4/7 Mercury Review

[fauxpaz]

Below is my review of the Mercury for the 4/7 sailing. As a bit of background info, this was my first Celebrity Cruise as well as my first time to all of the ports. I have traveled a few times on Carnival and Norwegian on shorter cruises and was looking for an upscale line for this cruise, which was why we chose Celebrity. My travel group consisted of myself, my husband, my 11 month old daughter and my parents. I failed to write down copious notes for the majority of the trip so I am going off memory for much of this. There were some plusses and minuses on board and based upon them I am not sure if I would cruise with Celebrity.

 

Embarkation: This was probably the easiest and smoothest embarkation I have ever witnessed and that was with the boat being delayed. My mom and I were dropped off at IKEA to do some shopping (we don’t have one at home ) and my husband dropped off our luggage. Before we could even make to the bottom floor they were calling to say that they were on their way back. We arrived back at the boat at 1:00pm and received our seapass cards by 1:15. There were no lines, but it just took some time to get all of our paperwork together along with the CDC questionnaire before we could head up to the check-in desks. We asked about our special dietary needs request and were told that if the food was not in our cabin to head to Guest Services. Celebrity had put out sandwiches and drinks for a light lunch while everyone was waiting to board. My husband checked with the pier coordinator to see if an upgrade was possible, but we were informed that the boat was full to capacity.

 

At around 2:30pm the flood gates opened and we were able to head towards to ship. Upon arrival at the top of the gangway we were greeted with “The Orb” as we came to call it. It contained the hand sanitizer that was required before entering the boat, buffet, or restaurant. Just as a side note, I wish they would have one of these at the entrances to the casinos so that it would be available for people to use after playing the slots or video poker machines.

 

After “cleaning” our hands we were met with a champagne toast and had our seapass pictures taken. We were told that the staterooms would not be ready until 4pm and were escorted by a crew member to the buffet area where they were serving a light lunch. Since we weren’t really hungry, we grabbed some lemonade and headed out to explore the ship.

 

Ship: While the ship is an older vessel and had some serious issues with the previous cruises, we did not see any high profile visual aftereffect. Yes, some of the chairs had worn spots on the edges and yes, some of the tables were chipped or scratched, but I guess that type of stuff does not bother me too much. To me the ship looked like it was lived in and comfortable like a person’s home rather than a cookie cutter ship.

 

Stateroom (Deck 8, outside): Around 4pm, we were allowed to go to our room. On the way to our room we met our stateroom attendant Janet, who was smiling and helpful and showed us to our room. We had previously read on Cruise Critic that the rooms on the Mercury were small, but we found them to be well designed to maximize space and storage. Even though the Carnival rooms are bigger on paper, I feel that the Mercury’s room was bigger because it used its space more efficiently. Even with all of our baby gear (stroller, crib, and toys) we had plenty of room to move around and get ready for dinner. Even the bathrooms were a decent size and the shower was great. To maximize our space, we placed the stroller in the shower when either was not in use and folded down the crib (a Pack n Play that was provided by the ship) and put it in the corner. All in all, the staterooms were pretty great.

 

Guest Services (or lack thereof): This section turned into 7 pages of typed text, so I edited down to the nitty gritty, but it is still rather long. Prior to the cruise we had submitted a special dietary request for my daughter and was reassured by the special services office in Miami that Celebrity would be providing my daughter’s baby food, formula and cereal and as such only packed enough for our first day on board. Upon arrival we did not see the baby food or formula and requested the Janet find out where it was at. When she came back to the room she handed over 1 box of rice cereal, 1 bottle of pedialyte and enough formula for 2.5 days (there was another package of formula, but it was soy and I was unsure if my daughter would be allergic to it since she has never taken it). When we asked about the missing formula, she said that she would double check and get back with us after the muster drill. We were initially curious about the pedialyte since we did not order it, but figured that they provided it due to the sickness from the last few cruises and just to be extra cautious. After the muster drill we headed back down to the room to drop off the life jackets and try to track down Janet to inquire about our formula and baby food. When we couldn’t find it, we decided to head up to deck to catch the last of the informal Cruise Critic party (sorry for being so late!) and to watch us set sail from San Diego. We then headed to our room and found that the baby food had arrived, but no formula. After dinner, we popped into the room to see if the formula was there. It wasn’t. We then made our first (but not last) trip to Guest Services. After discussing the matter with a rather clueless guest services attendant, we were informed that our formula was mistakenly delivered to the wrong cabin and they are sorting it out. Fine.

 

Both the next morning and afternoon, we headed down to Guest Services and were informed that they were still sorting it out and that we would get a call back. Meanwhile, we were running out of formula. After dinner we received no call and no formula. My third trip to guest services that day revealed that they could not find our formula request. I produced the fax confirmation I received from the special services office and they said that they are checking to see if they have any formula in the back.

