My Review of Crimean Discovery

[GM0NJl]

I will post this review in 2 or 3 section. Just to make it easy for myself.

 

Crimean Discovery

 

We flew out of Edinburgh on a Canadian Sunwing aircraft. Boarded from gate one, but no air bridge, steps to the ground level, then a bus to the plane.

The aircraft was good, we had booked our seats and they were allocated to us. The legroom on board was generous.

The one little niggle was we had to listen to the safety announcements twice, once in French and then in English.

There were no problems at Dalaman or on the bus to Marmaris. There was no queue at the port so getting to the ship was fast.

 

The ship

Our cabin 322 on deck 4 was nicely refurbished, but not a lot of change from the old style. The toilet and shower was a big change, a shower that worked, that you could move the head around and it stayed were you put it. Tiles and sink had all been renewed, just a pity that the toilet had not, it would have looked better without the cracked lid.

The only other area that stood out was the Lido restaurant and outside deck area. Both had been well done with the outside seating area the best refurbishment. New tables, chairs as well as soft bench style seating.

The rest of the interior spaces I did not think were all that great, a little bit better than before but not a great deal.

Staff

They were a great as they always have been, they are Thomsons biggest assets.

The service was good in most areas and bars. The main dining room service was good if you like us dined early.

We had no long delays in being served during the cruise. Peak periods were a bit different, but it looked as if this was just due to an area suddenly becoming busy.

There did seem to be a little less staff around, but the service was better than the time we were on last April.

Show team and other entertainment.

The show team were as good as ever, putting in a lot of effort in to the nightly shows. A lot better than some touring stage shows and TV shows that are on.

Gavin Carrol the cruise director (I used the full name as I don’t like CD or other abbreviation like MDR) seemed to be doing a good job of coordinating and directing the entertainment.

The Itinery

The ports of call for this cruise were Wednesday --- Nessebar

Thursday --- Sevastopol

Friday --- Constanta

Saturday --- Istanbul

Sunday ---- Cesme

All this changed, by according to the Captain a break down.

 

To be continued.....

[Julessmiles]

Thank you for this GMONJI - all sounds good. Looking forward to your port information. :)

[GM0NJl]

I will post this review in 2 or 3 section. Just to make it easy for myself.

 

Crimean Discovery

 

We flew out of Edinburgh on a Canadian Sunwing aircraft. Boarded from gate one, but no air bridge, steps to the ground level, then a bus to the plane.

The aircraft was good, we had booked our seats and they were allocated to us. The legroom on board was generous.

The one little niggle was we had to listen to the safety announcements twice, once in French and then in English.

There were no problems at Dalaman or on the bus to Marmaris. There was no queue at the port so getting to the ship was fast.

 

The ship

Our cabin 322 on deck 4 was nicely refurbished, but not a lot of change from the old style. The toilet and shower was a big change, a shower that worked, that you could move the head around and it stayed were you put it. Tiles and sink had all been renewed, just a pity that the toilet had not, it would have looked better without the cracked lid.

The only other area that stood out was the Lido restaurant and outside deck area. Both had been well done with the outside seating area the best refurbishment. New tables, chairs as well as soft bench style seating.

The rest of the interior spaces I did not think were all that great, a little bit better than before but not a great deal.

Staff

They were a great as they always have been, they are Thomsons biggest assets.

The service was good in most areas and bars. The main dining room service was good if you like us dined early.

We had no long delays in being served during the cruise. Peak periods were a bit different, but it looked as if this was just due to an area suddenly becoming busy.

There did seem to be a little less staff around, but the service was better than the time we were on last April.

Show team and other entertainment.

The show team were as good as ever, putting in a lot of effort in to the nightly shows. A lot better than some touring stage shows and TV shows that are on.

Gavin Carrol the cruise director (I used the full name as I don’t like CD or other abbreviation like MDR) seemed to be doing a good job of coordinating and directing the entertainment.

The Itinery

The ports of call for this cruise were Wednesday --- Nessebar

Thursday --- Sevastopol

Friday --- Constanta

Saturday --- Istanbul

Sunday ---- Cesme

All this changed, by according to the Captain a break down.

 

To be continued.....

 

Part Two

I have to change my last sentence in part one.

It was not a break down that led to a port changes.

On Tuesday at about 1.15 in the afternoon the engine stopped and lots of lights went out, it suddenly got very quiet, no shudder, no wobble and the majority of the people just carried on as normal. In fact you had a problem hearing the Captains news briefing over the laughter and talking.

The Captain informed us the he had stopped the engine so that a generator that had broken down could be repaired. Yes that may be true BUT!

After about 3 hours 20 minutes we were under way again, but now we were running late. Would we get to our first port of call in time?

This question was answered when it was announce we would be stopping in Istanbul on Wednesday. The reason was given that this reschedule was because demonstration was to be held by the people in Istanbul on the day we were due to call (Saturday). Cesme would be dropped from the call and a sea day added.

Did we and a lot of other people believe this story? Not one little bit, it seemed to be a lame excuse.

Ports of Call

Istanbul

We did not go ashore as we had visited here last year. Lots of people did go ashore and reported no problems of any kind. One man I spoke to said he had tried to get into Taksim square but could not or was not allowed in by the police.

Constanta

Thomson’s description in the brochure reads Constanta-Romania. Discover why locals have nicknamed Romania’s capitol as little Paris blah,blah,blah

The real Constanta - You sail into one of the largest ports in the world, more cranes than I have ever seen in one place. I even thought they had a few breading pairs, every time I looked at the shore I was convinced there were more sprouting up. Ugly is not a word that even comes near describing this port.

Do you remember the brochure description? What a con, not even a trip to the capital Bucharest if that were even possible.

The city was a tip, bomb site, building site, these are the best I can do for the area. We booked the City Tour (my advice don’t do it). We were taken to a museum that was in the middle of a building project. The coach dropped us in the street. To get to the museum we had to find a route between rubble, walk over loose and uneven hard core as well as a large drop at the road edge, (about 30cm or more in some parts). The bottom step into the building was a plank of wood balanced on two bricks. Inside the museum was interesting and informative.

Our next stop was the local Cathedral, even that posed a problem. The bus could not get to it due to building work and street repairs and I use the word repairs in its loosest term. We had to get out and walk. When we arrived we could not really get in to see it as there was a funeral service taking place. It was more walking to the coach.

Next on to the Mamaia the hot spot for local due to its beaches and tourist shops. We stopped at the road side walked for 400 meters or there about to the beach road. There was a beach and a café, we could use the toilets in a hotel across the street, but it would cost to go in (maybe). That was it no shops no nothing.

At last back to the ship.

Before I booked the tour I asked at destination services and was told this tour was classed as suitable for people with walking difficulties.

Sevastopol

This is a great place to visit, easy to do on your own if you want to. It is clean tidy with lots of nice squares and parks to visit.

We went on the Sevastopol in the Crimean war. We could recommend this to anyone. First stop Sapoune hill where you look down at the Valley of Death and the site of the charge of the Light Brigade. From there you go to Balaklava, the main base for the British troops. This was also the home port of the Black Sea submarine fleet.

Back to Sevastopol and the Panorama. This in my view is a must see, the art work is just fantastic.

Nessabar

A beautiful port but during our call it was tender to go ashore. It is an easy do it yourself visit, lots of little shops and stalls. You can also stroll around the UNESCO world heritage town.

We went on a trip to a Bulgarian Village where we had a meal, a drink as well as watching traditional village dancing. I was good, but if my walking was up to it I would have preferred the old town stroll.

The tender fiasco as some were calling it did not affect me, booked trips were first of. Even when our tender slot was called others were going down to deck 2 to get off causing a bit of a bottle neck.

The problems after that was not all the fault of Thomson’s organisation, but a tender having a rope foul its propeller in the harbour. While divers were down the small port was closed to traffic for safety. This led to a back log of tendering. Put that and peoples expectation, Thomson’s normal lack of telling people what was happening left a lot of bad feeling.

That covers most of the cruise, but I will end with some general observation and thoughts. They are my and my wife’s thoughts some other people’s views will differ.

 

Was the ship better after the refurb? No, in my opinion it was a facelift not an upgrade.

Was it value for money? I must again say no not really.

I have booked the Atlantic crossing cruise on the dream for 2014, 20 days in total.

After that Both myself and my wife would think very hard and long on the next cruise, with Thomson having to prove themselves and their cost in light of the falling standards of the product on offer.

Any question you have please ask and I will try and answer them

It is more than likely I have missed some thing that is important, so again ask.

