Prices of Thomson Cruise vs other companies

[Frenchie_1]

Hi ;)

I currently have a cruise booked for me, husband and 9 yr old daughter with Royal Caribbean in June for a fortnight around the med from Southampton. However due to recent bad experience with that company I want to cancel my booking and go with a British company such as P & O or Thomson.

I've been on the Thomson website and the price for the same type of cruise (although there are flights involved) at the same time of year is higher than with RCI. I thought Thomsons were more at the budget end of the market but at £3,800 for three of us it doesnt seem the case.

So my question is where do you book your Thomson Cruises, directly from Thomsons or can I book elsewhere cheaper and what kind of price would i pay?

[jenny wren]

Thomson prices do seem high compared to other companies this year...we want to book one later in the year and the price has actually gone up 300 pounds on their own website since we started looking before Christmas. We usually get the website price and then start looking around to compare I'm not sure if I can put other websites on here but there are two I can think of who are usually 100 pounds cheaper one is cruise deals and the other is portland if you can find the web addresses.

But I think there are better deals on other lines at the moment...even P and O have some good offers in the Med. We're not long back off Ventura and despite what people have said we enjoyed it very much.

[jilljoy]

the info jenny has given is correct,ie cruise deals are cheaper than thomsons website.why? it is beyond me.
we also had problems with RCI and i vowd that i would never go with them again.
i will go with thomson every time,even if they are a tad more exspensive

[GeoffH]

One thing to remember when comparing Thomson's prices with other Cruise Lines is the fact that Thomson do not automatically add £xx or $xx per person per day for tips.

Tips are included in the price. If you want to tip individuals, feel free to do so, but there is no requirement to do it.

[capasamari]

A two week Mediterranean cruise departing from Southampton will only give you about 8 days in the Med as you have to allow for the sail across the Bay of Biscay to get there and back. My mum and dad found this a bit tedious, especially coming back, although they liked not having to worry about suitcase weights.

A two week fly-cruise will give you a full fortnight in the Med and don't forget you have to include the cost of the flights, so you could expect it to cost more.

We have previously found P&O cruises cheaper on Cruisekings than on P&O's own website, apart from a weekender which was cheaper from P&O. You need to shop around at the time really. I think some travel agents will price-match or better as well, just depends how long you want to spend looking for a deal!

Carol x

[slhw]

Hi

We have been a bit surprised too at Thomson's prices this year - they certainly seem to be catching other companies up - if not overtaking in some cases. Oddly enough, my husband and I had been chatting about this over the last couple of days. More or less coming to the conclusion that, much as we love Thomson ships for the atmosphere etc., they are going to have to do something about updating the ships in some areas if they want to keep many of their loyal customers. I certainly hope that Thomson are not taking advantage of our affection for their ships.
Our TA was telling us that there is rarely much availability on Thomson ships near to date of sailing. In contrast, we were berthed alongside one of RCI's floating blocks of flats two weeks ago and someone told us that it was half empty. I also notice that when you see large adverts for cruising, such as in the Mail every Saturday, there are always lots of adverts for every cruise company you can think of but rarely very much for Thomson.

We are going 10th Jan next year on Destiny - booked it at the end of last week. We did this now because we have a voucher from Thomson in respect of the Celebration Mini Cruise that never left the dock and it has to be used as part of a booking by the end of this month.
We did think long and hard about the Catch 22 situation of booking now, with voucher, but losing the value of it if prices are cut later in the year by a substantial amount. In the end, I think that being able to reserve the cabin that we want, plus AI, swung it.
We booked through our local travel agent - we usually seem to get the best deal there even if they only undercut by a few pounds. The price to the TA from Thomson had increased by £20 each from the Monday when we first enquired to last Friday when we actually went in to book it. By Sunday night - I can't resist looking - the price on Thomson site had gone up yet again by about another £30 each. There seems to have been an increase in the cost of the cabin, e.g. o/s deck 2/3 used to be £98 each - now £126.
When we were on board last month, we spoke to one couple who had paid around £900 each (they didn't say exactly how much). This was booked on Christmas Eve and was for an inside cabin. They hadn't been able to get a flight near to them (Yorkshire I think) and had travelled to Birmingham and stayed overnight in an hotel. Booking in October, we had paid possibly just under £250 more for an outside cabin (Deck 2/3) and a local flight from Manchester. So I didn't think that we had got it too wrong, particularly in view of the fact that, because of our business, we cannot leave it all to the last minute. If I have got it wrong this time, I am going to scream, and scream and scream.........
I certainly agree with the point about tips. When on QM2 last year, we paid $11 a day each -this, of course, would put cost up by over £200 on 14 day cruise now. And we still tipped individuals just as we do with Thomson. How much do other companies charge?

