Insider Tips for Cruising on the Mercury
Written: Dec 29 '99 (Updated Dec 29 '99)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great shower. Plenty of deck room. The comfort of the Celebrity theater. Elevators take no more than 30 seconds to arrive. No blaring announcements. No theme nights. No waiters dancing with food on their heads.
Cons: The pools and hot tubs close every night at 7:00pm. Shipboard shops are boring. There was only one half hour each day in which NO FOOD was served anywhere!
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| dreamix's Full Review: Celebrity Mercury |
The Mercury is beautiful, but not glitzy and overstated. It does not feel like you are on a megaship, and rarely did we experience crowds. The staff and crew were warm, cordial and very helpful throughout the cruise. Our stateroom was very well designed with a huge number of drawers and very ample closet space. We specially appreciated the in-stateroom combination safe. The food was of good quality and well prepared. The entertainment was superb throughout this ship, whether in lounges, various nightclubs, public areas or in the well-equipped main theatre. It ranged from a classical quartet to a 50's/60's style band to a Mariachi group.
Below are some of my best tips.
Insider Tip #1
Join the Captain's Club and receive priority embarkation, a.k.a., no waiting. The cost to join is $35 for a lifetime membership. If you are not a member, sign up once you get on board, and you will receive the benefit of priority disembarkation at the end of your cruise. Well worth it!
Insider Tip #2
Bring extra clothes hangers, and an extension cord. These both will come in handy.
Insider Tip #3
Don't bother to purchase transfers at the airport. Just grab your bags, run past the large line of Mercury passengers waiting for the bus, and catch a $5.00 cab ride to the ship. We were sitting in our cabin 25 minutes after grabbing our bags at the airport.
Insider Tip #4
I recommend the late seating for dinner, especially if you intend on making the most of your ports of call. This gives you plenty of time when you get back on board to wind down a little and get ready. If you are hungry, room service will have a sandwich, salad, or light snack to your room within minutes. or a short walk up to deck 11 will net you pizza and burgers.
Insider Tip #5
Use Celebrity’s tuxedo rental. No hassles, and it was waiting for me when I got to our room. I highly recommend this. I even rented a 2nd color tie/cummerbund for the 2nd formal night. Everything fit great!
Insider Tip #6
Bring a large travel mug with you, and fill it when the water, iced tea, lemonade, and fruit punch fountains are open. The glasses on hand are very small (like Dixie cups) that you either have to fill four of them, or keep getting up for refills. The mugs are also handy when the fountains shut down after the food has been served.
Insider Tip #7
If you like snack foods, bring your own. Aside from the few little cans of cheese puffs in the mini bar, chip type snacks are nonexistent. Also there is no popcorn at the movies. I would also recommend packing a few cans of soda ($2.00 on board) and a couple of bottled waters. As on most cruise ships, mixed drinks are very expensive (upwards to $6.50). But try the 'Bahama Mama.'
Insider Tip #8
The cabin has a V.C.R. that comes in handy for reviewing home movies you are filming on the cruise. You can play roulette and other games of chance via the interactive TV. It also works well for ordering excursions, room service and reviewing your charges. Note that it's a cashless system (all charged to your credit card at the end), but certainly not a paperless system as we were given a receipt for every transaction.
Insider Tip #9
We took a tour of the galley one afternoon and were very impressed by the cleanliness and efficiency of the galley. They have 160 chefs on board, 20 are off while 140 work. It is entirely stainless steel except for the floor. It is spotless! The Mercury gets all of its food in Ft. Lauderdale, which to me was very reassuring. They do take on water in other ports, but they purify it. The Mercury also has a small but very well equipped hospital. It is a state- of-the-art facility with crash cart, full pharmacy, I.V. poles---the works!
Insider Tip #10
The Navigator Club on Deck #12 is the best place to watch the world go by, with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows and lounge service. We watched the captain leave ports on two occasions while we sipped cocktails with new friends; it is also a good spot to have a drink before or after dinner.
Insider Tip #11
If you've never gambled before, this is a great place to learn. The dealers are so nice (they actually count your cards for you, explain rules to you, wait patiently for you, etc...). Low-pressure, which makes it even more fun.
Insider Tip #12
Deck #11 (the Resort Deck) can be pretty hectic on sea days. Instead, spend the majority of your time in the back of Deck #11 in the Palm Springs Café area, enjoying the salt water pool, cushioned lounge chairs and a retractable roof to let the sun shine in! It also provides a great open patio for eating and relaxing day and night. Also, they have a homemade ice cream bar out there--don't miss it! Lounge chairs can always be found in the back of the ship on decks 8, 9 and 10.
Insider Tip #13
We spent three days in the Thalassotherapy pool in the spa--be warned! It ruined our bathing suits! Also, if you're going to spend more than a few minutes in that pool, put your hair up. My wife and I were in there for over an hour one day (trust me, it's excellent, you never want to get out!) and the minerals in the water turn you hair to straw. There are little signs saying your bathing suit may fade--but ours didn't fade, they all became streaked and the fabric worn in places.
Insider Tip #14
The spa appointments book fast--within hours of sailing.
Enjoy your cruise! We did!!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dreamix
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Member: Robert Stephens
Location: McLean, Virginia
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 30 members
About Me:
Project manager, amateur photographer and avid investor.
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