My wife and I (in our 30's) are are planning our FIRST cruise on the Celebrity Mercury for 11 nights, out of San Diego in November, to the Mexican Riviera. We are pinching our nickels and dimes and gong with either an inside stateroom on the Sky Deck or an outside on the Continental Deck close to center of ship. Which is our best bet? Or is it about a wash? Also as far as Shore Excursions in Mexico would appreciate any experinced observations.
Will post pictures and observations upon our return.
The Mercury is a beautiful ship. Ask for a table in the upstairs part of the dining room. It's a great view from there.The inside cabins are just fine on that ship but you might prefer a window for light and viewing. Higher level cabins produce more motion. (Seasickness???) Mid ship is also less motion.
If the price is about the same, I would take a guarantee at the outside category mentioned then you might even get an upgrade. Make sure your outside category is not "obstructed" or you will likely have a view of one of the life boats.
P.V. is a magnificent city with many things to do. Shopping here is excellent. Beaches are great. My favorite beaches are Yelapa, Sayulita, and Piedra Blanca. You can do those on your own by cab if you like. Yelapa requires water taxi, but it is very fun to go there. It's kinda like Gilligan's Island. No cars, very rustic. We go to P.V. a lot. E-mail me if you have more specific questions.
Mazatlan is not my favorite place. We usually try to leave the city area. Last time we took the colonial villages tour which took you out of town to some of the smaller more quaint villages and it was excellent.Fishing trips are fun here too!
There is a fun glass bottom boat tour in Cabo that is very inexpensive. You can catch it at the dock. Some people like to snorkel here or do beachy things. Fishing is good too!Most ships only dock there for a few hours.
Thanks for the good word. Will go with the outside and see if we get lucky with the elusive upgrade. One other question concerning food – I am a vegetarian. I eat eggs, milk, cheese, etc. just not chicken, beef, and fish. I enjoy food and don’t want to end up with a plate of overcooked veggies if I ask for vegetarian meals only. Can you enlighten me on a good way to go here? If one exists?
Appreciate the community spirit of cruisemates.com not to mention the in depth knowledge base!
We have never been on the Mercury, but have sailed on Celebrity 's Zenith and Century. You will not be disappointed with the food on Celebrity, especially in the dining room. It's all 4 star food there. I don't recall if they have a specific vegetarian menu, but they have ample vegetarian selections (pasta, risotto, salads, soups). You will not be hungry. And don't forget the desserts, the best part!
We haven't sailed on the Mercury, but expect that if it is a Celebrity ship, it will be fantastic. You really won't spend that much time in your room, but if you can get the outside stateroom for not much more, it is worth it. Continental deck is OK, especially if you tend to have a bit of motion sickness as it is lower.
As to shore excursions, Puerto Vallarta is our all-time most romantic place in Mexico. It has cobblestone lined streets and a beautiful old cathedral, and the most gorgeous sunsets ever. (Don't forget the parties...PV is known for them.)
Re: Re: First Cruise - Advice Needed - Which Cabin?
Julie,
Thanks for the info on the cabins, it is very helpful.
Is there a particular hot spot in PV that you recommend for checking out the party scene?
On another front is the Dolphin Center "Swimming with Dolphins" excursion a good bet? And if so should we book it through the center itself or through Celebrity.
Thanks again for passing on the good word to a couple of cruising greenhorns!
We always book our tours thru Celebrity web site. This way we can see what the tours have to offer,cost, transportation etc. Also when you do it now, you can get the time you want to go, and when you board ship the tix are there waiting for you. Enjoy, mercury is a beautiful ship, but all of Celebrity ships are special to us!
Most of the party scene is on the Malecon. There are several restaurants and bars that are hoppin'. The Zona Romantica is very near there and a very wonderful part of town for dining, shopping, strolling, etc. Take a cab to anywhere on the Malecon and you'll see what's happening.
Los Muertos Beach is right there and fun to walk upon. Burro's Bar is a nice place for a beachside cocktail, under a palapa, on Los Muertos Beach. Many vendors will come and try to sell you souvenirs, but that is kinda fun if you can get into it.
Re: Re: First Cruise - Advice Needed - Which Cabin?
Ellis&Jeanne ,
Thanks for the tips on shore excursions! I checked the site and they have 2 area showing shore excursions offered for our trip, a downloadable PDF file with extensive list for each port and an area where you can actually book the trips. Several ports listed in the booking area don’t have any shore excursions listed as they are shown in the downloadable PDF. Any ideas on the discrepancy? Or are there ports where shore excursions are not offered at all.
Just want to again say thanks for the educated comments from everyone!
Kevin, I am not a vegetarian, but I was just reading a note on another forum about a Celebrity ship and it offered a 4 choice vegetarian menu at each dinner seating. You should be just fine with lots of choices. Don't miss those deserts!
Bon Voyage
Re: Re: First Cruise - Advice Needed - Which Cabin?
Kevin, be sure to have your travel agent tell Celebrity about your special dietary needs. I have a friend who is strictly vegetarian, and he said the chef came up with some wonderfully creative meals that he never would have thought of on his own.
my wife and I went on the Mercury last year in Alaska. we had Sky Suite #1205. It's on the Sky Deck Midship. It is a nice size with a great Verandah. You will enjoy the ship no matter what cabin your in. We had a CAT 1 Suite GTY and were upgraded to a Sky Suite.
Remember to book the Cat. cabin you will be happy with.
Our table was on the upper level of the dinning room right next to the Aft window and had a wonderful view of the sunset everynight. We had late seating and since it was Alaska in June, sunset was late.
Re: Re: First Cruise - Advice Needed - Which Cabin?
Walter,
Sounds nice! With all the Suite talk (pun intended), we will be sure to try one out in future. We will be sure to request a table in upper dining room as you and others have suggested. As my wife is not a vegetarian or literally a carnivore as most. I showed her the ships menus and she expressed an interest in only eating the evening meal as it was so rich in food and volume.
Other than checking with our travel agent is there an online source to check ship passenger loads before your trip. Many of the airlines such as Delta show seating charts illustrating current sold and unsold seats that can be accessed on their website. Is there such a source other than the Itinerary view feature on the Celebrity site? I would guess this may be privileged information and used to price out unsold cabins but never hurts to ask.
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First Cruise - Advice Needed - Which Cabin?
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