BaggersCruising

I think it will stay as Splendour.....at one time Louis was going to buy NCL Dawn for Thomson, but it fell through and so they bought Costa Europa instead, but kept the Dawn name....majesty also stayed from NCL, so unless RCI want to use Splendour again, I think it will stay. RCI will still part own it, won't they?

The Costa Europa is still owned by Costa and leased to Thomson as the Thomson Dream on a 10 year lease from 2010, with an option to purchase her kicking in this year.

Louis did go ahead and purchase the Norwegian Majesty from NCL, which they now lease to Thomson as the Thomson Majesty!

One shall wait, and one shall sea Darling.

the casino will be a fraction of the size it is now.

That was revealed as an "Exclusive" by me yesterday, and I am glad that You agree with me today.

 

There is also a possability of the Legend of the Seas leaving the RCCL fleet.

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When the rumours of a new ship being added to the Thomson fleet started last month, I actually thought it would be the Legend joining, but instead it was her sister ship. But, it wouldn't surprise me if the rest of the vision class start migrating to Thomson in a similar fashion. The LOTS was docked alongside us in Bonaire back in December, and how magnificent it looked, even for a 20 year old ship.

a new build would be the thomson 'incredible';):)

Hah, very true! Good one!

Yes, free soft and alcoholic drinks (excluding Champagne) on all Thomson long haul flights now, not just Dreamliner flights.

Small claims court location will be of your choosing.... This can be your home town and greatly to your advantage.

https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/overview

Not quite! It will initially be filed with your local court, but the defendant has a right to have it transferred to their local court for any hearings that are scheduled to take place. It is then up to the claimant and their legal representatives to travel to the claimants local court.

Hi going on the Thomson Dream 5th December does any body know the wifi charges on board and any other tips many thanks carol

We're joining that day too!

Wouldn't bother with the WiFi, it's expensive and very slow, sometimes nothing loading at all!

Would use the WiFi in cafes etc. when in port. Always follow the crew as they know all the best spots!

Hi Brenda, Glad you had a good time :) We have already heard about the building work (many times!) Do complain to Thomson, as the more people who do so, may stop them trying that trick again!

 

Hope the move went well :)

I agree, otherwise if Thomson don't think anyone is bothered, they certainly WILL try that trick again.

I don't think the new agency start until next week do they?

I heard they started onboard at the start of the wet dock (last Thursday, 27 Nov), presumably to prepare ready for passengers this week. I could be wrong though.

Nice to hear about the steak situation. Thought the steaks were a bit overpriced last year for what they were. A fiver would have been a better price, but glad to hear there's no charge now. Thomson listening to passengers finally?

We join the TA in Gran Canaria on Sat 6th and do not expect there to be any major work being carried out but if there is some minor refurbishment taking place then we will have to try and make the best of it.

Indeed, I agree. Some minor work taking place would be acceptable, but not any major work, and I was told the refurbishments would be finished by the time it comes out of dock.

However, something that slightly concerns me is that when the Celebration was in wet dock earlier in November, pictures were being put up by Thomson on their facebook page at various stages of the work. So far, even considering it's been there since Thursday night, zip, nowt, nada.

That's fine Baggers. I didn't really think that you might be aware of details which might be inappropriate to air. So no probs - just my natural inclination to try out understand how things work. Pity don't know about PM either Baggers.

Apparently private messages are turned off on here, which sort of contradicts why i have received some from Admin since I joined!

Anyway, so I can't send you a PM, but it was about a first hand experience which is connected to what we've been talking about on here, but like I say the details of which I don't mind you knowing, but didn't want it on an open forum :(

That's what's got me thinking Baggers. We've had reports about a decline in food on most of the ships as compared with say, a couple of years ago. Perhaps what you suggest is what's happened - and possibly why Thomson awarded the contracts to a different company. Just speculating here but would like to understand how it's all managed.

I don't know how to send a private message on these forums to you kruzseeka as there is something to add to the above, but its not something I want to air on a public forum.

However, we certainly didn´t have any food problems - we only ate in Orions though - and thought the choice and presentation much improved on last year (we had both lunch and dinner in Orion and never had to choose Pork once).

