carol and Judy K. went onto a Grayline tour (Judy K. has limited mobility, so must ride much) and had a great time sightseeing. I walked over to the Royal British Columbia Museum and spent a couple of hours going through the native American exhibit (no photos allowed). Went to Thunderbird Park and photoed numerous Totem poles, then headed back to the bus pickup point. Returned to the ship with Carol and Judy K. and had lunch. We set sail soon thereafter.
NOTE-daylight hours began at approx. 4am and sunset was about 9:30-10 pm all the time we were in Alaska. I wake up at dawn and for a few days suffered from severe sleep deprivation.
Inland Passage(beautiful weather)-What can I say. This is a beautifully scenic area and I spent as much time as possible looking with wonder at all of the trees, mountains, waterfalls, snow, whales, dolphins, orcas, eagles, and so much etc.
Juneau(beautiful weather)-Went through Stephens Passage to get to Juneau, passing numerous waterfalls and snow-covered mountains. Docked at downtown Juneau and went on a tour we arranged through Mighty Good Tours (MGT) to the Mendenhall Glacier. There is a visitors center there, where we saw an informative movie and were able to spend 45 minutes checking out the glacier and its icebergs. Our tour took us around and through Juneau for 3 hours. We went to Auke Lake, which is just downstream of the glacier and we had numerous photo opportunities. Well worth the money and less than the comparable ship shore tour. Back to the ship for lunch and a little shopping. We were tired and ready to call it a day.
More Inland Passage-Darn, we had to endure more Inland Passage scenery on out way to Skagway. Tough duty, but someone has to do it.
Skagway (high clouds, nice)-Another early morning arrival. We ate breakfast and boarded the White Pass RR for the trip to White Pass, where the gold rushers had to go to get to the gold. The train loads right next to the ship. It is a great ride and takes an hour and a half to get to White Pass, because the trip is uphill all the way. Beautiful scenery with glaciers, waterfalls, rainforests and plenty of sightseeing. I spent a good amount of time on the traincar platform taking photos. It is tough to take photos through a glass window. After the traintrip, we went to the ship for lunch, then walked into Skagway. It only takes a few minutes. Walked down the main drag and then went to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park for a ranger-led talk and a tour through their museum. Back to the Ship and relax time. Set sail 9ish pm.
Icy Straight(Hoonah)(sunny, cool)-The next morning, we anchored off Icy Strait, half way between the town of Hoonah and the Fish Cannery. We were tendered to the Fish Cannery pier. There is a newly developed area there with a museum, shops, a nice restaurant, boardwalk, and a beach path around to Icy Strait Point. The area is still under construction, but is well enough along for us to be the first cruise ship to anchor there. Everyone was anxious for us to feel welcome and we had a good time. I walked around and took photos. There was even an announcement that orcas were coming into the bay and they came close enough to shore to see their markings. A couple of Bald Eagles put in an appearance also. Carol, Judy K., and I were disappointed to have our Nature Tram tour canceled because the roads were too wet and impassable. Other tours went off as scheduled. Carol and Judy hitched a ride into Hoonah with the general store proprietor and were able to get some photos. Quiet little place, population 800. The ship carried 2000 passengers. Beautiful area and the most natural inhabited place we would visit, with one exception. Logging was a prominent local industry for a while and evidenced by large clear –cut areas. The areas are re-vegging and are green and don’t stand out. Off we go into Icy Strait for our next experience.
Hubbard Glacier (Yakutat Bay)-We sailed into Yakutat bay the next morning, moving slowly to avoid icebergs, not wanting to do a Titanic imitation. This was the coldest day of the entire cruise with a low cloud cover and ice cubes of various sizes floating all around us. We cruised to within a half-mile of Hubbard Glacier, where we could see the glacier calving and hear it make sounds like thunder. The Mercury stayed in one spot and slowly revolved so each side of the ship could experience the view and sounds. This all took several hours. Then we slowly sailed out and headed south.
Sitka-Another early morning arrival (good grief). We had breakfast and were tendered to shore in the rain, which lasted most of the day. At the tender dock, we found a shuttle called Tribal Tours, which is operated by the local Tlinget clan, which cost us $7pp(for all day) to haul us around. Went to the Sitka National Historical Park to start off, watched a film about the Tlinget/Russian battle for Sitka. Very informative. Toured the Center/museum, then went back downtown to Totem Park. Walked the downtown area, which is not very big. Did a little shopping, not much. Walked up Castle Hill and took more photos, then went back to the ship. It was showery all the time we were in Sitka. Too bad. It is a pretty town with lots of bald eagles everywhere. I feel sorry for the people who payed to see bald eagles when you could see them everywhere and use their money for something else. Hunkered down and sailed out for our last stop in Alaska.
Ketchikan (showery)- Early in the morning(when else), we docked really close to downtown, and Carol and Judy K. went on a float plane trip to the Misty Fjords. They had a great time, with several landings/takeoffs in the Fjords and lots of photos. I went on a local tour to Totem Bight State Park. I chose this one because it is in a rainforest and the tour gave much more time for photography. We started out with a short tour around town and then headed out to Totem Bight. The driver walked with us through the rain forest, a clan house (reproduction), and through the totem pole park area. Afterwards, we went to a museum/giftshop for smoked salmon treats and a bit of shopping (imagine that). We then went back to town and our driver dropped us off at Creek Street, which if you are in a hurry, is only a 15-minute walk from the ship. I strolled back and enjoyed the town and was able to relax a bit. We were only in Ketchikan for 5 hours, so you had to keep moving to see very much. We sailed out at 1 pm and headed for home.
2 days at sea-The first day going home was a typical cool day, keeping everyone inside and taking it easy. The second(last day before home) was sunny and was as perfect as you could ask for. We cruised with the California coast in sight all the way. What a fine day!
San Francisco-We were supposed to sail into SF Bay about 5am, but I woke up at 4:45am and we were already docked. Oh well. I went back to sleep, then got up in time to watch the sunrise and take my last photos of the cruise. We got off the ship with Arv and Judy and rode back to the La Quinta with them. We all saddled up at the same time and headed down the road by 10:30am.
My next comments are my own with no input from anyone else:
The Mercury-A really good ship- No problems, I really enjoyed cruising on this ship
The Staff-We had really good experiences with our cabin steward, his assistant, our headwaiter and the assistant waiter. The entire experience on the cruise was very positive.
Food-OK- Good variety in the dining room and at the buffets. Only problem is there is no main buffet for the evening meal. The buffet changes into a restaurant with waiters you are required to tip. If you do not tip, your shipboard account will be charged. The menu selection is limited and we tried this only once. There is a small pizza/salad/sandwich buffet which is easily overwhelmed. One evening, there was only one person(who was working his tush off) tending the area while 15 people waited in line. Room service menu was limited. Carol tried this 4-5 times. I did once. That was enough for me. I wound up in the buffet line most mornings and in the dining room most evenings.
Entertainment- I cannot speak highly enough for the dance revues offered on this cruise. The dancers and singers were tops in my book. I really enjoyed their performances. Carol and Judy K. did also. I did not attend any of the other entertaiment offerings because I was usually too tired and they did not appear to be worth the effort.
On-board activities- I played bridge several days and participated in some of the trivia contests. Reading took up a bunch of my time and so did simple relaxation.
We met up with a big group of Cruise Critics named the B-52’s who helped make the cruise more enjoyable. Several opened their suites up to the rest of us for parties and I want to thank them for their hospitality
We have posted photos at the following address and hope you enjoy them:

