Mercury Wine Cruise - Just Back!

[oceanbear]

My DW and I are just back from the 9-day wine cruise on Mercury. Overall the cruise was fine. I was looking for the changes people had been talking about. I was looking to experience them first hand. First the good news! The new smoking restrictions have definitely improved the environment for us. I was actually able to gamble in the casino for hours without smelling like an ashtray. It was nice to be able to sit on either side of the buffet area and not be concerned with smoke of any kind. We seldom even smelled smoke, except when the wind carried some cigar smoke all the way across the deck Another bit of good news is that the espresso drinks in the Cova are still only $2.50. The sole exception was the “Melange” which was $4.00. IMO, the food in the buffet lunch is much improved in presentation, variety, and quality. My DW felt the same about the breakfast line. I never seemed to make it to breakfast. On the negative side, I found the Sushi to be below par even when compared with other Celebrity ships. As previously reported, and I now concur, dinner in the main dining room continues to decline. What was once the highlight of each day, for us anyway, is now just another meal. What is offered is for the most part well prepared and nicely presented, and I certainly didn’t go hungry; however, the choice ingredients of entrees served on past cruises are gone. On this cruise, there was no Prime Rib, Rack of Lamb, Tournedos, NY Steak, Filet Mignon, Lobster Tail, or Veal Chop. Frankly, I don’t see Celebrity wining anymore “Best Dining” awards. BTW, also gone ore the little “courtesy envelopes” we used to get to hand out to the staff even if we paid on our account. We always thought it was a nice gesture, but I guess that too succumbed to “cost-cutting”. The service was still first rate, and I as I said, overall the cruise was fine; however, with the negative changes in the food department, Celebrity will no longer have an edge when vying for my cruising dollar.

 

D

[C 2 C]

My DW and I are just back from the 9-day wine cruise on Mercury. Overall the cruise was fine.

 

I have to agree about the dining experience just being another meal.

 

Would you perhaps have the names of the senior officers as well as the entertainers who played in the different lounges for the Who's On Board thread? If you click on the picture of Captain Pagonis, a chart will pop up that I'm trying to update.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=862734

[Bfson]

I was on the same cruise as Oceanbear and agree with his comments. I would add that for a cruise featuring wine they failed miserably in their wine glasses. (If you are not a wine buff stop reading here) The normal glasses they use are about the worst possible: straight sided with no narrowing at the top to concentrate the nose. Those kind of glasses make the wine show poorly. They have better glasses but seldom bring them out unless you ask for them and even then they often refuse. We went to the first "Grand Cru" wine dinner. When I asked for the better glasses, they refused. I guess a special dinner and special wines didin't justify the better glasses. Harumph! We canceled our reservations for the next 4 special dinners. They only pretend to understand wine-they really don't.

 

So Celebrity lost $400 in income and since we went to the casino (winning over $400) instead, Celebrity lost a chunk of revenue over their refusal to supply what should be standard: decent wine glasses.

[Bxc53]

We're just back from the wine cruise as well. This was our first cruise on Celebrity, fourth in all ( Disney, HAL, and Princess previously).

We felt the food was good overall, but of course, can't compare to Celebrity in the past.

 

One point to the first poster, we had prime rib on the first night, and also there was Lobster tail in the seafood medley on the 7th or 8th evening, plus Tournedos on the last evening, I believe.

 

I did miss the variety of dining options on our last Princess cruise ( Sapphire to Mexico from LA), but for us this cruise was picked for the itinerary, which we enjoyed quite a lot.

[Winedogs]

Hello-

 

My DH and I were also on the same 9 night Mercury Wine cruise. DH did have prime rib the first night in the dining room and we both had lobster, yes it was rock lobster on the last formal night. It was called a "melange" of rock lobster, scallop and shrimp. We thought the sushi was also just as good as it had been on prior sailings. Though they did not have rack of lamb (which DH did miss), they did have a lamb shank one night. We also ate beef filet with a very nice black peppercorn sauce on the last evening. They did offer a steak one night, but I do not recall if it was NY. On a past cruise you could order escargots every night, this cruise only one night and I didn't ask for it as I don't order off the menu.

 

Overall the cruise was great, though we agreed with fellow cruisers that the menu choices were not quite the same as they had been in the past.

