My wife and I cruise about 2-3 times a year - we have sailed on every major cruise line. We did the exact same cruise that "tbugs" did on the Mercury for 10-nights, and couldn't disagree with him more.
The Mercury is a beautiful, graceful, and elegantly appointed ship. She is one of Celebrity's "Century Class" of ships, which include the Century, Mercury and Galaxy. We've cruised on each one of these ships (and twice on the Century), and one is as nice as the others.
It's unfortunate that "tbugs" had such a poor cruise experience, but the Norvirus and other virus-like illnesses are just something that you can't blame the ship for.
If you'll step back and take an overall look at Celebrity Cruise Line, you notice that they've won some pretty impressive awards. We just came off the Celebrity Constellation last week, from a 12-day Caribbean cruise, so I happen to have some info right here;
- they won 6 of the top 10 positions in the Best Large Ship category
- won highest rated Premium Cruise Line
- took top 3 spots for Best Crew/Service
- won all 4 Best Food/Dining rankings
- top spot Best Cabins
You don't get to this position by offering a less than first-class product. I'm confident that once you experience Celebrity, you'll be spoiled. Other cruise lines just don't match-up to the levels of service, attention to detail, quality of food and overall cruise experience.
Enjoy your cruise - Bon voyage!