Very worried dreamer

[stevedeccaman]

sent this today to Thomsom after their reply and seeing still bad comments

Stevie

 

Good afternoon ,we sail on the Dream on 29-06 your response to my concerns about this vessel on 6-06 are below

Please see below comments today on cruise crtitic recent reviews

we are getting very worried at this stage and have saved money as it is our 25th Anniversary

we know you do get whingers but have never seen so many bad reports for Thomsom Cruises not good PR at the moment ?

Your response would be apppreciated.can we change ?

 

Sent: Sunday, June 06, 2010 10:24 AM

Subject: RE: THOMSOM DREAM

Good Morning Mr Livesey

Thank you for your email regarding your forthcoming cruise. We can confirm the Thomson Dream has experienced some plumbing issues on board in some areas which have affected a small number of passengers which is where the reviews you have seen are generated from. However the reviews on these forums have been over exaggerating the nature of the problems on board.

We have received a new update today and we can confirm that the technical fault on board which was causing the unpleasant smell in some areas has been corrected and the smell has is no longer affecting passengers. With regards to the plumbing issues in some cabins these are being repaired by our dedicated plumbing maintenance team and these particular cabins will not be occupied by our customers.

The Thomson dream will carry the Thomson quality stamp just as all our other ships in the Thomson fleet and we can reassure our customers that these issues have been largely resolved.

May I take this opportunity to thank you for booking with Thomson Cruises and If you have any further queries or need any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us on 0871 231 4908 to speak to one of our cruise specialists who will be happy to help.

 

Dreaming of a better cruiseJust returned from 1 week on the Thomson Dream Med Explorer. Very disappointed. I realise that it is early days but this ship is not up to usual Thomson standard at all. Dreadful smells and leakages everywhere, staff and crew not showing usual cheerfulness. Excitement of returning to your cabin to see if you have a working toilet and functioning water supply.

This ship will surely damage Thomson's hitherto good reputation. Why not admit the problems and bring forward the refit which is scheduled for November this year. Any compensation paid to customers who need to have their cruises rescheduled would surely be worthwhile as a damage limitation exercise.

Many cruisers who had booked through Thomsons shops had been told that the Dream was a new ship, this was patently not true and the position should have been made clear to them.

Poor Captain Roy who so loved the Celebration must be tearing his hair out at this shambles.

On a point of design I disliked the Orion Restaurant with its oppressive sludge brown decor and no windows, just portholes which were too high to see out of. What poor design. Where was the joy of dining whilst looking out at the ocean?

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Publication Date: 06/10/10

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Bear following words in mind when I tell you about our experience of the Thomson Dream cruise ship and our “deluxe” cabin on deck 9…

“Welcome To My World”, - the Thomson television advertisement, featuring the dulcet tones of Jim Reeves.

“Thomson Dream. It’s our biggest and most luxurious ship yet” “But it’s got a few surprises in store, too” “the kind of trimmings you’d expect from a top-drawer hotel” “pale wood furniture” “bold feature walls” - extracts from the Thomson web page describing the Thomson Dream.

If your “World” features the overwhelming, nauseating smell of raw sewerage, all pervasive, clinging and nostril blocking. If, in your “World” your idea of a “top-drawer” room is something akin to a tatty, low budget motel from the 1980s, featuring your “deluxe” toilet swimming to the brim with raw, floating poop (despite having a paper band around the lid saying it has been sanitised for your convenience), your cabin bathroom carpet stained with only goodness knows what and fluffy around the edges with previous occupants, ahem, personal hair. An old stained uncovered duvet, slung casually in one corner of the shabby orange sofa-bed that your teenager is supposed to sleep on for the next 7 nights. Used coffee mugs, crumbs and old receipts left on the dark, dark old fashioned furniture and stains on the cabin walls from ceiling to floor where leaks and spillages have left their marks. This was the "deluxe" cabin we were proudly shown to on arrival on the Thomson Dream. If, in your “World” your ideal cruise is 7 nights on a ship with all the style of an aged, commercial North-sea ferry, its corridors ceiling panels selectively removed to allow buckets to collect the drips and dehumidifiers roaring away on the carpets. Facilities complete with motorway service station style cafeteria with long queues and food served on institution style melamine “plates” in the “Andromeda” restaurant and actual crockery in the “Orion” restaurant - except that it is so scratched and worn from eons of use and dish-washing, that it may as well have come from some old staff canteen. If this is your “World” then this is the cruise ship for you and I recommend it to you heartily.

