celebrity-mercury13

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Jeff Bush
Email: jeff.bush@asu.edu
Age: 44
Occupation: university professor
NumberOfCruises: 7
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: Jan. 2, 2000
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 1005
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 97
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 88
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 97
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 80
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 88
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 Jan 2000
Time: 15:37:35
Remote Name: noname-16648.generic.asu.edu
Remote User:

Comments

We (wife – Candace – and myself) went on back-to-back cruises – Jan. 2nd on Celebrity’s Mercury and
Jan. 9th on RCCL’s Enchantment. Consequently, whether we liked it or not, we did a fair amount of
comparing! So please excuse me when this occurs – it was just the easiest way for us to write this. I’m
writing two reviews – one on each ship – so you may find it interesting to refer to the other. By the way,
we did this because we’d initially planned on completing a Millennium cruise but found out we could go
on two cruises for the price of the Millennium cruise! We wanted to go on different ships to experience
different ports and meals, so this was the solution we came up with. This deals only with the Mercury . .
.

Embarkation: We had purchased an air package from RCCL (more on that later), so we arrived from
Phoenix the day before. Everything went extremely smoothly for us. Typically, one couple breezed past
the cruise line reps and went to the baggage area. When ‘tracked down,’ they refused to leave until
they had their baggage and then complained bitterly on the bus (that was waiting – with us on it) that
they HADN’T held us up; after all they DID have to retrieve their luggage, didn’t they? My parents – also
flying in the day before only from Canada – had a different experience. They arrived at Ft. Lauderdale
late in the evening. They quickly found the rep who told them that they needed to go downstairs, get
their luggage off the carousel, and bring it back upstairs. They were told the truck that takes luggage
quits running after 10:00. Now my parents are in their 70s. They asked if they could leave their
overnight bags upstairs with the agent, but he didn’t even answer them. So my mother stayed upstairs
while my father made two trips from the baggage area up to the arrival area. NOT a good way to start.
As well, there was no information in any of their material that this was going to happen – in fact, the
opposite (luggage would be picked up by the cruise line) was in our material. I’ve never heard of this
and was most distressed. Luckily, this was one of the only negatives about this trip. The hotel
(Sheraton Airport) was quite nice – no problems. A Celebrity rep. Was there in the early afternoon, but
not announced. She had no desk; we just (luckily) ran into her. However, we got on the buses (after
another problem with my parents luggage – they were told to set it out in the morning and it’d be taken
to the ship, but it was only taken to the curb by the bus), arrived at the port, and had no problem
getting onboard. One small nitpicky point: Candace and I are Captains Club members and, when we
mentioned it, were told to go through a special door to bypass the normal line. Nice touch! However,
once you get beyond that door, you have to ‘butt in’ to the line in front of the X-ray machines. There
was no other way to do it and there were no reps. There. The line is continuous, so we had little choice.
We were on the ship by 1:45, checked out our inside cabins and had a nice meal in the Palm Springs
Buffet. We love the variety of eating locations offered! Of course, the service (waiters taking your tray)
made it all the more special! We didn’t eat in the Palm Springs often – preferring to be pampered in the
dining room – but always enjoyed the experience.

Cabins: Both our cabin and that of my parents were located at the front of the ship on the Penthouse
deck. Our cabins were side-by-side; obviously someone thought about this, as we’d booked a
guaranteed level – not specific cabins. We appreciated this immensely! We were right behind the
bridge, so there was plenty of ‘official’ traffic. However, there was never excess noise, so absolutely no
complaints on the location. Plenty has been written about the cabins so I won’t say much in this regard.
The bathrooms are great for a cruise ship. We like the layout as well. We used the television to book
our shore excursions which we really like. Also like the fridge (and missed it the next week on the
Enchantment). We asked our room steward to remove some of the ‘for sale’ materials and put our own
in. This did get messed up a bit as we were charged for a soft drink that we hadn’t taken. A small
enough problem that we didn’t press the issue.

Food: What can I say? We love the meals! My very slender wife typically had two desserts (by the
second trip she was also frequently ordering two entrees as well – AND EATING THEM! She could use
the extra weight, but I’m guessing I’m the one that put it on!). We were never disappointed with the
meals in the main dining room – only with our selections occasionally. We frequently order items that we
wouldn’t at home and that means that sometimes they weren’t something we liked. I’d certainly not
complain about this as it was OUR choice. One very strong negative was the temperature of the room;
we were FREEZING every day! We were downstairs under the second last pillar. Possibly it was just a
cold spot, but the women got to the point where they always wore some sort of jacket or sweater with
their (lovely) outfits. This made for a less than ideal experience. We mentioned it to the head waiter, but
nothing apparently could be done. Quite probably it was just the location, but it was disappointing.
Breakfast was the weakest meal. Both Celebrity and the Enchantment had the same menu each day for
breakfast. Possibly that is because they don’t get enough people in the dining room to make it worth
their while changing it. Even though we liked several dishes on the menu, we grew tired of it and
remembered fondly earlier cruises when there were 3 or 4 ‘specials’ on each breakfast menus. We
never ate at the late night buffets – partially because we had second sitting. I know several people have
complained about the quality of these, but they ‘looked’ fine. I think the lines have realized that fewer
and fewer people are eating this late (for good reason!) and have de-emphasized this. Consequently,
I’m loath to worry too much about any perceived lack of quality. I’m sure the ‘gourmet bites’ that are
offered in public places in place of the buffets some nights ARE cold – hard to avoid when waiters are
having to walk around the ship with them uncovered. If you stop and realize the distance many of the
public areas are from the kitchen, I don’t think there is much that could be done about it. I certainly
don’t fault the company for this.

