Help please

[babs135]

Prices are good, itineraries sound excellent but would I enjoy it?

 

I realise this is a very British cruise line but curious if other nationalities would be on board as we like the mix. Is it overrun with children as we are at the stage of 'been there, got the t-shirt' and don't fancy fighting hordes of kids? How does it compare to Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity etc.

 

Would appreciate honest replies, ie criticism as well as the glowing reviews I'm bound to get.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Pensioncruiser]

Hi babs135 sorry can't give you comparison's, but others will, we have never had any major problems with children but Thomson do have child free cruises if you require. We have meet some very nice cruisers from other countries but all announcements are in English. You normally have more ports of call on a Thomson cruise. We have been cruising with them for many years and are reluctant to change as they just fit the type of holiday we like and find them IMO very friendly, both staff and cruisers. Happy cruising!

[Vitalsign]

:)Thomson cruises are very relaxed and mostly casually dressed (except for Captains Night once a week when there are two set dining times in the MDR)

For special occasions there are restaurants where you pay a supplement. However based on your previous cruises you may find the food is not of the same standard - this is not to say the food isn't good and to be honest I would not want to spend a fortnight eating very rich food.

The cruisers are very very friendly, 99% British, although some Caribbean cruisers and some Canadians have sailed from Montego Bay with us and some expats from Spain. The entertainment is superb. The crew are THE best anywhere. Everything is in sterling and there are no TIPS added to your bill It is up to you to tip who you feel has given you the service you expect.

If you go out of season, which we do you would be hard pushed to find one child never mind being over-run. The outside plus cabins are the best if you don't want a balcony. The balconies are few and far between and not always in the best position on the ship in my opinion as we prefer mid-ships.

Give it a try as you say the itineries are great and usually only one sea day per week.

 

 

Thomson Spirit Oct 2005 Repo Palma to Sharm el Sheikh

Thomson Celebration Jan 2007 Red Sea Magic

Ocean Village Feb 2008 Western Caribbean & Central America

Ocean Village Aug 2008 Eastern Med

Ocean Village 2 Feb 2009 Eastern Caribbean

Ocean Village Mar 2010 Eastern Caribbean

Thomson Dream Feb 2011 Eastern Caribbean & Cuba

Thomson Celebration Aug 2011 Eastern Med

Thomson Celebration Apr 2012 Red Sea Magic

Thomson Celebration Apr 2012 Repo Sharm el Sheikh to Marmaris

Thomson Dream Feb 2013 Eastern Caribbean

Thomson Majesty Nov/Dec 2014 Colourful Coasts Canaries

Thomson Dream Jan/Feb 2015 West Caribbean Panama & Cuba

Thomson Dream Apr 2015 Transatlantic Sunset

Thomson Majesty June 2015 Hellenic Classics

Thomson Celebration Sept 2015 Adriatic Affair

Thomson Dream Jan 2016 Mayan Treasures/Cuban Revolution

Thomson Dream April 2016 Atlantic Adventure

Thomson Dream June 2016 Iconic Islands/Adriatic Explorer

Thomson Dream April2017 Atlantic Daydream

[WeeCountyMan]

Although you'll very occasionally find another nationality, to all intents and purposes it's a Brit clientele on Thomsons.

 

Never had any significant issues with children, (except one time where selfish parents came into the equation) simply because there have never been that many onboard.

 

As for evaluations to other cruise lines, that's like comparing VSOP brandy against a fine highland malt - what suits one person's taste is likely to be different from another's.

 

We've only done Thomsons and Princess - happily recommend both.

[irnbru]

Some of the other companies ships are much more modern and have more activities onboard for ex: Ice skating rink/ Flumes/ Rock climbing walls etc but you will pay much more than a Thomsons cruise. The big lines also charge gratuities whereas they are included in the Thomson price.

 

At the end of the day you mostly get what you pay for and Thomson cruises are good value for money.

[babs135]

So, if I wanted a western Mediterranean cruise in July/August which ship would you recommend?

[John Bull]

So, if I wanted a western Mediterranean cruise in July/August which ship would you recommend?

 

July / August is hot-hot-hot in the Med.

