Leaving in Two days, I'm so excited.

[Cruise Arizona]

I am so excited to be leaving in two days for Vancouver.

 

We are taking the Mercury on the 7 day RT cruise that stops in Skagway, Juenea and Ketchican. Should be fantastic. 8 of us are going.

 

This is my shortest interval between cruises, having just done the Merc in November. I hope to see some familiar faces onboard, but there may not be too many as the crews rotate a bit and change contracts. We have the same room and being silly we taped a note to the bottom of one of the drawers for ourselves. It would be funny it is still there.

 

 

Anybody have any burning questions for me to find out for them about the Mercury, crew, or itinerary? I'll be glad to find out what I can.

 

 

Take care, I'll try to post a bit from the ship!!!

[babylene]

You will love Alaska. There is so much to do. You can do some adventurous exploring and also learn about a different culture.In Juneau, there is a lovely little museum that I am sure your children will enjoy

[Drew B]

I don't need you to find out anything specific, but I'll be VERY excited to read everything you have to say when you get back. I'll be heading out three months from tomorrow...

[flagger]

Have a great cruise.

[mithryl]

I'm taking the Mercury in October on a short 4 night Pacific cruise. I'd be interested in the dining options. This will be my first celebrity cruise and I'm not clear on their buffet...whats available when. We've picked the early main dining, but I like having the option to choose the buffet if I'm in the mood for something more casual.

I'm also interested in your thoughts about service. How does it compare to other lines (Princess, RCL, HAL, etc.)

What type of cabin did you book? If you gamble...what's the casino like? I'll take any and all information. I have two friends sailing with us that have never cruised before and I'm hoping they will have an excellent experience.

[v7j2c1]

hey..I'll be on my first cruise on August 10 to Alaska (on the Mercury). I'm in suite 1062 CC class. Would you mind checking it out for me..laughs. (wonder if I got that room right, paper work is at work) I know its on the Penthouse Deck just around from the elevator. Thanks and HEY HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!!!!

[VPGPH]

Congrats.... I am sure you'll have a lot of fun during your cruise... Well, as for seeing familiar faces, we were on Constellation in March '06 and again during Thanksgiving. We saw three familiar faces and we were REALLY surprised when the Maitre'd remembered our names and where we were from! Needless to say, when we spoke to all three, they were really happy to see us. All of them recognized us and were extremely friendly (as always!).

[Cruise Arizona]

You will love Alaska. There is so much to do. You can do some adventurous exploring and also learn about a different culture.In Juneau, there is a lovely little museum that I am sure your children will enjoy

 

14 years ago DH and I took the Rotterdam for our Honeymoon to Alaska. We had a few hours to kill before our Heli tour, and we walked over to the state museum. I think the kids will like it, is there another one we should visit too?

[Cruise Arizona]

:)

hey..I'll be on my first cruise on August 10 to Alaska (on the Mercury). I'm in suite 1062 CC class. Would you mind checking it out for me..laughs. (wonder if I got that room right, paper work is at work) I know its on the Penthouse Deck just around from the elevator. Thanks and HEY HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!!!!

 

Sure I'll just knock on the door and ask the residents if they mind me checking out their room, or better yet I'll tell the cabin steward I'm a TA....oh never mind. :p

 

Seriously, if I happend to meet any of the people in that room I'll check it out.

[Cruise Arizona]

[quote=mithryl;10463955]I'm taking the Mercury in October on a short 4 night Pacific cruise. I'd be interested in the dining options. This will be my first celebrity cruise and I'm not clear on their buffet...whats available when.

 

Buffet is only open for Breakfast and Lunch, but sit down casual dining is offered on a reservation basis with a $2 per person tip charge for the waiters during dinner hours. Room service is also available 24 hours, with items available from the dining room during dininroom hours.

 

 

We've picked the early main dining, but I like having the option to choose the buffet if I'm in the mood for something more casual.

