Just back from thomson dream/review

We are just back from 7 day Moorish Delights Cruise on the dream.

Sorry if this is long winded but I,m hoping this will be useful to all those thinking of going on the Dream.

Firstly some background: for the last 10 years we have booked our hols through our local Thomas Cook agents and have had fabulous hols: last November we were passing thomsons and my other half said let's go in - to him all travel agents are the same - we went in enquiring about a 5 star hotel in lanzarote and came out booked on the dream - needless to say the agent could have sold ice to Eskimos. I came home and looked on the reviews and wondered what we had done - after posting on here got some really helpful replies which helped me feel better. I,m 47 my partner 53 and my 15 year old son.

Here goes

Arrived at Manchester to find the luggage carousel had broken and queued for 2 hours before getting straight on the plane- not even time for cuppa- good flight and arrived in Palma to pouring rain - not a good start! Our cases arrived quickly and after a quick coach journey to the port we went quickly through embarkation on the ship.

Were taken straight to our cabin outside plus 7144 : we were really impressed by the size , a double bed, large sofa bed for my son large dressing table/ drawers with huge on wall mirror and more than ample wardrobe space my son is 5ft 10 but I can honestly say we didn't find ourselves cramped at all, bathroom small with bath and shower but more than adequate. The cabins are dated and I wouldn't use the word plush but our cabin steward kept it spotless with daily bed/ towel changes the bathroom towels were white and fluffy - yes the pool towels weren't the best - but at end of day you perspire and get sun cream on them so does that really matter.We had no problems with noise and no water/ drainage issues. The beds were very comfy and we all slept like logs.

The ship is quite small and easy to navigate and yes you can tell it's old , it's a little shabby in places but kept spotless at all times and the bars/ restaurants were all comfy. Yes there was a slightly stale smell on deck 8 but my other half and son didn't even notice it.

Food: as advised we ate breakfast in sirens: huge choice of lovely food and we never queued longer than 2-3 minutes, for lunch whilst on board we had the deck BBQ or from the Lido - the food is definitely tailored to the british - I don't really want sponge and custard on holiday but plenty were tucking in: the salads etc were lovely. We ate each night in the Orion , you can request a table on your own or with others there was absolutely no pressure : your Waiter will ask if you were happy to ask for him again which we did and you then get the same waiter, assistant and wine waiter each night - the service they gave was really good and though it's not required we were happy to tip at the end of week. The food was hot and a different 5 course menu each night - it's not gourmet but nothing to complain about - however thomsons could I think improve on it. We had steak twice which was lovely(9.95 supplement) and ate in the Grill once which was absolutely delicious and very well presented definitely worth the supplement.After noon tea in the Argo Lounge is lovely if you prefer waiter service - but in Sirens it was delicious - gorgeous sandwiches cakes and scones!! Yes we were served by the staff in the buffets for the first two days- I don't understand why people have a problem with this - it's for everyone's safety. I,m a nurse by profession and so can comment on infection control - I do hope no one was ill but if so I don't think the ship can be blamed there is sanitising gel everywhere you go and many guests just weren't using it - if that's you you put yourself at risk I,m afraid!

We booked early so AI was included - lots to choose from - house wine perfectly palatable , a huge list of cocktails no issues in getting adequate glasses of diet coke etc, only grumble limited choice of beer/ lager but no concern for complaint . Bar service was a bit hit and miss with a couple of grumpy waiters but we just laughed about it.

Entertainment: show team very good the broadway lounge is brill and we really enjoyed the shows, Max and Brandy particularly good.but all excellent.

Yes there are quizzes bingo etc but only in the Medusa for those wishing to join in , it's not really our thing but Shep one of the entertainment team was a pleasure just to listen to great guy with a dry sense of humour. My son used the gym and for those wanting to stay trim there were lots of fitness classes on as well.i have to say all the entertainment team were lovely and professional and there is no pressure to join in what so ever.

Sunbeds - no problems getting one - on sea day we didn't eat breakfast until ten and had no issues getting beds on the top pool deck afterwards. Thomsons have obviously listened and provided more- so you do have to accept being very close to your neighbour - it is cramped but if you find that an issue there were quieter spots around the promenade deck.

Ports of call:

We did our own thing, Gibralter is ok- pleasant to walk around with nice marina. Casablanca didn't appeal so we stayed on board,we loved the Spanish ports especially Cadiz which is beautiful and so glad Malaga is now a stop instead of Motril. If you like really old architecture, roman ruins etc you will enjoy.

All in all we had lovely holiday and found no reason to complain about anything - so my advise is take the poor reviews with a pinch of salt.

I am now going to be very honest - it wasn't our first cruise we have sailed on the Norwegian Gem and sorry but the Dream just doesn't compare , I think they are doing on the whole their best with an old small vessel, we wouldn't sail again with thomsons unless they invest in new ships or considerably lower their prices - this cruise wasn't a cheap option. We also prefer a more cosmopolitan feel food wise and other nationalities. What I can say though is that on the whole the staff do all they can to ensure a lovely holiday and please ignore the one star reviews they just aren't a true reflection.

Thank you to all of you who answered my earlier posts- and I hope those yet to sail have a great time

We are just back from 7 day Moorish Delights Cruise on the dream.

Sorry if this is long winded but I,m hoping this will be useful to all those thinking of going on the Dream.

