Q&A Answers Discussion 2013

[CRUISIN LINDA]

 

 

Was looking at a cruise around the Fjords in the near future, but looks like I might have to seriously look a next year then as it might be the last year for a while.

I can recommend Princess to the fiords, lol :D:D

[Julessmiles]

So far, I am not very impressed with a lot of his answers - a lot of them are very "wishy washy" & he is not actually answering the direct questions - Politician springs to mind :(

 

Shame when he has this opportunity - he seems to be very defensive.....

 

 

Sunday flying for 2 weeks over Christmas is not ideal for school children or people who work in education because the flights don't arrive back until Monday when a lot of the schools start back!!!!!

Edited November 20, 2013 by Julessmiles

[kruzseeka]

Doesn't look like there's going to be a proper loyalty scheme then. :(

 

That really is very disappointing - sounds very random and hit and miss. I think that is likely to cause more resentment than doing nothing! It would be so much easier to have a structured system (needn't be that grand) but can you imagine how irritating it will be for some to get rewards and not others especially if it appears that the recipients appear to have a lesser claim!

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Agree Jules! I don't think he has actually answered anything really!

[gillhalfpint]

I have just booked Jan 15, and my letter confirming the booking has a paragraph:

 

"To improve our service to you and to recognise our returning customers, we now ask you to provide contact details for the passengers travelling with you in a Cruise embarkation form."

 

I have to go online to fill this in. I just thought it was so they can ring me to offer me the upgrades for the same price as the brochure as usual, but are they logging returning customers too?

[geomagot]

extra revenue streams

 

50 people a week are paying extra to watch free entertainment! (sorry optional extra)

 

not very optional for those of us that cant get a seat in the theatre and have to stand in the aisles.....wait....didnt ryan air consider that option once??

 

 

in cabin alcohol consumption

 

nothing has changed??

 

so it was only me (i was arbitrarily singled out) to have my duty free bottle retained by the shop and returned to me only on the last day?....did i imagine it??:confused:

 

 

its all about maintaining standards

 

its a co incidence that people have started to dress down since thoms merged with island cruises....I'm with fraser on this....if he can manage with just hand luggage..... then so can I.....a couple of mankinis and I'm good to go:p

 

 

I didnt know that 24/7 dining had been aboloshed?! all buffets now closed between 1am & 6am!:eek:

[geomagot]

sailaway....your multi faceted questions have been rumbled;)

 

leaving clothes behind

 

emergency clothes bank!...emergency clothes!....whats that about!...people who have their luggage destroyed by the airline are offered others left behind clothes!.....I can just see me in speedos and sparkly top? :eek: (although I quite fancy a tutu):p:)

 

looks like island escape is here to stay (97% of their other customer liked it).....the fact that it has been up for sale for years is not going to affect any of its itineraries:rolleyes:

[Sailaway487]

And that's it. All over...

[geomagot]

a few unanswered q's again...most notably pricing and entertainment?

 

strangely..... their main draw/strength (the entertainment) and their main bugbear/weakness (their dark art of pricing??)

Edited November 20, 2013 by geomagot

[Sailaway487]

What do we think overall? I still think it is a good thing to have to get answers from the man at the top, but I don't think the answers were as detailed as last year, for example he did give things out such as new ports they were looking at etc. but none of that at all this time.

 

The biggest disappointment for me though was the loyalty scheme! I thought, from last years Q&A, that a proper programme was being implemented like other cruise lines have, with % discount on future cruises, onboard credit that sort of thing, depending on the amount of cruises you have. A 'little thank you' is not really what I had in mind, and doesn't really seem to be consistent or match properly the amount of times you have cruised. A properly structured scheme I think would be much better, and I got the impression that this is what they were going to implement.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Well, I think it was a complete waste of time! At least you got your questions answered Sailaway. I put two on and neither were answered. One was about entertainment and had 4 other queries attached to it. I don't think he actually answered any of the questions.

 

I think it sums up Thomsons admin team "don't care" attitude.

 

On Thomson flights, they say "Thank you for flying with Thomson, we appreciate that you have a choice" Yes we have!

[Jakanne1]

Well, that's the second year he has not answered my question and I only asked one! :(:rolleyes:

 

But I did get a bottle of sparkling wine in September as a little thank you for being a good customer. It was much appreciated. :D

[davetrucker]

Well, I think it was a complete waste of time! At least you got your questions answered Sailaway. I put two on and neither were answered. One was about entertainment and had 4 other queries attached to it. I don't think he actually answered any of the questions.

