Comprehensive Review of Mercury 6/11/04 Part 1

[firstplacechef]

Just got back and we had a wonderful time [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] !

This is part of a comprehensive review of our recent trip on Mercury and her Seattle R/T on June 11, 2004. Our party consisted of me, my wife, and my daughter. We are both in out late 40’s and our daughter is 15. Our stateroom was 1007 Penthouse Deck Concierge Class. (more about this later)
[B]
Airport Arrival[/B]

We arrived to the Seattle airport around 10:45 AM from Atlanta, GA on the morning of the 11th. We gathered out luggage, placed our Mercury tags on each piece. I had heard that the lines for the shuttle would be long so we proceeded to the taxi-cab area. It was now 11:20 and we were loaded and on out way to Pier 66. The cab ride took about 30 minutes and was about $30.00 plus tip.

Dock and Ship Arrival

We “found” where to deposit our luggage, as there were no extra porters present at that time in the drop-off area, there were several busses, and taxi’s emptying. After showing our identification out luggage was whisked away and we were told it would be delivered to our stateroom before we set sail. We were then directed to the check-in area and taken to one of the check-in areas. This was Celebrity’s first departure from Seattle and they were training the people on a new system! Despite this, we were checked in and on the gangway having our picture made and being handed our glass of champagne by 12:15! As for priority embarkation I did see a separate line for the CC when we arrived but we didn’t need it. We were told that our stateroom would be ready by 1:00 and were given a sheet of the open areas of the ship and to go and enjoy lunch in the Plaza Café of Grill area on deck 11. We opted for pizza and a hamburger at the Plaza Grill. We then wandered around the ship to get our bearings of what was where. The ship is beautiful and very well laid out with public areas mixing with various lounges, game areas, along with the cinema, library, shopping area, etc. Just before we left for our stateroom we watched below as the longshoremen were loading all of the food on the ship. We would later find out that this took longer than expected with the Seattle Port Authority and we were delayed leaving port by 2 hours, but most of that time was made up on the “At sea” day.

Our Stateroom

At 1:00 we went to out stateroom and met our cabin steward Dennis and his assistant Darkam. They were both wonderful in keeping the cabin clean and replenished and always helpful when we saw them. As stated above we were in Concierge Class and we really enjoyed the nice perks. Fresh flowers changed twice during the cruise, fresh fruit each day, that was replaced with fruits we liked, the afternoon canapés (some good and some not so good) the pillow menu and mattress topper, the to “die-for” shower head, nice thick towels, personalized stationary and business cards including our names and stateroom address and many other little perks.
Our cabin was a forward port side location and we did experience some movement that was very noticeable during the day but very relaxing during the nights when were we at sea. It was the standard Celebrity 172 square feet with the 42 square feet balcony. These rooms are marvels of design for form and function. We each had 2 large suitcases and 2 carry-ons. We filled all of the spaces and some of the drawers and still had 5 drawers empty. The bed was high enough to hold the empty suitcases so they didn’t take up any storage space. There was an interactive TV and a VCR (you can check out movies from the guest relations desk), a wall safe and a small refrigerator with the basic mini-bar options. Our room had two twin beds that were placed together and a love seat the opened to a bed for our daughter. When open this blocked the entrance to the balcony, but could be partially lifted to gain access to the outside. The balcony was very comfortable for two with padded chairs, a dinning table, another small table and foot rests. We did enjoy time there but it was just too cold to have a decent breakfast there each morning. Great landscape views after the first day at sea and we sited many humpbacks, bald-headed eagles and other wildlife throughout the cruise.
The location of the cabin is directly under the Aqua Spa and we did not notice any outside noises at any time. The port side is the smoking side of the ship and we did notice some smoke odors in the hall from time to time but never in our stateroom.

Next installment: Ports of Call and Food & Entertainment

[FreesiaE]

I am going on this cruise in August. Your review is making me even more excited about going! Especially since my connecting flight is from ATL and gets in at the same time-and as I can see it was on time. I can't wait to read the rest!

[sdcruiser]

FirstPlaceChef...thanks for your review so far. My family is going on this cruise also, in August 2004, and I just have a few questions..

1) Did you sail east or west of Vancouver island, sailing north or south on the return?

2) Where was your dining table in the main dining room? We also have a CC cabin and would like to know a good table number to request..

3) Did you have Celebrity transfers via bus, but opted to take a cab instead due to the lines?

4) How close did you get to Hubbard Glacier?

(I guess I'm jumping ahead a bit, so I'll wait until your review is finished)

Thanks in Advance
SDCruiser

[Carol/Houston]

firstplacechef,
Great review, very detailed. Can't wait for the next part. I am enjoying all the Mercury reviews as we will be on her July 16th.
I'm sure I'll have a question or two after your final review. Thank you!
Carol