Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

2 readers found this review helpful

Just came back from a week long cruise on the Destiny. It was so great we're booking again next year. We are in our forties and our daughter is eleven. There were plenty of people of all ages and social backgrounds and we enjoyed the mix. Our daughter found a friend almost immediately and had a wonderful time. She didn't want to try the Kidzone although they all looked like they were having a ball.
The food was lovely and plentiful. We ate in the Seven Seas restaurant every evening except our first evening on board. The queue snaked too far back to bother so we ate in the Lido. It was fine but preferred the waiter service, although the Lido did a fantastic Indian buffet one night which we thoroughly enjoyed. The gala evening was lovely and you do not have to wait for photos to be taken if you don't want to.
The entertainment was amazing - really good quality singing and shows. The entertainment staff put on so many different forms of entertainment that I cannot imagine anyone getting bored. There was live singing in the piano bar, game shows in another show lounge, the main show in the Can Can Show Lounge, music on the Lido, the Casino, films were shown, dance classes, behind-the-scenes tours, to name but a few things to keep people amused. No-one pesters you to join in like in many hotels and resorts.
The bedrooms are small but adequate for sleeping, showering and changing. We had an outside room on the 3rd deck near the rear of the ship. We could hear the engines but it didn't keep us awake at night. We had rough weather around Menorca and couldn't dock. Many people were sea sick that day including myself (you can get tablets from Reception and they do work), but found we didn't get as much "roll" on this deck as you do higher up the ship. The weather overall wasn't sunbathing weather but nice for sightseeing - not too hot. We had a little rain in Sardinia and as said, bad weather the day we were meant to dock in Mahon.
We did Cannes, Florence, Pisa and Rome as organised tours, Sardinia we did ourselves. There are some lovely little shops in town. We were not surprised or disappointed by the cost of the organised tours. It was realistic for what Thomson always charge for their trips. I would certainly book trips next time we cruise as you get a guide all the way. The one thing I wish I had known beforehand is that you have to buy a reservation ticket to see some of the art galleries and to go up the tower at Pisa. On the whole the tours were well paced and informative. A note on Rome - hardly any public loos available so take advantage of every available stop even if you feel like you're queueing for ever - you will regret it if you miss the oportunity.
Just a thought on flight times. Depending on where you fly from you could get around an extra day and a half more time on holiday and tours compared to others. Better an early arrval and a late departure than a late arrival and an early departure. We missed the opportunity for tours on the last day because of our flight times.
We did get an all inclusive upgrade within the cost of our holiday. We wouldn't have paid for it as we would not have spent that much on drinks - and we didn't hold back, but we didn't binge on drinks either. If you're planning to do a load of tours you're not going to be on the ship much to whack up a bill worth over £400.00 for two adults and a child. Book a cruise and enjoy being pampered.
Roll on 2009!

