Anyone back from Mercury please help

[ciara]

I have a tour booked with Island Wings - need to know if Mercury departs from Ketchikan at 7.30pm or 8.30pm - I am getting conflicting replies from Celebrity - I very badly want ship to depart 8.30pm!!!!

[Chat Noir]

We were in port at Ketchikan from 1pm to 830pm on our cruise earlier this year. I believe the stated time to be back onboard was 8pm.

 

Please recheck with Celebrity, and even Island Wings for this. I can only tell you what we did, but this was over a month ago.

[ciara]

Thanks Smy - hopefully anyone either having done the cruise or going to do the cruise on Mercury soon will let me know cos I phoned Celebrity and they told me on phone 8.30pm yet when I e-mailed them and asked for confirmation on e-mail they sent an e-mail saying 7.30.

This would mean I would have to find another float plane excursion and I would dearly love to go with Island Wings on the recommendation of this site.

[Chat Noir]

Thanks Smy - hopefully anyone either having done the cruise or going to do the cruise on Mercury soon will let me know ...

 

Ours was the Celebrity Mercury, and those were our port hours, just a few weeks ago. I double checked with my dailies, and Ketchikan was posted on them as a 1pm to 830pm port stop.

 

For our cruise, Celebrity had Sitka as a stop on their official website, yet all other online agencies showed Skagway instead. I had a heckuva time getting them pinned down on that one... Finally the CSR said he'd have the technical department fix the website to Skagway.

 

We're I you, I'd call Celebrity again and get a supervisor to pinpoint your time... then ask that supervisor to send you the email personally, I'd also call Island Wings and see what they have on their schedule for Mercury departure times.

 

Unless your sailing is different, departure time is 830pm.

 

Have you received your cruise documents yet? Times should be listed in those documents.

 

I hope you get your Island Wings flight!:)

[ciara]

Have it all sorted now - as you said it is 8.30pm so am "good to go" as Shona at Island Wings said!!!

Did you enjoy Mercury? and have you any tips etc that made your cruise better.

We are going Aug 24th so have not got our documents yet.

[Chat Noir]

..."good to go" as Shona at Island Wings said!!!

Did you enjoy Mercury? and have you any tips etc that made your cruise better.

 

Nice to have port hours that work for you and your Misty Fjords flight!!! Especially since you are traveling from so far just to visit Alaska!

 

We loved hanging out in the Navigator's Club, good views of front and both sides (if they'd clean those doggone windows) yet still inside. And only a few steps out to the deck for picture-taking!

 

Wonderful breakfast waffles at the 'pizza' station on Lido, aft, out by the pool area. We ate there most mornings. Also, we enjoyed the sandwiches for lunch, rather than the buffet food. Two kinds each day, and some I'd never even heard of. Very good.

 

Mercury was always easy for embarkation and disembarkation. No problems in port there.

 

Brent Nixon was our 'naturalist', and his talks were very good. He also narrarated in just the Navigator Club (with it's great view) while sailing into port. Gave great history, points of interest, pointed out eagle nests, and gave general highlights of the town. I don't think he is still onboard, but find out if your 'lecturer' will be doing the same. Worthwhile to sit, watch the scenery, and listen.

 

Do you have the 'Cruise Companion' book by Upton? My opinion, it is worth the money to purchase one (map included) onboard the first day out, in order to follow along where you are.

 

I really hope you get better viewing of Hubbard than ours. It seems ships are getting closer these days. A massive glacier, spectacular even from the distant viewing we had. Lot's of ice in May...

 

Have an AWESOME trip!:)