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just back from dream cuba/mexico

geomagot
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happy v

happy v

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We did one of the cruises where we flew to Jamaica and returned from Barbados and the itinerary was excellent. However when Thomsons announced last year their home port would be Jamaica my heart sank because our arrival had been very unwelcoming and I was really glad we had returned home from a different airport.

 

I would have still returned this year but the only itinerary available from Newcastle had two stops in Jamaica plus the change over day and that really put me off.

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Jakanne1

Jakanne1

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We did one of the cruises where we flew to Jamaica and returned from Barbados and the itinerary was excellent. However when Thomsons announced last year their home port would be Jamaica my heart sank because our arrival had been very unwelcoming and I was really glad we had returned home from a different airport.

 

I would have still returned this year but the only itinerary available from Newcastle had two stops in Jamaica plus the change over day and that really put me off.

 

Like you, Vera, we would prefer to travel from Newcastle, especially during the winter months. I often wish we had a "Gatwick" on the doorstep to get a wider choice and better price. ;)

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geomagot

geomagot

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so now onto the important stuff... the food

 

food is an emotive subject so these are my opinions (observations)

 

we were last on the dream in march 14 at that time I would describe the food back then as 'disappointing' featuring such delicacies as: cornish pasty, pork wellington and quiche:(

 

well, there has been an hotel agency change since then

 

I can safely say that there were many familiar crew faces still onboard and working for the new agency, yes a few were missing (on vacations) and a few new (eastern european) faces amongst the wait staff

 

service was as it has always been top notch with all crew working their smiling socks off and making everyone’s cruise as special as possible... our very big thanks & gratitude’s to everyone of them

 

so breakfast: hasn’t changed at all, still the same great choice (full english/ omelettes/ pancakes/ breads toast/ yoghurts/ fruit/ cold cuts/ marmalade/ marmite etc etc) all served hot and fresh on the buffet in sirens & lido and in the orion

 

lunch: we didn’t have lunch in the orion, but the buffet lunches seemed to be pretty similar to last march 2 soups plus salads/cheese & crackers/ breads/ cold cuts, a vegetarian dish, a carvery plus, a fish dish and one main (curry, meat or cottage pie or some sort of meat/chicken in gravy) sides chips/rice/pasta puddings looked good? i didn’t notice too many instant whip mousses

 

I would say imo that choices on the lunch buffets are a little reduced, not much choice of salads, no starters (apart from the soup) and main dishes getting a little samey after a few days

 

however you can get burgers, hot dogs, pizza, chips & salads at the poolside snack bars every day

 

ice cream machines were working throughout in lido & sirens and was soft & creamy... not gritty with ice crystals as before (they must have changed the mix):cool:

 

dinner: there have been some noticeable changes here, we usually eat in the orion in the evenings

 

the menu layout has changed, there are now only 4 courses, the salad course has been combined with the starters (but there is nothing to stop you ordering a starter and a salad) there are now 3 starters and 2 salads, 2 soups (one being a consomme) 3 mains plus a vegetarian main, 4 puddings including a sugar free and (included with the puddings but you can order both) cheese & biscuits

 

from my memory the food that used to be served on the evening buffet and in the orion restaurant was always pretty much the same dishes, now it is not!

 

the orion serves one main dish per evening that is not always on the menu in the buffet, most notably the lobster tails (once a week) the steaks twice a week, (filet mignon & prime rib) roast duck and beef wellington yessss! beef wellington (not pork) and strips of flash fry steak:cool:

 

there were no quiches/cornish pasties or pork wellingtons to be seen

 

I have read some of the recent reviews on the food and noticed that people who ate in the buffet found the food to be 'a little samey' or 'reduced choices' i would broadly agree with that sentiment if you mainly eat in the buffet in the evening

 

however those who ate in the orion report a marked increase in quality... I would agree with that too, so that is the main difference …more choices in orion less on the buffet

 

in the orion the quality is good imo, the steaks are big and cooked to order I certainly enjoyed them and the lobster, the beef wellington was lovely too and portions were good (much improved) on the prime rib night they served 2 thick cut prime ribs per plate and about 3 flash fry steaks per portion

 

service has speeded up (takes about an hour whereas before it could routinely take 2 or more hours) but..... big but! there is a problem with keeping the food hot? we found our meals were consistently served lukewarm but nonetheless they were tasty