If your scene is dusty and often shadeless ancient sights like Ephesus (from Kusadasi), Olympia (from Katakolon), Pompeii (from Naples or Sorrento), the Acropolis in Athens (from Piraeus) etc you are likely to find them unbearably hot. Hot too for city sight-seeing, such as Barcelona, Rome, Florence.

Not so bad if your scene is lazy days in villages & waterside tavernas

And in July / August there will be crowds in touristy places and plenty of kids on the ships. The western Med is more likely to attract more kids than eastern.

If circumstances allow, plump for the shoulder seasons - around May or September / early October.

 

Thomson offer 7-day cruises & 14-day cruises, the 14-day ones are two 7-day itineraries back-to-back. That gives you a mid-cruise day ashore in the departure port while half the passengers are starting/finishing their cruise. Or you can opt for a 7-day cruise plus 7-day hotel stay before or after the cruise. Naturally the 14-day options offer better value than 7-days.

(BTW, ignore my comment on your other thread about booking cruise-only and your own scheduled flights - you probably realised that for some reason I though you were from north America).

 

Thomson Celebration and Thomson Spirit are twins. The smallest (about 1200 passengers) and oldest in the fleet but refurbished a couple or three years ago. Great atmosphere on both, either of those would be my preference. If you book either of those ships it's well worth paying the extra to choose your specific cabin - if you book through a cruise-specialist travel agent (we can't name names on Cruise Critic, but google "cruise agents") do it by phone & get advice on cabin location - or ask on here about best locations for your chosen ship and cabin category.

Thomson Dream is more modern (was a Costa ship) but for me it didn't have the same atmosphere as Spirit or Celebration. Just a personal opinion.

Thomson Majesty I've yet to sail.

Thomson Discovery is Thomson's latest addition, just retired from Royal Caribbean (was Splendour of the Seas). I don't think she sails for Thomson until next year.

BTW do give ships their full name, especially on Cruise Critic. Thomson Spirit, Thomson Dream, Thomson Discovery etc, to avoid confusion with other cruise ships with similar names.

 

But the cruises are port-intensive, and your best bet is to choose an itinerary that you like, rather than the ship. To some extent that will depend on which places you've already been or plan to go in the future. You've cruised before, so you know about the limited time afforded by port of call visits to places like Barc'a, Rome, Naples, Venice, Athens etc that are worth much more time..

There's always a wide choice of ships visiting those places, but Thomson are amongst the few that visit places off those well-worn paths.

 

JB :)

[WeeCountyMan]

The big lines also charge gratuities whereas they are included in the Thomson price.

 

You can opt out of prescribed tips on some of the bigger lines, Princess being one of them.

 

As above, I would body swerve high season (schools holidays) in the Med - hot and busy tourist places are best avoided then, if possible.

 

For example, we visited Ephesus (great excursion) one late October when it was bearable - I shudder to think what it would be like in July/August as there is no shade for most of the tour.

Edited December 29, 2015 by WeeCountyMan

[babs135]

Good advice as usual JB, thanks. I'd forgotten how hot is can be in the Med in July/August (must be an age thing :)) but our last three cruises have been either transatlantic crossings in November/December or Norway/Iceland and I'm keen to have some sun on my back for a change.

 

Will look at late August/September when it should be less oppressive.

 

As I've said, this is purely research at the moment. Financial matters of a more pressing nature at home (new roof) means it may be some time before we know if, when and where we can cruise :( There is also the added draw of sailing on the QM2 after her refit and that, as far as DH is concerned, is a wonderful transatlantic crossing with a stay in New York. Given the choice DH would go QM2 over just about anything else, but much as I adore the ship and NEW YORK, I'd like to try a different ship/cruise line and visit ports.

 

Could be an interesting few months ahead :D

 

Thanks again

[kruzseeka]

You can opt out of prescribed tips on some of the bigger lines, Princess being one of them.

 

As above, I would body swerve high season (schools holidays) in the Med - hot and busy tourist places are best avoided then, if possible.

 

For example, we visited Ephesus (great excursion) one late October when it was bearable - I shudder to think what it would be like in July/August as there is no shade for most of the tour.

 

We once took a trip to the Eastern Med in August it was a fantastic bargain on a ship we fancied :rolleyes: and it was a great trip.

But................ how right you are about the temp especially away from the beach. We had a turn around day in Athens so made a really early start to get to the Acropolis before the crowds (there by 8am!) but hadn't realised how hot it would be even at that hour. That's when we appreciated the outside cafés in the Plaka with those vapourisers which emit cooling water vapour. A cold beer helped too! The Acropolis Museum was nicely air conditioned so that offered some relief but I wouldn't have wanted to be out in the sun all day! I think that was the day it topped 40°C!

Edited December 29, 2015 by kruzseeka

[nw_man]

Just adding to what others have already said.. we have done 20 cruises, two on Thomson with an upcoming one next week :D

 

Thomson ships really are the poor man of the cruising world, HOWEVER, before anyone shoots me lol I would say that obviously we still like them as we are going on Celebration.

 

Itinerary is what does it for us and Thomson can get to places some of the super ships cannot get to ( hence our sailing next week ).

 

But, if you like nice ships then NCL, RCI, Princess and Carnival are all going to beat Thomson.

[Malch_uk]

But, if you like nice ships then NCL, RCI, Princess and Carnival are all going to beat Thomson.

 

 

I would turn this right around and say that if you like "nice ships" (small size, traditional layout and décor, great crew and fantastic entertainment) you can't beat Thomson but if you want ritzy glitzy floating tower blocks with climbing walls, wave flumes, gratuities, service charges and high price drinks, then NCL, RCI, Princess and Carnival are all going to beat Thomson.

 

Just my opinion!

[babs135]

Thanks for all the comments; really taking note of what people are saying and I think I may well be leaning towards giving Thomson 'a go'

 

We've done big ships (not the mega ones) and do enjoy them, but I think what does help has been the fact that we've always done traditional dining with tables of 8 or 10 and in all our cruises we have been lucky to have had good table companions, some of whom we are still in touch with 5 years after the trip.

 

We've also done small ( with Louis line, which I believe sold one of its ships to Thomson) and we had a great time, BUT we were aware of some of the shortcomings in that the pool area was tiny and there did not seem to be many places to sit and watch the world go by. Entertainment in an evening wasn't brilliant either. We did have a great time, but were not overly impressed and that's another factor that makes me wonder about whether we would like Thomson. And before you ask, we chose the ship for the itinerary - Norway; and to some extent we were still very 'green' about cruising and I certainly hadn't discovered Cruise Critic with all its wonderful (and not so wonderful) advice!

[WeeCountyMan]

Kruzseeka - we had a similar experience in Athens many years ago on a package holiday.

 

'Er indoors did Classics at school and wanted to do the culture vulture tourist thing.

 

The Acropolis that day was the absolutely hottest place I can recall - it was roasting.

 

We had a middle age lady guide who blethered on and on - she knew her stuff and didn't seem to mind the heat !!!

 

A cold drinks vendor attached himself to the tour party and made a small fortune !!!

 

Going out in the midday sun, Noel Coward was right - only mad dogs and residents of the UK etc. !!!

[Sheila49]

We had a similar experience in Rome WCM. We were either sweltering in the heat as the guide went on and on .....and on, or we were almost running to keep up with her between sites. Kind of put us off Rome to be honest but if we do go back will do the "Rome on your own" trip.

[Vitalsign]

For the best experience, if you can, cruise May/June or Sept/Oct for the Med for sunbathing weather without getting burnt to a crisp as there are no sun umbrellas on Thomson (one thing I really miss that we had on Ocean Village)

The Eastern Med at the end of the summer and the Western Med/Adriatic early summer are our preferred times. Avoid school holidays and the children if there are any will be very young and no trouble, especially no bombing in the pool!!!

The transatlantic cruises repositioning from the Med to the Caribbean or back again are fantastic - although we prefer coming back as you only have 23 hour days once you start across the Atlantic for 5 days and a short flight home so don't feel tired on returning home

[ged1967]

Good advice as usual JB, thanks. I'd forgotten how hot is can be in the Med in July/August (must be an age thing :)) but our last three cruises have been either transatlantic crossings in November/December or Norway/Iceland and I'm keen to have some sun on my back for a change.

