Thomson 2011/2012 Online Now

[sodafountain]

Destiny doing Canaries over next Christmas.

Celebration doing Red Sea.

Island Escape going out of Limassol

 

Free AI over Christmas (23rd-30th December) on the Destiny.

[sodafountain]

Also only £98 on Celebration and Island Escape for AI.

 

No sign of Thomson Spirit cruises online though.

[davecttr]

Also only £98 on Celebration and Island Escape for AI.

 

No sign of Thomson Spirit cruises online though.

 

Spirit takes over from Escape in April 2012 so it appears she is doing her normal winter mothball.

 

Where is all the innovation the Thomson MD was talking about? Escape is a better ship for the eastern med where it can be chilly but for me you can only have so much of Egypt. I suppose Destiny's buffet will be stressed by the Canaries weather as normal. They really should spend a couple of million on her and rebuild the Lido. While they are at it they should refurb the cabins and get rid of those shelves above one bed.

[smiffy1951]

On Celebration October 2011 Egypt and Holy Land - AI is £189 each.:eek:

[Jim The Scot]

It appears that the Dream have reduced their drinks package price....Doing a quick scan its £98 per party(7 nights) June/July and August.If my memory serves me right it was more expensive than that this year

 

If it is indeed reduced I hope it doesn`t mean a reduction in drinks available on the AI list

[smiffy1951]

I would think this is more of an incentive to get people to book early rather than being a permanent price. We only paid £98 each for 2 weeks on the Destiny for March next year. Now it's £378 each :eek:

[Jim The Scot]

I would think this is more of an incentive to get people to book early rather than being a permanent price.

 

It is but bookings for next year on the Dream have been available for months.I booked my cruise for 2011 at the beginning of this year and was fortunate to get AI..Within a day of booking AI was no longer available and the drinks package price was £100+ then.The last time I checked about a month ago it was still £100+..£198 seems to ring a bell .It is now down to £98 per party.A bit unfair of folk that have booked early and paid the full whack

 

The drop in price may be down to poor booking numbers

[grannymags]

Hi there

 

I'm interested in the Canaries cruise for New Year on the Destiny for 2011. We sailed on both the Spirit and Celebration before, has does the Destiny compare?

 

Thinking about inside cabin on Deck 4, what are the cabins like by comparison also to inside deck 4 on Spirit/celebration?

 

Many thanks

[kruzseeka]

Hi there

 

I'm interested in the Canaries cruise for New Year on the Destiny for 2011. We sailed on both the Spirit and Celebration before, has does the Destiny compare?

 

Thinking about inside cabin on Deck 4, what are the cabins like by comparison also to inside deck 4 on Spirit/celebration?

 

Many thanks

 

I would decribe the Destiny cabins as having a more 'utility' feel than C&S with rather less storage - in particular very little drawer space and narrower wardrobe hanging. The showers are very compact but on the plus side, the walls are panelled so look rather better than the mosaic tiles.

 

We are used to the inside on deck 4 on both ships and would definitely say C&S are better and more spacious - but we coped perfectly well on Destiny and did return for another cruise - so we weren't put off to the extent that we wouldn't consider her again.

 

For us, it's the itinerary which is the 'clincher'. The 'Thomson product' is much the same on all the ships but there are a couple of points w.r.t. the Destiny which are different: it's set dining - two sittings at the same table each night and the Lido restaurant is at the stern and only enclosed by some awning style tarpaulin sheets which don't totally eliminate the draughts. We found it fine for lunches etc but didn't like it for dinner.

 

That wasn't a problem to us as we prefer to take out evening meal in the main dining room - but for those who prefer the Lido restaurant on C&S for dinner, then the Destiny isn't up to the same standard imo. (It was great in the Caribbean though where the really warm evenings suited this arrangement better - in fact the tarpaulin sheeting was taken down altogether at the back making it totally open to the stern and it was super - balmy evenings sitting looking over the Caribbean sea - fab! In the Canaries and Med though it felt a bit too draughty for me but of course it's personal choice and will depend on what you prefer.)

 

There is however a bigger pool deck and more space around it and the Oklahoma Lounge is big and airy and and I think a better space than High Spirits/Liberties. Swings and roundabouts!

 

It's worth weighing up the differences and if you feel they are things you can go with then there are some good deals on the Destiny which makes it worth considering.

 

Hope this helps. Good luck with your planning - and have a good one if you decide to book. :)

[grannymags]

Hi Kruzseeka

 

That's really helpful. We might have opted for the Red Sea magic on Celebration but we're already booked for next May for Egypt and the Holy land and Ancient Wonders so it's quite similar.

Had a really good price today on the internet so might just book the Destiny as the itinerary seems good and it's free all inclusive. Have you done this cruise before?

 

We always eat in the main dining room on an evenings and sometimes at lunchtime.

