Mercury

[Princesstcase]

Hi everyone! I am new to the Celebrity board, but I have been lurking for awhile. I am trying to plan a cruise for this Sept. that is fairly inexpensive. I live in the Seattle area and I found a cruise in Sept. for 4 nights that goes to Victoria and Nainaimo Canada. It is really cheap and it leaves and comes back from Seattle. So no airfare! :D The cruise is on the Mercury. I have never been on a Celebrity ship. In fact I have only been on one cruise in my life and that was 2 years ago for my honeymoon on Carnival. We really enjoyed ourselves and told ourselves that we definately wanted to take another cruise!

 

Can anyone tell me what makes Celebrity different than Carnival? The ship we were on was the Valor and it is one of Carnival's newest biggest ships. I know that the Mercury is a lot smaller... am I going to hate being on a ship that is so much smaller? I know that the Valor had a buffet on the Lido deck that you could have instead of going to the dining room... does the Mercury have this too? How comfortable are the beds?

 

Sorry for all the questions... I just want to make sure I am going to like what I am paying for before I pay it!!

 

Thank you!!!!

[sharpie13]

Generally, the Mercury is a very well run ship with excellent dining. Activities may be a little less than Carnival, but definitely greater than Princess.

Dining features include a Deli, Pasta and Pizza Bar, Sushi, cooked to order omelets, Coffee bar.

Bar Service includes the usual venues plus a, Champagne Bar, Michaels Club, and one of the best Martini Bars afloat.

Buffet: The Mercury offers the same casual dining service in the buffet. You can either make a reservation and be waited on by a waiter, assistant waiter, etc; or just show up for the self service buffet.

Beds: I've never had any issues with the Mercury beds. The ship rides very smooth. I did here that the bedding was replaced prior to the ship sailing to Australia, but that bedding is now over a year old.

For a mid-sized ship the Mercury offers a surprising number of amenities.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the Mercury's level of service and attention to detail. Essentially the Mercury's Crew to Passenger ratio is 1:2 vs. the Valor's which is 1:3.

[Sky Sweet]

We have sailed on Celebrity's Century, Mercury, Infinity, Constellation, and Millennium, and Mercury is the only Celebrity ship that I will not sail again. We had a nice sky suite with a huge balcony, but the public areas of the ship were not very impressive and in sub par condition.

 

However, even though the ship itself was not nice, it had very good food and service, and we met the nicest people on that cruise.

 

It depends upon what is important to you. Mercury is not as nice as Carnival's newest ships but has better food and service.

 

Mercury also has a much lower energy level than a Carnival ship. During our cruise on Mercury, we met a few people who love Carnival and thought that the Mercury cruise was very boring. They told me that they had expected Celebrity to be a step up from Carnival, but based on their experience with Mercury would never take another Celebrity Cruise.

[Lois R]

I have sailed Mercury 5 times and am trying to go on her again

later this year:D

As you can see we all have our likes and dislikes.....she

is my favorite ship, with Galaxy a close 2nd.

The service on Mercury for me has always been fabulous and I love

the ship:)

[Karynanne]

We were just off Mercury this past Sunday, after 29 days onboard. In our opinion, the ship is NOT sub-par at all. If anything, it is a lovely ship, with a very elegant feel to it. The soft goods (bedding, towels, etc.) were excellent, and the furnishings, both in our cabin or around the ship were in great condition.

 

One of things that had changed for the better, was the replacement of outdoor tables and chairs on the Aft, Deck 11. They are now all teak. It has made this venue extremely nice.

 

This was our 8th time on this particular ship, and we'll be on Mercury again in 3/09 (R/T Hawaii).

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Karyn

[FinelyCruising]

Princesstcase - It's good for you to be aware that often times the oldest ships or those with fewer amenities among all ships are the ships that sail the short runs for the cruise lines. Do your research and determine what is important to you, the two ships you are comparing are quite different, and you already know that. I have been on Mercury and the sister ships and I like the layout of that class of ship, and we have been on ships much bigger and much newer and much different. We enjoyed the Mexican Riviera on Mercury, had great food and service, but did find her to be an older girl. If this is the itinerary you want, and NO airfare (:) ) then it might be a good fit for the short cruise. If you want posh/new/luxury/fresh surroundings and cabins, then this will not be to your liking. IMHO of course :o

[Karynanne]

Princesstcase - It's good for you to be aware that often times the oldest ships or those with fewer amenities among all ships are the ships that sail the short runs for the cruise lines. Do your research and determine what is important to you, the two ships you are comparing are quite different, and you already know that. I have been on Mercury and the sister ships and I like the layout of that class of ship, and we have been on ships much bigger and much newer and much different. We enjoyed the Mexican Riviera on Mercury, had great food and service, but did find her to be an older girl. If this is the itinerary you want, and NO airfare (:) ) then it might be a good fit for the short cruise. If you want posh/new/luxury/fresh surroundings and cabins, then this will not be to your liking. IMHO of course :o

 

This isn't always the case. Mercury does do the short runs, but for the past 5 months has been in Australia and New Zealand, with each cruise 14 days. We just completed a B2B, and felt this ship was perfect for this type of trip. We had all the amenities (other than a Specialty Restaurant), and were very pleased with the condition of the ship.