 

I think it sums up Thomsons admin team "don't care" attitude.

 

On Thomson flights, they say "Thank you for flying with Thomson, we appreciate that you have a choice" Yes we have!

Well I agree with you Linda It looks like he just answered the on's he wanted to. I put a question on about why the AI for Caribbean in Jan 2015 showed £280 on webbsite on 1st day of sale but when you got to the end of the booking they added £516 on the basic cruise price I have e-mailed him about it and also written to him but so far got no answer. Yes we are seriously thinking of going P&O

[Julessmiles]

Good of him to come & answer questions but NOT good PR in my mind - quite blunt in some of his replies & not what a lot of us want to hear :(

[gillhalfpint]

Well I agree with you Linda It looks like he just answered the on's he wanted to. I put a question on about why the AI for Caribbean in Jan 2015 showed £280 on webbsite on 1st day of sale but when you got to the end of the booking they added £516 on the basic cruise price I have e-mailed him about it and also written to him but so far got no answer. Yes we are seriously thinking of going P&O

 

The answer to that one - it was an error, and some of us got the AI at £280 if we booked before midnight last Thursday. It is now showing at the correct price of £796 for AI. I managed to phone up, and got it at the cheaper price, and my paperwork has arrived and confirmed it. Phew!!

[China doll52]

The answer to that one - it was an error, and some of us got the AI at £280 if we booked before midnight last Thursday. It is now showing at the correct price of £796 for AI. I managed to phone up, and got it at the cheaper price, and my paperwork has arrived and confirmed it. Phew!!

 

The point I think was the price of the basic cruise went up not the price of the all inclusive - that is until the following day when the all inclusive went up by £516 and the basic cruise price went back down to the original booking price. Unfortunately not all of us were lucky enough to get our price honoured and as return Thomson cruiser feel very let down by them,

[Little Nell]

I can't find my question on flights from Scotland,

 

There were other questions that it may have been merged with but I can't see any of them.

 

I am tired. Maybe I am just not seeing them.

 

Edit: Found it.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Little Nell

[Julessmiles]

The point I think was the price of the basic cruise went up not the price of the all inclusive - that is until the following day when the all inclusive went up by £516 and the basic cruise price went back down to the original booking price. Unfortunately not all of us were lucky enough to get our price honoured and as return Thomson cruiser feel very let down by them,

 

The AI on the Dream was always supposed to have been £199 pp per week - that was noted in the press release for the Carribean cruises for 2024/15. They made a software error on the day the cruises went on sale & I am guessing on that day the only way to rectify it was to increase the cruise price. Had you phoned Thomson on the day, they would have honoured the error & let you book it at the cheaper (incorrect) price. Maybe if you booked on the day & they didn't honour it, you should get in touch with them & see if they will honour it now.

[gillhalfpint]

The AI on the Dream was always supposed to have been £199 pp per week - that was noted in the press release for the Carribean cruises for 2024/15. They made a software error on the day the cruises went on sale & I am guessing on that day the only way to rectify it was to increase the cruise price. Had you phoned Thomson on the day, they would have honoured the error & let you book it at the cheaper (incorrect) price. Maybe if you booked on the day & they didn't honour it, you should get in touch with them & see if they will honour it now.

 

If you booked before last Friday and lost out by paying the high price I would certainly ring up and try it. I thought I had lost out last Thursday when I was booking till someone on here suggested ringing them before midnight to get the cheaper incorrect price, and I did and got it. Nothing lost by ringing them up if you were an unfortunate one to pay the higher price before they corrected the system.

[geomagot]

I have just booked Jan 15, and my letter confirming the booking has a paragraph:

 

"To improve our service to you and to recognise our returning customers, we now ask you to provide contact details for the passengers travelling with you in a Cruise embarkation form."

 

I have to go online to fill this in. I just thought it was so they can ring me to offer me the upgrades for the same price as the brochure as usual, but are they logging returning customers too?

 

this is interesting gill

 

i've looked thru all of my old email confirmations (even my junk folder :eek: ) and none of them say this...bar one

 

the most recent email....its a small box, small text, hidden in the small print, the bit I never read....wonder if this is where we can register our details and so show ourselves as repeaters? but why should we need to register as repeaters? they should have a vast database of every intimate detail about ourselves by now?

