1st time Thomson

[wilow 03]

I am thinking of booking a cruise to norway although I have heard some mixed reviews on thomson,I really fancy giving it a try.I have sailed with NCL and costa ,NCL was brilliant,costa was ok but unless the price was right don`t think i would do it again.can anyone give me advice.thanks.

[Tipsy252]

I have just booked the Thomson Celebration, Red Sea Magic for 28 Feb next year. As you can see by my signature I have also cruised other lines, this is my first on Thomson. The itinerary was what prompted this and the price wasn't bad. I'll post a review of this cruise later as I agree, there don't seem to be many reviews around for the Thompson ships. Sorry I can't help. BTW I loved Costa and would cruise with them in a heartbeat if I could:D

[jenny wren]

We have had three Thomson cruises and another one booked for June 2008. Have just returned from Celebration's repositioning cruise...she is now doing the Red Sea Magic itinerary.....I think with Thomson you get really good value for money. Tips are included in the price...the food and entertainment is excellent, the staff on the Celebration are all Philipino...so polite and friendly...in fact this ship is probably the most friendly we've been on...we've also done Costa and Princess lines.

 

Our cabin was fine...deck 6 forward of midships....but i know some people near the rear of the ship were complaining of vibrations and we did notice it when we were in the show lounge.

 

All the public areas are comparable with other ships in my opinion, there were a few noisy passengers who appear to drink their all inclusive allowance from morning til night !!! but you probably get these on all ships and they could be avoided...

 

There is a choice of formal or informal dining so if you have had a long excursion during the day you can go to the buffet for the evening meal.

 

As I say all in all very good value for money and some good itineraries to try!

[sobral]

I have sailed with Thomson for 5 years now and I agree with other posts- excellent value for money by comparison with the other extortionate cruise ships!

Food excellent- varied choice, staff wonderful, entertainment first class- public areas very good, Captain's Cocktail nights on first day at sea very nice, sailing away deck parties good. I am sure you will enjoy your cruise!

[Shelledpea]

We sailed on The Emerald last year with our two children and had an excellent time.

 

Food is of a very high standard and with the tips and free all inclusive upgrades it means these cruises offer really excellent value for money.

 

Childrens club was well structured and all the entertainment was varied and not too in your face.

 

We have booked to sail on the red sea magic itinerary on 3rd Jan 08 as the price was excellent. (PS Staff, food drinks and entertainment were all far superior to what we received on board Costa Concordia)

 

 

Shelley

[pigandlamb]

If you like holiday camps or working mens clubs with hospital food you will love the celebration. I personally dont and would therefore not return. the staff on the otherhand are the only saving grace. They were delightful.

[Daisy16178]

Stear clear of any Thomson cruise ships. They are distinctly 2-3 star. My husband and I went on the Celebration 18 months ago and it was enough to put you off cruising for life. Thankfully we'd cruise 7 times before, but this ship should be named the Titanic. It was dreadful. It broke down in Harwich on the way to Amsterdam before getting 5 minutes out of the port and then on the way back it broke down again in Brugge for 24 hours!! Fine if you have no work the following day but some passengers were having to request flights back to England. The ship was grubby and our cabin so noisy that I was glad to be back home. I hardly slept for the 3 days the mini cruise took. I've not booked a Thomson cruise since and have no intention of ever doing so again. If you have been on NCL then you simply cannot compare to the Celebration. NCL cabins are wonderful. Stick to them or even Royal Caribbean as they are very good.

[Andym]

Daisy,

You join the same day you post and your only two posts and both slag off Thomson.

If you had posted elswhere on other occasions, people would take you a bit more seriously.

For what you pay on Thomson, you get excellent value for money. The ships are older but kept spotlessly clean and tidy and the staff couldn't do better,

 

 

You aren't related to pigandlamb by any chance are you?

[supered]

For what you pay on Thomson, you get excellent value for money. The ships are older but kept spotlessly clean and tidy and the staff couldn't do better

Couldn't have put it better myself Andy!

[jenny wren]

If you like holiday camps or working mens clubs with hospital food you will love the celebration. I personally dont and would therefore not return. the staff on the otherhand are the only saving grace. They were delightful.

