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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Fred Liu
Email: chino1_2000@yahoo.com
Age: 45
Occupation: Self-employed
NumberOfCruises: 15
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 10/31/99
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 8181/10
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 88
CabinComfort: 89
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 68
CabinAmenities: 88
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 67
CabinQuietness: 96
FoodMidnightBuffets: 73
CabinSteward: 89
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 88
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 82
TenderService: 89
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 78
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 86
OverallPortsofCall: 82
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 83
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 93
EmbarkDisembark: 97
DiscoNightclubs: 89
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 79
SpaceRatio: 86
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Nov 1999
Time: 17:36:57
Remote Name: cr754909-a.surrey1.bc.wave.home.com
Remote User:
Comments
My wife and I have been cruising for the last 15 years. This is our third cruise on a
Celebrity ship. We also took one of
the former Chandris Fantasy Cruises'ships, 'M.V. Amerakanis' which we was our very first
cruise 15 years ago. We have
been very satisified cruising with Celebrity Cruise Lines in the past because they are
famous for their 5-star rated fine
cuisine. Therefore, we booked the October 31st cruise on board their new ship Mercury to
the Western Caribbean from
Fort Lauderdale.
We find the general appearance of the ship Mercury very good. The overall finishing decor
and choice of material were
less appealing compairing to its sister ship, Galaxy. We sailed on Galaxy in October, 1997
to Southern Caribbean. The
cleanliness and the continual maintenance and polishing throughout Mercury have been
impressive. Our midship inside
cabin was in Deck 8. It was clean and comfortable. A few things that we like about the
cabin on board the Celebrity
ships were its generous room size, tons of closets and drawers space fit for longer than 7
nights cruises. The power
shower did not disappoint us one bit on this ship. Our cabin was very quiet for sleeping
at night with the gentle rolling
motion of the ship. We believe the soundproofing of this ship is astounding. However, we
did not find the same quality of
decorative lighting and extravagance in the Celebrity Theatre and the Manhattan Dining
Room as in the Galaxy.
Overall, this ship still maintains its spaciousness and comfort to the two thousand plus
passengers. You will never have
to fight for a seat during the nightly entertainment at the Celebrity Theatre. Even though
the entertainment were consist
of mainly singing and not much of variety nature, the singer and dancers worked hard to
please the passengers. The
padded deck chairs on all three pools make a pleasant difference when you relax on a
Celebrity ship than the other
ships of similar size.
Our cabin steward and his assistant had performed their duties very promptly and
accommodative to our needs for the
duration of the voyage. One thing we both disappointed were the staffs at the Guest
Relations Desk with cold attitude
and lack of customer service skills. They need to put on more smiles on their faces and be
more knowledgeable about
their products. Beware that they would tell tales just to get rid of you. During our
check-in at the Cruise Terminal, I
asked the rep why have I not received my Captain Club card and special Club luggage tags
after enrollment to the Club
for three years. The rep promised that the staff at the Guest Relations Desk on the ship
would print me a new card and
provide me with new luggage tags. When I got on the ship and explained my requests to the
Guest Relations staff, he
told me that he could only reenter my club number into the computer again and inserted a
note to the Head Office
about this situation. He told me that it was impossible to get me a new card or luggage
tags. He suggested that I should
fill out another application form-for the third time in three years. It was really
confusing as to who to believe in this
instance. My wife and I both concluded that we should give up on this privileged fantasy.
The main reason for most
repeated cruisers including ourselves join Celebrity cruises times and times again was
because of its outstanding
cuisine and its guidiance under the renowned Executive Chef Michel Roux. We were told that
Michel Roux was actually
on our ship for the first three days. Nevertheless, we were very disappointed to say the
food in the Dining Room was
mostly plain with very little taste and not memorable. The quality and choice of
ingredients were slipping. The main dish
required more seasoning and flair to its presentation. I had to return my chicken dish at
the first night of the cruise in
exchange of another item due to its lack of taste and not enough sauces. For the remaining
of the cruise, I had to
repeat the same request one more time or almost twice for the same reason. My wife was
also complaining about the
small sizes of the shrimp scampi and tasteless salad dressing. Dining Room service was
slow and lack of attention from
our waiter and his assistant. We felt that we were being rushed at times from them. The
waiter never did try to initiate a
conversation to us or to the other tables under his care. His attitude was egotistic and
service was almost robotic in
nature. In the last evening, it has been a cruising tradition that passengers would hand
out gratuity envelopes to each
of their servers in appreciation of service rendered. When I hinted to my waiter that I
was about to give him the
envelope, he told me to wait until he finished what he wanted to do. My wife and I were
amazed for such arrogant
attitude in a five star rated cruise ship.
Our bad experience in the Dining Room and Guest Relations hopefully were isolated
incidences. However, this
particular cruise somehow dampens our previous strong beliefs in Celebrity Cruises.
Overall, Mercury still has most of
Celebrity Cruise Lines'charm of casual elegance and formal luxury as it proclaims for many
years. Since it merged with
Royal Caribbean International in 1997, RCI slowly integrates its company culture and
cruise practices of being a gaint
cruise ship company of mass market into Celebrity Cruise Lines. We believe that the future
performance and delivery of
this premium Cruise Line will slip slowly with time. It would be interesting to go on the
next Celebrity new ship, Millennium
which will be debuted in Year 2000. We think may be we should wait for a year or so and
experience again the overall
cruise performance in the new ship, this time under the full funding of its new parent
company-Royal Caribbean
International.
Name: Dianne Torino
Email: dtorino@travelco.com
Age: 39
Occupation: Office/Facilities Manager
NumberOfCruises: 21
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 10/24/99
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 1167/2
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 70
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 12 Nov 1999
Time: 17:22:05
Remote Name: 12.8.163.230
Remote User:
Comments
This was a cruise that my husband and I had planned for our family and friends for over
nine months. We are quite a
mix of ages, ranging from the late 30s to late 70s and we wanted to pick a cruise where we
felt everyone would find
something to do and enjoy themselves. We were a group of 12 and most had never cruised
before. My husband and I
had never sailed with Celebrity, but we had heard such good things that we felt it was our
best bet. And it most definitely
was! I will give a brief description of categories that stick out in my mind.
Embarkation/Disembarkation
We arrived late at Port Everglades because we had heard about the long lines and waiting
for numbers to be called.
We got there around 3:00 o'clock and still had to wait for about 35 minutes before
stepping on board. But all in all, the
process moved fairly quickly and was efficiently carried out.
When arriving back at Port Everglades we knew we would be the last off the ship because we
were locals, however, we
were still off the ship by 10 o'clock. It went very smoothly.
Cabin
We were in a Category 2 cabin at the very rear of Penthouse deck. It actually was a very
nice room, though a little
small. The balcony had way too much furniture on it for its size. There was a lounge chair
that folded up nicely into a
regular type chair, another chair with a stool and a table. With all that furniture, there
was no way for my husband and I
to stand at the rail side by side. However, all that furniture made it easy to prop the
door open, and it was open almost
24 hours a day. The room was very comfortable and functional given its size. We had just
enough closet and drawer
space for all of our stuff, but in all fairness, we are also very heavy packers. Maybe
some day we'll learn. Nah, probably
not! The bathroom was just fine, and true to all the reviews we have read, the shower was
tremendous. Shower
pressure was very strong and always hot!
Food and Service
The food and service met, and surpassed, all of our expectations! All the reviews we had
read are right on! I don't know
how much weight we gained on the trip, because I still haven't had the nerve to get near
the scale. Presentation,
variety, taste and general all around food preparation was excellent. As far as service,
there was never a grumpy face
or frown in the bunch. All food service, whether it was in the dining room or the cafe,
was pleasant and efficient.