4 readers found this review helpful

This review is for people like us who had never cruised before - hopefully it will answer a lot of questions.
We have just returned from the Moorish Delights on the Destiny and had a brilliant time. From arriving at Palma, we were on the ship and having lunch within 2hrs, the transfer from plane to ship is very well organised and no feeling of pressure.
The cabins are small and as there where 4 of us (2 adults and 2 teenagers) it was cramped but we only washed, slept and changed in there and by the end of the week we had a very good system going! The cabin was kept immaculate by Anna, who came in twice a day to tidy and make the beds(fold the bunks away so making the cabin feel more spacious and the bottom beds into settees),and at night they are turned down and a chocolate is left on your pillow and an animal shape made from towels on some nights. We where in an inside cabin on the 3rd deck and the only thing we can say against it was you didn't know what the weather was when you woke, i.e was it sunny, overcast etc.but other than that no problem. Never heard the engines or when the ship was docking - we where towards the front, room 3057.
The ship looks it age but the crew work very hard to make sure it is always clean, tidy and welcoming, so you don't notice it. The shows in the Can Can lounge and the Oklahoma lounge where very good and kept us occupied for most of the evening after our meal. The entertainment team are very professional and make you feel that this was the first time that they had ever done this show, they do it with such enthusiasm. If you didn't want to see any shows then there where numerous other bars that you could go for some quiet time or the casino. I have read that people say you can't escape the quizzes on the pool deck during the day, but we found that if you sunbathed at the front of the ship above the pool bar then you couldn't hear the quiz and it was quite quiet at times.Sunbeds can be found but sometimes you do have to look..... hard for them. The food was very good and plentiful, we ate every night in the Seven seas(its nice to dress up a bit), we sat with another family with 2 teenagers and became very good friends with them. All other meals we ate in the Lido or from the pool deck bbq. There was a constant stream of waiters checking if you required a drink so you never needed to get up from your sunbed unless you wanted to. The trips could be expensive, especially with 4 (although under 16's are half price)but we did one at Casablance and found that it was very informative and well worth the money as we had no hassle from the locals - we did hear from others who had done their own thing that they had quite a bit of hassle from taxi drivers to shop keepers. Gibralta we got on a minibus on the quay side which was £80 for the 4 of us but this included the entrance to the caves, tunnels,nature reserve (where the apes are) and dropped you off either in town or took you back to the ship, cheaper than the ships excursion. Everywhere else we did our own thing. The Chocoholics buffet is a must - to see and eat!! It was nice to dress up for the Captians Gala night and to see others doing the same it made the night more magical.
You are left a cruise news everynight under your door which explains where we are going the following day and also what is happening on the ship if you want to stay aboard.
We decide against the AI as for us it would have been approx £460 and we were glad we did as our final bill came to just on £400 and that included £100 for excursion in casablanca and we drank what we wanted, when we wanted, even a couple of cocktails ! so we we're very pleased. With 2 teenagers (14/15) I was worried that they could order alcohol but soon realised that when they have to sign their ordering slip it actually states their age, so they can only drink alcohol if an adult buys it!
We had one bad night at sea but then I had read that other ships had the same so it was nothing to do with Thomson - most the time you forget your on the ship just the occassional movement reminds you, but then you can have a couple of drinks and then you don't know if its you or the ship!!
We would love to go back again, it is a holiday that can be as laid back or as hectic as you make it - its up to you.

1 reader found this review helpful

We had a great time on our recent cruise and i couldn´t fault a thing. Excellent value for money and the food, service & entertainment (especially comedian steve walls) were all spot on. Kane davies the cruise director was fantastic and made our holiday! Will definately return. Sorry for the lady & family who didn´t enjoy it, maybe you should take your kids to butlins, just a thought!!

1 reader found this review helpful

had our first cruise in july so didnt know what to expect but we were very
suprised any thing we needed the crew helped
the cabin girl was magic she kept our cabin spotless
we did 14 days on the ship and enjoyed every port exept cassablanca we thought it was dirty and the people very intimdating and we couldnt wait to get back on board
very disapointed because this was one port i really wanted to visit
but the rest of the holiday was great the weather was fantastic and we will be doing it again in 2009

4 readers found this review helpful

just returned from the destiny stayed on a stay and cruise med rean i love the forum and was on every couple of days this was our first cuise both myself mum and two sons well im not one for moaning but my entire holiday was a nightmare never again first of all the talayot hotel lovely on the beach food brill but no disrespect if your over sixy then you have won a watch kids were the only ones there and was told after arriving not suitable for under 16 but i would say not suitable for the under 50s everything was closed at 10pm and nothing for the boys to do then embarked on the ship on the 2nd october and thought now the holiday starts again my youngest was a bit to old for kids club although stated to the age of 12 hes 11 the oldest was 8 and for the 14 year old was told there was only ping pong or basket ball which is outside cant help the weather but very choppy the week i was there so only thing we could do was watch the incabin movie until the cabaret show started so two very unhappy boys cabins was a nightmare paid for 4 got a room size no bigger than my bathroom for 2 with two bunks above that got pulled down at night nightmare paid a fortune for the excursions just to get off the ship and something to do dont get me wrong if the only thing you wanted to do was eat then you won the lottery and the staff were brill a holiday is what you make of it and i never complain but feel the need to now as i paid 2.500 for the nightmare which is a lot of money when everyone was miserable we spoke to a few people and they all had the same feeling arriving at the docks we seen the other cuise ships and i would say the noweigan gem looks fantastic compared to destiny and kid friendly with loads to do as spoke to a few of the passengers slides climbing wall video games bowling ally so sorry thomson get a grip and do something more exciting for the kids its there holiday to and dont send them to a hotel that caters only for the elderly