 

On Day 3 we were anchored in Cabo (I’ll review the ports separately below). We talked again to another guest services attendant who states that they have no formula on board and that they did not have our request. Again we pulled out the confirmation fax from Celebrity. We asked them if they would be providing formula for our baby and the guest services attendant stated that she would talk with her supervisor and would give us a call back. We told them that we were going to breakfast in the dining room and to have someone from guest services let us know if they would be buying her formula or if we should buy it while in port. During breakfast a waiter came up to us and asked if we were the ones looking for formula. We replied yes and he confirmed our stateroom # and said (reading from notes on his pad) that they would be buying formula in Cabo. I then asked if he was sure and he said yes. Ok, we left for our day in Cabo and returned about 3:00pm and when we swiped our cards to get on the boat the security officer said that we had a message to go to guest services. When we got up there, the guest services attendant stated that they wanted to tell us that they did not buy the formula since they did not show that we requested it. What!!!?? I again went through the whole “we ordered it and why isn’t it there” conversation again (with the same people I might add). They said that they didn’t have it and there was no more on the ship. It was now 3:10m and we only had enough formula to last my daughter until 6am the next morning. When asked why they didn’t buy the formula, they said that they never told us that they would purchase it. When I asked about the waiter, she said that she didn’t know who it was and was unsure about what he told us. My husband asks if someone from the boat can go with him into Cabo to find a pharmacy or grocery store since he is unfamiliar with the town and speaks very little Spanish. We are told that no one is available and that if he is not back in time they would leave without him. We asked the guest services person if they could recommend a store to buy formula or where we could go to get formula. She tells me that she is unfamiliar with the city. Regardless, my husband decides to go back into town to get the formula since we could be delayed in getting to our next port or unable to dock due to weather conditions. I then demand to see an officer, manager or captain. I am told that none are available. I told them to get the supervisor’s supervisor and miraculously some is now available.

 

Patricia the Head Concierge comes out and ushers me into her office. She states that she is unfamiliar with the situation (What!! I have been to that desk 5x about this) and that she is going to look into it. I guess it turns out that we were given formula that was purchased for another baby and that they had been trying to get a hold of us to switch it back. They couldn’t get a hold of us? We are on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Did they think we just stepped out to get some air?? I told Patricia that we requested formula and it was their responsibility to get it to us and if it wasn’t there when we left San Diego, then they should have purchased it for us in Cabo as they told us at breakfast. She really didn’t have too much to say. At that point I had to go upstairs and feed my baby and headed that way. At this moment Rueben (the chief housekeeper) decides to appear and ask if we have the formula. I state that we do and he tells me that he has my formula and that he would like to switch it out. So now I am upset because now they have my husband running through Cabo looking for formula that they had on the boat the whole time. Rueben then comes back with 20 jars of food and 3 cans of liquid mix formula (which is not what I requested and only enough to last 2 days) This formula needed to be refrigerated after opening, which the room coolers would not do and had to be mixed at one setting. Thinking that my husband was getting formula in Cabo, I let the remaining cans of ready to use formula out of my sight. So Reuben leaves with the last of the Similac ready made formula and I am stuck with these liquid mix cans that I have no container large enough to mix in and have no way to keep cold. It is now 4:10 and I have not heard from my husband. 4:30 pm rolls around (last tender at 4:45) and my husband calls my cel phone to say that he is on the boat with formula. I am afraid to find out how much that call is going to cost me.

My husband makes it up to the room with this “formula.” After 6 different pharmacies he found a can of formula by a semi recognizable brand “Nestle.” I know Nestle makes Good Start in the states and my daughter usually gets an upset stomach from it. I am not too thrilled, but in a pinch I guess it will have to do. The can was in Spanish and so we made our 3rd trip to guest services that day to see if we can get the can translated since we still did not have a jug to mix the formula. Patricia claims that she will find us a jug, can opener and a place to keep it cold and give us a call. She also claimed that she will credit our account the amount of the formula and takes our receipt. She stated that Rueben was planning to go into Matzatlan at 7am to purchase the correct formula for both my daughter and the other baby affected by the mix up. She finally stated that someone would be in our room before dinner to translate the can for us. After dinner we still had not been provided a translator.

 

Day 4 was Matzatlan – We mixed the liquid formula for my daughter at 6am and I called housekeeping to have someone come get the formula so that it can be kept cold. I am informed that Janet was not on until 7:30am. I tell housekeeping to send someone down to my cabin to get it ASAP and that it did not have to be Janet. At 7am Janet showed up to take the formula to the pantry. We head down to guest services (at this point they know both my name and cabin # without asking) I am told that no one speaks Spanish in her department and that the only person they can think of is Reuben and that she will call him for us. I inform her that he is supposedly off the boat buying formula for my baby. She looks confused and still leaves him a message. My stepdad mentions that we should take the can to the dining room with us for breakfast and they may know someone who speaks Spanish. Our assistant Madre ’D (I forget his name, but he was great!) called one of his wait staff to our table to translate it and then writes down on his pad what it he believed the translation to be. Then he sent the can with a waiter to the medical office to confirm that their translation was correct, which it was. What took guest services a half day to not do, took the dining room staff 10 minutes.

 

Knowing that we had the formula translated and that it appeared to be safe, we took off for our excursion. Upon arrival back at the boat we went to our room and the formula was not there. Sigh, back to guest services. 30 minutes later Reuben appeared with 2 large cans of “Enfamil Con Hierro” which was more than enough to last the trip. However, we are back to the translation issue and while I am familiar with the brand name, I am not familiar with this particular type of formula (Enfamil makes about 20 different formulas in the states – each one contains different ingredients to address a baby’s special needs). Thinking that I had no other choice, I gave my daughter the 4th type of formula that week. She refused it at first, but then took the whole bottle. She seemed fine afterwards, but I did notice that she was gassier, fussier and spit up about an ounce, which is unusual.