 

As for the smoking, I agree it improved the overall comfort of the cruise.

[hcat]

So what did they serve that was memorable or at least different or better warrating getting rid of Michele Roux?

 

How were the soups & salads. Do they still have the Celebrity dressing? What about desserts? I can't see myself ever ordering lamb shank in lieu of the rackof lamb. For our next cruise on Solstice we booked only one night at the Specialty restaurant--hope that will be good!

 

So what was the other part of the wine cruise like? Did they offer special excurions or ports?

 

How was the music & entertainment?

We like Mercury very much--esp the T pool!.

 

Thanks for this helpful info!

[Winedogs]

So what did they serve that was memorable or at least different or better warrating getting rid of Michele Roux?

 

How were the soups & salads. Do they still have the Celebrity dressing? What about desserts? I can't see myself ever ordering lamb shank in lieu of the rackof lamb. For our next cruise on Solstice we booked only one night at the Specialty restaurant--hope that will be good!

 

So what was the other part of the wine cruise like? Did they offer special excurions or ports?

 

How was the music & entertainment?

We like Mercury very much--esp the T pool!.

 

Thanks for this helpful info!

 

Yes they still have the Celebrity dressing:p yummy. I thought the selection of desserts were good. They did have the Baked Alaska parade on last formal night (even though I myself do not care for Baked Alaska). They offered 2 salads with dinner in addition to a salad entree and you could order Caesar salad any night. They offered 2 or 3 wine pairing dinners, but we did not do that. There was an extra charge (about $45pp). We tried the Walk around the World Wine Tasting. That was about $10 pp and you could try about 4-5 whites and 4-5 reds. We also tried the chocolate and port one night after dinner where they had a chocolate fountain with fresh strawberries and other goodies.

[oceanbear]

We're just back from the wine cruise as well. This was our first cruise on Celebrity, fourth in all ( Disney, HAL, and Princess previously).

We felt the food was good overall, but of course, can't compare to Celebrity in the past.

 

One point to the first poster, we had prime rib on the first night, and also there was Lobster tail in the seafood medley on the 7th or 8th evening, plus Tournedos on the last evening, I believe.

 

I did miss the variety of dining options on our last Princess cruise ( Sapphire to Mexico from LA), but for us this cruise was picked for the itinerary, which we enjoyed quite a lot.

We ate in the main dining room on the 1st night and I did not see “Prime Rib” offered on the menu. Don’t know how I missed it, but I’ll concede the fact. As for the “Lobster Tail”, Rock Lobster Tail is not the same as the Lobster Tail previously offered. Also, that was not “Tournedos” offer the last night it was a Beef Kabob served off the skewer and with the onion and Bell Pepper. Previously “Tournedos Rossini” was the dish offered, different cut and different preparation. Finally, for the poster that said “while rack of lamb wasn’t offered, lamb shank was”. Lamb shank is a cheap cut of lamb that if cooked slowly and carefully can taste delicious, but it’s still a cheap cut of meat that can’t be compared to “rack of lamb”. That was my whole point. The food may have tasted good, but it was with much cheaper ingredients.

[Oceans&Rivers]

First the good news! The new smoking restrictions have definitely improved the environment for us. I was actually able to gamble in the casino for hours without smelling like an ashtray. It was nice to be able to sit on either side of the buffet area and not be concerned with smoke of any kind. We seldom even smelled smoke, except when the wind carried some cigar smoke all the way across the deck

 

Hmmm. Where were you sitting when you smelled the cigar smoke? What time of day?

 

It is supposed to be carefully controlled, including time of day.

[spearmint]

I get the impression that all the wine-theme-related activities were "extra"?

 

Does the wine-pairing take place in the specialty restaurant?

 

Are there any "don't miss" activities?

 

We are taking a wine-themed cruise next year, and have no idea what it is about. Would like to learn more about wines and to participate in activities (but are coming to realize that this might add to our expenses?). Thanks.

