Customer Service Response to my concerns re: Dream!

[CRUISIN LINDA]

hi hoopy here live from the dream nothing has been resolved on this ship vomit inducing smell almost everywere you go passengers meeting tonite at 6pm some people got off on the 25th the day they boarded some got to tunisa and had enough and flew home from there my advice do not book this ship nothing will be done till its refrub job simply to big to do at sea happy for you to post this or quote me i have been lied too since i arrived on here wiill post tomorrow after meeting 2nite

 

Blimey, sounds like a mutiny:eek: Looks like our week and possibly Berwyn's

week were about the best of a bad lot:(

 

Linda

[Cymro1953]

Blimey, sounds like a mutiny:eek: Looks like our week and possibly Berwyn's

week were about the best of a bad lot:(

 

Linda

 

That's true Linda from reading the rest of the comments recently.

 

Berwyn

[vwgolf]

I'm not worried - everything will be fine by August, won't it :confused:?

[alliballi]

God I hope so we cruise on her in Aug too I was just kinda keeping a eye on posts with interest in the snug confidence that Thompson WOULD surely have it all sorted by Aug now I am starting to worry as reviews do seem to be getting worse not better with the known problems not seeming to be getting any better although Thompson seem very aware of them. I am worried now and I wasnt really before. We have to pay our balance in 2 weeks this hol is costing us over £4500 for 2 of us with no AI included which is a huge chunk of money for us but as we didnt get away last year we have justified it. This holiday better be worth every penny or I am going to want to eat someone for breakfast when I get back. I dont expect the world dont even mind if she is a bit worn around the edges but for that money I dont want to spend a week on board smelling sewage eating cold food and having no flushing loo, leaks dodgy plumming wet carpets and no air cond especially in the med in Aug can you imagine what that sewage will smell like in that heat. Wondering if before we pay holiday in full we would be safer to pay extra and transfer to another ship/ holiday ?????????????:confused:

[infoqueen]

oh dear my feeling are changing on a daily basis. also felt that by aug 31st when we go thomson would have sorted this all out. also now considering changing ships before we pay the final total on 7th july. I also feel guilty cos I have also booked our friends in with us and our week cost £960 each so a lot of money and it was me that thought we would get a better cruise on the dream. if its awful I will feel so bad about it. maybe I should ask the others if they think we should change but they usually say its up to you whatever you decide is ok with us. difficult eh.. ?????? im not usually this negative !!:mad:

[kruzseeka]

I feel so sorry for people caught up in the middle of this.

 

But the personal issues/disappointments to one side for a minute (NOT in any way wishing to minimise the distress here) I can't get my head round how on earth this ship was functioning with passengers prior to the accident in Sharm. :confused:

 

O.K., as Jo's letter from Thomson points out perhaps the unexpected lay-up may have caused some issues with the toilets/vacuum system - but why are there leaks everywhere? Why on earth are pipes suddenly springing leaks now? (And as a matter of interest do all ships have problems with their toilets after a lay-up for refurb - or the Spirit after the three months she's out of service in the winter?) Thomson certainly couldn't have anticipated this otherwise it would have been better to do the refurb in April and sell cruises for October/Nov or whenever she is planned to go for the re-furb. It's a funny business - I can't understand it. :confused

 

What has happened to this ship? SURELY it wasn't in this state as the Europa!

[Old Cruiser2]

I feel so sorry for people caught up in the middle of this.

 

But the personal issues/disappointments to one side for a minute (NOT in any way wishing to minimise the distress here) I can't get my head round how on earth this ship was functioning with passengers prior to the accident in Sharm. :confused:

 

O.K., as Jo's letter from Thomson points out perhaps the unexpected lay-up may have caused some issues with the toilets/vacuum system - but why are there leaks everywhere? Why on earth are pipes suddenly springing leaks now? (And as a matter of interest do all ships have problems with their toilets after a lay-up for refurb - or the Spirit after the three months she's out of service in the winter?) Thomson certainly couldn't have anticipated this otherwise it would have been better to do the refurb in April and sell cruises for October/Nov or whenever she is planned to go for the re-furb. It's a funny business - I can't understand it. :confused

 

What has happened to this ship? SURELY it wasn't in this state as the Europa!

 

We were on Dream on 4th May cruise, and we spoke at length to one of the ship's officers over dinner one evening about the plumbing problems on board. He explained to us that when a big ship goes into dry dock (as Dream did following the accident at Sharm el Sheik in February), the whole structure can 'flex' very slightly and this can cause problems with the pipework along the length of the ship. When the ship is re-floated the pipework moves very slightly yet again. Leaks may only show up when the ship has a full complement of passengers and the plumbing is working at 'full stretch'. Apparently, this is a well-known phenomenon with cruise ships and dry docks.

