celebrity-mercury16

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Kathy Gratteau
Email: kgratteau@home.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Accounting Manager
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 3/19/00
Itinerary: W. Caribbean
Cabin: 1222/Sky Suite
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Apr 2000
Time: 20:02:58
Remote Name: proxy3-external.nash1.tn.home.com
Remote User:

Comments

We were very lucky with this trip. We found out a couple of days before sailing that we had been
upgraded from a Category 3 to a Sky Suite. Needless to say it was quite a treat. From the moment we
entered the ship everything was wonderful. The Sky Suite is great, tons of deck space, the only downfall
was the soot on the railing from time to time. Our butler, Joseph was a delight and took care of anything
and everything for us. The cabin steward, Avlon was also great. We sailed on Enchantment of the Seas
last year and I found myself making lots of comparisions. I liked the stability and lack of vibration in the
Mercury - but I like the layout and overall feel of the Enchantment. It was nice having the balcony and
refrigerator this time. The food was very good most nights but I will say that our waiter was not overly
friendly. We were fortunate to have a table with 3 other couples that we enjoyed a lot. Hopefully we will
stay in touch and cruise together again someday. The ports were nice. We just wandered around Key
West on our own. In Cozumel we did the Jeep trip and it was a lot of fun. I would recommend it to anyone
who has a sense of adventure and wants to do something different. Calica was nice - we did Xcaret and
the underground river was interesting. The park is beautiful and really the highlight of the day there.
Grand Caymen wasn't as nice as I expected but it was still an enjoyable port. I would sail Celebrity again.
We have only been home 6 days and we are already planning the next cruise. Hopefully this time it will
the Southern Caribbean on Grandeur of the Seas. If you have any questions I would be happy to
answer them. Overall this was a great trip and a wonderful ship. Kathy Gratteau kgratteau@home.com

Name: Philip & Julie Hu
Email: philhu@aol.com
Age: 33
Occupation: Engineer/Technical Writer
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 3/26/2000
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 1147/09
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService:
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 92
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 70
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 06 Apr 2000
Time: 22:13:59
Remote Name: spider-wp034.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

Overall My family (wife and 4 yr. old daughter) was very happy with the week (embarked Mar 26, 2000)
we just spent on the Mercury. It was our second cruise, the first was on Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of
the Seas about 4 years ago.

Ship The ship was fairly new, and well-maintained. Our only complaint was the stability of the ship.
Weather and the speed required for staying on schedule both probably played a role in the excessive
rocking.

Entertainment We enjoyed all of the shows put on by the Celebrity Entertainment, the Ladder Guy, a
comedian, and a special guest pianist. Special highlights were the Broadway and Oscar Awards shows.
The only show we cared for the least was the James Bond musical – it was quite corny.

Service The service was better than our last cruise and overall excellent. We enjoyed getting to know
our waiter, assistant waiter, and cabin steward. The staff was very genuine and eager to please. One
thing we would like to mention is how important it is to tip the staff according to the recommended
guidelines (if you receive good service). Our waiter informed us (after all the tips had been collected)
that the standard waiter’s salary was a mere $25 per month. So, they depend on almost all of their
compensation from tips. We gathered that the cabin stewards and assistant waiters have similar
compensation plans.

On the second night of our cruise, our cabin carpeting was soaked with water due to some teenagers
activating the fire-sprinklers in the cabin next door. Although we had to ask (and wait a bit) for the
Customer Relations staff to resolve this problem, we were very impressed and satisfied with the
response. They moved us to a much nicer balcony room, provided free laundry service for our wet
clothes, and sent us a basket of fruit, champagne, and flowers to make up for the inconvenience.

Food The food was excellent, …and abundant. We rarely ate anything that we did not enjoy. We ate all
of our breakfasts and lunches in the Palm Springs Café. Whether you’re hungry or not, it’s a definite
must to go to the Gala Midnight Buffet. The food artistry was truly amazing and ingenious.

Shore Excursions For shore excursions, we went to on the Xcaret excursion in Calica and on the
Snorkeling excursion in Grand Cayman. Xcaret was very enjoyable and well worth the admission. We
especially enjoyed the Snorkeling Lagoon and the Underground River. If you’re interested in swimming
with the dolphins, try to reserve a spot ahead of time or be on the first shuttle bus to Xcaret. The
Snorkeling excursion in Grand Cayman was OK. We did not see a lot of fish, but did get to see a
shipwreck, which was interesting.

