Celebrity Mercury: October 2005 Pacific North West 5 Night Cruise Review
Written: Oct 10 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A great introduction to the inside passage.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Great introduction to Celebrity Cruises and the Inside Passage.
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| Suzi's Full Review: Celebrity Mercury |
I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of cruisers out there; people who book cruises more for the ship and cruise experience than the ports of call, and those who primarily base their decision less on the ship and MORE on which ports of call the ship will visit. My husband and I are the type who cruises more for the ports of call than the cruise “experience”. Therefore, please keep that in mind as you read my review and critique of the ship.
Don’t get me wrong, the ship is important to me. Like a lot of people, once I settle on a destination, I investigate my choices and base my decision on price, the ship and cruise line. But issues relating to service and food quality tend to be less important to me than the ship itself, activities and entertainment. I know for many of you, the opposite is true. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
We cruised aboard Mercury’s five night Pacific North West (Canada & Inside Passage) Itinerary October 3-8, 2005, and in a nutshell, we had a very nice five night vacation. We flew into Seattle on Monday, October 3, 2005 and took the cruise line’s bus from the airport to the ship. Both the flight and port transfer were uneventful. We purchased, prior to the cruise (through our TA), transportation vouchers to and from the airport. Normally, I don’t go this route, but we did so mostly to make our transfers hassle free. It turned out to be very convenient for us, as we were met by a Celebrity representative at baggage claim and immediately after boarding the bus, departed for the port. The Mercury commenced boarding around 11:00am; we got to the ship at 11:30am. As there was no line, we proceeded to process our embarkation and embarked onto the ship in under 15 minutes. Once on board, we checked out our cabin and went to lunch.
The entire process to board the ship was very easy. We had gone online prior to the cruise to register our travel documentation and to establish our shipboard account, so by the time we got to the port, all of our information was in the computer. I handed over our credit card to activate our account and our passports and that pretty much was it.
We booked an inside guarantee about 8 months prior to our departure. We were assigned a higher level inside cabin on Panorama Deck – room 8093 about 4 months prior to our cruise. The room was nothing special; it was a comfortable size, with quite a bit of storage space. We had two very comfortable beds made into one king size a small sitting area, TV, minibar, vanity area and a bathroom. As we were heading to colder weather, I had to pack sweaters, jackets and rain gear. Unpacking was made easy as there was a lot of storage – closets, shelves and drawers. Our room was cleaned twice a day; we made no special requests therefore, we met only one of our two room stewards.
Our cabin was mid-ship and in a good location. Food and entertainment venues could be had by going two floors up or two floors down. Public spaces were always clean and inviting. Our cruise consisted of many active retirees – with a few families and younger couples. People aged 40-60 were also well represented. It was a very low-key crowd – by the time 10pm rolled around, very few people could be seen out on deck.
We attended one pre-dinner show, which didn’t impress us; however, most people we spoke with enjoyed the entertainment on the ship very much. There was a cinema on the ship, featuring a movie most evenings (the pay-per-view /aka Blockbuster Video) variety. The music venues were just okay. After “late” dinner (we were done well after 10pm), most nights we simply walked around the ship, paid a visit to the casino or went to a movie before going to bed. I went to the T-Pool in the spa every evening before dinner; a great place to relax.
We found the Mercury to be very well maintained. It was clean and staffed with very pleasant people. Walking through the ship, you'll find lots of interesting art work. The public areas of the ship, lounges, restaurants and the theater were beautifully decorated and kept very tidy thanks to diligent staff.
I found the food and service throughout the ship to be very good, but I could say the same for most of our previous cruises with Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Carnival. All the hype, in my opinion, surrounding Celebrity's food was just that – hype. I found the food to be good, but no different in quality when comparing it to Royal Caribbean or the others. But keep in mind, food quality is very subjective. Suffice it to say, I always found something on the menu that I liked, and I never left dinner disappointed.
We ate both breakfast and lunch in the Palm Springs Buffet on Deck 11. The food was plentiful and for the most part, we both found something we liked. I was a little disappointed that there was no cold jumbo shrimp (like there was every night in the buffet aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas), but the homemade ice cream and sushi made up for it.
Every evening around 6pm, we would take a try of sushi up to the Navigator Lounge on Deck 12 for happy hour. The sushi wasn't quite as good as what I would get at my favorite sushi restaurant at home, but it wasn't bad - it was comparable to the all-you-can-eat $10.99 sushi buffet at home. They served several varieties of fish and shrimp, including very fresh blue fin tuna, California Rolls and others.
As we had late seating, dinner for us started at 8:30pm; we usually finished between 10:15 – 10:45. The steak was consistently done to perfection. Appetizers and salads were okay, with the exception of escargot (which was to die for). Deserts were excellent, but lacked my favorite: soufflés! All in all, I couldn't see what the fuss was about regarding the food on Celebrity. It was very good, but the way some people talk, you’d think it was four star caliber.
I'm not saying that the food was bad. However, Celebrity has a reputation for outstanding cuisine; many calling it "five star" cuisine. I must admit that the service was deserving of very high marks. But the overall quality was very much on par with other mass market cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Princess.
Our cruise had two ports of call, and as I stated earlier, the main reason we booked this cruise. Mercury called on Vancouver and Prince Rupert; every other day, we had a day at sea along the Inside Passage. Although there was a naturalist aboard the ship, he gave only two presentations. And he was never seen out of deck commenting on the wild life. We saw a few orcas and some porpoises, but I was hoping for some professional commentary.
Our visit to Vancouver included buying a day long bus pass good on busses and ferries. We took public transportation to Lynn Canyon, the location of the “other” suspension bridge. We hiked around for several hours and pretty much had the mountain to ourselves until 10:30, when a group of school kids showed up. It was by far one of the nicest hikes we have ever done. It also helped we had lots of sunshine. We returned to the ship for lunch; afterwards, we got back onto a bus and went to Stanley Park. We spent the afternoon hiking around and returned in time for 4pm tea.
In Prince Rupert we took a rainforest hike. I’m glad I brought my rain gear, as it pretty much rained on and off all day. As there isn’t much to do in Prince Rupert, a tour worked out well for us. We had good weather in Vancouver, but it rained on and off much of the week. I was okay with this, as we had prepared for the worst. We got very lucky, I think, as I know we could have had rain the entire week. Really, the only day we got a lot of rain was in Prince Rupert. The rest of the week, we had a shower here and there, but lots of sun too.
As a whole, we had a great time. I wouldn't say it was our best cruise ever; but it wasn't our worst. All the fuss over Celebrity's food was somewhat of a let down. I have done over 30 cruises, and although I have noticed some decline in food quality over the years, I can’t really agree that Celebrity’s food is in a league all its own. This was my second Celebrity cruise in four years – aboard the same ship, and NOTHING has changed, including the menu items, preparation and food quality.
There were a few very nice touches, such as waiters near the buffet lines to help you with your tray, the sushi bar, great bed time chocolates, and champagne at embarkation. But that's not necessarily what I look for when I cruise. To me, the entertainment and activities as well as the age and size of the ship and of course the ports of call seem to take center stage. I’m quite happy to not have to cook!
So, would I cruise with Celebrity again? Absolutely! We had a very nice, relaxing week, despite the rain and cool weather. This cruise was everything I expected it would be, based on all the input I got from current past passenger reviews (searching the net) and my past experience. . None of the negatives influenced our ability to have a good time, and the few in this review shouldn't deter you either. Remember to NOT sweat the little things!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
Suzi
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Location: California
Reviews written: 190
Trusted by: 147 members
About Me:
Suzi is an aspiring travel writer who enjoys scuba diving and volleyball.
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