Firstly some background: for the last 10 years we have booked our hols through our local Thomas Cook agents and have had fabulous hols: last November we were passing thomsons and my other half said let's go in - to him all travel agents are the same - we went in enquiring about a 5 star hotel in lanzarote and came out booked on the dream - needless to say the agent could have sold ice to Eskimos. I came home and looked on the reviews and wondered what we had done - after posting on here got some really helpful replies which helped me feel better. I,m 47 my partner 53 and my 15 year old son.

Here goes

Arrived at Manchester to find the luggage carousel had broken and queued for 2 hours before getting straight on the plane- not even time for cuppa- good flight and arrived in Palma to pouring rain - not a good start! Our cases arrived quickly and after a quick coach journey to the port we went quickly through embarkation on the ship.

Were taken straight to our cabin outside plus 7144 : we were really impressed by the size , a double bed, large sofa bed for my son large dressing table/ drawers with huge on wall mirror and more than ample wardrobe space my son is 5ft 10 but I can honestly say we didn't find ourselves cramped at all, bathroom small with bath and shower but more than adequate. The cabins are dated and I wouldn't use the word plush but our cabin steward kept it spotless with daily bed/ towel changes the bathroom towels were white and fluffy - yes the pool towels weren't the best - but at end of day you perspire and get sun cream on them so does that really matter.We had no problems with noise and no water/ drainage issues. The beds were very comfy and we all slept like logs.

The ship is quite small and easy to navigate and yes you can tell it's old , it's a little shabby in places but kept spotless at all times and the bars/ restaurants were all comfy. Yes there was a slightly stale smell on deck 8 but my other half and son didn't even notice it.

Food: as advised we ate breakfast in sirens: huge choice of lovely food and we never queued longer than 2-3 minutes, for lunch whilst on board we had the deck BBQ or from the Lido - the food is definitely tailored to the british - I don't really want sponge and custard on holiday but plenty were tucking in: the salads etc were lovely. We ate each night in the Orion , you can request a table on your own or with others there was absolutely no pressure : your Waiter will ask if you were happy to ask for him again which we did and you then get the same waiter, assistant and wine waiter each night - the service they gave was really good and though it's not required we were happy to tip at the end of week. The food was hot and a different 5 course menu each night - it's not gourmet but nothing to complain about - however thomsons could I think improve on it. We had steak twice which was lovely(9.95 supplement) and ate in the Grill once which was absolutely delicious and very well presented definitely worth the supplement.After noon tea in the Argo Lounge is lovely if you prefer waiter service - but in Sirens it was delicious - gorgeous sandwiches cakes and scones!! Yes we were served by the staff in the buffets for the first two days- I don't understand why people have a problem with this - it's for everyone's safety. I,m a nurse by profession and so can comment on infection control - I do hope no one was ill but if so I don't think the ship can be blamed there is sanitising gel everywhere you go and many guests just weren't using it - if that's you you put yourself at risk I,m afraid!

We booked early so AI was included - lots to choose from - house wine perfectly palatable , a huge list of cocktails no issues in getting adequate glasses of diet coke etc, only grumble limited choice of beer/ lager but no concern for complaint . Bar service was a bit hit and miss with a couple of grumpy waiters but we just laughed about it.

Entertainment: show team very good the broadway lounge is brill and we really enjoyed the shows, Max and Brandy particularly good.but all excellent.

Yes there are quizzes bingo etc but only in the Medusa for those wishing to join in , it's not really our thing but Shep one of the entertainment team was a pleasure just to listen to great guy with a dry sense of humour. My son used the gym and for those wanting to stay trim there were lots of fitness classes on as well.i have to say all the entertainment team were lovely and professional and there is no pressure to join in what so ever.

Sunbeds - no problems getting one - on sea day we didn't eat breakfast until ten and had no issues getting beds on the top pool deck afterwards. Thomsons have obviously listened and provided more- so you do have to accept being very close to your neighbour - it is cramped but if you find that an issue there were quieter spots around the promenade deck.

Ports of call:

We did our own thing, Gibralter is ok- pleasant to walk around with nice marina. Casablanca didn't appeal so we stayed on board,we loved the Spanish ports especially Cadiz which is beautiful and so glad Malaga is now a stop instead of Motril. If you like really old architecture, roman ruins etc you will enjoy.

All in all we had lovely holiday and found no reason to complain about anything - so my advise is take the poor reviews with a pinch of salt.

I am now going to be very honest - it wasn't our first cruise we have sailed on the Norwegian Gem and sorry but the Dream just doesn't compare , I think they are doing on the whole their best with an old small vessel, we wouldn't sail again with thomsons unless they invest in new ships or considerably lower their prices - this cruise wasn't a cheap option. We also prefer a more cosmopolitan feel food wise and other nationalities. What I can say though is that on the whole the staff do all they can to ensure a lovely holiday and please ignore the one star reviews they just aren't a true reflection.

Thank you to all of you who answered my earlier posts- and I hope those yet to sail have a great time

Well i thank you for your honest review, we embark on the dream on saturday and are looking forward to it no end,we have been on the dream before so up to a point we knew what to expect but you have confirmed all the things we like about cruising with thomsons e.g.good service,relaxed atmosephere and so on.So glad you enjoyed your cruise on the dream even though it was`nt what you went to enquire about at your travel agent`s :)

Thanks for the report!