[kruzseeka]

We were on Dream on 4th May cruise, and we spoke at length to one of the ship's officers over dinner one evening about the plumbing problems on board. He explained to us that when a big ship goes into dry dock (as Dream did following the accident at Sharm el Sheik in February), the whole structure can 'flex' very slightly and this can cause problems with the pipework along the length of the ship. When the ship is re-floated the pipework moves very slightly yet again. Leaks may only show up when the ship has a full complement of passengers and the plumbing is working at 'full stretch'. Apparently, this is a well-known phenomenon with cruise ships and dry docks.

 

Thanks for that - it does explain things. :) I was beginning to develop all kinds of theories - some involving dirty tricks! :o Perhaps we should avoid maiden sailings/early season dates post dry dock. :confused:

[Jim The Scot]

we pay the final total on 7th july.

 

If you hang on I`m back on the 6th and will give my candid view ;)

[midlandcruiser]

The dirty tricks thing has crossed my mind as well, it's strange these things seem to have not worse since moving over to Thomson, but the dry dock situation it seems may have caused unexpected problems.

 

The smell getting worse could be that now they have more plumbers on board working on the leaks etc the smell has got worse. If you have a blocked drain at home and you get a plumber in to sort it out, while he's working the smell intensifies. Hopefully it has to get worse to get better:eek: It may just be really unfortuate for those travelling on board whilst the repairs are being carried out, it's not a good situation at all:(

[midlandcruiser]

duplicate

[midlandcruiser]

O.K., as Jo's letter from Thomson points out perhaps the unexpected lay-up may have caused some issues with the toilets/vacuum system - but why are there leaks everywhere? Why on earth are pipes suddenly springing leaks now? (And as a matter of interest do all ships have problems with their toilets after a lay-up for refurb - or the Spirit after the three months she's out of service in the winter?) Thomson certainly couldn't have anticipated this otherwise it would have been better to do the refurb in April and sell cruises for October/Nov or whenever she is planned to go for the re-furb. It's a funny business - I can't understand it. :confused

 

What has happened to this ship? SURELY it wasn't in this state as the Europa!

 

I've been looking for the reviews, I can't find many, no mention of smells on the ones I've read, only bad service(Costa) but it seems the luke warm food and queues in the buffet and long running problems.

[calconnik]

can anybody give me the nunber to ring thomsons please i am sailing on the 15th june and getting really worried. thanks:(:(:(

[Jim The Scot]

From the website

 

Pre-Travel Services

 

If you wish to contact us before you travel, you can do so on one of the following telephone numbers:

 

• New Bookings– 0871 230 2800 (Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras) or online at thomson.co.uk/cruise
  
• Amendments or General Enquiries – 0844 871 0872 (Calls cost 5p per minute plus network extras)
  
• Customer Welfare – if you need any special assistance – 0844 871 1600 (Calls cost 5p per minute plus network extras)
  
• Groups – 10 passengers or more – 0871 971 0560 (Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras)
  
• Blessings at Sea – 0871 971 0545 (Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras)
  
• To pre-book your cabin - 0871 231 4908 (Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras)
  
• Thomson Airways – 0844 871 1603 (Calls cost 5p per minute plus network extras)
  

Contact centre opening hours:

Monday - Friday: 0900 - 2000

Saturday: 0900 - 1700

Sunday: 1000 - 1700

Alternatively you can write to us at the following address, including your booking reference details, if applicable:

Thomson Cruise Service Centre

Mariner Street

Swansea

SA1 5BA

[hoopy]

I've been looking for the reviews, I can't find many, no mention of smells on the ones I've read, only bad service(Costa) but it seems the luke warm food and queues in the buffet and long running problems.

hi hoopy here food and queues are not really a probs main concerns are lack of toilets some cabins with passengers in have had no toilets public ones closed as well i will only say what i have seen with my own eyes. one of passengers has already been in touch with the bbc radio clevland and spoke live fm ship dont know if youwould get that on net another meeting 2nite thomson tried to stop the meeting last nite no one would talk to us because they said it was gang mentially there is a collage lecturer who seems to know how to go about things and that seems to get up there noses we know its not staff at fault hard working but tell one person one thing then someone else another have been given no answers to my questions since i arrived the stench in my room has made my wife ill so they gave us a can of air freshener!!!! when is said i knew about the probs because of this site she started lower her vioce to a whisper to tell me what i already knew but most of people on board didnt have a clue thouhgt probs were just this week so how long before this ship is ready for the dream 5star treatment i have no idea but dont think it will be soon post again 2morro from barca

[infoqueen]

So sorry that you are all suffering like this. Thanks so much for posting you deserve a medal. Well I have jumped ship literally spoke to Thomson this morning and said that I want to change to the adriatic cruise on the spirit on 27th August. He was really helpful and said they have engineers on board at the mo but understands where i am coming from with my concerns. the cruise is cheaper although its cost us £35 each amendment fee but its worth it to stop the worrying.Hope your cruise gets better and thanks again I'm surprised they havent stopped your internet access take care.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

So sorry that you are all suffering like this. Thanks so much for posting you deserve a medal. Well I have jumped ship literally spoke to Thomson this morning and said that I want to change to the adriatic cruise on the spirit on 27th August. He was really helpful and said they have engineers on board at the mo but understands where i am coming from with my concerns. the cruise is cheaper although its cost us £35 each amendment fee but its worth it to stop the worrying.Hope your cruise gets better and thanks again I'm surprised they havent stopped your internet access take care.

 

Yes thanks Hoopy, I know the internet on board is expensive!

 

Well done infoqueen, the new itinery looks good, but I love Croatia, been there on holiday 4 times and due to go to Dubrovnik asnd Split in September on the Eclipse. I don't know if I shall trust Thomson again, but we did enjoy the Celebration, so who knows:confused:

 

Linda

[Jim The Scot]

We were on Dream on 4th May cruise, and we spoke at length to one of the ship's officers over dinner one evening about the plumbing problems on board. He explained to us that when a big ship goes into dry dock (as Dream did following the accident at Sharm el Sheik in February), the whole structure can 'flex' very slightly and this can cause problems with the pipework along the length of the ship. When the ship is re-floated the pipework moves very slightly yet again. Leaks may only show up when the ship has a full complement of passengers and the plumbing is working at 'full stretch'. Apparently, this is a well-known phenomenon with cruise ships and dry docks.

 

If thats the case will the ship not suffer from the same problems when it sails after its refurb whenever that may be?

[Rebel Rouser]

Being an Engineer ... I would have thought that shunt they had when it struck a pier in Sharm el Sheikh, it must have loosened a few fittings then?

[sunbather11]

13 th july for us dont know if i want to go or not now. not a great deal left now onother ships.

[sobral]

This is just appaullling! I am going to email Thomson- they should be reported to the Health and Safety Executive- surely stench of sewage, leaking pipes etc on a ship with in excess of 1000 passengers has to be breaking some H&S regulations? God knows we have enough of them! They should get more engineers on sthe ship to fix the problems more quickly- thanks for the live posts

[dizzydizzy]

Well we bit the bullet as it were & paid off the balance of our cruise yesterday! My TA had this letter waiting for me...

 

As you know there has been publicity in relation to Thomson Dream in the way it has been affected by some technical issues during its forst sailings from Palma.

 

Initially the air conditioning was working unevenly in different areas around the ship, so it was working too well in some areas whilst not well enough in others. This has now been largely resolved and is working with a general consistency around the vessel.

 

In the last week, the ship has been affected by some unpleasant aromas, due to some blockages in pipes caused primarily as a result of the un-forseen lay-up from Feb - April when the ship was operating as Costa Europa. We believe that a remedy has been found and by the end of the week, this problem will have largely disappeared.

 

There have also been a number of individual issues with some burst pipes in certain areas of the ship, but extra plumbers brought on board are fixing these and as a contingency, extra cabins are being held back from sale in other areas, to provide peace of mind in case of difficulty.

 

This was a press release issued to Thomson TA dated 26/5/2010, I'm not sure if it was intended for public viewing or not, but she gave me a copy due to the concerns we had already expressed to them. Only time will tell if these issues have finally been resolved but fingers crossed all will soon be well & she will be of the same high standard as the rest of the fleet :D

 

Hi Jo

Thanks for sharing this info with us all. I am sailing tomorrow and to be honest have severe doubts but at last Thomson seem to be admitting to problems and are trying to correct them. Let's hope!! Will let you know on my return. I always go on holiday with an open mind but after reading everything on this site and the "other" one I am afraid that my mind is starting to "close" but hey ho I'll make the best of it provided I'm not paddling in nasties in the middle of the night!

Pam

[jojo67]

Hi Pam,

 

I so hope that things will start to improve & that you do have an enjoyable holiday. As I'm chief holiday planner in our house, I always feel extra nervous about things going wrong. Especially this year as I've persuaded my mother to come with us too! Thomson can't let things carry on as they are & I'm sure if that many cabins/toilets were affected then they would make the decision to abort a cruise & sort things out once and for all as they have done in the past. I've still 8 weeks until my trip, but will have everything crossed for you tomorrow. Please let us know how things went on your return.

 

Jo.

[its,only,me]

Hi Pam , I really do hope that after hearing what they are going now, that things will be rectified as quickly as possible , and you will have a great cruise , Iam like yourself trying to close out all the bad things I read and keep telling myself that it will be fab,,,,,,

we go in 5 weeks , so as Jo says fingers crossed

 

mrs.c

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Hi Jo

Thanks for sharing this info with us all. I am sailing tomorrow and to be honest have severe doubts but at last Thomson seem to be admitting to problems and are trying to correct them. Let's hope!! Will let you know on my return. I always go on holiday with an open mind but after reading everything on this site and the "other" one I am afraid that my mind is starting to "close" but hey ho I'll make the best of it provided I'm not paddling in nasties in the middle of the night!

Pam

 

Hi Pam

 

What deck are you on?

 

Linda