My wife and I just returned from a cruise on Carnival Destiny. I guess we were in the minority, but we hated the cruise. Food was cold, ship was dirty, crowds were over-whelming.
We have decided on a smaller ship and are booked on Celebrity Cruise Lines "Mercury" for 4/16/2000 from Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego. Would appreciate comments, observations and information from anyone who has sailed this cruise line or this ship.
Thanks

Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego ??!! That's quite a cruise! How long is it going to be?? You must be crossing the Panama Canal, right?

Sounds fascinating.

We were on the Mercury in March. It was our third Celebrity cruise. You will absolutely love it. Compared to your Carnival experience, you'll think you arrived on another planet!

Upscale, classy, immaculate, elegant. Except for the lifeboat drill and the announcement of arrival in port, there are no loudspeaker announcements. Don't doubt that you have made a terrific choice. I'm just so jealous that you're obviously going to be on board longer than the 7 days we were!

A boarding tip: Don't arrive at the departure pier until 2 hours after the start of embarkation. (Assuming the ship is not schedule to leave sooner). You'll save yourself a tremendously long, frustrating wait in a space crowded with hundreds of people and no seating. Arrive later, and you'll probably just walk right up to the documents counter and board in 5 minutes. Once on board, if you have enjoyed the cruise, join the Captain's Club for future priority embarkation and disembarkation. (You will get priority disembarkation on this cruise).

Chuck,

You will LOVE Celebrity, any ship, any cruise any time! It ranks consistantly #1 for food even over the top top cruise lines such as Crystal, Seaborn, Cunard, etc. The food is fabulous! The ships are very elegant, mahogany and brass in her public areas yet, it's not snooty. There is absolutely NO comparison to Carnival what-so-ever.

Robin

Thanks to all for your comments. We feel much happier now about our choice.
Yes, it is longer than 7 days. This cruise is through the canal and it is a 14 day cruise. 7 never seems to be quite enough to unwind.
Chuck

This must be a repositioning cruise for the summer season. Carnival is dreadful as far as I'm concerned. I have always heard great reports on Celebrity.

Chuck,
I have never been on Carnival but the Celebrity Cruise line is excellent. We took the inside passage to Alaska this summer and had a wonderful time. The only complaint I have about celebrity is their customer service. My luggage was damaged on the ship and I am still trying to process a claim. No other complaints. Enjoy the mercur!

A travel agent told me once that if I had ever taken a Celebrity cruise, I would never be happy with another company. Enough said!