 

puddings...big change here puddings have gone from mushy mousse and instant whip desserts to proper puddings, among others, we enjoyed, creme brulee, crepes, flambeed banana, chocolate bomb, and of course the baked alaska which is now served with a compote of berries? a much better (and more tempting) offering than i remember being a little disappointed with last year

 

another plus, the house wine has been changed and is acceptably drinkable the rose actually is quite good...I dont know what it is tho? (definitely not the old piat dor)

 

but wait.... just when you are thinking this all sounds very promising....we hit on a big problem...they no longer do the nescafe sachets!! the only coffee available is the mud out of the urns (unless you want to pay for cappuccinos), the stewards will leave 4 Nescafe’s a day in your cabin, so if you like your coffee (as we do) take your own;)

 

and just a note on the drinks package ... soft drinks by the glass are served from a can (not from a warm/flat 2ltr bottle)

 

I wont cover the al a carte restaurants as we only ate in the new kora la once and i have already explained in my post above that I personally didn’t like it too much, we didn’t eat in the new black rock or sirens grill (now called mistrals) I dont know if it is the same menu in there?

 

.

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kruzseeka

kruzseeka

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Thanks so much for that detailed breakdown of the food in the mdr and buffets geo -it's just what I've been most interested to learn. As you know it was the menus in the Orion in the evening which really disappointed us about a year ago - so much so that we've been trying other ships. But there are some features of Thomson we really value so your description of the improvements in the evening comes as very good news to me! If we do have lunch (only really on sea days) we often go the Orion anyway so the Lido isn't so important to us.

 

The menu choice reads well. I am so pleased to find the choices so much more appealing and varied. I once suggested on a questionnaire that the number of courses could be reduced as you describe (not a problem I'd have thought if you can still order both the starter and salad if you really wanted to) as a means of making economies and plough the savings into better quality main courses. Sounds as though this is what's happened. Other cruise lines don't offer five courses in our experience so it seems like a sensible move. The desserts are certainly a big improvement - rather like what we had going back a few years but gradually they had deteriorated. Much encouraged by the reversal!

 

Good to know some of the old crew are still around too. Thanks again geo - really good feedback. :)

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happy v

happy v

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Like you, Vera, we would prefer to travel from Newcastle, especially during the winter months. I often wish we had a "Gatwick" on the doorstep to get a wider choice and better price. ;)

 

Yep that would be good. For years we regularly flew from Manchester but I really can't be bothered with the hastle now.

There is a bus from Washington services to Southampton which we could easily use, but my husband is a pain to travel with, much worse than a child :(. So I'm saving it for an itinerary which I really really want to go on. As we'll probably only do it once.;)

Edited by happy v
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kruzseeka

kruzseeka

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I still think Princess and Celebrity have the best idea, with the menu of the day on the right hand page and alternatives such as chicken, fish, omelette on the left page which is the same every night (just wish they would vary the soup :rolleyes:)

 

 

Yes I like that idea too Linda; choice of three starters, four mains (including steak too) and desserts such as creme brulee and cheesecake as alternatives if you didn't fancy what was on the main changing daily menus. Really good :) Doubt if Thomson would go that far though as it must be quite a bit more expensive. :rolleyes:

 

P. S. Not sure if I'm remembering this correctly but didn't they offer two different soups every day on the changing menu? I thought the stand alone menu remained the same each day which was the point - to offer old favourites as a fall back - including the famous French Onion Soup :eek: so I'm not surprised it didn't change - nor did the other courses. Or am I remembering incorrectly? Confused now! :confused::D

Edited by kruzseeka
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CRUISIN LINDA

CRUISIN LINDA

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Yes I expect there were two soups, but DH goes on about how the food was repetitive :rolleyes::rolleyes: and I think that has coloured our opinion on the food on Celebrity! He was delighted to see that the Berlitz guide said the food was repetitive which confirmed his views :D

Edited by CRUISIN LINDA
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Little Nell

Little Nell

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Great news about the food on Dream, Geo. Thanks for your very detailed account of what was on offer.

 

It was a major issue for us on the TA and I am very happy that Thomson have addressed that issue. All round it sounds very acceptable.

 

Nothing now to stop us from returning to the Dream :)

 

Now, where did I put that brochure?

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Jakanne1

Jakanne1

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Yep that would be good. For years we regularly flew from Manchester but I really can't be bothered with the hastle now.