Ron Watson

[Julessmiles]

Thanks Ron for all you honest feedback. Firstly, if you are having 2nd thoughts about our next Thomson cruise, did you know you can transfer your deposit to a Thomson holiday instead? I know of some people who have done this for various reasons.

 

I have read similar reports about Constanta but not quite as graphic as yours - I shall really look forward to visiting there :D:D:eek: Think we shall give the city tour a miss then; have decided on the cycle trip so that should be interesting!! I really don't know why thy visit Constanta; next year they drop Nessebar but keep Constanta on the itinerary??!!! Why?!

 

We are so torn on Sevastopol; have booked the Submarine trip as it sounds fascinating - just hope we get enough time to DIY the Panorama too; shame they don't do a longer trip & combine the two!

 

We are just going to DIY Nessebar; looks simple enough if we manage to get off by tender!

 

Who was the Captain out of interest?

 

We had a similar problem last year with the engines stopping; ours was in the middle of the night so most people didn't even know it happened - it never got mentioned the next day officially at all but it was the same for us, about 3-4 hours. We were sailing from Mykonos to Rhodes at the time & had no problems getting there the next day; think we may have arrived a bit later but no major changes.

 

Thanks again from me for your comprehensive review.

[trinitytrees]

Thank you for a very informative review, we are due to go on this cruise followed by ancient wonders.

I hope despite the problems you had a good enough holiday.

 

constanta sounds awful, someone suggested the ho-ho bus did you see it?

 

what currency did you take, do you need different currency or can you use GB pounds or euro? and change there in small enough amounts?

 

any more info on sevestapol appreciated, did you do it yourself, you said it was easy to do, how did you get to different locations, taxi/bus/walk?

 

regarding the cabins, is soap/shampoo etc provided, can we get mini fridge do you know for medications?

 

sorry lot of questions........you will need another cruise :):)

[Julessmiles]

Thank you for a very informative review, we are due to go on this cruise followed by ancient wonders.

I hope despite the problems you had a good enough holiday.

 

constanta sounds awful, someone suggested the ho-ho bus did you see it?

 

what currency did you take, do you need different currency or can you use GB pounds or euro? and change there in small enough amounts?

 

any more info on sevestapol appreciated, did you do it yourself, you said it was easy to do, how did you get to different locations, taxi/bus/walk?

 

regarding the cabins, is soap/shampoo etc provided, can we get mini fridge do you know for medications?

 

sorry lot of questions........you will need another cruise :):)

 

 

It was me that mentioned the HoHo bus but we have decided against that now - not sure after reading reports if we want to be on our own there! Have opted for the cycle trip with Thomson :D

[Scarey Mary]

Hi Jules

 

The captain is Captain Wojtek Ziolkowski.

 

Hi Ron

 

We seem to have the same opinion on this cruise. Quite disappointing especially Constanta, why it goes there I do not know. We did the transfer to Mamaia the ship provided. You must have been dropped in a different area to us as we had a long promenade with shops and cafe's but a lot of them weren't open apparently they were getting ready for the start of their season.

[skioncruises]

Hi Scarey Mary

 

Tried to find you over the two weeks but kept making a fool of myself so gave up.:eek:

 

 

 

Hi Ron

 

Like Scarey Mary, we also did the ship's transfer to Mamaia and had a good walk along the esplanade in both directions as well as having a nice meal there.

 

We had a good holiday but definitely no thanks to Thomson. Everything they had a finger in went wrong. Too numerous to mention so have been keeping schtum.

 

Still debating whether to lose our deposit or go ahead with the 27 nights next April on the Dream.:( :)

[Scarey Mary]

Hi Scarey Mary

 

Tried to find you over the two weeks but kept making a fool of myself so gave up.:eek:

 

 

 

Hi Ron

 

Like Scarey Mary, we also did the ship's transfer to Mamaia and had a good walk along the esplanade in both directions as well as having a nice meal there.

 

We had a good holiday but definitely no thanks to Thomson. Everything they had a finger in went wrong. Too numerous to mention so have been keeping schtum.

 

Still debating whether to lose our deposit or go ahead with the 27 nights next April on the Dream.:( :)

 

Hi

I didn't see anyone this time off here we all must be difficult to spot. Hope you didn't go round asking people if they were Scarey Mary like Jackie did. I would have loved to have seen their faces.:)

Same here for us we had a good holiday but def no thanks to Thomson. It was disappointing.

Hard decision for you 27 nights is a long time but after most of the cruises we have done I would go for it. Puts you off though when you get a not so good one.

 

Mary

[skioncruises]

Hi

I didn't see anyone this time off here we all must be difficult to spot. Hope you didn't go round asking people if they were Scarey Mary like Jackie did. I would have loved to have seen their faces.

Same here for us we had a good holiday but def no thanks to Thomson. It was disappointing.

Hard decision for you 27 nights is a long time but after most of the cruises we have done I would go for it. Puts you off though when you get a not so good one.

 

Mary

 

Hi Mary

 

I gave up after the first week. Always made sure there was only me and the person I was asking just in case anyone else heard.:eek:

 

After 24 years it has made me a bit wary about going ahead with next year.

 

Just so disappointing that they are ruining a good product. Yes, changes have to be made but what they are doing is not for the better. e.g.:

 

Tendering by coloured ticket after trips have gone off- what's that all about.:eek:

Wrong drinks (flat diet coke in a dirty glass / full glass of ice with a little diet coke / vodka & diet coke(twice) - first time was after waiting on deck for 20 minutes after being out all day and desperate for a drink consequently my first gulp was rather large and particularly distressing as I don't drink alcohol of any kind. I am also a diabetic and was presented with regular coke on several occasions):eek:

Unable to get a drink of water without going to the bar and waiting to be served. Not ideal if been off in the heat all day and requiring liquid top up on arrival back on board.

Poor supervision of staff and replenishment of food/crockery and cutlery. No water brought to tables in Lido when arriving for meal. No fruit on display behind counter for staff to serve. Told to ask chef if I required a piece of fruit.:eek:

Main Dining Room was a shambles - no atmosphere, slow service and missed coffee each night to get seat in show lounge. On both formal nights we were told to find a table ourselves then ignored.:eek:

 

Although there's more I'm trying to forget it so will stop and move on.:)

[Scarey Mary]

Hi Mary

 

I gave up after the first week. Always made sure there was only me and the person I was asking just in case anyone else heard.:eek:

 

After 24 years it has made me a bit wary about going ahead with next year.

 

Just so disappointing that they are ruining a good product. Yes, changes have to be made but what they are doing is not for the better. e.g.:

 

Tendering by coloured ticket after trips have gone off- what's that all about.:eek:

Wrong drinks (flat diet coke in a dirty glass / full glass of ice with a little diet coke / vodka & diet coke(twice) - first time was after waiting on deck for 20 minutes after being out all day and desperate for a drink consequently my first gulp was rather large and particularly distressing as I don't drink alcohol of any kind. I am also a diabetic and was presented with regular coke on several occasions):eek:

Unable to get a drink of water without going to the bar and waiting to be served. Not ideal if been off in the heat all day and requiring liquid top up on arrival back on board.

Poor supervision of staff and replenishment of food/crockery and cutlery. No water brought to tables in Lido when arriving for meal. No fruit on display behind counter for staff to serve. Told to ask chef if I required a piece of fruit.:eek:

Main Dining Room was a shambles - no atmosphere, slow service and missed coffee each night to get seat in show lounge. On both formal nights we were told to find a table ourselves then ignored.:eek:

 

Although there's more I'm trying to forget it so will stop and move on.:)

 

Sounds like you picked up on exactly the same points as us.

The tendering issue was a farce we have never had to queue for tickets before and it always worked a lot better than this did. The first time we queued for 45 mins and when we got to the front were told all the tickets had gone and just to listen for the open tender call. What a waste of time that was.

The drinks issue was the same for us it was a challenge some nights to work out exactly what the drinks were especially in Broadway. I kept getting a Bacardi + Coke that tasted like mint. YUK. I drink bacardi and diet coke and my hubby drinks rum and regular this was far too difficult for them and sometimes we are sure we got a mixture of each. We resorted to ordering the drinks separately so we had a chance of getting the correct drink. We found it was mainly the male waiters that hadn't a clue.

I am writing to Thomson they say they value our opinion so they are getting mine. I don't suppose it will do any good but I will feel better.

Talking of formal nights I feel sorry for any 1st time cruisers who were looking forward to the Captains Reception as he was nowhere to be seen. We have never done a cruise before where the captain did not put in an appearance.

We noticed the lack of atmosphere in the dining room too there were no characters and only heard the odd birthday singing and on the baked alaska parade.

In fact the whole cruise felt there was something missing, especially the second week.

[skioncruises]

Hi Mary

 

You must have been in the same tender queue as us the first week.

 

Also agree with you regarding formal night on the second week. First time cruisers must have been very disillusioned.

 

The points I made in my previous post were just picky I know but we did actually have more serious problems which they tried to resolve albeit it not very satisfactorily. I took ill on the second day and, after declining their medical attention, bought antibiotics (knowing what I was looking for) when we arrived in Istanbul. Still not back to full health.

 

Another thing, which used to be taboo on Thomson ships, was the number of staff who were regularly talking in front of passengers in their own language.

 

I saw that you got fluffy towels. No such luck in our cabin. My floor cloths are cleaner. I appreciate that sun tan lotion makes a heck of a mess on towels but they have been in the game long enough to know how to clean them. I do.;)

 

How many animals/napkins/flowers did you get? We got none. Chocolates on our pillows were also hit or miss.:(

 

Jan:)

[Scarey Mary]

Hi Mary

 

You must have been in the same tender queue as us the first week.

 

Also agree with you regarding formal night on the second week. First time cruisers must have been very disillusioned.

 

The points I made in my previous post were just picky I know but we did actually have more serious problems which they tried to resolve albeit it not very satisfactorily. I took ill on the second day and, after declining their medical attention, bought antibiotics (knowing what I was looking for) when we arrived in Istanbul. Still not back to full health.

 

Another thing, which used to be taboo on Thomson ships, was the number of staff who were regularly talking in front of passengers in their own language.

 

I saw that you got fluffy towels. No such luck in our cabin. My floor cloths are cleaner. I appreciate that sun tan lotion makes a heck of a mess on towels but they have been in the game long enough to know how to clean them. I do.;)

 

How many animals/napkins/flowers did you get? We got none. Chocolates on our pillows were also hit or miss.:(

 

Jan:)

 

So sorry you were ill that really does spoil things.

I know what you mean about being picky but when you have enjoyed past cruises so much and things have changed so much you really notice them. Standards have definatley dropped.

 

Funny about the tender queue we may have even had a moan together.

 

We were on deck 8 I wonder if it was because we were deluxe we got the fluffy towels it has never been any different before though. I did read that someone complained there was no shower gel in their cabin and was told they don't provide it on that deck. So we may have got a few extras.

We got no animals at all. I never saw anyone walking round any paper flowers from the dining room.

 

Mary

[happy v]

It was me that mentioned the HoHo bus but we have decided against that now - not sure after reading reports if we want to be on our own there! Have opted for the cycle trip with Thomson :D

 

 

Jules I'm sorry I didn't mean to mislead you. There wasn't any building work when we were there. I thought people were just saying it was a dump because you park in the shipyards.:eek:

[Jakanne1]

Hi Scarey Mary and Skioncruises.

 

Have enjoyed reading your posts although disappointed that you had so many irritating problems.

 

I wonder if anyone is reading these comments and remembers anyone asking them if they are called Mary or even Scarey Mary? :eek:

 

If you have been cruising for many years you will notice the cost cutting and depreciation in services. It is not quite a year since I did my first cruise and I found waiter and cabin steward service was almost as good as 4/5* Riu hotels except at busy times. I'll be able to compare any differences from last Sept on Majesty this September.

 

Towels, bedding and furniture were IMO more like 2/3* but clean and I got used to them after a couple of days.

 

I have just been researching prices for a 2 week Caribbean cruise for February and they are coming in at similar prices for a Deck 6 inside cabin on Dream with a Riu Palace Hotel in Mexico, Junior Suite, excellent food, balcony, 4 heated swimming pools, beach, plenty of sun beds and with AI premier drinks included. There's really no comparison with facilities but I am now hooked on cruising!! There is no excitement of a new port of call each day in a hotel. :rolleyes:

 

So I hope conditions do not get worse. Things like queuing to get on a tender for more than 10 minutes, not getting the correct drinks after waiting a long time, lack of atmosphere in dining rooms and lounges and quality of entertainment that you have come to expect are the things that might drive regular Thomson clients towards other cruise lines. Even if it is just to check them out.

 

As I said I am looking to book a Caribbean cruise with 3 others and am beginning to be concerned about some of the reports coming in about a number of the Thomson ships. Including the fact that NV is still evident on the Dream, although it has also been reported on numerous other cruise lines and hotels.

 

Oh, and Mary, I am taking my 3 cruising friends for a day visit on the Spirit this Saturday. This year I will not be asking people if they are Scarey Mary. :D:)

I do hope that you managed to enjoy your holidays as you were so looking forward to them.

[mrsloopylou]

Glad others seem to be as disappointed with this cruise as we were, weve just got back as we did a week in olu deniz in a fab hotel which saved the day :) will do a full repot on our feelings and experiences of the cruise as soon as i get on top of unpacking ! but hubby will be going to thomson on the way home from work tomorrow to complain ( we already lodged one on the boatalong with lots of others ! )

[Julessmiles]

Jules I'm sorry I didn't mean to mislead you. There wasn't any building work when we were there. I thought people were just saying it was a dump because you park in the shipyards.:eek:

 

 

You haven't misled me - since booking the cruise I have been worried about Constanta as I have just not read any nice reviews at all about it!!! We thought if we do a cycle trip it will at least keep us busy & we get to see a bit of the area; it would be a shame to go that far & not get off the ship ;)

[mrsloopylou]

Its only the port which is horrid, we got the free shuttle into Mamaia, beautiful long sandy beach one side, lined with gift shops(mostly tat!) and resturants the other, cable car is worth a go, as others have said it was very empty ! as it was the start of season and not the best of weather, main gripe with us is as it was sold in the brochure as being able to visit Bucharest which we found out was 300km away so never possible, but to be honest it wasnt an interesting place, just a modern seaside town, everything is very cheap though!

[DaveWilson]

I will post this review in 2 or 3 section. Just to make it easy for myself.

 

Crimean Discovery

 

We flew out of Edinburgh on a Canadian Sunwing aircraft. Boarded from gate one, but no air bridge, steps to the ground level, then a bus to the plane.

The aircraft was good, we had booked our seats and they were allocated to us. The legroom on board was generous.

The one little niggle was we had to listen to the safety announcements twice, once in French and then in English.

There were no problems at Dalaman or on the bus to Marmaris. There was no queue at the port so getting to the ship was fast.

 

The ship

Our cabin 322 on deck 4 was nicely refurbished, but not a lot of change from the old style. The toilet and shower was a big change, a shower that worked, that you could move the head around and it stayed were you put it. Tiles and sink had all been renewed, just a pity that the toilet had not, it would have looked better without the cracked lid.

The only other area that stood out was the Lido restaurant and outside deck area. Both had been well done with the outside seating area the best refurbishment. New tables, chairs as well as soft bench style seating.

The rest of the interior spaces I did not think were all that great, a little bit better than before but not a great deal.

Staff

They were a great as they always have been, they are Thomsons biggest assets.

The service was good in most areas and bars. The main dining room service was good if you like us dined early.

We had no long delays in being served during the cruise. Peak periods were a bit different, but it looked as if this was just due to an area suddenly becoming busy.

There did seem to be a little less staff around, but the service was better than the time we were on last April.

Show team and other entertainment.

The show team were as good as ever, putting in a lot of effort in to the nightly shows. A lot better than some touring stage shows and TV shows that are on.

Gavin Carrol the cruise director (I used the full name as I don’t like CD or other abbreviation like MDR) seemed to be doing a good job of coordinating and directing the entertainment.

The Itinery

The ports of call for this cruise were Wednesday --- Nessebar

Thursday --- Sevastopol

Friday --- Constanta

Saturday --- Istanbul

Sunday ---- Cesme

All this changed, by according to the Captain a break down.

 

To be continued.....

 

Nice really nice review GM0NJl.. It seems to be exciting and entertaining stuff.. I hope I get an opportunity to enjoy such wonderful experience:)

[Julessmiles]

Its only the port which is horrid, we got the free shuttle into Mamaia, beautiful long sandy beach one side, lined with gift shops(mostly tat!) and resturants the other, cable car is worth a go, as others have said it was very empty ! as it was the start of season and not the best of weather, main gripe with us is as it was sold in the brochure as being able to visit Bucharest which we found out was 300km away so never possible, but to be honest it wasnt an interesting place, just a modern seaside town, everything is very cheap though!