Bill

[Bfson]

On the Mercury there is no Specialty Restaurant. They just use a few tables near the stern during the late dinner seating. It costs more $$

 

I think you could better spend your money taking a wine appreciation course at a local junior college,

[happy cruzer]

I am currently booked for the wine cruise next year. Is anyone doing a cruise review day by day with detail? Details about the itineary, food, entertainmen and events would be great!I would love to read it. We are thinking about cancelling and booking at the last minute I believe; this year the price for the wine cruise on the Mercury dropped quite a bit at the last minute, did anyone experience the price drop and get an OBC?

 

Also did anyone buy the Riedel glasses onboard and use them during the cruise? We thought we might like to do that.

 

All information appreciated.

[debkaysmith]

We felt that the food was superb aboard this sailing. We especially enjoyed the prime rib, lamb shank, the coq au vin, and the fantastic seafood (both white fish and melange of shellfish), plus the wonderful soups (both chilled and hot), and some great salads. The buffet was especially delicious at breakfast - the waffles and omelette station were both working overtime and very yummy. As for the wine events, we especially enjoyed the 'Around the World' wine tasting event for $10 that was a steal with all the wine you got to taste. The only thing we didn't do was the Reidel (sp?) Wine Glass for $85 pp. Otherwise, we enjoyed all of the wine events. The ports were awesome and easy to navigate, the ship was beautiful, and the service was really stupendous. Our party of six may be the only ones to think so, but we LOVED the Mercury and felt it was the best cruise we've ever taken, and we've been on 12 ships, including Celebrity Infinity. But hey, that's just me.....

[MKMC]

We did not like the continual flow of wrong information eg. alll Captain's Club members were invited to a party and then we were told this was an error Classic members were not included, It was all very confusing starting with the cruise documents saying we board at the Ballentyne Pier at 8 PM and then being told to go to Canada Place at 12 noon.

Kathleen

[CJsMate]

Would you perhaps have the names of the senior officers as well as the entertainers who played in the different lounges for the Who's On Board thread?

 

The officers on the Oct 13th Mercury Wine cruise were:

Master: Nickos Frantzis

Chief Engineer: Kostas Kallinikos

Staff Chief Engineer: Georgios Proestos

Food & Beverage Manager: Uttam Chakraborty

Hotel Director: John M. Rusterholz

Staff Captain: Philippos Dimoulas

Guest Relations: Allen Headley

Cruise Director: Fith Fithian

 

Entertainment included:

Party band: Headlines

Pianist/vocalist: Tim Moss

Elderly person band: Elk Island Quartet

Classical: Voyage String Quartet

Guitarist/vocalist: Justin Wade

Celebrity Theater performers were:

Jack Walker, vocalist

Fred Klett, comedian

Jeff Peterson, magician

Celebrity Singers & Dancers - three shows

 

Harvey

[C 2 C]

The officers on the Oct 13th Mercury Wine cruise were:

Harvey

 

Harvey... much appreciated. The updated list will be in my signature soon...

 

Did you like the "Elderly person band"? ;)

[CJsMate]

Did you like the "Elderly person band"? ;)

 

Even though I qualify as a senior, I did not enjoy the band playing in the Rendezvous Lounge. Much prefer bands which play jazz standards.

 

Harvey

[Magna]

 

Can you list all the Wine Themed Events

offered on the Cruise plus the Costs

 

Thanks

 

Magna

[CJsMate]

Can you list all the Wine Themed Events

offered on the Cruise plus the Costs

 

Magna

 

Magna,

 

Here are the items from the flyer given out by Celebrity for this year's Wine Cruise:

 

Wine Cruise with Celebrity Mercury

 

The Team of Sommeliers kindly invites you to our wine enrichment series

 

Vancouver, Canada - Monday Oct. 13

Wine & Cheese Party and Wine Series Orientation.

Pavillion Night Club. approx. 10:30pm-11:30pm

 

Victoria, British Columbia - Tuesday Oct. 14

Port, Chocolate and Jazz,

Pavillion Night Club, 10:30pm-11:30pm

 

Seattle, Washington - Wednesday Oct. 15

Grand Cru Wine Dinner Series - Washington

Hosted by Mr. John Sarich - Culinary Director Ste. Michelie Wine Estates,

Cost: $45.0 per person and 15% gratuities. Limited space available.

For reservations contact your sommelier.

