jimb98

After not receiving any response to my email I rang Thomson this morning. The very pleasant lady was confused when I said my cruise apparently now had two sea days. She informed me that day 5 was Marina Di Carrara and she had no idea why the website was showing a sea day. She went on to say cancelling La Spezia may have been due to health & safety issues but couldn't actually confirm that.

She said I would get an email confirming the change but couldn't tell me when.

I've subsequently gone onto the website to search what excursions were available on my cruise and it clearly stated MDC so they know when to update the site if it means flogging excursions!

It's a real pity as we've already visited MDC but had never stopped at La Spezia although distance-wise it shouldn't make too much of a difference.

Anything is better than a sea day fighting for a sun lounger.

Not surprisingly I've had no response from Thomson.

Time to get into 'hassle mode' methinks.

We too have just discovered the lost port; didn't have a clue until I read this post then checked on their website.

It's disgraceful and I've emailed Thomson demanding compensation. One of the main reasons we booked Thomson is because of the port-intensive cruises and having two sea days in a seven day cruise is unacceptable.

If enough of us complain then maybe Thomson may see sense and take some action to either reinstate La Spezia or substitute another port.

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.

My apologies ( must have been in thick Geordie mode), I thought you meant to the bars on the ship!!

But thanks for the advice anyway, even if I already follow it.

'Advice is to follow the crew. Most bars have wifi for the price of a drink'

So how does that work then? I'm intrigued.

By the way I agree with most comments, Thomson cruises are excellent in my opinion.

Sometimes we get the feeling that posters do not look at maps or train schedules. In your case, it would take about 6-7 hours each way (using trains) which is not a good thing on a port day. If Pompeii is on your personal agenda then you want a cruise that docks in either Naples or Salerno or tenders into Sorrento. From those ports it does make sense to visit Pompeii. As an alternative you could drive the 400 miles (one way) in about 6 hours (one way) if you are a fast driver.

 

Hank:eek::confused:

My apologies once again. The one thing I can't be accused of is not looking at maps, it's an integral part of my swotting-up. As I said I confused Naples with La Spezia; we are docking at both.

I was just about to edit my post but you were too quick for me. Yes we do dock at Naples as well as La Spezia.

Cheers,

Jim

Can anyone advise how easy is it to get to Pompeii from La Spezia on public transport

Cheers,

Jim

Does anyone know if the package is available on the Diamond; planning on going next April out of Singapore?

Thanks,

Jim

Hi, Jim,

Diamond Princess, 14 nights from 11th April 2016 from Singapore : Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam : Nha Trang, Vietnam : Da Nang/Hue (Chan May),Vietnam : Hong Kong, China : Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan : Kagoshima, Japan : Osaka, Japan : Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan.

Was on an e-mail sent to me by a UK cruise specialist.

 

JB :)

Many thanks; that looks about perfect, apart from the long-haul flights of course.

Cheers,

Jim

Many thanks to both of you; Cruisetimetables was very helpful. It looks like Princess is the best bet. I couldn't see any Celebrity cruises at all visiting Vietnam.

Cheers,

Jim

Hi,

Does anyone know of a cruise which combines Japan & Vietnam; I had a quick look at the Princess, RCI & Celebrity websites but couldn't see one.

Looking to travel probably April 2016.

Cheers,

Jim

Hi,

Does anyone know of a cruise which combines Japan & Vietnam; I had a quick look at the Princess, RCI & Celebrity websites but couldn't see one.

Looking to travel probably April 2016.

Cheers,

Jim

Venice is easy on your own, we visited on our RCI cruise then decided to go back and stay for 3 days. it's a great place to wander around, although I realise you won't have much time.

St Mark's is easy to find; we arranged our own Clock Tower tour, it was really interesting; booked it online. The water buses are really easy; if you have enough time just get one across the main canal where you'll find things like cafes & bars are much cheaper. We sat and watched an MSC ship go by as we sit along the canal; it seemed to take up the whole world; great fun.

Enjoy venice; it's wonderful.

Absolutely agree with every word; in my opinion this forum has been incredibly helpful and informative. Once again, on our upcoming cruise on Celebration, we have found some companions to share a tour with through this forum.

I know ther are other forums, blogs etc. but let's not forget where we all started.

Hadet25,

If you are sure you wish to share we need your names for the tour operator.

You can contact me on jimburton@blueyonder.co.uk

Cheers,

Jim

We are also in our late fifties from the North East and celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary on the cruise.

I'll book the car today and hopefully we can arrange to meet in one of the bars on board.

Jim & Joan

We'd be happy to share with you. We're going to hire the car and driver for the day so can do Tiout-Taroudant tour. If we have to cancel if the ship doesn't dock we can get a refund so it's all safe.

We can make arrangements to meet up nearer the time perhaps?

Jim

We're hoping to share a tour when we get to Agadir; ths cost is £110 for the car so will be much cheaper than the ship's tour if we can get another couple to share. Anyone interested?

Jim

JoeHoliday2,

Thanks for the photos, we are going on Celebration next month so they were good to see. I agree it doesn't look very Platinum but it looks good enough for me, now that it's only 4 weeks away.

By the way, in the photos it looked like there were British style 3 pin plugs, is that correct? And was the hairdryer very powerful ( for other half)?

Cheers,

Jim

We are on the Celebration, leaving Tenerife on 7th February. We are trying to arrange a private tour to Taroudant when we arrive in Agadir; would anyone like to share the tour with us? We're a couple in our fifties and have found sharing a private tour is far better than doing the ship's trip.

Cheers,

Jim

I've been to Agadir , welcoming people and great city , i visited Agadir and Taroudant and i thnk being to agadir without visiting Taroudant is a waste of time .

Alex,

We go to Agadir in February. Would you mind telling me who you booked your tour through?

Jim