Celebrity Mercury runs a tight ship
Written: Jul 31 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Classy and great service.
Cons: Spa classes and seminars were a bit lame.
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended.
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| newyorkcommute's Full Review: Celebrity Mercury |
This was our first cruise and we didn't expect much. We were very pleasantly surprised.
Check-in was a breeze. We got there about 2:15 and were in our stateroom (after having to get assigned our "Guaranteed Oceanview Stateroom", and giving up our luggage, doing the paperwork check in, walking onboard and given a glass of champagne and escorted to our room), in 20 minutes.
Classy operation, impeccable service (from statement room to dining room to buffet). The ship was supposedly full but it felt empty most of the time except occasionally at the lunch buffet.
If you are a private person, you will get your personal space. The Navigator club with the 25 ft high glass windows, with comfortable low soft leather chairs, was the perfect place to go watch the scenery, ocean, read, nap, view the glacier (nice and dry and warm). If you prefer to be outside, the area behind (aft) the indoor pool and Palm Spring cafe, offers quiet and non-windy space. We sat there with our legs propped on the railing, for hours on the day we cruised the Inside Passage. Perfect. It was sunny with a slight breeze. We were out there with shorts and t-shirts. (there are abundant blankets and big towels if you should need them for cover or cushioning). Simply great. I even met a few other Yoga fans and did yoga together out there on the deck. Absolutely amazing. No one bothered us, no one gave up dirty looks. People just sat in their chairs, doing their thing - daydreaming or eating.
The shows were nice, not Broadway caliber but understandable. Those kids (dancers and singers) are great and you can't help but love them. The comedians were great. The "physical comedy" guy was the best.
overall, very impressive and I thought great value. Great value even if it were a cruise to nowhere. Alaska is beautiful and cruising through the inside passage makes you appreciate Alaska and America. I
The only excursion we took was the helicopter tour to Menddelhall Glacier in Juneau, since we thought the rest were kinda "pedestrian" (in other words, you don't really have to be in Alaska to do those). Very expensive but was in fact the highlight of the trip. You simply must see the glacier from that perspective and up close to appreciate it. Seeing the Hubbard glacier at its terminus from the ship is nice, but I think that's almost comparable to experience of the three blind men trying to touch and describe an elephant. Bottom line: the helicopter tour is a must.
Back to the ship. Mercury is a classy ship. Celebrity runs a classy operation. They run great kids programs so you actually never notice the children.
All in all, we would do a Celebrity cruise again, and hopefully all their ships are like the Mercury.
Enjoy. You can't go wrong with this one.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
newyorkcommute
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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