There is a bus from Washington services to Southampton which we could easily use, but my husband is a pain to travel with, much worse than a child :(. So I'm saving it for an itinerary which I really really want to go on. As we'll probably only do it once.;)

 

Yes, we often travelled from Manchester, too but that was in the days when DH would drive to Manchester (and further) to do business and return the same day. Are northern men all alike? At least mine will go once a year and doesn't mind when I go with friends or grandson. :):rolleyes: I know others who just won't go. Our coach stop would be Scotch Corner but DH refused to go from Southampton. It's a "work in progress". Yes, save Southampton for the World Cruise, lol. ;)

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Jakanne1

Jakanne1

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Thanks for the very detailed information about food on the Dream. Sounds much better than March 14 and September 14. Pity it wasn't like that in September as it would be so much easier to persuade DH to go on Dream again. He considered the food (except the Grill) to be very disappointing.

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kruzseeka

kruzseeka

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Yes I expect there were two soups, but DH goes on about how the food was repetitive :rolleyes::rolleyes: and I think that has coloured our opinion on the food on Celebrity! He was delighted to see that the Berlitz guide said the food was repetitive which confirmed his views :D

 

What a shame Linda that you didn't have such a good experience of the food on Celebrity. I'd go as far as to say it was the best we've had on any ship beating P&O and even Cunard though not for the legendary cream teas ;). Just goes to show how things can be different from ship to ship within a fleet nevermind between cruise lines. But then we know that's been the case with Thomson too - varied between ships and even at different times on the same ship! :rolleyes:

Edited by kruzseeka
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Jakanne1

Jakanne1

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according to ais it looks like dream has made it to playa del carmen today and the mexcoast tenders are alongside.... so far so good;):cool:

 

Oh those lovely sandy beaches, warm sea, hot sun, beach restaurants, 5th Avenue......would love to go again. :rolleyes:

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davecttr

davecttr

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Have the sausages improved. they were pretty sad last summer, contrasting with the P&O ones which had taste and texture, plus alternative varieties like cumberland if you knew where to look :D I will admit Thomson were better than the hopeless paste tubes in Premier Inn.

 

Sorry to hear about less salad choice. I liked being able to get olives most days, unlike P&O with central buying and a lot of our customers don't like olives (foreign muck) On my last P&O cruise i kept a stock in my fridge or a friendly barman slipped me a glass full now and then.

 

I presume they would still have decaff sachets :confused:

 

i like the left hand menu idea, eggs mayonaise and tomato soup, yum yum.

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geomagot

geomagot

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hi there dave

 

they will leave 2 nescafe & 2 nescafe decaf sachets in your cabin each day and thats it (sometimes we had to ask the steward to replace them) the only other coffee available was the stuff in the urns (grrh!) not decaff (or the premium cappuccinos)

 

the sausages have improved imo.... nice (a little peppery...but nice and meaty imo)

 

sometimes there were olives on the buffet, not always sometimes we got pickled vegetables instead, occasionally we got nothing instead? :(

 

along with the usual trays fo cheese slices, there were lots of high end deli style cheeses (most of which I had never heard of?) which you had to cut off from the block yourself with a knife.... as you can imagine that soon got smashed to pieces:rolleyes:

 

salad choices were the usual lettuce, tomato, sliced spanish onion, cucumber sometimes celery sometimes radish ...oh...and a lot of baby spinach leaves, 2 dressings only and they only served coleslaw twice the rest of the time it was beetroot or pasta salad

 

bread rolls are still home backed but they are tiny! So is the sliced bread (not big enough to make a decent bacon sarnie)

 

like I say in my post above it is my opinion that the buffet choices are a little reduced from last year

Edited by geomagot
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  • 7 months later...
geomagot

geomagot

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This sprouts thing is fascinating if its not too rude or private can you enlighten me please☺

 

I once commented (maybe more than once....okay i complained bitterly for weeks on end) back in 2012 (ish) that they never served more than one sprout for christmas dinner on the dream:(

 

i luv sprouts...... and i stated that i will never surrender my struggle for more sprouts on thomson cruises.... despite the setbacks and the adversity... i am determined to struggle on in my lonely sprout campaign ... occasionally the guys on here will pop in and offer me some sprout support ... thanks guys ...one day it will be sprouts all round:cool::D:p

 

i think it may have started on one of these 2 threads (blasts from the past threads)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1707185

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1701774

 

.

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