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

we have just returned from a...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss E DRAYCOTT

Comments:

we have just returned from a weeks cruise on the thomson deatiny colourful coasts. the ship itself was wonderful! the entertainment was absolutly FANTASTIC. we booked a suit which gave me and my family (3 pers) lots of space and we stayed in comfort. our housemaid Lidiya cleaned the rooms beautifully and was always friendly. the main problem of the cruise was the over-sea crossings. we experienced what we thought was really bad weather out at sea but whilst docked the weather was hot. the seven seas restaurant was fabulous and the can-can lounge held brilliant shows. the crew were really helpful and the VIP bridge tour was great. wont be going on another cruise for a while as i dont think it suited me personally but if i deecide to go again i would definatly return on the thomson destiny!

i believe that for what you have...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

colourful coasts canary islands

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr D Sturock

Comments:

i believe that for what you have paid for what you recieve is more than fair, we paid £425 pp which included food, travel and accomodation, which i think isn't that badly priced considering what you recieve. I mean think about it, the price of spending a week in just one of the canary islands would probably end up more expensive where as if you were to choose the cruise you could see (practically) all the canary islands for less. Infact i was talking to somebody on the flight out and they spent 1200 for a week in tenerife (which doesn't include food) and if you do as per person that would have been £600 each, there probably are places and travel agents that could do it cheaper but would be hard to match what you recieve on the boat.



There is quite alot to do onboard including seeing shows (i only saw one which was a bit, well the script could do with some improvements, but the acting was very well performed), swimming, sun bathing, gambeling in the casino, drinking in bars(with very nice cocktails and good service but at an extra charge(though still works out cheaper than getting a drinks package)), childrens games at the back of the ship and dining in restaurants, infact i could go on but it's something you can look up yourself. Also remember there is only one day at sea and the rest of the time you are free to wonder on and off the boat as you please and all the towns are within walking distance, and not to forget the excursions you can go on. which some are definatly worth doing. I suggest the lanzarote fire mountain, loro parque in tenrife and any of the ones in morocco for it is a culture that is very unique and is a world away from our own(also a very good place to get rid of any unwanted coins, for they are worthless to us but any currency, even a few pennies, means alot more to them).



there are a few downside's too unfortunatly but most holidays do:



- there is a charge for internet, not to bad if you don't use it alot but if you do it can become quite pricey at a pound per minute

-occasionally it can get a bit chilly up at the lido cafe (the buffet) but this is normally only on cold windy evening when you would normally be quite well dressed fir the weather anyhow

- the shows can be a bit of a hit and miss

- the excurtions can sometimes be a bit pricey but some are definatly worth doing and include quite a lot with them, most are between £20-30 pp but there are some exceptional and exciting ones such as a elicopter ride around madeira which can coem to as high as £50-90



but on the plus side:



-room service is very well maintaied and you always return to a nice clean room

-food in the restaurant is to a very reasonable standard and the waiters are very friendly and helpful plus it's not just dinner but lunch and breakfst you can have in there with no worries of te weather outside

-the pools are good when out at sea as the rocking of the boat (which normally doesn't affect you very much) make the pool become like a wave pool wihich is great fun for kids

-there is a kid's zone to take your chilren off your hands and keep them entertained





a few tips to make your cruise more enjoyable:



-the later you book, the cheaper it will become, and it hardly ever becomes fully booked!

-it may be more expensive but would definatly be better to have as little people to a room as possible, 2 is fine but 3 would be the maximum i would say

-in my opinion the drinks package isn't worth it

-don't spend out extra for a room with a view, espcially on the bottom floors, as they're not really worth the extra price and on the bottom floors water vapour condeses on the outside of your window ruining your view.

-use the stairs! takes just as long as taking the lift and you avoid any awkward situations with people you don't know (you do get a few idiots onboard) and it will help burn off the extra weight you put on, on your holiday.

The cruise was my first and in...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr D Wallace

Comments:

The cruise was my first and in my opinion there were good points and bad points. If you eat a lot but don't drink then and like doing your own thing at the destinations then this is for you. The main problems I had were as follows:



1) I was told that the boat had internet access, so I decided I could check on my emails and make sure my business was ok at home, whilst on the cruise.

