Embarkation Day — Celebrity Mercury

Monday — November 30

We woke up at 6:30a to another gorgeous sunrise that was even better than yesterday morning. The colors were more brilliant — probably because the golden red rays were being reflected back down by the cloud cover overhead. We knew the forecasters were calling for rain, but crossed our fingers in the hopes that they were wrong. They weren’t; but that’s a story for later.

Another glorious sunrise to wake up to.

By 9:00a, we were ready to enjoy our last morning in Baltimore. Despite the gray skies that portended rain, we walked over to the Panera shop to get some breakfast to go. Not about to let the occasional raindrop spoil our plans, we strolled over to the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse and ate our morning meal perched on a bench overlooking the harbor. In the distance, we caught a glimpse of the smokestack of a passenger vessel peeking above the buildings. The shining white “X” was all we needed to see to know that Celebrity Mercury was docked and waiting for us.

Mui relaxes on a bench in the shadow of the USS Constellation.

As we followed a meandering path towards Federal Hill, the occasional raindrops turned into a light drizzle. Before long, the rain was coming down in earnest. We scrubbed our plans for a stroll and returned to the hotel. Taking advantage of this unforeseen gift of time, we made contact with family and friends one last time before checking out of the hotel.

“Cruise Maryland,” here we come.

Shortly after 11:00a, we were at the new passenger ship facilities of Cruise Maryland. The rain was still coming down in earnest, but that didn’t seem to be causing any problems. Everything worked like a well-oiled machine — the attendant at the entrance verified that we had luggage tags; the guard at the gate pointed us to a line of empty baggage carts; the longshoreman unloaded our bags in seconds; the cashier collected the parking fee in due order. Within five minutes of our arrival, Mui was dropping me off at the terminal. A few more minutes, and he had the car parked and was back to accompany me inside.

The Celebrity staffer at the door handed us the now-mandatory health form and directed us to the short line at the security scanners. By the time our turn came, we had the form completed and our Express Pass ready to show the next staffer. The security scan was seamless and 10 minutes after arriving at the terminal, we were at the check-in counter. The regular queue was quite long, but we used our standing as Select/Classic Founder members to check in at a desk that had only one other couple waiting in line.

I have to give kudos to Celebrity for managing the check-in process so seamlessly — especially in light of the fact that the computers were down and everything was being done by hand. No sooner were we seated in the "orange priority" waiting area that suite and concierge class passengers were invited to board. We didn’t need a second invitation. By 11:45a, we were off the gangway and on the ship, the fourth couple to board this morning.

Our embarkation continued to flow smoothly. We had our ID photo taken, took a glass of champagne from the waiter, and rounded the corner to take the elevator up to the Sky Deck — the topmost passenger deck.

Decks 5-7
(Decks 8-10 have no public spaces)

Decks 11-14
(note location of Cabin 1200 circled in red)

Since “Sea Passes” were not yet available, the door to cabin 1200 was unlocked, so we pushed it open to enter our first concierge class accommodations. From my research, I knew that the cabin itself would be about the same size — perhaps even a little smaller — than a regular veranda cabin. Not a big deal as I had booked the cabin for its oversized veranda (thanks for the tip MZ). I was not disappointed. The approximately 9 x 15 feet (~2.5 x 4.5 m) veranda beckoned and I stepped out for a look-see despite the drizzle that was falling. I was thrilled to see that in addition to the two chairs and dining-height table, there were two chaises, and that the overhang covered a third of the veranda — handy shade when the sun hits the starboard side of the ship.

Next I turned my attention to the welcoming touches around the cabin — a bottle of sparkling wine on ice; a bowl of fresh fruit on the coffee table; a few sheets of customized stationery in the drawer; day lilies on the desk; a red rose on the counter in the bathroom. All very nice!

Cabin 1200 is one of four concierge class cabins on the Sky Deck.

Left: “Welcome Aboard” perks from Celebrity and a glimpse of the veranda.
Right: Looking into the cabin from the veranda.

Love the oversized veranda.

The overhang provides shade and protection from "liquid sunshine."

After putting our valuables in the safe and storing our carry-on bags out of sight, we headed down to the Palm Springs Café for the buffet lunch. The fare was familiar from past Celebrity sailings. It didn’t take long for us to make our selections and find a table near the Palm Springs Pool, which was devoid of people. Knowing that would change pretty quickly, we enjoyed the solitude while it lasted.

We spent the next hour exploring the ship. The layout was familiar from having sailed Mercury’s sister ship, Galaxy, when she was ported in Baltimore in 2003. While we were at it, we found the maitre d’ and changed the four-top we had originally requested to a two-top (our friends had to cancel the cruise due to unforeseen circumstances). Then it was back to the cabin where we found our checked bags already delivered. Since the rain was once again falling in earnest and the weather didn’t invite us to dally on the veranda, we made good use of the two hours before the muster drill to settle into our cabin. By the time the emergency signal was sounded, everything in the bags had found a home and the luggage was stored under the bed.

Palm Springs Pool (Resort Deck Aft)

Cova Café Milano (Promenade Deck Amidships)

Manhattan Restaurant (Plaza & Promenade Decks Aft)

Unlike previous cruises, we did not have to wear our life jackets for the muster drill. Nor did we have to line up on the Promenade Deck. Instead, we made our way down to the Casino. We never did see the demonstration of how to put on a life jacket — not that we needed to (we’ve done the muster drill many times) — but I sure hope first time cruisers did.

Since it was still raining, we stayed on the covered Promenade Deck for the sailaway. There wasn’t much to see, however, since everything was hidden by nightfall — a disadvantage of winter cruising. Nonetheless, bundled up in our winter-layers to ward off the nighttime chill, we watched as the lines were released and the Captain maneuvered the ship away from the dock. Once Mercury’s bow was pointed in the right direction, we went up to our veranda, where (thanks to the rain letting up for a few minutes) we watched our passage under the Key Bridge. From our vantage point it sure looked like the smokestack wasn’t going to clear the bridge, but we made it under with 6 feet (~2 m) to spare.

Ready to set sail from Baltimore.

At shortly before 8:30p, we headed down to dinner. The second seating is later than we’d like, but it beats eating at 5:30p. Having checked out the location of our table in the Manhattan Restaurant earlier in the day, we were able to by-pass the queue of passengers waiting to be escorted and made our own way to #613 at the rear of the room.

Service was a little slow — par for the embarkation dinner on any cruise. Nonetheless, we were well taken care of by Cesar (our waiter from Perú) and Gunowry (our assistant waiter from Mauritius). Of the pair, Cesar was the more outgoing one. When we mentioned that we were in his homeland in April, he immediately offered to serve up a portion of “cuy” (guinea pig). Guests dining at nearby tables had to have been wondering why we were laughing so hard!

Embarkation Menu

And so our first day aboard the ship is drawing to a close. Mui’s snuggled under the comforter, already asleep. I’m fading fast and ready to call it a day. Here’s hoping for improved weather tomorrow.

Next Up: A Cool Day at Sea