Cruise Ship Reviews

Celebrity

Mercury

ABOUT THE SHIP

Writer Lisa Costantino based this independent review on her 11-night Mexican Riviera cruise departing from San Diego, California.

Stylish yet comfortable, vivacious yet laid-back, this 1997-built midsize and mid-price vessel is the last of Celebrity’s Century-class ships, representing the apex of that grade and previewing many hallmarks of the newer Millennium class. Conga line, umbrella drinks fun meets cool cigar-lounge and martini-bar sophistication, and the juxtaposition succeeds in pleasing all types of cruisers. Within the ship’s interiors, a chic, nautical feel pervades, set off by public artwork that tends to the contemporary. Modern art and technology, classic service and style -- on Mercury, geek and glamour make a blissful match.

Why Mercury?

· Diversity onboard: Neither floating retirement community nor meat-market madhouse, this ship attracts a passenger complement that is truly diverse.

· Michel Roux menus: Consistently delectable, the cuisine balances hearty and healthy to create dishes that please all palates.

· Daily dose of minerals: The AquaSpa’s emerald-green thalassotherapy pool churns with saltwater and minerals, massaging and melting away any lingering tension.

Who should go
Mercury attracts a wide range of travelers, whether retired, on vacation, with the family, or on a honeymoon; from Europe, Australia, Asia, or, in many cases on Mexican sailings, Southern California. The special touches -- turndown truffles, ice-cold towels, sorbets delivered poolside -- combined with a do-and-wear-whatever-you-want attitude appeal to anyone who appreciates the best of both worlds.

Who shouldn’t go
Drink-until-dawn party hounds will find a niche but not a full-blown rave onboard, while the prim and the proper may find the casual atmosphere a bit too slack. Those easily mortified by masses of people in bikinis and Speedos, in all sizes and shapes, may want to choose a more sedate vessel -- particularly those appalled by the mere existence of a topless sunbathing area.

INSIDE EDGE

Hits and misses

· Don’t miss: The Tropical Night Celebration features Caribbean rock ‘n’ roll, a conga line, a sweets buffet, and ice carving.

· Best part of the ship: The AquaSpa’s idyllic seawater pool and quietly elegant sauna and steam rooms -- you could call it a true melting pot.

· Best experience: Daily dining in the Manhattan dining room has mouth-watering menus, stellar service, and an intimate feel.

· Best shipboard activities: Celebrity Idol -- according to your take on passenger talent, you can cheer on your shipmates or cringe in embarrassment for them.

· Needs improvement: Upgrades are needed for the underwhelming cinema, the error-prone interactive TV system, and the overpriced Pay-Per-View movies. Also, due to the arctic air-conditioning, the transition from steamy outdoors to frigid indoors can provoke a boatload of colds.

· Activities to skip: Pool volleyball tournaments -- few seem capable of putting the ball over the net while standing in the shallow pool.

How to meet the captain
The ship’s master and his Greek officers present a gala toast in the show lounge before the first and last formal nights, but there’s no receiving line. (There are, however, free glasses of wine and champagne.) Your other options: Join the Captain’s Club and make it to the Elite level, book a Penthouse suite, or otherwise ingratiate yourself with the cruise line.

DINING

Manhattan Restaurant
The two-tiered dining room radiates refinement thanks to Mercury’s minimalist approach to décor: Rich colors (here, deep reds and blues), well-placed artwork, and a welcome lack of fuss. The layout of the linen- and crystal-laden tables is such that the restaurant feels quite cozy. There’s even a generous sprinkling of tables for two. The wait staff welcomes you effusively and then attends discreetly, appearing with refills of iced tea or bread just when you’ve finished the last drop or cheese straw. Much is made of Michel Roux’s menu plan, and deservedly so: The cuisine is consistently good, with superb soups (roasted tomato bisque, chilled black cherry), light but flavor-infused sauces, and creative vegetable sides. The vegetarian menu (also available at lunch) tempted the carnivores at our table to occasionally eschew rack of lamb or pork medallions for entrées like butternut squash in a phyllo tulip with pesto gnocchi. Delectable desserts such as coffee cream pot and crème brûlée make one appreciate the restrained portion sizes.