In Key West, we took the free shuttle into town and toured Ernest Hemingway’s home and the Shipwreck
Museum. Both were interesting and shed more light on the history of Key West. The Ship Wreck
museum is right next to the shuttle drop off, and Hemingway’s home is an easy walk from it.

In Cozumel, we rented a car and drove around the island to the San Gervasio ruins and the
Chankanaab Lagoon. The ruins were all right. The lagoon was very nice, with a calm beach for children,
a botanical gardens, and a snorkeling area.

Children Our daughter enjoyed the Ship Mates program when she attended it. Most of the counselors
seemed like they enjoyed the children. We also used in-room babysitting on two evenings. Be aware
that this type of babysitting is an extra charge of $8.00/hour that you pay directly to the babysitter rather
than paying for it from your charge account.

The dinners can be very long for small children. Each night, we brought a pad of paper and markers to
the dinner table, which helped immensely. We noticed that children who did not have something to do
got very restless before the dinner was over.

Suggestions / Useful Information

? Unless you’re particular about your hairdryer, don’t bother bringing one -- a low power hair dryer is
provided in the cabin. ? Go to the shows early to get good seating since they usually fill up quickly. ? At
the Casino, you can withdraw cash against your cruise charge account without paying any fee. A cash
machine is also in the Casino, but there’s a service charge for using it. ? Reserve your shore excursions
early by using the interactive TV in your cabin. The popular excursions fill up quickly. ? Be sure to check
your final cruise charge account. Although, we did not have any errors, the two families we dined with
found several on their accounts (all the errors were in Celebrity’s favor).

Name: J.V.Sorensen
Email: virtue-ca@saber.net
Age: 45
Occupation: retired
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 4/26/00
Itinerary: West Caribbean
Cabin: veranda room 1096
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 50
CabinComfort: 25
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 50
CabinAmenities: 25
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 25
FoodMidnightBuffets: 99
CabinSteward: 1
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 50
ShoreExcValue: 50
GoodForHoneymoon: 75
CasinoStaff: 99
PrivateIsland: n/a
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 50
TenderService: 75
GoodForSeniors: 75
BeautySalonStaff: n/a
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess: 75
ExerciseFacilities: 99
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 75
BeautySalon: n/a
EntertainmentPoolside: 50
CruiseActivities: 50
Casino: 50
AirSeaProgram: n/a
MedicalFacilities: n/a
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 50
DeckSpace: 50
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 0
SpaceRatio: 25
OverallCruiseValue: 55
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 Apr 2000
Time: 00:18:35
Remote Name: o-s17-p5-64121.saber.net
Remote User:

Comments

This is quite a ship. It seems so spacious when you first on the ship. However, actual square footage per
person seems quite cramped once on the ship. Our veranda and room were quite small and using the
veranda was difficult because the chairs and table were quite large making it hard to get the door open.
The bathroom in truth was very inconvenient as it was noisy and small. Storage in the room was ample
for clothing but one had to be sharp enough to know the suit cases had to go under the bed.

Service and food in the dining room was excellent, as a matter of fact, this was the one plus on the
Mercury. There was no smoking in the dining room or the theater but the rest of the ship had no
designated smoking or nonsmoking areas. The hallways and lounges were always a fog of smoke. I am
meaning the hallways to cabins and all lounges as well as poolside. Pool deck was cramped and
overpopulated on days at sea. Music was drastically loud and sometimes annoying. the other thing is
people staked their seats out poolside the night be fore after the buffet, I guess, because I was up at
6:30 a.m. and all chairs were taken by then.

The spa and its ammenities were extremely expensive, $100 for a one hour massage, I think is
outragous.

Theater productions were quite good and enjoyable. Seating was comfortable. Productions the right
length. Lounge entertainment was geared to couples, not much for singles.

There were a lot of children on this cruise and most were well behaved and supervised. However, at
night when parents were at shows or dinner children between the ages o 8-13 ran through out the ship
playing chase games and knocking against people. They were very loud.