 

I haven't been to a holiday camp or to a working mens club so can't compare !! and some hospitals have excellent food...but I was on the Celebration this November for two weeks where the food was excellent in the main restaurant...different menus for the whole two weeks, well cooked and served and tasty....the shows were also excellent ....different every night, and our cabin on the Promenade deck was very spacious, clean and comfortable. I have also been on the Emerald and Spirit over the past three years and found nothing to complain about. Their cruises are excellent value for the price you pay..remembering of course that tips are included.

[pooch75]

Was on the Celebration last month for the Red Sea Magic and it was great. The ship is lovely, the staff so friendly and helpful. There were some areas of the ship we avoided (the pool area and Liberties bar) but there are some great places on board (Horizons Bar, the Casino :D)

 

The Meridian Restaurant was nicer than the Lido buffet but you had lots of choice at the buffet. Didn't try Zillis.

 

I have just booked the cruise to Iceland/Norway/Faroe Islands (Fire and Ice Cruise) and it's the Celebration which I'm happy with.

 

Hope this helps

[sobral]

I agree with Andym comments- a true Thomson fan- get what you pay for and as for Butlins entertainment- the show team are all performing Arts graduates and since I know a thing or two about performing arts, they are fist class

[jamiedog11]

Hi,

 

I am going on the Destiny on the 24th Jan, i cant wait, i just love this ship and the people sure make's up going down a star from Royal Caribean.

I have been on several Royal Caribean ships which i know are a lot newer but give me the thomsom cruisers (people) any day.

[dreamracer2005]

I was on the Thomson Celebration last year when she came thru the Suez Canal, onto Egpyt, Libya, Naples and Barcelona on her way back to Europe for a refit before she started the summer season, the food was excellent, so were the staff.

 

I went on two trips one to some ancient ruins in Libya and the war memorial in egpyt (very moving) this gave one chance to pay their respects, both were very good, in this day and age you get what you pay for!! afterall can I ask how many people have seen Libya or been thru the Suez Canal (such a sight and history) not many so it nice to have been somewhere unusual and interesting! the people were so welcoming.

 

Cruise ships sometimes have problems but so do cars and buses and planes!! its part of travelling, myself being a frequent traveller I never experience too many problems with any mode of transport, if your a day late home your a day late home its not the end of the world!! think oneselves lucky in being able to travel in the first place. Also everything is so so much bigger on this mode of transport so needs specialist skills and parts, show some respect to people who work hard to keep these ships at sea! which is no easy task.

 

I also made friends with 4 other ladies travelling on their own as cruising is excellent for single travellers. Thomson organised a get together for the single travellers (mixed group), some of whom were on holiday while their husbands stayed at home as they liked travel and their partners didn't. In fact I spent the rest of the evenings dining in their company (age group varied from 40s-late 60/70s).

 

Only disppointment was being bused off to Salou lunchtime on the last day whereas all of us had expected to stay in Barcelona, this was all I could complain about.

 

Charlotte

[Shelledpea]

Just returned from the Celebration & am distinctly disappointed.

 

The quality of the food was now where near that of the Emerald and the casino staff were down right rude.

 

Asked around and found out that it is the only ship in Thomson fleet not run by Louis cruise lines ~ & doesn't it show.

 

Staff were good all through the ship some were outstanding~ we were looking at the canaries cruise with Thomson next January but as it would be this ship again we aren't going to bother.

 

Shelley

[chris1950]

i agree with all the good comments about thompsons cruise we have cruised with thompsons for years and can say we enjoyed everyone never had a bad meal or bad port of call.the staff have always been bril.true the ships are not brand new or large but are very clean.we sailed with ocean village once and didnt find it a patch on thompsons only the cabin was better but u only slleep in them and wash.we are going with star lines this year only because we want to cruise asia as we done alll the med. i can reconmend the black sea cruise on the calypso the ports of call were superb

[Rambler12]

I have been on two Thomson cruises- Celebration (06 Norwegian Fjords) and Destiny (07 Med). I found the standard of the ships, service and food very high and friendly. I would say the ships which are 20 odd years old are well maitained, small compared to newer ships and traditional rather than modern and glitzy.

 

The entertainment was of a good standard and drink prices similar to pub prices.

 

Being older ships the cabin sizes are acceptable but some newer ships have larger ones.

 

The excursions are expensive but about the same as other cruise lines. You pay for convenience and the knowledge that the ship will not leave until you return if the tour is delayed.

