Winning isn’t Everything – Celebrity Mercury, 5/8 Mexico to Alaska

[johnsfo]

Brian--I believe that we had the pleasure to met you at a SF bar with some other Bay Area cruisers. Most importantly, I am happy to hear that you are feeling better. I cannot imagine that any 172 square foot cabin could be considered a prize while making the obsurd assumption that two people in such a small cabin can be made to feel comfortable. Considering that you became ill on the cruise in a 'terribly small' cabin, I don't blame you for leaving the ship. Prior to RCCL taking over Celebrity, I suspect that alot of ammenities on the Celebrity ships were better. However, I think that elminating this and that on all the cruise lines to save money is now the norm--especially now that the cruise lines are paying much more for fuel. We noticed a difference in the Celebrity experience between our first cruise on Mercury (2003) vs. our second cruise on Mercury (2004)--some differences small and some not so small--but noticable. On both cruises, we booked a Sky Suite on the Penthouse Deck. They are beautiful cabins with about 250 square feet and balcony. Mercury has a particurarly beautiful space (perhaps the nicest public space on the ship) at the front and top of the ship which in 2003 was used for a pianist with a beautiful grand piano in the evening which we truly enjoyed. In 2004, this great space was turned into a disco. This was a great dissappointment to us. In the past, my partner and I have sailed on Mercury (twice), Prinsendam (once), and Harmony (twice). I think that the damage caused by the constant 'beaching' due to Mercury's recent Norovorius problem cannot have helped the ship. Mercury, like Prinsendam, and Harmony (now gone to the Japanese market) are smaller ships that the current larger ships on HAL and Celebrity. Frankly, I like these 'smaller' ships even thou I have not yet been on the larger Celebrity or HAL larger ships. Frankly, I we had the money to do so, I would sail Crystal exclusively--our experience on Crystal did more than meet our expectations--however, that is probably another post. I also loved the intimate nature of Prinsendam. However, on our cruise (SF/Alaska/SF) there were serious elevator problems including some of which are out for a large number of days during our voyage. Vacation, being vacation, my partner and I have had the good fortune to enjoy--in this order--Crystal, Celebrity, and HAL. However, I do hope that RCCL is able to do the 'right thing' by Mercury--refurbish it to meet Celebrity standards or say goodbye to the formerly beautiful ship.

[HeatherInFlorida]

............. I cannot imagine that any 172 square foot cabin could be considered a prize while making the obsurd assumption that two people in such a small cabin can be made to feel comfortable. .............

 

Why not? My husband and I have enjoyed many a cruise in cabins about this size. Am I missing something here? I haven't been on the Mercury, but our cabin on the Summit was about 170 sq. ft. excluding the verandah and we had plenty of space.

 

And we paid for it!!! So why would it not be considered a prize?:confused:

[kelmac]

In the last three years we have sailed on the Century(twice), Millennium, Veendam, Summit, Volendam, Mercury, Zuiderdam, and the Galaxy. The very best food served on all these cruises was on the Mercury.

Yes I prefer the bedding on Holland America and the Lido is hard to beat, but these two lines are our cruise lines of choice.

Like Heather, we feel very comfortable on either X or HAL.

We have four cruises coming up, two with HAL and two with Celebrity. I'm not sure why people need to "square off" and trash one over the other?

I truely believe Brian's experience was an anomaly! Of all the cruises listed above, our least positive experience was on the Veendam. I'm sure it had more to do with my frame of mind than the short comings of the ship.

Maybe if I went on a Carnival ship I might get worked up into a gasket blowing, hissy fit, oh no you didn't, drama parade, and storm off the ship --then again, it might be okay? :rolleyes: :) You never know?

 

Kel

[Bramcruiser]

Why not? My husband and I have enjoyed many a cruise in cabins about this size. Am I missing something here? I haven't been on the Mercury, but our cabin on the Summit was about 170 sq. ft. excluding the verandah and we had plenty of space.

 

And we paid for it!!! So why would it not be considered a prize?:confused:

 

I thought exactly the same thing when I read the comment about cabin size although I don't think it was written to put anyone down. I have only travelled in outside cabins of that size or slightly larger (HAL's 197 sq. ft. on Ooosterdam was the latest) to date. I have enjoyed each and everyone one of my cruises despite not being able to travel without a suite of a large size or a balcony.:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Brian, OMG:eek: I just now got a chance to read this thread from having just gotten home last night. I feel so very bad for you:( You missed some great colder but sunny weather in Southern Alaskan. Tom too got a touch of the Norovirus. It started for him late Saturday night while we were packing to disembark. So it was miserable for him flying home all day yesterday and not wanting to eat anything for fear he would have to run to the bathroom on the plane and not make it. He tried to eat last night but he could not keep that down so he did not go into work today. I suppose if he had to get it it was better the very last night rather than the first night.

I too enjoyed your comments and relate it too when we went to Kauai and hated it. We could not wait to get off that Island. We were looking for any way we could to get over to the Big Island which we love. It was good that your first stop was in San Franciso so you had no travel expenses to get home since you were already there. Hope you are feeling much better, I will be anxious to hear Scotty's feelings of the over all cruise on his return.

[Tatka]

Why not? My husband and I have enjoyed many a cruise in cabins about this size. Am I missing something here? I haven't been on the Mercury, but our cabin on the Summit was about 170 sq. ft. excluding the verandah and we had plenty of space.

 

And we paid for it!!! So why would it not be considered a prize?:confused:

 

+1

 

I made huge mistake and booked 3 of us (13 yo son) into the cabin for 2. We didn't have a pullman bed, so every night steward was bringing roll-away bad. Our room looked like one big bed.:D But if we didn't have that rollaway bed, size of that room was completely adequate.

[Pete Jackson]

Enter our sweepstakes and win a free cruise!

 

First Prize: A two day cruise on the fabulous Celebrity Mercury:)

 

Second Prize: An eleven day cruise on the fabulous Celebrity Mercury:mad:

[HeatherInFlorida]

+1

 

I made huge mistake and booked 3 of us (13 yo son) into the cabin for 2. We didn't have a pullman bed, so every night steward was bringing roll-away bad. Our room looked like one big bed.:D But if we didn't have that rollaway bed, size of that room was completely adequate.

 

Natalia, I'm with you there:) . Although I have heard of people with children in cabins this size and they're fine with it. Not for me, though.

 

But my post really referred back to the JohnM who didn't consider Brian's winning this cruise in this size cabin a prize. I was a bit taken aback considering many of us actually pay for a cabin this size fairly regularly and we're very happy.

 

One of my least favorite things on this board are people who don't appreciate that not all of us are fortunate enough to cruise deluxe suite level or higher. And some of us choose not to so we can cruise more often.

 

His statement was that 2 people could not possibly be made comfortable in a 172 sq. ft. cabin and how could anyone consider that a prize. I strongly disagree.

[ArtM]

If you want another opinion of the Mercury, go over to the X boards and read the strings from people who can't wait to sign up for the 2007-08 Mercury itineraries to Australia and New Zealand.

 

Apparently, if someone spends a lot of money to sail on her, the Mercury is not a bad ship.

 

Art

[dougnewmanatsea]

I don't know how I missed this thread before!

 

I have to say, reading this review was a lot of fun. I have this perverse sense of humor that takes great pleasure in reading really bad reviews of things.

 

That said, while I'm sorry to hear Brian had such an awful time, it's important to remember that this is not a typical experience. I haven't been on Celebrity in over a decade, but the fact is that if most of their passengers came away as dissatisfied as Brian did, they'd have gone out of business years ago.

[Mollynme]

So far, my only recent cruise experience has been on HAL. I think I'll keep it that way! :cool:

[Alexborngal]

So far, my only recent cruise experience has been on HAL. I think I'll keep it that way! :cool:

 

I've cruised on NCL, Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean and took my first HAL Cruise to Hawaii last December. Within days of getting off the Amsterdam I was on the phone with my TA for more HAL cruises. We are going to the Mexican Riviera in October and, would you believe it, I've already booked the same Hawaii cruise for December 2007 - no typo, 2007 - again to Hawaii, this time on the Zaandam. Of all the cruise lines HAL is now my absolute favorite. We had great times on NCL in the 80s, loved the Carnival Mexican Riviera Cruise, had great cruises with Princess and Royal Caribbean but the extra touches on HAL won us over. I really enjoyed the comfortable bed since I have a bad back. Having a bath tub in my cabin is such a treat. Loved the fresh fruit in the room, the DVD in our room. Popcorn in the movie theatre. The shows were the best we've seen on a cruise. The food was outstanding as was the service. We were never hustled to buy drinks, not even at the shows. I could go on and on. Don't get me wrong, the other lines were fine but HAL was just "more fine." Happy cruising.

[YYC F/A]

I was on the same Celebrity Mercury cruise as Brian. I actually met Scotty on the trip (he made me laugh so much, he's got a great sense of humour)...

 

I guess I got something different out of the whole trip. I posted a detailed review over in the Celebrity forum (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=352537) but in essence, I had a great time.

 

Undoubtedly, there were a few 'niggles' and I felt that on a more general level, Celebrity has become very penny pinching (everything from welcome champagne - or lack of it, the strict measuring of drinks in the bars, no flowers provided in the suites... the list goes on).

 

However, the Mercury is a nice ship, and a 'real ship' rather than a floating shopping mall at sea... great teak decking wrapping all round the aft, lots of hidden outside deck areas to find some peace and solitude, great service in the dining room.

 

Some of my expectations might not have been quite met, maybe this was because I had such an 'exceptional' experience on the Constellation last year... but certainly I still had a good time and not even close to feeling like I wanted to get off the ship!

 

I *did* find it surprising that no one from Celebrity even enquired as to why you wanted to get off after just 2 days... I think that's a real indicator of the lack of interest from Celebrity in customer service at that higher level.

 

With all the 'mass market' lines, there seems to be an increasing onus on cost saving, coupled with an ever more demanding and clientele, yet prices have steadily fallen in real terms over the years.

 

My next trip is slated for HAL, most likely the Oosterdam... will be interesting to see how HAL stacks up against Celebrity.

[ORDPLATAA]

I have been reading the various threads revolving Brian's trip on the Mercury and the responses from both HAL and X cruisers with great interest. We are heading off on the Infinity June 4th to Alaska. This will be our first cruise on X and our only recent experience was last year on the Zuiderdam. While our cruise this Sunday is a charter (and a lot of things may be different from the usual X cruise), I am curious as to how the nuts and bolts compare between the two lines. Basics like cabins, public areas and general service provided by staff will be interesting to compare.

 

Just leading up to the cruise, I can say that both X (for this cruise) and HAL (for last year's cruise) have met my expectations in terms of pre-registering, booking shore excursions and the availability of general information and the helpfulness of their customer service folks. I have spent the last 16 years in the hospitality business (Hyatt Hotels for 8 years, Starwood Hotels {Westin/Sheraton/W/St. Regis/Luxury Collection} for 7 years and now a major convention destination in the South Central US for the past 1 1/2) and I think I have a relatively good handle on customer service from a supplier standpoint. It is, for me , a bit of a double edged swaord - I have higher expectations because of the environments in which I have worked and the level of service I have given to my clients. I also have a better understanding that sometimes "stuff happens" and tend to be a little more forgiving when it occurs.

 

Anyway, we are 3 days away from heading off to YVR for a little pre-cruise fun and then setting sail on the 4th. I be sure to post my thoughts - the good, the hopefully not too bad and the please don't let it be ugly!:D

[scott in maine]

Reading through this thread is a little depressing since it is obvious that far too many of us set up immediate camps when it comes to discussing other lines. This seems ridiculous to me. The reality is, of course, that when you put 1000 folks on a ship, you'll get about 1000 opinions of the total experience when it's over.

 

We sailed this year on Mercury (on the Mex 10 nt run) and truly had the best cruise of our lives -- even topping several European sailings that had been our favorites. Our primary complaint about Mercury, at the time, was that the soft goods and the quality of the bedding had been allowed to go too long without replacement. That point was valid, but I simply am not willing to place too much stock in others' reports that they had a nearly miserable experience on this or any other mainline ship. If that was the case, I blame virtually all of it on the person doing the complaining.

 

Just my $00.02.

[sail7seas]

Brian.......

 

Has the "X" Billing Department reversed the erroneous charge yet?

 

I certainly hope so.

 

[caviargal]

Brian.......

 

Has the "X" Billing Department reversed the erroneous charge yet?

 

I certainly hope so.

 

 

I hope so, too.

 

I had a billing issue when on Infinity five years ago. The original documentation was "lost" by customer service and then the person that approved the credit was no longer there.

 

I never received my $500 back and it was a long time before I set foot on an X ship again. Their customer service was a hige disappointment.

[bepsf]

S7S and CG--

Thanks for asking, but nope - have a look at the "X Strikes Again" thread for the update...

:mad:

[xpcdoojk]

Brian you are insane, but in a nice way. :D Seriously, you would rather work than cruise? ;) I have had 2 nice cruises in the past with X, and other than the bedding on RCI and X being inferior to HAL I can't imagine the cruise would be so bad that I would get off after two days. BTW, I know RCI is doing a bedding upgrade and I assume X will as well. The benefits of the Captain's club are much greater than HALs Mariner program. While the food on any ship may or may not be as good as you are used to, as an experienced cruiser you never order based on what is written, but based on what the waiter tells you are good choices on any menu. Some things on all ships menus are simply not very good. Ordering the duck without asking the waiter what is good is never a good idea just because you like duck(for example).

 

I hope you get your account issues resolved.

 

I like the Ritz Carlton, but sometimes I get stuck at Red Roof Inn. You make it sound like the Mercury was a youth hostel in Rome. While it makes for entertaining reading it seems a tad over the top.

 

jc

[AirGorilla]

Brian you are insane, but in a nice way. :D Seriously, you would rather work than cruise? ;) I have had 2 nice cruises in the past with X, and other than the bedding on RCI and X being inferior to HAL I can't imagine the cruise would be so bad that I would get off after two days. BTW, I know RCI is doing a bedding upgrade and I assume X will as well. The benefits of the Captain's club are much greater than HALs Mariner program. While the food on any ship may or may not be as good as you are used to, as an experienced cruiser you never order based on what is written, but based on what the waiter tells you are good choices on any menu. Some things on all ships menus are simply not very good. Ordering the duck without asking the waiter what is good is never a good idea just because you like duck(for example).

 

I hope you get your account issues resolved.

 

I like the Ritz Carlton, but sometimes I get stuck at Red Roof Inn. You make it sound like the Mercury was a youth hostel in Rome. While it makes for entertaining reading it seems a tad over the top.

 

jc

 

Good thoughtful post. For the life of me, I can't figure out why the OP posted this thread on the Holland America board. By comparison, you just don't see threads dealing with supposed "bad cruises" on Oceana posted on the Crystal board, etc.

[dakrewser]

Good thoughtful post. For the life of me, I can't figure out why the OP posted this thread on the Holland America board. By comparison, you just don't see threads dealing with supposed "bad cruises" on Oceana posted on the Crystal board, etc.

 

I've seen plenty of postings on the Celebrity boards about supposedly "bad" cruises on HAL...

[AirGorilla]

I've seen plenty of postings on the Celebrity boards about supposedly "bad" cruises on HAL...

 

I must have missed those!! I still think they should have been posted here, though!!

[HeatherInFlorida]

Hmmm ... I don't see anything wrong with posting an experience on another cruise line on the HAL board when you generally cruise on HAL as Brian does. I know I posted a review about my Celebrity cruise both here and on the Celebrity board.

 

Actually what I did was post a link here to my review on the Celebrity board. But I think it's good to read a HAL cruiser's review of another line. I like reading Celebrity cruisers reviews of HAL as well.

[xpcdoojk]

I must have missed those!! I still think they should have been posted here, though!!

 

It is called competition. For some reason fans of cruiselines are in a constant competition to prove to everyone else that their personal preferences for a cruiseline are superior to others choices. Honestly, people do this kind of stuff all of the time for all sorts of odd reasons. You should see the Carnival RCI spats where each group tries to label the other snobs or trailer trash.

 

I think as far as why Brian posted it here is because he is frustrated and he is sharing his frustrations with people who will support him, unlike the X forum. Brian clearly has a good grasp of humor, but what he is doing is a bit unfair as it is his word against an entity that doesn't post in these forums. Doesn't make what he says any less authentic, but the over the top comparisons do hurt his cause. JMHO. This points out one of the many problems of these forums where people post stuff with an agenda. I have a problem with agendas in general as I don't think that is the purpose of these forums, again, JMHO.

 

I have cruised HAL, RCI, X, and CCL and I enjoyed each and every cruise. Some folks are not very flexible and that is ok they find a niche in which they find comfort. I like to try new things, and some are better and some are not, but how do you ever find your true niche without experiencing the other options?

 

jc