Wrapping it up

Was it all we expected?

No

Was it worth it?

Yes!

Expectations are always quashed by reality. We would have liked to spend a lot more time in New Zealand after the surprise tour on arrival and our subsequent day in Tauranga. What a beautiful country (at a price…expensive)! We really missed stopping on Rarotonga because of it reputation as a true tropical paradise. Papaeete Tahiti (or Mexihiti as we now call it) was a disappointment but Bora Bora was beautiful. Kiritibati would have been a bust if we hadn’t gotten involved in the aid program for the island schools (great work Sheila!) That was a high point for us. Overnight or late departure in Hilo would make Volcanoes National Park or other time intensive activities do-able. The sea days were many and that’s not a problem for us. Love the sea days!

The Mercury was in remarkably good shape for its age. There were some bare spots on the railings in the nether regions like the sports deck and the tables in the Palm Springs Café have seen better days, but all in all it is a beautiful ship with clean, well-maintained public areas and the sea days were all the better for it.

The working staff was a joy. All of our “regulars”, the cabin steward, waiter, assistant waiter, and assistant maitre d’ were top-notch. The general waiters in all locations were uniformly attentive and polite. The bar staff was a bit pushy with the drink sales, but backed off politely when told no. The bar staff that we used regularly were real gems. The Captain’s Club hostess was very nice and even endured the jolting, rainy tuck ride to visit the schools on Kiritibati. The first-line crew on Celebrity ships has always been a big part of what sets them above the competition.

The Customer Service desk was damaged. With the exception of Erwin, who we learned to ask for, they were either kept uninformed or, at best, lacked any concern for passenger’s problems. The upper crust of officers was distant, but that is often the case unless they are fluent in English.

We haven’t sailed Celebrity since late 2005, so we expected the Celebrity Singers and Dancers to have new material. Oh well…we’re not into the shows much. They had a tenor that was said to be pretty good, but if I’m going to spend A Night at the Opera, it had better feature Groucho, Chico and Harpo! The Hawaiian steel guitar player was about 100 years old, but it didn’t dim his skill at all. That was a good show.

I wish we would have timed our days better so we could see the Enrichment Series lecturers. One of them got stellar reviews and new info is never a bad thing for me.

The casino was not at all rapacious. Kim ended up spending about $200 in it, but on most days, she was playing on their money and had a lot of fun

The food was superb. Celebrity has a fourteen-day menu rotation, so we hit day one again on the last day. Ok with us! The menus offered a good selection of both appetizers and entrees. There are always some clunkers in the café (Euro-chefs don’t do Mexican!) but there were always alternatives. The legendary Eggs Benedict and Waffles were up to par and the evening sushi was great! Elegant tea was just that…elegant. Even Peri was always able to find something to eat (if you know Peri, you’ll realize how exceptional that statement is!) The pasta, pizza and burger bars served excellent examples of their respective cuisines. The 4 oz. premium Martinis are actually worth $10!

Are we glad we did it?

Oh, yes!

Would we do it again?

Not soon, if ever. Maybe, someday, we’ll do the Sydney to Auckland leg. Australia still beckons.