Heard on the deck: “Why are there so many ‘Happy Birthdays’ tonight? Did everyone lie so they could have their birthday on formal night?”

Palm Springs Café & Grill
Desert mosaics brilliant with primary colors greet cruisers entering this series of alcoves separated by etched-glass panels. Set apart from the standard cafeteria-style café by its round tables and floor-to-ceiling windows, the buffet still offers food that tends toward mediocrity. Breakfast’s best option is the omelet station with an assortment of fillings; but toast is often burnt and the corned-beef hash scary to behold. Frequent themed noontime buffets offer a decent selection of salads, but entrées are often on the dry side and lacking in variety, and there is little to appease the non-meat eater. Happily, there’s also the café’s grill, whose lines grow daily as more people discover the appealing options at its offbeat location near the Palm Springs pool. Mornings, it serves up light and airy waffles with your choice of syrups, berries, and whipped cream. Come lunchtime, the grill offers a specialty sandwich (chicken wrap, roast beef, veal), a salad du jour (Cobb, nicoise, Greek), and/or a small specialty buffet such as Indian curry.

Casual Dining Boulevard
The nighttime name for the Palm Springs Café, this “boulevard” is a huge disappointment for those seeking an alternative to the Manhattan, which can’t be beat. Except for a tantalizing sushi buffet (showily decorated in lanterns and umbrellas), there’s only a pizza and pasta station -- with passable pizza, no salads, and al dente pastas that are frequently “al-dried-out” -- and the reservations-only casual dining café, with limited rotating menus that combine dining-room fare (roasted chicken, mixed grill) with the sub-par pizza and pasta. Vegetarians will find scant options here.

Heard on the deck (to the omelet maker): “Pile on the potatoes! I love potatoes. And papaya. I could make a meal out of potatoes and papaya.”

Other dining options:

· La Playa Grill: This afternoons-only outdoor grill offers fast food for those not wanting to give up their deck chair. Burgers, including veggie and Boca burgers, plus hot dogs, pizza, pasta, and fries, comprise the menu. Don’t expect much better than your local double arches.

· Tastings/Cova Café & Patisseria: The place for espresso drinks (served with a luscious piece of Cova chocolate), this stylish lounge also offers a fine substitute to afternoon tea, with its selection of fruit tarts, cream puffs, cakes, and cookies. At night, it becomes the ship’s wine bar, serving fine wines and aperitifs to the sounds of a velvet-voiced pianist.

· Room service: A good option for those too tired to budge from the bed, the 24-hour menu features soups, sandwiches (one veggie), salads, specialty platters, and pizza. In-room diners can also order from the restaurant menu during regular meal hours (ask your attendant for a menu). The breakfast menu includes hot items but no fruit. Service is very prompt.

Best dining

· Dish: Tops at our table were the fat lobster tails, grilled seafood skewers, tender roasted chicken, and rack of lamb.

· Dessert: It’s a tie between the papaya cheesecake, topped with shavings of dark chocolate and set in a sweet papaya coulis; and the silky crème brûlée.

· Restaurant: The Manhattan, without question -- delicious food, impeccable service, and an atmosphere at once refined and relaxed, even on formal nights.

· Food seminar: The Culinary Spectacular is held in the Celebrity Theater to make use of its big screens, so every detail of preparing filet mignon, decorative sugar ribbons, and fanciful fruit carvings can be seen. Recipes and samples are in abundant supply.

How to…

· Get a table for two: Make your request when booking or, once onboard, speak to the assistant maître d’, who should be able to arrange seating by the next night’s dinner.

· Celebrate a birthday or anniversary: A word with your waiter a day or two before the event will bring a sinfully delicious chocolate cake to your table, accompanied by a “Happy Birthday” serenade. Our wine steward also gave our birthday gal a cute keepsake of a table, umbrella, and chairs fashioned from champagne cork, wire, and a cocktail umbrella.

· Change seating: Changes are easily arranged online if you know the reservation numbers of the people with whom you wish to sit. Otherwise, have a word with the assistant maître d’ soon after embarkation.

· Dress for formal night: Gals wear the usual glittery gowns and cocktail dresses while men opt for suits or tuxes; however, instances of more informal clothing were sighted here and there without incident.

· Dress for casual night: Mercury alternates informal nights with casual nights. For the former, a nice shirt and slacks for men and a dress or dressy top with skirt or slacks for women will suffice. Casual dress means anything but shorts, tank tops, or swimwear. Even jeans are tolerated (though not encouraged).

Tips:

· For an all-out celebration, purchase a “Celebrate at Sea” package. They range from $75 for a champagne breakfast for two, canapés, and a portrait; to $350 for champagne, daily canapés, a spa treatment for two, bathrobes, and more. Honeymoon and anniversary packages offer a similar variety of treats and prices.

· Best thing for a hot afternoon: A visit to the ice cream station, where homemade scoops come in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, rum raisin, and butter pecan.

· Be out on Resort Deck each at-sea afternoon for the parade of sorbets. They’re cooling, homemade treats in fruity flavors like passion fruit, orange, and grapefruit.

· Late Night Gourmet Bites -- hot and cold hors d’oeuvres -- are served by roving waiters in bars and lounges starting from 11:30 PM.

· Celebrity no longer offers galley tours on its ships, citing manageability concerns. To make up for it, ships hold several culinary demonstrations, including sushi making and fruit carving.

· You may want to skimp on breakfast and lunch on the farewell formal night, when generous slices of baked Alaska are followed only a few hours later by Le Grand Buffet.

· Tuxedo rentals can be arranged through the Guest Relations Desk.

CABINS

At about 170 square feet in size, standard cabins feature Mercury’s blues: Royal blue carpet, blue print fabrics for the drapes (or shades), and bedspreads and a large painting with blue highlights. Nearly floor-to-ceiling mirrors add a sense of space, further enhanced by a view window if you have one (oceanview cabins outrank insides by only two to one). The beds are firm, and even in moderate seas, the walls don’t creak. Amenities include a loveseat or armchair, nightstands, cocktail tables, well-stocked minibars, white-tiled bathrooms with a variety of toiletries (shampoo, soap, shower cap, cotton balls, Q-tips, and body lotion), and plenty of closet and drawer space. Most cabins have 20" TVs with VCRs, although the quality of tapes available for checkout ranges from substandard to unwatchable. Family cabins add sitting areas with sofa beds partitioned by glass doors.

Enjoy suite perks without the suite price by booking a Concierge Class balcony cabin. You won’t get additional space, but the extra amenities bump up your cruise experience by several notches. They include a bottle of chilled champagne; daily fresh fruit, flowers, and afternoon canapés; pillow-top mattresses and a pillow menu; and priority services such as shoeshines and early tendering (worth it for this alone). Or make the leap to Penthouse level and surround yourself in original art, a dining room with pantry and wet bar, a tricked-out entertainment system with a 100" flat-screen TV, a marble bathroom, and a balcony with whirlpool tub that you won’t ever want to leave (and you don’t have to -- your butler will see to all details).

Cabins for guests with disabilities
Mercury has eight wheelchair-accessible cabins (one inside), all handily located on Plaza Deck. Accessibility throughout the ship is excellent, and there are numerous elevators (10 in the three main foyers).

Tips:

· At turndown, your pillow is topped with a Make-A-Wish Foundation “Goodnight Card” that features a child’s cheery drawing and the next day’s forecast. Read while nibbling your delicious nighttime truffle.