Still thinking and looking>

Sandie

[Frenchie_1]

Thanks for the replies, I'll have a look around :)

[jenny wren]

Just to update this ...the cruise we are watching at the moment has gone up another £20 each making a total of nearly £200 each increase since last November...thats on the Thomson website....
We can do alot better with other companies now for similar itineraries whereas Thomson were always the best value for money.

[Bella36]

Hi there,
I know jilljoy and frenchie said they had problems with past Royal Caribbean cruises, but I must say I do like RCI and much prefer the bigger ships. I usually cruise with P&O though, absolutely loved Ventura, and am booked on Aurora and Oriana this year. Although we very much enjoyed our first Thomson cruise to the Caribbean on Destiny in December, we did feel that she was just too small for us - I think you are either big ship or small ship people!:)

However I must share this fab deal for a Royal Caribbean cruise with you all! We booked it today - a total bargain!

Flights from Bristol to Venice (other airports available)
2 nights pre-cruise B&B accomodation in 4* central Venice hotel
7 nights cruise in outside cabin on Splendour of the Seas from Venice, calling at Split, Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Katakolon, returning to Venice and flight home

All for an amazing £629 pp in May! I call that a real bargain for an Eastern Med cruise!:D:D I wasn't planning to do another cruise at that time of year - but just couldn't say No to that deal. It is selling for about £300 more on the RCI website. We were planning to try Celebration in the Eastern Med later in the summer - but I think on price alone Royal Caribbean has won this time!

I do have a big smile on my face tonight, with all those cruises to plan for!:D

[jenny wren]

Hi there Bella36..funnily enough we are trying RCI for the first time next week flying to Barcelona to join Brilliance of the Seas to sail to Alexandria and back and all stops in between!!

The Thomson one we're keeping an eye on is Eastern Med in September on Calypso but there's also a 17 night on Arcadia which is also a good price (similar itinerary to the one you quote but sailing from Southampton on 4 october). We also liked Ventura very much (did the transatlantic) although we prefer smaller ships.

That is a good deal you've found and you will enjoy it all the more knowing you got it for a good price!!

[jilljoy]

i must agree bella36 that is a cracking deal you have booked,
i have to admit that the RCI ships are out of this world, but for me that is all RCI have going for them.
i wish thomson would 'go large'with their ships,that would be the only improvement thomson need to make (in my opinion)

[slhw]

Hi

That sounds great, Bella, would look at it myself only we're working all May. We do, of course, expect your usual brilliant review!

Jenny Wren - I too am puzzled at the way Thomson prices have gone up. Caribbean next January went up £20 between Monday (enquiry) to Thursday (booking) and then a further £60 by the following Sunday. Has anyone any clues as to why this all happens?

We are fortunate this year in that, as already mentioned numerous times, we have the famous voucher so the prices haven't made us consider anything else. It's actually going to cost us less than it did this year. We have noticed that this year's prices are certainly on a par with , if not higher than, some other companies.

A thought occurred to me the other day. I had been reading a comment from an irate RCI cruiser who said that he/she was aware that RCI monitor these sites. I would imagine that this is probably the case with Thomson also. If that is so, then I hope that all the positive comments that appear about Thomson atmosphere, entertainment etc. outweighing the rather down-at-heel aspect of the ships, do not make Thomson management come to the conclusion that they will retain their loyal passenger base even if they do not upgrade the ships. I certainly hope that there will have been some cosmetic attention to Destiny when we sail aboard her next January but, if not, we may be forced, reluctantly I admit, to look elsewhere! So, take heed, any Thomson watchers out there ............!

By the way, if anyone else is following the posts regarding the cancellation of the Celebration cruise, I can't be bothered writing any more in depth posts on the subject but just to tell you that my two friends have today, thanks to their vouchers, booked a Canary Islands cruise for £150 each - they are well pleased!!

