sodafountain

Thomson have had no option other than to change this cruise in the light of events there, the T&C which refer to changes due to 'riot, civil unrest, terrorism' (or something to that effect) plus Foreign Office advice to not travel to the Ukraine to say nothing of your personal insurance no doubt being invalid if you were to travel to such an area.

 

The change is not the issue - but the communication from Thomson to their customers and reasonable offers of options for them to consider as a result of the changes is. They have had plenty of time now to inform people of the changes and implications - especially as for some the balance is due. An admin failure of respectful response to their customers! Not good enough! :(

As per my post above, the Package Travel Regulations state that any change must be notified to the customer ASAP, which they have not done, so it is still covered under this act.

Unfortunately changing one port is not classed as a significant change. All this is in the T&C's. The way they've handled it is terrible but nothing new for them. We were on the Best of Black Sea cruise in Oct visiting 3 Crimean ports. We decided today to bite the bullet and pay the admin fee to transfer our cruise, as those 3 ports plus Istanbul where the only ones we were interested in. I would rather change now while there is still a good choice of Thomson holidays to choose from. We transferred to the 14 night Aegean Delight/Adriatic Explorer on Thomson Majesty, it departs only a few days later than we were originally.

Thomson may not class it as a significant change, and it may be in their T&C's, but that does not make it right, there are laws to protect you, otherwise they could get away with anything by just saying it is in the T&C's, read my previous post:

Although Thomson will tell you that they are allowed to change things, as it is in their T&C's, remember you are protected by the Package Travel Regulations:

 

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/package-travel-regulations

 

Changes to a booked holiday

Regulations 12 and 13 of the Package Travel Regulations are concerned with pre-departure cancellation or alteration by the organiser:

 

If there are alterations to your package holiday or to departure times or location, the travel organiser must notify the consumer as quickly as possible in order to enable him to take appropriate decisions and in particular to withdraw from the contract without penalty or to accept the alterations.

 

The customer is then required to respond to the notification of the alteration.

 

You then have the option of withdrawing from the contract without penalty or accept a variation.

 

 

 

A cruise is classed as a package, according to this:

 

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/glos/bus1item.cgi?file=*BADV015-1111.txt

 

What is a package holiday?

The Regulations define a 'package' as follows:

 

the holiday must cover a period of at least 24 hours or involve overnight accommodation

the holiday must consist of a combination of at least two of the following components:

- transport (for example, flights, trains, coaches and ferries - free transfers from the airport to a hotel would not be included)

- accommodation (this should be significant - it would include a berth on a cruise ship but not on a cross-channel ferry)

- other tourist services that form a significant proportion of the package (for example, car hire)

the holiday must be sold at an inclusive price

This definition may include holidays that the average member of the public would not think of as a 'package'. For example, many people would think of a package holiday as involving a trip of a few days or more abroad, but a British holiday could also count, as long as the above conditions are fulfilled. A cruise would also come under the Regulations.

Lets put it another way, large companies will always say they are not liable, until you tell them otherwise.

I bought a TV from Argos, it failed after 16 months, out of warranty, phoned them up, and thats what they said, tough, it is out of warranty. I then quotd the sale of goods act to them, stating that anything they sell should be fit for purpose, and if it failed due to a manufacturing fault, it was their responsibility, upto 5 or 6 years, as soon as i quotd this, their stnace changed, and after doing a few things mentioned in the sale of good act, i got a full refund.

So remember, they will tell you one thing, just make sure you know the laws and acts there to protect you, quote them, and they do change their stance, they just wait to see if you know what you are entitled to.

Thanks for input. It now transpires that we have to go back to the shop where we actually booked the excursions. Two points: 1- this was back in October of last year!! After a lot of head scratching we remembered calling the local shop because we couldn't get through to Canterbury where we booked the cruise. The local shop was very helpful and when we said we would book the excursions on line they insisted on 'helping' us by taking the booking over the phone. 2- Surely wherever the booking was made, there must be a centralised record? How come Thomson couldn't find any trace of our booking, even though the crew on Dream knew all about it when we boarded?

 

Even now although they were perfectly able to take the booking and payment over the phone, we have to present ourselves in person at the shop to claim our refund.

 

STILL DISGRUNTLED!!

