celebrity-mercury17

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Joann Schissel
Email: schissel@dwx.com
Age: 45
Occupation: graphic artist
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 2-20-2000
Itinerary: Western Carribean
Cabin: 4055/8
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService:
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Apr 2000
Time: 22:53:34
Remote Name: ip76.qw.159.dwx.net
Remote User:

Comments

This was the second Carribean cruise my husband and I have been on. Our travel agent arranged the air/sea
travel which worked out smoothly, although upon arrival in Ft. Lauderdale, it was a little confusing. We were
expecting to meet a Celebrity representative at our gate, but instead we had to search one out and then we
were ushered into a corner area to wait for about 1/2 hour until our shuttle arrived. The check in procedure at
the dock seemed rather lengthy and there were forms that needed to be filled out before we boarded. But
once on board it was wonderful.

Our outside cabin was beautiful with a large window, comfortable bed, and
tastefully decorated with lots of space to store clothes. I liked having a safe to store my extra money and
jewelry. I liked using the interactive TV in our cabin to research and reserve the shore excursions. It was easy
to figure out how to work it. My husband liked playing blackjack on it right in the cabin. The food was really
great everywhere we ate. There was a lot of selection and everything was well prepared. We ate in the dining
room every evening except once (when we tried the informal dining area). We elected to have early seating
and were at a table with 2 other couples. It was fun getting to know people from other regions of the country.
Our tablemates were all from New Jersey. After dinner we usually attended the entertainment in the theater
which was ok. It was typically Las Vegas style showtunes and dancing which I'm not that crazy about.
Sometimes they had comedians which I liked better. It was definately directed to the senior crowd. My husband
and I aren't too much for the night-life so we didn't visit the lounges or midnight buffet. But it was fun to view
the previous night's activities on the TV the next day.

The shore excursion tours were very interesting but
rather pricey. In Key West we went snorkeling to a coral reef on the Fury, a large catamaran. The water was
still pretty chilly in February and it seemed somewhat cloudy, so there wasn't much activity there but it was still
fun. In Cozumel we went horseback riding at the Buena Vista Ranch which was really fun. There were a few
authentic Maya ruins we saw on the trail along with some recreated artifacts and shallow cave areas. My
favorite excursion was the ruins at Tulum. I had done some research about that site before I went and I'm glad
I did. It was interesting to actually see the structures I had read about. Our Mexican guide, Hugo, was very
educated about the Maya and that particular site. The only disappointment with this excursion was that there
were hundreds of people there and the crush of tourists made it seem like a trip to the mall on the weekend. It
was really too short of time, too. I wished I could have spent another couple hours exploring. It was just a
morning tour. At Calica, we went to the park to snorkel from the beach. This was proabably the best fish
viewing area of the trip. We didn't take a tour on Grand Cayman because we had been there before and
besides, our friends live there, so we visited with them. I've been to Stringray City before and I would
recommend it to anyone who hasn't been there. This was a really wonderful vacation and the cruise was
everything I had envisioned it to be. I would probably take another Celebrity cruise again.

Name: Janine McGrath
Email: jmcgrath76@hotmail.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Accounting Coordinator
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 4/2/00
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 4082
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 98
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 98
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 50
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 98
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 98
CruiseActivities: 98
Casino: 98
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 98
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 98
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 May 2000
Time: 15:04:25
Remote Name: atv-ga5a-13.rasserver.net
Remote User:

Comments

As the commercial says, it is simply the best! We went during spring break with our two children, 15 & 11.
From beginning to end we had a terrific time. This ship is beautiful, tasteful and elegant. Our cabin was bright
and even with the two bunks open, still enough room for the 4 ouf us to get around, although we were hardly
ever there! Even though the ship was booked to capacity, we never felt crowded. In fact one of our favorite
places to sit and enjoy the view was outside the Palm Springs cafe at the rear of the ship. It was almost always
empty except at lunch and even then we could always find an table with an umbrella to sit at. There were, as
usual, the people who save pool chairs, but there was always something open when we needed one. There
was always live music somewhere, either a quartet, a pianist, a capalla singers, at any time of day. The
entertainment was wonderful. There was something for everyone and the performers were top notch. There
were fresh flowers all over the ship, even at the waiters stations in the dining room.

The highlights for us were;

Food: Excellent! Looked exactly like what you see in the brochure and tasted a good as we had hoped. Our
waiter, Pinto and his assistant, Dejan, were as nice as they could be and provided service as wonderful as any
5 star restaurant. We never had a bad meal at any of the other restaurants either. The buffets and tea times
were also excellent.

Ports: My only complaint was the Tulum excursion was overpriced. Had we known in advance that we could
have rented a car at Calica, we would have done it. This was the only time we have ever done a shore
excursion and probably the last. In Cozumel I would recommend snorkeling at Chankannab Park. Grand
Caymen, we booked a snorkeling tour in advance over the internet, to stingray city with Captain Crosby who
we had read about in other reviews at this site. The trip was wonderful. He sails a catamaran, sings you some
songs, lets you dive for conch which he then makes for lunch with some fish stew and then takes you to
stingray city. His engine broke down but it wasn't a problem because we sailed back and even had time for
some quick shopping in town. He can be reached at www.cayman.org/crosby/

Staff: The crew on this ship bent over backwards for us. Everyone was quick with a smile and a hello. For
example, we booked a tour of the ships galley, which was very interesting. While we were getting the info, I
recognized the social hostess, Amanda from an A&E TV show I had seen about the Galaxy. We got to talking
about this ship and I asked if we could get a tour of the bridge. She said no, they did not do that anymore. The
next evening there was an invitation in our cabin from her inviting us to a special tour of the bridge! It is little
things like that that make a trip something special.

We highly recommend this line and will definately cruise with them again.

Name: michael walker
Email: mawalker@gte.net
Age: 47
Occupation: Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 3/12/00
Itinerary: Western Carribean
Cabin: 935
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 98
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon: 98
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 91
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 May 2000
Time: 11:56:39
Remote Name: blv-proxy-03.boeing.com
Remote User:

Comments

EMBARCATION We arrived at the dock 30 minutes early but were given boarding card number 2. We
were on the boat within 20 minutes of the scheduled embarkation time. Very smooth process.

Many have written about how beautiful the ship is both inside and out and these words came back to me
as we walker onboard for the first time.. I was impressed. We had the cheapest room on the boat and it
seamed luxurious! Plenty of storage space (we brought extra hangers which came in handy). We were
advised not to use an iron in our room but my wife's 250w travel iron worked fine in the outlet rated for
1500w. Storage space was ample and everything found a home. The room had a small round table and
small chair to go with it, neither was needed in a room this small and it blocked access to the minibar and
one side of the queen bed. Our cabin steward kept fresh ice and towels coming all day and turned down
the bed every night. The food was incredible at every meal. We brought our own wine and some we
purchased at Key West. And they gladly served this for us for a $6 corkage charge. We rented a
3-wheel 2-seat scooter in Key West and toured the whole island. This was an absolute blast as it
brought out the kid in both of us. At Calica (the gravel pit) we took the Xcaret tour but passed on the
underground river, lots of lines for something that looked like a man made culvert. I'm not big on crowds
so I judged the river float was not worth the wait. The butterflies were great as was the beach and
snorkeling. We had authentic Mexican food at the restaurant, which was very good. Overall I did not
enjoy Xcaret as much as others writing here. In Cozemel we did the ship hosted snorkel tour at
Chukaknaab park. This was very good but the fish were not as plentiful as in Xcaret. More lines as a
good percentage of our ships 2000 passengers were on this shore trip. We cabbed back to the ship to
shower and eat, and then it was off to downtown to shop. I bought a watch to replace the one full of
seawater after snorkeling and my wife picked up some trinkets. At Grand Cayman we tendered ashore
and to Capt. George Bush's stingray city tour. This tour was $25 and a bargain. The stingray encounter
was incredible. The fish and wildlife while snorkeling was the best of the trip. It was a hot day and we
were shopped out from cozumel so we didn't shop long in town but the shops seemed cleaner and more
upscale than those in Mexico. The rum cake was wonderful. Tonight's formal dinner was fantastic and
the Grand Buffet was simply amazing. We took lots of pictures of edible sculptures.

The Shows The celebrity dancers and singers are very talented and the quality of the shows ranged
from good to excellent. The ladder guy was great and a crowd favorite. Mark Preston only sang about 5
songs and spent too much time chumming the crowd. He's an incredible voice talent none the less.
Dennis the cruise director appears to be in love with his own voice and I quickly tired of him. The
classical quartet was excellent as was the piano playing lounge singer. The acapella quartet was good
but sang the same songs over and over. The same was true of the poolside band onyx. There was a
country duo in one of the clubs every night and I avoided them. Not my style of music and not
particularly well done either. We didn't partake of any bingo, games or lectures but these were available.
For the price we got this cruise at it was an extremely good value (dinner alone was worth $50 each) so I
suspect the cruise line makes alot of its profit from onboard sales like the aquaspa, drinks, gift shops, art
auctions etc. Aquaspa My wife thoroughly enjoyed the aquaspa and took advantage of many of their
services I would say the prices were inflated but she claims it was one of the best massages she has
ever had. We both attended a lecture on how to give a massage, which was informative and ended in a
sales pitch for their oil. THE FOOD Only once did several in our party get a less than tasty dish at
dinner, the quail was very gamy. But to be expected. They should have asked for different entrées but
didn't. Everything else was superb!

I look forward to our next Celebrity cruise!

Name: Marianne Wright
Email: LaSuegz@aol.com
Age: 53
Occupation: Retired Spanish teacher
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: April 15, 2000
Itinerary: Trans Panama Canal
Cabin: 8030
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 96
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 88
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 70
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 25 May 2000
Time: 22:47:00
Remote Name: spider-wl044.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

Having recently retired from teaching (Spanish and Art), we were excited to be able to sail on a two week
cruise, as opposed to the usual seven day run. While not disappointed in the cruise itself, we did find seven
days at sea a bit too long. We sailed on the Century, Xmas '98, seven day Caribbean and found the two
cruises to be almost identical. It's as if Celebrity has one basic cruise for all of its' ships. The menu and daily
activities were exactly the same. Celebrity does not project a fun,fun,fun party image. Mostly a Baby Boomer
and their parents affair (some were disappointed that there isn't much late night action, but two week cruises
get an older crowd). There aren't the dancing, singing waiters at theme nights in the dining room or much
dancing 'till dawn in the disco. But we found both ships to be sleek, sophisticated, comfortable and very
clean.This is not a lavish, mega super ship, but certainly a nice place to be. We gave the overall cruise an
A-/Bt. Pros: 1. The food is excellent.The buffets have anything anyone could want (except chicken fried steak,
etc. ) and the dinners are sumptuous. 2. Evening entertainment is the best we've ever seen. Las Vegas
quality and good variety. The Island Band was great for Baby Boomers, but needed to expand its repetoire.
The lounge music was just a step above elevator music. 3. Service on the Mercury is very pleasant and
efficient (excluding room service, which rarely got the order right), although somewhat lowkey. No one is
falling all over themselves to pamper you, and some thought they were short on apologies for mistakes. We
had no complaints .4. Our room was perfect for us, except for one rough day at sea. It was too far forward.
Always try for a midship room for less movement. The area was very quiet. We had a couch and table, double
bed and window. Just right. 5. Layout of the ship is easy to follow and well marked. 6. 50's,60's sock hop was
fun.

Cons 1. For a two week cruise, the daily activities were very repetitious. We would have liked to have a
historian/professor type person on board (other lines do this) to discuss issues of the Panama Canal and/or
history, culture, politics of the ports. Celebrity doesn't show much interest in the ports, except to push their
recommended shops. 2. This cruise needed another port. Seven days at sea were a bit much considering the
activity schedule. 3. Aqua Spa was nice and we would definitely recommend the Razul treatment (for
couples), but they had numerous interesting sounding workshops that only pushed their products and
services. 4. Do not book, for any reason, Deck Four under the galley. Very noisy at the worst times. Ports a.
Aruba - very windy, desert island. Don't take Jeep ride excursion {dusty and not much scenery). Snorkeling is
fair. b. Cartagena - took a cab in to the Old Town and loved it. Had a great driver who gave us a tour and
took us shopping. Had fun and got a great deal on an emerald ring. c. Costa Rica - beautiful and had a long,
but very interesting ride to Poas Volcano. Nice lunch and excellent guide. Tour of coffee plantation was also
well received. d. Acapulco - also took cab. We find this much more fun than tours (and cheaper)as the drivers
can give you the same info. e. Cabo San Lucas - walked around, but others enjoyed snorkeling. Don't take
excursion to the hotels. Go on your own.