Sandie

[storeman]

I would like to add that this is our first Cruise with Thomson Cruises :)

Leaving Glasgow on 5th April 2009 until 20th April 2009 to the Caribbean

we choose this Cruise because it had a differant Cruise Iternerary from our last cruise with Sea Princess that we took last year

are we happy with price yes the cost of this Cruise for 2 Adults was

£2733.00 Less Thomson Discount £ - 163.00 Travel £ 2570.00

and of course £35.00 to book Cabin in Deck 3 to be added on any other extras to include yes if you want to sit together as a Couple :mad: so hopefully get there early and smile at the Reception at the airport and save on that expence :D

next time i will try to book on line and see how much i can save and ask for a price match lol :D so moral of my story was prepare next time and dont book in impulse when passing a Travel agents :cool:

[BIGMANTAM]

Storeman, you didnt say if the price you paid was for an inside or outside cabin and what about drinks package.. I and OH are going for two weeks on the 15th of March, we paid 2600 pounds for an outside cabin deck 3, inclusive of drinks package. I think this was a good deal. We are also flying from Glasgow :rolleyes:

[storeman]

Hi BigmanTam its an inside job :D and No drink included :mad:

[scareyness]

I have spent most of today looking to book a Thomson cruise for next month to the Canaries.

Previous experience has proved that shopping around pays! Although we can only do a week this time the prices difference I have so far is around £140 each, and I have found that everyone is willing to price match!

We are now going to book a deluxe cabin for less than my first quoted price was for a standard outside:D

[slhw]

Hi

We paid £2294, not AI, in January for outside cabin deck 2/3 and then spent approx. £250 on drinks so that is probably comparable to you Bigmantam. Incidentally, when did you all book? We booked about mid-October.

Storeman - don't worry about what you've paid - there will always be someone on board who says that they got it for half what you paid when they booked the night before you sailed! You will have a fantastic time and will come back saying that it was worth every penny you paid!!! Trust me!!!! Also, don't worry about the pre-booking of seats on the plane - we gave up on that years ago and have always been seated together - just get to the airport in good time!

Having said this, think that this year's price increase is a bit steep!

Sandie

[Bella36]

Sandie, I do agree with you on both points you made.
Who ever goes on a cruise with Thomson will certainly enjoy themselves, because the crew, the other passengers, the entertainment and the happy atmosphere will all contribute to a fab holiday. Also, the other point is that Thomson cannot rest on their laurels with regard to this, because there is no doubt that when you compare Destiny's actual decor, fixtures, fittings, cabins etc to the other cruise ships, then Destiny does need a refit!
Personally speaking, when I choose a cruise I regard the actual ship as my "destination" with the ports of call as my "day trips", and therefore I want a ship that looks and feels luxurious, as well has having a great atmosphere.
The amazing prices presently being offered by the other cruise companies, such as P&O, Royal Caribbean and Cunard are going to be very tempting to Thomson's traditional client base, and I have to say that I am astonished at some of the price rises in Thomson cruises this year, when most other cruise companies are dramatically reducing their costs!:(
I also think that Thomson should look at incentives for their returning passengers, such as onboard credit, loyalty points towards discounts etc, much like the Portunus Club on P&O. During this economic climate, it pays to retain your loyal clients.

[BIGMANTAM]

We booked over a year ago. We like to get free AI upgrade so usually choose to book early.:cool:

[davecttr]

Thomson cannot rest on their laurels with regard to this, because there is no doubt that when you compare Destiny's actual decor, fixtures, fittings, cabins etc to the other cruise ships, then Destiny does need a refit! .
There is no doubt that Thomsons ships are showing their age but I doubt it would be cost effective to refit. Destiny, Celebration and Spirit are all chartered and apparently the charters are due to end in a year or two. So no point in spending money on a ship that you might not 'own' in 2 years time. Of course any new charter might involve refits as part of the deal. Thomsons management did say they were seeking more contemporary tonnage and if alternatives were available, perhaps because of the recession, we might see new ships in Thomson colors.

[slhw]

Hi
What concerns me is that if Thomson lose Destiny etc. in next year or two then, with whatever ships they replace them, they will opt for an informal style of cruising as they are doing with Island Escape. Hope not. We booked so early because we had a deadline with the infamous voucher but, as much as we love Thomson, we might have considered other ships because of the price aspect. As it stands, we couldn't have got a better deal for next year. But there is always the year after!