I would send a letter of complaint to the CEO, as they cancelled the trip, due to not going there, they should have automatically refunded you, not sent you through hoops, and keep moving the goalposts.

http://www.ceoemail.com/s.php?id=9741

david.burling@thomson.co.uk

Although Thomson will tell you that they are allowed to change things, as it is in their T&C's, remember you are protected by the Package Travel Regulations:

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/package-travel-regulations

Changes to a booked holiday

Regulations 12 and 13 of the Package Travel Regulations are concerned with pre-departure cancellation or alteration by the organiser:

If there are alterations to your package holiday or to departure times or location, the travel organiser must notify the consumer as quickly as possible in order to enable him to take appropriate decisions and in particular to withdraw from the contract without penalty or to accept the alterations.

The customer is then required to respond to the notification of the alteration.

You then have the option of withdrawing from the contract without penalty or accept a variation.

A cruise is classed as a package, according to this:

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/glos/bus1item.cgi?file=*BADV015-1111.txt

What is a package holiday?

The Regulations define a 'package' as follows:

the holiday must cover a period of at least 24 hours or involve overnight accommodation

the holiday must consist of a combination of at least two of the following components:

- transport (for example, flights, trains, coaches and ferries - free transfers from the airport to a hotel would not be included)

- accommodation (this should be significant - it would include a berth on a cruise ship but not on a cross-channel ferry)

- other tourist services that form a significant proportion of the package (for example, car hire)

the holiday must be sold at an inclusive price

This definition may include holidays that the average member of the public would not think of as a 'package'. For example, many people would think of a package holiday as involving a trip of a few days or more abroad, but a British holiday could also count, as long as the above conditions are fulfilled. A cruise would also come under the Regulations.

that worries me. I consider the Majesty the only Thomson ship with reasonable single cabins. If they changed ships on me not only would I be 'slightly peeved' but it would spoil the holiday as well :mad:

 

Maybe i will just book with another line where all the ships are high quality modern hardware.

Thomson may say it is covered under their T&C's, but does not necessarily mean you have to accept it.

According to the Package Travel Regulations, if there are any changes, you are entitled to withdraw from the contract without penalty:

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/package-travel-regulations

Changes to a booked holiday

Regulations 12 and 13 of the Package Travel Regulations are concerned with pre-departure cancellation or alteration by the organiser:

If there are alterations to your package holiday or to departure times or location, the travel organiser must notify the consumer as quickly as possible in order to enable him to take appropriate decisions and in particular to withdraw from the contract without penalty or to accept the alterations.

The customer is then required to respond to the notification of the alteration.

You then have the option of withdrawing from the contract without penalty or accept a variation.

That is presuming a cruise can be classed as a package holiday(which according to this, as they are supplying transport & accommodation, i would say it is):

Is your holiday protected?

In relation to any claim, it's essential to establish whether your package holiday falls within the meaning of the Package Travel Regulations.

If your holiday contract falls within the definition, you'll benefit from the additional terms implied in the contract by the Regulations.

Regulation 2(1) of the Package Travel Regulations provides that a package means the pre-arranged combination of at least two of the following components:

•transport

•accommodation

•other tourist services not ancillary to transport or accommodation and accounting for a significant proportion of the package

The definition includes a wide range of travel arrangements. Clearly traditional package holidays described in brochures are covered, but it would also include tailor-made holidays where you have selected separate components.

We're doing the Best of the Black Sea on Celebration this October. Already doing over night in Istanbul plus Odessa, Yalta & Sevastapol. If we don't go to the last three, then the cruise for us is pointless. So will either require a full refund or Thomsons allow us to switch to a different holiday.

You can't really hold Thomson accountable for war, demanding a refund because they decide it is not safe to go somewhere, i feel, is a bit disrespectful.

Very interesting and even more interesting will be the target market and USP!

Indeed, maybe everyone should write to RB with what they liked about Thomson, and where they have gone wrong in recent times, then again, they might be targeting a totally different market.

Richard Branson considering setting up a cruise company

http://news.sky.com/story/1218963/bransons-virgin-to-pilot-new-cruises-venture

Alcohol purchased on board will be held and delivered to your room the last night.

Is this an accurate statement for what is happening now?

I know it happened briefly last year, as a test, but i thought they stopped it?

I'm wanting it confirmed that ALL debit cards are fee free when booking

As the law states that payment surcharges are representative of the actual processing cost involved, and they do not charge more than this, and the fact that the cost of them taking payment by Debit Card from their card processor is usually pence (average 20p for processing a debit card, whereas a credit card is usually a percentage), i cannot see them being able to charge the standard 2.5% for a debit card.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-card-charges-begins

We do that all the time, we get 25KG each, so 50KG in total, and just spread it out through 3 cases.