 

During the next few days I either did not receive a response from my calls or a response that indicated they were still working on it. When I did get in touch with them I continued to mention that my daughter was still having problems with the formula (gassiness, fussiness and spitting up). On our last sea day my husband and I again went to see Patricia. She takes us into her office and begins to ask us questions as for as what we received on the first day, what we requested, who we spoke with and how our daughter is doing. Now I am getting angry because the tone of her questions makes me believe that Celebrity is going to blame the mishap on me rather than themselves. Patricia then tells us that the other baby wasn’t doing so well on the formula they bought in Matzatlan so Celebrity shipped American formula overnight from Miami to Acapulco so that that baby can have the formula we requested. Why was my baby never given that option? I understand the other baby was sicker, but why were we never offered the choice? She then continues to say that the formula was held up in customs so that she, Patricia herself, took a port agent from Acapulco and drove in a taxi around the city to find formula for this other baby. She tells us that it was frustrating and stressful and took 4 stores to find the formula. Wow!!! She is frustrated and stressed!!!! We then tell her that she knows a little about how we felt in Cabo except that Celebrity refused to send a representative with my husband, that Acapulco is a much larger city, that she had a port agent who spoke Spanish, that she knew the boat wouldn’t leave without her and that it wasn’t her child. She said that she was sorry that we had to go through that. I believe this might be the first time we heard this from anyone on the boat.

 

Day 11 – Last Day (and I am ready to go home) – I wake up to find a bunch of papers slipped under our door. One was the envelope from Patricia with the information. The other was our bill. Our promised credit was not on the bill. In an effort to beat the rush to complain about our bill, I go down to guest services at 5:30am. She said that she remembered that Patricia promised to reimburse us, but that she needs to get confirmation from her.

 

After that I wander back to my room and wait for 6:00am to come. At 6:02am I pull out my cel phone (it is finally free to use again!) to see if I can get a hold of the Miami office. He said that the request is there and that the formula should have been on the boat. He said that he will look into the problem and that it was an error between his office and the boat. I feel a bit comforted because I now feel that Celebrity will not try to turn the tables on me.

 

After breakfast we head to guest services for the final time. The guest services attendant states that she spoke with Patricia who approved the credit, but that she needed to get approval from her boss. She states that the credit will be on my final bill. Well, we will see.

 

I have decided to that the Mercury should change the atrium slogan “Wine poured upon the sea” to “We don’t follow through.” Not as catchy as the first, but it has a bit more truth to it.

 

Dining Options:

Buffet: Not being a fan of buffets I do not have much praise for this one. The food was rather bland and to me the buffet seemed confusing as far as which station had what. The pizza and pasta were great as well as the hamburgers at the outdoor grill. I am still dreaming of the made to order waffles. I do like how the buffet is set up. It has seating areas that are separated which make you feel that you are in a more intimate setting rather than a cafeteria style huge room with tables as far as the eye can see.

 

The sushi was nothing to write home about. My husband and I choose to eat there one night and it was a mistake in my opinion. The selection is not that great and the fish didn’t taste very fresh. I know a lot of people rave about the sushi so I will also include that my perspective of sushi is a bit skewed since I visited Japan. I have not able to find anything close to the sushi there.

 

Manhattan Dining Room – What a beautiful room! It is very elegant and well appointed. I also love the Manhattan backdrop curtain. Our waiter (Adrian) and assistant waiter (Roy) were great. Adrian’s service was spotless as well as his dinner recommendations. Roy was always there to refill our glasses and ensure that dinner was going smoothly. I thought the menu was pretty varied and that the beef and lamb dishes were great. I also had quail one night, which I was not a fan of. It was a bit dry, but then again Adrian warned me. The lobster, in my opinion, was sweet and tender and had a good flavor. I also liked the fact that they had escargot on two nights. Both were great with my daughter and would always make sure that the dinner menu had an item she could eat and would chop up the meat without asking for her.

 

While our dinner service was great, the service by the waiters during breakfast and lunch were less than stellar. I don’t know if we were spoiled by the dinner service, but service for the other meals was terrible.

 

Spa – On our first sea day I booked a spa package that included a 50 minute massage and a seaweed wrap for $199.00. I found this to be about $30 more than what I would pay for at home and it was a great way to relax from the beginning of our vacation. I also had a spa treatment on the next sea day because they discounted the 75 minute hot stone massage to $150, which was a great deal. I felt like butter after that!

 

Kids Program: Since my daughter was only 11 months she was unable to join in the regular program, however, the ship did have toddler time for an hour each day and the staff would put down age appropriate toys for my daughter to play with. They also let her use the kids pool to splash in, which she loved. Even though we were not in the program, from what I could see, they did a great job with the children and put together a great program. Since this was an Easter cruise, the staff put on a great Easter carnival which included an egg hunt that my daughter also was able to join in. She even found an egg on her own! Talking with one parent, she said that the program was better than what they had on Carnival.

 

 

Cruise Critic Party: Due to my formula snafu I was only able to make it the last couple of minutes of the informal cruise critic party, but it looked like a good number of people joined in. As for the official party, we didn’t receive notice. Or shall I say I didn’t. The invitation was in an envelope under our shore excursion tickets. My husband not looking at the second envelope placed them on this nightstand and they accidentally slid between the nightstand and the wall. He didn’t notice this until the next afternoon. The nightstands are bolted to the floor so we had to call maintenance to come and move the nightstand so that we can get our excursion tickets and the second envelope. Well the envelopes were there as well as a Florida woman’s driver’s license and a daily for an Alaska cruise from the year prior. It was a good thing we realized the mistake or our tickets would have also remained in the crack for another person to find.

 

Ports (I’ll just give my brief impression of each port):

 

Cabo: To me Cabo seemed like a nice place to visit. It did not consist of huge condo or hotel towers (at least the part I saw) which was nice. My family arranged for our own glass bottom boat tour out to Los Arcos, which was amazing. We had a great time and got some amazing pictures. After coming back to the dock we wandered around and had lunch at Cabo Wabo. I generally do not like the taste of liquor, but those waboritas were great. The lobster tacos were also fabulous. While I had a nice time in Cabo, my husband had a different experience which I think left him with a skewed perspective of the city.