The excursions were not well planned and in many cases two trips could have been taken in one day.
Also not all information was given to us before going to our destination. Tulum had an additional cost for
the tram ride to the ruins and it was a necessity as it must have been 100 degrees that day. We were
told we wouldn't need a towel or swim suit but there was a beautiful beach and wonderful water we could
have enjoyed if we had worn suits and had towel. We were also told we would have water to drink for the
trip from the guide and we didn't. When going to Stingray City our boat was disabled and we were keep
standing in the hot sun (110 degrees that day) and were, after one hour, finally boarded on another
boat. At the site there was no supervision as we got off the boat and I actually had three people crawl
down the ladder on top of me and push me under the boat. Most frightening experience. In two
instances once on shore, we discovered the tours available more cheaply. The box lunches were
terrible, all crackers, cheese and bread with a wee piece of roast beef. Dry, Dry!

Never saw the cruise director except on stage. Other cruise I took the cruise director really mixed with
the passengers. The smoke alone did me in...

Would I take another Celebrity Cruise. NO!

Name: Dean Luckino
Email: deanluck@mindspring.com
Age: 42
Occupation: Furniture Retailer
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: April 2, 2000
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 9039 / Category 9
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 97
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 97
FoodLidoDeck: 92
DiningRoomService:
CabinQuietness: 97
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 97
DeckService: 97
ShoreExcValue: 100
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff: 100
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 96
CruiseActivities: 100
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 97
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 97
ShopsOnBoard: 100
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 97
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Apr 2000
Time: 20:48:26
Remote Name: host26-207.prestige.net
Remote User:

Comments

This was my 3rd cruise and my wife's 4th. It was our cruise one with Celebrity. We travelled with our 16
year old son and our 13 year old daughter. My sister, brother-in-law and their two kids aged 6 & 7 joined
us.

Day 1 – Sunday The port is relatively new and easy to get to. We arrived at the Cruise Terminal at
approximately 12:30 pm and recieved a ticket with the number 5 on it. We began the boarding process
and by 1:30pm we were aboard We went to the excursions desk and filled out the form on the desk, we
wanted to book the snorkel/stingray city tour and wanted to get the earliest time, we marked down for 4
adults and the 7:45 am time slot. They had a slot to put the form and we then headed to the 11 floor sun
deck and had a wonderful buffet lunch in the Palm Springs Café. We checked out the rest of the ship
and it’s facilities. There was a basketball court, ping pong, darts, fitness center, movie theater, swimming
pools, volleyball, shuffle board, and virtual golf, to mention a few. The weather that afternoon was sunny
in the 90s, so we ended up catching some sun, while the kids swam. Our bags arrived at our cabin
(9039 and 9041), at around 4pm. I was missing a suit bag but our room steward walkes me down to a
spot where they put luggage that the tag has fallen off, sure enough it was there. The ship departed at
5:30pm and we were now underway to our first port, Key West. We had dinner in the dinning room. We
sat with my sister and her family at a table for 8. After dinner we went to the Celebrity Theater where
there was a live show put on by the entertainment staff, which highlighted the upcoming week’s
performers. I wasn't expecting much since some of thje reviews I read downplayed the entertainmnet
provided by Celebrity. But I was pleasantly surprised and infact attended all the evening shows and
found them to be very good. We were tired after the show and headed for our rooms. My wife and I had
an outside cabin and the kids were right across the hall in an inside cabin.

Day 2 – Monday Day We docked at Key West. My wife, sister her 2 young kids and my daughter went
shopping. My son, brother-in-law and myselfrented scooters and explored the town. Great city, too bad
we were only there from 9-3, it put a rush on the day. The evening dinner was formal attire in the
Manhattan dining room. The meals served in the evenings were very nicely prepared. The waiter who
was from Portugal and busboy from Russia, they were quiet but efficient. Web went to the evening show
and then walked the ship. We went up to the Karioke club and had a good laugh.

Day 3 – Tuesday Cozumel, Mexico, sunny 90s. My son, daughter and brother-in-law and I snorked
$25.00 ea. and had a great time. My wife sister and her young kids took a taxi $12. to a beach de Sol.
We met up with them after we snorked for 2 and a half hours. We parasailed $45.ea., that is definetly a
rush. We ate dinner in the Manhattan dining room.