Sandie

[djmutters]

Hi ;)

I currently have a cruise booked for me, husband and 9 yr old daughter with Royal Caribbean in June for a fortnight around the med from Southampton. However due to recent bad experience with that company I want to cancel my booking and go with a British company such as P & O or Thomson.

I've been on the Thomson website and the price for the same type of cruise (although there are flights involved) at the same time of year is higher than with RCI. I thought Thomsons were more at the budget end of the market but at £3,800 for three of us it doesnt seem the case.

So my question is where do you book your Thomson Cruises, directly from Thomsons or can I book elsewhere cheaper and what kind of price would i pay?

Frenchie,

Hello hunny we have spoke before concerning a certain "Drink problem" please please please do yourself a big favour,if you do decide to cancel RCCL whatever you do don't book with Thomson we found there ships dreadfull unless like I said in another post you enjoy Butlins on the sea.

There ships are old and very outdated and the entertainment is dreadfull.

You'll be kicking yourself once on board and wishing you had of stayed with RCCL unless your idea of fun is cruising with common drunken folk from council estates (sorry to appear rude) but I'm telling you like it was for us.

Good luck whatever you decide.

[davecttr]

Well I was on Celebration last autumn and I did not ask whether anyone was from a council estate but everyone was friendly and well behaved with only one drunk rumoured to be found in Liberties on the first night. Everyone seemed to be having a good time including the crew and Celebration is known as a happy ship.

Would I cruise with Thomsons again? Yes, the Canaries, Iceland and Greece this year!.

[davecttr]

Hi
What concerns me is that if Thomson lose Destiny etc. in next year or two then, with whatever ships they replace them, they will opt for an informal style of cruising as they are doing with Island Escape..........
Sandie
I think the Island Escape was forced on Thomsons by the demise of Island Cruises and any new ships in the fleet would hopefully follow the existing Thomsons style. This is a successful formula with just the right balance of formal/casual for many people. It has been said that Thomsons style and crews in P&O ships would be a winning combination. They already have the style and crews so roll on the new ships.

[slhw]

Am terribly worried after reading djmutters post. As I have it on good authority that we are not common and I know that we are not drunken or from council estates AND I am from Liverpool, are we going to feel terribly out of place on our next Caribbean cruise with Thomson? Still, never mind, as we are not going with he/she/it on the Independence of the Seas on 25/04/09, at least we are spared cruising with the ignorant!!!!

Sandie

[davecttr]

Am terribly worried after reading djmutters post. As I have it on good authority that we are not common and I know that we are not drunken or from council estates AND I am from Liverpool, are we going to feel terribly out of place on our next Caribbean cruise with Thomson? Still, never mind, as we are not going with he/she/it on the Independence of the Seas on 25/04/09, at least we are spared cruising with the ignorant!!!!

Sandie
You could of course try a certain new large ship on another British cruise line where allegedly you will get all the drunken behavior, fighting and arson that you could wish for :D

What you have to REALLY worry about is how many of the enemy (Everton v Liverpool) are on board :eek:

[jenny wren]

In reply to djmutters.....we have done five Thomson cruises as well as P and O, Princess x 2, Costa x 2, Discovery and although Thomson ships are not as new and flashy as some of the bigger ones they are spotlessly clean and comfortable, food is excellent and more plentiful than any of the others we've been on, entertainment is the best and most professional we've seen at sea, tips are included and the staff are the happiest and friendliest we have seen. Thomson also manage to do some very interesting and different itineraries i.e. Corinth canal which we hope to do later this year.

We are off on RCI Brilliance of the Seas next weekend so will then be able to compare it as well.

Just because the ship is big and new doesn't mean you get a better cruise experience....we have seen badly behaved passengers on all the ships we've been on!!!!

[djmutters]

Sorry that some people did not like my view of the ship but I can only give you my view and I of course respect others views.

I never said the food was rubbish or the staff (Both was excellent)
However the ship was veryyyyyyy dated and the entertainment was just as I remember being 15yrs old at Butlins.

Maybe it wasn't a cruise for 30-40's like me and my partner however I would say the average age was 60+ ok if you enjoy bingo I suppose.