[url="http://community.webshots.com/user/carol459459"]http://community.webshots.com/user/carol459459[/url]

Rick

12/2004 Spirit(S.Mexico)
09/2004 Paradise(Panama Canal)
05/2004 Mercury(Alaska)
02/2004 Regal Princess(Hawaii)
01/2004 Ecstasy(N.Mexico)
12/2003 Ryndam(Sea of Cortez)
09/2003 Paradise(E. Carrib)
02/2003 Conquest(W. Carrib)
05/2002 Elation (Mex.Riviera)

[carol459]

Good review, thank you

Carol

12/2004 Spirit(Mexico)
09/2004 Paradise(Panama Canal)
05/2004 Mercury(Alaska)
02/2004 Regal Princess(Hawaii)
01/2004 Ecstasy(Mexico)
12/2003 Ryndam(Sea of Cortez)
09/2003 Paradise(E. Carrib)
02/2003 Conquest(W. Carrib)
05/2002 Elation (Mex.Riviera)

[firstplacechef]

Thanks we sail on her this Friday! Scott

[boten]

Fhowell,
I Liked your review and I have a question for you.
Did Judy K. had any difficulty getting on the float plane in Ketchikan? I have limited mobility too and I wonder if I'll be able to get in and out of the plane.

NBP [7²=49]
[I]Boten, you're always good for a laugh[/I] - newtocc
[I]Boten, I want to speak with Mrs. Boten. NOW[/I] - brigittetom

[fhowell2]

Boten,
Judy has bad knees and can't walk far or use stairs, but was able to get into the plane. When she was offered the opportunity to climb out onto the float when the plane touched down in the Misty Fjords, she declined.
Hope this helps.

Rick

12/2004 Spirit(S.Mexico)
09/2004 Paradise(Panama Canal)
05/2004 Mercury(Alaska)
02/2004 Regal Princess(Hawaii)
01/2004 Ecstasy(N.Mexico)
12/2003 Ryndam(Sea of Cortez)
09/2003 Paradise(E. Carrib)
02/2003 Conquest(W. Carrib)
05/2002 Elation (Mex.Riviera)

[boten]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by fhowell2:
Judy has bad knees and can't walk far or use stairs, but was able to get into the plane.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Sounds familiar to me [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif[/img] So how did she get on the plane? Did they "hauled" her or did she climbed the "ladder"?

NBP [7²=49]
[I]Boten, you're always good for a laugh[/I] - newtocc
[I]Boten, I want to speak with Mrs. Boten. NOW[/I] - brigittetom

[fhowell2]

She was assisted up a 4-step ladder by the pilot.

Rick

12/2004 Spirit(S.Mexico)
09/2004 Paradise(Panama Canal)
05/2004 Mercury(Alaska)
02/2004 Regal Princess(Hawaii)
01/2004 Ecstasy(N.Mexico)
12/2003 Ryndam(Sea of Cortez)
09/2003 Paradise(E. Carrib)
02/2003 Conquest(W. Carrib)
05/2002 Elation (Mex.Riviera)

[boten]

Thanks for your replies. I think I'll give it a try.

NBP [7²=49]
[I]Boten, you're always good for a laugh[/I] - newtocc
[I]Boten, I want to speak with Mrs. Boten. NOW[/I] - brigittetom