Think about it, if you have 20KG as standard, and ask for an extra 5KG, so 25KG in total, but they so no case can be more than 23KG, how can you do it without spreading it across 2 cases anyway?

See here - http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/simply/terms/baggage-allowance.html

No single item of baggage may exceed 23kg. Customers who have pre-paid for an additonal check-in allowance which places them over the 23kg limit must check in an additional bag.

Baggage allowances can be pooled across a party.

Hmmm- you don't seem to be able to get a 3/4 day stay before the cruise, only a 7 day one.

 

When you click on the cruise and stay option in the search panel, another box opens up to tick if you want stay before cruise.

 

There are plenty of flights from the uk, and the cruise only prices are quite good, especially when they have run out of flight availability!

 

kate

I already said that :confused:

If you want to spend 7 days in Majorca, you can have a Stay & Cruise, but these are 7 days if you want the stay before the cruise, the 3/4 day stays are only offered after the cruise, along with 7 days.

 

Remember, if you book your own flights, if they are delayed for any reason, the ship will not wait for you, as it's such an early flight, even a 12 hour delay and you would still make it, but just something to remember.

Love my veg too. Love carvery meals for the veg choice. I am sure we wil have plenty of good food.

That would do me, if they turned one of the eateries into a carvery, 4 choices of meat and help yourself to veg etc., ie. slighly better choice than you often get in the self service at the moment.

If you want to spend 7 days in Majorca, you can have a Stay & Cruise, but these are 7 days if you want the stay before the cruise, the 3/4 day stays are only offered after the cruise, along with 7 days.

Remember, if you book your own flights, if they are delayed for any reason, the ship will not wait for you, as it's such an early flight, even a 12 hour delay and you would still make it, but just something to remember.

Surely they all do, don't know?

I have never taken out any special insurance for a holiday, or a cruise, or a cruise and stay, as far as i was aware, a holiday is a holiday.

You only generally need special insurance for things like skiing, or adrenalin type holidays.

If you want to make a proper comlaint, send an e-mail to david.burling@thomson.co.uk

When i did this, i had a call back (althoguh 7 days later) from the executive office, and had a good hour chat to someone to air my problems, and was very good.

Also, if you have the cruise brochure (you can probably still download it), it clearlys states the MAnchester flight home for the 27 day cruise is 14.10, so you can point out that you are unhappy at being almost accused of lying, as there is no way you could have been told that is the flight home, although it was clearly printing in their brochure, and maybe staff need a little more training.

Don't know what I would do without Cruise Critic - everyone is so kind and helpful. Thank you Campolady , we love Majorca and have not been

To Camp de Mar before just thought it looked nice. We also like the look of Hotels a Protur Alicia and Hotel Levante at Cala Bona or Hotel a Platja d'or at Alcudia. Keep going over and over them , driving poor DH mad - so please if anyone can help , perhaps been on a cruise and stay - would be very grateful.

(Ps thank you barnowl1950 I don't know how I missed it did it so many times and just couldn't see It)

I would stay away from Platja d'or, more like a retirement home than a hotel, IMO, with entertainment (if you can call it thaat) held in an outbuilding next to the main hotel, with no bar.

Also, Alcudia, as nice and falt as it is, is a good 60/75 minute transfer both ways.

Hi Jim

 

Sorry, but as you can imagine I was rather ------ off (use your own word). We don't normally book so far in advance but when we have there has never been any problems. After 25 years of cruising with them this is the first hiccup apart from a rather disastrous cruise on the Celebration last year.

 

I am in contact with our "friends at T" at the moment and things are not going very well so far. I will say no more as the situation is ongoing.

 

As we have been booking with CD over the last few years and our tickets come direct by email between 5/6 weeks before. Still a bit late to get the best hotel deals and, in this case, train fares to Manchester. The tickets for going down actually came on sale on Sunday and I got them at a favourable price. I have to wait another 4 weeks to get the best deal for the return tickets, although I was able to secure the same hotel. It's more annoying that we have the added expense of hotel/evening meal/breakfast than anything else but it will sort itself out.:)

I'm sure any holiday i have booked with Thomson, First Choice, Thomas Cook, or anyone else, the flights have always been sold as advisory, and that times can change, and flights times are not actually confirmed until a month or so before the actual flight, is that not the case?

In fact, if i login now to my next holiday, it states to check closer to the holiday date for confirmed flights times (even though i have flight times from date of booking), so nothing is guaranteed, and as far as i was aware, never was.