Bon Voyage!

Name: Sharon
Email: neonzeus@yahoo.com
Age: 48
Occupation: attorney
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: 5/26/00
Itinerary: Alaska (Southbound)
Cabin: 9241/9245
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 99
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 96
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 99
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 75
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 50
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 45
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 30
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Jun 2000
Time: 18:54:51
Remote Name: 208.201.103.3
Remote User:

Comments

I admit, some of our review may be tainted by a horrible air/sea experience on TWA, due to poor weather in
St. Louis. Our plane was delayed for several hours into St. Louis, where we were given the wrong gate
information for the connecting flight. Fortunately, we found the right gate by ourselves and then discovered
that the flight had been waiting for us for two hours. Many thanks to the patient passengers on that full
plane, who sat on the tarmack waiting for us!!When we finally arrived in Anchorage, it was 7:00 p.m. We
waited over an hour for the buses to Seward. The passengers were instructed to wait outside the terminal,
in cold and damp wind. There was limited seating, and very little communication from anyone about the
delay. The bus drivers informed us that they were sent home when the plane was delayed, and had to be
recalled from their homes. When we boarded the buses, we were given a sandwich bag and a bottle of
Alaskan water. We arrived at Mercury at 10:00 p.m., and were immediately boarded so the ship could
depart.

After being taken to our cabins, we were told to immediately go to the dining room if we wished to eat. It
would be closed in 10-15 minutes. We were so exhausted that we just ordered soup/desert, although we
noted that others were taking advantage of the full Friday menu. The wait-staff was pleasant, and did not
appear to be distressed at having to provide service so late.

We had two connecting interior cabins, since we were traveling with children aged 8, 11 and 13. The cabins
were very quiet. We only heard hall noise the last night, when luggage was being moved. Our steward,
Angelo, did an excellent job. The cabins were always immaculate, and the bunks were comfortable. The
bathroom was sufficiently roomy, and contained a small green nightlight which was adequate. The hairdryer
worked slowly, but did the job eventually. I would recommend bringing a clock, since the digital one on the
phone was insufficient. We liked the t.v. channel which showed the weather and the view outside the ship at
all times.

We ordered several excursions using the interactive t.v., which worked perfectly. We didn't use room
service, although the limited menu gave enough choices for salads, sandwiches, and desserts. We
particularly liked the fact that we could review the evening's menu and order wine for the dining room on the
interactive t.v., if we wished. The steward removed items from one refrigerator at our request, and we used it
for soda which we had arranged to have delivered to the cabins using a Bon Voyage service. The in-cabin
refrigerator kept this soda cool, but not cold.

The food was excellent. Although our sons thought the portions were small at the beginning of the week,
they found them to be perfect by the end of the cruise. The portion sizes were just right to order every
course, and still have room for dessert. The desserts were spectacular, and well worth saving room for. The
waiters were courteous and well-trained, but the wine steward bordered on rudeness. He tended to ignore
tables which did not order bottles of wine every night, and never smiled when delivering lowly glasses of
wine.

You needed to review the daily newsletter, since dining times and arrangements varied (for example,
sometimes dinner was at 6:00 and sometimes at 6:15 -- breakfast could be open seating, or at your usual
table). Open seating meant that you were met at the door, and guided to a particular table, as opposed to
sitting anywhere you wish. We found the selection at the Palm Court for lunch was sometimes better than
the lunch menu in the dining room. On the last day, everyone rushed to the Palm Court for the breakfast
buffet but the dining room was nearly empty. Either way, the dining experience was good. The only fault we
could find with the dining experience was that on several occasions we did not get refills on drinks or water,
coffee was delayed, and our daughter's kid-menu food was cold on one occasion. This was noted and
corrected immediately and apologetically. Formal nights (Saturday and Wednesday), were very formal, with
at least 30% gowns & tuxes. The first formal night was more formal than the second, and the photographers
set up several stations for formal portraits.