 

 

I'm also interested in your thoughts about service. How does it compare to other lines (Princess, RCL, HAL, etc.)

 

Is been years since I've done Hal, and I have never done Princess or RCL, but I'll give a service report when I'm there or back.

What type of cabin did you book?

 

We are in a Aft 2A, formerly FOV cabin. This is a nice size cabin but the double bed and the aft location(thruster vibrations when entering port) has a few drawbacks.

 

If you gamble...what's the casino like?

 

Well my idea of gambling is to get two buckets, put $10 worth of tokens in one and then fill the other one with anything that comes out of the machines. Whatever's left in the second bucket is my take home. DH did loose $800 the first night playing black jack on the Infinity!!! That was fun.

 

I'll take any and all information. I have two friends sailing with us that have never cruised before and I'm hoping they will have an excellent experience.

 

I'll check back and provide any information I can.

[babylene]

14 years ago DH and I took the Rotterdam for our Honeymoon to Alaska. We had a few hours to kill before our Heli tour, and we walked over to the state museum. I think the kids will like it, is there another one we should visit too?

 

That's the only one I know. Will you spend time in Vancouver? There is a fabulous anthropology museum at the University of British Columbia.

[Host Anne]

Suzanne ~ have a great cruise. I'll be looking forward to your reports from the ship! BON VOYAGE!

[trcori]

Cruise AZ - we are on Mercury two weeks after you - did this same cruise two years ago from Seattle, two years before that on Infinity from Vancouver - so we have the general experience down BUT want to know:

 

--how many kids on your cruise

--who's the youth program director and where is she/he from

--who's the cruise director and assistant cruise director

--is the naturalist this Brent person everyone has mentioned so far this season

--do you go north through the slender Grenville Channel

--did you see any whales from the ship (we had lots on Mercury '05 but it was later in the season)

--who are the featured acts besides the shows

--have they finally fixed the sign on the Palm Springs Grill (which was PALM SPRING for quite some time including our 2005 cruise)

--how much room is there to sit on deck (if any) now that the Penthouse and Panorama rear decks have been blocked off with new balconies

--what food item do you recommend the most (again, we know the general Celebrity offerings, but your experience will probably be close in comparison to ours so let us know how things are going now)

 

And please tell us if they have any special events to note the fact that the days are so long this time of year! Both of our Alaska cruises were in late August so we didn't have the incredible 4 am sunrise/11 pm sunsets that we are looking forward to ... thinking it'll be fun to have a sunset deck party at 11 pm IF they get that creative.

 

Have a great time and we'll appreciate any info you can share!

 

TR

Mercury AK 6/29/07

****

Galaxy PC 4/06

Mercury AK 8/05

Millennium EC 12/04

Mercury CA-MX 4/04

Infinity AK 8/03

Century WC 3/03

Century EC 9/02

[wb3hyde]

Let us know if the note is still there. We were on Mercury as well in November and will be back in the same room in September. We also taped a note to the bottom of the drawer along with a couple of pesos.:)

 

On a side note, just returned from the Constellation to the Baltics and had a wonderful time. Out of 27 cruises, must say the service on the Constellation was the very best.

[ekeberg]

Hi Cruise Arizona,

 

I think I remember you posting that you are in one of the aft cabins with the new balconies? We are in 1163 on the Penthouse Deck next month and also had that cabin back in 2004 so I'm really interested in the changes.

 

Have a great cruise

 

Lynn

[Cruise Arizona]

Trcori, I have printed out your questions, and will do my best to get all the answers for you.

 

Thanks for all the bonvoyage wishes everyone....

 

We have a long day flying out there tomorrow, and then we will have it easy breazy for a week.

[GORDONCHICK]

Suzanne - have a great cruise! I would love to see the dining room menues, as we will be on the same cruise as DrewB in September.

