Thomson Dream 30/12/10

[TJT]

New to forum, my first post and what a post !
Due to fly from Birmingham tomorrow 30th Dec 9.40 am and just got phone call 7.30pm 29th Dec sorry your cruise tomorrow been has cancelled, due to unfourseen circumstances (air con problems??)!!!! dont bother turning up at airport.:mad:
Well Happy New Year to you too Thomsons!

[edwardteach]

New to forum, my first post and what a post !
Due to fly from Birmingham tomorrow 30th Dec 9.40 am and just got phone call 7.30pm 29th Dec sorry your cruise tomorrow been has cancelled, due to unfourseen circumstances (air con problems??)!!!! dont bother turning up at airport.:mad:
Well Happy New Year to you too Thomsons!

I hope you decide never to consider booking with them again!

ET

[TJT]

I will not be ever, but want my money back now !!! said 7-10days what a joke :mad:

[c gazzzer]

Did they not give you an alternative, how can they do that at such short notice. I'm due to fly next week the 6th from East middlands and I've payed to stay in a hotel the night before we fly and like you probably took 2 weeks of work. Getting the cost of the holiday back does not work.

[jenny wren]

Several other people on cruise dot co uk have also been cancelled this evening for their flights tomorrow....I would be absolutely devastated if that happened to me....I wouldn't like to be the person that has to make the phone calls!:(

[kruzseeka]

Does anyone have any idea why???? That's grim - must be very serious to cancel the whole cruise!!!

So sorry to hear you've been let down at the last minute TJT - you must be feeling so disappointed. :(

Typically, no info on their site - you would think they'd manage to put up a post wouldn't you?

http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/travel-news/latest-travel-information.html

[edwardteach]

Typically, no info on their site - you would think they'd manage to put up a post wouldn't you?

http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/travel-news/latest-travel-information.html

No. It's Thomson.
I'll be contacting them today to see if I can get an answer regarding my booking. Trouble is, do I believe what I'm told?

ET

[kruzseeka]

No. It's Thomson.
I'll be contacting them today to see if I can get an answer regarding my booking. Trouble is, do I believe what I'm told?

ET

From the reports coming in it sounds as though perhaps one of the air-con units has completely broken down affecting a lot of cabins. It doesn't sound like individual cabin problems with the air-con but large scale distribution. I guess they are either needing parts or a new unit - it's clearly not something they think can be fixed over-night so to speak. Hopefully all will be remedied before we are due to travel.

I would bet anyone at Thomson (who you will get to speak to) won't know any more than we do and if they do say anything - it will only be making suppositions (rather like me!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

Anyway, I'll try my T.A. too and we'll see if we can glean any more info. The test will be whether all the passengers are able to fly out next week. I do feel so sorry for everyone affected though!

[TJT]

Does anyone have any idea why???? That's grim - must be very serious to cancel the whole cruise!!!

So sorry to hear you've been let down at the last minute TJT - you must be feeling so disappointed. :(

Typically, no info on their site - you would think they'd manage to put up a post wouldn't you?

http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/travel-news/latest-travel-information.html

The have not cancelled the whole cruise, just around 60 cabins. Think that makes it worst.
They did offer to find somthing else, but not to go today or on a cruise to go to Morrocco or Sharm !! not the same really !!!:confused:

[edwardteach]

...

[edwardteach]

Just rang customer services, they didn't know anything about the situation. I should get a call back later when he's (the operator) asked whoever at Thomson(?) , as they are working reduced hours this week. They may not have to work at all soon!

ET

[TJT]

Just rang customer services, they didn't know anything about the situation. I should get a call back later when he's (the operator) asked whoever at Thomson(?) , as they are working reduced hours this week. They may not have to work at all soon!

ET

Yeh we got that last nite, as we still did not know what to do, go to airport or not, or even if it was sick joke ! Got to ring cruise deals(part of thomsons) back this morning to find out about refund ! Great

[edwardteach]

Had a message left on my phone to say that it's too early to say whether I will be affected!
Ah well that's alright then. I'm sure that I can re-arrange everything with less than 24hrs notice!:mad:

[burghfieldcruise]

I am also due to depart E. Mids on the 6th, alredy looking around in case I get the dreaded phone call. What a way to prepare to go on holiday

[Single Cruiser]

If you don't mind slightly cooler weather around the med, 18 (yes 18 days) from Southampton on the 8th Jan onboard IoS is now down to about £900 per person. If I had the time I'd do that for £50 a night!!

[edwardteach]

Just received a letter from Thomsons and hurriedly opened it !
It advised me of the Cuban departure tax and told me that I wasn't made aware at the time of booking due to (wait for it) another system error!
At least the letter still wished me a fantastic holiday, for the time being anyway.

ET

[NorthWalesCouple]

Just rang customer services, they didn't know anything about the situation. I should get a call back later when he's (the operator) asked whoever at Thomson(?) , as they are working reduced hours this week. They may not have to work at all soon!

ET

Jesus same here just about to ring TA to find out what is going on we need to know peeps as we need to arrange other hols no matter what for gods sake.

[NorthWalesCouple]

Jesus same here just about to ring TA to find out what is going on we need to know peeps as we need to arrange other hols no matter what for gods sake.

Have spoken to TC TA's and they contacted Thomsons for me there are problems with a certain amount of cabins re: Air Con etc, People have had there Cruise cancelled but the ship is still sailing. I asked about ours and she is going to ring Thomsons next Friday the 7th and will let me know the latest from them then. She did say the problem only happended late so people were not given a lot of notice. Oh well!!

[littlesteelo]

If you don't mind slightly cooler weather around the med, 18 (yes 18 days) from Southampton on the 8th Jan onboard IoS is now down to about £900 per person. If I had the time I'd do that for £50 a night!!
Damn that's good value!

[CRUISIN LINDA]

If you don't mind slightly cooler weather around the med, 18 (yes 18 days) from Southampton on the 8th Jan onboard IoS is now down to about £900 per person. If I had the time I'd do that for £50 a night!!

Well I wouldn't! 8 nights on the IOTS was more than enough for me. Far too many people packed in. No indoor pool and no outside area available due to TERRIBLE weather. Didn't dock in Madeira and very short stops at other ports. You would have to pay me to go back on that ship!

Also, I wouldn't say the weather in the Med in January was SLIGHTLY cooler than the Caribbean:eek: If you want to go to the Caribbean, the Med is hardly a good substitute in Winter:rolleyes:

[littlesteelo]

I agree with your point about the weather, but no cruise line can control it, be it in the Caribbean or the Med, but I would take a ship without an indoor pool any day over one which has leaking toilets and broken air con.

[Beckyfaye-2008]

Have posted this on another thread, but may be of help on this one as well.

I saw this post on another cruise forum, the forum is run by a Travel Agents, and the following was posted by the Administrators of that site re the Dream.

"Approximately 100 passengers expecting to fly out for a fantastic New Year celebration cruise, were told last night their cruise was cancelled.

So what happened? Well, ironically, whilst the ship was in dry-dock in Hamburg (for the refit) a number of air-conditioning units were damaged by freezing conditions - and Thomson have been unable to get replacements delivered during the Christmas holidays.

About 50 cabins are believed to be affected.

In a statement, the company says: " Thomson Cruises has reluctantly taken the decision to cancel the bookings of those customers that were the last to book and who were due to occupy these cabins. All customers whose cruise has been cancelled are being offered an alternative holiday, such as the Thomson Destiny Caribbean itinerary due to depart on Sunday, January 2, or a full refund, as well as £200 per person offered by way of a goodwill gesture."

Apart from the affected cabins, Thomson Dream's New Year cruise is expected to operate as normal."

[ds0907]

there is a post from someone on cruise dot who sailed on the dream the week before crimbo when it sailed from southampton to the carribean for this current fiasco, in his post he tells us that one engine broke down in the bay of biscany then crossing the atlantic both engines went and they lost all power eg lights etc.

[Single Cruiser]

Well she is probably one of the oldest cruise ships still out there!

Launched in 1985 makes her 26 years old next year!
Lengthened in 1990.

I can't see Thomson taking their option to buy it after 5 years of the current 10 year lease. Guess not owning the ship also restricts what money is spent on it!

[Bikerpair]

there is a post from someone on cruise dot who sailed on the dream the week before crimbo when it sailed from southampton to the carribean for this current fiasco, in his post he tells us that one engine broke down in the bay of biscany then crossing the atlantic both engines went and they lost all power eg lights etc.

We were on the transatlantic crossing and I think you should maybe read some of the other comments on this journey before making comments like this We made up a full day on the transatlantic crossing and the engines worked well it was the blower that went down and was fixed in a short space of time and the power went off for a few minutes during the fixing process.

[vwgolf]

Did they not give you an alternative, how can they do that at such short notice. I'm due to fly next week the 6th from East middlands and I've payed to stay in a hotel the night before we fly and like you probably took 2 weeks of work. Getting the cost of the holiday back does not work.

Getting the cost of your holiday back is the most you can expect as Thomson's (or any other travel company) have no liability for any other costs you incur. It may be a cliche, but it's all in the small print unfortunately!

[db4111]

i think thomson,s offer is well below what the industry would normally offer.a full and immediate refund and at the very least 50% off another cruise and £200 onboard credit.thomson,s have behaved very badly and all they are doing is pushing people to other cruise lines.Ithink they must have known about this before the ship left dry dock but were hoping they could "wing-it" till the replacements became available.Blom and voss are very good ship refitters with a world-wide reputation and would never let a ship leave in less than perfect condition unless the owners/charterers insisted because the ship had comittments to fulfil

[vwgolf]

i think thomson,s offer is well below what the industry would normally offer.a full and immediate refund and at the very least 50% off another cruise and £200 onboard credit.

Is this the industry norm? If so, I will be booking a cruise with another operator in the hope that it is cancelled at the last minute and I can rebook at a bargain price with free drinks all week!

[finngriff]

If you have had a cancellation consider yourself very lucky! Thomson knew about these problems when we set sail on 23/12/10. Furthermore, officers onboard confirmed there were unresolved technical issues when in last dry dock! Not just air con as the ship still sticks of sewers and the toilets are still constantly blocking. worst affected is Deck 5 but orion restaurant and toilets stink and this is the smart waiter service room. Waiters apologise for the heat and the smell. Our cabin had to be attended to by plumbers on over a dozen occasions in 8 days. Thomson have not spent enough and have knowingly let it sail with major problems. They have only cancelled due to the huge weight of complaint during the Christmas cruise. You can't trust this company! at least you have a full refund. What about us, the group who have endured a week of misery, will we get our money back in full. We would rather be in your shoes. Please don't risk going with Thomson ever again.

[pcraftuk]

Hi, we were put thru the wringer with Thomson back in May and had to fight for compensation and moving cabins at midnight. We have since taken a P&O Azura transatlantic to Carib which was FANTASTIC, easier to book and CHEAPER than any deals with Thomson. We sailed the one time with Thomson and will not be returning no matter how cheap (and tacky) they can be. P&O offer a far superior service for the same price or less if you look for their deals.

[montytania]

We considered P&O and other ships but decided on Thomson because we wanted to go back to the Western Caribbean and Cuba. The reviews for the Dream were getting better and it had had a lot of good ones until now:eek:.
Most ships get good and bad reviews (but Thompson are getting a lot more bad than good) I feel really sorry for those that have had their cruise cancelled and hope that they get the problems sorted quickly.
We have 8 weeks to go before it's our cruise so most things should be ok for then (fingers crossed)
I just hope it will be ok for everyone that goes before us.

[finngriff]

Hi cant begin to tell you how bad it was- really hot, gagging on smell, drugs under kid's bunk, rang plumber 15 times and paid £5k! Thomson just do not care and lie to us!

[loyalcruiser]

I am new on here, so hello to you all,

I thought I would air my views on this topic, which again has reared its head !!

I was on the Dream last summer, and yes we did have problems (quite a lot if you ask), in our cabin, and the whole experience of cruising with thomsons was well below their usual standards..

We were assured prior to the summer cruise that ALL problems were now sorted and to enjoy the cruise, when we got on board it was a different matter, it was a mess to be polite..!!

We were then assured after we put our complaint (which was very long), to the manager of the cruise, and was again assured that when this ship goes into dry dock in Hamburg it will be refitted throughout and ALL the problems they have had especially with PLUMBING and AIR CONDITIONING, will be most definately resolved....

However we are due to travel on the Thomson Dream in 5 weeks time, to Havana (as we have been everywhere else in the carribean and surrounding areas, but not this itinary, that is why we booked it as soon as they launched the itinary),

Now having read a lot of reviews of this Dream ship again, we are most annoyed, and to hear that the plumbing and air conditioning is still the issues,,,this has made us furious....

I have read the statement that Thomsons has supplied, and to say that the air conditioning units were damaged due to freezing pipes, (well why were they not repaired before travelling? ), and then they say that they are waiting to get the new units sent out, from the UK.
WHY WHY oh WHY, are they still sailing this ship? Is it cheaper for them to cancel peoples well earned and saved up for holidays, than pay out compensation to the passengers?

Thomsons we have been loyal customers to yourself over the years, we have recommended you to our friends, family and to people we dont know, we have been loyal Thomson Cruise ship cruisers for over 10 years travelling at least 3 thomson cruises a year, some to destinations that we have been to lots of time, but we have just enjoyed the experience your cruise ships offer, excecpt the Dream Ship so please please please get your act together on this Dream ship, or you will loose the loyal customers, your ratings, and your reputation. Why is this ship well below your standards?

I am still awaiting a response to my query sent to thomsons, with regards to the issues on this ship, after dry dock, and am still awaiting -- perhaps I will get a phone call to say the day before that we are not travelling, due to the problems,,??????

I went on a 5* cruise liner last year, around the carribean and thought it was great, but some things Thomsons were better, hence why we have gone back there, but it is not looking good,

We spent over £2,000 on our summer cruise on the dream, and we have spent over £5,000 on this havana cruise in 5 weeks time, a lot of money for a well earned break, but it has to be well worth it, and relaxing not moving from cabin to cabin because it has problems, or toilets not working, or the food not being the same, but more importantly the staff were not the same bubbly thomsons staff that they normally have on their ships, perhaps this will be rectified prior to all of us going on our cruise....?

xxx sorry for the lengthy reply, but this is making my blood boil !!!

[kruzseeka]

I am new on here, so hello to you all,

I thought I would air my views on this topic, which again has reared its head !!

I was on the Dream last summer, and yes we did have problems (quite a lot if you ask), in our cabin, and the whole experience of cruising with thomsons was well below their usual standards..

We were assured prior to the summer cruise that ALL problems were now sorted and to enjoy the cruise, when we got on board it was a different matter, it was a mess to be polite..!!

We were then assured after we put our complaint (which was very long), to the manager of the cruise, and was again assured that when this ship goes into dry dock in Hamburg it will be refitted throughout and ALL the problems they have had especially with PLUMBING and AIR CONDITIONING, will be most definately resolved....

However we are due to travel on the Thomson Dream in 5 weeks time, to Havana (as we have been everywhere else in the carribean and surrounding areas, but not this itinary, that is why we booked it as soon as they launched the itinary),

Now having read a lot of reviews of this Dream ship again, we are most annoyed, and to hear that the plumbing and air conditioning is still the issues,,,this has made us furious....

I have read the statement that Thomsons has supplied, and to say that the air conditioning units were damaged due to freezing pipes, (well why were they not repaired before travelling? ), and then they say that they are waiting to get the new units sent out, from the UK.
WHY WHY oh WHY, are they still sailing this ship? Is it cheaper for them to cancel peoples well earned and saved up for holidays, than pay out compensation to the passengers?

Thomsons we have been loyal customers to yourself over the years, we have recommended you to our friends, family and to people we dont know, we have been loyal Thomson Cruise ship cruisers for over 10 years travelling at least 3 thomson cruises a year, some to destinations that we have been to lots of time, but we have just enjoyed the experience your cruise ships offer, excecpt the Dream Ship so please please please get your act together on this Dream ship, or you will loose the loyal customers, your ratings, and your reputation. Why is this ship well below your standards?

I am still awaiting a response to my query sent to thomsons, with regards to the issues on this ship, after dry dock, and am still awaiting -- perhaps I will get a phone call to say the day before that we are not travelling, due to the problems,,??????

I went on a 5* cruise liner last year, around the carribean and thought it was great, but some things Thomsons were better, hence why we have gone back there, but it is not looking good,

We spent over £2,000 on our summer cruise on the dream, and we have spent over £5,000 on this havana cruise in 5 weeks time, a lot of money for a well earned break, but it has to be well worth it, and relaxing not moving from cabin to cabin because it has problems, or toilets not working, or the food not being the same, but more importantly the staff were not the same bubbly thomsons staff that they normally have on their ships, perhaps this will be rectified prior to all of us going on our cruise....?

xxx sorry for the lengthy reply, but this is making my blood boil !!!

Hello loyalcruiser and welcome to the site. Your wealth of experience of Thomson's cruises and knowledge of destinations will be a great asset to the forum - so keep posting!

I must say we too are regular and satisfied Thomson cruisers but like you feel they are really letting themselves and customers down by not tackling this issue for once and all.

I hope they take note of the sentiments you have expressed and respond to your query. Let us know what they have to say.

We are due to travel on the Deam next week :eek: and have been following developments with interest as you will appreciate! I'll post back and let you know what we find - if we don't get cancelled that is - so at least you will have some more up-to-date first hand info. Although we've been big supporters of the Thomson product in the past, I'll be objective about issues we see and give as balanced a report as possible. Hopefully it will be more positive than recent weeks so that you will be able to look forward to your holiday. I'm feeling rather apprehensive at the moment though! :(

[jojo67]

I am new on here, so hello to you all,

I thought I would air my views on this topic, which again has reared its head !!

I was on the Dream last summer, and yes we did have problems (quite a lot if you ask), in our cabin, and the whole experience of cruising with thomsons was well below their usual standards..

We were assured prior to the summer cruise that ALL problems were now sorted and to enjoy the cruise, when we got on board it was a different matter, it was a mess to be polite..!!

We were then assured after we put our complaint (which was very long), to the manager of the cruise, and was again assured that when this ship goes into dry dock in Hamburg it will be refitted throughout and ALL the problems they have had especially with PLUMBING and AIR CONDITIONING, will be most definately resolved....

However we are due to travel on the Thomson Dream in 5 weeks time, to Havana (as we have been everywhere else in the carribean and surrounding areas, but not this itinary, that is why we booked it as soon as they launched the itinary),

Now having read a lot of reviews of this Dream ship again, we are most annoyed, and to hear that the plumbing and air conditioning is still the issues,,,this has made us furious....

I have read the statement that Thomsons has supplied, and to say that the air conditioning units were damaged due to freezing pipes, (well why were they not repaired before travelling? ), and then they say that they are waiting to get the new units sent out, from the UK.
WHY WHY oh WHY, are they still sailing this ship? Is it cheaper for them to cancel peoples well earned and saved up for holidays, than pay out compensation to the passengers?

Thomsons we have been loyal customers to yourself over the years, we have recommended you to our friends, family and to people we dont know, we have been loyal Thomson Cruise ship cruisers for over 10 years travelling at least 3 thomson cruises a year, some to destinations that we have been to lots of time, but we have just enjoyed the experience your cruise ships offer, excecpt the Dream Ship so please please please get your act together on this Dream ship, or you will loose the loyal customers, your ratings, and your reputation. Why is this ship well below your standards?

I am still awaiting a response to my query sent to thomsons, with regards to the issues on this ship, after dry dock, and am still awaiting -- perhaps I will get a phone call to say the day before that we are not travelling, due to the problems,,??????

I went on a 5* cruise liner last year, around the carribean and thought it was great, but some things Thomsons were better, hence why we have gone back there, but it is not looking good,

We spent over £2,000 on our summer cruise on the dream, and we have spent over £5,000 on this havana cruise in 5 weeks time, a lot of money for a well earned break, but it has to be well worth it, and relaxing not moving from cabin to cabin because it has problems, or toilets not working, or the food not being the same, but more importantly the staff were not the same bubbly thomsons staff that they normally have on their ships, perhaps this will be rectified prior to all of us going on our cruise....?

xxx sorry for the lengthy reply, but this is making my blood boil !!!

Hi Loyalcruiser & welcome to the forum. We too sailed on Dream last summer, a party of 6, 2 cabins, at a cost of almost £10,000. We were assured prior to sailing, our TA even obtained a report direct from Thomson crusies, that the two cabins we had booked, had been without problems & had flushing toilets & working a/c! How wrong they were. Our 2 weeks were a disaster from start to finish. I completed a lengthy & detailed complaints form whilst onboard & followed it up when we returned - Thomson responded (eventually)with a £250 holiday voucher! We returned in August & have only now almost reached a mutually agreeable settlement. One gentleman from Thomson that I spoke to whilst Dream was in dry dock, acknowledged that there had been big problems & that in hindsight Dream shouldn't have sailed until the re-fit, which, in his words, would address ALL of the engine, plumbing and a/c problems:confused: How wrong he was again. The problem now is that just like the summer programme, the winter programme is also almost sold out (probably with folks expecting big things after the refit) and to pull her out of service would cost them big time. I just wish that someone at Thomson would actually assess the cost in £'s lost against the loss of reputation that continuing to sail this ship is costing them. I do hope that things improve quickly & that have an enjoyable holiday, however, even if Thomson do respond prior to you sailing & offer assurance that all is well, I would take it with a pinch of salt!

[Bootneck]

New to forum, my first post and what a post !
Due to fly from Birmingham tomorrow 30th Dec 9.40 am and just got phone call 7.30pm 29th Dec sorry your cruise tomorrow been has cancelled, due to unfourseen circumstances (air con problems??)!!!! dont bother turning up at airport.:mad:
Well Happy New Year to you too Thomsons!

I know it is no consolation but you had a lucky escape, we traveled on 23rd December 2010 from Birmingham (Exotic Caribbean) delayed 8 hours arriving Barbados 0230 hrs, Thomson Dream 0330 hrs following registration we were shown to our cabin (4016) 0400 hrs cabin temp 85 degrees, air con set on minimum 1st visit to Reception 0500 informed slight problem with aircon but ships engineers working on the problem and should have it resolved sometime today!
0530 hrs reminded that we must muster for safety demo at 10.30am!
We then set off on the cruise!!
The problems started straight away loss of vac system on toilet, loss of water whilst in the shower (main boiler gasket failed), drifted while engines switched off so boiler can be repaired, needed tugs to get out of Curacao as maneuvering pods failed, delaying departure until after mid-night and then there was the SMELL!!! (can not / will not describe) fellow cruisers complained because it was out side the restaurant but we were living with the obnoxious smell as well as having it during our meals, then it started all around the ship!!!!
After many visits to reception and being informed that the problems were being addressed we finally issued with a FAN a blessing you might think? NO! Warm smelly air blown around the cabin day and night.
The reception staff lied constantly (with a smile) but on the positive side the usual Great service from the entertainment staff, Chefs, waiters and stewards working under extreme pressure due to the failing ships equipment is a credit to them not Thomson!!!
Thomson have taken experienced staff from across their fleet as I met many people I have sailed with over the past years, as professionals the performed minor miracles but at times they appeared tired and strained!

Having been a loyal customer of Thomson for many years, cruising on the Emerald (2), Spirit (3), Celebration (3), Destiny (3) and know the Dream (1) we are very aware that the ships are leased and past their best but never in all the cruises on these ships have we had any of the issues before, "the good always outweighed the minor irritations".

One comment on some of my fellow cruisers "Just because you were not inconvenienced by some of the problems going on about the ship does not mean they did not happen".

[Ashby]

Following a email requesting current condition of ship following reports I was amazed to get a call from Thomson customer services. She stated that she knew of no problems with the ship! I mentioned problems re aircon - which she then amitted to, engine problems - which she then admitted to and the plumbing/smell problems - which she stated was a problem of last summer and was now sorted out! How can you have any confidence. We travel on the 13/01/10 and after 12months of anticipation will go in the hope of enjoying ourselves and not looking for problems but both the condition of the ship and Thomsons customer service will probably result in us looking at other cruise lines in the future (after 6 previous thomson cruises) I don't think I will be the only one.

[poglip]

A wise move just spent two weeks on the dream or has now been renamed ther thomson nightmare my cabin didnt get much below 80f for the first 8 days, then a boiler blew a gasket causing engine shut down then fire in engine some of us woken up told to get dressed and put life jackets on terrifing experience, sewage spilling out in cabins smell of sewage on decks orion resturant like a sauna etc etc etc so you had a lucky escape .

[poglip]

I know it is no consolation but you had a lucky escape, we traveled on 23rd December 2010 from Birmingham (Exotic Caribbean) delayed 8 hours arriving Barbados 0230 hrs, Thomson Dream 0330 hrs following registration we were shown to our cabin (4016) 0400 hrs cabin temp 85 degrees, air con set on minimum 1st visit to Reception 0500 informed slight problem with aircon but ships engineers working on the problem and should have it resolved sometime today!
0530 hrs reminded that we must muster for safety demo at 10.30am!
We then set off on the cruise!!
The problems started straight away loss of vac system on toilet, loss of water whilst in the shower (main boiler gasket failed), drifted while engines switched off so boiler can be repaired, needed tugs to get out of Curacao as maneuvering pods failed, delaying departure until after mid-night and then there was the SMELL!!! (can not / will not describe) fellow cruisers complained because it was out side the restaurant but we were living with the obnoxious smell as well as having it during our meals, then it started all around the ship!!!!
After many visits to reception and being informed that the problems were being addressed we finally issued with a FAN a blessing you might think? NO! Warm smelly air blown around the cabin day and night.
The reception staff lied constantly (with a smile) but on the positive side the usual Great service from the entertainment staff, Chefs, waiters and stewards working under extreme pressure due to the failing ships equipment is a credit to them not Thomson!!!
Thomson have taken experienced staff from across their fleet as I met many people I have sailed with over the past years, as professionals the performed minor miracles but at times they appeared tired and strained!

Having been a loyal customer of Thomson for many years, cruising on the Emerald (2), Spirit (3), Celebration (3), Destiny (3) and know the Dream (1) we are very aware that the ships are leased and past their best but never in all the cruises on these ships have we had any of the issues before, "the good always outweighed the minor irritations".

One comment on some of my fellow cruisers "Just because you were not inconvenienced by some of the problems going on about the ship does not mean they did not happen".
This message is 100% Correct it reflects exactly what a nightmare cruise this was have never in 13 cruises had to make a complaint i never stopped in the two weeks on the Thomson nightmare lets hope they keep some of their reputation and give a full refund to the affected passengers.