3 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from a one week cruise on the Thomson Destiny, The wife and I flew to Palma Majorca where we boarded the Cruise ship. Very streamlined process of registering our bank details (cashless ship)We were each given a Thomson payment card which was used to buy everything:Trips, Perfume, Photographs and drinks at the numerous bars. Drinks were cheaper than our local pub. (We didn't buy the all inclusive drinks package...to dear). Once on-board we were escorted to our outside cabin by the the very very friendly staff. The cabin (deck 2) was superb, 2 single beds that folded away or made into a sofa, ample space for suitcases and hanging clothes and although the bathroom was small it was superb, the shower was powerful and no matter what time of day we used it there was always plenty of very hot water (the shower curtain has a mind if its own)If anything the bathroom is showing the ships age, some delamination of the wash basin and the metal runner near the door bottom was rusting. But beds were comfy with extra blankets and pillows if required.
Meals:
An endless supply of food 24/7 great choices in all of the different eateries. The food was well presented in the buffet areas with the menus changing throughout the day, cream teas are a must!!!
The main restaurant "The Seven seas" was either buffet or waiter service for all meals except the main evening meal, both sittings for the evening meal were fixed seating and waiter service, all very good if you like the people you are sat with (we enjoyed the company at our table and after a few evenings together we would then sit together at one of the cabaret shows)A great thing is that all different walks of life come together for dinner, no matter what cabin or deck you are on. If you don't like the people you are sat with you can always ask to be moved to another table.
Good quality, well cooked and presented food at every meal, not 5 star but very very close.
Shows:
The after dinner shows were exceptional, no idea how this talented dance group could sing and dance while our ship sailed through a force 8 storm...Bravo.
An English guest comedian gave 2 shows during our cruise, although some of his jokes were a bit dated, his quick wit and audience participation were brilliant.
On deck:
Lots of places on deck(s)to sit or lay to soak up the sunshine, ample wooden deck chairs and sun loungers, the swimming pools were small. All areas had waiters walking round to replenish the Stella glass if required. Lots going on throughout the day to keep us entertained, from quizzes to staff competitions, Downside to the deck entertainment was that it could be heard in all deck areas.
The deck areas were constantly being cleaned and on some occasions being painted.
Excursions:
The 2 of us went on 3 excursions, Monaco, Pisa & Rome I thought these were quite expensive for what we got out of them (except Rome which is a must see)3 trips cost £260....
Monaco £29 each. 4 hour excursion
We anchored of Villefranche were we were tendered ashore, we then had a 40 minute coach ride through Monaco to Monte Carlo. fantastic to see the Harbour, Casino, Cafe du Paris and the Formula 1 circuit. Next time we will get a taxi/bus into Monaco.
Pisa £33 each. 4 hour excursion
The ship docked at Marina di Carrara, this is a container ship port, not very pretty, it is a very long walk into the town of Carrara, we walked for more than an hour and never reached the town, the route to town is grafitti covered and not very impressive. we then got on our coach to Pisa. Pisa is a lovely walled town and the leaning tower is a must see, we walked around for a few hours down the very old narrow streets..beautiful.
Downside was the numerous street sellers, selling watches and sunglasses, they would not take NO for an answer, we had to be quite rude to get rid of them. There is also an immediate 500 Euro fine if you are caught buying their fake products.
Rome £68 each. 10 hour excursion
The ship docked at Civitavecchia, a large ferry terminal, a 90 minute coach ride got us into Rome, we thought this was great value for money, first stop was the Colosseum (we didn't go in, another £50)this really is a fantastic site the guide who stayed with us all day long was an Italian called Paul. very very knowledgeable.
We then walked through the sites of Rome seeing the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon & Venice Square were we had an hours free time to grab some lunch. The small back street cafes off the main square are a great place to eat real Italian food and very cheap. We then got back on the coach for a short ride to The Vatican. The Vatican is very impressive and a tour guide is essential to explain its history.
We thought this tour was great value for money as so many of Rome' sites were explored. you could spend a week in Rome and still not see everything.
Other stops include Sardinia were we docked at another container port to go to Olbia, a smart but very expensive town, we walked round for an hour and then went back on board to relax and sunbath, a very hot day.
The next day we docked alongside the town of Mahon in Menorca, this is a beautiful town, and only a short walk from the ship, we spent the afternoon walking round the many shops and bars.
As we had a late flight in and an early flight out we saw nothing of Palma, except from the bus window but it looked clean and busy with a large marina.
Overall:
We had a great cruise, especially the rough force 8 crossing through the Bay of Lions (South of France). Most people on board were of pension age (we did go outside of school holidays) everybody we spoke to was very friendly and came from all walks of life, the Destiny although quite old is in good condition, the crew and staff were exceptional as was the food. This was our first cruise and met all of our expectations, not at all holiday camp (which we were dreading). The next time we cruise we would go earlier in the year to get some guaranteed sunshine.