Shore Excursions
We did not take advantage of many of the shore excursions, however, we did go to the
ecological park Xaret in Calica. It
is a very nice park, however, it certainly is not run as efficiently as it would be in
America. They have a gold mine on
their hands, but don't seem to quite know what to do with it or how to run it. My husband
and I snorkeled the
underground river, and it was well worth the trip. However, you entered the river at one
end of the park and ended up at
the other end of the park. And even though your belongings were at the end of the river
when you emerged, you still
had to walk all the way back to the beginning to return the snorkel gear and get your
deposit back. The park is very
large, the signage is not the greatest and when you did see a staff member along the way,
their english was patchy and
broken at best.
In Grand Cayman I had wanted to snorkel with the sting rays, however, the weather did not
cooperate and the excursion
was cancelled. Unfortunately, iffy weather played a rather large role on this trip due to
a tropical wave in the western
caribbean, so shore time was wet at least some of the time at every port.
Sea Days
One of the few negatives we could find with this ship, was trying to find a deck chair by
the main pool on a sunny
afternoon. It was very crowded - - one of the few times the number of people onboard was
evident.
Entertainment
My husband and I don't enjoy the Las Vegas and Broadway review stuff, so we didn't take
advantage of those shows.
However, we did make time to see 'The Ladder Guy' and the four acapella singers. Those two
acts were very good!
Overall this was an excellent cruise and we will be returning to Celebrity cruises as soon
as the wallet allows. Maybe the
Millenium......
Name: Christopher Thomas
Email: cadkthomas@earthlink.net
Age: 30
Occupation: Elementary School Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 10/31/99
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 4161/8
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Nov 1999
Time: 21:18:24
Remote Name: pool0674.cvx31-bradley.dialup.earthlink.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was the 2nd cruise together for my wife and I, our last cruise being a Southern
Carib. itinerary on the Carnival
Inspiration (honeymoon, 2 1/2 years ago). Admittedly, I booked this cruise with very high
expectations, having read the
many reviews about Celebrity's service, cuisine, etc. Overall, my expectations were met.
Cuisine: Might as well begin here, as everybody always wants to know about the food!
Variety and quality at our 2nd
seating dinners were excellent! My wife loves seafood and was very happy with the nightly
seafood offerings. Carnival let
her down by not offering lobster at dinner...Celebrity offered lobster once (yeah!). I
like just about everything else and,
with a couple of exceptions, was happy with the main dishes offered. All other aspects of
dinner (salads, desserts, etc.)
offered great variety and was of excellent quality. We never made it to the dining room
for lunch, taking advantage of the
buffets or eating ashore. We ate breakfast in the dining room only twice and were
disappointed, finding the buffet a better
option here also. We photographed the visually appealing 'Gala Buffet' but never did
partake of the food at any late night
buffet (we we're still stuffed from our 2nd seating dinner!)
The Ship: As mentioned before, the crew is constantly cleaning and maintaining. We liked
the overall appearance of the
ship much more than the Inspiration. Carnival has way too much neon and 'Las Vegas' glitz,
whereas the Mercury had
more class. The ship was only booked to about 75% capacity, so there was plenty of room to
move about and even find a
quiet place if desired. Poolside space was a bit short on our days at sea, but not nearly
as bad as we experienced on
Carnival.
The Cabin: We had an outside cabin on deck 4 near the rear of the ship. We both like
having a window and are willing to
sacrafice 'location' to get it, but I will never again take a lower deck/rear ship cabin
again. It seems we were positioned just
above the ships thrusters...the engines used mostly during docking and leaving port. When
they were utilized, we
experienced an approximate 8.0 earthquake in our stateroom! Needless to say, we had no
need for wakeup calls on our
days in port! Otherwise, the cabin was spacious in comparison with older ships (I'd been
on Carnival's Tropicale some
years ago) and offered an abundance of storage space.
