FLheart

Has anyone cruised on the Celebrity Mercury recently? Read one report that was not so great... hoping that was an isolated incidence??

mcnyc

I was on the Mercury last year, and had a wonderful experience. What have you heard that was bad?

sable

Yes, was on Mercury 3-30 Mex. cruise.
If you go to cruisecritic.com,
enter BOARDS ( on top of site),
scroll down to ROLL CALL enter,
look for MERCURT 3-30-05 enter,
scroll through to the posts dated April 10 and after. There are two long, detailed posts which should answer your questions.
I personally didn't have any problems and would sail Celebrity again.
Joanne, the chocoholic

puppydog

There are many reviews of the Mercury on the cruisecritic website.
You have to take what you read with a grain of salt though. I have read reviews that said that The Mercury was their favorite ship...and that everything was excellent. I have also read some that said it was the worst cruise they have been on. Two different people can be on the same ship...at the same time and have totally different experiences.
Most of the reveiws for this ship were positive.
Carrie

maclean

I have cruised a couple of times on the Mercury, the last time was April this year to Mexico. We really enjoyed our cruise and we met lots of lovely people.....But we thought that the ship was getting a little tired in some places, our suite 1041 could certainly do with a freshen up and the 2 main restaurants were a little smelly.
We both had a great time,but the ship did'nt quite live up to our previous cruise.
Hope this helps you a little.
Colin

kfusto

I am just off Mercury, my fourth cruise with X.

Overall, the ship was very nice. She was definitely immaculate, and the food and service in the dining room were very good. Buffets also were good but waiters no longer carry trays for you as they used to, at least not for anyone in our party of 4, two of whom are in their 70s.

Our room was large (Deluxe Outside, Promenade Deck) but the cabins badly need updating. Mattresses were hard and squeaky, pillows need to be replaced. Bathroom was also a good size, especially shower, but sink was cracked and this was visually unpleasant.

Entertainment was okay, not great.

We had some issues with the elevators as they did not always work and we sometimes had to get off and find another that was working. ALso, the wood floors on elevators are looking very shabby.

Fitness facility is very limited.

Very nice cinema.

Room steward not a good one, first time on X to have that experience.

If you can get a good price, she offers a good experience. But, I think she is a "value" ship for X and cannot compare with the style and amenities offered on M class.

becca23

We sailed 4/05 on the Mercury. The tuesday after the sunday we returned home, we booked our 2nd Mercury cruise for 11 nights 10/31/05. Get over looking at the elevator floors and enjoy the art work(great old photos),views, to say the least.

kfusto

Since it was obvious the last (rude) post was directed at me, let me say that the OP asked for opinions by those who have cruised the Mercury.

becca23 obviously feels hers are the ones that count.

It is nice that some liked the Mercury enough to book her again, but she is not for everyone. It would be a matter of what is important to the individual cruiser. For me, uncomfortable mattresses and pillows and a small fitness center would preclude me from cruising with her again. Sleeping well and working out are both important to me.

I was in a group of 30, most of us TAs. It was my fourth cruise with X and I am booked on Century post refurb. The issues I had with Mercury are all being addressed by X on Century but none of these are slated for Mecury. Apparently, Celebrity decided to make the improvements and enhancements needed; perhaps they should just "get over" it, too.

jacketwatch

For most of us cruising is a vacation and we are happy to be away and are of a mindset to make the most of it and enjoy it as much as possible. Afterall for most of us vacations are a reward for alot of hard work. For others, like kfusto, i.e. TA's the agenda is different. They look at things more critically I think. They assess, compare, take notes, etc. and to be fair this is their job. Though kfusto and I have disagreeed in the past, esp. inre to CCL her pointing out negatives about the Mercury is fair and is her job. For most others cruising with such a critical eye is not on our agenda. We are there to enjoy the experience and unless problems are glaring we do. Therefore such things as floors that needs a buff, a cracked sink, etc. can be overlooked bnecause cruises offer so many more postive experiences to attract us. We are there for fun and it becomes a self-fullfilling prophecy. OTOH if you look hard enough for flaws you can find them too and that becomes a self-fullfilling prophecy as well. Its all a matter of perspective and really the goal of your cruise. Is it a vacation or is it a "scouting trip"? JM2C.

klr6773

I sailed the Mercury 6 years ago, the last year I was a TA. I definately scrutinized ships back then more than I do now. However, I think it's great that fellow passengers want to take the time to detail things they see. A cracked this or a crummy that may not seem a big deal to some, but if the ships lands up having a lot of cracked this or thats, then you may want to look elsewhere.

I must admit,though before I decide on any ship,the report that I actually study is the CDC ship inspections.Being nationally food safety certified for my work now,I understand what's being looked at and why there are deductions. Those reports tell me if I'll even consider a ship to begin with.

jacketwatch

Interesting. This is the first time on this board I have seen food safety listed as a determining factor for cruise ship choice. Very good idea I think. Thise ratings are listed on cruise critic too.

klr6773

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/

This is the link to the CDC site for ship inspections. It's not just food safety, but overall ship safety/health. Some of the reading can be technical, but it's pretty easy to get an overall idea if the ship you're considering is meeting health standards. Reading the detailed reports is interesting to me because of the inspections/training I go through... It's certainly not the only thing I look at, but it's one of the most important.