· Pack well or be prepared to fork over money for laundry services -- there are no guest facilities onboard, and no laundry specials. Cleaning is priced per article and racks up fast (a handful of underthings, tops, and a pair of shorts set me back $25). Service is next day. Same-day prices jump up 50 percent.

· The ship boasts about interactive cabin TVs, from which you can order room service, movies, or shore excursions; do in-cabin shopping or gaming; and check your shipboard account. That said, the system is buggy and often freezes up. If you’re experiencing problems, save time and use the phone.

· If you’d like a tour of a suite or a Concierge Class cabin, contact the Cruise Sales Desk on the day of embarkation and if the ship’s not full, they’ll make it happen.

· Each cabin is supplied with two beach towels for use on port beaches only (pool towels are readily available on deck). Don’t lose yours or it’ll cost you a fat $28 per towel.

ENTERTAINMENT AND PUBLIC AREAS

Mercury’s activities staff ensures that passengers have their pick of fun and games throughout the day. Engaging, often silly events at poolside range from the “King of the Mercury” competition (drunk men dance and sing) to bagel races to pool Olympics. More sports-oriented cruisers vie in golf putting, doubles table tennis, hard-court volleyball, “hot shot” basketball, shuffleboard, and darts. Indoors, more sedate activities include trivia, bridge lessons, book discussions, wine-tasting seminars, dance classes, enrichment lectures, and the art of napkin folding. One modern feature: The ban on smoking on the ship’s starboard side, which works in everyone’s favor.

Bars, lounges, and casino
Late-night leisure spots as a whole are appealing places to drink, dance, and dish. Most popular is Rendez-Vous Square, its deep red chairs and glossy bar conveniently located close to the Manhattan for pre- and post-dinner cocktails. The older set comes here to show off their ballroom moves on the compact dance floor. The multi-level Pavilion Nightclub vies for patrons with the lofty Navigator Club, which attracts hard partiers. Other places to linger include the intimate Martini Bar and its downstairs cousin specializing in champagne; the always-popular Cova Wine Bar; and Michael’s Club, an oddly-placed arc of a lounge with plump armchairs and a selection of hand-rolled cigars and fine cognac.

The jingle of paying-out slots is a constant at Fortunes Casino on at-sea days. After the evening shows, it fills to the brim. Seats at the electronic games tend to be far more popular than those at the 10 gaming tables (save for blackjack), possibly due to the liberal number of nickel slots out of the more than 180 machines (which, despite the numbers, need some updating). Fortunes Bar sits behind a sweeping countertop embedded with video poker machines, giving barflies something to do.

Swimming pools
You won’t find a shortage of pools on this ship. All are located on Resort Deck, with the indoor Palm Springs pool tucked amid diners in the aft part of the café. Surrounded by deck chairs (none of which can be reserved) are the two La Playa pools, which flank a raised platform harboring one of the ship’s four hot tubs. The smaller pool is good for a cool-off dunk and has a basketball hoop for water sports. The larger pool, with a deep-end depth of 6'7", is lengthy enough for laps and such poolside frivolity as pillow pole pool jousting. Children swim in the adjacent kiddie pools only under adult supervision (and must be 16 to use the hot tubs). Fore and aft of pool central are the three other hot tubs, jam-packed even on sweltering days.

Shows
The Celebrity Theater presents an attractive venue for the night’s main entertainment. Seating and sight lines are excellent; the acoustics, a little less so. On stage, the Celebrity Singers and Dancers whip up a froth of Broadway Lite that puts the icing on formal nights. Other nights see comedians, vocalists, a really top-notch pianist, and a couple performing a short but spectacular acrobatic routine. On our Mexico cruise, a folkloric dance troupe came onboard in Acapulco to perform an engaging assortment of traditional Mexican dances.

