Costa Europa / Thompson Dream accident

[Cymro1953]

G

I've looked for Costa Europa on the live tracking site sveral times (I think Berwyn's been looking too) and the latest entry was for 19/02/10 somewhere near Dubai I think - so that's not been up-dated for weeks.

 

I can apreciate how important it is for you all to be getting some information - you are hanging on not knowing whether you're going on holiday or not at the moment. Best of luck to you all - I hope things are already moving in terms of repair and that it gets sorted quickly -and that you get some information soon (hopefully positive news). :)

 

Hi Kruzseeka and all,

 

Yes I have been looking for her. The reason she doesn't show up on the Liveships tracking site is that the Red Sea and Sinai are not covered by the areas they scan. Dubai is and that's why she's still showing as there. She won't be picked up by the tracker until she is out in the Med. And even then it won't cover the very South part near the N. African coast.

 

Usually it's pretty good if ships are in range.

 

I mentioned in an earlier post it must be getting close to the cut off time before Thomson's have to admit there will be no April cruises.

I don't know how Perthorchid feels, but in one way I wish they'd tell us it's no go so we can sort an alternative out. Don't want to be told early to mid April and we end up with no holiday at all.

I am sat here with a pile of Thomson's brochures, (well 3 actually :D), that have hotel holidays in the same date period.

DW and I are stuck with the date and she can't move, so cruises either side are out of the question.

 

Berwyn

[perthorchid]

cymro,

i really want to go on THIS cruise. Reason being, its my first on my own since my husband richard died last november. We loved cruising and we loved the south of france, Nice in particular. So as its our anniversary while the cruise is on, i wanted to go to nice and visit the cours saleya . it will be just one day out (we're in florence on actual date, but weve been there too)

 

I know thomson have other cruises going around same date but mostly to red sea area. I would take it but its not what i planned.

 

I maybe being selfish as its not what the crew on europa planned either .

[Cymro1953]

cymro,

i really want to go on THIS cruise. Reason being, its my first on my own since my husband richard died last november. We loved cruising and we loved the south of france, Nice in particular. So as its our anniversary while the cruise is on, i wanted to go to nice and visit the cours saleya . it will be just one day out (we're in florence on actual date, but weve been there too)

 

I know thomson have other cruises going around same date but mostly to red sea area. I would take it but its not what i planned.

 

I maybe being selfish as its not what the crew on europa planned either .

 

Hi,

Yes it does sound selfish of us I suppose after the deaths of the 3 crew men.

I just want to get the uncertainty out of the way. It's just when I rang the helpline last week I knew more than the chap at the Thomson's end.

 

We want do do it as it calls in Rome and Villefranche. We've been to the others on the Island Escape.

I never thought about Nice though, I was concentrating on staying in Villefranche or Monte Carlo.

 

Ah wwell we'll see how it goes over the next week.

 

Berwyn

[perthorchid]

:)i've actually stayed in villefranche, we had an apartment at the old harbour , way along past the citidel. Villefranche is pretty but its just a wee place and you would find it difficult to fill a full day, on the other hand the train runs from there into nice or monaco. just a short hop. I'm planning to walk up the hill and take the bus into nice. It is nearer the waterfront and the flower market (cours saleya in the old town) The railway station is further into town, although there is a great tram system now, 1 euro i think. Monaco has the palace, and the cathedral where princess grace is buried and jaques cousteau aquarium and a great wee train which takes you around monaco and montecarlo.

 

I love nice best of all though. It is a big busy city which fronts onto the ocean like a seaside resort. the old town is fantastic for wandering in and the market the best place to sit with a demi-pichet of vin rose and watch the flower sellers and the passing people.

If you get a good table you can sit in the sunshine and let it seep into your bones relaxing you. That is my plan. Lunch at the cafe de fleur , with the rose wine and 25 years of memories of happy visits to this wonderful place.

[Cymro1953]

cymro,

i really want to go on THIS cruise. .

 

Hi,

If it all goes pear shaped all is not lost. If you can move the dates a few days, NCL has a cruise on Norwegian Jade called Mediterranean Treasures going on 25th April. Going from Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Livorno, Rome, Naples, Palma and back to Barcelona. And if you don't want to Do Niece D-I-Y, they have excursions calling there.

