stevedeccaman Posted September 2, 2016 #1 Share Posted September 2, 2016 • TRANSATLANIC PALMA TO BARBADOS • 29 TH OCTOBER 2016 • FROM GATWICK Tropical Escape TUI Discovery 15 night cruise • Grand Suite Cabin × 1 Included • Full Board • FLIGHTS • EXTRAS • PRICE BREAKDOWN • Online Discount - £1294.12 • Basic Cruise £4268.00 • Options & Extras (total) £2.00 • TOTAL PRICE £2975.88 • 2 Adults +£25.94 per person per night AI ================================================== -FROM MANCHESTER• Tropical Escape TUI Discovery 15 night cruise • Grand Suite Cabin × 1 Included • Full Board • Online Discount - £393.12 • Basic Cruise £4368.00 • Tropical Escape TUI Discovery 15 night cruise • Grand Suite Cabin × 1 Included • Full Board • Online Discount - £393.12 • Basic Cruise £4368.00 • Options & Extras (total) £2.00 • TOTAL PRICE £3976.88 +£25.94 per person per night AI note the difference in discount from Gatwick Stevie note this is not for a standard cabin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vitalsign Posted September 2, 2016 #2 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Hi Steve When going on Caribbean cruises we always have to fly from Manchester cos can't do with having a long drive at either end for such a long flight However in April we did the TA back to Palma on Dream and saved a £1000 by going from Gatwick We drove down the day before and stayed in a 5star hotel right by checkin and because we had a short flight back from Palma which landed just after lunch were able to have a leisurely drive home on a Sat afternoon so including diesel this saved us £700 - it really sucks The difference in price is ridiculous and I always check the cost from Gatwick before I book and it makes my blood boil I did put a post about this last year and got some replies about supply and demand which is obvious but if they can put on 2 flights from Gatwick why not from Manchester When we sailed with Ocean Village northern demand was so great there were always 2 flights from Manchester one with Thomas Cook and one with First Choice but Thomson seem to want us northerners to travel to fill their other planes - just not fair At least I'm happy the Celebration is sailing from Newcastle next year rather than Harwich and it's the right choice cos they're nearly all sold out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancyneptune Posted September 3, 2016 #3 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Hi SteveWhen going on Caribbean cruises we always have to fly from Manchester cos can't do with having a long drive at either end for such a long flight However in April we did the TA back to Palma on Dream and saved a £1000 by going from Gatwick We drove down the day before and stayed in a 5star hotel right by checkin and because we had a short flight back from Palma which landed just after lunch were able to have a leisurely drive home on a Sat afternoon so including diesel this saved us £700 - it really sucks The difference in price is ridiculous and I always check the cost from Gatwick before I book and it makes my blood boil I did put a post about this last year and got some replies about supply and demand which is obvious but if they can put on 2 flights from Gatwick why not from Manchester When we sailed with Ocean Village northern demand was so great there were always 2 flights from Manchester one with Thomas Cook and one with First Choice but Thomson seem to want us northerners to travel to fill their other planes - just not fair At least I'm happy the Celebration is sailing from Newcastle next year rather than Harwich and it's the right choice cos they're nearly all sold out You should try flying from Glasgow !!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vitalsign Posted September 3, 2016 #4 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Hi NancyNeptune you have my sincere sympathies when I said 'northerners' I was including the Scots because one of the main problems is Scots, Cumbrians and Tynesiders having to fly from Manchester to the Caribbean particularly, which makes the demand at Manchester even higher and for some Scots the distance to Manchester can be further than us travelling to Gatwick If its true that there are more 'northern' clients of Thomson cruises then they should accommodate them properly - they do advertise and press the point that they fly from many regional airports but as we find not all the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancyneptune Posted September 3, 2016 #5 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Hi NancyNeptune you have my sincere sympathies when I said 'northerners' I was including the Scots because one of the main problems is Scots, Cumbrians and Tynesiders having to fly from Manchester to the Caribbean particularly, which makes the demand at Manchester even higher and for some Scots the distance to Manchester can be further than us travelling to Gatwick If its true that there are more 'northern' clients of Thomson cruises then they should accommodate them properly - they do advertise and press the point that they fly from many regional airports but as we find not all the time Thanks for your understanding Vitalsign. For the past three years Thomson have reduced the number of flights from Scotland and the north of England for the Caribbean. The few that are available are often hundreds of pounds more expensive than those available from Gatwick. It's not just about travelling to Manchester or Gatwick. It often means booking an overnight stay at either end of the holiday due to early departures and late arrivals back to the airport on top of the extra travel costs. So really nothing to be gained from booking a southern airport. Thomson really need to listen to their loyal customers as many have already opted to cruise with other companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vitalsign Posted September 3, 2016 #6 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Couldn't agree more. Perhaps we should vote with our feet and move cruise lines Definitely thinking about it after reading Discovery cruises are like being with Jeremy Kyle participants. My sister had the same problem on Spirit 2 weeks ago with children running wild, bombing in the pool and parents ignoring them up on deck 6 getting p.....ed!! None of the staff would do anything about it as has been said previously they need to employ security during the school holidays She presumed they were Island Escapers who'd booked the wrong cruise (maybe because it was cheaper than Discovery) as this was really a trip cruise for discerning travellers to major cities and not a beach cruise The ex Island Escapers seem to prefer the western Mediterranean as we found no problems in the Aegean/Adriatic or the Caribbean during summer/winter half term Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancyneptune Posted September 6, 2016 #7 Share Posted September 6, 2016 Couldn't agree more. Perhaps we should vote with our feet and move cruise lines Definitely thinking about it after reading Discovery cruises are like being with Jeremy Kyle participants. My sister had the same problem on Spirit 2 weeks ago with children running wild, bombing in the pool and parents ignoring them up on deck 6 getting p.....ed!! None of the staff would do anything about it as has been said previously they need to employ security during the school holidays She presumed they were Island Escapers who'd booked the wrong cruise (maybe because it was cheaper than Discovery) as this was really a trip cruise for discerning travellers to major cities and not a beach cruise The ex Island Escapers seem to prefer the western Mediterranean as we found no problems in the Aegean/Adriatic or the Caribbean during summer/winter half term We had already moved cruise lines but decided to give Thomson another try recently. Although the crew were still great and really went out of their way to make sure everyone had a good time. It was some of the passengers that really spoiled it for us. What a rough crowd of people. The game shows in the evening were turned into a drunken rabble at times with groups of people who didn't even make the effort to change out of the clothes they sat around the pool with all day. Screaming and shouting,swearing, spilling drinks. We were so looking forward to trying the Discovery but as it is going to be AI not so sure now as we dread to think what it will be like with several hundred passengers drinking day and night. Nothing against drinking, we both enjoy a few drinks but some people really need to take a close look at their behaviour and be a bit more considerate of others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shot2bits Posted September 6, 2016 #8 Share Posted September 6, 2016 We had already moved cruise lines but decided to give Thomson another try recently. Although the crew were still great and really went out of their way to make sure everyone had a good time. It was some of the passengers that really spoiled it for us. What a rough crowd of people. The game shows in the evening were turned into a drunken rabble at times with groups of people who didn't even make the effort to change out of the clothes they sat around the pool with all day. Screaming and shouting,swearing, spilling drinks. We were so looking forward to trying the Discovery but as it is going to be AI not so sure now as we dread to think what it will be like with several hundred passengers drinking day and night. Nothing against drinking, we both enjoy a few drinks but some people really need to take a close look at their behaviour and be a bit more considerate of others. Sounds very much like our recent discovery cruise! Spend your hard earned wisely, book another line, most are cheaper anyway! Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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