1 reader found this review helpful

what a holiday. we went on this ship when it was sunbird about 6years ago and was great then but i have to admit was even better as a thomson ship. the reps on the ship were absolutely brilliant, our only complaint was that we did not get to see any professional shows as could not be seated together but the oklahoma lounge was great. morrocco was the worse stop but we just got back on the ship. facilities and staff on ship were excellent would definately go back again only for two weeks this time.

1 reader found this review helpful

Had a fantastic time on the Destiny, Ive been on 6 cruises before, but the staff and crew were absolutely fantastic. The food was excellent and well served. Although the cabin was the smallest ive slept in (inside) it still didnt stop the enjoyment of the cruise. Did most of the tours ourselves which saved quite a bit money to spend on other things. But all in all would definately recommend to others.
Just booked the Celebration for next year, hope its as good.

1 reader found this review helpful

I have just returned from my second cruise and second time on the Destiny! This cannot be faulted!
As soon as I returned home last year we bookedthe next day to go again, and it was worth it!
We chose this week as a certain young comedian named Kev Orkian was the UK guest star for the week! We saw him last year and just had to see him again! I would pay double what I paid for the cruise to see him on one of his tours! He is fantastic and the Can Can Lounge was packed out!
Last year we had an outside cabin on deck 4 but didnt find payng the extra for an outside was worh it as we were only ever there 2 sleep, so we pre booked an inside cabin on deck 4 for this year and were extremely surprised to find that we had been upgraded to deck 5 when we arrived - free of charge!
The ports of call were very dissapointing - Naples was dirty and smelly, with nothing to see, there was nothing to see in Sicily or Toulon either but Barcalona and Corsica were beautiful!
As the ports of call were dissapointing we stayed on the ship most of the time, where there was plenty going on, on the pull deck there were quizes ice and fruit carving demonstrations, napkin folding demonstrations, cocktail demonstrations and giant board games like Connect 4! There was daily bingo in Oklahoma Lounge, fashion shows in the Can Can Lounge and daily afternoon tea, a dvd is always shown in Blakes Bar for those who want out of the sun for a while
Entertainment at night is wonderful, if you get the choice pre book an early sitting at dinner, this ensures you dont miss out on any entertainment, like the west en style shows in the Can Can Lounge, then a game show in the Oklahoma Lounge, followed by a cabaret, either in the Oklahoma Lounge or up on the pool deck, followed by the disco in the Oklahoma Lounge which carries on until the last person leaves!!!! I neer venture into the casino but it also does not close until the last person leaves. If you would rather sit with your friends and relax then The Clipper Bar or Blakes is the place for you.
The food was good but not as good as last year, i was dissapointed on this part, i your a buffet person then didning in the Lido Cafe is the place for you this is open 24hours, we prefer getting dressedup and dinning in the Seven Seas Restaraunt, where there is a set table for you and a set menu but not a huge choice, if you dont like pork beef or pasta then dont dine here, its al thats ever on offer!!!!! At breakfast and lunch time The Pool Grill is also avaliable as well as Seven Seas and Lido, doing barbeque type food.
We made some wonderful friends for life on this cruise who we will definately keep in touch with, maybe even go cruising with again and we already have next years booked, and by te way, incase you were wondering, im a 21 year old girl cruising with my mum! I will never do a normal holiday again! Destiny FOREVER!

1 reader found this review helpful

This is a good value cruise. Good food and service. The ship is a little old, but, make the most of it. Cabins are small but you only sleep in them. Staff were very very good. Thompson are well organised at arrival at the airport to getting you aboard. The professional entertainment is pretty good including all the shows and with guest acts adding value to the package. The bar entertainment is very good too. The only problem is the 'entertainment' team, these are the people employed to run quizzes and games in the lounge. A collective sigh of exasperation greeted this dated holiday camp type of entertainment particularly on the sun decks in the afternoon. Maybe the cruise director has been given too much leeway and there is no restraint exercised. The quizzes and demonstrations (cocktail making etc) were fine, enjoyable. It was when they tried to entertain with limited talent other than being extrovert that it all went terribly wrong. By contrast the professional stage shows were too popular, and it was difficult to get a seat at times. Bar prices reasonable. Excursions have been covered by other reviewers, all I'll say is that they were a tad expensive. Better to do your own particularly at the Rome stop.
A good all round holiday and Thompson difficult to say how it could improve, given the age of the ship and the prices asked for the holiday.