Which ship is your favourite?

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Thought I would do a litttle poll :D

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Blimey Sheila, that was quick :D:D

[kalos]

I wish they still had the Destiny , still miss the Sky Bar ;):):)

[CRUISIN LINDA]

I wish they still had the Destiny , still miss the Sky Bar ;):):)

Sorru kalos, I think you will have to face it, she's not coming back :(:(

[mtt]

My vote for the spirit

[Sheila49]

Blimey Sheila, that was quick :D:D

 

I know:) I only realised you had just posted it after I voted!

[PJWorcs]

My vote would be Calypso

[kruzseeka]

Despite my disappointment over food I still like the Dream the best as a ship in terms of space, layout and design of such as the theatre and pool deck. I have a soft spot for Celebration (how could I not after 11 cruises on her?) and also like the Spirit but they do feel a bit cramped in comparison. I have dissociated the food issue as that is not the ship - it's down to Thomson and something which could be easily rememdied by increasing the budget for catering!!!

[CRUISIN LINDA]

My vote for the spirit

Now why am I not surprised Michelle? :D:D Edited November 28, 2014 by CRUISIN LINDA

[Jakanne1]

I've not voted yet...cannot decide. I've cruised with friends, with DH and with my grandson and each group, how can I put it, has different requirements.

 

The Majesty IMO had the best MDR food but the poorest buffet restaurant...but it now has a new buffet, and more sunbathing decks. We always had a plus cabin, so no problem with having a cupboard. The wine packages were better than Dream's. Therefore best with DH who likes his food and drink and doesn't like wandering about looking for a sun bed.

 

The Dream on the whole has the best inside and outside deck facilities but both the MDR and buffet food has been disappointing compared to Majesty and the waiter service for us was often very slow in the bars. Some of the bars were dark and dated too. With the current refurbishments I guess some of these are being addressed. And there will be more deck space for sitting outside. :)

Best outside deck space for deck parties so best for cruising with friends. They just need to improve the quality of food or for us to build the cost of the speciality restaurant into our budget.

 

The Spirit is a cosy old ship but I found it in need of some refurbishment albeit some has been done. On the other hand, this is where it probably gets it's charm. My cabin also had a fixed shower head which I hate. It was also fun to watch people jiggling about on their seats in the show lounge with the ship's vibrations! IMO food was good but the service in the MDR was very slow both times I was on. It does have the best Buffet restaurant, and a fantastic Kids Club....so best for cruising with my grandson.

 

Entertainment has been fantastic on all ships, except last winter's season on Dream was weakest. Still enjoyed it though.

 

After considering all this, I guess Dream gets my vote, Linda. They just need to do something with the quality of the food to get DH back on.

[WeeCountyMan]

My vote for the spirit

 

Seconded.

 

Mind you, Celebration is the only other Thomsons vessel we've been on.

[kruzseeka]

You are so right Jakanne in terms of the 'package' which is delivered for your cruise. Itinerary, ship, entertainment, food even passenger demographic and the weather can affect your overall enjoyment and lasting impressions of a cruise. I can honestly say I've thoroughly enjoyed all my Thomson cruises but that's not to say there hasn't been some fluctuations in standards of different aspects of the cruise - for me most noticeable when food or entertainment varies in quality.

 

So I've tried to dissociate the things that are down to such things as a new show team which in all honesty will likely be different again with the next change-over. Food and drinks quality/choice and number of staff available which affects dining room and bar service does vary too but that's entirely under Thomson's control - that's a management decision and again not really down to the ship although it clearly affects our opinion of a given vessel.

 

So I arrived at my decision (Dream) after taking those variables out of the equation ie if Thomson could guarantee the same standard of service, food and entertainment on each ship, and asking myself which ship do I prefer? But like you I have pluses for each.

[Jakanne1]

To be honest, Kruzseeka, when it comes to choosing a cruise, I am still at the stage where the itinerary (new places to visit) are the most important and with Thomson flying from nearby airports we just go with them. We are thinking of a cruise to the Baltic next summer so may have to make the long journey to the south coast and it will definitely be a non Thomson cruise with no Thomson UK departures next year. :(

[rookery]

Spirit for me too. Followed by Celebration, Majesty and finally Destiny.

[kruzseeka]

To be honest, Kruzseeka, when it comes to choosing a cruise, I am still at the stage where the itinerary (new places to visit) are the most important and with Thomson flying from nearby airports we just go with them. We are thinking of a cruise to the Baltic next summer so may have to make the long journey to the south coast and it will definitely be a non Thomson cruise with no Thomson UK departures next year. :(

 

Yes some wonderful itineraries out there Jakanne - the Baltic, Norway, Iceland all great itineraries departing ex-UK. Pity you look like having the long haul to Southampton though. Doesn't FO have a Baltic itinerary out of Newcastle next year? There's not much though and little going out of Harwich unless you want a Royal Caribbean but I think that's a very big ship - Brilliance of the Seas? I'm sure you'd love the Baltic itinerary though Jakanne - we were blown away with it the first time we went (and still very impressed on subsequent visits). Pity Thomson aren't still doing these routes.