 

The Solstice (the newest ship) will be doing short 7 day runs.

[caviargal]

Mercury is the only Celebrity ship that I will not sail again. We had a nice sky suite with a huge balcony, but the public areas of the ship were not very impressive and in sub par condition.

 

However, even though the ship itself was not nice, it had very good food and service, and we met the nicest people on that cruise.

 

It depends upon what is important to you. Mercury is not as nice as Carnival's newest ships but has better food and service.

 

Mercury also has a much lower energy level than a Carnival ship. During our cruise on Mercury, we met a few people who love Carnival and thought that the Mercury cruise was very boring. They told me that they had expected Celebrity to be a step up from Carnival, but based on their experience with Mercury would never take another Celebrity Cruise.

 

I agree with Sky Sweet and I personally would not sail Mercury again for the same reasons she points out. On our cruise, service was disappointing except in the main dining room.

 

I am, however, not a fan of Carnival, period. I have been on three classes of ships with the newest being Glory in 2005 and would not cruise the line again. If you really enjoyed the activity level, energy, fellow shipmates and nightlife on Carnival, perhaps RCI would be a better choice if you would like to try something new.

[FinelyCruising]

Karynanne - Solstice is new with all the bells and whistles Mercury will never have no matter how long or where it goes!!!

 

Staying on track, I am trying to educate the OP to be objective and open minded. I am not personalizing the ships and imposing my will.:)

[Putterdude]

I would also have to disagree with FinelyCruise, the vast majority of people love the Mercury and many try to take repeat cruises on her. People will always fine something to compalin about, be it the ship or the cruise line. That's why there are so many cruise lines and even more ships. We were aboard Mercury in August for a 7 day Inside Passage cruise and just loved her. She has everything that a ship 25% larger has but has a much nicer scale about her. Book the trip, you will be happy I am sure.

[FinelyCruising]

What is to disagree about??? I was on her and sister ships...did I say I did not like her? NO. Did I say she was an older girl. YES, because she is!!!:D

 

Sounds like people are looking for an argument just to have something to do!!!

[Princesstcase]

Thank you all for your replies!! It was very informative! I think we are going to go ahead and plan to book this cruise. This will be a inexpensive way to get a taste of what Celebrity has to offer!

 

Another question for you (I may have a few between now and Sept.), if anyone has done a 4 night cruise, is there a formal night?

 

Also, does anyone have a current menu I could look at??

 

Thanks!!!

[Karynanne]

What is to disagree about??? I was on her and sister ships...did I say I did not like her? NO. Did I say she was an older girl. YES, because she is!!!:D

 

Sounds like people are looking for an argument just to have something to do!!!

 

I'm not disagreeing with you at all. Some of Mercury's "charm" IS that she's an older ship. And we felt that the service and personal attention to details, were some of the best we had ever experienced. After speaking with quite a lot of the staff and crew, many of them have requested to stay with Mercury, once their contracts came up for renewal.

 

Sky Sweet and Caviargal don't seem to want to sail on this again. They have their reasons, and that is respected.

[Lois R]

Thank you all for your replies!! It was very informative! I think we are going to go ahead and plan to book this cruise. This will be a inexpensive way to get a taste of what Celebrity has to offer!

 

Another question for you (I may have a few between now and Sept.), if anyone has done a 4 night cruise, is there a formal night?

 

Also, does anyone have a current menu I could look at??

 

Thanks!!!

 

Hi, :) I did this itinerary back in October....yes, there is one formal

night on the 4 nighter. I might be going back again this year

as well.

[Sky Sweet]

There was a time when I couldn't understand why some cruise lines have such boring itineraries for their newest and nicest ships, while they use the oldest ones in their fleet for their most interesting ones.

 

I think it may be because there are many people who are willing to pay a premium for a new ship, even if it has a boring itinerary.

 

At the same time, there are other passengers who are more concerned about the itinerary than the ship itself, so the cruise lines tend to use their older ships for their most interesting or unique ones.

 

Of course this is just conjecture on my part, and I might be wrong.

[raymac46]

My daughter and son-in-law recently cruised on Mercury from Auckland to Sydney.

