Mercury Travelogue, March 27 Mexican Riviera

[Joe Beach]

This sounds totally consistent with their policy, of which CDC told them they needed to follow. And I am sure it was because of the immediate problem at hand. Who's to say he wasn't sick from the onboard virus, I submit they cannot tell if it was or wasn't the norovirus, people have variations with disease symptoms. I, for one, am glad Mr. Chiang took the responsibility of reporting his illness instead of acting like many of the irresponsible passengers that hide it and spread it. And I am glad to see Celebrity enforce the quarantine. The reimbursement was part of the noro deal.

 

Now if he were sick on a ship not identified with an active norovirus outbreak, I am sure he would have been treated more routinely.

[cechase]

We took the exact same cruise on Mercury which departed San Diego for a 11 night cruise on 1/2/2006. And It was a really great and wonderful cruise.

 

During our cruise we noticed and religiously used the hand sanitation devices which were placed at the beginning of each line in the buffet, placed at the enterances to the dining room, placed at disembarkation stations, as well on the pier for embarkation and on the tender piers. In addition, my DW purchased and carried a hand santitation solution bottle purchased at Longs Drugs.

 

We were constantly agast that most of the pax DID NOT use these hand sanitation devices. Am really glad to hear that Celebrity did not allow pax to serve themselves at the buffet - that is a crucial step in preventing the spread of this desease. We both noted that people using the public rest rooms in many cases did not even bother to wash their hands after using the facilities.

 

It is nice to read a review from a pax whose glass is half full! We are sorry that you had to suffer a "bleach cruise", and that earlier pax had a horrible cruise. However, we think the blame for your discomfort should be placed on those clueless and thoughtless pax who did not even practice basic sanitation in a crowded environment. This is how the norovirus gets started, and it certainly is not unique to Mercury.

 

I hope that Celebrity enforces its new apparent policy of requiring - mandating pax to follow basic hand sanitation practices before being allowed to use the buffet, and other eating facilities.

[tuggers]

bigtuna, it is kind of scary that we were on the same cruise with some of the rah rahs! Either our expectations for Celebrity are much higher or they just prefer to live in that head in the sand mode.

This WAS NOT an X cruise! I've been on a few of those and this wasn't it. And for the LAST time, we are not talking about the virus, those things happen. We are talking about the TOTAL MISMANAGEMENT of the situation and the TOTAL LACK OF REGARD FOR THE HEALTH AND COMFORT OF GUESTS AND EMPLOYEES.

bigtuna, I get it and I know some others do, but I guess this is a debate that will be impossible to settle so I think I will just give up after this post. Even walking through and living through this situation some people will always be blind to it. JMO

[Sky Sweet]

Those who chose to board the Mercury on March 27, even though they had the option from Celebrity of not doing so, had to realize before they even set foot on that ship that this particular cruise would not be able to provide the typical Celebrity experience

[bububr]

As I had posted before, being on the March 17th cruise, had we known was was happening or been given the choice to board or not to it would have put us in the "okay, its not going to be what we expected, but we'll make the best of it" mode. Not knowing until we boarded and it was too late....really bred some dissapointment. And we were not offered any apologies or compensations.

 

However the March 27th cruise warned the passengers and gave them the option of boarding. They also set up a compensation program, and a reward program for those that stayed in thier cabins when they were ill.

 

We did make the best of it regardless. And I agree with Tuggers..This was NOT a typical X cruise. It fell far below if only in atmospere. There were many incoveniences and cancellations of things were were used to enjoying. But....The ports were nice, the weather was beautiful, we met a lot of nice people....and the ship was certainly clean:D

 

We did not starve, we did lose money in the casinos, and the shows were as we expected.

 

I do think it would be fair if X did offer us (March 17th ) the same incentives as the March 27th passengers.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Dave:eek:

[bigbigtuna]

bigtuna, it is kind of scary that we were on the same cruise with some of the rah rahs! Either our expectations for Celebrity are much higher or they just prefer to live in that head in the sand mode.

 

This WAS NOT an X cruise! I've been on a few of those and this wasn't it. And for the LAST time, we are not talking about the virus, those things happen. We are talking about the TOTAL MISMANAGEMENT of the situation and the TOTAL LACK OF REGARD FOR THE HEALTH AND COMFORT OF GUESTS AND EMPLOYEES.

 

bigtuna, I get it and I know some others do, but I guess this is a debate that will be impossible to settle so I think I will just give up after this post. Even walking through and living through this situation some people will always be blind to it. J

 

Thanks for the support to my comments. People seem to concentrate on the fact that at least we didn't get sick or they are doing everything in their power to meet the requirements of the CDC. Well, I didn't spend my hard earned money or vacation time to enjoy those successes. I wanted to feel pampered in a relaxing, georgeous surroundings. I experienced neither - the ship should never of left port, or if it did, we should have been told what to expect. I really think they should have drydocked this ship and brought in professional cleaners and sanitizers - instead we were forced to incur over 500 crew members and residents brought on the ship armed with spray bottles. I guess we all have a right to voice our opinions and expectations for a vacation bigbigtuna

[bigbigtuna]

Just wanted to add my thanks for the time and effort you spent posting your travelogue. I found your objective but honest postings very helpful. We're on the 4/28 cruise on Mercury to Mexico and are still very much looking forward to it.

 

It's unfortunate that cruise ships and planes are required to report noro outbreaks, but places like hospitals and nursing homes are not - this is something that happens in many different locations, not just cruise ships. That doesn't lessen it's impact on people, but it seems to get more media hype with cruises.

 

Thanks again Mercruiser!

 

E

 

Please let me know how your cruise went - I only hope that what we experienced provided some comfort during your cruise. I would be most interested in how the cleaning, sanitation and illness went. thanks

[Joe Beach]

No one has mentioned how it went with the shaking of the Captain's hand, how did they handle that at the gatherings?

[bigbigtuna]

Those who chose to board the Mercury on March 27, even though they had the option from Celebrity of not doing so, had to realize before they even set foot on that ship that this particular cruise would not be able to provide the typical Celebrity experience

 

What you say would be true if we were given complete information. We were told that the previous two cruises had incurred sickness and that we too could get sick and that sanitation measures would be taking place. Well we had been on two other cruises on other lines which had this same virus and the sanitation measures were sanitizing hands as you enter the dining room, being served in the buffet and the waiter handing out the butter and rolls at the dinner table. Sanitizing measure other than that consisted of spraying or wiping down handles, railings etc - this is a far less invasive procedure than we experienced with the entire ship (including the celebrity singers, dancers and wait staff) working to spray all walls, doors, windows, railings every 30 minutes and letting it drip dry - including the mirrors and counters in our room.

As to the refund, it is true they offered one but it was a credit on a future sailing - no opportunity to get your money back and no credit for plane flights to san diego, transfers to the hotel and dock, hotel overnight and refund for any trip insurance we had purchased.

Even with those expenses we had incurred, if we had been told what to expect, we would have chosen to go home rather than sail on this cruise

Lack of information is a dangerous thing - I can recite several other instances where we were either lied to or seriously mislead due to witholding of information. Finally, they will never know how many people were truely sick since if you visited the infirmary for your courtesy visit even asking for a tums, you and your spouse would be quaranteened. The lady in charge of guest relations stated at the disembarkation discussion that five had just come forward that had been sick for over four days. I know of at least two that I had heard from their friends that they were sick but handled it on their own for fear of being locked in their rooms. I do not advocate this because it exposes others to this same virus but this is the type of situation that we were thrust into for lack of information

[katiebeth]

Sky Suite,

 

Would you want to sail under these conditions? I know my husband and I work very hard and don't have endless days of vacation. I can assure you, I would not have felt good about spending our hard earned money on a ship that is dripping with bleach. I really can't imagine anyone who would not be disappointed with this cruise. Even if posters have no compassion for the passengers, what about the poor crew? They must be beyond exhausted and who knows what the short and long term effects of inhaling so much bleach will be.

 

As far as Celebrity disclosing the situation at the port, from what I have read Celebrity told embarking passengers that the ship was being "sanitized". Based on many of the post on these boards, I believe the term "santized" did not accurately describe the conditions onboard (extensive bleach, exhausted crew, closed dining rooms, etc.) I also think that being offered a refund as you are getting ready to board is a little late in the game. The offer should have come a couple of days sooner , prior to everyone traveling to San Diego.

 

I personally feel badly for those who were not "treated famously". This cruise sounds like a "true departure" in the worst sense.

 

Nancy

[Mercruiser]

Wednesday, April 5, 2006 – At Sea

 

The predominant wind and waves along the Baja Peninsula this time of year are from the Northwest. The wind and waves parallel the Peninsula. The affect is that when the ship is headed southwest from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, the wind, waves, and ship are all headed in the same general direction. That makes for light winds on deck and little pitching and rolling of the ship. At least that had been our experience on this trip.

In contrast, when headed northwest back to San Diego along the Baja Peninsula, the ship is headed both into the wind and the waves. Since the ship and the wind are moving in opposite directions, the wind on the pool deck can be much stronger. The ship is headed into the oncoming waves so the ride can be much rougher.

On our particular trip, the seas were very calm on the trip southeast to Cabo. But, on the trip northwest to San Deigo, the winds were much stronger and the seas were a lot rougher. According to the Captain’s noon reports for the next two days, the winds were 25 knots (28 mph) and the seas were rough.

For breakfast, we took advantage of room service and ordered strawberry smoothies and coffee. After a big dinner every night, we weren’t generally very hungry for breakfast. But, in all honesty, we were never hungry on this whole trip. There is so much food available at all hours of the day.

My wife had a 9:00 a.m. appointment for a facial and, I a 9:40 a.m. appointment at the Cruise Sales Desk. Once they announced a 25% future cruise credit, I was sure that the Cruise Sales Desk would be swamped. So I went down and signed up for an appointment the night before. That turned out to be a good decision.

When I showed up for my 9:40 a.m. appointment, there were already several people without appointments that wanted to talk to Jill Hardy, Cruise Sales Manager. Since I had an appointment and they didn’t, I was given priority. Celebrity also had someone assisting Jill to answer basic questions and suggest that people sign up for the remining open appointments. I discussed a few options with Jill ranging from taking my family of five to Alaska or as simple as a 3 night Pacific Northwest. I was determined not to let the 25% future cruise credit go unused. However, with three children in school, we are at the stage of life where organizing a trip, with or without the kids, requires a lot of planning. Jill provided printed quotes for a couple of options. Since I wasn’t quite ready to make a decision I asked what I needed to do to actually book the trip. She said I would need to make another appointment or fit in between her other scheduled clients. Since I knew that she would be very busy, I chose to sign up for one of the last remaining appointments the next day at 3:20 p.m.

Helpful Hint: If you want to book a cruise on-board, sign up for an appointment. There is a sign-up sheet by the desk. The incentive to book on-board is a shipboard credit of $50 to $200 per stateroom. I accidentally threw away the paper with the exact criteria, but in general you get $50 for short cruises (3 – 4 days), $100 for one-week cruises, and $200 for long cruises. The booking can be transferred to your travel agent so that they still get their comission.

For lunch, we had planned to have pizza poolside and listen to the Party Band Headlines. We got our pizza and walked to the pool deck area to find a table. It was very windy so I was trying to figure out where the least windy area would be. That turned out to be a futile effort. The wind was swirling around the pool deck in such a way that everywhere was windy. We finally chose a sunny table to offset the coolness of the wind. Within a few minutes, my wife’s glass of water blew over in the wind and drenched me with its contents. Fortunately, it was only water. As it turned out, it would be too windy to want to be outside for the rest of the trip. We took our pizza and headed for our cabin.

The Captain’s noon P.A. announcement included the following information.

· Air Temp. 70 F, Sea Temp. 75F

· Wind West at 25 knots

· Seas – Rough

· Speed 22 mph

· Position 7.4 miles west of Cabo San Lucas

Since it was too windy to be outside, we decided to go to the Navigator’s lounge (forward above the bridge) to just enjoy the view. While there, a pod of dolphins were jumping out of the water off the starboard side. There were perhaps 20 or 30 of them. It was quite a site.

Dinner tonight would be the last formal night. I put on my tux (rented) and my wife put on a dress she bought for the cruise. We went down to the Promenade deck early for pictures. On formal nights, they have three different photographers at different locations of the ship. Each had a different background, just like they use at a photography studio. It doesn’t cost anything to have your picture taken. You just go to the photo display area the next day and find them on the display rack. If you like it, buy it. An 8 x 10 costs $25.

For dinner, I had shrimp coktail, ceasar salad, cream of asparagus soup, sorbet (between courses), lobster tail, and Baked Alaska. They made quite a production out of the “Baked Alaska Parade” The Celebrity Orchestra set up at the top of the stairs. Dru Pavlov, Cruise Director, emceed the event. He introduced the entire kitchen staff accompanied by music from the orchestra. As the different staff members were introduced, the loudest applause was given to the pastry chef. At the end of the introductions, Dru led everyone in the singing of Auld Lang Syne. At the conclusion of the introductions and singing, they turned the lights way down. Then all of the waiters emerged from the kitchen, each with a Baked Alaska on a platter. Dru encouraged all of the PAX to wave their napkins around in the air while the waiters paraded around the dining room. After they made a couple of rounds around the room, everyone started taking pictures of their waiters holding the Baked Alaska. The waiters then cut the Baked Alaska into slices and served the passengers. In addition, a tray of Petits Fours was brought to each table. All in all, it was a very enjoyable formal dinner. The quality of food for this formal dinner was on par with what I remember from my last trip on Mercury five years ago. Here is a link to the Manhattan Dinner Menu for this formal night.

The evening show was “Dance Around the World” with the Celebrity Singers and Dancers. On entering the Celebrity Theater, the waiters were offering free champagne and wine. Dru Pavlov later explained that since they were not able to provide champagne on embarkation (the crew was too busy with the sanitization), Celebrity was providing free champagne tonight instead.

I don’t actually remember much about the “Dance Around the World” show. By this time in the cruise, all of the Celebrity Singers and Dancers performances were starting to blur together.

We didn’t really “do much” during this “at sea” day. That’s one of the things I really like about sea days. I don’t feel like I have to do anything other that what is fun or relaxing at the time.

[Mercruiser]

Questions and Answers – Sunday, April 09, 2006

 

JohnChiang: We really enjoyed your company on the Mazatlan and Acapulco tours. We were sorry to hear that you got sick the last two days. I’m glad to hear you got some additional refund for it.

Bigbigtuna: I am agreement with you that the bleaching situation got worse as the cruise went on. When I wrote the “Saturday, April 1, 2006 – Illness Update” they were still mostly wiping down the walls after bleaching. At least that’s how I remember it. As the cruise went on, they mostly stopped wiping down the surfaces. I would see crewmembers just spraying the walls as they walked down the hall. If you go back and read my post you will find the following in which I describe the increased bleaching. I did try to address the fact that the bleaching was getting worse. But, perhaps as you say, I did not adequately cover what was happening.

“Postscript – Monday, April 03, 2006

. . .

We continue to be enjoying good health. But, I must admit I am growing weary of the continual bleaching of the ship. The amount of bleach they are applying in the elevators and stairwells seems quite excessive. Today, I found bleach stains on a pair of my cargo shorts. Not a big deal, but an annoyance nonetheless. I’ll talk to guest relations about reimbursement tomorrow.

It seems to be bothering asthmatics the most. One family with an asthmatic child said they went down to the infirmary and got the doctor to order the cabin attendants to not use bleach in their cabin. Two of the other people who have mentioned to me that the bleach smell is bothering them are both smokers.”

We did have a very different experience than you in our rooms. Except for one occasion, the mirrors and our cabin in general were always wiped down. Sometimes we could smell bleach when we returned to our rooms. But, overall the room was kept clean.

I am sorry that for you and many others, “This is an absolutely horrible cruise.” But, I do not agree that people have to make a choice about who to believe. I hope that the Cruise Critic forums have not become as partisan politics or AM Talk Radio where only one point of view is tolerated. What I am trying to do is write a travelogue on my own personal cruise experience. Let me paraphrase the disclaimer from AM Talk Radio, “The opinions expressed is this travelogue are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of other cruise passengers or cruise line management.”

Tuggers: It is apparent that we have very different opinions about this particular cruise. I respect your views and your right to express them. But, I don’t understand why you feel it is necessary to insult me. Perhaps I am misunderstanding your post of today at 8:53 a.m. It would seem that you would not want to be on the same cruise as me because I am one of the “rah rahs” and that I “prefer to live in that head in the sand mode”. Did I incorrectly come to the conclusion that you are insulting me?

JoeBeach: During the Captain’s welcoming toast (first formal night), it was announced that hand shaking would be suspended. They were recommending that people tap elbows instead. I never went to any of the other Captain’s functions so I don’t know what happened if people tried to shake hands.

[Mercruiser]

I have posted my photos, with captions, for March 26 - 27 in San Diego.

For best viewing of these photos, I recommend changing the "style:" option once you bring up the web page. The "style" option is located near the upper right corner of the web page. Click on the drop-down menu next to "style:" and select "journal" from the list of choices.

Here is the link to Mexican Riviera Cruise, March 27, 2006 galleries

I will be adding photos for the other ports and cruise days over the course of the next week or so. I will post an update as new sections are added.

[BEAV]

We met one gentleman and his wife who were on their first Celebrity cruise. They had been on other lines before. Based on the “Bleach Cruise” experience, they were not planning on booking with Celebrity again. Once the 25% future cruise credit came out, they booked on-board, a very expensive (their words) 14-day Trans Canal trip on a Concierge Class balcony.

 

 

It's interesting how "money talks" and influences people to change their minds. If I took the attitude I'd never sail Celebrity again because of a Norwalk-type outbreak on one of their ships, then I guess I'd never cruise again on ANY line since no one cruise line seems immune from this type of thing happening. Even Crystal Serenity experienced a bout of Norwalk aboard two segments of their full world cruise earlier this year.

 

We sailed HAL Westerdam last November on a sailing that was plagued with the Norwalk virus. Would I not sail HAL again because of it? Of course not!

[SDCoaster]

MERCRUISER – Thanks so much for posting your very personalized travelogue! My family and I have had a wonderful time following your progress and comparing our own experiences with yours as we shared the same cruise on Mercury 3/27.

Just wanted to throw my two cents in as a first-time Celebrity guest on this “unusual” cruise.

RE: Norovirus issues - Celebrity Corporate actions/inaction

Celebrity loses points for NOT notifying pax adequately IN ADVANCE that there were serious health issues at play and for not notifying pax IN ADVANCE that procedures/precautions onboard would significantly impact the usual cruise "experience." Some pax, like myself, were warned two days in advance that the previous two sailings had experienced significant health problems. Other pax, however, were not notified until they had flown into San Diego and arrived at the cruise terminal. Not acceptable!!!

Celebrity gains (a few) points for offering pax the option to postpone sailing by offering a full credit for a future cruise. This SHOULD have been offered up prior to travel to San Diego. However, no airfare travel credit was offered to pax wishing to return home - HUGE loss of points to Celebrity!!!

Celebrity gains (a few more) points for offering pax who toughed out the cruise a 25% cash refund on the Mexican Riviera trip PLUS a 25% discount on any future cruise made before May 2007. One last note regarding customer recompense which I have not seen posted on any of the Mercury threads - at least two different dissatisfied parties left the cruise in Acapulco, and were flown back to San Diego at Celebrity's expense.

Since this is a "cruisecritic review" of the MERCURY, let us remember that NONE of the above issues reflect the crew/staff of the Mercury itself - the issues cited above are CORPORATE issues at Celebrity's upper level. In simple terms, the staff and crew of the Mercury had nothing to do with setting policy on these issues.

RE: Norovirus issues - Mercury/Mexican Riviera 3/27 sailing

Visually, the ship was not pretty due to the ever-present coating of all surfaces with chlorine and other colorful sanitizing preparations. However, with that constant visual reminder, there was little doubt in anyone's mind that the Mercury crew were treating pax' health as the TOP priority of the cruise. My surroundings may not have looked the best, but I felt safe and secure knowing that the crew's vigilance was thorough and fastidious.

The smell of chlorine seemed to affect different pax differently - although, to me, the chlorine smell seemed mildly like that of a swimming pool, other pax experienced regular sneezing and coughing fits. I also understand that a few pax with asthma were particularly affected. The worst area for this was the elevators which were sanitized, seemingly, round-the-clock.