Our luggage was lost, due to the flight problems described above. It did not appear that Guest Services was
trying very hard to find it for us, until a demand was made to speak to the Manager. Within an hour, we were
then assured it had been located and would be delivered to the ship in Juneau. It was in our cabin when we
returned from our morning excursion. In the meantime, we received a bottle of champagne and a small fruit
basket, several t-shirts for the children, and small bags with essentials such as deoderant, a
toothbrush/toothpaste, and disposable razors. The onboard stores provided sweatshirts/t-shirts and some
underwear, but not all essentials were available. Although formalwear was offered, we decided we had
already too much time chasing down clothes and declined. We note that some items in the onboard stores
were priced well in comparison to stores in port, and that prices got better as the week went on. Some of the
port stores' prices seemed high, perhaps because we were at the beginning of the Alaskan season.

The excursions were very well organized. We arranged for flightseeing in Ketchikan on our own using the
Internet, but purchased the bus trip in Juneau and the trainride in Skagway. Both seemed fair values,
although not extraordinary. The weather was fine, in the high 50's, partly cloudy, with only 2 rainy days. We
particularly loved Sitka, and note that its residents were friendly and welcoming. Special thanks to the Priest
at St. Michael's Cathedral in Sitka, and his charming wife!!!

We thought the shipboard entertainment was weak, although others might find it perfect. Some activities,
such as the newlywed/trivia games, were scheduled for 10:15 p.m. With the time difference from Eastern
Standard Time, we found that we were exhausted by then and could not attend. Similarly, the disco didn't
start until 11:00 p.m. Before that time, the music in most of the lounges appeared to be very sedate, fox-trot
type music, with only a few couples venturing onto the dance floor. We prefer something livelier. The Martini
and Champagne bars appeared under-utilized, and the teen disco was always empty if not in use by the
younger kids' program.

We recommend either bringing your own insulated mug, or buying one of the specialty coffees in a Mercury
mug (approx. $7.00 w/gratuity) and reusing it during the week. The cups available in the Palm Court for
coffee or hot chocolate (powdered mix) were small, and inconvenient to carry out to the deck chairs.

The counselors for the kids' program were very warm and pleasant. Our cruise only had about 37 children,
and it appeared that many had no interest in participating in the activities planned for them. The teen
program had no participation at all. We understand that the following week would have more than 300
children, so that our cruise is probably not representative of the season.

We enjoyed the art auction. If a piece of artwork wasn't marked with a yellow post-it by someone (you
received the post-its when you got your bid card), it would not go on the easel for auction. The auctioneer
appeared to enjoy his work, and he made every effort to make the auction successful for the passengers.
Unfortunately, the selection was weighted heavily towards modern art (again, a matter of preference). We
would have liked some artwork relating to Alaska.

This did not appear to be a gambling crowd, and the casino was not busy. The shows were well attended,
and empty seats were sometimes hard to find. The dancers, in particular, were very talented.

Finally, the Vancouver airport was another problem, with the TWA line taking more than 2 hours to reach
the ticketing counter. In that time, no one asked the passengers whether anyone needed assistance, etc.
From ticketing, passengers are funneled to two counters where an additional $10 per passenger/$7 for
more than 2 passengers, is collected to pay for airport improvements. After paying this amount, passengers
are permitted to go through security to the gates. One of our bags was removed for inspection from security
without a word to us, and was only discovered to be missing after the 5 of us had reached our gate. More
chaos!! After various delays, we finally returned home approximately four hours later than expected.

We would not recommend Mercury to families looking for a lot of fun, but believe Celebrity makes every
effort to pamper its passengers. It has a wonderful itinerary for seeing Alaska in comfort.

The air/sea arrangements do not appear to include enough time for airport or weather delays, as outlined
above. If possible, we would strongly recommend traveling to Alaska a day early to avoid our problems, and
to help become acclimated to the time differences.