 

Will look at late August/September when it should be less oppressive.

 

As I've said, this is purely research at the moment. Financial matters of a more pressing nature at home (new roof) means it may be some time before we know if, when and where we can cruise :( There is also the added draw of sailing on the QM2 after her refit and that, as far as DH is concerned, is a wonderful transatlantic crossing with a stay in New York. Given the choice DH would go QM2 over just about anything else, but much as I adore the ship and NEW YORK, I'd like to try a different ship/cruise line and visit ports.

 

Could be an interesting few months ahead :D

 

Thanks again

 

Hi

 

Ive cruised with Thomsons numerous times and love it. Haven't been on one for a few years but we are thinking about one either 2016/17. Perhaps the new one.

 

One thing I'd like to say about the QM2 (we're just back off her) is that it didn't live up to our expectations. We thought that being the Cunard flagship it would be luxury throughout with impeccable service.

 

Now don't get me wrong there was nothing wrong with QM2. The entertainment food service etc were all excellent. However if one were to close their eyes they could be on any ship on any cruise line. This of course is imo. I believe it didn't live up to our expectations due to the hype on the TV cruise channels speaking of opulence and "White Star Service"

 

As all wait & bar staff on cruise lines rely on tips then we find service is impeccable on any ship, compared to land based restaurants & bars.

 

I would sail QM2 again it is a great ship but really nothing better than the rest, although the entertainment on our Royal Caribbean cruise was awful. Our local amdram could do better.

 

Grant x

[babs135]

Just remembered another reason we have avoided cruising with Thomson - their shops. It doesn't matter what day or time we have been in, they have never had the brochure (land or sea) that I wanted! Maybe I've just been unlucky? Or what about the time I asked for a quote for 4/5 nights in New York and home on Queen Mary 2; told her the date of sailing out of New York and after 10 minutes (not exaggerating, I was clock-watching) informed me she couldn't find either the ship or the date :eek:

 

Not impressed. We walk past the shop regularly and have often been tempted to pop in and ask if she's found the ship yet :D

[Pensioncruiser]

Happy new year babs135 & I hope you realise your ambitions in 2016 but I don't think it will be with Thomson's from your posts!

[John Bull]

Just remembered another reason we have avoided cruising with Thomson - their shops. It doesn't matter what day or time we have been in, they have never had the brochure (land or sea) that I wanted! Maybe I've just been unlucky? Or what about the time I asked for a quote for 4/5 nights in New York and home on Queen Mary 2; told her the date of sailing out of New York and after 10 minutes (not exaggerating, I was clock-watching) informed me she couldn't find either the ship or the date :eek:

 

Not impressed. We walk past the shop regularly and have often been tempted to pop in and ask if she's found the ship yet :D

 

Sorry to say I have a low opinion of Thomson head office efficiency, and rather too many folk agree with me.

For instance, cruise tickets & labels not available & not provided until at the departure airport (happened to us twice, & both times we joined a long line of others in the same boat (unintentional pun ;)).

Another example is incorrect visa information. With so many countries on their itineraries, so many passenger nationalities, so many dispensations for cruisers, and visa requirements changing all the time it's difficult for cruise lines to get it right - most decline to get involved & say "you have to find out & purchase as required" & that's poor customer service. But giving incorrect info is so very much worse.

 

But ships' crew are clued-up. Never had a problem with any that didn't know their stuff :)

I've always reckoned they should be used to train head office staff.

 

Just my experiences

JB :)

[jimb98]

Been on Thomson Destiny & Celebration; also RCCI Splendour of The Seas & Celebrity Equinox.

Ships on other lines will always be in better shape & better equipped than Thomson; Discovery will be a giant step up for them. I loved Splendour and have booked Discovery for June. So if you want a well-equipped modern-ish ship then Discovery will be the only one to choose. However if you want West End standard entertainment, no tips, no crazy 15% on every drink then Thomson is the obvious choice.

We too enjoyed the formal dining and found Americans & Canadians on RCCI & Celebrity very warm & friendly; you will find very, very few on Thomson; although we found most of the Brits were very friendly too.

I have to say that Thomson suited us just fine although it always comes down to the ports of call, hence trying the other lines.