Simply the BEST.......... (review of the MERCURY 1/23-2/1)

[COASTERBOB]

This is my review of our recent cruise on the MERCURY:

 

 

CELEBRITY MERCURY (1/23-2/1) “ NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL………. SERVICE!”

 

 

 

I won't continue a step-by-step review or you'll be reading War and Peace. Instead I will focus on what made this cruise the BEST we have ever experienced and that is that the MERCURY staff and crew were the friendliest, the most attentive, the most service-oriented , the most accommodating we have ever met. This was the unanimous concensus of the 6 in our group who have been on 45 cruises combined! This was not a ship, this was a FAMILY, who invited us to join them for 9 days of fun,(some sun), great food and drink, great entertainment and great memories. What made this crew different was that the officers were so accessible everywhere on the ship. We were on a 1st name basis with many of them in no time, as well as the staff.

 

 

Now a little about different aspects of the ship:

 

 

EMBARKATION: the easiest we have ever encountered. We (3 couples), used a limo service from South Jersey for the easy 2 hour drive to the port and we were left off right in front of the door! Our luggage was whisked off and in no time we were on the ship sipping champagne!

 

 

CABIN: We were on Vista Deck (#9), with a Deluxe Outside Cabin. We were very please with the amount of room and had no trouble unpacking and storing our luggage. Our room steward , Carlos was the best and kept us supplied with plenty of ice, extra towels and nice feather pillows.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Rob Wheatley, our CD and his staff were wonderful. Rob is a true professional, and extremely friendly and it didn't hurt that he and I had some great conversations about soccer and the World Cup, which will be played in his native country of South Africa! He was an emergency replacement as CD but you'd never know it. He is a natural. The 3 production numbers were great with a couple of wonderful voices (Joe and Brianna), and one really charismatic dancer (Natalie), who, at 19, has an amazing future in front of her. The show-stopper, for me, was the LeMiz medley.....outstanding and moving. There was a very entertaining pianist, the amazing Antonio Salci. This guy put on a helluva performance and got the best out of the Celebrity orchestra, giving each member a nice solo. The Mercury Celebrity Theater was very nice room with good sight lines. Also, the party band Fusion was outstanding in whatever venue they played.

 

 

MAIN DINING ROOM: We had late seating at table #521 which sat on the 5th level, right at the base of the large staircase. It was the perfect location for the Baked Alaska finale on the second formal night. (more on that in a bit.) We had a table for the 6 of us and didn't miss a meal! Our waiter (Koray from Turkey)), and asst. waiter, (Veljko from Serbia), were the friendliest we have ever had cruising. Veljko was riot, giving 2 impromptu serenades to us during the cruise, and he has a pretty good voice as well! We saw him many times on the ship and we always had a shout-out for him and vice versa. The food was outstanding at most every dinner, and I even got Steak Diane, one night after talking to Head Chef Misha during the galley tour. Misha was a bundle of energy, every time you saw him. On the second formal night, all the waiters and asst waiters parade around the restaurant with the baked alaska dessert and we are all asked to cheer loudest for our favorites. Well, I jumped up on my chair and we started waving our napkins as our table went wild, hooting and hollering for Koray and Veljko. We certainly got the attention of the staff as the Head Chef, the Food & Beverage Manager, and the Restaurant Manager came to our table to congratulate our enthusiasm. We were then treated to a round of Specialty Coffees, prepared table-side by the Head Bartender of the ship. It was real highlight of the cruise for the 6 of us.

 

 

 

LOUNGES: For sure we had at least one drink at every bar of the ship, but our favorite spot turned out to be the little Champagne Bar hidden on deck 5. We were there most every night before dinner to listen to Bobby, the guitar player and sip some wonderful Martinis. Other nice place to relax and/or enjoy various music were the CovaCafe , the Navigator and the Pavilion. Fuseon, the Party Band was superb everytime we listened to them.

 

 

 

DEBARKATION: it was just as easy to get off the ship as it was to get on. We were actually some of the last passengers to leave, but that allowed us to find our luggage with ease, and out the door and onto our van.