 

:D:D:D Hoorah! Sorry quotes not working again - but so pleased to hear this campolady - wonder if it is to do with the new agency. I know Peel are given a contract to supply the entertainment and clearly that involves the training, employmentof staff as well as the staging, costumes and every thing to do with the entertainment package but I perhaps naively thought that the agencies just provided the personnel for the dining room, hotel side etc. and not providing whatever else goes with the catering, housekeeping. But logically perhaps they, like Peel are given a budget to deliver the whole shooting match - staff and materials i.e food or hotel requirements and if that's the case a change of agency may well herald a new era of food quality and service depending on how well the company manage their budgets. Does anyone know how it works? Off to check out some Thomson itineraries now! :D;)

I think you may be right kruzseeka, that the relevant agencies are given a budget for the whole package, but this in my mind could be a very dangerous thing, as there isn't neccesarily a quality control over the final product, such as the food offerings, which could very easily allow agencies to cost cut to maximise their profits.

I, for one will be first in the queue to complain if they are carrying work out still across to the Caribbean. Where will the contractors sleep if the ship is full. I cant see there being many crew cabins available. We have been booked since March and am so looking froward to this cruise:)

You and me both maxymaxy1. We join the ship on Thursday and I have it in writing that the refurbishment is scheduled for the downtime in November and absolutely no mention of any refurbs continuing whilst en route to the Caribbean.

Shortly after I posted this thread, the price altered on the advert. How strange:D haha

Lol, typical. It happens a lot though so was probably just coincidence.

Thomson, and any other website for that matter, should be more careful now though as the ASA's remit also covers advertising on websites!

Just received an email from Thomson:

:mad:

 

"With regards to maintenance being carried out on-board our vessels we do state in our A-Z guides in the back of our brochures that customers may not necessarily be informed of this work, it should however be kept to a minimum. I know this was not the case for you".

 

Whist maintenance is understandable, rebuilds are not maintenance. They are rebuilds and are planned. Typical Thomson reply.

 

I never saw an A-Z guide. I'd recommend anyone on the upcoming sailing to get in touch with Thomson and get a cabin away from the work as maintance crews will be carried as far as the Caribbean. Escaping on shore to avoid the noise was possible for us, it will not be possible for you in your sea days.

They'll get a lot of angry passengers if they do carry the work on through to the Caribbean, and they didn't do that last year despite the ship being in wet dock beforehand like this year.

The sailing next week is sold out so it's now too late to start booking particular cabins away from any work, but I'm keeping an open mind that the work will be finished before she sails from Lanzarote next Thursday, unless we hear any different from Thomson themselves.

Have a great time, Baggers.

 

I am extremely jealous and would love to be going too :D

 

I am also a fan of the ship and indeed we are looking at going back on her next year. The things that are wrong with her are all in Thomson's control to put right.....when the passengers are not there ;)

 

There are many things I really like about the ship: the spacious cabins; the ample deck space; the choice of a quiet or lively pool; the theatre; the promenade deck.

 

The Dream is the last ship in the fleet that I would choose to get rid off :rolleyes:

Thanks Little Nell!

I completely agree with you, it does have it's little niggles and nothing majorly wrong and Thomson could easily put things right. It does prove they do listen to their customers sometimes too as many people have been saying for a few years now about getting rid of the sports deck and replacing it with another sunbathing area. It's a double edge sword for me as I did use the sports deck, but also at the same time, the majority of passengers didn't. We'll have to buy a football and have a kickabout on a beach somewhere instead!

Actually I really like the Dream - from a design point of view it's definitely my favourite Thomson ship. There's nothing that can't be fixed imo with some additional investment especially in the food budget. The refurb and plumbing issues should be tackled when there are no passengers on board. But that to one side, I'd be quite happy if the food was the same quality and choice of a couple of years ago. I'll be pleased to hear if that is the case.

 

I hope you have a great cruise Baggers - you don't need me to tell you that Thomson itineraries are superb and the ambience, people and entertainment the best. Much to enjoy! I'll be interested in your feedback too.

Thanks kruzseeka, it's not long now so getting very excited!

Apollo apparently took over on the Celebration immediately after it's refit and the reports on FB seem to be positive with regards to the food choice and quality. I've even seen a report with regards to steaks being available for no extra charge!

Apollo took over on the Dream today, presumably to prepare themselves for the first sailing next week, so fingers crossed, and will definitely report back when we're home!

Ha ha!

 

Seriously though, I think she is becoming a liability.

Then that's a problem for Thomson as she's on a ten year charter to Thomson from 2010. With, get this, an option to purchase her after 5 years!

Will be interesting to see if they exercise that right next year or not.

On a lighter note, we're about to embark on our third cruise with her next week, and haven't had any real problems with her. There was a little leak above our heads one night in the MDR last December, but nothing major, and as it was a big table with just 3 of us on, we moved round to the other side.

It could have been a sign from above that I needed a shower, but as I'd already had one that year I didn't think I needed another one :D:D:D

On the Thomson website under Summer 2015 Cruise Deals there are advertisements highlighted for holidays. An example of this is Adriatic Affair - 7th May - from Bristol - £603. I have searched through trying different airports, dates etc but nowhere is this holiday for £603. Do Thomson do this regularly? Surely there should be at least 1 holiday at that price if they are advertising it??

I'm under the impression that the "adverts" that you refer to are controlled manually by Thomson and not connected to their booking system in any way, as I've also seen it the other way round where a cruise is actually cheaper than the promoted price.

I agree it's not right though, and if they are done manually, which they have got to be really, otherwise they'd be live pricing, then they should update them more often.

Very poor experience overall. I won't be rushing back to Thomson. Whilst I appreciate the need to renovate, turning a ship into a building site for half of the holiday is just not acceptable.

I agree with you, it isn't acceptable. This is why they schedule downtime, and it's booked into Gibraltar for the next few days to have work done.

Kruzseeka, I was talking just last week to someone who was on the Dream TA last year when you were on. He was disgusted with the food and complained on the ship and spoke to someone in authority about it. He was hoping his Celebrity cruise around Australia and NZ was going to be a whole lot better.

We were on then too and didn't think the food was that bad. It wasn't as good as when we were on in Feb 2012 but it certainly wasn't bad.

That's what I thought too geo..... don't think the TA out there looks as appealing as in the past either. Much better coming back though.

That's exactly what I thought too, there didn't seem to be a lot of imgaination gone into the TA's this time!

The Dream going out is pretty much the same as this year, which wasn't as inspiring as lat year's.

Personally, I think the only one that looks OK this time is the Celebration TA coming back in April.

Sounds like it's one of the few times a flight time change has a positive benefit ;)

Yep it sure is. Things like this normally work against us so nice to be the other way round for once.

Thanks Baggers. Think we'll have to go for it especially if it's tight and a 3-3 layout. Hate to get trapped by the window if the flight's more than a couple of hours or so. £19 p.p makes £30 for the Caribbean (about twice the flight distance) seem quite reasonable :rolleyes: not that I agree with it at all. Still if they didn't sting us for that the prices for the holiday/cruise would be higher I expect. At least it is optional - you don't have to pay for the pleasure but it does feel like emotional blackmail!

I completely agree, we had a big argument about it when coming to book next month's cruise. It just seems like penny pinching. It's a little different when booking a no-frills flight only, but when booking a complete holiday package, it just seem's wrong.

All the 737's and 757's are 3-3 layout, and whilst you could be lucky and get the short haul 767 they have, as they only possess one, it would be highly unlikely!

Just tried to identify the plane type for our Thomson flight to Santorini but suspect the info on summer scheduled planes may not be available yet. Guess that might be quite tight too which is making me question whether, like Linda we might be better to bite the bullet and pay to select our seats! :rolleyes: Though it goes against the grain really! It will possibly be the same type of plane they use for Corfu flights. I don't think we've ever booked seats other than for the Caribbean - so...... does anyone have an idea of the cost of booking seats for flights of that length (about 4 hours - similar I would think to Corfu)?

According to Thomson it's £19pp to Santorini!

Thomson can use either a 737 or a 757 on short haul flights, and to be honest, we find them both a bit cramped. They do have one short haul 767 in use, which as mentioned above is only on a couple of routes from LGW & MAN. If I'm correct, isn't it used mainly on high frequency routes such as Tenerife?

In response to another post above, the 787, also known as the Dreamliner, is only used on long haul routes and wouldn't be used to Sharm.

Great link sailaway!

We are on the Dreamliner Gatwick flight, which are you on?

We're on the Gatwick flight but not the Dreamliner one!

The put our flight back a couple of hours. We're not bothered, gives us an extra couple of hours to enjoy the drinks package :D:D:D

I hope they do put them up how exciting, new ship (new to me as haven't been on the Dream before) the Caribbean and Christmas Decorations :D:D I have been considering taking my Christmas jumper to wear on the flight home.

You should, seeing as it'll be Christmas Eve when we all land back in the UK! Which flight are you on?

Hadn't dawned on me that the Christmas decorations might be up, on Dream 6th December I have been so focused on holiday that Christmas has not been on my mind although I have bought all prezzies and made sure they are where they need to be for Christmas day. Writing and sending cards this week.

As the ship's in wet dock for a week before we all get on board, the staff might put them up then. Or they might not lol.