Ports: We really enjoyed this itinerary! Key West was a great place to go 'gallery
hopping' by day and 'bar hopping' by
night. Unfortunately, we weren't there at night so we had to alternate between galleries
and bars...quite a challenge! I
imagine it's normally a pretty clean little town, but we were there the week following
'Fantasy Fest' (not unlike Mardi Gras)
and they were still bulldozing garbage. I'd like to spend a longer period of time here.
Calica is a rock quarry...seriously.
From here you can either take an hour bus ride into Cancun, a longer bus ride to some
Mayan ruins (Tulum, I think), or a
5 minute bus ride to Xcaret Archeological Park (pronounced Ish-car-et). We did the latter
and enjoyed the variety of
activities at Xcaret, though it was a bit more commercial than we were hoping for. Imagine
Disneyland, a zoo, a museum
and a water park all rolled into one. Word of warning...if you take small children, keep a
tight leash on them as safety
issues aren't up to U.S. standards. (i.e. bridges over lakes with no safety rails).
Cozumel...we'd scheduled the Catamaran
excursion but all water-related excursions were cancelled because of rough seas, so we
shopped. I was typical tourist
shopping, so after we'd purchased the obligatory souvenirs and gifts we visited Carlos
& Charlies for lunch and adult
beveridge. C&C's is party central in Cozumel and worth a stop. The BBQ ribs are great
and the margaritas even better!
Grand Cayman...We went to the early Stingray City excursion and both had the experience of
a lifetime. Normally
glass-like waters were very choppy, making for an exciting 1/2 hour boat trip out to the
sand bar. Once in the water, we
were surrounded by dozens (maybe hundreds) of stingrays looking for breakfast.
Fortunately, they wanted squid, not us.
My wife compared them to our cats when they are hungry, rubbing up against our legs. The
water was shallow but choppy
and stingrays were constantly bouncing into us. Some people were scared, but I wouldn't
have missed this opportunity for
the world. Unfortunately, the late morning excursion was cancelled because of the rough
seas, so many people missed
out.
I'm tired of typing, so I'll sum it up with this. We got a great deal on this cruise and
enjoyed it thoroughly. There was a good
mix of passengers...honeymooners, retirees, some kids. What I would change next time...I
wouldn't go again in November
because of the rough seas and I wouldn't accept a cabin at the rear of the ship!
Name: John Sims
Email: johnss@brightpoint.com
Age: 34
Occupation: Director of IT
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: November 14, 1999
Itinerary: Western Carribean
Cabin: 4120/7
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 96
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 75
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 92
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 97
CasinoStaff: 97
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 97
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 93
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 98
DeckSpace: 97
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 97
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Nov 1999
Time: 12:13:07
Remote Name: 208.161.79.27
Remote User:
Comments
This was my third cruse and my second on a Celebrity. My wife and I sailed on the Galaxy
this past April. We found this to
be a little better cruise.
As our cruise week approached we watched the weather with apprehension. It had been
raining and dreary in the Western
Caribbean the previous three weeks and it appeared that a tropical storm was forming. We
packed our bags and hoped
for the best.
We arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. We live in Indiana and the weather in November
can be great or we can get a
foot of snow. We decided to go a day early in case there was bad weather. When we arrived
it was late in the day but the
skies were mostly clear and warm. We bought bottled water and diet coke to take on the
ship. We are not willing to pay $2
a can for coke when it is costing them at most 20 cents.
Sunday dawned perfectly clear and warm. We arrived at peer at around 11:30 AM. The
embarkation process was smooth
and we were on board by 12:30 PM. Our room was ready to go, but the safe was locked by the
previous guests. The staff
remedied that in about 3 hours which was very good considering all the things they had
going on. We ate at the Palm
Springs Cafe on the resort deck. My wife likes the food there, but to me it is okay. It
reminds me of an MCL cafeteria in
Indiana. I did get plenty to eat, but I like real ice tea not the instant mix that they
provide there. Dinner that night was
excellent. In fact, we dinned in the main dinning room for lunch and dinner every time we
could. The food was always
outstanding along with the service. Went to the show in the theater night. The dance
portion was okay. Howie and Burt are
great. Do not miss them and the gentleman that does the singing impersonation is excellent
as well. Do not miss the
Thursday night show that features them!