 

Berwyn

[Cymro1953]

Hi,

This is over on Cruise Critic News page,

 

Update, March 5, noon EST: David Selby, Head of Thomson Cruises, told Cruise Critic that the delivery date for Thomson Dream is still as scheduled. We'll let you know as soon as we learn more.

 

Berwyn

[Mack11]

Were going on it in September, but have friends due to go on it's first sailing, but that's fabulous news!!

[Cymro1953]

Were going on it in September, but have friends due to go on it's first sailing, but that's fabulous news!!

 

Hi Mack,

I'm phoning Thomson's this afternoon to see if I can get any concrete information out of them for us. I'll stick it on a new thread whatever I hear from them.

 

Berwyn

[Mack11]

Hi Mack,

I'm phoning Thomson's this afternoon to see if I can get any concrete information out of them for us. I'll stick it on a new thread whatever I hear from them.

 

Berwyn

Just seen your new post and i need surgery to get the grin off my face!! :D

[Cymro1953]

Just seen your new post and i need surgery to get the grin off my face!! :D

 

Don't count your chickens yet Mack. I'm not going to get too excited till at least the end of next week. I want to see her moving from Sharm first.

 

Berwyn

[G.M.T.]

In the last couple of hours the Europa / Dream's spped has dropped from 18 to 11 knots, looks like it has hit a storm with winds in the 80 kph range.

 

Ron

[Cymro1953]

In the last couple of hours the Europa / Dream's spped has dropped from 18 to 11 knots, looks like it has hit a storm with winds in the 80 kph range.

 

Ron

 

Hi Ron,

Yes I noticed earlier. Also she was in what looked like shipping lanes with a lot of ferry traffic. All the other ships in the area around her were doing similar speeds.

 

Berwyn

[prettyblue_eyes]

I was on that ship, and before the disastrous crash, which by the way, was not in rough seas, I had 2 bouts of food poison.

 

Many had similar issues. "Hot food", was usually "warm", what should have been "Cold", was cool, or even room temp.

 

The bathrooms are disgusting in the cabins. This ship would have to be completely refurbed to be acceptable, and I mean gutted.

 

Think long and hard fellow cruisers. We will never ever travel costa again. Reliability is measured upon how an emergency is handled.

 

We were lied to, we were trapped in the stairwell for more than 2 hours trying to get off, with 1400 people, all told to disembark on the same stairwell.

 

Idiots bringing luggage after being told not to, and then abandoning them on the stairs.

 

Being left a hotels with absolutely no communication from anyone of authority from Costa.

 

Being lied to again and again, and finally dumped in Rome with NO connecting flights.

 

The poor Swede's and Fin's told to find their own way home from there along with other "miscellaneous" travel nationalities.

 

Only Brits, Germans, Italians, and French (possibly Dutch), were sent home.

 

The rest were either dumped in Rome to find their own way home at their own expense, or put in a hotel and lied to daily of pending flights tomorrow to home. Well tomorrow only came, when our own arrangements on Mar 4 kicked in, only to be flown back to Genoa, and have to pay for our luggage to accompany us at a whopping 200 euro's per bag.

 

This is only the tip of the iceburg so you all think long and hard.

[vwgolf]

Sounds like you had a rough time, pretty blue eyes, although most of the other comments I've read regarding the incident don't match your experiences. Let's just hope that Thomson's sort out the issues with the "hot" food and bathrooms before I sail in August!

[davecttr]

I am not concerned about the Dream and prettyblue eyes comments because the ship will be run by Thomsons and not Costa!. Thomson are hot on safety, you will not be able to avoid the boat drill etc etc. As for the bathrooms, Thomson cruisers are used to older 'tired' facilities and as long as they are well maintained and kept clean no problem.

 

It is good that Thomsons will be doing a refit in autumn after the experiences and lessons of the summer season are absorbed.

 

ps anybody else still got a avocado bathroom suite? :D:eek:

[kruzseeka]

I am not concerned about the Dream and prettyblue eyes comments because the ship will be run by Thomsons and not Costa!. Thomson are hot on safety, you will not be able to avoid the boat drill etc etc. As for the bathrooms, Thomson cruisers are used to older 'tired' facilities and as long as they are well maintained and kept clean no problem.