Internet was a complete rip off at £1 per minute, just for web access. No wifi or anything else infact if you take a laptop, it will be useless on the Destiny. They say that charges only apply whilst actually downloading content but the computers are restricted so tightly that you cannot close a window once its opened. This means that you can have as many internet explorer windows open as you want but you cannot close then and stop the advertising from downloading content. Its a complete rip off and even if you complain they just say that they will escalate your complaint, they don't refund your money. Infact the internet verges on fraud! I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

I had to get a free wifi connection from the Aida (another cruise ship moored alongside). Sad that they can't just give it for free like all the other companies.



2) Drinks, both soft and alcoholic are a rip off. They are similar to uk pub prices, we paid around £3.90 for a Wisky & Ginger. In the main restaurant they do provide water with your meal, but it tastes a bit stale (I think they do this on purpose) pressing you to ask for an alternative which costs.

The bar staff are harassing at times, and repeatedly try to get you to buy drinks. They must be on comnission or something. at one point, before the evening show we were approached by 5 different bar staff in 5 minutes asking us if we wanted drinks.

They buy them duty free as it is clearly marked on the drinks cans, but tend to mark up a massive profit. Even on deck when you are sunbathing, you are harassed to buy drinks.



3) One of the days they request you to dress up for a suited posh dinner in the retaurant. During which they take repeated photographs. Then afterwards they charge £14 for each photo. These are digital photos which probably cost around 10p to produce.



4) The Lido cafe which runs from 6pm till 1am is vry cold and windy at this time of year and any hot food is pretty cold by the time you get to your seat and start eating.

The main resaurant food is OK, but I wouldn't say its exceptional, however the food in the Lido is much better with better selection. Salads are best in Lido.



5) Swimming pool is pumped sea water and it is always freezing, even on the warmest days. I think this is because the water is not left to warm up, just repeatedly pumped in and out. There is one hot shower outside, which is always occupied by young children just sitting underneath, too cold to move away.



6) The Gym has very limited resources and is very small. if you do yoga or any other workshops they offer, you will find people walking over you as it is practically a corridoor. Two treadmils and about 4 other machines for a sip of 1500 customers.



7) The onboard shop claims duty free, but sells at rip off prices as everything else on board.



8) Medical center offers free basic medicines and then it directs you to reception where you have to pay for them anyway. On the bill they appear as postcards, because I don't think they are qualified or authorised to sell medicines. Another rip off.



9) All excursions are a complete rip off, infact you could save money buy getting 4 people together, grab a taxi and tell the driver to follow that coach. I found that many of the taxi drivers speak better english than the official tompsontour guide and know more about the area.



10) There is a safe in the cabin, just a very basic one you could buy from staples for around £50 new. However, to use it you must pay £12 for the week and if you lose the key they charge you £40 to cut another. Another rip off, especially as the cleaning staff are the only other people with access to your room during the week. So to protect yourselve and personal belongings such as passports and money from the tompson staff, you will need to pay £12



Conclusion, if you are looking for a relaxing holiday with no worries, this is not it.

However, if your looking to get completely ripped off when you arrive on the ship and be stranded at sea with no choice but to purchase very expensive things then this is for you.



My estimates on expenditure for 1 week cruise are as follows:

a) If you drink very conservatively maybe 1-2 per day and the odd bottle of wine throughout the week and do the odd organised excursion, expect to spend around £250 on the boat. It all adds up as everything you want is charged at extorsionate prices and you have no choice to pay them.

b) If you have an all included (pay £100 extra for ticket), they still charge around £1 for a drink if its a popular one. So don't think it will be all included, its another rip off im afraid. If you buy the odd photograph adds £14 to the bill for each one. Internet £1 per min. If you do the odd excusion, still expect to pay around £200

c) If you want to just relax not worry about anything, go on all the excursions you want. Drink all you want and buy a few photographs. Expect to pay more than te price of the entire holiday on extras on the boat.



Conclusion

Despite enjoying the cruise, I was very annoyed at the constant ripoff and fleecing mentality of tompson staff. This did infact affect my holiday and I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the prices had been reasonable.



