Warning - Mercury

[grizzair]

Abort! Jump off! Do anything but get aboard the Mercury! My fiance and I just returned from a 10 day hell at sea to the Mexican Riviera on the Mercury from March 17th- March 27th, 2006. Minus the fact that the norovirus is rampant on this boat and we were quarantined near the end of our trip there are so many other issues at hand: The boat is aged and weathered, there is no glamour at sea on the Mercury. Because the sickness has affected the staff as well, many of the services are limited. On our cruise the Sushi Cafe was non-existant, their flagship Midnight Buffet was cancelled, different tastings were cancelled because the staff told us, "There is too much bleach in the air to serve food." The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has explained the cleaning standards but the Celebrity staff has not been trained. The boat resembles the inside of washing machine, all mirrors, windows, surfaces, and elevator doors are doused with bleach to the point that the numbers in the elevator are sticky and unreadable. The doors and door handles to our stateroom were sprayed continuously throughout every day and night to the point that they looked like a gallon of spoiled milk had exploded on them. No matter what the signs say, never use the handrails, they are constantly dripping with a bleach-like substance that ruins your clothing and cracks your skin. Cafeful where you sit, whether pool-side or at dinner, even the chairs and tables are dripping with bleach. You would think that this would contain the problem but on our cruise several quarantined passengers who refused to stay in their room were kicked off the boat. Others refused medical attention in hopes of not being quarantined so they could enjoy the remainder of their 'vacation'. Some were concerned that if they went to the doctor they would end up with huge medical fees onboard so there was no real containmnet of the virus. In the staff's futile attempts to contain the norovirus, restaurants (like the Manhattan Dining Room), the Casual Dining Boulevard, ice and beverage dispensers near the buffet lines, including some buffet lines and gift shops were randomly closed to be sanitized. The guest relations staff was overwhelemed and responded with script-like answers and provided no real resolutions or assistance. Avoid the Mercury like the plague. Upon landing back home, finally, in San Diego we broke this news story to KUSI Channel 9 news correspondent Vivian Tamayo. Please see the video on their website at KUSI.com. Just enter key words 'celebrity cruise' into their search engine and the story and associated video will pop up. All the still pictures within the story, which also ran as their lead story on the 6 o'clock news in San Diego, were taken by me and sent electronically to the news station. The pictures I sent were of open buckets of bleach in the restaurants and of their staff wearing masks and gloves spraying bleach all over the ship. I beg you to flood their phone lines with questions about money back guarantees, insurance, and the sickness onboard and if you can't get any answers from the first operator keep calling back asking to speak to someone else. The only thing Celebrity is adept at is avoiding the situation and those seeking information and/or compensation. In reading past reviews a lot of people have been questioning whether or not it is OK to drink the water on board. It seemed filtered to us but most of the glassware were soiled with lipsitick and fingerprints. Seems like the necessary detergents to cut grease are not being used onboard. And if you have any doubts that you may be allergic to heavy chemical spraying or abrasive cleaning products rest assured you will onboard this ship. If you are not affected with the norovirus (leading to extreme vomitting, diahrea and stomach cramps) you will experience severe migraines, congestion, and chronic tearing of the eyes from the chemical solutions sprayed courtesy of the untrained Celebrity Mercury staff. We beg you not to board this ship. Go to the website now: KUSI.com keywords 'celebrity cruise'.

 

Also, if you happen to already be on board or choose to not heed our warning, at least do not pay the astronomical costs Celebrity charges to use the internet on their computers. They charge $0.50-$0.75/minute depending on the program you purchase. At every port there are numerous internet cafes that charge only $1.50/hr!! That is what Celebrity is charging for 2 minutes of use!! These internet cafes are easy to find, just ask any local or look for the signs in English, they are clean, air conditioned, and you can sit for an hour drinking $0.40 diet cokes and $1.00 beers (instead of $2 and $6 onboard) for what it would cost you to sit for 2 minutes on board.

 

These problems, we have recently found out, were onboard the two preivious Mercury crusies to ours. We were not warned of the probable health risks associated with getting on board nor of the severe bleaching going on. If we had known we would have never gotten onboard. Now you have been warned. It's up to you now to cancel your cruise on the Mercury.