 

It is good that Thomsons will be doing a refit in autumn after the experiences and lessons of the summer season are absorbed.

 

ps anybody else still got a avocado bathroom suite? :D:eek:

 

I agree with you Dave. Any organisational deficiences experienced by prettyblue eyes - some of which specifically related to the situation after the accident - was the fault of Costa. Also, as regular Thomson travellers with Thomson will know, hygiene is taken extremely seriously so the poster's experience of food poisoning on Costa is irrelevant (although I'm sorry that the poster was ill). It only becomes an issue for us if those problems are apparent on the Dream.

 

The condition of the ship and bathrooms may be one to note - but if they are kept spotlessly clean (a feature of Thomson's housekeeping) and they are comfortable if somewhat dated, like avocado dave :D, I can live with that.

 

Provided the same Thomson 'product' is evident on Dream - fabulous crew (a proportion of Celebration waiters is reportedly transferring so I imagine the standards will be much the same), excellent entertainment, fair pricings (bar and excursions), good hygiene and great, friendly atmosphere on board then I'll be happy! Only wish I was booked to go on her sometime soon! :D

[Cymro1953]

Morning Kruzseeka and Dave.

Thomson's running her will be a completely different game to Costa.

And with staff transferring over it should go fairly smoothly at the beginning for us early cruisers. (Thanks for the info on that Kruzseeka)

And if Stephen Guy is as good as everyone says we will be fine on the entertainment side too.

 

The excursions are much more reasonable than the U.S. lines. We were due to do a similar itinerary to this on the Grand Princess in Sept. And for example the tour of Rome we want is £72 with Thomson's compared to £130 with Princess. :eek:

 

Berwyn

[jenny wren]

I agree with you all...having travelled with Costa and Thomson I know which line I prefer!!!!!

 

I am sure the chaotic situation described by prettyblueeyes would never had happened if Thomson had been in charge.....their organisational skills are second to none. They are also the only cruise line we've been on who are so vigorous with the antiseptic hand gel, on our recent cruise we were all sprayed with it each time we reentered our coach on our trip to Cairo !!

[davecttr]

I agree with you all...having travelled with Costa and Thomson I know which line I prefer!!!!!

 

I am sure the chaotic situation described by prettyblueeyes would never had happened if Thomson had been in charge.....their organisational skills are second to none. They are also the only cruise line we've been on who are so vigorous with the antiseptic hand gel, on our recent cruise we were all sprayed with it each time we reentered our coach on our trip to Cairo !!

 

On I slight sour note do these organisational skills extend to Thomsons head office? Some may say no.

 

On my trip to Cairo the local kids got hand gel as well, luckily there was plenty left for us.

[Cymro1953]

On I slight sour note do these organisational skills extend to Thomsons head office? Some may say no.

 

I'd agree there Dave. If H.O. knows anything they are not passing it on to the boys and girls manning the helpline. As the one I spoke to last week said "you are more informed than me". When I told her the ship was docked in Palermo.

 

 

Berwyn

[G.M.T.]

I'm sure Costa and Thompson are not saying anything publicly (so not letting anything out of the bag) until all claims (including insurance) have been assessed.

 

With regards to "prettyblue_eyes" message, this is a typical me me me cruiser, not one word of remorse about the crew members that died.

 

Ron

[jojo67]

Prettyblue Eyes, you obviously had a bad experience which has left a nasty taste but don't go scaremongering on this forum! In my experience Thomson guests are a loyal bunch who choose to sail with Thomson for their top quality friendly service, fab entertainment, good food & excellent staff, as opposed to huge modern glitzy ships with no soul! So as she will no longer be a Costa ship when we all sail, I don't think any of the issues you've raised will be an issue .

[jenny wren]

I personally have never had any dealings with Head Office so couldn't comment on that side of things ! I was meaning more the embarkation/disembarkation organisation....

[Cymro1953]

I personally have never had any dealings with Head Office so couldn't comment on that side of things ! I was meaning more the embarkation/disembarkation organisation....

 

Hi Jenny,

Yes the staff on the ground are excellent. Really organised in shifting us from plane to ship and back. And similar experiences too on hotel holidays with them in the past.

 

 

Berwyn