[marylizcat]

Djmutters probably sailed on Celebration before her November refit. All the public areas are looking really good now, with new carpets, curtains and chair covers. We really enjoyed the evening shows and afternoon play. I believe nearly all cruise ships have bingo and if you want to look at it like that, to a certain extent are 'butlins at sea'. Always have been, whichever line you cruise with. Nothing wrong with that. Nobody forces you to play bingo! We didn't.

[djmutters]

Am terribly worried after reading djmutters post. As I have it on good authority that we are not common and I know that we are not drunken or from council estates AND I am from Liverpool, are we going to feel terribly out of place on our next Caribbean cruise with Thomson? Still, never mind, as we are not going with he/she/it on the Independence of the Seas on 25/04/09, at least we are spared cruising with the ignorant!!!!

Sandie

Sorry Sandie did I hit a nerve ? of course I understand you have paid your deposit so you are going to deffend your planned holiday,as I stated before this was only my view I have see others far worse then mine and I have also seen far better then mine.

However just because I give the op my view you dare to call me ignorant lol why because I told you something you didn't like ?

Being rude to a total stranger really just confirms what I said on my post reguardless if your from Liverpool or not:)

[jamiedog11]

I feel very upset at the way thompsom cruises have been put against butlins, i have done royal caribean and yes the ships are far better, but give my thompsoms any day for staff, entertainment and no snooty people who try to be better than the person they are talking to.
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Winnie1]

Sandie

Well said - bigotry is always a result of ignorance. Am new 2 cruising and have enjoyed boards so far. I was disgusted at djmutters remarks. Good 4 u for having told him so.

[Bella36]

Well djmutters, may I say that just because you did not enjoy your cruise, there is no need to insult people who have enjoyed a Thomson cruise. Surely it is possible to give your opinion of a cruise or a ship without resorting to personal jibes? We each have our own preferences, but it is wrong to say that all people on Thomson ships are drunken, Liverpudlian council tenants, who do nothing but play Bingo and take part in "Butlinesque" entertainment! Not, I hasten to add, that there is anything wrong with Liverpudlians, council tenants or Butlins!:mad:

I myself prefer the larger and more modern ships of P&O and RCI, but that did not stop me enjoying my recent Caribbean cruise on Destiny very much. Yes, I do agree that some significant updating of the fixtures and fittings on Destiny is required if Thomson are to compete with the other cruise lines for new cruisers, but Thomson will always have a loyal British fanbase. People enjoy the friendly atmosphere, great staff and in my opinion, absolutely FANTASTIC entertainment! The entertainment for me was the highlight of the cruise and I think it was definitely better than P&O's, which is very good, but Destiny's entertainment team was superb in my opinion, and not at all reminiscent of Butlins-at-Sea.

I must say that our dining companions were charming, pleasant company, and full of fun - especially the couple from Liverpool! Bingo is not my thing either, but you will find it on every cruise line. Yes, the atmosphere around the pool area is sometimes a little bit "Hi-de- Hi" but you don't have to join in, and lots of people enjoyed it. I never saw anyone who was drunk and believe me that is not always the case on P&O!

I regard my partner and I as well travelled, sophisticated and somewhat demanding when it comes to quality, and while I would not say that Thomson met all my expectations, I certainly would not be as critical of them as you are. I would happily go on another Thomson cruise, were it not for the fact that we have booked cruises on P&O's Aurora and Oriana later this year and just got an amazing bargain on RCI Splendour of the Seas in May.:D

I think the phrase "each to his own" is apt here, but I most certainly do not agree with you that Frenchie, or indeed anyone else, should not book with Thomson - I think they will have a great time!

[slhw]

What you have to REALLY worry about is how many of the enemy (Everton v Liverpool) are on board :eek:[/quote]

Hi Davetheroad

No, when we're abroad we unite to confront the common enemy - MAN U!!!

Sandie

[jilljoy]

I feel very upset at the way thompsom cruises have been put against butlins, i have done royal caribean and yes the ships are far better, but give my thompsoms any day for staff, entertainment and no snooty people who try to be better than the person they are talking to.
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
totally agree,we are in the 30 to 40 yrs old bracket and have never had any problems.
we have also sailed with RCI and personally we would use thomson anytime ahead of them.granted their ships are better than thomsons.
regarding the comment about the clientel being in their sixties,we have returned from carribean 4 weeks ago and we found that the average was very low,certainly nowhere near 60

[sobral]

Am terribly worried after reading djmutters post. As I have it on good authority that we are not common and I know that we are not drunken or from council estates AND I am from Liverpool, are we going to feel terribly out of place on our next Caribbean cruise with Thomson? Still, never mind, as we are not going with he/she/it on the Independence of the Seas on 25/04/09, at least we are spared cruising with the ignorant!!!!