Day 4 – Wednesday Calica, Mexico, Mostly sunny 90s. First thing in the morning, I went up on deck with
my binoculars to check out the coastline. The boat tied up to pier at 7am and after eating breakfast, my
wife and sister took the Cancun shopping excursion $59. ea. and my brother-in-law and I took the kids to
Xcaret Park ($39pp adults & $25. kids).This is a beautiful ecological park with a lot of nature, with both
aquatic and land creatures. After entering the gates, we walked through the rain forest and then
snorkeled in the undergroud rivers. We saw Mayan ruins, and later that day my kids swam with dolphins
in a special area, Tyler and I went snorkeling and saw a lot of beautiful fish amongst the reefs. My wife
and sister had a good time in Cancun, I don't know for sure if it was the town or the fact they didn't have
any kids for the day. Returned to the ship by 4:30pm and rested until dinner. After dinner we went to the
evening show, which was hilarious. The Ladder Guy performed balancing, juggling and some
unbelievable acts on a ladder. He was quite a comedian as well. What a day!!

Day 5 - Was a sea day. My wife and I had massages in the Aqua spa area. This was my first
professional massage. I definetly see where this could become habit forming. The kids swam all day and
explored the ship all night.

Day 6 –Thursday Grand Cayman Islands Mostly Sunny 90s. The ship anchored just off shore of
Georgetown, GC We tendered ashore at 7:45am. We met the tour group for Stingray City. Took the bus
over to the dock and then a boat out to the sand bar. About a 45-minute ride. We arrive at the sand bar,
which ranges 3-5 feet deep, and got right into the water with our snorkel and mask. The guides were
excellent they really made this a memorable excursion. They not only fed the rays, they held them so all
who wanted could get a close up look. They also insructed us on how to feed them. The stingrays,
ranging in size from 2 to 4 feet across, converged on everyone in the water, especially if you had squid
in your hand. My daughter was very scared for the first 15 minutes almost to the point of wanting to go
back to the ship. But the guides helped her brought her, brought her to some of the friendly rays and
soon she was enjoying herself. The rest of us could not stop laughing, as the rays rubbed up against us
like kitten or little puupies. This was a very tremendous experience, I advise everyone to try it. We
booked the earliest slot 7:45 am, but it was well worth it, as this is when the stingrays are hungriest and
most playful. Remember to book early as this tour sells out very quickly. On the way back the bus driver
stopped and let us off at seven mile beach. We got their at 11:00 am and stayed until 3:00 pm. We went
into town shopped a bit and then were back in the boat by 4:30 pm. Again, another wonderful day in
paradise! Dinner tonight included lobster on the menu.

Day 7 – Saturday was another sea day sunny 90s. We played lots of cards, bingo, trivia and just did
what you should do on a cruise, RELAXED. There is always something going on, if you want activities
this ship is for you. We returned to our cabin, put our suitcases in the hallway, then took in a movie and
hit the sack, trying not to think about this wonderful vacation coming to an end.

Day 8 – Sunday Port Everglades and Debarkation Sunny – high 80s Docked at 6am. Up at 6:00 am we
are Canadian citizens and had to go through immigration and customs by 6:30am, we then went had our
last breakfast. Our debarkation was called around 9:30am. The process went very smooth.

Overall Sumary: Celebrity is a first rate organization. When we needed help on board they were always
there. The food is awesome. The excursion itinerary is varied and affordable. There were lots of kids are
in the 10-18 yr.age group, this was spring break time so maybe that's why there was so many. We heard
there were over 400 of this age on board. Both our kids had a great time. The boat is in very well-cared
for shape. We had two rooms for a family of 4. The extra bath alone was the main reason for us doing
this. I highly recommend this cruise line and ship.

