Cruise on hold - Advice please re Mercury

[raffles]

Hello everyone

 

I just know that this site is the place to get honest advice and information. I have a cruise on hold to Panama on the Mercury as I think this ship has the best itinerary. I have never cruised with Celebrity before and I would like some opinions before confirming my booking, this cruise will involve flying from Edinburgh which makes it quite expensive so I want to be sure I won't be disapointed.

 

I note that the CC staterooms are significantly smaller than some other ships in the celebrity fleet - anyone found this a problem? At the time of writing I am told that there is good availability for a CC cabin on Penthouse deck - can anyone recommend a good cabin, or one I should avoid.

 

I have read the service and food is good so I am not concerned about that however I have also read negative comments on another board that the ship is "shabby, dirty cabins etc" :eek: - not my words I hasten to add and I am well aware of people who go on a cruise and look for faults so I do take that with a pinch of salt.

 

I have cruised with various lines over the years ie NCL, Orient, Airtours, Star and more recently RCI and I would cruise with any of them again - all different but all good. Can anyone make comparisions with Mercury to give me an idea what to expect?

 

I value all opinions and appreciate any advice anyone can offer.

Thank you

 

Faye

[TeaBag]

The best CC Cabins on Mercury are 1200, 1201, 140 and 1241. You might try one of the aft cabins on Penthouse deck but they are not CC, on our cruise they are designated as 2A.

[caviargal]

It is more accurate to compare specific ships, not just lines. Within each line ships can be very different.

 

Which RCI ship(s) did you cruise and what did you like and dislike? Same for NCL.

 

Mercury was the least favorite of my 6 cruises with Celebrity but we all have different tastes and priorities and many love her. Have you read the reviews on this board?

 

I found my CC class on Century smaller than my Deluxe Oceanview on Mercury by a large margin and would not pay the extra again on that particular class of ship. I enjoy a balcony and would stick with the standard as the amenities - other than space - are not particularly important to me on X. Again, different priorities for different people.:)

[kruisecat]

I cannot speak to the size of the CC cabins as we just had cabin 8007 which, while not a balcony, is HUGE and had a great forward facing window.

 

As for cleanliness, I can speak to that. Mercury is very well maintained. She just came out of a drydock and looked great to us. I didn't see any signs of her being shabby or dirty and really didn't even see much wear and tear. The crew is always cleaning and keeping things looking just beautiful.

[Monterey Girl]

We were on the Mercury in April for a 7 day Pacific Coast wine cruise. We had an ocean view cabin that was the largest we have ever had. While our cabin showed some minor signs of wear , it was very clean. All of the bedding had just been upgraded and our bed was very comfy. The public rooms were very clean and nice looking. As mentioned above, someone was always cleaning and keeping things beautiful. I hope to go on the Mercury again next spring on another wine cruise. MG

[Lois R]

The only cabins I have had on Mercury are inside so I can't give

you information on the others.

But I will say I have always loved this ship:) and will be sailing her

in October:D

As for being old....well she is 9. I was still getting my sneakers dirty

at 9;).

Seriously, this comes up alot...is she clean, shabby, etc.

I have only good memories of my cruises on Mercury and cannot

wait to sail her again.....I sailed in March:) and that particular

cruise was under a (cannot remember which color) code....they

were cleaning and cleaning......it didn't bother me one iota......

I had a fabulous week:D and would tell you to go and enjoy yourself!

[SillySoul]

Hello everyone

 

I just know that this site is the place to get honest advice and information. I have a cruise on hold to Panama on the Mercury as I think this ship has the best itinerary. I have never cruised with Celebrity before and I would like some opinions before confirming my booking, this cruise will involve flying from Edinburgh which makes it quite expensive so I want to be sure I won't be disapointed.

 

I note that the CC staterooms are significantly smaller than some other ships in the celebrity fleet - anyone found this a problem? At the time of writing I am told that there is good availability for a CC cabin on Penthouse deck - can anyone recommend a good cabin, or one I should avoid.

I sailed on the Mercury two years ago and there was no shabbiness anywhere on that ship.

I have read the service and food is good so I am not concerned about that however I have also read negative comments on another board that the ship is "shabby, dirty cabins etc" :eek: - not my words I hasten to add and I am well aware of people who go on a cruise and look for faults so I do take that with a pinch of salt.

 

I have cruised with various lines over the years ie NCL, Orient, Airtours, Star and more recently RCI and I would cruise with any of them again - all different but all good. Can anyone make comparisions with Mercury to give me an idea what to expect?

 

I value all opinions and appreciate any advice anyone can offer.

Thank you

 

Faye

I sailed on the Mercury, the cabins and the entire ship was sparkling clean and no shabbiness anywhere at any time.

[raffles]

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to reply to my questions re the Mercury. I did manage to find other threads re cabins and have now decided to go for a deluxe ocean view on Vista deck as opposed to a CC on Promenade as the cabins seem to be exactly the same - not a great deal of difference in price (70 GBS) each but it helps - I was not too interested in the extras offered in CC anyhow.

 

I have never been unhappy with any cruises to date - some I liked better than others - ie entertainment on some ships was (in my opinion) pretty awful but I would just go to another venue.

 

Now I just have to break the news to my husband that he has another long haul flight to look forward to (NOT). I keep saying "never again" to long haul flights but there is just so much out there. Oh to be able to afford to fly Business Class........:D

 

Thanks again folks

 

Faye

[3213dev]

The mercury is an excellent ship. Recently off her. The food is EXCELLENT and the staff are great and tend to your every need. You've made a good choice

 

Enjoy

DEV

[Imnac]

Hi Raffles

 

What Panama cruise are you booking? We have booked our first cruise on Mercury the Westbound in Jan 09. It is a long time to wait but I am sooo looking forward to it already:D

 

Cat

[caviargal]

raffles, great cabin choice! Have a wonderful cruise:)

[raffles]

Hi Cat

 

Westbound Panama on 14th February 2009 - I have never booked anything so far in advance before. Goodness knows what we will all be doing 19 months from now....

 

Dev & Caviargal

Now that I have made up my mind I am sure to have lots of questions for you both. ie last month on Voyager I could go and get cups of tea (and possibily a wee snack ;) ) at anytime in the Promonade Cafe; lemonade, ice cream etc was available 24 hours - no charge. Is there a similar service on Mercury? I remember years ago on one cruise every cup of tea outwith mealtimes was charged to my account and I do like my cuppa.

Hubby is not keen on the dining room every night - is there an informal hot buffet we could use instead? I seem to recall my TA said something about an better room service menu if I booked a CC cabin, is this true?

 

Sorry for all the questions - I have been so involved in finding the right itinerary and cabin I have yet to read up on the ship facilities. In any case a brochure does not tell you all the wee extra things you want to know. I am so glad I found this website. I won't ever book another cruise without checking here first.

Cheerie

Faye

[caviargal]

raffles, sorry, can't help with your questions. I avoid buffets, don't eat ice cream and as far as the CC menu, I believe it was just for breakfast but don't know for sure. We had CC class on Century and had breakfast and lunch in the Aqua Spa daily when not in port. They do deliver canapes in the afternoon but they were not very good.

 

There is a decent sushi bar open in the evenings.

[chessbriar]

Yes on the tea

 

No on the dinner buffet. They do have alternative dinning. Standard menu and $2/pp for tip. Need to make reservation. Can't answer about the CC menu. We eat dinner in the restaurant each night.

[bububr]

The Merc. is our favorite ship hands down ( now that Zenith is gone ).

 

Always had a wonderful time on her.

 

Dave:eek: