Reviews of Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship, Thomson Destiny, Thomson Cruises

Just arrived back from our...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Sl Roberts

Comments:

Just arrived back from our cruise, eight of us ranging from 12 to 83.



Second time on this ship, first time Airtours Sunbird, good then but now a lot better, seemed cleaner and better organised.



Food brill as expected, 1 a veggie well catered for. If not then only too pleased to change and bring something else.



Cabins kept very clean with nice touches of folding sheets back and chocolates. Swans made from towels all staff very friendly and polite.



Went on shore on all places independently not a problem, even Agadir was ok and different to other places we have been.

After reading comments on here,...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Itinerary:

Island Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Dream-Master

Comments:

After reading comments on here, I thought this was a one to look forward to.

How wrong I was.



Our cabin was on the "select" 6th deck. Thomsons had entitled the Destiny as a "new" addition to their fleet.



They didn't tell a lie, because it is indeed a new addition of quite an old ship! Ex Airtours Sunbird... new name... well, at least that is new, which was in turn an ex Royal Carribean ship... with the telltale 360 degree Chart Room.



It wasn't a bad ship, in its day, but a few licks of paint can't hide the flaws.



Thomsons make money by the EXTRAS they charge;

£12 yes... that's twelve pound, for the loan of a cabin key for a basic protection of your valuables/cash/cards, via a little safe. Oh, the metal key doesn't morph into a litre of spirits... it just keeps its shape, and with 725 cabins on board, this is a nice "little earner" for Thomsons x 52 weeks each year.



My third doubt about the company came as we hit the relatively calm waters of the open sea, and the ship started to rock, (people prone to sea-sickness, avoid this tug like the plague), and it wasn't until the last day that I found the truth behind the "rock + roll".



Thomsons apparently don't give a damn about the welfare and enjoyment of the "units on board".



Again, this was borne out by their apparent inability to beam the important England matches both in Andorra, Israel and the West Indies... probably because they can't make anything out of giving a "free" service.



I got the score from one of the crew who admitted that he had plenty of access to sky.



We, the paying passengers got well short changed!



Food... did I hear someone say? This is the only cruise I have been on where there were no lobsters, crabs, prawns or steaks served at any al a carte meal.



So in summary, if you want to be fleeced.... we paid an extra £30 to pick our cabin, and paid an additional £150 for a nicer one, which proved to be another drab, narrow, poky claustrophobic one with separate bunk type singles... great for a couple.



If you like having a limited menu, missing out on the service provided by the rest of the cruising world, enjoy paying through the nose for something which is usually free on other ships, waking in the middle of the night to wild rolling almost throwing you out of "bed”, then get your sea sick tablets ready and book up for the Thomson rip-off brigade.



Better still... just send Thomsons the cash and don't go... they won't mind I'm sure!



No, I won't be going back, neither will the many that got seasick!

Just returned from our first...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss J.A Sheffield

Comments:

Just returned from our first cruise on the Thompson destiny ship colourful coasts I felt I had to write to give a balanced view of our week on board.



Staff very efficient. Tina was our cabin maid, she was excellent. I had swans and rabbits made from the towels and placed on my bed each night along with a chocolate. Nothing was too much trouble for her.



We ate in the seven seas restaurant at night. Mark was the head waiter what a memory he had for names, Romeo was our table waiter, the food was of a high quality with a varied menu.



Entertainment staff were first class, the shows varied and of a high standard, we did a back stage tour which was very enlightening. We thought the trips and photos were rather expensive, we went on two tours one to Maderia which is a must, and the other to Morocco. I agree with fellow passengers, give it a miss.



We ate in the lido during the day. The food was excellent the lido itself was a little dated.

Overall an excellent value for money holiday, we would have no hesitation in returning to this ship at a later date.

We returned from our second...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs S Jones

Comments:

We returned from our second cruise on a Thomson ship two weeks ago and can't wait to go again. After the calm of the Red Sea last year we did find the first night on board the Destiny to be rocky, the weather was quite bad and the ship rolled around but this was no fault of Thomson.



The food in the Seven Seas restaurant was excellent. We had the most wonderful wine waiter, Mihai, and two great waiters attending to our every need. I found the Lido a little disappointing after the Spirit, which had an indoor area as well, which would have been nice in the evening, but there was no problem with the food, either quality on quantity.



The cabin we had on Deck 3 was tiny but we only slept in it so was adequate. I would always pay to have an outside cabin if only for the daylight.



We enjoyed all the shows in the evenings. Yes the performers were all young and probably straight from stage school but they gave their heart and soul. I was particularly impressed by Gavin Murray. One evening the guest comedian was ill and Gavin stepped in to do a late night cabaret. He had a wonderful voice. Stephen Guy, the Cruise Director, was also a great singer.



If I have a complaint at all it is that the excursions are too expensive. When we stayed in Lanzarote about 6 years ago a trip on the submarine cost us £26 each (with Thomson!) but from the ship it was £48 each. Needless to say we didn't go.



Roll on 2008 and our next cruise (unless I win the lottery before that)

We had a reasonable cruise three...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Canaries

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Dr B G F Shepheard

Comments:

We had a reasonable cruise three years ago when the Destiny was Sunbird and we expected some improvement after the Thomson takeover. We were disappointed - there was hardly any change.



We were at first in cabin 2212. The engine noise and vibration was appalling at night. We tried to sleep for 4 hours and eventually took blankets and pillows to the the Can Can lounge to get three hours sleep. Our complaint was not at first dealt with sympathetically by reception but eventually we were moved to a cabin which was as quiet as we had had three years ago.



The technique to deal with people who complain about severe engine noise is



1) To say that nothing can be done as the ship is full and nobody had complained for a long time - why is it that the British do not complain.



2) People must expect engine noise after all this is a cruise ship. They did not ascertain if we had cruised before and of course we knew that a background noise is acceptable but a noise which prevents any sleep and shakes the bed so that earplugs are ineffective is not.



3) We threatened to leave the boat and make our own way home and sue Thomson for a cabin which was not 'fit for purpose' and we were moved.



My advice to anybody who thinks of sailing in Destiny is that unless you are stone deaf or likely to be dead drunk each night you must not accept cabins aft on deck two. Best not to book if that is all they have left. Some of the cabins aft on deck 3 were in my view also not acceptable.



My advice to Thomson. Do not use these cabins for sleeping - put something else there which is not a night-time activity. People whom I spoke to also found the noise levels unacceptable but did not complain. If they were first time cruisers they were put off the Destiny for good and probably would never cruise again. You are treating these people with contempt.

This is our 3rd time on the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Linda Foley

Comments:

This is our 3rd time on the Thomsons Destiny. Again we had a wonderful time.



Staff on all parts of the ship fantastic...you get first class entertainment. The 8 Thomsons show team and the host put a lot of hard work into the shows.



Which everyone enjoys also the quiz shows. Mr and Mrs Deal and No Deal nothing is a problem for these kids they work really hard for their money.



We will be back again on another route next year, thanks to you all.

Just arrived back from the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr F Gaffney

Comments:

Just arrived back from the Colourful Coasts cruise from Madeira.



We completed a lot of research before going and read a lot of comments about the ship, the cruise, and the resorts, but now we have been we have our own opinions.



The ship:

The ship is old and it does have water stains on some of the carpets, but do not be misled, the ship is immaculately turned out and constantly cleaned and polished.



The Entertainment:

Various comments of poor to amateurish performances, I found the performances to be ranging from merely entertaining to delightful and very professional, in fact I have paid to see worse. This is a new young team and they give their all.



The food:

The seven seas restaurant is 5*, a five course meal delightfully prepared and presented, you can go and get dressed up and eat from a varied selection of courses, excellent buffet or waiter service breakfast also, I would thoroughly recommend it.



The Lido cafe:

Is as it's described, its an open air cafeteria, the standard of food is once again excellent, it can get a little bit blustery this time of year and your food can go cold very quickly and you may struggle to get a seat as it seems to be very popular, wasn't for me but we are all different.



Poolside barbeque:

Better than the lido I thought, food once again excellent, steaks, burgers, hot dogs, baguettes, salads, nice sheltered seating area.



The accommodation:

We had a standard inside on deck 6, at first I thought it to be small but as others have commented it was more than adequate, no window made it a little bit dark in the mornings but at least we could put the two beds together to make a double and we were only in it to shower and get changed.



The resorts:

In general they were ok I think you should make the effort to take something from them all and resist the temptation to stay on the ship.



Agadir was a bit limited but worth a look if you have never been to north Africa, plenty of shopping in all the other resorts and a couple of nice beaches.



The Staff:

I have left this to the end because they are all marvellous, always smiling, friendly and helpful and it's not put on for show they really are a delight, 10 out of 10 for effort.



You will also meet some delightful people on board as well, the dining arrangements and drinking arrangements mean it's hard not to mix and even if you do not mix well, you will still enjoy their company, if not take yourself up to Blake’s where you can tuck yourself away in a corner and mellow out.



Minus points:

Smoking should be banned - this is an ocean liner and there are times when we can be hundreds of miles from anywhere and it only takes one moment of madness and she's alight!



Overall 10 out of 10, real value for money can be hard to find, and then look no further than the Thomson Destiny.

This was our first cruise and...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs C Lewis

Comments:

This was our first cruise and what a wonderful time we had!



Our outside cabin was on deck 4 - this was ideal as the reception desk and Seven Seas restaurant was on the same deck.



The cabin, although a bit small was adequate for our needs, the only fault was that the hairdryer was in the drawer and a bit awkward to use.



Our cabin stewardess Natalya was so cheerful and kept the cabin very clean.



The food in the Seven Seas restaurant was excellent and the waiters very pleasant, attentive and efficient - 100% service from them.



The shows in the Can Can lounge were exceptional and very professional.



Our return home was delayed because of snow back home. The airport staff kept us well informed of the situation.



Vouchers were given for food and then we were transferred to the Playa Paraiso hotel for the night.



We left the hotel at 6-15pm the following day for our flight back to Cardiff. This was a bonus!



We must congratulate Thomson on having such excellent staff i.e. cruise ship, airport staff and not forgetting the flight crew that gave up their day off to get us home safely.



This might have been our first cruise but it certainly won’t be our last.

Just returned from on 23 Feb....

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

colourful coasts

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr S Wood

Comments:

Just returned from on 23 Feb.



The ship: is in excellent condition, maintained to the highest standard and kept spotless.



Cabins are fine. Clean. Air conditioning is adjustable. Ensuite shower/toilet work well, white towels and hand towels are supplied; more orange towels are for the pool.



If you want to go to a beach take your own towel. A hair dryer is supplied. There is plenty of storage space for clothing.



Cabin entertainment consists of built in piped music, three channels to pick from. Tele showing a couple of films repeated throughout the day plus information, other sky /astra channels weren’t working during our cruise.



Failing all that you can always hear what’s going on in the cabin next to you!



There is no kettle – and one is not permitted in your room or an iron see cabin staff they are great. A bottle of water at a cost of £1.40 is supplied with glasses; you pay for the bottle if you open it.



You will need it if the air conditioning makes your throat a little dry. If you want a hot drink in your room.



My advice would be ring for cabin service and pay or take a flask or one of those insulated mugs with a lid to carry your drink from the lido cafe.



My orange mobile worked fine in every port and some distance off islands, even in Agadir. If you need to charge your mobile phone, re charge camera batteries then the 110v socket can be used.



The tele in the cabin is 240 volts, it has twin pin socket, get an adaptor £3.50 from on board shop. I found an extension lead behind the tele with two spare sockets. Other used the adaptor in the hallway sockets



Food is plentiful and great, two sittings in the seven seas works well.



The entertainment cabaret in the can can lounge was first class and not to be missed, other entertainment in the Oklahoma could be cheesy at times – a compare is worth avoiding, whether in the Oklahoma in the evenings or by the pool during the days, he’ll make you cringe and is often rude trying to get cheap laughs – he’s the only one that finds it funny.



We didn’t go on any organised trips but went ashore independently. This was fine following good advice on this site. There is usually a briefing the day before in the can can lounge using PowerPoint.



Gavin from the destination team does this; he is very nervous and normally cannot string a sentence together, when he rarely does expect numerous ums. The independent traveller briefing sheet is adequate.



Agadir was interesting. Two taxis white big ones can go anywhere; orange ones can only stay in the city. 4 of us paid £20.00. (Fiver each) and went in a white taxi to a souk, to the beach for a paddle and mint tea, then to the Kasbah. We were taken to an argon oil shop, a well trodden route by all white taxis.



All in all Agadir was pretty grim; the view from the Kasbah was worth it.



A daily news sheet is very useful for information on what is happening it describes dress for the evening in the seven seas, formal, smart, etc and describes what is expected.



It’s not hard, the seven seas restaurant is top restaurant, smart dress is required, one dark suite and a tie of bow tie is all you need for the men, a cocktail dress for the ladies, but alas they still turned up in jeans and t shirts with their Vicky Pollard look alike partners, disrespecting the whole experience.



I was disappointed they were not turned away.



On board service from non white European looking staff was always warm, friendly, genuine and engaging.



Eastern European staff on the other hand provided a service that was mainly cold un engaging, ignorant and sometimes rude, most rarely managed even to smile. There were some exceptions.



Some Eastern European staff clearing tables etc would often be observed avoiding work and watching out for supervisors in white uniforms. Looking busy when one approached relaxing when they had gone.



The wife and I drank at least five cocktails or equivalent a night each. Would have had to drink double that to make the all inclusive worth it.



All in all a great holiday highly recommended.

Like many other people checking...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr Jay & Paul 

Comments:

Like many other people checking this site, we were slightly concerned about our first cruise experience, but we needn’t have worried, it was fantastic!



We are two 37 yr old guys and not once did we feel out of place.



The ship was big enough for you to get away from it all or small enough to be in the thick of it.



Food was excellent; though dining in the outside Lido cafe was an experience, due to the strong winds. Be prepared to put on weight or visit the Oceans gym every day!



The staff were excellent, especially Helen and Miro in the Clipper bar and Wint our cabin attendant. Nothing was too much trouble and they work long long hours!



We went on 2 shore excursions, Taste of Madeira which was excellent and the Morocco Souk and Medina shopping trip.



The Medina was excellent, however forget the Souk, it was, well, I will say different! Get a taxi to the Medina yourself from the ship, its well worth it, some real hand made jewellery bargains.



The entertainment was ok, mainly catered for an older market, though some of the singers were excellent.



We booked an outside cabin on deck 6, however it was no different from some of the lower cabins, in fact an expert cruiser told us to book a room in the centre of the ship on a lower floor, and you get less rocking!



Weather wasn’t great and it was a little rocky at night but as you had downed a few beers you are ok!



Overall it was an excellent holiday, great value and great service.

Hi all back from the Red Sea...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

andynumpty

Comments:

Hi all back from the Red Sea cruise & stay in Sharm. Here are my views about the holiday.



1 The boat is not very modern but the staff are always cleaning making it appear clean & comfortable.



2 Staff - very polite & helpful. Restaurant, bar & cabin staff 10/10. A small tip to the one's you encounter a lot means a lot to these low paid hard workers even though Thomson say the tips are included.



3 Entertainment - the Thomson staff do a good job of making your stay as enjoyable as possible. The shows are ok, quizzes pass the day & the comedian we had, Andy 'somebody', was very funny.



4 Food - 10/10.



There are 4 main eating areas. The a la cart restaurant (we did not try this as it was an extra £15 per person per meal).



Main waiter served restaurant, very good food & service, ask to sit at Larry's table he'll look after you. The portions are not big but the meal is spread over 5 courses so it will fill you.



Buffet restaurant; take some elastic waistband pants because you will put weight on. The food is very good at every different meal time through-out the day. (Try the pork pies there great)



Out-side eating area to rear of boat serving food all day from pizza's, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, kebab’s, etc.



5 Itinerary - not impressed to be honest. The ship was docked more time than it was sailing. The places that it did stop where remote industrial docks & unless you did the trips stopping on the boat was the only option.



The organised trips we did, Cairo-pyramids & museum, Valley of the Kings, where £70 per person per trip, where long days 12-15 hrs. But included a good guide, secure transport & a decent meal.



6 Cabin - smallish but adequate, well cleaned twice daily but walls very thin, all noises can be heard from other cabins.



All in all if you want to go & see Egypt I would recommend a Nile cruise, as you see more of the country every day, sailing down the Nile & usually the trips are included in the price.



As for the ship, after speaking to other travellers it is better to go on a separate tour which travels to a different location every day where you can also get off for a look around, the med is meant to be a good one.



We then had a week stay in the Tropicana Garden Palms in Sharm.

Andy.

Our cruise was for a week on the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr G Morgan

Comments:

Our cruise was for a week on the Thomson destiny. We boarded on 2/2/07 and all in all we found it to be excellent.



We ate mostly in the Seven Seas restaurant, where we found the food and waiter service to be excellent.



The shows in the can lounge were also very good.



Our cabin was an outside cabin, on deck three, with a picture window. It was a bit on the small side but more than adequate for our needs.



The cabin was cleaned twice daily and the beds were rolled back each evening, with a chocolate placed on each pillow.



There was food available all day and night and there was plenty of entertainment on board each day and night.



We found the crew very helpful and polite.



We liked it that much we have booked another cruise with our friends and start our cruise on 16/3/07.

Just returned from this cruise...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs C Warren

Comments:

Just returned from this cruise and had to write to say how good it was and what great value for money.



We had read some bad and some good reviews before going, so were a bit apprehensive but thoroughly enjoyed it.



Particularly the very professional entertainment team, the shows every night were second to none and the team also worked hard during the day with other activities - what energy!



We took my 87 yr old mother and her friend with us and they enjoyed themselves very much and had lots of attention from their waiters and cabin staff.



On the day we were leaving we knew that our airport was closed due to snow so were prepared for a long delay.



Thomson staff were very helpful and kept us informed of the situation as much as possible and eventually transferred us to a nice hotel in Tenerife, where we had use of the room until we were due to leave at 6.15pm the following day.



We can't believe how some passengers were rude and complaining about the situation when they had a bonus day holiday.



Well done Thomson, we've never travelled with you before but certainly will again.

Never had a desire to cruise...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Ms S Skellon

Comments:

Never had a desire to cruise prior to our trip but what a fantastic holiday.



I don’t think I've ever met so many people happy at their work, so eager to please and such a desire to make our holiday special.



I don't make a habit of commenting on my experiences in this manner but feel I have to congratulate all the staff on board the Destiny.



The food, facilities, cleanliness and just the whole experience was excellent.



Currently in the process of booking our next cruise - can't wait!!!!



Thank you so very much.

I have just read the reviews on...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Mediterranean Renaissance, Jewels o

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss K Ross

Comments:

I have just read the reviews on this website and felt compelled to add mine.



Myself and 3 of my friends, all in our early 20s, were on the Thomson Destiny for a 2 week cruise in late august 2006.



Subsequently we have booked again for this year as we had such an AMAZING time.



We cannot recommend the ship enough. As four young females we were slightly sceptical but after only a few hours onboard the ship, any fears we had were laid to rest.



We found the staff exceptional; everyone made us feel extremely welcome! Our table service was outstanding, and our waiters were very attentive to such a fussy eater as myself. Every meal was delicious, and the entertainment from the waiters was an added delight!



The ports of call were fantastic and we saw some truly beautiful places e.g. Rome, Capri, Florence, Corsica and Monte Carlo!! For two of the days I did not leave the ship and found that even on my own, I could not be bored as there was constantly something to do, with the on-deck entertainment, or in the gym, or in one of the bars or lounges!



The night time entertainment was fantastic. I was unsure at first as am not a huge fan of cabaret acts or game shows but my mind was soon changed. The game shows, I found highly entertaining and amusing thanks to the hilarious assistant cruise director (Gavin), and his team!



The Elton John show was also very entertaining and I have to give special praise to the lead singer of the show!!



The deck parties were an amazing experience which we thoroughly enjoyed, I would never have believed that anyone would get me to march around the deck to 'Amarillo' but I was so caught up in the fun that I did it without embarrassment!



Every night we had a cocktail in each bar as we loved them all so much that we couldn't choose just one. We spent each night in the Oklahoma lounge late night disco, hosted by the fabulous Mark who was very attentive to our requests, and finished each evening in the 24hour lido deck which served fantastic food 24/7.



I would strongly recommend the Thomson Destiny for any young 20 something’s who are fed up with 18-30 holidays and are looking for something a bit special. It was definitely the best holiday we have ever had!



I couldn't find any fault with the ship at all except to say that the hairdryers took forever to dry my hair!



A special thanks to Gavin (Assistant Cruise Director), mark (D.J), Gabriel (head waiter), Ajay (our table waiter), Slava (Blakes bar man), Roger (Can Can waiter), Jose (Clipper Waiter), Tony (Sky-Bar bar man), Bill (Pianist), Club 5 (Resident band), and Alex (Oklahoma waiter), for making our holiday the most amazing ever.



Good luck for this season, and we hope to see you all this year when we go our cruise!