Monday brought Key West and another perfectly clear day. We had been there before so we
just strolled around the town
on foot. There is not nearly enough time there especially if you have never been there
before. Only half the shops open
at 9 the other half open at 10. That gives you only 2 to 3 hours of shopping. It is
enough, but you feel rushed. We ate at
the dinning room for lunch and dinner. The show in the theater was good.
Tuesday brought the Mercury to Cozumel. We went off on our own to the national park. I
cannot remember the name of
the national park. The ship offers a snorkeling tour to the same location. We decided to
do the swim with the dolphins
activity that is available at the park. It is expensive at $120 per person, but it was
great! I would do it again in a heart beat.
Dolphins are so amazing and intelligent and the stunts you get to do with them are
incredible. The sea was rough so we
didn't snorkel there. We walked around the park. I was impressed by how clean the
facilities were. We went back to the
ship for lunch. I recommend the Thai dish. We then went in to Cozumel to shop. Again, I
was amazed out how clean the
facilities were. We were back at the ship for dinner. We skipped the show that night so I
cannot tell you if it was good or
bad. The couple we ate dinner with and others we met were not impressed.
Wednesday we were a Calica. Again, another perfect day. Not a cloud in the sky. We chose
to do the Xcarta park. We
snorkeled the fresh water rivers. This was disappointing. The water was COLD and there
were no fish. If you are
claustrophobic or do not like dark places, this is not for you. We wish that we would have
just went to the beaches. By the
time we were done, it was time to go back to the ship for lunch. We had to eat lunch in
the Palm Springs Cafe because the
main dinning room was closed. Again, I'm not impressed with there cafe style buffet lunch.
We changed and went back to
look at the rest of Xcarta. It is really a great place. The turtle farm and butterfly farm
are very interesting and the swimming
beaches look good as well. We made it back for dinner. We skipped the show again this
night.
Thursday was a day at sea and it dawned perfectly clear. The water continued to be
perfectly calm. We just relaxed and
lounged around on deck most of the day. Lunch and dinner were excellent and the show in
the theater was great. I hurt
myself laughing so hard.
Friday we arrived at Grand Cayman. Another perfect day. We signed up for the 7:45 Stingray
City tour. This was right up
there with the dolphins. You sail out for 30 minutes to a sand bar that is 2 to 4 feet
deep. There are at least 100 sting
ray's there. It is a little freaky at first but after a few minutes you get used to them.
They are like puppy dogs. They love to
be rubbed on their fins. It was a great experience. I would do that again as well. I
recommend the first departure because
they are very hungry and active then. We were the first boat out there so it was very
cool. Grand Cayman is very nice. We
shopped the afternoon. We went to the main theater that night. I though the show was okay
but my wife liked it.
Saturday we were at sea and it was a partly cloudy day. We again lounged around and
relaxed on our last day. After
dinner we went to the show which was great because Howie and Burt were in it and then went
to the casino.
Sunday sadly arrived and we were easily off the ship by 9:30 AM. The disembark was easy
and orderly. What a great
time.
Here is a summary of the positive aspects with the Mercury, it's crew, and the ports of
call.
The food in the main dinning room was excellent every meal. Steaks were always cooked to
my asking and there was
always plenty. A waiter, Owen, was great. If you get him, you will not be disappointed.
Howie and Burt are great. There was
always plenty of room on the ship decks. We always found a spot were we wanted to sit. The
shops were nice and the
entertainment was good. They had a four man singing quartet group that was excellent on
the first half of the cruise, but
they got off in Cozumel in order to join the Century and their girlfriends. The group that
replaced them were not the same
quality. The ship was very clean and the crew was always cleaning. The room was nice and
comfortable. We booked a
category 12 inside stateroom but were upgraded to a category 7 outside window. This was my
first window view and I
loved it. Is it worth the extra price, I don't know, but we loved it. I really like the
water pressure in the showers and there is
plenty of closet space. They have the best pizza. I love to get it around 11 PM.
As for the negative aspects. Are cabin was very noisy in regards to squeaks and rattles.
Another problem is that we were
under the galley and it always sounded like they were coming down the side of the ship to
our window. Even with ear plugs
it was loud. The lunch food quality at the Palm Spring Cafe is fair. I would hope for
better. This is not so much the ship but
some of the passengers. This was an older crowd. I have nothing against older people but
when you are standing in line
and they cut in front of you and they either have no idea they did it or they don't care.
The other problem with the ship
that was not as noticeable on this ship as it was on the Galaxy was the vibration in the
back part of the ship when they
leave port or use the side thrusters.
Overall, this was a great cruise. The service was exceptional, the ports of call were very
good, the weather was great. We
really enjoy this line. We are not the party types or looking for the floating Vegas on
water. For those of you looking for
high quality service and food with an enjoyable decor, this is for you.
Name: Grace Lin
Email: gwlin@hotmail.com
Age: 29
Occupation: Student
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 11/28/99
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 8140/Cat 5
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 93
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 98
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Dec 1999
Time: 01:47:37
Remote Name: dialup-209.244.116.183.houston1.level3.net
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This was our first cruise and it was wonderful. We met so many fascinating people from all
over the world,
including passengers and crew members. The food, the service, the crew. . .everything
exceeded our
expectation, and I will try to summarize my experience as condensed as I can.
Embarkation. We arrived at the pier around 1:00 p.m. and picked up our embarkation number.
Celebrity
staff was everywhere and very helpful to assist passengers on last minute paperwork. It
didn’t take long
before our number was called, we were on ship around 1:30 with our cabin key/cashless
credit card. Once
we stepped on board, we were greeted by crew members with white gloves, and were shown to
our cabin.
Cabin. We have an outside cabin, and the window provided great view of the ports. The
cabin is very
spacious, lots of storage areas and hangers, there’s even room for a small loveseat.
I like the bathroom
design very much, the space is very well utilized. The only complain I have is the blow
dryer gets very hot
after a while, I have to wrap a towel around it to avoid overheating my hand. Our cabin
attendant, David,
was very efficient and accommodative. We always left a mess in the room and Daivd kept it
so clean and
neat for us.
Ship. Mercury is beautiful and immaculate. The crew is friendly, and is always cleaning,
sweeping, and
vacuuming. Majority of the crew is Eastern European, and I got to learn about their
countries and their
working experiences on cruise ship. The lounges are nicely spaced out, and we never felt
crowd at
anywhere except on the day of debarkation. We took a morning to explore the ship which
makes getting
around a lot easier and less confusing. Navigator is the best place for a romantic evening
to watch stars.
You can also try the Tastings for specialty coffees while enjoying the beautiful music by
the Quartet. Our
favorite was the Michael’s Club where you can enjoy fine cigars and drinks and chic
chat with couple newly
met friends. There are a few shops on the ship. If you plan to buy anything from these
stores, wait till last
day, there were some good sales up to 75% on many gift items.
Food. We had a table for two, late seating reservation in the dining room. It’s
usually a 2 hr., 5-course
dinner. The menu choices are excellent and vary every night. The food is definitely of a
5-star restaurant
quality with incredible presentation. Service is warm and professional, thanks to our
waiter, Sayit and asst.
waiter, Allyn. Since we are not much of morning people, we usually missed the breakfast
served in the
dining room and in the buffet. But we could always count on room service. For lunch, we
tried the buffet
and the dishes looked like they were recycled from previous nite’s left over. A
couple times, we just waited
till 3:00 p.m. for the pizza which was great when you crave for some American fast food.
There is also
midnight buffet or gourmet bite every evening, and a Grand Buffet, which you must go at
least to look at
the splendid presentation; unfortunately we never got to try any because we were so
stuffed from late
dining.
Shore Excursion. You can book your excursions via the in-room interactive TV or go to the
shore excursion
desk. We took the one-hour trolley tour for a quick overview of Key West. Then, we
strolled down to
Hemingway’s House for a very informative tour. We sailed over night to Cozumel the
next day. My
husband’s scuba diving trip was cancelled due to rough sea, so we went to town and
brought some
Mexican pottery. But there’s really nothing else to do beside water sports in
Cozumel. In Calica, we
purchased a cruise excursion to Xacat, but didn’t get to spend much time there due to
a rain storm. We
snorkeled through the 65 degree cold, underground river. I don’t recommend swimming
or snorkeling there
if you are afraid of the dark since it does get pretty dark there. We were told that
snorkeling in the inlet
would be a much enjoyable experience. Grand Cayman was the highlight of our whole trip. We
had to
tender to shore, and it was very smooth. My husband got to dive and he raved about the
marvelous sight
at 110 ft. under the sea. Stingray city trip was cancelled because of choppy water. In the
afternoon, we
went to 7 Mile Beach and used the resort that was recommended by the cruise. We rented a
locker and
didn’t stay at the resort because it was packed with cruise passengers. We walked
about half a mile down
the beach and found plenty of quiet spots to relax. If you’re interested in shopping,
there’s a shopping guru
on ship to show you where to go for bargains.
Entertainment. From what I was told, entertainment is not the strongest features on
Celebrity cruises. But I
enjoyed the three shows that we saw: ‘Newly Wed and Not-so-newly Wed Game Show’
was hilarious, great
for couples of all ages; ‘On Broadway’ and ‘The Winner Is’ were also
very entertaining with great musical
acts. The pool side band provided a variety of party music for all the sun worshippers.
There were also
many activities on the ship: basketball, simulated golf, water volleyball, aerobic
classes, art auction, arts
and crafts lessons, ballroom dance and swing lessons, and of course, bingo and bridge were
big on the
ship. Casino was always open when we were at sea. My husband spent a lot time there and it
was a great
place to meet people, we got to talk to the dealers and many other passengers while
playing black jack.
Gym and Spa. The spa was the #1 reason that my cruise vacation was so wonderful. For $10 a
day or $50
all week, you can use their aqua spa all day. I fully took advantage of this wonderful
facility especially after
my daily 30-minute workout, followed by the sauna and the steam room. The seaweed wrap
with a full body
message was also a nice treat. If you want to try any of the spa services, you need to
book in advance or
visit the spa first thing when you get on board.
Tipping. First, we were not believers of this tipping thing that cruise ship recommends.
But after talking to
the crew and seeing how hard they work to make our vacation a pleasant one, we decided to
tip them
about 20% more than the recommended amount. I think it was worth it.
Debarkation. It’s amazing how they got 2000+ people off the ship within 2 hours. Our
flight was in the
afternoon, so we stayed in bed till 8:30a.m. But our cabin attendant had already started
cleaning our
neighbors’ room for the next cruise. It was such an enjoyable cruise and we
didn’t want to leave. There
were passengers everywhere, some on the stairs, napping and waiting to get off. We decided
to go to
Michael’s Club to take our nap. There was nobody there, and we sat at those
comfortable, leather chairs
until 10:00 a.m. before we got off the ship.
All in all, we highly recommend a cruise as a vacation, and especially on Celebrity. In
fact, we already
signed up for the Captain’s Club and can’t wait to go on our second cruise. Good
Luck and Bon Voyage!
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