The source of the filthy miasma which permeates the whole ship, (a health hazard?) we were told by a member of staff at reception, is due to a fault on the sewerage holding tanks, which will not be quickly repaired as the parts required are not readily available due to the age of the ship, which dates from the mid 1980s - hence the decor and general worn appearance.

We lasted approximately 4 hours on this barge, choking back the nausea caused by the smell. We managed to get off at Palma before it sailed forth in a buzzing haze. Our cruise ruined, our teenager in tears, our special anniversary and birthday at sea would not be celebrated how we imagined, our lovely clothes unworn, our fantasies of visiting Pompeii, Toulon, Barcelona unrealised. We were not the only ones who got off this ship before embarkation. We found our luggage ourselves - still on the quayside after many hours (which was another source of complaint from passengers who wanted to get off and see some sights in Palma, but couldn't as they waited for their luggage to be delivered to their cabins). The ship’s crew seem absolutely fed-up to the back teeth trying to fend off the same complaints week after week from disappointed and angry passengers. In the short time we were on Thomson Dream we heard misery after misery and tales that would make your toes curl, but others’ experiences are their own and not for us to disclose. Our only rating is for the long-suffering reception crew who not only have to live with stink from the sewerage but also the stink from the passengers. Mutiny seems over-due. “Welcome To My World” built with YOU in mind? Thanks Thomson!

 

Publication Date: 06/10/10

[Value_Seeker]

Hi

 

Which e-mail address did you use, please? I don't seem to be able to get a reply.

 

Thanks

[jojo67]

Steve,

 

I too have just emailed them a copy of Flopsys review, I requested a read receipt & have just had confirmation that it has been read, so will see how long it takes to reply. I did mention that as I had spent almost £10,000 I did not 'just' want to receive a bog (excuse the pun :D) standard reply! However, I am not holding my breath. I will let you know if I hear anything.

[davecttr]

Where was the last of the extracts published? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

[davecttr]

Where was the last of the extracts published? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

Just found it. A review of a May cruise so i hope things are better now.

 

I find the excuse about a lack of spares puzzling as once on Celebration I had a chat with a crew member who was dissecting and replacing a plumbing installation and he told me as the ship was so old they had to make the spares themselves. This was not a problem as they had the workshop and the skill to do it.

[stevedeccaman]

sent another today with read receipt they have read it but not replied

but it it is Friday however they are usualy on the ball

i am notcomplainer as usual but there have been too many bad reports on this one

 

Pehaps suck it and SEA ?

 

contactus@thomson-cruises.com

 

 

stevie

 

ps if anyone wants an AI all inclusive try Barut Lara Beach Turkey best Hotel in 35 yrs i have ever been to

[Davebhoy]

Steve, Hopefully you'll have seen the feedback from this weeks cruisers ? Does seem like Thomson might have it sorted after all- the bad reviews were prior to the "1st June" fix...

[Flopsy]

Steve,

 

I too have just emailed them a copy of Flopsys review, I requested a read receipt & have just had confirmation that it has been read, so will see how long it takes to reply. I did mention that as I had spent almost £10,000 I did not 'just' want to receive a bog (excuse the pun :D) standard reply! However, I am not holding my breath. I will let you know if I hear anything.

 

 

Flopsy here.

 

I haven't been on the Dream!

 

You mean Floppy159's review!

 

Do not confuse us- I am the short fat one lol.

 

Flopsy

[jojo67]

Flopsy here.

 

I haven't been on the Dream!

 

You mean Floppy159's review!

 

Do not confuse us- I am the short fat one lol.

 

Flopsy

 

Sorry! No offence meant! Knew I'd read the name somewhere :D