 

I only have to breathe the air near my mobile and the providers are txting me with offers of 'fantastic' deals:rolleyes:

[geomagot]

well..good & not so good on the Q&A

 

praise were its due

 

they are helping those who have been affected by tropical storm haian, this is good to hear (saves it going to some of those so called multi billion aid agencies/businesses, that do more harm than good)

 

yes, I do think they have mixed it up a little...itineraries are my most important consideration and they have put up some great itineraries (thumbup)

 

they have introduced some drinks packages available to purchase on board....still not cheap/reasonable price tho?

 

they are looking at various public spaces that are currently underused....quietly adding balconies and re designing some lounges (no overhype this time...they've learned their lesson)

 

i agree on the flights issues...i feel for you up in Scotland...we in the west country have had our exeter - barbados flight dropped completely (and that flew via manchester)...but this is down to thoms airways and I am not sure that cruise has a free hand there

 

ex uk looks doomed...but tbh i was kinda expecting that...spirit looks doomed too but island escape appears to be staying on

 

they have rolled out a loyalty scheme.....tada!........drum roll please....... there you go magot here a 'little thank you' for your dozens of cruises with us...?? ohh goody whats this?....was it that paperclip i found at the back of the drawer?...well thanks:rolleyes:

 

dress codes...there are no dress codes anymore (other than for hygiene reasons) (island escape slipped into this answer?? why is that relevant??) so guys, wear whatever suits your personal taste....tbh I agree what other people wear does not impact my holiday....but....can o worms!

 

they are sticking with the (not included anymore) pay per view seats in theatre ...how far will this go?....entertainment is billed as 'included' soon we could be all paying for seats, the theatre does not have enough capacity for all so they have solved this problem by implementing a fee to reserve a seat...I dont think thats ever going to work?....whats next? a fee to reserve sunbeds (dont read that thoms):p

 

the duty free confiscations? nothing has changed apparently....that was not my experience:(

 

they are saying that there is an ongoing program of refurbishments/upgrades....running maintenance

 

i noticed an important Q remained unanswered? a Q from a ta saying that they could not match the web price...v important Q this

 

ok thoms have their own shops but they charge a fee to match their own web price (£10pp currrently a trial) little comfort to those that do not have access to the web and if independent ta's cannot price match who will sell the cabins?? ....monoply........ is the word that springs to mind...be afraid...be v afraid

Edited November 21, 2013 by geomagot

[davecttr]

I can't find any reference to dress codes in the QA :confused:

[stevedeccaman]

Good to see Fraser back on, however it was a dance:)

 

politicians answer in the same way

 

but he is trying ,for us , him TIU ?:confused:

 

Stevie:cool:

[Julessmiles]

I can't find any reference to dress codes in the QA :confused:

 

Here you are Dave

 

 

#1

November 19th, 2013, 09:31 PM

 

Huddersfieldtourist

Cool Cruiser

 

 

Could it be just a coincidence ,following the reduction in luggage allowance, the fact that passengers are seemingly tending to dress down more ( shorts in the theatre etc ) as taking formal evening wear and smarter casual evening wear soon eats up your luggage allowance ?

 

This drop in standards sets a new lower standard for the cruise and for the product which may not be where Thomson wants to head. Evening wear is not usually required at hotels so the extra allowance is justified for cruises. The cruise brochure encourages you to “dress up” – the lower/ revised allowance tends to counter against this and impacts even more on the longer repositioning cruises. I appreciate you can pay to take more luggage but is this the right message ?

 

Thanks

__________________

 

#2

Yesterday, 07:53 PM

 

Fraser Ellacott

Managing Director ~ Thomson Cruises

 

Join Date: Oct 2012

Location: Luton

Posts: 126

 

Hello,

 

This is an interesting point Gareth. I do think this is a co-incidence.

 

I actually think the driver behind this was the merger with Island Cruises. Since we merged with Island Cruises we've seen a lot more of their passengers trying Thomson Cruises and vice versa. But we've always been at the more informal end of classic cruising, and we try not to be too prescriptive about what people are wearing. Ultimately I don't think a guests' clothes impact on the standard of the cruise. And those that do want to dress up will always find room for their evening wear in their luggage. I manage with hand luggage.

 

Cheers,

 

Fraser

__________________

Fraser Ellacott

Managing Director,

Thomson Cruises

[geomagot]

I can't find any reference to dress codes in the QA :confused:

 

its here dave

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1946314