 

Matzatlan: We did a shore excursion that included a city tour, the fliers and a stop at a beach resort. The tour and fliers were pretty neat. The resort was nice, not what I would call 5 star, but also not a HoJo. The beach was a bit crowded with both sunbathers and vendors. I don’t know how many times I have to tell the same person no, but it started to get annoying. I took my daughter down to the water but felt unsafe letting her crawl around due to the amount of people.

 

Acapulco: I wish I would have stayed on the boat for this one. We did the cliff divers and city tour excursion through the ship. What a mistake! The cliff divers were pretty neat and the hotel that they jump from is a great place, but the tour itself is very poor. We were taken from the cliff divers to an area to shop, which turned out to be one free standing store with nothing around it. Of course it was a cruise ship preferred jewelry store. After that we were taken on a 4 hour bus ride throughout Acapulco, which I thought was dirty and garish. After ending the excruciating long journey (The tour was supposed to last only 4 hours, but ended up lasting 6) we headed back to the boat. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we decided to head out and do some shopping in the port terminal and my husband checked his e-mail.

 

Zihua – My favorite port so far!!! This place seemed like a small sleepy fishing village and had charm. We took a taxi to La Ropa Beach to hang out for the day. We rented some beach chairs in front of a restaurant and just relaxed. The restaurant also had a wave runner, which my husband rented for a mere $30 for ½ hour. He had a blast! We thought that was a pretty good deal compared to what we were quoted in Cancun a few years ago. The beach was quiet and we never saw one vendor. My daughter was able to crawl around in the sand and have a blast as well. Our only wish was that we could have stayed longer.

 

Puerto Vallarta – Another great port. I thought this city was great. My mom and I took the Cooking Demonstration tour and my husband did the canopy tour with Los Veranos. Both parties had a great time. The Cooking Demo included a walking tour of the city as well as shopping time. We had the opportunity to walk along the seawall and see some amazing sand sculptures. The only thing I wish they had more of was the cooking part and showing how to make mole sauce, but I did learn to put together some good Mexican food. My husband had a blast on the canopy tour. He could not stop talking about how awesome it was and how professional and safety oriented the staff was.

 

Despite the problems we had, we tried to make the best of the cruise. The food was great as well as the service (except for guest services). Will I cruise on Celebrity again? At this time I think not. Maybe I will change my mind in the future, but I am still upset over Celebrity’s treatment of my daughter and her formula.

[2 live cruise]

I guess you better bring your own formula next time.

[Desertbelle]

My goodness, that sounded like a terrible ordeal with the formula. I feel your pain having had an awful and never resolved problem with Princess Cruises.

 

I do have to say that this is one heck of an endorsement for breastfeeding though. I hope your daughter has recovered from the gastric confusion! :)

[rosejazz]

I , too, agree...next time bring your own formula. It's too much to chance with a baby who is still on formula for it not to be the exact one they are used too.

 

In addition, as you found, not all brands are carried outside the US. We lived in Mexico City when my second child was born and thank God I breast feed.....formulas were expensive and hard to come by. When I did switch him to formula at 8 months it was quite a pain to find the kind he liked in stock!

 

Good luck next time!

Happy sailing.

[safari njema]

I guess it makes sense to bring your own formula if you're bringing an infant, but that's not the point.

 

Last year, I booked two cabins on a Caribbean cruise for December 2006 on the Millenium. Then I got pregnant. About a month ago I called Celebrity to let them know that I am pregnant and was considering taking an infant on the cruise who will only be 2-3 months old. Of course, they tell me everyone does it and everything would be fine -- they would provide the Pack N' Play as well as Similac formula, just make the request with special services and everything will be fine. So I add a third passenger to our stateroom (name and gender TBA) and they happily add the 3rd passenger charge for my cruise which now increases about $550.

 

Now for a $550 3rd passenger charge for a 2 month old infant, I would very much expect a Pack N'Play in my bedroom and a week's supply of baby formula. For $550 neither I nor fauxpaz should have to pack cans of formula or a PackNPlay just in case the cruise line messes up.

 

Needless to say, in my opinion, this is now a very big concern for me and I plan to cancel the two (fully paid for) staterooms for our December trip. I know I could bring my own formula, so that my baby does not have to be a tester of foreign formula mixes from every port of call, but Guest Services failure to accomodate passengers when mix-ups happen is just too much for me to deal with when it concerns an infant. They should never let you (fauxpaz) change formulas for your baby girl. They should never even have let the slightest possibililty of an allergy to the formula arise.

 

I guess this news is disappointing because it comes almost immediately after the norovirus issue also on the Mercury. Right now, I am 4 months pregnant and booked on the Mercury on the May 8th Alaska sailing. Normally the norovirus thing wouldn't bother me too much, but I REALLY do not want to catch norovirus while pregnant. I can't help feeling that whenever I book a cruise with X these days, I am taking health risks for either myself or my family. I shouldn't feel this way.

 

Speaking of being pregnant, I am not allowed to eat sushi during these times, but regardless, like fauxpaz, I will not be missing the sushi bar. I also have visited Japan and after eating there, nothing beats the sushi at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. Even so, I would liken the sushi on board to the kind you get pre-made in grocery stores. Not the best sushi in the world, but okay if you need a fix.