Heard on the deck: “Did you know the Cirque du Soleil girl just had a child? How can any woman bend into a pretzel so soon after childbirth?”

Shore excursions
Mercury does late bookers a favor and holds a handful of tickets to each shore excursion for passengers who didn’t make the 10-day, pre-cruise online booking deadline. Head to the Shore Excursion office (open until 9 PM the day of embarkation; closed on port days) as early as possible, or fill out a request form and drop it into the 24-hour box at the desk. Chances are, you’ll get a ticket. You can also order shore excursions from your cabin’s interactive TV system -- if it’s working. Golfers will want to look into Celebrity’s escorted golf tours, which visit the region’s finest golf clubs and include greens fees, prearranged tee times, transportation, a cart, and a certified golf pro escort.

Wedding and vow renewals
Mercury guests can get hitched in most ports of call, from a beach in Cabo San Lucas to a glacier in Juneau. The Wedding Experience, Celebrity’s wedding planner, offers packages that include the officiant, coordinator, photographer, cake, music, bottle of champagne, bouquet, boutonniere, and marriage certificate. You’ll work with your coordinator to reserve an onboard reception site and purchase invitations, flowers, and the like. At least two months’ notice is needed to arrange everything according to port requirements. Packages range in price from $1,145 to $2,000.

Looking for…

· Quietest spot: Vista Deck aft -- it’s directly behind the Fun Factory, but when the kids are inside (which is most of the time), this tiny slice of deck with a handful of chairs becomes a private nook for reading or drowsing.

· Liveliest spot: Resort Deck is a sea of sunbathers lazily cheering on contestants in goofy activities, with a multitude of jogging-track enthusiasts racing one another just above. At late-night sailaways, the band fires up, the buffets are laid out, and the good times roll.

· Best view: Check out the views from the two-deck-high wraparound windows in the Navigator’s Club observation lounge, and from just about anywhere on Sunrise Deck.

· Best drink: This one’s for dessert -- Bailey’s Banana Colada, pure sweetness at milkshake thickness. Drink two and get both a buzz and an extra pound on your hips.

· Best show: Swing Train mixes toe-tappin’ tunes with train themes (Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Tuxedo Junction, and the like) with numbers representing stops along the train’s route. The gals love the sentimental journey; the men, the hot Celebrity dancers in their sassy little outfits.

· Best activity: At the Art of Mixology, bartenders demonstrate making six cocktails with the help of volunteers from the poolside audience, each of whom has to shake their booty along with the cocktail mixer in order to “win” their drink. The lead bartender’s moves easily outshine those of Tom Cruise in Cocktail.

Tips:

· The Online@Celebrity computer center offers daily computer classes taught by amiable experts. Some are complimentary and fill up quickly. The more advanced -- digital editing tricks, Web site design -- cost $20 each.

· Between classes, the computer center’s 15 or so Dell laptops are available for use. Although Internet access is expensive (75¢ per minute; time packages are available), setting up a shipboard account for e-mail only is a snap and very reasonable at $2 per incoming or outgoing message.

· Download your digital photos into your shipboard account, and at the end of the cruise, the computer staff will burn them onto a CD for $15. Cheaper than buying a new memory card! Note to non-digital photogs: The ship has a photo shop offering supplies for sale, film developing, and minor camera repairs.

· Other online options: The handful of laptop stations outside the computer center and in the Grand Foyer are available 24 hours a day, and wireless connection using your own laptop can be accessed in Rendez-Vous Square and Michael’s Club for the same charges and packages as in the computer center.

· The ship’s ATM, located in the casino, charges a steep $5.50 service fee per transaction.

· Currency can be exchanged at the bank on Plaza Deck.

· For anyone not feeling up to snuff, there’s a well-staffed Medical Facility on Deck 4, complete with pharmacy. Charges are based on U.S. Medicare rates, and statements can be submitted to your insurance company upon your return home.

· When ports require tendering ashore, passengers are asked to get tickets at and wait in the Celebrity Theater. If you have an afternoon excursion (or none at all), wait elsewhere and avoid the mad crush -- and the high-volume sales pitch from the port ambassador.

KID STUFF

Despite having a mere 36 kids onboard this late-November cruise, the ShipMates Fun Factory was in full swing. Whether it’s an in-port or at-sea day, the kids’ center opens its doors at 9 AM and provides fun and learning until 10 PM, with slumber parties continuing until 1 AM. During the day, activities take place indoors or outside and children congregate according to age group. Shipmates (ages 3-6) and Cadets (ages 7-9) generally hang together, sharing such endeavors as popsicle stick ship building, T-shirt coloring, piñata bashing, and charades. Ensigns (ages 10-12) and Teens (ages 13-17) spend much of their time in the Teen Center making picture frames, playing board games, having pizza parties, and learning hip-hop dance. It’s no coincidence that the ship’s 24-hour video arcade is just outside the teen center, and all kids participate in a backstage tour and a peek at rehearsal in the Celebrity Theater. Note: Combined age-group programs are offered during the regular school schedule.

Heard on the deck: “My kids are having a great time in the Fun Factory. In fact, when we come to pick them up, they don’t want to leave.”

Tips:

· Slumber parties and port-day afternoon parties require registration before the event, and there is a $6 per child, per hour fee. Don’t be late picking up your kids from the slumber parties! After a 15-minute grace period, you’ll be charged a $20 late fee, which increases quickly to $25 an hour.

· In-cabin babysitting is available for tiny tots 6 months to 3 years old. The fee is $8 per hour for up to two children, the limit is 5 hours, and there’s a 3-hour minimum charge. Mom and dad can also visit the Fun Factory to borrow toys for their littlest ones.

· All children must be signed out of the Fun Factory by their parents; teens are free to join in or leave the Teen Center as they please.

· Baby monitoring via your cabin phone is available to parents. Ask the Guest Relations Desk about setting up this service.

· Parents might consider the unlimited soda package which, at $5 a day per person (plus 15 percent gratuity) provides a lot of sugar buzz. The package must be purchased for the entire cruise and doesn’t apply to room service

· Along with books, the library also rents out iPods for $10 a day. Create a playlist from thousands of selections.

SPA AND FITNESS

Spa and salon
“AquaSpaaaa!” the salon staffer shouted as she plunged into her first Bungee jump while in port. Now that’s loyalty. And warranted: The cheerful AquaSpa staff has salon “offices” alongside picture windows in a roomy space with a cool palette reflecting the spa’s name. Haircuts, manicures, “sole delight” pedicures, and formal-night makeovers keep these efficient young women busy. Adjacent treatment rooms provide sanctuary from shipboard bustle; in typical spa form, treatments are called “rituals” and “ceremonies,” but after, say, a milk bath, lime and ginger salt glow, coconut rub, deep-tissue massage, and silk facial, you may deem it a religious experience, too. A plus: While it probably depends on the staff, no one in my party got the dreaded sales pitch.

The spa’s centerpiece thalassotherapy pool ($20 for a day pass; $80 for the cruise) bubbles enticingly between the women’s and men’s spotless locker and sauna/steam rooms. Quietly lit and surrounded by (usually empty) chaise lounges, the 115,000-gallon pool beckons with its salty warm waters which burble through horizontal rollers, pour torrentially through arcing pipes, and churn furiously at the deep end, where you need to hang onto rails to avoid going under (keep your eyes closed if you wear contact lenses!). Once you get the knack, though, it’s sublime.