Here's her review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=38796

She was sufficiently impressed to convince us to go to Alaska on Mercury this August.

[FinelyCruising]

Sky Sweet - What one considers boring or refreshing would differ by cruiser, not by ship in my estimation. There are some destinations that X does not travel to at all...so the idea posed might not make sense.

[FinelyCruising]

My daughter and son-in-law recently cruised on Mercury from Auckland to Sydney.

Here's her review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=38796

She was sufficiently impressed to convince us to go to Alaska on Mercury this August.

 

Over on the Photo Discussion Board there is a cruiser who is also a photorapher that has some nice shots of the ship and the itinerary in the event anyone wants to learn more about the ship.

 

Look for the post by Pierces there....

[Kathie44]

We have cruised Mercury two winters in a row. Mexican Riviera (1/07) and Aust/NZ (1/08). We had great cruises and have no complaints at all. Service was great everywhere and the food was very good. We didn't go to all the shows, but enjoyed the ones we saw. You will like Mercury. We are VERY glad we cruised her during her last season in the MR and her first and only season in Aust/NZ. I called this winter the "guinea pig' season--finding out how the new itinerary would be received. Extremely well!

Millenium, a larger ship, is taking over the Aust/NZ run next year and the price has doubled. :eek:

Glad you decided to give Mercury a try. Don't be surprised if 4 days isn't enough, lol. We don't do 7 nights anymore--too short!

[Karynanne]

Over on the Photo Discussion Board there is a cruiser who is also a photorapher that has some nice shots of the ship and the itinerary in the event anyone wants to learn more about the ship.

 

Look for the post by Pierces there....

 

We were on this cruise with Pierces. His photos are just beautiful. It was really an outstanding trip.

[Host Anne]

We've sailed Mercury twice in the past several years. In more than 30 cruises overall, she remains among our favorite ship. Love her layout, her size, her crew, her food. We wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again. She feels like "home."

[Lois R]

We've sailed Mercury twice in the past several years. In more than 30 cruises overall, she remains among our favorite ship. Love her layout, her size, her crew, her food. We wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again. She feels like "home."

 

Hi Anne:) good to see you again. Hope your Constellation

cruise was fun. By chance do you recall meeting Brian

and Denise from Canada?

 

As for feeling like home, I totally agree about Mercury.

I feel the need to go back home again:D even though

I just got off Galaxy;).

[chuly]

My daughter and son-in-law recently cruised on Mercury from Auckland to Sydney.

Here's her review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=38796

She was sufficiently impressed to convince us to go to Alaska on Mercury this August.

 

Hi Ray:

 

I enjoyed reading Sarah & Dave's review very much. I'm glad they had such a wonderful time. We are going on the Mercury in October on the Wine Cruise leaving from Vancouver to San Diego. We were on the Mercury three years ago to the Mexican Riviera and really liked her. Yes, it's not an M-Class ship but it certainly had charm to it. Hope you and Maria have fun in Alaska. You'll love it! I know we did. Give our regards to Sarah and Dave.:)

 

Lucy

[Lois R]

Hi Ray:

 

I enjoyed reading Sarah & Dave's review very much. I'm glad they had such a wonderful time. We are going on the Mercury in October on the Wine Cruise leaving from Vancouver to San Diego. We were on the Mercury three years ago to the Mexican Riviera and really liked her. Yes, it's not an M-Class ship but it certainly had charm to it. Hope you and Maria have fun in Alaska. You'll love it! I know we did. Give our regards to Sarah and Dave.:)

 

Lucy

 

Hi Lucy,:) I am soooo tempted to book that Wine Cruise!!!!!!!

I was on that roll call a long time ago but then left because

I didn't think I was going to be able to do it.

I am thinking of joining back in......it sounds soooooo good.

[Costest]

technically we've sailed Merc 3x. 2000 to Alaska and 2007 b2b PNW. I didn't notice that 7 yrs made a whole lot of difference in the appearance of the ship. We are booked to go again in Jan 09 Panama Canal and can hardly wait. Our favorite ship - we like the laid back, non constant or quiet activities. Yes, there was some wear and tear but nothing worse than some of my own furnishings :D

 

We loved the convenience of the PNW cruise - home port and no travel. For us it was to be a quiet and relaxing week so we welcomed the lack of constant activity. Beds were waaay comfy, and we spent hours after hours playing cribbage at our favorite table at the Cova Cafe. Can't beat that kind of living.

 

As you continue to read on these boards you'll note they are rolling out new menus so getting copies of menus might not be helpful or easy. IMO food has been OK to good, not great since the 80's - but then again, I'm from Seattle and there isn't any better quality food than from here and maybe San Fran/No Cal. (Ok, did I get the propane torch lit OK :D )

 

Happy Cruising.