[greydog]

Soooo Mercury staff bent over backwards working aggressively to limit the spread of the Norovirus (including quarantining sick pax) in an effort to limit the number of passengers from getting sick with the unpleasant symptoms you describe. Then some ill pax intentionally subverted these counter-measures. Sounds like if Avian Flu arrives, the Mercury would be the healthiest place to be.

 

I am sorry passengers and staff on this trip had to deal with the health situation. Other cruise ships had a series of such outbreaks in recent years and in at least one case the norovirus apparently came on board with a air-charter group. Better luck next vacation.

[grizzair]

I would never associate the word 'safe' to Mercury. Let alone words like, 'relaxing, enjoyable, and high service standards.'

[Lois R]

Sorry you had such a horrible experience. I was on Mercury back

in March 2004 and had a wonderful time. From reading the most

recent reviews, it seems some of you had a terrible cruise, while

others still had a good time.

 

I have an Oct 2006 already booked on Mercury and plan on having

a wonderful time once again.

 

The internet on the ships have been .50-.75 minute for a while now.

I rarely use the web while on a cruise so the price doesn't bother me.

 

Again, sorry you had such a poor cruise.

[Dorothy]

I was on Mercury to Alaska back in June 2004. The ship and its staff were great. I think because of the Norovirus it caused the problems you all had to experience. It sounds to me as though the crew were doing their best to contain the virus, but when passengers do not adhere to the quarantine, then germs will continue to spread. Because of this, you can't blame the ship and crew entirely. We all know that the norovirus is always a possibility when you cruise. It has been going on for years. I'll continue to take my chances.

[Happy ks]

It is very unfortunate that this illness happens and that it spreads through a cruise ship. Norovirus also happens at schools, hotels, office buildings, hospitals, anywhere there are human beings.

 

The CDC only makes the cruise ships report. It makes headlines, I suppose because it is supposed to be a luxury vacation.

 

It's really too bad that people who are carrying this illness have no regard for the health of anyone else. The reason the ship has a tough time getting rid of it is because the infected people are not staying quarantined.

 

It sounds like the ship is doing the best it can. There is no way they can determine if the illness will continue from one cruise to the next. They can clean till the cows come home but the very moment an infected person touches public surfaces, all the cleaning efforts are in vain.

 

Would you suggest that a whole cruise be cancelled (for 2500 pax) because 100-200 people got sick last week? There are no easy answers for it, no one wants to get sick, the cruise line certainly doesn't want their pax or crew sick. The virus happens almost every year, we read about it on cruise ships every year, the media latches onto it like flies on poop, but they couldn't care less if it happened in a local elementary school.

 

I'm very sorry you had this experience, however there was no way to predict it and it sounds like they were doing their best to try to protect you. That you were quarantined was unfortunate, but for the good of all the others onboard. You were probably infected by a pax who refused to stay quarantined, not by the ship.

[garykool81]

::shrugs::

 

Mercury was the best cruise we've been on, second only to Oceania's Regatta. I'd sail aboard Mercury again in a heartbeat, and I was on virtually an identical cruise to the OP.

 

We took an 11-night Mexican Riviera from San Francisco back in October 2004...was without doubt the most fun cruise we've done so far. We met some wonderful staff members and friends we still keep in touch with. More importantly, the ship was quite nice, food was very good, service was good, etc.

[caribbean dreams]

Looks to me like the crew was doing exactly what they were supposed to do, although they could have wiped the drips up a little bit better.

[Logie]

I am sorry you had such a bad cruise, but contacting the news media is a bit much. It is not that uncommon for a cruise ship to contact norovirus.

 

I personally think you should contact the cruise line with your complaints, even though it sounds like they were doing what they could with the situation.

 

Just another reminder to wash your hands often on a cruise.

[nu2sea]

With what this is going to cost Celebrity in terms of negative publicity and ill will amongst passengers, they may have been better off cancelling or delaying the current cruise until the ship had been disinfected.

 

But how can you ask people to cruise with you when the current "Celebrity Treatment" means chlorine sprayed on all surfaces?

 

Susan

[katiebeth]

Susan,

 

I must agree. I do think that several of the posters have valid concerns. I think unless you were on that particular sailing it is difficult to understand what it must have been like. Everyone has to feel bad for all those affected, passengers and crew alike. Most passengers work hard, save for quite some time, and look forward to their cruise for many months. I understand that this type of virus can happen anywhere, but it sounds like the frustration is the result of how some passengers view Celebrity's response. They are entitled to their opinion.

 

Just because a past passenger on the same ship didn't experience a similar problem, doesn't mean it can't happen. I feel bad for all those whose cruise experience didn't meet expectations due to this difficult situation.

 

I hope the problems on the Mercury are resolved as quickly as possible.

 

Nancy

[Sky Sweet]

With what this is going to cost Celebrity in terms of negative publicity and ill will amongst passengers, they may have been better off cancelling or delaying the current cruise until the ship had been disinfected.

 

But how can you ask people to cruise with you when the current "Celebrity Treatment" means chlorine sprayed on all surfaces?

 

Susan

 

I agree with you. In fact, I made a similar comment to my husband at breakfast this morning.

[turtlemichael]

OP, I'm desperate to ask you, apart from that, did you enjoy the cruise? :p

[Beth & Rob]

I too was on this ship. My husband has not had one day off other than Thanksgiving, X-Mas and New Years since we booked it in May 05. He gets limited vacation so he was so looking forward to this cruise.

 

He'd never been on a cruise before and I finally convinced him to go to Alaska with a group of friends 2 years ago on RCL's Radiance. When we finished the 7 day trip, I said, "well, what did you think". He said, "Do these trips go longer than 7 days?" Cute huh?

 

Well we scrimped and saved, limited the holiday gifts, anniversay and birthday so we could do this. As it was, our budget could only afford an inside cabin, but hey, we didn't care, we were so excited.

 

My husband came down with a kidney stone 3 days before sailing. He said he was going hell or high water and we did. Fortunately the stone stayed in the kidney and didn't move, but it hurt the entire trip.

 

All of the previous posts are quite accurate. Bleach everywhere, fumes were almost blinding and everyone's eyes were always watering. Clothes were ruined, skins were blistered. I have some strange bumpy rash that broke out 2 days prior to docking back in San Diego. My doctor says, contact dermatitis, unknown irritant. DUH--Bleach.......

 

The crew (God bless most of them) worked their asses off. 2-3 hours of sleep a night and this was for the second cruise in a row.

 

Activities were canceled, buffets were canceled, lines were exceptionally long for the buffets due to the dining room being closed. You could not pour your own juice or coffee, you could not serve yourself. Salt and pepper shakers were removed from the tables......

 

I could go on, but no need, you get the picture.

 

My concern is that NO INFORMATION was provided to passengers for several days. There was great speculation, rumors that were not addressed or quelled.

 

I am in the medical field and these type of virus can be very debilitating, especially to people of high risk. People with diabetes when faced with dehydration and volume depletion can decompensate very rapidly. People on multiple medications can be quite challenged to stay well when facing such issues.

 

These 10 day cruises support a great senior citizen group. These folks were not afforded an opportunity to participate in a personal health issue to change their mind if they felt they could possibly be exposed to a potentially life-threatening illness. No, a couple of days of abdominal pain and diarrhea would not kill me, but an 85 year old diabetic with high blood pressure and a history of coronary artery bypass. Why did Celebrity feel they had the right to make the choice for these people.

 

That is my issue.

 

Yes my vacation was significantly impacted. Whether I would have changed my mind before boarding is irrelevant. This point is that no one was given the choice.

 

I understand the cruise beginning on 3/27 was. Can someone tell me why?

[mama d]

 

These 10 day cruises support a great senior citizen group. These folks were not afforded an opportunity to participate in a personal health issue to change their mind if they felt they could possibly be exposed to a potentially life-threatening illness. No, a couple of days of abdominal pain and diarrhea would not kill me, but an 85 year old diabetic with high blood pressure and a history of coronary artery bypass. Why did Celebrity feel they had the right to make the choice for these people.

 

Well said!

[katiebeth]

Dear Beth,

 

Your post was very very well written. I agree that the passengers should have been informed of the situation PRIOR to boarding. I feel badly for you and others who had been looking forward to this cruise for a long time. (and doing without to save for it) It sounds like it was a well deserved vacation for both you and your husband that ended up being anything but enjoyable and relaxing.

 

I feel sorry for the crew as well. They work extremely hard on any given day but to throw in the norwolk virus and many many unhappy passengers must have been just awful. The communication issue had to be particularly frustrating for passengers and made a bad situation worse.

 

Your point regarding the elderly on board really hit home. You are so right. Many are already dealing with health issues and to be allowed to board without any disclosure on Celebrity's part is beyond troubling.

 

We are scheduled to sail on the Millennium in June Barcelona to Venice. My parents are in their mid-seventies, and while in fairly good health, my mother is diabetic and does have high blood pressure. I have been concerned because based on posts on these boards the Millennium apparently has a "sewage disposal" problem of some type that results in entire decks and sections of the ship smelling like a sewer. These reports have been ongoing for several months and it does not appear Celebrity is doing much of anything to resolve it. I even wrote customer service last week and their response was "There is currently no sewage disposal problem on the Millennium" "We hope you have a wonderful cruise". I guess you can't fix a problem if you don't admit there is one. It really is disturbing because, in my opinion, it goes beyond a highly unpleasant odor to being a public health concern.

 

All of these negative reports make you wonder what is going on with Celebrity. I sure hope all of the recent problems with be a wake-up call.

 

Again, I am so sorry for your recent experience with Celebrity. We have had some outstanding cruises with Celebrity but these recent reports are very unsettling.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Nancy

[bububr]

check it out. Its a little less negative..and I tried to only empasize the good things.:)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=322109

 

Dave:eek:

[libramitch]

Noroviruses Noroviruses are a group of viruses (previously known as Norwalk-like viruses) that can affect the stomach and intestines. These viruses can cause people to have gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and the large intestines. Gastroenteritis is sometimes called a calicivirus infection or food poisoning, even though it may not always be related to food. Norovirus is sometimes called the “stomach flu,” although it is not related to the flu (a common respiratory illness cause by the influenza virus).Symptoms caused by noroviruses

Common symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping Less common symptoms: low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and tiredness

<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times New Roman"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>This illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. Normally the illness lasts about 1 to 2 days. Children often vomit more than adults.

[libramitch]

Can't wait!!

[tangerinebunny]

Thanks for a reasoned well-written report, Beth.

 

Any travel is always a gamble, and it's a major disappointment when it doesn't give the dividends we expect.

 

It sounds as though X could have done a much better job handling the situation, and the crew deserves an A+ for doing their best once they received proper direction.

 

It also sounds as though this crisis may be behind us, and we can go back to insulting each other's dinnergarb choices.

[katiebeth]

NMnita,

 

I think your post is a little harsh. I don't think it is fair to "shoot the messenger". I do agree that OP's post was "rather over the top", but believe that Beth raised some very legitimate issues.

 

It also sounds like passengers were having to cope with more than a "little" bleach. Based on several reports it appears that the bleach was "dripping" from everywhere.

 

I really don't think any of us would like to cruise under these circumstances. Many passengers saved and planned for many months and I can surely understand their disappointment. They may not be able to cruise again for a long time, due to work schedules and financial considerations.

 

Obviously, the virus is can be anywhere, but it seems that the frustration is based on the way some view Celebrity's handling of the situation. I believe they are entitled to their opinion. Most I think were upset that there was no disclosure on Celebrity's part, and that they were not given a choice as to whether they wanted to cruise on that particular sailing given the current circumstances.

 

Nancy

[Cruise or Lose!]

Three words, Susan. ACT...OF...GOD.

 

I'm quite surprised the media picked up this bit of sour grapes. They must be especially desperate for a story right now.

[newmexicoNita]

NMnita,

 

I think your post is a little harsh. I don't think it is fair to "shoot the messenger". I do agree that OP's post was "rather over the top", but believe that Beth raised some very legitimate issues.

 

It also sounds like passengers were having to cope with more than a "little" bleach. Based on several reports it appears that the bleach was "dripping" from everywhere.

 

I really don't think any of us would like to cruise under these circumstances. Many passengers saved and planned for many months and I can surely understand their disappointment. They may not be able to cruise again for a long time, due to work schedules and financial considerations.

 

Obviously, the virus is can be anywhere, but it seems that the frustration is based on the way some view Celebrity's handling of the situation. I believe they are entitled to their opinion. Most I think were upset that there was no disclosure on Celebrity's part, and that they were not given a choice as to whether they wanted to cruise on that particular sailing given the current circumstances.

 

Nancy

Nancy, I do agree there should have been some disclosure, and maybe I did sound harsh, but I get so tired of reading complaints about this line, that line, etc. especially when they come on as strong as the OP did. Being disappointed, upset and feeling a little cheated: that is to be expected, but obviously the crew did it's best, she never mentioned activities, food or anything else; just Don't cruise this ship because>>>>She states this condition has existed the past 2 sailings: I do not know if this is true or not, but would love to know where she got her information and then to take it to the media: sounds to me like she just wanted her few minute of fame or her money back, whatever. Notice the only other concern she had was the cost of using the net; obviously she hasn't cruised all that much: they are way overpriced, but we make the decision to use it or not. Could she have also been a bit upset cause they were quaranteened? I just have so many problems with posters who don't bother to post unless it's too warn us all about whatever. NMnita

[halos]

It seems this board has sunk to new levels.

 

There are serious problems aboard the Mercury right now due to this norovirus.

 

Susan

 

Yeah, I see that, but couldn't this happen on any ship, from any line, at any time??

This is one of the many chances you take when you book a cruise. You can catch norwalk virus anywhere but it speads like wildfire on a ship unfortunately and a lot of this has to do with the inconsiderate nature of some of the passengers who won't contain themselves.

 

This is by no means a 'Celebrity' issue. I've heard of outbreaks on other lines and unfortunately they weren't handled any better as far as I know, but how else can you handle a situation like this What would be a good way todeal with it?

[denneym1]

I can certainly understand the first poster having a poor overall opinion of the ship and even the entire cruise line under the circumstances. If I have a really crappy experience at XYZ Hotels, that affects my opinion of ALL XYZ Hotels. The reason people go on vacation, and spend lots of $$$ to go on cruises, is not so they can smell bleach fumes and catch viruses that cause them to be quarantined.

My wife is a nurse and has experience with Norovirus. They had it go through thier facility, and until they identified it as what it was and started using bleach solutions, they were unable to contain it. However, they did not leave things dripping wet with bleach. Thats just ridiculous. Maybe the ships crew was resorting to extreme measures in desperation, if this was the third cruise in a row where they had the problem.

I do believe one of the problems with these viruses may be due to the quick turnarounds the ships do. When they are disembarking in the AM and embarking in the PM of the same day, it does not give much chance for a through cleaning of the ship between groups of people.

While I understand that these outbreaks are somewhat beyond the control of the cruise line, the sanitation practices on the ship and the practices employed to control the outbreaks when they do occur have a dramatic impact on how well and quickly they are controlled.

I also believe that the responsibility of cruise lines from a liability standpoint should be somewhat higher than many other types of businesses. People pay a lot of money for thier cruises, they are usually booked well in advance with significant non-refundable deposits and paid for fully well before sailing. They want every cabin filled and the money in thier pocket before the ship unties from the dock. At that point, don't they have a responsibility to deliver what they have been paid for? Once on the ship, you are almost a captive of the cruise line until the completion of the cruise. This is not at all like a land based trip, where you can cancel reservations with 24 hr. notice and easily make changes to your itinerary if need be. Passengers put a lot of trust in cruise lines when they make thier vacation plans. When something like this happens, cruise lines need to recognize that there is a problem and figure out a way to make it right for those affected.