 

 

I'm guessing that was a brochure error - it was quite clear when we booked it that we wouldn't get to Bucharest when we looked at a map of Romania ;) It's not advertised on Thomson Shore Excursions either.

 

Really don't get it - why Thomson call there ??!!!!

[Ashby]

We are also going to visit Constanta when we cruise(2nd September) and I was disappointed when I looked at various reports about the port but decided that the Long trip to the Delta would be great allowing us to see more of the country etc.I am really frustrated that Thomson has decided to drop this trip due to an alteration in port hours. Surely this information was calculated months ago and to drop this trip with nothing of a similar if shorter nature is very annoying. The reports back of the "City Trips" are awful. Thomson have totally mis-sold this destination and are doing nothing to retrieve the problem.

[Len Baker]

Hi folks, we were on the Crimean Discovery cruise followed by Egypt and The Holy Land.

At the end of the Crimean Discovery cruise we would have happily gone home. We were so disappointed. We agree with most of what has been said already.

 

Fortunately we enjoyed Egypt and The Holy Land, mainly because spent a fortune on excursions.

 

The points made about the ship’s “hotel services” were unfortunately relevant in our second week.

 

The captain did make an appearance at the Captains Reception on the formal night. We like quite a few who were on board for the first week did not attend but went straight into the restaurant. The menu for the formal meal was identical for both weeks with one exception.

 

The ship struggled to make some ports on time but not others. The atmosphere on board improved slightly as the newcomers had not experienced the horrors of week one. The level of service provided by the staff in the bars, cabins and restaurants etc. was the same & the overall atmosphere, service & quality was not equal to our previous cruise experiences.

 

Even the shows were a slight disappointment as we has seen some of them before. We liked Top Men, 2 Intense and Albert Duo.

 

We shall probably give Thomson a miss in 2014 and look at a touring holiday or another cruise line.

 

Len & Jane Baker

[geomagot]

oh dear....I have been noticing this for a while....first on the dream and now (it appears) on celebration too

 

slow bar service....long queues at the bar

 

no towel animals

 

turndown service getting later and later

 

pool towels not being replaced

 

crew seem overstretched....especially cabin stewards

 

cut backs on shows...more singing

 

a long wait for meals in mdr

 

no singing waiters in mdr......(please tell me this isnt true)

 

under/overcooked food

 

lacklustre menues

 

chaotic tendering....missed ports....sudden unexplained itinerary changes

 

sudden policy changes (vip booths, duty free being confiscated)

 

ships puttering along...breakdowns....norovirus

 

I was hoping it was just me that had noticed these things?

[trinitytrees]

I was booked onto this cruise but have just cancelled it. so now in search of another cruise.

 

the reason for cancelling is that as i have said before i was told and it is in the April edition that it was an Adult only cruise. i work in education so the idea of adult only cruise appealed to me. i checked at weekend and discovered it is defo not adult only so i asked to cancel, was told at first I would lose all my money if i did, i quoted lots of regulations provided by trading standards and others and they finally agreed a full refund. after July exept oophs we dont have one!!

 

it would have been nice if they had said sorry.

 

the people in travel shop i cant complain about it is head office that are the problem my money is good anywhere so my business will walk away.

 

customer care has got to be right. i had the pleasure this morning of listening to a talk by a leading business man about business and culture and performance. the culture seems to be turning sour in Thomson. after reading some of these reviews it is such a shame, there is a lot good about thomson cruises its a shame to lose it.

[mrsloopylou]

oh dear....I have been noticing this for a while....first on the dream and now (it appears) on celebration too

 

slow bar service....long queues at the bar

 

no towel animals

 

turndown service getting later and later

 

pool towels not being replaced

 

crew seem overstretched....especially cabin stewards

 

cut backs on shows...more singing

 

a long wait for meals in mdr

 

no singing waiters in mdr......(please tell me this isnt true)

 

under/overcooked food

 

lacklustre menues

 

chaotic tendering....missed ports....sudden unexplained itinerary changes

 

sudden policy changes (vip booths, duty free being confiscated)

 

ships puttering along...breakdowns....norovirus

 

I was hoping it was just me that had noticed these things?

 

They were all present last week when we was on there :mad: