Mercury review, Pacific Northwest 9/18 (Long)

[Betty4]

Now USN Diver and Bububr have me hooked and I look forward to yet another unproductive day due to constant checking for new posts!!!!! How's that cold Bububr - it's time to rally and get to work!!!

 

Bububr - noticed a May post of yours under "Favorite Things." You list "Finding a chocolate on your pillow" as your favorite thing - I guess "finding" would be the operative word in your case!!!! I know you are following this awesome narrative, but please don't forget about your thread!!!!

[USNDiver]

Now what was it I needed to do??????

 

 

Have a martini? Nahhhh, Martini Bar isn't open yet.

 

 

Take a nap? Nahhhhh, not tired.

 

 

 

 

What was it:confused:

 

 

 

Oh ya,

 

SPA APPOINTMENT!!

 

When my Wife made her spa appointment I asked her to see if they did hot shaves for men (Gentlemen if you EVER have the opportunity to get a hot shave, with a straight razor, DO IT!! Not to be missed.) Sadly they don't offer it YET on the Mercury. They suggested that a foot massage, facial and scalp massage might be a good alternative. When my Wife mentioned this to me later I thought, "okay, I saw the ladies who worked in the spa and I could think of worse things to do than being pampered for an hour by a lovely, well trained spa employee."

 

"Okay, make the appointment for me" I told my Wife.

 

 

My appointment was set for 4:30, so I was going to have to hurry afterwards to get dressed for dinner and make martini hour.

 

I approached the spa and, as I checked in, wondered which of these striking ladies would be taking care of me.

 

"Someone will be right with you" the spa Receptionist told me.

 

I heard the spa door open behind me and, as I turned, was told "welcome to the Aqua Spa" as HE shook my hand. Okay this quite didn't turn out like I planned. Anyway this was my first time having any kind of spa treatment outside of a massage and, I gotta say, it was nice. The young man that worked on me chatted pleasantly and explained the whole process as he went along. I wouldn't hesitate to go again.

 

Finished up at the spa and hurried back to the cabin to change and found my freshly pressed dress jacket hanging outside the closet as promised. My Wife had changed earlier (into this stunning dress she bought for this trip) and was waiting for me in the (you guessed it again) Martini Bar. I quickly changed and wanted to rush down to meet her and "Marti" (spa treatments ARE thirsty work!!)

 

I made my way to the elevator and people were staring OPENLY at me ("is my fly open? Nope") People were actually stopping in their tracks to stare!! "What is going on here!!!???"

 

Finally made my way to the bar with more staring and, now, pointing (this was getting weird.) My Wife, looking beautiful as ever, was seated, sipping a cosmo and had taken the liberty of ordering me a Bombay w/a twist (my favorite food) and told me the bartender (The Martini Master) was dying to get a look at me. Okay maybe he can shed some light on this staring/pointing thing.

 

 

The Bartender came around the bar and stopped in his tracks...

 

 

"Sir, you look great in your kilt!!"

 

 

Oh, didn't I mention I was wearing a kilt?

 

Sorry

 

 

 

More later,

 

Dave

[USNDiver]

Are you "Chester H" in disguise? Or perhaps his 3rd cousin, twice removed?

 

Chester H?

[Lois R]

Chester H?

Hi Dave:)

That is a high compliment, as ChesterH is a long timer

on these boards. He wrote a book that has been published.

"What Time is the Midnight Buffet" is the title and it is

wonderful read.

 

Your writing style is very similar to his and so when people

ask if you are him in disguise.....

 

Anyway, please continue:) and I bet you looked

very handsome in your kilt:D

[USNDiver]

Hi Dave:)

That is a high compliment, as ChesterH is a long timer

on these boards. He wrote a book that has been published.

"What Time is the Midnight Buffet" is the title and it is

wonderful read.

 

Your writing style is very similar to his and so when people

ask if you are him in disguise.....

 

Anyway, please continue:) and I bet you looked

very handsome in your kilt:D

 

What a kind thing to say, thank you.

 

Dave

[Lois R]

Your quite welcome:)

[mlmagic]

This is the best review I have ever read! :) I really like the style you are using...little tid-bits at a time, so easy to undertand for us "new" cruisers, I have only cruised a little, not seasoned like so many yet. My Mom and I are going on the Mercury 4 day PNW next fall, so I really appreciate all the info on the ship and what you did for the 4 days...Thanks again, enjoyable reading!

~Lysa

[USNDiver]

So there we were in the Martini Bar (do you see a pattern here?) Me resplendent in my kilt, my Wife striking in her dress, Martini's in hand we decided to sashay over to the dining room - WAIT!!! I didn't sashay!! My Wife sashayed, I mearly strolled (a man should never sashay, especially in a kilt!!)

 

So as we sash.....strol..... MADE OUR WAY to the dinning room, I was treated to several comments by some of the other passengers;

 

 

"Hey buddy, nice skirt"

"This isn't a skirt, it's a kilt"

 

"Hey buddy, nice purse"

"This isn't a purse, it's a sporran"

 

"Hey buddy, just step out of the beauty parlor?"

"Ummm, this isn't a purse, it's a sporran"

 

 

Actually none of this happened, I just thought it was funny:D

 

 

The truth is I got nothing but compliments (and more than a few drinks) on my kilt. Later in the evening several people wanted their picture taken with me. If I'd have charged $5.00 a pop I would have cleaned up. If I do say so myself, I looked "mahvelous."

 

 

So we get to the dining room and we are treated to a large string orchestra playing "The Blue Danube" (my absolute favorite classical piece!!) Good way to start the evening.

 

This, unfortunately, is where my only disappointment of the cruise occured (can anybody guess what?)

 

My Wife and I took great pains to ensure that we were properly attired for this cruise. Though never having sailed with Celebrity, we knew it had a reputation for being formal, which is one of the reasons we chose this line/cruise. I didn't see any jeans or t-Shirts that evening but I was disappointed in the passengers for not adhering to an established dress standard, and the staff not enforcing it. I wasn't angry, just sort of saddened.

 

Can any veteran Celebrity cruisers chime in here? On the four day cruises are the dress standards "laxed" or is this just a continuing trend on all cruises?

 

Anyway if anyone from Celebrity reads this, please take note.

 

 

Dinner was great!! My lamb was done to a turn which is a pretty rare thing (no pun intended.) The wine flowed, the company couldn't have been better and, what's this??? OUR WAITER SMILED!! (I think he was laughing at my hairy legs.)

 

A nightcap, a brief stroll around the deck for some air and we called it a night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or did we?

[Nilla]

I do not think you called it a night! I think you went back to the casino to see if your luck could continue! Or did you venture back to the Martini bar.... I guess I will have to wait and see!:D :D :D

[elena7seas]

but did you have to go through security with your skean-dhu?

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying your review!

 

Sláinte mhath!

[ozland]

Oh surely you went dancing in your kilt . . . ;)

[mlmagic]

? for you Dave, did the mercury 4 day you went on have the grand buffet? Just wondering...thanks:)

Lysa

[USNDiver]

? for you Dave, did the mercury 4 day you went on have the grand buffet? Just wondering...thanks:)

Lysa

 

I never heard any mention of it on board and I just went back through my shipboard newsletters and didn't see it mentioned there either. Is this like the midnight buffet?

[bububr]

(This is the other Dave:eek: )

 

Lysa,

 

On MY past few short cruises, they did forgo the Grand Buffet. Not sure how they are doing it now, but It would seem like way too much work to put out that much food and effort fro such a short cruise, just to turn around and do it allover again.

 

To answer your question Dave ( Great name BTW...! ), the Grand buffet is usually held the last formal night of a cruise. Many cruises have stopped doing th 'midnight buffet' and have started doing just one really big one, one night only.

 

Dave:eek: ( the other one :D )

[Texed]

Excellent review. Thanks!:)

[mlmagic]

(This is the other Dave:eek: )

 

Lysa,

 

On MY past few short cruises, they did forgo the Grand Buffet. Not sure how they are doing it now, but It would seem like way too much work to put out that much food and effort fro such a short cruise, just to turn around and do it allover again.

 

To answer your question Dave ( Great name BTW...! ), the Grand buffet is usually held the last formal night of a cruise. Many cruises have stopped doing th 'midnight buffet' and have started doing just one really big one, one night only.

 

Dave:eek: ( the other one :D )

 

(HeHeHe) to both of you, thanks for the answer, no big deal , there is ALWAYS enough food:D

Lysa

[poohtaz]

What a fun and light review, anxious for more :)

[lysolqn]

USNDiver,

 

Very entertaining review; I look forward to reading more.

 

You mention the dress code not being adhered to and not being enforced - a word of advice: don't go there; the subject is a touchy one, has been beaten to death and then some, and brings out the worst in a lot of people!

[Nilla]

I am going threw withdrawls! I need more! Where oh where are your Dave? Come out and write more for us your faithful following! :p

[slotaddict]

I've made up my mind, its the Mercury for the 25th anniversary cruise in 2007. Will book it while on the Century this November. Love this review.

[USNDiver]

I do not think you called it a night! I think you went back to the casino to see if your luck could continue! Or did you venture back to the Martini bar.... I guess I will have to wait and see!:D

 

 

Well there goes my next chapter

 

 

THANKS NILLA!!!!:mad:

 

 

 

 

Just joking:o

 

Actually that's exactly what I did (where you on the ship spying on me?) Broke even at the casino and visited the Martini Bar (again.) The ship was well underway to Prince Rupert by now and this is my favorite time aboard. For me anyway, the port visits run second to being on the ship. Strolled the deck for awhile but I learned (again) that strong breezes and kilts don't mix, so I decided to make one last loop through the clubs and call it a night.

 

About this time something happened that REALLY sold me on Celebrity.

I was walking down a corridor and two ships Officer's were approaching from the other direction. I had never seen them before, or even had a clue who they were, but they addressed me by my last name, asked how I was enjoying the cruise and chatted with me for minute or two. I'm not a Captain's Club member, Bill gates, some millionaire, or anyone of notoriety. The only thing that came close to setting me apart from the other passengers was I was in a suite and wearing a kilt. Still not sure how or why, but it was nice.

 

Once I got back to the cabin I found "THE DREADED GRATUITY LIST:eek: "

 

 

Pause here for dramatic affect.......

 

 

I'll broach the subject of tipping briefly as I'm well aware that this subject is a veritable MINE FIELD on these boards (can anyone disagree?) Celebrity (probably some other lines too) has a system in place for applying the recommended tip amount to Butlers, Stewards, Waiters etc, to your shipboard account, with the option of adding a little more for exceptional service. I tip accordingly, and I considered my service uniformly superb, so I thought something extra was in order. As for bartenders (who by the end of the cruise I seemed to know very well) and waitstaff, they have a 15% gratuity added to the bill automatically, again with the option of adding to it. Over the course of the cruise the waitstaff and bartenders who went the extra mile were given an additional tip for their efforts - looking back I guess that was everyone who served us. I've heard that some of the staff on other lines have gone so far as to solicit gratuities, through a variety of methods, but we didn't see it here. We also found a form in our room asking if we wanted to have our baggage transported directly to the airport, and put aboard our flight, (we hadn't made any transportation arrangements to the airport from the ship - we were just going to wing it) for a fee of $15.00 each. Personally, I hate Schlepping baggage around, but it seemed to increase the potential for a "lost baggage incident." Well, I figured that I've been doing okay at the casino, so luck's on my side. I went for it! Wanna know what finally happened with the bags? Sorry, ya gotta read the whole review.

 

 

Up early the next morning, still at sea, with a hot cup of coffee from our seemingly tireless Butler. We werent' due into Prince Rupert until 2:00 P.M. and a light drizzle was falling outside (first bad weather we'd seen.) We had a lite breakfast, played some cribbage, and watched the scenery. We went down for lunch at the buffet about noon (we never got around to actually having lunch in the main dining room) and found it a little busy. Since it was drizzling, nobody was eating outside, so the buffet dining area was crowded. Something else we liked about the ship was that a bus person would carry your tray to your table for you, after you got your food-nice touch. It was here I saw something else that impressed me. Since it was so busy, the Senior Staff at the buffet (these were guys in suits but I'm not sure what their title was) were helping carry trays and seating people. I saw more than one helping to clear the tables and still finding time to chat with the passengers they recognized. It was chaotic and organized at the same time. I give the staff a well done.

 

We pulled in to Prince Rupert on time and were tied up at the pier. They offered some neat tours at the port; whale watching, kayaking, bear watching, nature hikes, etc. We just wanted to walk around town. Prince Rupert is very picturesque but won't offer much to the casual visitor. I think (not sure though) that this port is a recent addition to the cruise line's schedule. The customs/embarkation building looks brand new, as well as the gangway. We wandered around town, bought some gifts, and chatted with some of the friendly locals (very nice folks.)

 

 

Headed back to the ship around 4:00 and when we got to our cabin it was once again time for tea and finger sandwhiches. A guy could starve to death on these ships!! So we changed for dinner (informal night) and, since I got such rave reviews, I thought I'd try the kilt again (yes, people still pointed and stared.) Some of the passengers were still not getting this whole "dress code thing" but, oh well, life goes on. We enjoyed a very respectable lobster dinner, some wine, and more than one martini.

 

We bid goodnight to our table mates and headed back to our cabin

(turned down bed, chocolates, blah blah blah.)

 

But,

 

Know what happened then?

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were tired and went to sleep.

 

 

Stay tuned towmorrow for

 

"Cruise IV, The Inside Passage"

[USNDiver]

USNDiver,

 

Very entertaining review; I look forward to reading more.

 

You mention the dress code not being adhered to and not being enforced - a word of advice: don't go there; the subject is a touchy one, has been beaten to death and then some, and brings out the worst in a lot of people!

 

Your'e right of course. Can't understand why it's such a sore subject (just one of the many, many things I don't understand.) Just out of curiosity, what's your take on the issue? Last thing I want to do is turn this thread into a train wreck but I'd value some input from some veteran Celebrity cruisers.

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

[Tracyr]

Can you give some info on the scheduled daily activities. We are on the three night Oct. 6th. I have a big group traveling with me, some first timers. They are asking about scheduled events with the cruise directors, BINGO, Ping Pong, Shuffle board, Trivia, etc. Thanks, Great review by the way!!

[lysolqn]

USNDiver,

 

Like you, I'm not sure why the issue is as volatile as it is, but it is. However since you asked, I will gladly tell you where I stand...right after I enter the government's witness protection program, have reconstructive surgery to change my appearance, don some armor and hire the Secret Service to protect my family from that ol' train wreck you mentioned!

 

For what it's worth, here goes (let me move out of the line of fire; there, that's better)...

 

I like the evening dress code on Celebrity and am of the opinion that if there is a dress code, passengers should respect it and the cruiseline should (oh, how I hate to use this word for fear of being blasted, but there really isn't another that will do) enforce it - within reason, of course (no walking the plank or night in the brig for failure to dress properly...anything short of that is fine with me). I think it's rude for passengers to show up in the dining room for dinner dressed in shorts, jeans, tee shirts, caps, sneakers, flip-flops, sweat pants, bathing suit cover-ups, jogging suits, or various other forms of attire that are clearly inappropriate. There are alternative dining venues for those who do not wish to "dress." I don't think it's unreasonable to expect passengers who book a cruise on a line that publishes an evening dress code to "clean up" for dinner and make a marginal attempt to dress accordingly.

 

I don't buy the "It's my vacation, I paid for it, I'll dress as I wish" defense - I think it speaks volumes about those who offer it. However, I'm aware that Celebrity's policy of prohibiting passengers from bringing liquor onboard does not extend to lack of respect, bad manners, rudeness and arrogance.

 

Those who don't follow the dress code do not affect my vacation, my dinner or my physical and mental well-being in any way, shape or form.

 

I think Celebrity does itself a disservice by not reasonably enforcing its own rules (ouch, another word I hate to use with respect to this issue) but I understand that the bottom line is the bottom line and one person's money is as green as another's.

 

There, I've said it and would appreciate it if you would post the rest of your wonderful review before I'm forced to leave town. I hear the mob approaching...

[mlmagic]

USNDiver,

 

Like you, I'm not sure why the issue is as volatile as it is, but it is. However since you asked, I will gladly tell you where I stand...right after I enter the government's witness protection program, have reconstructive surgery to change my appearance, don some armor and hire the Secret Service to protect my family from that ol' train wreck you mentioned!

 

For what it's worth, here goes (let me move out of the line of fire; there, that's better)...

 

I like the evening dress code on Celebrity and am of the opinion that if there is a dress code, passengers should respect it and the cruiseline should (oh, how I hate to use this word for fear of being blasted, but there really isn't another that will do) enforce it - within reason, of course (no walking the plank or night in the brig for failure to dress properly...anything short of that is fine with me). I think it's rude for passengers to show up in the dining room for dinner dressed in shorts, jeans, tee shirts, caps, sneakers, flip-flops, sweat pants, bathing suit cover-ups, jogging suits, or various other forms of attire that are clearly inappropriate. There are alternative dining venues for those who do not wish to "dress." I don't think it's unreasonable to expect passengers who book a cruise on a line that publishes an evening dress code to "clean up" for dinner and make a marginal attempt to dress accordingly.

 

I don't buy the "It's my vacation, I paid for it, I'll dress as I wish" defense - I think it speaks volumes about those who offer it. However, I'm aware that Celebrity's policy of prohibiting passengers from bringing liquor onboard does not extend to lack of respect, bad manners, rudeness and arrogance.

 

Those who don't follow the dress code do not affect my vacation, my dinner or my physical and mental well-being in any way, shape or form.

 

I think Celebrity does itself a disservice by not reasonably enforcing its own rules (ouch, another word I hate to use with respect to this issue) but I understand that the bottom line is the bottom line and one person's money is as green as another's.

 

There, I've said it and would appreciate it if you would post the rest of your wonderful review before I'm forced to leave town. I hear the mob approaching...

 

 

Can I meet up with you to escape town, cause I wholeheartily agree!:D

One of the nice things about cruising, is we can dress up if we want to. I think everyone should respect that, if some don't want to "dress" on the nights that are dressy nights, hang out in your cabin, order room service, or eat at another place on board that has no problem with it, but c'mom people who come to the beautiful evening meal in jeans, caps, flip-flops, etc. get some class...OOHH, no offense, just wish other's would honor this, as it makes for the WHOLE ship a better experience...

;) Lysa