The problem with chlorine-wet surfaces damaging clothing was also particularly problematic in the elevators which, on the Mercury, are tiny cubicles, making it nearly impossible NOT to touch a wall or railing. However, to their credit, the Mercury crew reminded pax to file claim forms for full replacement value of any bleach-damaged garment.

All crew members were expected to report for "sanitation duty" whenever they were not engaged in their regular day-to-day responsibilities. Consequently, the vast majority of the Mercury staff were exhausted, over-extended and stressed during most of the cruise. I must commend the crew and staff for service above and beyond the definition of their respective "contracts." Yes, there may have been a little less energy, and fewer smiles, but what most pax seemed to forget on this cruise was that the crew and staff were working around the clock to keep US safe and healthy.

I must say that I was truly embarrassed and discouraged by the majority of pax on this cruise. Never have I witnessed such whining, complaining and disrespectful behavior in my life. Countless pax, when asked/reminded to sanitize their hands before entering a dining area either verbally attacked the crew member or flatly refused to sanitize their hands. (By reading other posts in this thread, you can probably guess who some of those pax were...) In all my years of cruising and traveling, I can honestly say that this was the ugliest, meanest-spirited group of pax I have ever encountered. Even when OFF the ship and in port, most pax we met preferred complaining about their onboard inconvenience, rather than trying to enjoy their port adventures. How sad for them.

I commend the crew and staff of the Mercury for their vigilance and spirit under the weight of such open hostility.

RE: Mercury - Cruise experience

Okay, now for the REAL review information. This was my first Celebrity cruise, having cruised extensively on Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian.

Room: 12th Floor Sky Suite - while not spacious, the room was quite comfortable with a full-size bed and sleeper sofa, plus dining table. Storage space was more than ample. Although the room appeared clean, there was a persistent smell of mildew and damp.

The bathroom was roomy and included a very nice (but small) whirlpool tub. However, burned-out lightbulbs over the sink made it difficult to see, and despite requests, the bulbs were never replaced. We had difficulties with the toilet - it did not always flush. The scale in our bathroom was broken and never replaced. Finally, there was a leak of water that ran constantly from under our sink and onto the floor of the bathroom that we had to mop up ourselves regularly, or risk slipping on the tile.

The outdoor deck, while large enough for a dining table and 4 deck chairs, was oddly shaped and only partially open to the "sky" (Sky-Suite???) and offered no privacy from next-door neighbors, buffet diners one floor below, nor from pax walking the deck above.

Our television/vcr worked sporadically, and in-room services which were supposedly available to us via remote control were totally non-functional. The telephone system was barely audible, with frequently dropped calls, and the "automated" telephone/wake-up call system routinely woke you up either one hour late!!!

Housekeeping was uneven. As mentioned above, a number of requested repairs, etc. were never addressed (light bulbs, water leaks, etc.) Towels and bedsheets were replaced regularly and quickly throughout the day, however the bed-covers and complimentary robes in our room were never laundered during the entire trip.

Butler Service was EXQUISITE!!! Our butler was charming, delightful and seemingly ever-present. When returning to our suite, he was nearly always waiting in the corridor to unlock and open our door, at which time he would ask how we were enjoying our cruise, what we had done that day, and what could he do for us right now. Upon returning to our room, any clothing, shoes, etc. that had been left out had been folded, hung, put away. Each day we discovered different "decorations" adorning our vanity and mirrors. Every day at 4pm (exactly!!!) we received afternoon tea consisting of delicious finger sandwiches and an array of sweets (don't tell the butler what your favorites are - he brings DOUBLE the next time!!!) Then, every afternoon at 5pm (exactly!!!) we were treated to hors-d'ouevres and coffee. While at sea, our butler would check our cabin throughout the day to ensure that our deck chairs were in the maximum available sunlight at any time, and that there were fresh beach towels in place. And while I chose not to take advantage of this particular service, the butler is prepared to do all of one's unpacking and packing for you, pre- and post-cruise. If I cruise Celebrity again, I will NOT do without butler service.

Food Service – This was probably the biggest disappoint to us for this cruise. We attended late seating in the Manhattan most evenings. And while we enjoyed the selection, presentation and quality of the appetizers and soups, we found the salads and entrees to be bland and pretty mediocre. The entrée selection was almost always the same: pasta, fish, chicken, roast beef and either pork, veal or lamb. As “late” diners, we were invariably told by our waiter that the beef, pork, veal and lamb dishes were either “tough”, “dry”, or were no longer available – which limited the entrée menu even further. Also, as a “late” diner, we rarely had a choice of dessert – there was usually only one choice remaining. As a dessert lover this was a huge disappointment.

Our dining room waiter and assistant waiter were courteous, efficient and extremely professional – and ALWAYS greeted us warmly both at dinner and when our paths crossed elsewhere on shipboard. Our Assistant Maitre d’, diligently visited our table each night to remind us to appropriately turn our clocks ahead or back (he was not a great conversationalist, I’m afraid, but congenial.)

The buffet dining was clearly “leftovers” from the previous evenings’ main dining consisting of a lot of very dry meat dishes, re-cooked fish with “special” sauces, and hard one or two-day-old rolls and bread.

Two of our favorite places to dine were the burger/hot dog grill at the main pool and the tossed pasta and pizza kitchen adjacent to the enclosed pool. The quality of food at both of these locations was excellent – and the “design-your-own” tossed pasta with gourmet ingredients was a lot of fun. The chefs at the pasta/pizza station were among the funniest and friendliest on the entire cruise!!!

Beverage Service The bartenders on the Mercury are fantastic! Good drinks, good jokes, excellent and entertaining service. The Martini Bar was by far our favorite place to relax and spend time – this was due EXCLUSIVELY to the incredible personality of the bartender, whose name (I am ashamed to admit) I cannot remember.

Spa Services Simply the best! Talented and cheerful from the front desk to the stone massages (2!) and foot massage and pedicure I enjoyed. Expert treatments in a serene and positive environment. And if you haven't already experienced it, you MUST try out the "Thalassotherapy Pool" located in the AquaSpa. We visited daily and miss it so.

Other Services Due to the unusual nature of this particular cruise, it's difficult to assess much of the "usual" services and amenities fairly. We found a number of services to be "unremarkable", and this may be due entirely to the circumstances brought about by the heightened health practices - or not - I'll just have to wait til my next Celebrity cruise to find out. That said, some of those "unremarkable" services include the casino, Rialto Galleries, photo services, onboard social activities, shopping services, and the saddest/emptiest disco ever, due in large part, I'm SURE, to the dismal DJ (who is also extremely RUDE) and his equally dismal music.

Public Areas - Despite the obvious issues with bleach, etc. there are a number of cosmetic/functional problems throughout the Mercury that could be addressed for future improvement (although rumor has it that the Mercury is being sold to another cruise line...) Much of the upholstered seating in the common areas is worn through in places. The elevators are sadly in need of renovation: parquet floors are worn through and stained, paint has chipped from the button panels, some elevators no longer stop on certain floors, railings are worn through to raw wood.

Overall, I would have to say that our first experience on Celebrity was NOT what we had been told to expect, but under these unique circumstances we are prepared to try again in anticipation of the "full" Celebrity experience. In many ways we did indeed feel that we were "treated famously" and we are looking forward to our next Celebrity adventure through the Panama Canal.

Mercruiser - thanks again for your lovely travelogue!!!!

SDCoaster :)

[adegner]

Mercruiser,

 

I just wanted to thank you so much for taking the time to write this travelogue. There have been so many negative posts that I fell I should let you know that there are a lot of us here that appreciate you and reading you lovely detailed document. Please keep doing these.

[Sky Sweet]

Mercruiser,

 

I just wanted to thank you so much for taking the time to write this travelogue. There have been so many negative posts that I fell I should let you know that there are a lot of us here that appreciate you and reading you lovely detailed document. Please keep doing these.

 

Mercruiser, I feel the same way :)

[vince4]

Mercruiser: I think some of your fellow cruisers would have prefered for you to keep your positive cruise experience quiet. I'm glad you didn't:)

 

General question: What makes a savvy cruiser anyways?

 

1. Cruises been on?

2. Cruises currently booked?

3. How big is your cruise critic fan club?

 

or

 

4. Finding a way to enjoy your cruise, regardless of the circumstances?

 

Vince

[Sky Sweet]

Mercruiser: I think some of your fellow cruisers would have prefered for you to keep your positive cruise experience quiet. I'm glad you didn't:)

 

General question: What makes a savvy cruiser anyways?

 

1. Cruises been on?

2. Cruises currently booked?

3. How big is your cruise critic fan club?

 

or

 

4. Finding a way to enjoy your cruise, regardless of the circumstances?

 

Vince

 

Hi Vince :)

 

I agree with your opinion about people who make the most out of any situation in life. That is why some people are so lonely that they spend most of their lives escaping from the real world, while others enjoy fulfilling lives, surrounded by people who truly love them.

[Mercruiser]

Thursday, April 6, 2006 – At Sea

 

Note: Please follow the links for pictures illustrating the text.

During the night, the seas got much rougher than we had experienced previously on this trip. I woke up several times during the night because of it. The side-to-side motion (rolling) was minimal, probably due to the use of the stabilizer fins and the fact Mercury was headed straight into the oncoming waves. In contrast, the front to back pitching movement was very noticeable. Pop cans stored above the refrigerator were rolling around. The wind howled through the balcony partitions and whistled through the gaps around the balcony door. The cabin was making squeaking and groaning noises as the ship pitched up and down. Occasionally you could feel the whole ship shudder as the bow came crashing down into the water. Our cabin was located mid-ships up high on Deck 12. I imagine those located in the forward cabins had a much rougher ride, especially when the bow hit the water.

For breakfast we headed down to the Manhattan Restaurant for Eggs Benedict. We were seated at a table in the middle of the main floor with three other couples. I was facing the rear window of the dining room, which is behind the Captain’s table. The horizon could be seen going way up and down in the window as the ship pitched in the swells. Fortunately, I never felt any seasickness. These were the same conditions that made me feel seasick as a youth on the Queen of the North ferry – watching the horizon rise and fall while seated in the dining room.

Sometime after breakfast (I forgot to write the time down in my notes), the Dru Pavlov got on the P.A. system and announced that due to the sea conditions, they are requesting that woman were flat soled shoes – no high heals. Dru asked that everyone hold the handrails when negotiating stairs and to be extra careful. My wife and I had been avoiding touching handrails all week to keep from contacting any virus or getting bleach residue on our hands. Holding onto handrails was not something we wanted to do.

At noon, the Captain announced that we were making 18 knots, the air temperature was 57 F and the sea temperature was 61 F. The wind was from the NW at 25 knots. The seas were rough with moderate swells from the NW.

Being that this was the last day of the cruise, I decided to go exploring some of the areas of the ship that I had not been to so far. I started on Deck 4 and worked my way fore and aft of every deck just exploring and taking some pictures. It was interesting noting some of the changes since my trip on Mercury five years prior. The Card Room on the Promenade deck has been converted into the High Seas Computer Center. (Interestingly enough, it is still labeled as the Card Room on the Celebrity website deck plans.) On the Panorama deck, the port side of Michaels Club has been converted into the Card Room.

Another change relates to the marketing of Sony products. Early Mercury brochures made frequent references to Sony equipment used on board and “the Sony Wonder store, exhibiting all the latest high-tech gadgets.” The Sony Wonder sign is still on the Entertainment Deck and it is still shown on the deck plans. But, there doesn’t appear to be any kind of a Sony store or display other than this one sign. Lastly, the Sony Corporation does not appear to be using the Sony Wonder name anymore. Try www.sonywonder.com in your web browser and see what I mean.

On the aft section of Deck 14, the Sunrise Deck, there is a satellite dish that I don’t remember from five years ago. (I’m too lazy to dig out my old slides from back then. I used Kodachrome until the very end, as in “Momma Don't Take My Kodachrome Away.”) I’m guessing they had to add a new satellite dish to support Internet access.

One other change the got my attention was the addition of security bars around the aft crew area where the docking lines are handled. This area of this ship is on Deck 3. I’m guessing the bars were added to prevent unauthorized boarding of the ship.

There were a couple of areas of the ship that were closed to passengers that were open five years ago. There is a forward observation area on Deck 11 that was closed for this entire cruise. The observation area is on the roof of the bridge in front of the Aquaspa. This observation area was a very popular place to be while cruising Hubbard Glacier in Alaska. For a warm weather cruise, the closure of this area presented a bit of a dilemma. If you wanted to be on an outside deck on the front of the ship, perhaps to take pictures, the only open area is on the front of Deck 14 above the Navigator Club. However, if you walk up to Deck 14 forward, there are signs saying the area is reserved for “Topless Sunbathing”.

The other area that was closed is the corridor that wraps around the front of the Celebrity Theater. Five years ago, passengers could walk completely around the ship by starting on the Promenade deck and heading forward. At the front of the promenade deck, there is an enclosed corridor that wraps around the front of the ship. You could follow the corridor around back to the Promenade Deck on the opposite side of the ship. This corridor now has a “Crew Only” sign posted.

While exploring the ship, I was able to experience the ride in the different areas of the ship during the moderate swell conditions. The smoothest ride could be found in the Deck 5 foyer near Guest Relations. By extrapolation, I would guess that the Deck 4 cabins below this area have a good ride as well. The roughest ride was on the forward areas of the ship. Occasionally, the bow of the ship would slam into the oncoming swell. The whole front of the ship would shake when this would happen. I got to experience a bit of the advice to book a cabin low, amidships for the smoothest ride.

I also made a point of getting some photographs of the “Bleach Cruise” affects on board. Here is a picture taken through the glass of the stair railing. What you are seeing is the dried bleach buildup on the glass. This residue was on almost all vertical surfaces but was easiest to see on shiny surfaces such as glass. Another example is the Deck 7 directory sign. I went to Rendez-Vous Square to find the most bleach damaged chair. I didn’t do an exhaustive inspection of each chair, but here is the worst one I could find. The bleach stain does not show up very well in the photograph. But, if you look at the chair seat, you will notice some light blue spots. I think these are stains from bleach that dripped off the glass table. The light area on the armrests is general wear and tear unrelated to the bleaching.

For lunch, my wife and I went to the Palm Springs Café for lunch the only time this cruise. On all of the port days we ate lunch off the ship. On the other “at sea” days we ate hamburgers or pizza. We never did eat lunch in the Manhattan on this cruise or the one five years ago. The buffet food was okay but not spectacular. I never seek out buffets at home or while traveling. So I guess you could say that I’m not really into buffets. I did enjoy the “Casual Afternoon Tea” held daily in the Palm Springs Café from 4 – 5 p.m. The desserts there were really good. Of course, I didn’t really need dessert just before dinner!

I went down to the Cruise Sales Desk at about 3:10 p.m. for my 3:20 appointment. There were lots of people waiting in the to talk to Jill, the Cruise Sales Manager. I let Jill know that I was there for my 3:20 appointment. I sat down and watched to goings on. There were a lot of frustrated people trying to book cruises that didn’t have appointments. Being the last day of the cruise, there were no more appointments available. Some of the people had been waiting for a couple of hours. They got into arguments with Jill and each other about who had been waiting longest and when it would be their turn. Jill tried to be diplomatic, but she was in the position of telling them that the people with appointments had priority. That was not what they wanted to hear. When it was my turn, I finalized my booking for a 3-day Northwest Cruise out of Seattle in September on the Mercury. It’s not a cruise that I would normally go on. But, it was absolutely free. My 25% future cruise credit will pay for the whole fare for an inside cabin. I would have liked to go on a longer cruise, but family, work, and financial considerations had to be considered. I am looking forward to seeing Mercury again, sans bleach.

After booking our future cruise, we went to the Celebrity Theater for the “Talent Show.” There were a couple of really good singers amongst the group. After the Talent Show, we went back to our cabin to get a start on our packing. According to the disembarkation information, all suitcases were to be placed in the corridor by 11:00 p.m.

Being the last night of the cruise, the dress code for dinner was casual. The Manhattan Restaurant included one of my all time favorites, rack of lamb. My wife had shrimp - one of her favorites. For dessert I had a Napoleon. The dinner was very good. At the conclusion of dinner, we went through the “tipping envelope ritual.” It went fine, but it strikes me as an awkward social situation. I don’t know why.

We went back to our room between dinner and the evening show. I saw our cabin attendant in the hall and motioned for him to come to our cabin. On his arrival, I gave him the tip envelopes to him for the cabin attendants and the Assistant Chief Housekeeper. We thanked him for keeping our cabin clean and talked about the difficulties of the cruise. He said that disembarkation was going to be a very long day. He would have to work from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. After we disembarked, he and his coworkers would have to disinfect all of their assigned cabins.

We went to the final evening entertainment in the Celebrity Theater. The show opened with Ilia & Valerie. This performance was more of an artistic dance routine than their prior performances. The ship was still pitching quite a bit from the oncoming swells. I was impressed that it didn’t seem to adversely affect their performance. After Ilia & Valerie, Pearl Kaufman and the Celebrity Orchestra performed for the remainder of the show. I enjoyed the evening’s entertainment. Ilia & Valerie and Pearl Kaufman did a great job at all of their performances.

Dru Pavlov finished the evening with his closing remarks. Dru will be leaving Mercury to be Cruise Director on the Millennium. I did not hear when the transfer would take effect. Dru also announced that our arrival in San Diego would be at 3:00 a.m. to allow time for sanitization of the ship. The disembarkation would be accelerated with the first disembarkations starting at 7:00 a.m. Breakfast would be available in both the Palm Springs Café and the Manhattan Restaurant. The disembarkation time for my wife and I was scheduled for 8:00 a.m.

For me, this was both a good and a bad day. I really enjoyed my day on Mercury. But the last day of vacation always makes me feel a little sad.

[Fblack]

Thanks for all your reports. I am on the April 17th cruise. We need someone on this weeks cruise to give us an update.

 

As for the rough seas the last day home... it is always like that. I have been on 15 Mexican Riviera cruises and every time the seas get rougher. Why...the Captain speeds up to get to port on time and the ship fights the current and winds.

[stinsowm]

Hi Mercruiser,

 

Yet another great detailed report. Wish you and your wife were on our April 28th sailing. We have a great group of cruise critics going. Hopefully conditions will be better and peoples attitudes on our sailing will be better than what you all had. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your pictures. Hopefully you took some good ones of your cabin and balcony--I want to see those for selfish reasons. : )

 

FBLACK I agree I wish someone on the current sailing will give an update. I have always heard though that no news is good news. We on the 28th sailing will be looking for updates too from your group if you all can. I know it is vacation and who wants to spend it behind a computer, right? : ) Happy sails to you and your cruise critic group too.

 

Walter

[rubrrick]

Excellent ongoing report Mercruiser! I know that there are differing reports, in regards to what passengers were subjected to in the control of the outbreak of the Norovirus, and I'm sure that the negative reports are just as correct about the conditions and you were positive about them.

 

You gave us a narrative that, for me, as a 4 time Mercury cruiser, made me feel that I was right back onboard. Thanks

 

Rick

[Sky Sweet]

Mercruiser: I think some of your fellow cruisers would have prefered for you to keep your positive cruise experience quiet. I'm glad you didn't:)

 

General question: What makes a savvy cruiser anyways?

 

1. Cruises been on?

2. Cruises currently booked?

3. How big is your cruise critic fan club?

 

or

 

4. Finding a way to enjoy your cruise, regardless of the circumstances?

 

Vince

 

This is another way to look at it. Is a person who has been teaching for thirty years a better teacher than someone who has only been teaching for ten? If they are a better teacher, it is because of who they are (intelligence, education, emotional maturity, etc), not how long they have been teaching. While some experience is important in becoming an expert on anything, most people reach a point of diminishing returns very quickly.

[vince4]

Here is another incident of a past "Savvy" Celebrity Cruiser:

 

Onboard the Millenium last June, we're in the Cosmos nightclub after a show. There wasn't an empty seat anywhere. The bar staff was trying to get everyone's order and bringing back trays loaded with drinks. One of the "Savvy Cruisers" decided that he had waited too long for his drink and went to complain about the runner to the bar manager. The runner was making a valiant effort to accomodate everyone's request. After the complaint, I walked up to the Bar Manager and complimented the runner on being able to keep up with all the passenger's orders. She smiled and said, "Thank you, but there are some people who you can never make happy".

 

Sorry to go off topic on your thread Mercruiser:) I hope you will post the rest of your pictures soon.

 

Vince