[Jakanne1]

Yes some wonderful itineraries out there Jakanne - the Baltic, Norway, Iceland all great itineraries departing ex-UK. Pity you look like having the long haul to Southampton though. Doesn't FO have a Baltic itinerary out of Newcastle next year? There's not much though and little going out of Harwich unless you want a Royal Caribbean but I think that's a very big ship - Brilliance of the Seas? I'm sure you'd love the Baltic itinerary though Jakanne - we were blown away with it the first time we went (and still very impressed on subsequent visits). Pity Thomson aren't still doing these routes.

 

Thank you, Kruzseeka. Yes FO has only one cruise out of Newcastle on 29th August on Boudicca and Southampton is easier to get to than Harwich for us. It's DH that would like to visit St Petersburg and re-visit some of the places he went to when he was working such as Tallinn and Stockholm. If Spirit had still been going ex-Uk, we would have already been booked. It's just a feeling, based on nothing at all, but I don't really fancy 2 weeks on Boudicca.

[Julessmiles]

Thank you, Kruzseeka. Yes FO has only one cruise out of Newcastle on 29th August on Boudicca and Southampton is easier to get to than Harwich for us. It's DH that would like to visit St Petersburg and re-visit some of the places he went to when he was working such as Tallinn and Stockholm. If Spirit had still been going ex-Uk, we would have already been booked. It's just a feeling, based on nothing at all, but I don't really fancy 2 weeks on Boudicca.

 

Boudiccca is a lovely ship Jackie - It's a very similar size to the Spirit but I think smarter than the Thomson ships & slightly more 'classy'. I wouldn't hesitate on spending 2 weeks on her - some lovely outdoor & indoor spaces; I can send you photos if you want!

[joeholiday2]

I voted for Dream.

It's the best ship IMHO hardware wise. Shame it's had issues this last week, Thomson should not be letting that happen when paying passengers are on-board.

 

If the vote had been for the best overall cruise ship package I would have said Majesty.

Great staff, atmosphere, and this summer's entertainment team is the best we have ever seen on a ship. It only takes a change of staff for all this to alter though.....

[Jakanne1]

Boudiccca is a lovely ship Jackie - It's a very similar size to the Spirit but I think smarter than the Thomson ships & slightly more 'classy'. I wouldn't hesitate on spending 2 weeks on her - some lovely outdoor & indoor spaces; I can send you photos if you want!

 

Thanks Julie. That's reassuring. You could send them via FB. :)

[Jakanne1]

I voted for Dream.

It's the best ship IMHO hardware wise. Shame it's had issues this last week, Thomson should not be letting that happen when paying passengers are on-board.

 

If the vote had been for the best overall cruise ship package I would have said Majesty.

Great staff, atmosphere, and this summer's entertainment team is the best we have ever seen on a ship. It only takes a change of staff for all this to alter though.....

 

Lol, Joe. You said exactly in short what I waffled on for ages about. ;)

 

The summer entertainment teams on Spirit and Dream were fantastic too, and I recognised some who had been excellent on Majesty during 2012/13

[CRUISIN LINDA]

There's not much though and little going out of Harwich unless you want a Royal Caribbean but I think that's a very big ship - Brilliance of the Seas? .

Brilliance is 90,000 tons Kruzseeka, the same size as Jewel of the Seas, that we went to the Baltic on, in 2009. Very nice ship and not too big. That was one RCI ship that we liked :)

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Hmmm Dream is winning :rolleyes::D

[mtt]

Now why am I not surprised Michelle? :D:D

:Dcan't wait to be back on in april:Dwaiting to see what it is doing march/ april 2016

[happy v]

Went with Spirit.

 

I like the Dream too, and I have to admit if the weather was rough I would rather be on the Dream.

But we all hope for nice weather on our cruises don't we?

Edited November 29, 2014 by happy v

[happy v]

To be honest, Kruzseeka, when it comes to choosing a cruise, I am still at the stage where the itinerary (new places to visit) are the most important and with Thomson flying from nearby airports we just go with them. We are thinking of a cruise to the Baltic next summer so may have to make the long journey to the south coast and it will definitely be a non Thomson cruise with no Thomson UK departures next year. :(

 

We are the same Jakanne. Would really like to go to the Fjords and North Cape. However at the moment I don't fancy the long journey south to get to them.:(

Also the F.O. cruises have a lot more sea days.