 

Franlky I also cruised with Holland America to Alaska. I had no complaints. HAL is also a traditional style of cruise and the main difference, in my opinion, was the size of the cabin (HAL are known for their larger cabins) and the greater choice of food. I found the quality of the food similiar.

 

Price wise I think Thomson is good value but there is not a lot of difference between Thomson these days and HAL, Carnival, RCL and NCL if booked through a discount agent. Other well known cruise lines with main bases in the UK seem to me to be far more expensive than Thomson.

[jamiedog11]

Hi,

I am on the destiny now and all i can say is that i am having a great time the people the crew the weather all good, ( a little windy today).

first sitting is 6.45 and late is 8.45.

 

carol

[sevbev]

My son and daughter in law cruised to Norway on the celebration 2 years ago and loved it.

They have also cruised the med on spirit and also enjoyed it a huge amount.

They have since cruised on Queen Mary 2 and said that Thomson was just as good in terms of service, great food and entertainment......so you will love Thomson.

[Dorset Cruiser]

We have cruised several times with Thomson and each one has been excellent value for money. The itineraries are great and the staff and entertainment as good as any you get on the more expensive cruise lines. I have to say I found the food a bit iffy but that is just down to personal choice - hundreds of other passengers love it. In fact, we used the a la carte restaurant on Celebration for a celebration meal and it was every bit as good as ANY restaurant we have been to - excellent food and excellent service.

 

If anyone is planning a Thomson cruise, I would recommend going for the de-luxe cabins. They are on deck 7 and 8 (if I remember correctly). They are huge and have a full bathroom, mini-bar etc. Well worth the extra expense. And - if you are lucky enough to get Geir Larssen as your Captain (especially on the Fjords cruises) you will have a great time - he is absolutely ace:D :D

[welsh cruiser]

My husband and I are taking our first ever cruise on the emerald in june 08 - both nervous having had different opinions given - anyone travelled on the ship and can give us up to date info - do we get tea and coffee making facilities in the cabins and are there plugs for my hairdryer etc. help small things but important to us

[jenny wren]

We were on the Emerald in 2006 and loved it! We did the Aegean and the Adriatic for two weeks and it was one of our best cruises out of seven!! the ship is an elderly lady but was clean and very comfortable and the staff were excellent, food excellent and entertainment superb so what more could one want!!!! Thomson don't do tea and coffee in cabin but there is free tea and coffee 24 hours a day in the buffet area. there will be a hairdryer already there, either in the bathroom or in a drawer of the dressing table (I cant remember which) It is only 110 volts on the Emerald so I don't know about hair straighteners and some mobile phone chargers need 220 volts but actually mine worked fine. the camera and camcorder chargers were both dual voltage so they worked fine also, but it is worth checking.

[taylaboo]

Hi we did our first cruise on the Celebration in November and got hooked. We are also doing the Emerald in June. The Pearls of the Aegean on 13th.

Thomsons are such good value for money. Pity they are retiring the Emerald in October. Just glad we booked before she leaves the fleet. You won't be disappointed if the cruise is anything like the Celebration. We booked two days after we got back!!

Regards

Taylaboo

[Swerve]

My husband and I are taking our first ever cruise on the emerald in june 08 - both nervous having had different opinions given - anyone travelled on the ship and can give us up to date info - do we get tea and coffee making facilities in the cabins and are there plugs for my hairdryer etc. help small things but important to us

 

 

We've always taken a travel kettle and an adaptor.............never had any problems and that first cuppa in the morning in bed is to die for ;)

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

ps: If you drink a particular brand of coffee or tea take a supply of satchets otherwise the hot beverages on board are ok. We drink weak Earl Grey no milk or sugar so take a good supply of EG T-Bags.

[cruiseanywhere2]

Hi been on Spirit, Celebration and Destiny going on the Calypso in September, also cruised with P&O and Ocean Village and can honestly say that in terms of food, friendliness and overall fun Thomson are the best.

 

I have come across people who complained but they all seemed to be serial moaners and could start an argument in an empty room, or just plain snobs who should stick to their black ties and tuxedos.

 

Thomson have fabulous itineraries and Ger Larson is brill and he gets the ship into Flam dock and no-one else can you have to tender.

 

Ignore the jibes, enjoy yourself and go with an open mind and determination to have fun. By the way myself and my husband are both professional people in our fifties.