Name: Sharon and Joel Fischer
Email: jbfischer@worldspy.net
Age: 56
Occupation: educator
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: March 26,2000
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 12 Skydeck
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Apr 2000
Time: 14:37:53
Remote Name: slip-32-101-128-213.mn.us.prserv.net
Remote User:

Comments

Help! I forgot to bring my two pair of dress slacks for informal nights. All I had was my black suit, dress
shorts, and the pants I wore on the plane from Minnesota. More on this later. For Sharon and I this was
our third cruise aboard Celebrity-the first Meridian, then Horizon and now Mercury. On Mercury we were
treated very well by cabin stewards Jeffery, Avalon, and Joseph. As usual food was excellent with table
friends Tanya, Natalie, Alice, Mike, Patty, Larry, and Caroline. While our efficient waiters Vlaho and
Evgenise served us, many stories were exchanged. We liked all the shows especially the ladder guy and
comedian Jeff Nise. All the entertainment and cruise director Dennis S. were top shelf. For us the
Celebrity air-sea program was the best deal-no problems except that you are not booked on a direct
flight. My only recommendation here is that you order room service the first night. Coming from
Minnesota we were tired and wanted to 'kick back' so we got a soup and sandwich meal. Otherwise we
would have been too rushed. The only shore excursion we booked was Seven Mile Beach for $13 per
person. That included beach access, a nice lounge chair, and a beverage. The place has all facilities, a
shop, and a place to eat. There is also a complete beach toy rental place next to it. The easy cab ride to
this place is $3 per person one way. The ship was not crowded anywhere except outside on days at sea.
However, you could still find a chair, but it may not be where you want to sit. Lastly, one of the things I
like on a trip is a good bed and pillow. The bed was good, but the pillow was not to my liking. Not to fear,
able stewart Avalon diligently searched the ship and found the 'perfect one.' Whoops I almost forgot.
What did I do about my pants? We booked alternate dining on the two informal nights and I wore my
dress shorts. Have fun! We did!

Name: brenda
Email: ranyk@sprint.ca
Age: 29
Occupation: kitchen designer
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 04-09-00
Itinerary: western caribbean
Cabin: 8073/cat 5
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon: 98
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 98
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 Apr 2000
Time: 19:54:01
Remote Name: spc-isp-tor-58-19-758.sprint.ca
Remote User:

Comments

My husband and I travelled on the Mercury for our third anniversary - it was our second cruise - the first
was on the Carnival Imagination for our Honeymoon. It was a night and day experience! The only
negative about Celebrity is, unfortunately, their first impression. The embarkation sucks! All the other
stories you've heard are true! You wait and you wait and you wait. But once you board the ship...oh! all
is (almost) forgotten. The ship's decor is beautiful! It is tasteful and understated. You are lead to your
room by one of the room stewards as a string quartet plays soft music in the background. Enchanting.
The room itself - ours was described as an outside deluxe stateroom - was awesome! A king sized bed,
large window and plenty of storage space. There were several full length mirrors on the wall to open up
the space. The main rooms were also beautiful - what we enjoyed most was the overall layout of the
ship. There were several nooks and crannies, cozy spots that you could just happen upon. It truly did
take us several days to explore the entire ship which was a harsh contrast to our previous cruise
experience where we had the entire ship figured out in 2 hours. The entertainment. The entertainment
was just incredible. We're in our late 20's early 30's and there really seemed to be something for
everyone. from poolside games to live music in every room. Voltz was just incredible and actually rec'd a
standing ovation and proceeded to play an encore on our last day on board. The Ladder Guy was great
and is actually going to be on Letterman this month - that is the caliber on entertainment on a Celebrity
cruise. The food - oh the food! From lobster bisque to lobstertails -from caviar to sweet breads. The
food on celebrity really is simply the best. And the dining room is really where you should try to eat most
of your dinners - alternative dinning in the aft grill is another experience completely. What we really
loved was the lunch buffet in the palm springs cafe - we ate there every day and not once did they serve
the same thing! Variety really is the spice of life! The ports were also a fabulous surprise. Key west is a
mix of New Orleans and Cape Cod - dig those Key Limes! And roosters! Don't miss the Hemingway
House - it's gorgeous and our tour guide was a hoot! Meow. Calica - Xcaret is more beautiful than we
ever imagined. You can easily spend the whole day there! Be forewarned - all your change will be in
pesos. Do Not Miss Poncho's Backyard in Cozumel!! The best margaritas in town!! The homemade
nachos, guacamole and salsa is the bomb and the entertainment is fabulous. We were lucky enough to
grab an early excursion for Stingray City this time and man were they lively in the morning! This is
definately a must in Cayman.

All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable vacation - Celebrity really is simply the best. and even though our
expectations were high - they exceeded every one of them!

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