 

Astoria, Oregon - Thursday Oct. 16

Grand Cru Wine Dinner Series - Oregon

Hosted by Mr. John Sarich - Culinary Director Ste, Michelie Wine Estates.

Cost: $45.00 per person and 15% gratuities. Limited space available.

For reservations contact your sommelier.

 

At Sea - Friday Oct. 17

Northwest Wine Appreciation hosted by Mr. John Sarjch. 11 -00 am - 12:00 am

Manhattan Restaurant Cost: $10.00 per person and 15% gratuities.

 

Walk Around the World Wine Tasting,

Navigator Cost: 20.00 per person and 15% gratuities.

 

San Francisco - Saturday Oct. 18

Grand Cru Wine Dinner Series - California Hosted by Ms. Sara Fowler - Winemaker.

Cost: $45.00 per person and 15% gratuities. Limited space available

For reservations contact your sommelier.

 

San Francisco - Sunday Oct. 19

Grand Cru Wine Dinner Series - California. Hosted by Mr. Patrick Mukaida - Winemaker

Cost: $45.00 per person and 15% gratuities. Limited space available

For reservations contact your sommelier.

 

Monterey - Monday Oct. 20

Ferrari Carrano Wine Tasting, hosted by Patrick Mukaida. 02:30prn - 03:30pm

Manhattan Restaurant. Cost: $1 0 00 per person and 15% gratuities

 

At Sea - Tuesday Oct. 21

Food and Wine Pairing, Manhattan Restaurant

Cost: $10:00 per person and 15% gratuities.

 

Riedel Crystal Glass Wine Comparison with Celebrity Cellar Master. 02:30pm - 03:30pm

Manhattan Restaurant Cost: S87.00 per person.

Attendees will receive a free gift set worth of $125.00

 

Harvey

[CJsMate]

I am currently booked for the wine cruise next year. We are thinking about cancelling and booking at the last minute

 

Also did anyone buy the Riedel glasses onboard and use them during the cruise? We thought we might like to do that.

 

You don't have to cancel to get the lower prices. If you have a good TA they should notify you of any price declines and take care of having your account credited. If you have booked directly with Celebrity, watch the booking prices on the web site. If there is a decline, call Celebrity and ask for the new price. They will give you a credit.

 

On the Riedel, the event was held on the last day so there was no opportunity to use the glasses. But I personally wouldn't want to carry my glass to and from the dining room. The dining room does offer an excellent glass for your dining use. But it is only used for expensive bottles of wine ($75+) and you may have to ask for it.

 

Harvey

[Magna]

 

Magna,

 

Here are the items from the flyer given out by Celebrity for this year's Wine Cruise:

 

Wine Cruise with Celebrity Mercury

 

************************************

Harvey

 

Thanks alot looks like a Great Time !!

 

Magna

[Bfson]

The dining room does offer an excellent glass for your dining use. But it is only used for expensive bottles of wine ($75+) and you may have to ask for it.Harvey

 

And even if you ask they may say no.

 

If you order from the special list they will provide it (and some of those wines, at least the whites, are under $35, some of the reds esp the Foley Pinot Noir, are under or around $50.)

[CJsMate]

And even if you ask they may say no.

)

 

Bob,

 

I have had their special glasses on three of my last four cruises just by being nice to our sommelier. Never have ordered a wine for more than $50. On our last cruise, he even set up the entire table with their special glasses because we had been steady customers. I guess it is how you ask.

 

And those glasses are just huge. Over 12" tall and very fine crystal.

 

Harvey

[BettyNL]

CJ'sMate: Sounds like the glasses we had at the wine pairing dinner.......

 

Besides the water glass, each place setting had FOUR different sizes & shapes lined up at each seat........ considering it was a table for eight, that means FORTY glasses at each table: quite a sight to see !!

 

By the way, thanks again for hosting the Cabin Crawl in your Sky Suite........sure hope you got some good use from that fabulous balcony !!

 

BettyNL

[oceanbear]

Hmmm. Where were you sitting when you smelled the cigar smoke? What time of day?

 

It is supposed to be carefully controlled, including time of day.

Late afternoon on deck 12. The smokers were on the port side at the rear of the track. It is a smoking area where the tables all have ashtrays. The cigar smoke carried across to the starboard side by the wind. Not a complaint, just an observation.