Fitness areas
Passengers looking to burn off that lunchtime dessert buffet splurge get a good start by pounding the stairs to Deck 11’s get-fit facilities, open 6 AM to 11 PM. The fitness room comes stocked with oceanview machinery that includes treadmills, Nautilus stations, stair steppers, Lifecycles, and recumbent bikes, three of which have interactive screens so you can pedal and play Aztec ball, snowmobile, or compete in a road race at the same time. An assortment of free weights is also on hand. The connecting exercise studio provides plenty of space for its numerous classes (most carrying a $10 fee); however, yoga mats should be supplied instead of towels if the ship wants to avoid injury claims. Bring your own if you can.

Heard on the deck: “Either this is a particularly active crowd, or shuffleboard is experiencing a huge resurgence in popularity.”

Tips:

· Take the spa tour on embarkation day and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a free treatment. (Note: Children under 16 are not permitted in the spa unless accompanied by an adult, and the thalassotherapy pool is adult-only.)

· Purchase a Master Class package for unlimited fitness-class access, but make sure to use it -- at $66, it’s the among the priciest passes at sea. (It does throw in a free body composition analysis when booked on day one, which can be exchanged for another service at your request.)

· The spa offers an assortment of packages, with prices always less on port days.

· AquaSpa seminars take place throughout at-sea days. Except for the $49 couples massage workshop, all are free; that is, until you purchase the products pitched.

· Mercury’s Acupuncture at Sea program offers the services of a licensed acupuncture physician who also gives lectures on wellness with a look to the East.

· Play golf courses from around the world in the Golf Simulator. Greens and fairways are projected bigger than life onto the virtual screen. The ship’s golf pro is also available for private lessons.

AT-SEA SHOPPING

Despite the market and vendor overload endured at each port stop, the Rialto Galleries see a steady stream of shoppers whenever its six shops are open. All the perfunctory products are represented: Name-brand watches and jewelry of the 14K, tanzanite, opal, and South American emerald variety at Treasures; fragrances and cosmetics for him and her at Scentsations; resort and formal wear at Signatures; logo wear at Impressions; and sundries, snacks, and tropical sweets, plus monster boxes of duty-free cigarettes and booze, at the Emporium. A few surprises brought delight to jaded browsers: Intricate crystal ships-in-a-bottle, Kate Spade handbags, and the Discoveries specialty boutique, whose wares reflect the itinerary. On this Mexico cruise, colorful Talavera-style bowls, pitchers, and tableware drew buyers like butterflies to flowers.

Tips:

· Buying two bottles of liquor at a bargain price is one of the most popular deals onboard. As is typical, alcohol is held and then delivered on the last evening of the cruise.

· All of the shops offer daily specials, such as two T-shirts for $20, $1-an-inch gold-layered chains, and two-for-one earring sets. Bargains increase as the end of the cruise looms.

· Need a new suit? You won’t get it in time for formal night, but the representative for international custom tailors Davanti does surprisingly good business from his table in the Rialto Galleries. Drop by just to peruse the plush fabric samples.

· Open limited hours, a small flower shop offers arrangements for your cabin and an array of lovely silk bouquets and flower sculpture “illusions” designed by Emilio Robba.

· Though the daily Park West art auctions held in Rendez-Vous Square showcase the usual color-sodden, flowery landscapes, also on offer are sports collectibles such as a Dodgers jersey signed by Duke Snider.

ITINERARIES

Mercury's primary cruise offerings include:

Alaska from Seattle (7 nights)

Mexico/Baja from San Diego (10 or 11 nights)

West Coast from Seattle (3 or 4 nights)

South Pacific from Auckland or Sydney (14 nights)

A 16-night voyage from Honolulu to Auckland, with stops in Tahiti and French Polynesia, will also be offered.

SHIP FACTS

· Cruise line - Celebrity	· Ship name - Mercury
· Type of cruise - Sophisticated	· Total cabins - 933
· Private balcony cabins - 536	· Decks - 10
· Passenger capacity - 1870	· Total crew - 908
· Officers nationality - Greek	· Ship size - Large
· Year entered service - 1997	· Tonnage - 77713
· Ship length - 865	· Registry - Bahamas