Sandie

Well said! Save us from the likes of these people- maybe we should avoid those type of cruises that are frequented by these ungracious, pompous snobs!

[pauline wales]

Just a little word from a council estate person. 4 Thomson cruises with no problems at all and even managed to make good friendships with some charming couples. 2 NCL cruises, and 1 Sea Princess cruise in the next few weeks. Not to bad for council estate folk.

[slhw]

Hi Everyone

Glad to see that djmutters appears to be in a minority of one. Couldn't be bothered to reply directly to his post addressed to me - although I certainly could have done if I had wanted to! It's people like him who get cruising a bad name and I can't make out, from reading his posts, quite what he has got to be so condescending about.
In our business, we mix with people with titles and people with the lowliest of backgrounds and, believe you me, there are people at each end who I wouldn't want to share a table with on Thomson or any other line.
This tends to be a happy, chatty, informative site - let's keep it that way!
Indpendence of the Seas is welcome to djmutters.

Sandie

[Frenchie_1]

Frenchie,

Hello hunny we have spoke before concerning a certain "Drink problem" please please please do yourself a big favour,if you do decide to cancel RCCL whatever you do don't book with Thomson we found there ships dreadfull unless like I said in another post you enjoy Butlins on the sea.

There ships are old and very outdated and the entertainment is dreadfull.

You'll be kicking yourself once on board and wishing you had of stayed with RCCL unless your idea of fun is cruising with common drunken folk from council estates (sorry to appear rude) but I'm telling you like it was for us.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Hi DJ :)

Just thought I'd check back and noticed this thread is still going. I'm still undecided about RCCI, even though my "drink problem" was sorted to my satisfaction (and no im not an alcoholic :p), I'm still concerned about spending £5 for one beer and £17 for one bottle of wine with Royal Caribbean, I think I would return bankrupt after paying those prices.

I'm in my 30s and have been on Ocean Village before, which also has a bad rep for being butlins on sea, but we enjoyed it.

I can't understand why Thomson charge more or less equal prices to the more modern up to date ships, but they obviously fill them or they would reduce their prices.

Anyhoo I'll keep looking ;)

[SOOTY SUE]

I wouldn't worry about djmutters - I've seen him on other sites slating Thomsons - obviously got an axe to grind.

[kruzseeka]

I have been reading this thread with great interest and (with the exception of one disgruntled ex-Thomson client) agree wholeheartedly with almost everything that's been said.

I wanted to try to respond individually to particular comments but it either isn't possible, or I haven't mastered the technology to get quotes from different posters into this dialogue box - so I'll try to remember what everyone said (more or less paraphrasing) and add my two penn'orth.

First of all - congrats Bella on a fantastic deal!

But getting down to the original theme about Thomson prices I too had been thinking they were riding very high compared with competitors. A number of very valid points have been made which have to be taken into account:


GeoffH talks of the automatic tipping on some cruise lines (although I know most of us will tip anyway) but is a factor to remember when comparing prices
Carol compares cruises sailing out of Southampton and the number of ports of call in the Med as compared with Thomson's b2b which will give you 11 destinations (although some people do like being on the ship for longer). But we compare how many stops we get for our money as we like to explore new places. Berthing is a big element of a cruise line's costs so a more port intensive cruise is more expensive to them - and therefore likely to be more expensive to us.
Bella comments that 'Thomson cannot rest on their laurels' and says Destiny does need a refit - I agree.
Davetheroad also refers to the lease arrangements and in my opinion quite rightly makes the judgement that Thomson are unlikely to make large investments in these ships. So is he right that some newer ships are on the horizon - and what will that mean?
Like Sandie, if this is the case, I trust Thomson won't go down the road of turning all their ships into the IE style of informality (I don't want stuffy - I like relaxed but also enjoy having some standards imposed and like to dress up too).
Jennywren, your comments about the atmosphere, warmth and friendliness echo my sentiments exactly.
But in the context of Sandie's comment here - I think we have the nub of the problem:

[quote=slhw;18001893]Hi

We have been a bit surprised too at Thomson's prices this year - they certainly seem to be catching other companies up - if not overtaking in some cases. Oddly enough, my husband and I had been chatting about this over the last couple of days. More or less coming to the conclusion that, much as we love Thomson ships for the atmosphere etc., they are going to have to do something about updating the ships in some areas if they want to keep many of their loyal customers. I certainly hope that Thomson are not taking advantage of our affection for their ships.

Taking all the issues raised into account, if loyal customers such as ourselves are thinking on those lines it would seem inevitable that Thomson could be in danger of losing clientele.

I think Thomson may be suffering more than some of their competitors in respect of the weak £. If they are buying services in $ and in Euros throughout Europe, they're going to be getting a poorer deal in comparison to last year which may, in part, explain some higher prices this year.

But we did detect a slight drop in standards on our recent cruise which perhaps was down to cost cutting. For example the cabin stewards seemed to working more or less all the time and we've never before had to wait until after lunch to have our room made up. We got the impression their workload had increased. Another little thing too - expensive cuts of meat appeared on the same night in the dining room - is this cheaper than having them on individually and more people selecting the more expensive option on three separate nights? We just wondered.
The 'production' shows had been reduced in number (less time for rehearsing as just 'singing' shows require less preparation and of course would be cheaper to stage and with no elaborate/expensive costumes?).
The window cleaning and general cleaning seemed to be less evident too.
Of course Destiny is run by Louis Lines so any cuts may be down to them - I would be interested to find out if there had been similar subtle cuts on Celebration since last autumn when we last travelled on her as this ship is run directly by Thomson.

It is a very competitive market and no doubt Thomson is feeling the pinch like everyone else - but even loyal customers are going to take advantage of preferential deals as we all have to watch the pennies too.

My only hope is that they can remain competitive, keep the formula the same in terms of a relaxed and friendly atmosphere on board but maintain a formal evening and dining room standards, excellent entertainment and perhaps transfer this product to some newer ships (although hopefully not the 'monster' ones!).

[scareyness]

Kruzseeka, I have found your reviews and posts to be very enlighting, fair and balanced (well done). I am very much looking forward to our first Thomson cruise in less than 2 weeks:D on board the Celebration. Having read many differing views on both the ship and Thomson in general I am going with a very open mind. Having cruised on Braemar (pre lengthening) FO and Arcadia P&O before, we loved them both for different reasons and again on both of them we came across many differing views.

At this time we do not feel the 'super ships' are for us. I do not like too many crouds, do not want to do many of the activities on offer and like the more personal feel of the smaller ships so they are better suited to us at the moment, this view may change in future. We go on a cruise to chill out and spend time together on what we feel to be effortless holidaying. I do feel that many people pick at very insignificant issues on all the cruise lines, but that is just my opinion.

I own and run a very highly graded guest house and have high standards and quality and comfort are very important to me. I hope not to be disappointed on this cruise, but I am expecting the ship to be 'tired looking' which is already a little sad for me. But I will post my findings on my return.

but thanks everyone for your comments they are very helpful

[kruzseeka]

Thanks, scareyness :)

I do hope you have a great and relaxing holiday - I must say the Celebration is our favourite of the Thomson ships - although we've not tried the Calypso. We love the Celebration crew and Capt. Leech (if he's back on board after his break at the end of last year) is fantastic! We had no complaints at all at on our last trip in the autumn of last year - the only thing I would particularly like to see improved is the mosaic tiling in the showers/ensuite. Although kept very clean by the stewards, they do look 'tired'. We think the cabins, on the whole, are pretty good though - more spacious than those on Destiny with plenty of drawer capacity and good wardrobe space.

Have a wonderful time - I'll look forward to hearing your views on your return.

[BillyC]

I'm off on my first Thomson cruise on the 20th of March, 7 days around the Canaries on the Celebration, and I'm really looking forward to it.

But just as a matter of interest with respect to the OP’s original comments, I have just booked an eight day trip, March 2010 on the Mariner of the Seas cruising the Mexican Riviera, accessible (I’m a wheelchair user) deluxe oceanview cabin with balcony, return flights to LA for £10.00 less than we paid for the Thomson cruise. Makes you think.

[davecttr]

Of course the up front price is not the final price, A couple I know recently returned from a cruise on the Mariner to the Caribbean, apparently the ship is now based in Los Angeles. They were horrified about the cost of everything and those 15% surcharges on drinks etc.

Of course USA based cruises are cheaper but when you add in the cost of all those extras it gives me that 'ripped off' feeling :(

[vwgolf]

We will be taking our fifth cruise with Thomsons later this year, and our third on the Celebration, and we're really looking forward to it. I've heard a couple of people compare the onboard entertainment to Butlins but as one who used to holiday every year at Butlins when I was a child I can reassure people that there really is no comparison. Furthermore, Thomsons cruises are very family focussed so if you are looking for peace and quiet then they are perhaps not for you!

One thing that has not been mentioned is Thomson's pricing policy with regard to children. Unlike most other cruise (or indeed any holiday) companies, Thomsons charge child prices up to and including the age of 16. Thus my 15 year old son is travelling this year for a little over £400. That's around half of what we would have to pay if we took him on a week's holiday to, say, Majorca. And it's all inclusive!

[BillyC]

I have been on the RCL ships before, including the Mariner, and I don’t think they rip you off any more than any other line I’ve sailed with. The 15% service charge is applied automatically to drinks brought to you, but in my experience this is common practice. Is the service charge totally at your digression on Thomson?

In all honesty I’m not a lover of the RCL Voyager and Freedom class ships, particularly the royal promenade (all the charm of a shopping mall at sea), but to get a large cabin with a balcony doing the pacific coast with long haul flights for that money is good value, and has to be an issue for Thomson to consider. That being said I really looking forward to the Celebration and our trip on her, I just hope the weather is kind to us. I love the look of the wrap-around teak decks and open lifeboats, as you can tell I’m a bit of a cruise anorak.

We are in cabin 100 on deck 7, has anyone stayed in this before? it looks huge from the plan.

[Travelling Brummie]

Billy,
Thomson do not have a service charge on drinks either brought to your table or served at the bar. I you wish to tip the bar man that's up to you but it's not common.

[davecttr]

I stayed in cabin 720 on deck 2 and it was 13 feet by 10 with a double bed. Apparently all outside single cabins have double beds!

So it looks as if cabin 100 could be about 15 feet by 25 :eek:

Only 2 decks below Horizons, best bar in my opinion. Oh! the heady mixture of pints of boddingtons and tequila sunrises :D

[jenny wren]

We have just returned from RCI Brilliance of the Seas where two glasses of house white wine on the first night was $14.99 (about £10.00) whereas the same on our last Thomson cruise was £5.30 .......so we had a tee total cruise from then on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cymro1953]

Hi
What concerns me is that if Thomson lose Destiny etc. in next year or two then, with whatever ships they replace them, they will opt for an informal style of cruising as they are doing with Island Escape. Hope not. We booked so early because we had a deadline with the infamous voucher but, as much as we love Thomson, we might have considered other ships because of the price aspect. As it stands, we couldn't have got a better deal for next year. But there is always the year after!

Sandie

We sailed on the Escape last April and had a great time. We had booked the Eastern Med 14 night cruise on the Island star but because of the purchase of Island Cruises by TUI we lost our cruise and had a voucher for a new cruise or a refund.
To get a similar itinerary to the Star we've ended up on the RCI Legend Of The Seas at a price of £500 more or a lower grade cabin and a 2 days shorter cruise.

I will agreee that the entertainment on the Escape was like Butlins but the atmosphere was great and we only saw only 1 person drunk all week.
We enjoyed it so much we've already boooked the Escape for December through our travel agent and got a deal much cheaper than the Thomson's brochure and £100 cheaper than the internet price.
And of course no dressing up like a dog's dinner in the dining room
My work Colleague has just returned from the Colourful Coasts cruise on the Celebration and had nothing but excellent reports of the Itinerary and the ship

I'll report back in June after the RCI cruise.

[Cymro1953]

We have just returned from RCI Brilliance of the Seas where two glasses of house white wine on the first night was $14.99 (about £10.00) whereas the same on our last Thomson cruise was £5.30 .......so we had a tee total cruise from then on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're off with RCI in June and have been horrified by the prices of the wines of the wesite £ 25 a bottle :eek:
And one chap on RCI forums said beer was £5 a Pint :eek::eek:
So we'll be having a teetotal cruise and then enjoy the AI on the Island Escape in December:D