Pride of Panama Cruise 6th January

[Iain1873]

Just back from a Cruise and Stay and to say I was disappointed with ththe cruise would be a huge understatement , we had choppy sea and high winds and I'm afraid the Dream just couldn't handle it , the wife ended up being stuck in a cabin with her head in the toilet constantly being sick , so that also probably prejudices my opinion , I didn't like th ship , nothing I could really put my finger on but I defo didn't like the layout and there was something just unappealing about it (just my opinion) and I appreciate nothing can be done about the weather.

 

The ship itself was a huge disappointment in my opinion , breakfasts in the buffet were bland and not particularly hot , the main dining room was okay but no more than that nothing special , even the Baked Alaska Parade I thought was a damp squib.

 

We also thought that the ship smelled , on decks 4 and 5 in particular there was often strong smells of either diesel or sewage.

 

On the whole the staff were great as per usual but a couple with surly faces (one in particular in the Orion)

 

We also tried it to book Kora-La but were told it was fully booked for the evening we wanted (we wanted a table between 7.30pm and 8.30pm) , we then tried to book the Black Rock to be told it was also fully booked - fair enough , however that evening when we went to the Orion for dinner more than half of Kora-La was empty at 7.40pm and was even quieter when we left around 9pm - very disappointing.

 

Due to high seas and wind we missed two ports of call but to have us in Colon for two days was a mistake , it wasn't safe to leave the port area and the area around it looked like you would imagine a Banana Republic to look , it was a slum , I seen someone say that setting sail for Jamaica and an extra day there would have been a better option and I can't help but agree.

 

The captain was also a butt of many a joke with his "buckle up and enjoy he ride" comments every time he told us of rough seas ahead , if my wife could have gotten hold of him he'd have been put overboard - the "joke" didn't work with her.

 

Thomsons have a real issue here they are offering second class ships at new ship prices , I'm afraid I won't be back , 30 year old ships have had their day , the cruise industry has moved forward and after a 5 year absence from Thomsons they seem to be stuck in the past , I recall the entertainment used to be excellent and was a strong selling point , it was sadly lacking on this cruise , my previous P&O cruise had a better show team and better guest artists and more of them for less money.

 

I know some people love this ship and that's fair enough , a lesson learned for me and a parting of the waves for Thomsons and myself for future cruises.

 

Sorry just wanted to get my tuppence worth in , on the upside the holiday on Jamaica during the 2nd week was excellent , so that helped the disappointment of the first week.

[Cockney Scot]

I completely agree with you regarding the Dream. We were very disappointed with it when we did a cruise and stay holiday in October (thank goodness the ‘stay’ part of the holiday was good!)

 

We’ve been on quite a few Thomson cruises on the Spirit and one on the Destiny and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. Okay, the boats are a bit old and tired but the crew have always made up for it. Not so on the Dream, we weren’t too keen on the Orion, too big, no atmosphere and the waiters just didn’t seem to want to be there – extremely long waits to be served and another long wait before the drinks were forthcoming. Like you, I felt the whole ship seemed unappealing and there wasn’t the camaraderie with the crew there is on the Spirit.

 

There seemed to be an awful lot of ‘catch penny’ deals on the Dream, selling lotto tickets, pay for best seats in the theatre, no ice-cream at lunchtime (but you can buy it on deck). I realise I sound a real old moaner but it is such a shame when expectations done come up to what you’ve been used to on other ships. The Dream is supposed to be Thomsons Flagship but I really don’t think we’ll be back on it anytime soon.

 

Unfortunately, we had already booked a cruise on the Majesty for March this year before we went on the Dream and we’re a bit concerned that we’ll be disappointed with that as well.

[Little Nell]

I am so sorry to hear your cruise did not live up to expectations, especially for you and your wife, Iain, since it was to celebrate a special occasion.

 

I have seen comments on FB about there being a problem with the stabilisers on Dream during that cruise and many people being unwell.

 

As you say, they can't do anything about the cancelled ports but Colon looks quite unappealing.

 

We had quite choppy seas on our TA in 2013 and I never saw anyone being unwell.

 

There are an awful lot of negative reviews on Thomson cruises these days. Not everyone can be wrong. I must admit, I am beginning to think twice about using them again.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Little Nell

[CRUISIN LINDA]

We have had two great cruises on the Majesty and another one booked for June. There are lots of other cruise companies though ;) We are trying P&O in March.