 

Fauxpaz, thanks so much for your update on the cruise. I had doubts about keeping the December booking but after reading your posts, I feel much better about my decision to cancel my cruise with X.

[lawyergirl22]

I must say that you handled your situation with very well. Celebrity should be ashamed by the manner in which you were treated. You obviously made the appropriate requests and followed up with the appropriate confirmation and even had the good sense to bring this documentation with you.

 

The problem here is not that YOU failed in some way by not bringing your own supply of formula, but rather, with how Celebrity handled, or mishandled their screw-up. While I enjoy cruising with Celebrity, when problems arise, it is nearly impossible to find someone who will say "We messed up, let's see how we can fix it." Obviously the means were available to get formula from the US, as this was done for the other child. Celebrity should have provided the requested and agreed upon formula to you. NO MATTER WHAT. If this was not possible, than Celebrity never should have agreed to take on this responsibility. Then you would have been on notice and brought your own formula.

 

Good lord, is it so difficult to admit that Celebrity messed up and should have handled this differently???

 

Gianna

 

P.S. To your credit, despite this very distressing and obviously time consuming concern, your review of the Mercury was very even-handed.

[bububr]

In my opinion Infants don't belong on cruises. Period. Especially ones that are under a year old. What are you parents thinking?

 

If you do want to cruise there are many lines that promote family cruising, and discounted or free travel for infants. X is not one of them.

 

I look forward to an ADULT vacation away from the grind of everyday life. As you've figured out by now, I don't like kids. However by X charging the prices they do for a second, third or fourth Passenger, this tends to keep the children to a minimum. Thats why I cruise X, and not RCCL or Disney, or Costa, or Carnival.

 

I'm sorry about the formula issue, however it is your responsibility as a parent to provide for your kids. Regardless. You should have brought a small amount of formula just in case there was a problem with the kind, or type that X would have provided. Hey I like a lot of different brands, but I'm not gonna tell X to buy something special for me.

 

This incidence overall.

 

As for bringing the 2 month old onboard...please don't, and if you do please don't have the cabin next to mine..I've done that before...and once WAS enough.

 

If you look into all of the literature and childrens program information on X you will find that the programs, babysitting etc start at age 3....that should give you a clue.

 

X IS a family 'Friendly' line, whereas RCCL promotes family vacations. I think if we learn to choose the appropriate vacations for our situations we would all have happier lives.

 

Let the flaming begin.

 

Dave:eek:

[lawyergirl22]

I wouldn't flame you for having an opinion as to whether or not an infant belongs on an X cruise, we are all entitled to our own opinions. However, you are clearly a target for being unable to stick to the topic at hand. How Celebrity handled their screw-up, which in this situation was not at all!

 

I welcome your input in the future, but stick to the subject rather than inserting your own narrow minded opinion for shock value with the gleeful expectation of inciting a controversy. There is plenty of room on these boards for a thread on how you hate people who have the audacity to take their family (including a small child) on a cruise.

 

Happy Cruising...

Gianna

[C 2 C]

In my opinion Infants don't belong on cruises. Period. Especially ones that are under a year old. What are you parents thinking?

Let the flaming begin.

 

Dave:eek:

You would deserve it flame thrower and all. If Celebrity accepts the money, the passenger should be allowed to cruise. We are not Celebrity. If people are sold on the Celebrity image they should be welcomed as anyone else who pays the fee.

 

I am more and more disturbed by the failure of Celebrity employees and management to live up to the expectations they advertise... The cabin stewards and dining room staff impress us only to have the front desk and customer relations spoil the experience.

 

Ahhh, the Celebrity Treatment. How will it affect you?:(

[fauxpaz]

Dave, while each person is entitled to their opinion, I think that if you were truely looking for a kid free vacation, you would go to an adult only venue (such as Sandals). As long as the cruises accept infants, they are going to cruise. I think its a fact of life that is not going to change.

 

Since you can't relate to infants, would you feel that Celebrity failed in its customer service if it failed to provide specially requested kosher meals for an adult who was jewish?

 

Just a thought.

[florisdekort]

It is your responsibility as a parent to provide for your kids. Regardless.

 

Amen!

 

As for bringing the 2 month old onboard...please don't, and if you do please don't have the cabin next to mine..I've done that before...and once WAS enough.

 

I also second that. Image having a crying baby in the room next to you...

 

Best Regards,

Floris

[bububr]

fauxpaz-"Since you can't relate to infants, would you feel that Celebrity failed in its customer service if it failed to provide specially requested kosher meals for an adult who was jewish?"...not he same thing. If I were on the Jenny Craig diet, or Seattle Sutton...should I expect Celebrity to purchase, store, and prepare the food for me? That was my point. And If your baby is used to drinking a certain kind of formula, then it would be safer to bring it along other than to leave it to chance that they formula provided wouldn't be sufficiant...I think that is a reasonable answer.

 

C2C- I was adressing the complaint that they had to pay $550. to bring a two month old on board....not the fact that they were doing it. If you want to pay the cost of a vacation for an infant, by all means its your decision. I don't have a problem with that, However if your child screams throughout the night I will pound on the walls if you are in the cabin next door. Its My cruise also and I deserve some peace and quite. No one says a baby can't go, My objection is when they disturb my vacation as a loud drunken person might...same thing.

 

Gianna- I was on topic. My point was as a parent ( which I am not) I think you should have a back up plan if something goes wrong. Obviously there was none. Yes Celebrity was at fault for the mix up, but who suffered...your child. Because your didn't have a contingency plan. Plans were made and something fell through and X should have/should take responsibility and liability for their actions...I'm not condoning them...I am asking WHY? wasn't there a supply of formula just in case?

 

By the way I am not looking for a child/kid free vacation. Just fewer children as I stated in my post. Everyone is entitled to their vacations, its only when someone infringes upons others peace that destroys the fantasy. A child screaming in the middle of the night brings you back to reality very quickly as does a drunken maurader....I try to avoid both as much as possible.

 

Dave:eek:

[wenisirie]

Dave:eek:

 

You are just mean. What damage does a small baby do to your vacation? Babies are everywhere. If you don't want to be around them or their families- go to an adult resort. The cruise line screwed up. It failed to deliver what it promised. It promised to feed you and it did. It promised to feed the baby and it did not. That simple. Leave your mean spirit out of this. Children are all over- and yes- even you were on once too.

[bububr]

I am not a mean person. Regardless of what you think. Opinionated ...YES.

 

And as I said above, X was responsible for dropping the ball on this one....however as a parent of a dependant child, even moreso an infant...YOU have the responsiblity to your childs safety and well being in the end. Especially when you are dragging them out of the country. Neither of your families deserved the treatment you recieved...but my point was what were you prepared to do just in case...and it seems the answer is you didn't have a clue.

 

I choose to cruise X because they advertise to an adult crowd, not a family one. I'n not saying families with children shouldn't cruise, I'm saying I cruise on a line that advertises for an adult experience....Not a Disney one. If I wanted that I'd go to RCCL, or Disney, or one of the lines with rock climbing walls, and skating rinks, etc... Not a luxury line that promisses to treat its adult clients famously. Yes they have childrens ammenities, however if they were promoting a family line, or wanting MORE children travellers they wouldn't be charging full price for an infant. The prices are meant to discourage an excess of children, not encourage.

ONCE AGAIN, being said you and your children and families have every right to cruise on the line of your choice, as do I....I don't complain about the prices for childrens fares...AND if I was a parent I'd be darn sure that I had enough food for my infant regardless of the promisses made by the line...just in case something were to happen beyond their control...and it looks like it did.

 

BTW: This is not off topic since the review was mainly about the ship making an err and causing distress to unsuspecting and unprepared parents.

 

Dave:eek:

[bepsf]

While I agree that X dropped the ball on fulfilling their decision to agree to provide formula, and did a poor job of handling the situation afterward...

 

...I think that expecting a cruiseline to provide your child's specific brand of formula is simply unreasonable. Would you expect to be supplied a specific formula if you and your family had vacationed at a Marriot or even a Disney land-resort? I sincerely doubt it...

 

In my personal experience as a doting uncle, I had no idea that different formulas from the same manufacturer could cause issues with little one's tummies - sometimes with drastic and severe consequences. I have made the mistake of getting the wrong stuff for my Sis' kids (whom I adore) and have learned that she sometimes has had to go to different stores to get the right stuff...

 

...what I simply can't fathom is that knowing full well your child's situation with not being to tolerate different formulas that you endangered your childs well being by expecting a cruiseline to provide for your child's special health and nutrition needs.

 

 

 

Children are a joy and a blessing, but with them comes responsility and sacrifice. While I agree that you have the right to pay for and bring your infant on a cruise, I don't necessarily agree that it's the right thing to do. Sometimes, postponing or canceling a vacation for the child's wellbeing is one of those sacrifices...

[caviargal]

I am not a mean person. Regardless of what you think. Opinionated ...YES.

 

 

I choose to cruise X because they advertise to an adult crowd, not a family one. I'n not saying families with children shouldn't cruise, I'm saying I cruise on a line that advertises for an adult experience....Not a Disney one. If I wanted that I'd go to RCCL, or Disney, or one of the lines with rock climbing walls, and skating rinks, etc... Not a luxury line that promisses to treat its adult clients famously. Yes they have childrens ammenities, however if they were promoting a family line, or wanting MORE children travellers they wouldn't be charging full price for an infant. The prices are meant to discourage an excess of children, not encourage.

ONCE AGAIN, being said you and your children and families have every right to cruise on the line of your choice, as do I....I don't complain about the prices for childrens fares...AND if I was a parent I'd be darn sure that I had enough food for my infant regardless of the promisses made by the line...just in case something were to happen beyond their control...and it looks like it did.

 

BTW: This is not off topic since the review was mainly about the ship making an err and causing distress to unsuspecting and unprepared parents.

 

Dave:eek:

 

Dave, I also choose X and HAL these days mostly for the lack of families and kids onboard. I, too, have had several cruises ruined by (1) screaming kids in the cabin next to mine whose parents did nothing to control them, day or night, (2) the failure of RCI on several occasions to respect their own policies in the child free areas. I prefer adults and adult vacations and these says cruise less simply because of these factors. I do choose adult only all inclusives and choose to vacation when kids are in school to places that are NOT family oriented so that I can enjoy my vacation.

 

As a TA, I would also never encourage parents to bring a child that young aboard any ship and I would mose certainly NEVER suggest Celebrity.

 

While X's response to this problem was most assuredly lacking, it is ultimately the parents responsibility to ensure that the infant was provided proper formula just in case of such a situation.

[julieanne]

INMHO, first off, it is just wrong for them to charge $550 for an infant who is still on baby food, formula, etc.......I have no problem with children or infants as I try to take my vacations in the off peak season when children are usually in school. The reason I say this? My son is 18. We started crusing with him when he was 5 years old. He had a great time with all the childrens's programs and we only saw him at mealtimes! I do not think I would have had much of a vacation if he was an infant! As neurotic as I am though, I would have had double the amount of formula packed for my son! There would have been no worries as I leave nothing to chance.....If the cruiseline would have provided the food, great, if not, my child would have been fed the proper food.

[thomasale]

as for me I am glad she had a rotten time and hope she chooses NOT to cruise with X again...we can do without the less than 3 year olds...there is nothing for them on the ship. While my 3 children were less than 3 we did things like Disney and the Northpole. We did this for 2 reasons 1.) we wanted our children to have the best time and 2.)we did not want to infringe on others' good times...again, its' probably best that you don't cruise again until your children are older.

[cechase]

I think that it was somewhat brave of Dave to express his opinion in this thread, because he knew that some "doting" parents would flame him. I agree with Dave, Floris, Brian and caviargal on these issues. Infants under 1 years age have no business being brought on a cruise; the parents have the primary responsibility of providing the formula that suits their infant; and if the cruise line charges for an infant, you have the choice of paying it or not going!

 

We select our cruises for times when children are in school. We select Celebrity because the number of children on any of our cruises have been minimal. We were raised during the 1940's and 1950's when the discipline of children was real and effective, and not the "time out" crap. Today, parents in our opinion exercise very little discipline or control of their children, and think all of us should admire their little charges while they run around uncontrolled. We are not anti children, we have four grown up children and 7 grandchildren.

 

We have booked Silversea for a December cruise. Reading their contract, they say that they cannot accommodate infants under one year of age and reserve the right to limit the number of children under three years of age. That certainly seems to be a rational policy.

[dkjretired]

I am not a mean person. Regardless of what you think. Opinionated ...YES.

 

And as I said above, X was responsible for dropping the ball on this one....however as a parent of a dependant child, even moreso an infant...YOU have the responsiblity to your childs safety and well being in the end. Especially when you are dragging them out of the country. Neither of your families deserved the treatment you recieved...but my point was what were you prepared to do just in case...and it seems the answer is you didn't have a clue.

 

I choose to cruise X because they advertise to an adult crowd, not a family one. I'n not saying families with children shouldn't cruise, I'm saying I cruise on a line that advertises for an adult experience....Not a Disney one. If I wanted that I'd go to RCCL, or Disney, or one of the lines with rock climbing walls, and skating rinks, etc... Not a luxury line that promisses to treat its adult clients famously. Yes they have childrens ammenities, however if they were promoting a family line, or wanting MORE children travellers they wouldn't be charging full price for an infant. The prices are meant to discourage an excess of children, not encourage.

ONCE AGAIN, being said you and your children and families have every right to cruise on the line of your choice, as do I....I don't complain about the prices for childrens fares...AND if I was a parent I'd be darn sure that I had enough food for my infant regardless of the promisses made by the line...just in case something were to happen beyond their control...and it looks like it did.

 

BTW: This is not off topic since the review was mainly about the ship making an err and causing distress to unsuspecting and unprepared parents.

 

Dave:eek:

 

This may be your opinion but it is inaccurate. Celebrity's rates are pretty much equal to those charged by other cruise lines. Also, you previously mentioned not bringing toddlers, Celebrity advertises Toddler Time for under age 3 on their web site. (below) All their ships have extensive childrens programs and as someone who has used them extensively with my kids over a number of ages, they are not an afterthought.

 

Also, here's my opinion. If it were not for all these families with children, including infants, traveling on Celebrity and other cruise lines there would be a lot less ships and probably several fewer cruise lines. There would simply have not been enough demand over the years.

 

There was recent discussion on these boards about the new trips for 2007 being opened. In several posts it was mentioned that certain cabins could not be booked with less than 5 or 4 people in them depending on the cabin. If Celebrity was trying to discourage children why are they denying bookings to less that 5 people in certain cabins. Doesn't look like thats done to discourage children.

 

As far as the OP is concerned. She had a fax from Celebrity stating the items she contracted for would be in the stateroom. They were not so don't blame her, blame Celebrity.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/whyceleb/heroSingleTxtSub.do;jsessionid=0000xDDunOsRFI3BeduPxpfGudG:1028etni0?pagename=childrens_programs&cS=NAVBAR

[safari njema]

So wait, fauxpaz goes on a cruise with her baby daughter and you are "glad she had a rotten time"? Oh, and because it is 2006 and not 1940 it is implied that she does not know how to effectively parent her child? Am I reading this correctly? Are these proper adults making these comments?

 

When I called into Celebrity to let them know that I was going to have an infant when the Millenium set sail in December, they are the ones who tried to convince me not to cancel. They are the ones who told me everything would be fine, babies are most welcomed and that parents bring tiny infants on their cruises all the time. They are the ones who failed to add a "We cannot accomodate children under 1 year" clause or even a "We discourage children under 1 year" clause, so I guess, in them failing to do that, and in their attempt to assuage my fears of bringing a tiny infant on board, if you feel so strongly about children and cruising X, perhaps you could take it up with them to change their policy. It would probably be more effective to contact X concerning this rather than wishing bad on parents of young children.

 

Also when I called in the X-lady told me they provide Similac. That's the brand name X carries, and for the specifics (Soy, DHA, iron, whatever) just fax it in to dining or special services and all will be fine. I could work with that. But despite Celebrity indicating that they can provide this provided special services was contacted (as fauxpaz did) several people have mentioned fauxpaz should have brought her own supply -- fine. But how many of you do this when you cruise? I'm talking about real, actual adult food?

 

I mention this because when X didn't follow through on the recent Mercury cruises and closed the Sushi bar and the Gala Buffet, EVERYONE flipped out. Anyone who goes on this board saw it. Well, on the same premise as the formula, NO ONE had a right to flip out. If they wanted to dine on sushi, they should have thought of that and brought their own Sushi on board. Just in case. In fact, with that same mindset, people should be quite happy that everyone on those cruises where the "midnight bites" were shut down or didn't get to eat eggs benedict at the Manhattan Restaurant for breakfast had a "rotten time". Thos pax should have packed their own midnight bites.

 

Not to mention, people were still complaining about it as they had literally TONS of other food choices on the ship. Fauxpaz's daughter, however, did not have such luxury.

 

Fauxpaz not bringing formula on board is not indicative of poor 2006 parenting. It does not mean that she does not discipline her child or that she woke up neighbouring passengers. It means she had confidence in X and X did not honour their promise.

 

It is almost laughable to think infants affect other passenger's cruising experiences SO MUCH that they wish a "rotten time" on new parents, except for the fact I would be mortified if my parents (raised in the 40's!) shared similar thoughts.

[cml3]

Caraisa,

 

I Think You Have Made Some Great Points.

Hopefully People Will Think About This!!!!!

[bububr]

However this comment "several people have mentioned fauxpaz should have brought her own supply -- fine. But how many of you do this when you cruise? I'm talking about real, actual adult food"

 

I guess none of us do because they provide a well rounded solid food adult diet on board...If your baby can eat solid food fine...If not it is nothting more than asking for special treatment...In that case I'll fax over to Celebrity dining services MY REQUESTS for MY Special Diet......whats good for the goose...and by the way that would be one of my special requests...

 

Dave:eek:

[Desertbelle]

Yes, Caraisa does make many fine points.

 

My daughter, who is pregnant, will be bringing her baby on our family cruise in November. My husband and I are taking all our children, their spouses and children (14 of us all together) on a special cruise we have been planning for quite some time. We picked and booked this cruise long before my daughter became pregnant. Should she now skip this special cruise because she will have a 3 month old? I don't think so! :) She can't wait to sit out on her balcony and hold her baby while someone else takes care of the cooking, cleaning and her 3 year old.....11 days of bliss. If you don't want to be on a ship with a newborn, two 3 year olds and a 5 year old, I suggest you not book our cruise (it's listed below for reference.) :)

 

I was also raised in the 1950's. I can't say that the discipline that I recieved, and what was considered to be normal, helped me to be a better person. I feel quite fortunate to have survived. I was beaten quite regularly, went to school and church with noticable bruises on my face and body, I was reminded over and over again how terrible I was....and all of this was accepted by our society. People, family, friends, teachers, priests, etc. looked away and never intervened, never offered to help me or my siblings. I imagine my parents family "talked" about us, but not once did anyone try to temper the situation. You bet I sat when I was told to sit, shut-up when told to be quiet, otherwise I would get a good beating when we got home. I know I wasn't the only child raised like this....there are millions of us. Is this really a better way?

 

I chose to raise my children in a different manner and I think I did a pretty good job of it. I diffinitely used time outs, removed privledges and gave restrictions....the same type of parenting I see my children use.

 

I think it's very hard to raise children these days. Most parents need to work, mothers are exhausted, kids are getting "raised" by multiple people, social pressures to buy more, be more, and have more, etc....I see my own children struggling with this.

 

As an "older" citizen of the world, a budding "wise woman" as you will, I try to help as much as I can. I try to be supportive, helpful and pleasant. Recently my husband, sister and I went on a cruise that had a few hundred kids on it. I never saw a problem, and I made sure to mention to parents, whenever possible, that they had a lovely family and well mannered children....I think positive reinforcement works better than criticism.

 

I imagine we will never see the end of grumpy old people in the world, but it sure would be nice if they would keep away from the rest of us. :D

[Desertbelle]

However this comment "several people have mentioned fauxpaz should have brought her own supply -- fine. But how many of you do this when you cruise? I'm talking about real, actual adult food"

 

I guess none of us do because they provide a well rounded solid food adult diet on board...If your baby can eat solid food fine...If not it is nothting more than asking for special treatment...In that case I'll fax over to Celebrity dining services MY REQUESTS for MY Special Diet......whats good for the goose...and by the way that would be one of my special requests...

 

Dave:eek:

 

You seem to keep forgetting that Celebrity OFFERS formula to parents traveling with parents and the OP was told that the formula she needed WOULD be there....and it wasn't. Not only did Celebrity not fulfill their offer they apparently refused to correct this over an 11 day cruise!!! This is unacceptable. I love Celebrity, but truly they appear to have really dropped the ball on this one.

 

BTW Dave, you are able to make food requests.....along with many other requests, from Celebrity. If you need Oxygen to breath, they will have it onboard for you.....now what if they promised to have 10 tanks of O2 for the OP onboard for breathing problems, and it never showed up, would you support their being upset then? Would you tell them that they shouldn't trust Celebrity's promise and lug 10 tanks of O2 with them on the cruise?? (Not even sure how someone could do that!)

 

Now, food requests and food needs are quite a different subject. You don't NEED goose to survive and there are hundreds of substitutions onboard to fill your nurtitional needs while cruising. The OP wasn't asking that Celebrity supply her child with a special brand of snack food, this was the baby's primary source of nourishment!! AND THEY PROMISED TO HAVE IT ONBOARD. I am not upset at Celebrity for the mistake of not having it onboard, mistakes happen, I AM upset that they couldn't remedy this problem over 11 days......knowing that there was an infant onboard who needed to be fed. I really can't understand someone who wouldn't be supportive of the OP's plight!!