Service: I have read so many wonderful things from others about the dining room waiters.
Unfortunately, both of our Celebrity cruises (other was the Galaxy to Alaska), we have had
less-than-friendly waiters. Both times, they have been very professional and did what they needed to
do. However, we were never able to talk to them on friendly terms. In seven cruises, these are the only
times we’ve had this problem. Not a huge deal (and we, of course, gave them their regular tip as the
quality of the service was fine), but it could have been more enjoyable. Our head waiter, however, was
wonderful! He ALWAYS stopped by and talked to us in a friendly and professional manner. This is also
the first time I saw a head waiter DOING much of anything! When things were busy, he was helping out
– even bussing tables – and NOT just on the night tips were due! There were several specific concerns
in our section (large groups that wanted different table configurations – and sometimes different
depending on the night!), yet he ALWAYS took the time to visit us. First time we’ve ever EXCEEDED the
minimum tip for a head waiter! Another positive: the wine steward stopped by to ‘chat’ every evening.
You might not think that is a big deal, but we DON’T drink wine with our meals! His attention (just being
friendly – even though he was extremely busy) meant we wrote nice comments about him in the end of
cruise questionnaire – even though he’d never earned a nickel from us. Bar waiters were also very fine;
they took no for an answer with a smile and always had something nice to say (like ‘have a good
evening’). The people at the Pursers office were equally friendly. However, they struggled getting us
information about our transfer to the next cruise ship at the end of the week. More on that later.

Shore excursions: We took the Tulum tour out of the gravel pit (err – Calica!) and enjoyed it immensely.
Likewise, the stingray excursion was great fun (although the waves were strong that day – certainly no
fault of the excursion people or the local provider). As mentioned, we like being able to book from our
cabin (and we also like the opportunity to be able to review our account at any time during the cruise).

Entertainment: Both Candace and I have a great deal of professional experience in this area. We were
impressed with the quality – much higher than 2 years ago when we were on the Galaxy. We both think
that the standards of entertainment on cruises have improved over the cruises we’ve taken. Sorry to
repeat that which has been said before, but the ‘ladder guy’ is truly wonderful! The production shows
are also better than what we used to see a few years back – full marks! We were a little disappointed
that the string ensemble (not a string quartet) didn’t play much classical. However, that is probably what
the public wants, so we weren’t critical of that. Likewise, we would have liked it if one of the groups did a
little jazz as on many other ships (such as the Enchantment the following week). The acts they had were
all strong, however. The six (or was it seven) piece orchestra in the Celebrity theatre were very good,
which helped make all the shows that much more professional. The cruise director and his staff were
also very good. Jim Cannon (cruise director) was quite different than most we’ve experienced. He
wasn’t ‘slick’ and phony – something we’ve often observed from cruise directors. He was funny, but also
informative and genuine. Unlike many others, he was equally at home in formal and informal settings.
Many others go to such lengths to appear funny that they seem out of place at the more formal events.
Jim was the best we’ve had the pleasure of observing.

Ship: The Mercury is kept very clean – a joy to sail on. We loved the art work and most of the public
areas. It may not be as ‘glitzy’ as some ships (i.e. the Enchantment of the Sea that we did the following
week), but is very nice looking. I’m not a big fan of the tiny ‘atrium’ near the dining room (just room for a
small bar on each floor), but that’s simply a preference.

Aquaspa: We booked a couple of things this cruise and found it to be overpriced, to be honest.
Candace had a 25 minute massage; cost was over $60.00! When you realize that the first few minutes
are taken up with filling out forms and responding to questions, it was about 20 minutes. Three dollars a
minute: a little pricey, we felt.

Debarkation: As mentioned, we were leaving the Mercury to go onto RCCL’s Enchantment of the Seas.
We had asked our cruise agent (who is TREMENDOUS – I won’t plug her, but if you want her name, just
e-mail me) to make sure that the arrangements were in place several times. When we received our
documentation (only 4 days before we left because RCCL kept screwing up the air arrangements),
there was no mention. We asked our agent to check it out. She replied that she had confirmation from
three different people that it was arranged, even though there was nothing in print. She suggested we
‘remind’ the pursers desk midweek. When we did, they had no information on us! The quickly e-mailed
Miami and we did get a bit of information; we were told to get on the bus for the Miami Hilton. The good
news was that, when we got off, we found an agent that directed us to the correct bus. When we
approached that bus, we started to ask the cruise rep there about our unique situation and he said,
before we got more than a sentence out, ‘you are going to the Enchantment, right?’ This eased our
minds considerably, but we were very unsure until we actually talked to him as nobody up until this had
any idea about it. This was pretty annoying as we’d booked the package nine MONTHS ahead of time.
As Celebrity is owned by RCCL, we thought it could have been handled better. On top of that, they
charged us $75.00 to deviate from the air arrangement – coming back a week after when most people
return (2 weeks instead of the normal one). So instead of being rewarded by booking two cruises
through the same general company, we paid full price for both and were charged an extra $75.00. I
think this could have been better.

I think that’s enough for now. If you have any specifics that we can help with, e-mail me at
jeff.bush@asu.edu. Happy cruising!

Name: Thomas Nace
Email: tnace@bellatlantic.net
Age: 48
Occupation: Actuary
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 1/2/00
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 8095/5
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 96
FoodRoomService: 99
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 96
FoodMidnightBuffets: 97
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 88
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 97
BeautySalonStaff: 99
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 94
BeautySalon: 99
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 92
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 96
Stabilization: 93
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 97
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 19 Jan 2000
Time: 21:10:43
Remote Name: client-151-204-203-6.bellatlantic.net
Remote User:

Comments

We sailed on January 2, amidst all of the Y2K fears we had going into the New Year. We flew down to
Fort Lauderdale on January 1 to assure that we had time to react if there were any gliches. As it turned
out, we were fine and in fact because we were early, we were one of the first to board the Mercury. I
couldn't believe how smooth the process of boarding was. On the only other cruise we had taken, I
remember long lines and lots of anticipation waiting to board. Not so this time.

We sailed with our 3 kids, ages 9, 16 and 19, along with the boyfriend of my 19 year old daughter (he
was age 20), my mother-in-law and my brother(age 53) and his girlfriend. So in total there were 9 of us.
With a range of ages from 9 all the way up to 77, I was apprehensive that the ship would appeal equally
to everyone in our party. As it turned out, everybody had a fabulous time! There was always something
for everybody. My mother-in-law enjoyed the hair salons, sitting by the pool and the casino at night. My
oldest daughter took swing dance lessons as well as ballroom dancing. My other daughter enjoyed the
daily bingo along with her grandmom, and my nine year old son was interested in everything, especially
the sports deck. My wife and I, when we were not at the islands, took advantage of the Aqua Spa and
each of us had massages,which were tremendous. The staff in the Aqua Spa were very friendly,
attractivve and very good at what they do.

The ship itself was wonderful. It was spacious and very tastefully designed. The lounges were all
beautifully decorated, yet very inviting and comfortable. The rooms were great. We had plenty of room
and they were very clean. Compared to the cruise we had been on before, the rooms were so perfectly
engineered in order to best utilize space without making you feel cramped. The bathrooms were even
better engineered in terms of offering a practical and roomy facility.

If I had to pick the things which the Mercury did best, I'd say the food, the food service, the Aqua Spa
and the rooms. All were 5 stars!

The food was exquisite. I never felt stuffed after dinner and every morsel that I did eat was so perfectly
prepared and tasty, that I don't believe there was 1 dish I had that I could say was just so-so.

The staff on the ship was great as well. Everyone was friendly and polite. They made a point to go out
of their way to always talk to my son and make him laugh. Even a waiter from another table would stop
over every night and say, Hi Dave. It just really made you feel comfortable and happy to know that they
cared.

I had read on this site that often the excursions aren't rated as high or that people didn't think they got
their money's worth. We loved ours. We went to Key West, where we just walked around the shops for a
couple of hours. It was a beautiful day, so we just enjoyed taking in the sun on a January day. In Calica
we went to Xcarat, which we thoroughly enjoyed. One of the highlights of the trip, from my perspective
was snorkeling the underground river. Wow! It was a thrill. None of us had any problem maneuvering
the river, as we all had life jackets and fins. Even my nine year old made it through without any
problems, although he complained that his arms were getting tired. Don't miss it. We almost didn't go,
because it looked crowded when we first entered the park, but another vacationer told us to go back,
that it was worth the price of admission. He was right.

In Cozumel, we took the Fury Catamaran to go snorkling, and then to a private beach. That day the
water was very rough and they warned us that the ride would be rough as well as the snorkling. Well,
the catamaran ride didn't bother me, but the snorking was another story. Only the better swimmers
could have handled the water. Half of the people who jumped into the water, were out in under 2
minutes, myself included. The beach we went to was very nice, however, and I still feel I got my money's
worth.

The Grand Cayman's was our favorite stop. We went snorkling at Stingray City and it was everything
that people had said it was. It was just a fascinating experience. The water in the Cayman's is so clear
and inviting. We spent some time at the seven mile beach, which was very nice, but crowded.

My first of only 3 compliants is that we didn't spend more time here. We had to be back on the ship by
4pm. I just felt that there was so much more on the island that I would have liked to see.

A second complaint was that there was a SONY room with 4 computers, just outside the casino, that
was hooked up for kids to play some computer games. This was a great spot to leave my son while we
dabbled at the casino. The only problem is that of the 4 computers in the room, only 1 would boot up
successfully. This meant that you had to wait for the one to become available, if it was busy.

Finally, not a big item for me, but my wife felt that the selection of shops and goods that could be
purchased on board was very limited, again compared to the one cruise we had been on before. Of our
complaints, none were material and really had any impact on our overall enjoyment on this cruise.

We are already thinking about doing a cruise next year, and after this cruise, I can't see how any other
cruise line could equal the overall satisfaction we shared on this trip.

Name: Dana Cornell
Email: danacc@concentric.net
Age: 33
Occupation: Office Manager
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 01-09-00
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 9178
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 97
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 98
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 99
TenderService: 99
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 99
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 89
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Jan 2000
Time: 17:12:17
Remote Name: ts003d34.col-oh.concentric.net
Remote User:

Comments

Our Jan. 9, 2000 cruise began with a fairly smooth embarkation procedure. In reading some reviews
prior to this cruise, I was skeptical about how smoothly this procedure would be. To get well over 1000
eager passengers aboard a ship within a couple of hours is quite a feat and I feel the process went
rather smoothly.

We were greeted on board and were shown the location of our cabin. Upon entering our cabin, we
noticed a very offensive, strong disinfectant odor. When we asked our cabin attendant about it, she
offered to wipe down all the surfaces in our room with bleach water. This helped a little and we were
assured that the odor would improve in the evening once we left the port. Thankfully, by the time we
returned to go to bed, the offensive odor was gone and we didn't experience any other odor problems
in our cabin. I will now address some of the features or lack of features of the cabin. Probably one of
the biggest inconveniences was the lack of a clock in the cabin. Since there are scheduled events on
the ship and specific port schedules, it is important to keep track of time even though you are on
vacation. So, take a battery power alarm clock along so that you will have a sense of time while in your
cabin. I mention battery power clock because of the next inconvenience. There are only two electrical
outlets in the entire cabin. One is in the bathroom and the other is at the desk. I was traveling with 2
female friends so it was a challenge to say the least for 3 females to get ready for dinners etc with only
two electrical outlets. I guess my best recommendation would be to take an extension cord that allows a
couple of things to be plugged in at the same time. I don't think the spacing of the outlets would allow
for one of the plug-in style adapters to be used. On the positive side, we were all pleasantly surprised
with the water pressure in the shower and other comfort features of our cabin. The beds were extremely
comfortable. Fresh towels were always available. Our cabin attendant did an excellent job making sure
we had everything we needed.

Our dining room waiter, Wilson and his assistant, Jose were the best. At the table next to ours, there
were 5 or 6 young ones, aged approximately 11 - 17 and we noticed Wilson showing them card tricks
and other games. We appreciated seeing this special touch he gave to make sure that they were
enjoying themselves as well. We thoroughly enjoyed the service and the food in the dining room. I just
can't say enought about Wilson, Jose, and the food in the dining room. We ate our breakfasts and
lunches in the Palm Springs Cafe which always had a wide variety of food. The view from all the tables
in the Cafe is spectacular. We also enjoyed each of the Midnight Buffets with their beautiful displays.
The one with the Island Theme was espcially enjoyable as it was held on the pool deck with a lively
band playing (see Onyx below) and fun dance instruction. You can also watch two ice sculptors make a
chunk of ice into beautiful sea creatures in a matter of minutes!

Each evening, either before your dinner or after dinner, there is a show in the theater. Even if you are
not inclined to go see the show, I recommend going anyway. This is where you see the cruise director
and get the scoop from him on the next day's activities either on the ship or at the next port. Much of
the information he gives at the show cannot be easily found anywhere else. The comedian shows are
definitely worth seeing. If you've got a creative streak in you, take note that there is a talent show on
Saturday afternoon. You must sign up to participate in the show earlier in the week. Unfortunately, this
event is not announced at all. Therefore, on our cruise, only 3 people signed up to participate in the
show and it was subsequently cancelled. I think that the cruise director should inform everyone of this
feature early in the week, so that people can be thinking about a way to participate. I think the cruise
director really dropped the ball on this one, by not even mentioning the event.

Each day, we enjoyed listening to the band Onyx. They played on the pool deck during the days and
then either in the Pavillion Nightclub or The Navigator Club, the disco, at night. They are a talented
bunch and we realy enjoyed hearing them each day. In the disco, after Onyx plays, a disc jockey
provides a variety of dance songs. Even though he said that he took requsets, we found his selection
to be limited. However, we had a really nice time meeting other passengers and dancing in the disco.

Our stop at Key West was very enjoyable. I was skeptical about this stop by cruise ship since you can
drive there, but I really enjoyed our time there. It's a cute little town with interesting shopping. Cozumel
and Calica were enjoyable stops too. We were advised by a waiter that we befriended in the Palm
Springs Cafe to visit Xcaret when in Calica. Unfortunately, we didn't heed his advice and ventured to
Playa Del Carmen instead. It pretty much only offers so-so shopping and a very small beach. We hated
to report back to Claudio that we didn't go to Xcaret. Next time, that's a must. The tender boat service to
Georgetown, Grand Cayman went very, very smoothly. Once there, we went on a snorkeling tour to
Stingray City. We were also taken to a separate snorkeling area. This was definitely a highlight of my
trip. The water was so beautiful and the sights and experiences were phenomenal. I couldn't muster up
the nerve to actually feed one of the stingrays, but being right there amongst them was really neat.

My friends and I had the time of our lives. We were treated like queens and enjoyed every minute on
the ship. As we packed up our bags on Saturday night, I began to realize just how wonderful everything
had been for the past week. I had become so accustomed to being constantly surrounded by superb
beauty, and it was then that I realized that my trip home was going to be filled with feelings of sadness. I
miss all the wonderful people I met on the ship and will always treasure my memories. Overall, this
cruise was absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend this cruise line and especially this ship, as in most
all areas, things couldn't have been any better.

Name: Gregg Andrews
Email: gregg@gaconsultants.on.ca
Age: 45
Occupation: I.T. Consultants
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 01/02/00 - 01/09/00
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: #4061/7 & #4065/11
FoodDiningRoom: 93
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 89
CabinSteward: 92
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 89
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 89
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 89
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 89
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Jan 2000
Time: 15:39:56
Remote Name: trt-on58-51.netcom.ca
Remote User:

Comments

Celebrity Mercury 01/02/00 – 01/09/00

Our family of four booked a ‘last minute’ cruise on Mercury about a week before Christmas for this
sailing. My wife and I are mid-40’s and our two girls are 14 and 10. We originally had a booking on
Enchantment of the Seas for the March school break and were going to go skiing at this time, but there
wasn’t enough snow and we were concerned about how much the March trip was going to cost. My
concerns were that Celebrity was going to be a bit too formal, the crowd would be older, and there
would be fewer kids and kids activities. Some investigation allayed the latter fears and a perusal of the
reviews that have gone before me also raised my confidence significantly. Now I want to give something
back to the group for all that I got from this great site.

True to their slogan, Celebrity did exceed my/our expectations. However, I expected that to happen
after reading almost every review on this site! They will not likely exceed them again since I now have
great expectations of them! In summary, we all had a fantastic time (first cruise for the girls and our
second after about 15 years). Our girls thought it was very special to be on the cruise and they enjoyed
being waited on. Our oldest – the teenager – loved having all those waiters at the ready to carry her
food tray to a table in the Palm Springs Café!

The Ship

As many have said – this is a beautiful ship. It is in excellent condition (only its third season in the
Caribbean) and is kept… well ship-shape is all you can say. I think it is easy to get around – there are
detailed diagrams at every elevator bank. Elevators and stairs are foreward, aft and midship, so it is
easy to get where you are going.

All of the staff I encountered were very nice and for the most part service oriented – especially anyone
in the more ‘senior’ jobs if I can express it that way. I include the purser’s office, the guest relations, the
casino, the bar tenders, the photographers, the waiters, our busboy, the maitre d’s, many of the drink
waiters, the cruise director staff, security personnel, check in personnel – you name it. If there was a
weakness, I’d place it in the shore excursion staff as they didn’t seemed to know much beyond the ship
tours, but then I found it depended on who you spoke to.

I know how much the technology has improved on the newer ships, but I must say this was nothing like
our first cruise. The stabilizers today seem to work much differently. At times we felt what we called a
side-to-side jiggle. Unlike the last time, we walked on and off the ship at ports and felt perfectly normal.
Years ago, when we cruised, after a couple of days, whenever we got on land it seemed like everything
was still moving! None of us felt anything even remotely uncomfortable or close to illness. We never
noticed or heard of anyone else in that way except a young woman who left a dinner table near us one
evening.

Accommodations

Due the ‘last minute’ nature of our booking and the desire to do this with a minimum cost, we selected
cabin category 7 for ourselves and an inside #11 for the girls. Fortunately, #4061 and #4065 were
available midship and they were perfect for us. I cannot advise you enough to either book a large suite
on a ship or get two cabins for a family. It would have been next to impossible to be comfortable for a
week in a regular cabin with all four of us and those pullman beds. It always seemed crowded when my
wife had the girls over to blow dry their hair. And it would have been quite inconvenient to get intimate if
you catch my drift. The cabins are very well designed. You enter a narrow ‘hall’ with lots of cupboard
space on one side and the spacious (relatively) bathroom on the other. The room opens up to the bed
area and you have a sitting desk and mirror with more storage built against the end of the bathroom
wall and you have a bar fridge and TV built against the end of the closets. Against the window wall you
have two separate beds or a single queen. There are two night tables with more drawers. We did not fill
half the storage spaces, but then my wife is a very efficient packer and we always manage to have less
luggage than most people.

I tipped the cabin steward (Navar) right away on Sunday. He was very nice and friendly to us all week.
He and his assistant were very efficient at caring for our cabins. We didn’t end up asking for any real
favors or extra things during the week, but I think an up-front advance to the week’s tip is a good idea.
We went with the recommendation and gave the two guys a $100 for the week (2 cabins).

Other notes: We didn’t have anything to plug in other than our own hair blower (a MUST item), so an
extra plug or extension cord wasn’t of use. If you have younger kids, the room steward can plug in a
night light (ours did it without asking and it helps them if they need to get up at night). We brought extra
hangers, so I don’t know if Navar could have got us any more or not, but you will need them. We also
moved the hangers from the short cupboard and combined them with the ones in the tall cupboard. If
you can’t figure out how to this, ask the cabin steward. Also, get the bar fridge emptied and you can
stash your own stuff in there. More on this later.

Beefs: Since a lot of the ship is non-smoking and since other areas are limited to Port side only, why
not designate Port cabins as smoking and Starboard cabins as non-smoking – or some such
arrangement. We could occasionally smell smoke in the hallway and our cabin had been smoked in the
week before so the smell was left over. We requested a move (see upgrade below) because of this.
The housekeeping people said they could clean it up. They used some sort of freshener stuff that left
an odor for the day or so and then it was better, but this was still unpleasant to deal with just as you
start the cruise. If you need a cabin change, it can’t be done like a hotel where they just switch rooms.
We could have switched to the cabin beside us and they could have switched those people. That is too
simple and once you understand how the ship works and the reservation system, it is not easy and they
do not want to potentially upset someone else. Later on the first night, they could offer us another
cabin, but we wanted to stay near the girls. It wasn’t worth moving so we stayed put and were happy in
the end.

By the way, our experience was that the smokers by and large kept their side of the deal and only
smoked on the port side where it was allowed.

Upgrades

A number of folks have commented that they got an upgrade. I guess this happens sometimes if the
ship is oversold on one cabin type and has room in another. In this case, it seems as though people
find out when they do the pier check-in. I didn’t expect an upgrade. After all, we were not repeat
customers and we were also booked in low categories.

We went through the routine of going to the Pier Supervisor’s desk and requesting consideration for an
upgrade. If you go this route, it is definitely a cost situation since they have already decided on their
‘free-bees’. Our cruise was basically sold-out, so there was a sign stating no upgrades available. The
supervisor was writing some names down, however. We were told there would be little choice and of
course we needed two cabins close together.

Once I had visited Guest Relations to ask about a change due to the smoky cabin, I walked back out to
the Pier to speak to the supervisor again and I was able to talk to a more senior guy there. He was very
nice, but again he had little room to maneuver and there were no real good choices for us. My wife was
ready to upgrade to a Category 2 cabin (two of them) and here is where I get to an important tip. At the
Pier they want to charge you the difference in price between your cabin and the upgrade cabin at the
brochure prices. I had thought they would use the latest published prices. We noticed the Category 2’s
had come to a very attractive price on the Celebrity internet site, but with Christmas activities and the
idea we were saving money, we had not considered changing the booking from home. As I said, I
thought Celebrity would charge the price difference based on these discounted rates and that would
have been about $1100 more. Using the brochure prices, it would have cost us $2400 to upgrade both
cabins to Category 2. That was just too much to justify getting a veranda and no more square feet
inside. So, I would recommend changing your booking from home before you go if you decide to
upgrade after the initial booking. Although I haven’t asked directly, I assume you can do this. In this
case you must be able to book at the current selling price and apply your cabin price as a down
payment.

Dining

In two words, the food was very good. Now, don’t go expecting a gourmet 5-star meal every time you go
to eat. Remember, this ship is preparing meals and feeding nearly a thousand people at one time. We
only went into the dining room once during the day for lunch (just for a change). Otherwise, we used
Palm Springs Café or the grill. There is LOTS of choice for breakfast and lunch. You have to get
creative with milk though. We picked up skim and regular and then mixed the two in cereal and glasses
to get 2%. They don’t seem to have low fat. Lots of fruit choices, cereal and hot stuff. I ate fairly simple
at breakfast and lunch and it would be sooo easy to over-indulge throughout the day.

Dinners were great. Lots of choice and very good food. We had a table on the upper level of the dining
room and I think that is best. I think the captain’s table and such are downstairs, but we don’t care
about that stuff. We had the musicians upstairs and when they played it was very nice. We were also
well away from the rumbling engines that occasionally disturbed the early dinner hour. And those
Mexican musicians appeared right on time, as everyone says, to drown out the noise the one night
leaving Calica.

Marijo and Nenad were great. Nenad was very personable with a nice touch of humor and I can see him
getting promoted to waiter soon. Marijo was quite nice and efficient and also personable if you engaged
him in conversation. The guys had our table of four, a table of two and two tables of six to cover, but
one of those only had two people (the bridge convenor and his wife), so it was often easy to talk for a
few minutes. Marijo was patient and accommodating with the needs of our youngest who is a fussy
eater. Of course, they got to know to have milk there every night for the girls and to bring me a large
glass with dessert.

I brought my Millenium bottle of champagne and another bottle of wine on board. They are very
accommodating in this area. There is a reasonable $6 corkage fee for each bottle of your own wine.
The champagne went the first night, but the wine lasted longer and they will store it for you just as they
will a bottle you buy from them, so don’t be shy if you have your own wine cellar and want to take a
favorite bottle or two on board. I could have brought a couple more if I had the desire to carry them
from home. Our sommelier (a pretentious title I admit), was a nice woman and we discussed a few
things about wine and her experiences. I also found the prices not too bad on the wine list, but the
selection is not anything fantastic and of limited scope – just fine for most folks, however.

At the end of the week, I wondered what to do about tipping since we only used the dining room at
night. I originally felt there should have been a tipping ‘pool’ because we had used Palm Springs and
had received service there. When I asked Guest Relations, they told me the tips were based on using
the dining room three meals a day. I spoke to one of the maitre d’s and I guess I should have figured
this out myself. What they hope is that each passenger will tip their waiter and busboy on the basis of
the entire week and all areas of the ship. Even though you may not use your waiter or busboy at other
times, they all have shifts in other rooms and at other times. So you are indirectly tipping others who
may have served you by tipping your guys and if everyone else does the same it works out. We felt that
the service overall was very good during the week and went again with the recommendations and gave
Marijo $100 and Nenad $60. I am not sure what one should consider service to merit tipping in excess
of guidelines, but I think these guys deserve at least that. Consider that the equivalent dinner for two in
a restaurant would cost easily $100 for two (more, in fact) and a $15 tip for that with good service is
normal. Seven nights at $15 per night is $105 - and we haven’t even covered all other times of the day.
Following recommended tips, a party of two would tip only $77 for the week.

I had tossed the envelope for the maitre d’ (actually there are several of them and they are more like
dining room supervisors) in the garbage only because I didn’t think he had done anything special for us
and that was a general condition for a tip. In the end, I thought back over the week and those guys are
on duty in Palm Springs, the Manhattan and the buffets and they have a role in seeing that everything
runs smoothly. I thanked our guy Gilroy (who I saw everywhere all week) for his part in making things
happen and ended up slipping him some cash.

I am talking about tips here because hardly anyone else has. I am curious to read in future reviews
what people tip relative to what the cruise line suggests and how you feel about it. We thought all tips
were well deserved.

The three girls were to bed early each night and only stayed up for the grand buffet. It was a sight to
behold, but if you have seen these before you are not going to be overwhelmed. Anyway, it was very
nice and we all got some food. I went for the cold lobster tails (I had hot ones for dinner). On two other
nights, I went up to the pool deck and checked out the party and the Mexican buffet and the Caribbean
fruit buffet. I didn’t each much, but liked what I took. On other nights some of the waiters and busboys
come around with canape trays. I think this is OK, since I don’t think most people are looking to eat tons
of food at midnight.

Beefs: Nothing much really. Other than the Caesar Salad, everything was on the tame side when it
came to spices or flavorings. This is understandable since they are catering to a large number of
people from all over the world. So while everything was very nice, often the flavors were on the delicate
side, so be aware of this. I’d hardly call this a ‘beef’.

Dress Code

I am one who wants to dress nicely, but I don’t go for all this formal stuff and didn’t expect to wear a suit
and tie except for formal nights when I was originally going on Enchantment. (I can’t imagine dressing
formal if I went on a Carnival cruise – it doesn’t seem to fit if you know what I mean). Well, I got turned
around on that real quick. My wife insisted that we were going to dress appropriately and the girls too
as she wanted this to be a special thing for them. I did not go the black tie route as I was not going to
rent one. I think a lot of men did that the first formal night because I had the impression of more of that
dress style than at the second formal night. After all, if you brought your own, you might as well wear it.
So, I would say close to half were in some sort of formal attire the first night and maybe closer to a third
the second night. The rest all had business type suits. I wore black pants and an evening type of jacket
I own that is black and off-white. So I was more than fine even though I did not match the exact
description of the dress code. Women wore black for sure. That was easily the 90% choice of color for
formal nights.

On the two informal nights, they expect ‘dress’ pants (slacks) and shirt and tie, with jacket. Well, here
things got a bit looser for sure. I have a casual (but definitely dressy) jacket that is very light (no lining)
and can go with many things. I wore it with a shirt and tie the first informal night. On the second night, I
wore the jacket over a more informal dressy tropical shirt and no tie and was just fine. Some guys didn’t
wear jackets these nights, but had nice pants and shirts on. I think we were a little over-dressed
perhaps on these nights – at least the one night. I don’t recall what most women wore, but my girls all
wore dressy pants and tops. Very nice for the evening.

On the three casual nights (two of which are smartly selected as the first and last nights aboard), they
expect ‘sports shirt and slacks’. I would call this ‘dressy casual’ or ‘business casual’ (as we say in those
sane businesses who have bid adieu to the jacket and tie formalness). However, particularly on
departure night, it was ‘anything goes’. A lot of people wore what they had on for the departure from
Port Everglades. Of course everyone is out on deck and main seating began as we got away and
cleared the port area. I wore nice pants and a shirt each of these nights, but lots of guys had Docker
type pants and polo shirts. Some were even more casual with shorts I think. You have some latitude,
but keep it nice and you’ll be fine. It’s an occasion so go with the flow, but don’t feel you have to go
overboard if that is not your style.

We stayed dressed for going to the shows, but I changed to casual daytime clothes after that for my
evenings aboard. I wasn’t about to go out on pool deck chairs with good clothes. As a non-smoker, I
know I have to put up with some smoke if I am going to visit the casino. That doesn’t mean I have to ruin
my clothes, so I kept a pair of shorts and a couple of shirts for the late nights and stored them in a
plastic bag during the day. Actually, at times the casino wasn’t bad for smoke (but it always seems as
though the air flow is right from the nearest cigarette to me!). Anyway, don’t feel you have to remain
dressed up ALL night!

We took advantage of the photographers on the formal nights and got some nice pictures from the last
night. We tried all the different posing areas!! The ship’s photographers were all very nice and you
aren’t bothered by them all week every day either, so that is nice.

Ports of Call

If you don’t shop in Fort Lauderdale (and it is perhaps inconvenient when you have your luggage and
all), I echo the recommendations of others to get supplies in Key West. I picked up some water,
Fruitopia for the girls, six beers, etc. and we took this on board and put in our fridges. We had no
problems whatsoever with security and I echo the comments of others that this is a very good policy
position by RCL (applies to both RCL and Celebrity). Let us hope they do not attempt to change to the
draconian measures of certain other cruise lines and want to keep such purchases from passengers
until disembarkation. Let me say that I did buy some drinks on board – especially when I liked the daily
special – and I don’t think the prices were that bad. We are not big drinkers, however, so I could see
this adding up for some people. Remember though that the policy is to keep duty free booze bought in
the ship’s store until you disembark.

Key West was crawling with tourists as there were several ships in. By the way, Mercury gets to dock
everywhere but Grand Cayman, and even there it was a short tender, so going ashore is quite
convenient.

They love to joke about Calica, the gravel pit, but it is handy to some of the sites. We went to Xcaret,
the logical place to go with kids. It was quite nice there and enjoyable way to spend a day. Nothing you
can do about this, but the admission fee at $39US per adult is the same as a major theme park in the
US, but don’t expect anything like that. I think it is over-priced for what you get, but when in Rome….
We paid $55 for our oldest to get in with dolphins. This is quite a bit cheaper than the swim with the
dolphins option and you get to pet them and so on and get the picture too. The picture was well done.
At the end, they have the dolphins jump over the group. You can save time if you book one of these
over the internet, but we did it on site because we hadn’t planned on doing it ahead of time. The water
in those streams is not that bad, but it is cool (it must be more than the posted 68o). Don’t pay much
attention to the ship’s offer that their transportation allows you to go back and forth to the ship. You are
going to want to go to Xcaret park and stay until you come back to the ship. Although it is not far away,
it is not worth the trek out of the park to the bus, the drive to the ship, onto the ship for whatever and
then back again. We took a cab each way and paid our own admission. However, if we did not have a
child, it would not have been much cheaper than paying the ship excursion price.

We had great weather and pretty calm seas, and Calica was a perfect day. However, the very next day
it was very windy in Cozumel and some snorkel and dive boats cancelled morning trips. I decided to skip
trying to go diving and we went shopping for a while. My wife was on a mission and decided this was the
time to see if she could find a sapphire ring. Well I think we did well in that department (we are getting
the ring appraised here). There is a 30-day guarantee so if in the remote chance we were
overcharged, we can send it back. This is a thing Celebrity does with the major shops or they offer it
themselves. We went into a ‘branch’ store of Rachat and Romero and found a nice ring. I think we
reached a fair price after bargaining that both sides were satisified with. Let’s hope we were right.

Of course we stopped in at Carlos & Charlies for a drink and a taste of the ribs. It was fairly quiet then
since it was just before noon. Later in the day, my wife went back downtown and it was party time. I
don’t know how some people make it down those stairs to the street. One woman was on her back in
the boulevard waving her arms and legs to the music. In the afternoon, my wife went hunting for a watch
and found just the thing at another store. Fortunately, the blackjack tables were kind to me over the
course of the week, so these two purchases were on Celebrity.

So, we didn’t see much of Cozumel and need to go again I suppose. On to Grand Cayman. We booked
the early Sting Ray tour through the ship. I wasn’t sure how our youngest would react to them or the
ocean. I also didn’t have enough time during the Christmas period to find a boat and captain to take us
out and the internet prices didn’t seem that much cheaper when you considered adding a tip to them. I
would absolutely recommend booking your own boat and captain. It is obvious now, after doing more
reading, that these are the best trips because you get to see and do more for your investment of time
and money. I would pick one of the ones recommended in the December reviews on this site. That said,
the ship’s excursion was well done. We were led to buses and took us quickly to a nice boat. We had a
nice captain and assistant who gave a nice talk about the trip and the rays. Everyone has a good
chance to enjoy the sandbar. At the return, they do mention tips and I did not tip because the ship price
has got to include a gratuity and I didn’t get anything above and beyond that. We then went to Seven
Mile beach and it is very nice. Be prepared to pay to get on that beach with chairs and an umbrella,
however. Tip… get the bus, cab, or whathaveyou, drop you off on the way back from Sting Rays so you
don’t have to return to the Pier downtown and then pay for another cab back out to the beach. Not
much shopping done here but the watch bought in Cozumel was the same price here so don’t
necessarily listen to the ship spiel that Cayman is -the place to buy watches and Cozumel is the place
to buy jewelry. Loved the rum cake!

At Sea

I loved the two and one-half days at sea. I loved being on the ship and relaxing or doing whatever I
wanted. Now is a good time for another important tip. Some of you may own Motorola TalkAbouts or
similar family radios. We own them and use them skiing and at theme parks. I knew the ship was going
to be a perfect place for them and asked RCL if they were permitted before we left home. We own four
now so we all had one. They were great for keeping track of each other and arranging meetings. We
noticed some other families had them and others who noticed asked us about them and agreed they
were a great idea.

There are only two places I felt were crowded on the ship. The main pool deck on the ‘at sea’ days was
one. This deck is the ‘happening’ place where Onyx plays and the deck chairs are all or partly sheltered
from both wind and sun. We noticed many chairs ‘claimed’ and often no one showing up. I say feel free
to grab one and you can always move if they ever show up. We didn’t spend a lot of time out there so
didn’t try that move. There are plenty of chairs in the sun on the deck above and you can also find
quiet places and deck chairs all over the ship – with and without sun. I played bridge on these days
among other things. On Thursday, I entered the blackjack tournament and that was lots of fun. I made
to the final seven, but unfortunately departed that game with a consolation T-Shirt. I am not complaining
as I won where it counted – with my own money for real. That was the other crowded place on the ship.
The card tables were very busy from about 10pm to midnight. I always managed to get a spot to play
and saw most of the same people each night. The casino staff were great.

Our girls like bingo so we did that a couple of times. I do agree though… you ought to wait until the very
last game and go for the jackpot since it is expensive to play - unless you are a real addict. The three
girls all played the Wheel of Fortune game one day and won a small prize (pens). Anyway, lots to do.

Kids

There were a fair number of kids on board for our cruise and lots of fellow Canadians from Ontario as
we had a school holiday week going on. The largest age group was the teens. Celebrity only plans teen
activities for afternoons and evenings as they assume teens sleep all morning and are up until 1 or 2
am. Our 14-year old isn’t a night owl so she didn’t do much at night after the showtime. The 10-year old
did a few things. On the At Sea days, they spent some time with Mom (napkin folding was one thing and
bingo another). So they did a mix of kids stuff and general stuff. There seemed to be a fair number of
things to do for kids, but only one thing at a time. There are not multiple choices for kids at a particular
time of the day as they have in the general adult programming. By and large, all kids on the ship were
well-behaved and not a problem.

Adults

There were all sorts of ages on board, but not an over-abundance of really elderly people. Most were
middle age couples, 40’s and 50’s, with lots of 60’s I guess. There were certainly plenty of the 30’s
crowd and some younger. This was more noticeable at night on the pool deck for the parties. I never
entered the disco, so who knows who was there? Anyone I met or spoke to was complimentary about
their cruise experience. Some who had sailed on a few cruises and were repeaters on Celebrity had the
highest praise for Celebrity over other cruise lines.

Shows and Cruise Staff

Considering this was a cruise ship and not Toronto or New York theater, we thought the entertainment
was great. The Celebrity Singers and Dancers were very good, especially two of the singers. Their
shows are very good, except the Bond Voyage (James that is) is a little weak in entertainment value.
The ‘On Broadway’ show was also good, but I personally would have enjoyed less of the more ancient
shows and they could have substituted music from more modern shows. Where was anything from
Cats, Rent, Lion King, etc? They do some Les Mis and Phantom numbers.

As everyone says, the Ladder Guy, Michael James, is great. They have a relatively new performer on
board that not many have written about. His name is Jim McDonald and I think I have seen him once on
TV (they said he was from MTV). He is hilarious. He performs on two nights and a highlight each night is
his slide show. The first night he compares his experience working on a Carnival cruise with working on
a Celebrity cruise and it is great. He pokes fun at things about being on a ship and I got sore from
laughing.

We didn’t go the night they have the Italian singer, Arturo, as this is definitely not something for us. The
couple sitting beside our table in the dining room went thinking he was a different style and didn’t like it.
Unfortunately, he gets too much time in the final night’s show and I thought he would never end. I am
sure he is just fine if you like that sort of thing, but I don’t think most passengers got excited over him.
They ought to keep that sort of guy to a lounge I think and have more popular entertainment in the
theater. Just my opinion and I know there are older folks on board who might like this guy.

We went to the Newlywed and Not So Newlywed game and this was funny as advertised. Most of the
humor comes from questions oriented around the romantic aspects of married life. This is as good a
place as any to talk about Jim Cannon, the cruise director. He was very personable and very
professional. He must be trained in radio or television announcing/hosting. He was a natural and very
good at everything I saw him do. He was at many things around the ship and was often there with the
rest of the cruise staff at pool events day and night. He must go through a lot of clothes changing in
one day! The rest of the cruise staff were also quite good in their jobs. You see them organizing and
participating in pool deck activities and so on. Although I didn’t really talk to any of them, they seemed
to be available and engaging with the passengers and all had nice personalities.

Disembarkation

Alas, all good things must come to an end. But first, some notes on your trip to Flordia. We booked our
own airfare – a necessity when you get a cruise only sell-off special – and I would always go this way.
All you have to do is read the experiences here and the overwhelming majority fair better doing their
own thing. We flew into Miami and out of Fort Lauderdale so I booked a one-way car for getting to the
ship. I also had a nice hotel deal, again booked on my own, that included continental breakfast and
shuttle to the port. I would not hesitate to grab a cab if I thought I wasn’t going to get to the port when I
wanted to go.

Be careful though when doing this and allow time to get back to the port as you have to drop the car at
FLL airport. I was misled and the short story is that I got a ride from an AVIS employee in my rental car
directly to the ship. What you might do is catch the shuttle to the airport terminal and then grab a cab if
the shuttle isn’t leaving in good time for the port. We were supposed to be in FLL for the night prior and
then use the hotel shuttle to the Port. However, weather problems and cancelled flights caused us to
overnight in Charlotte, NC, and we arrived in Miami Sunday morning. So, I can’t stress enough that you
ought to consider flying to Florida the day before if it is winter and you live in the north. You may need
that extra time to get there and one night’s hotel is worth the aggravation and stress of perhaps missing
the boat. We would have missed the boat if the incidents that occurred had happened with us flying on
the day of sailing.

US Air, Continental and Delta come on board for check-in of luggage. This is a great service as you
don’t have to get your own bags to the airport. At least it sounds great. I showed up at the US Air
location on Sunday morning and they didn’t have us on the list because the Guest Relations group
didn’t include us on the fax they send to the airlines the night before. The airlines come on board with
luggage tags and they know the flights you are taking. I think our disembarkation form got misplaced by
Guest Relations. In fact, I remembered they gave us one of the worst disembarkation tags because
they said they didn’t have our forms. This got corrected, but I should have anticipated a problem with
the airline. So, if you intend to use this service, check with Guest Relations on Saturday afternoon to
make sure you are on the appropriate airline list.

We had joined Captains Club too, so this got us off a few minutes earlier (we would have been off early
anyway due to our flight time). We found our bags easily and got a cab to the airport so we didn’t really
lose much by not checking in at the ship. After all, there is curbside check in at the airport. Since we
were not flying into Canada, we could use this. Canadians take note – they don’t let you use curbside
check in in the US if you are flying into Canada. And if you are not too far away (we live west of
Toronto), you can save significant money sometimes by going to Buffalo to fly.

In conclusion, I guess I must have the record for the longest review (if anyone reads this who knows me,
they won’t be surprised). I hope this is useful for some future cruisers. Celebrity Mercury was a
wonderful choice and I hope we find the opportunity to sail with them again. Bon voyage!!

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