Has anyone been on a cruise for new year, I would imagine it would be really good.

[kruzseeka]

Hi Kruzseeka

 

That's really helpful. We might have opted for the Red Sea magic on Celebration but we're already booked for next May for Egypt and the Holy land and Ancient Wonders so it's quite similar.

Had a really good price today on the internet so might just book the Destiny as the itinerary seems good and it's free all inclusive. Have you done this cruise before?

 

We always eat in the main dining room on an evenings and sometimes at lunchtime.

Has anyone been on a cruise for new year, I would imagine it would be really good.

 

 

Yes, we have done the Colourful Coasts then we did a Destiny relocation from the Canaries to the Med which included a lot of the same ports again.

 

We really enjoyed it - I would recommend an excursion at Lanzarote - Arrecife is disappointing and not representative of this rather unusual island which is stunning in an unexpected way! Top recommendation would be - get a taxi from the port to the Manrique Fundacion (only a few miles away) which is absolutely amazing or the Timanfaya Mountain trip. The Jameos del Agua caves are alos quite a sight so plenty to see there. But please don't stay in Arrecife - you will disappointed in comparison to the Manrique influenced places you can see on the island.

 

Madeira is a gem - and over New Year you'll be in for a treat - the lights there are famous. You can easily do your own thing there. You can walk from the port along the flat, attractive waterfront to the cable car, go up, see Monte (there are some Botanical Gardens there too) and come down in the toboggans! (Or cable car!) We also did the West of the Island excursion on one occasion and really enjoyed it.

 

Morocco, I'd recommend the half day Taroudant trip which will give you a flavour of Morocco without the very long journey to Marakkesh.

 

Santa Cruz La Palma is small but pretty with a nice feel. You can walk off here and you're right in the town but it won't take too long to explore it all. It's a relaxing and pleasant stop. We've never done a trip here - if you want something more than a leisurely stroll, drink and a couple of hours off the ship you might need to consider going further afield. We liked it as a more relaxing port of call.

 

Gran Canaria I found a bit underwhelming but to be fair we might not have seen the best bits and we didn't do a trip so there may be something else to see. There is however quite a nice sweep of beach on the opposite side of the promontary to the port so easy walking distance - and of course the shops are close to the berth too.

 

So all in all, a varied and enjoyable trip. (We're off on Celebration in April - we will just miss each other!)

[grannymags]

That sounds really good. Can you remember which cabin you had? I might go for deck 4 inside 4050 or another in that block.

 

Hoping to get booked up before Xmas as not sure how long free all inclusive will be on for

[kruzseeka]

That sounds really good. Can you remember which cabin you had? I might go for deck 4 inside 4050 or another in that block.

 

Hoping to get booked up before Xmas as not sure how long free all inclusive will be on for

 

Actually now I look carefully at the deck plans we were on deck 3 on Destiny and although I can't remembert the actual cabin it must have been in the vicinity of 3116. We try to go lowish down and mid-ships as I'm not too good a sailor! One thought, you will see the 2 middle cabins in these runs of six are convertible to 4-berth. We usually travel out of school holidays but I do remember having a family next door and the sound insulation isn't brill!

 

The area you have mentioned looks ok to me - no lifts, service area or laundry next door so should be a quiet spot.

 

Hope you secure what you want. :)

[capasamari]

Hi there grannymags, we have just returned from Destiny over the New Year in the Caribbean. We had such a great time that we have just booked on her again for next New Year in the Canaries, with free A.I. On New Year's Eve we had a great deck party with the Captain and the entertainment team on deck, free champagne, the galley crew dancing and banging their pots and pans and a fantastic atmosphere.

 

This was our third cruise on Destiny, we had an outside cabin on deck 3. The cabins are smaller than Celebration but once you unpack and put everything away it's fine. The sheets and towels are clean, plenty of hot water, good shower and great stewards.

 

We prefer the fixed dining on Destiny and were on second sitting. We came back from our day ashore and had a nap before dinner so we could last the evening and found this tied in well with the show, cabaret and dancing. We were on a table for six with two other couples and all got on really well.

 

We had breakfast in the Seven Seas restaurant which is open seating and a good chance to meet and talk to other passengers. It's more civilised than the Lido and you can opt for waiter service or help yourself from the buffet.

 

Have you booked?

 

Carol x

[grannymags]

Hi Carol

 

Thanks for that info, sounds great. Yes we've booked and got free all inclusive. We fly out on 30th December and we're really looking forward to it. We've booked an inside cabin on deck 4.

 

Mags

x

[capasamari]

We fly out on 26th Dec and back on 2nd Jan. Our friends are flying out on 30th Dec from Birmingham. We're on deck 3, outside. I rang this week to book our cabin and the one I wanted had already gone! The girl said it's a very popular itinerary.

 

Carol x