Enjoy your cruising!!!

Name: Mary Panzenhagen
Email: rebapaul@aol.com
Age: 45
Occupation: sales
NumberOfCruises: 18
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: June 9,2000
Itinerary: Southbound Alaska
Cabin: Royal Suite
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 89
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 92
CruiseStaff: 89
CabinAmenities: 93
FoodLidoDeck: 94
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 91
FoodMidnightBuffets: 98
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 99
CasinoStaff: 89
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80-
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess: 92
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 88
BeautySalon: 80
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 89
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 96
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 26 Jun 2000
Time: 12:47:35
Remote Name: spider-to087.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

This was an excellent cruise. We've been on several and this was definitely one of the best. The Mercury is
a beautiful ship...she is the cleanest ship we've been on.

Service and food in the dining room was bar-none. Definitely the best that we've experienced.

The lounges are full of activity each and every day & night. There are a variety of bands in each of the
lounges and numerous activities happening all throughout the day. This was a blessing because the
weather was not the best...as is the case in Alaska. We suggest bringing rain gear along because you'll
need it.

One of the our favorite activities to attend was the fine art auctions! Who would believe we would have a
chance to buy original artwork by Picasso, Rembrandt & Peter Max! Being art-lovers, we were thrilled to find
a Park West Gallery onboard the ship---for those that don't know, Park West is the LARGEST gallery in the
world! And we found some of the best quality artwork we've ever seen....and it was at least 50% less
expensive then at our local gallery! Even our local gallery owner couldn't believe the quality of the artwork
and the great prices we paid! We definitely recommend checking out the art auctions...it was a lot of fun and
we learned so much interesting information!

We're already booking our next cruise and we've checked to be sure there is a Park West Gallery on that
ship too!

Name: Mark West
Email: markwest@pobox.com
Age: 44
Occupation: Film Editor
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Mercury
SailingDate: June 30, 2000
Itinerary: Alaska (Northbound)
Cabin: 9121/5
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 99
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 97
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 96
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Jul 2000
Time: 14:43:22
Remote Name: adsl-63-201-211-164.dsl.lsan03.pacbell.net
Remote User:

Comments

The June 30, 2000 Northbound Alaska Cruise was my first ocean cruise (the others being on River
Paddleboats) and I was truly spoiled. The MV Mercury was a wonderfully equipped ship.

The staff was universally friendly and willing to assist. My stewardess Virginia, managed to sneak in
and out of the stateroom to clean and remained virtually invisible. Luis and Mico were the Waiter and
Assistant at Dinner and were efficient but also fun to be with. Each performed a magic trick for our
table and we became quite friendly as the cruise progressed.

We were blessed with fantastic weather also. The Northbound Cruise left Vancouver for Ketchican
where we enjoyed 65-degree weather. I chose the Misty Fjord float plane/cruise excursion and we got
the opportunity to see Black Bear, Bald Eagles, and two playful Orcas that got within 15 feet of the
boat. Beautiful scenery was abundant.

In Skagway I took the White Pass Railway, an enjoyable but time-consuming trip.

Celebrity Cruises chose to rearrange the order of our trip to put us in Juneau for the Fourth of July.
We went to Skagway first, then returned to Juneau. This was a good choice as we got to see the
local parade in Juneau and I would guess that Skagway had limited things to do on the holiday.

Food was in a word: fantastic! There are no complaints on this subject from me. The portions were
generous and the meals were well planned. One other person made a small observation that I would
second: the only beverages included with your meals were coffee, tea, lemonade, or iced tea. Soft
drinks such as Coca-Cola were billed separately. I found this to be a bit odd, but if it is my biggest
complaint, then it might be ‘picking nits.’

The best advice that I got before the cruise came from another review on this web site. If you have
any electrical devices that you need to use in your stateroom, bring an extension cord. There is only
one outlet in the room on the opposite wall from the bed and one additional outlet in the bathroom for
a shaver. I use a breathing device for sleep apnea and the extension cord was a must for me.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the Alaska Inland Passage Cruise on the MV Mercury. I plan to
join Celebrity on another cruise next summer.

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