This is waht it says in the A-Z in the brochure:

Flight Times

Actual flight times are on your tickets. They are local times based on the 24–hour system.

We can’t guarantee the flight times in our brochure, on our website or on your booking

confirmation won’t change, so please always check your tickets.

This is the section that talks about major changes, and if compensation is payable by them:

Major Changes To Your Holiday

Occasionally, we have to make major changes to the flight or accommodation making up your holiday with us.

Major changes to your holiday for which we will pay compensation unless the change is for reasons beyond our

control (see `Important Note - Events Beyond Our Control’), using the scale shown, may include the following

changes: a significant change of destination, a change in accommodation to that of a lower category, a change in

the time of your departure or return flight by more than 12 hours, a change of UK departure airport (excluding

changes between London airports, London, Ebbsfleet and Ashford stations and between Dover/Folkestone ports).

Then there is this one (although it does saay they should advise you, that's the section that says that flights are for guidance only):

4. If We Change Your Booking Details

We hope that we will not have to make any change to your holiday but, because our holidays are planned many

months in advance, we sometimes do need to make changes. We reserve the right to do this at any time. We will

let you or your travel agent know about any important changes when you book. If you have already booked, we will

let you know as soon as we can, if there is time before your departure. Flight timings shown by us are for guidance

only and may change.

I agree wit the comments on here. I've just been reading some of the Christmas reviews on both the Celebration and the Dream and they do not read well. I do take notice of review websites but normally take the view that you cannot satisfy everyone's wishes. So for every 8 good reviews I will accept 2 bad reviews. If you check out the reviews on here and I have to say on the facebook site it looks like Thomson have lost the plot! We travel on 9th February on the Dream and hope that things have improved. Its worrying that most of the poor reviews are from Thomson regulars!

For everything we are told (we care about return passengers was the line), they don't really care, after all, where is the loyalty scheme??

At the end of the day, they are trying to save money, cut corners, and while their ships sell out, whether return or new passengers, they won't feel the need to change anything, not until they seen a decline in bookings.

Of course, re-reading the announcement, it doesn't actually say they are closing Cruise Deals (that i could see), just closing the call centre in Swansea, so in theory, they could still carry on with the website, after all, why not, if they get business through it?

Post can be re-directed from anywhere these days, so just because it shows the Swansea address on the website, doesn't mean the post ends up there (plus they still have payroll staff in the building).

We're on the Celebration next year in October doing the Black Sea, this will be our first Thomson cruise. We got the AI for £69pp for the 14 nights, I just want to make sure how it works. Looking at the menu posted in the link above, I'd only pay extra for the drinks which have a smaller price with the asterix next to it also listed. Also, how come some drinks of the same price, you have to pay the extra on????

Yes, that is correct, anything with a seprate price, with the asterisk, is the price you pay when on the AI (or DP as they now call it).

As for why some drinks are free, and others have a supplement, even though they have the same base price, because it makes them more money, about the only reason i can think of. It never used to be that bad (on my first cruise, some spirits were 10p extra, not like that anymore), and it seems anything with Cranberry costs more, so Cranberry must be a very expensive drink :eek:

All done, thank you. Phoned the number and they answered as Tui, then said they would put me through to Thomson when I gave the reference number.

 

So, all paid, and now counting down the days :D

So, i put the number up 5 hours earlier, and get totally ignored, sounds about right :rolleyes:

Here is a thread containing a price list i uploaded recently for the Majesty, so should be about the same for the Dream.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1937155

Unfortunately didn't work for me either!

I want to pay my balance and really object to the premium rate phone numbers :mad:

0844 871 0879 is not actually a premium rate number (as it's only 5p per minute, not 75p, which is what i would class as a Premium Rate number).

As most people probably have normal numbers for free either with thier home calling plan, or from a mobile (which doesn't include 0844 numbers), thus the reason they don't like 0844 numbers, try:

024 7628 2228

020 7106 0373

020 8603 9910

I can understand them restricting it if there are 4 people in one cabin, but if there are 2 separate cabins on a booking then they are being a bit anal about it.

 

If this is the case Jull8, I would take it further, speak to a supervisor you might be able to talk some sense into them.... if that doesn't work then take it higher.

Don't understand why you think "taking it higher" will sort it out, it has ALWAYS been like this. Just because someone doesn't like the way something is done, taling it higher doesn't get it sorted if that is the way things are done, and for a reason.

Here's the quote from last years brochure when it was called All Inclusive:

discount on the price. Every person on the booking must be included