 

Brent Nixon (naturalist) will only be on Mercury through June 21. Then he moves to Century. I guess we'll have to wait to find out who replaces him.

[ekeberg]

Cruise Arizona,

I have one more question? Someone posted that it took a long time to get off the ship in Juneau. On our cruise we dock at 1:00pm and we arranged for a limo to pick us up at the pier at 2:00pm. If you could let me know if what was posted before is true because I do not want the limo just sitting there waiting for us on my dime.

It 's my friends 50th birrthday that day and the limo is one of her surprises.

 

Thanks again

 

Lynn

[Lois R]

Hi:) I want to wish you a wonderful cruise and smooth

sailing in all the ways that count the most.

 

Have a drink for me in Martini Bar;) and if you should

by chance see Milan (Dining Room Waiter from Bosnia) please

give him a hug for me:D...or at least just send a Hello!

 

Thanks:)

[kruisecat]

Suzanne -

 

Have a wonderful trip! We'll be getting on as you are getting off :D

 

If you get confirmation of whether or not Brent is leaving after your cruise I'd appreciate it (if you do post from the ship that is!). A previous cruiser said he would be on through our cruise and I'll be bummed if that's not the case :( .

 

Again, have a wonderful time and keep her nice for us!!!

 

Christine

[GORDONCHICK]

Suzanne -

 

Have a wonderful trip! We'll be getting on as you are getting off :D

 

If you get confirmation of whether or not Brent is leaving after your cruise I'd appreciate it (if you do post from the ship that is!). A previous cruiser said he would be on through our cruise and I'll be bummed if that's not the case :( .

 

Again, have a wonderful time and keep her nice for us!!!

 

Christine

 

The date of 6/21 is from Brent Nixon's own website, so I would think that would be pretty accurate.

[trcori]

we had an incredible naturalist on the August 2005 Mercury Alaska cruise out of Seattle -- Kate Spencer. I'll have to see if I can find her website. She was absolutely terrific. Led us in some impromptu activities such as humpback whalewatching during the trip northward -- we saw dozens ... TR

 

EDITED LATER TO ADD -- I think I found it, March news release on X site about naturalists for Alaska season. Blurb:

 

>>Naturalist Leneh Wingard is scheduled to share her passion for the Alaskan wilderness with guests sailing on Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Mercury this year. Wingard, who holds a Master of Science degree in environmental education from the Audubon Expedition Institute, once spent several months living in a tent in the Alaskan wilderness while studying its geology, botany and wildlife, and trekking more than 70 miles over some of the state’s most prominent glaciers. A past lecturer for the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Pacific Whale Foundation, Wingard has worked to find new species of deep sea animals in the Monterey Canyon and has spent hundreds of hours watching whales in the waters around Maui. Wingard will discuss the formation of glaciers; the life cycle and cultural significance of salmon in Alaska; and the wildlife of Alaska and the North Pacific Ocean, including humpback whales, eagles, elk, bears and killer whales.<<

[Cruise Arizona]

OK I'm off and running. I'll see if I can check back in with you from the ship. Don't want to spend too much time in the computer lab.:)

 

Vancouver, Mercury, and Alaska!!! Here I come!!!

[Drew B]

Naturalist Leneh Wingard is scheduled to share her passion for the Alaskan wilderness with guests sailing on Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Mercury this year.

 

 

She is great. Not only are her lectures very good, but she is totally accessible outside of the lectures. She runs on the treadmills every day, and I snagged a recumbent exercise bike next to her and talked to her for a half hour...

[kruisecat]

She is great. Not only are her lectures very good, but she is totally accessible outside of the lectures. She runs on the treadmills every day, and I snagged a recumbent exercise bike next to her and talked to her for a half hour...

 

 

Drew -

 

thanks for making my bummedness (ok, not a word but you know what I mean!) a little less intense. I've just heard nothing but fantastic things about Brent and the thought of someone else made me :( but now I have a wray of :) !

 

Christine