 

 

This was not a good cruise, or even a very good cruise. It was, in Celebrity language an:

E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T CRUISE!!!!!

 

 

Bob

[tea4ular]

Mercury will be my first on Celebrity (10th overall) and now the drooling has begun anew. Can I wait until May, that's the question! :D

[ehrlichpuppy]

Did anyone in your party do the spa? Does the Mercury have a Thalassotherapy pool ? Or are they only on the M-class & higher ?

[lysolqn]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. We've sailed Mercury many times and she's one of our favorites.

 

By the way, is the title of your post pure coincidence or did you intentionally harken back to X's "simply the best" ad campaign of years ago? Thought it was the best they ever had - catchy tune, memorable, easily identifiable and certainly a catch phrase with which any cruise line would want to be synonymous. IMHO, far better than anything they've had since, and that includes "starring you" or the current "designed for you."

[cookiejarvis]

Coaster Bob...Thanks for your fabulous review of Mercury. I will be on her in about 16 days out of Charleston and cannot wait. Your review made me more excited about this trip. Thanks for taking the time to write.

[BonnieVA]

Does the Mercury have a Thalassotherapy pool?

 

Yes, it does.

[Texed]

Bob,

Thanks for posting. :)

[teedee]

Bob - Thanks for posting your review. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. It's making me even more excited to be back on the Mercury in less than a month now!

 

Terri

[cruiseacecat]

Thanks for your wonderful review. You actually put me right back on the ship.

Do you know why Rob Wheatley is the cd. I like him, but I was expecting to see Mercury's usual cd whose name escapes me. Both are very good.

Would love to see Fusion again before they leave the ship. They are outstanding and I hope they come back with a cd. I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Glad you enjoyed and wish I had been there also.

 

Anne

[Amber14]

Thanks for taking the time to share your Mercury experience with us. It was a great review!

 

We are now even more excited about our upcoming trip. Do you know when the band Fusion is leaving the ship? We'll be on board Mar. 29 and would love it if they were still there.

[wvufan]

Good morning,

 

We were on the Mercury in January and also felt it was a great cruise-we agree with your saying the crew and staff were like a family. The ship has a great personality.

 

Erlich-the T Pool is free to Elite on port days, but there is a charge while at sea. I think it is something like $20 per day, with a rate for the whole cruise. Smaller than the M Class but I liked it better-more nozzles which are great for massaging.

 

Was Natalie the little red head? She was one of the ones who greeted us as we boarded the ship-what a bundle of energy and clearly the pick of the litter.

 

Salci was spectacular-he put on an extra afternoon show for us and the theater was filled.

 

Stewart was our CD-he had just come off vacation and was supposed to be back on for several months-I wonder if he got sick or something. Is Rob a temporatry CD?

 

We will be back on the Mercury in April and know it will be a wonderful cruise.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[cruzeluver]

Thank you so much for a fantastic review.

 

I too hope like heck that Fusion is still around when we sail March 29th. They are easily the best band we have seen on a cruise.

 

Thanks again!!

[COASTERBOB]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Rob Wheatley was an emergency replacement for Stewart Turnbull whose Dad had gotten sick. Rob was wonderful. Yes Natalie is the red-head. She is an amazing talent for only being 19 years old. We got to talk with her when we did the backstage tour.

 

"Simply the Best" just popped into my head, purly a coincidence, but spot on!

[portofrome]

Thank you for your review.

[Lois R]

Thanks for the review:) and glad you had such a good time. I have

sailed her 7 times and I am trying to figure when I am going back for

#8:D

[COASTERBOB]

Thanks for the review:) and glad you had such a good time. I have

sailed her 7 times and I am trying to figure when I am going back for

#8:D

 

Wow, that is some endorsement of her. She is quite the lady! And her "servents" (crew/staff), are the nicest.........

 

Bob

[Lois R]

Wow, that is some endorsement of her. She is quite the lady! And her "servents" (crew/staff), are the nicest.........

 

Bob

 

Hi Bob, the crew and staff are the best:)

I have a good friend who lives in Vancouver and he has sailed her

10 times and he just emailed me that he is going on his 11th this

fall:D;)