So if you wanna be ripped off, then go on this cruise round the canaries and morocco.

What a disappointment....

Overall Rating:

1/10

Itinerary:

Not Specified

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Disappointed1

Comments:

What a disappointment. Overpriced for Bultins at Sea. The cabin was noisey and small - the entertainment was in the style of a holiday camp. I was not expecting to be entertained by guests playing Mr & Mrs, Deal or No Deal and Name that Tune. My first and last cruise - this was sold to me as a "wonderful experience" definately not in my opinion - slightly upmarket holiday camp. If you havent already booked - dont do this cruise as a first timer - I am sure it will put you off ever trying it again.

I can honestly say that having...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr M Preston

Comments:

I can honestly say that having cruised many times, the Thomson Destiny was the worst experience I have ever had at sea! It's a great shame because the ship has the potential to be really good, but the best word I can find to describe it is "dull". The Seven Seas Restaurant was quite acceptable-- the food is palatable and the service good. However, tha alternative Lido Restaurant is an absolute joke amd not to be recommended. It's so cold and windy that you need outdoor clothing to eat your food, which is usually cold when you get to your table. The only time we could use this restaurant was when the ship was in port, and even then, sometimes it was uncomfortable.

We had the unfortunate experience of having an outside cabin( on Deck 3), to the rear of the ship. I have gone a whole week with minimum sleep as the engine noise was horrendous, and the walls so thin that you can hear every conversation in the cabin next door.

Evening entertainment was at best average-- they have not got their act together with the shows in the Can Can Lounge, which tended to be boring.

Finally, if you have had any previous experience of sea-sickness, do not go on the Thomson Destiny! At worst, on some days, the sea was "moderate", but the ship constantly rolled.I swear it was even rolling in port!

I am not criticising Thomson Cruises generally, as I have cruised on some of their other ships, which were fine. Unfortunately, the Destiny was a bad experience-- how it will cope/compete in the Caribbean will be very interesting. I fear the worst for its success.

we have just returned from a...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr S Yeates

Comments:

we have just returned from a weeks cruise around the canary island..having been sold this holiday from an experianced cruiser in thomsons travel agent i think we were duped and misled..we paid for the all inclusive drinks package..or what we were told was the all inc package..some drinks are inc but most are discounted. so dont be fooled by this gem..The entertainment was certainley nothing special, unless your over 80..if we wanted to sit in a kareoke all night wed have gone down the legion and saved a fortune..the cabins on the lower decks are very poor and extremely basic, if your neighbour snores be prepared for a sleepless night the walls are so thin..we were told that there were no double rooms available on our package but we could upgrade and have our room upgraded with a double bed for 65.00..you could say we werent happy when we discoverd they pushed the 2 singles together and tied the corners of the bed sheet together to keep them from moving apart.. from some very experienced cruisers we met they all said the same..DONT LET THIS EXPERIENCE PUT YOU OFF CRUISING, THERE ARE CRUISES AND THERES THOMSON CRUISES

My partner and I have just...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship Colourf

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Ms B Richardson

Comments:

My partner and I have just returned from a 14 day cruise on Destiny. What do people want for value for money??? We read the reviews and to be honest were a little concerned... We thought it was fabulous. Entertainment TOP CLASS!! Food BRILLIANT. Staff helpful and pleasant. Yes the Lido restaurant can be very breezy, especially at this time of the year, but the food is still tip top! We did not go for the all inclusive drinks package as we thought £600 for 2 weeks was a little steep... Wrong! If you spend more than £21 a day then it is worth upgrading. A can of coke is £1, Guiness £1.95, Lager £2.10, Bottle of water 75p. Bottle of house wine £9.10 or Chardonay/pinot £11. The cabins are not huge and there is limited storage, but adequate for 2. However, our cabin was a 3/4 berth with 2 bunks - I would have hated to have 2 children in that cabin too! There would certainly not have been enough space to hang the clothes. Our only complaint was seeing as we did a 2 week cruise we assumed they would have catered for us - again Wrong! What we got was 2 weekly cruises - EVERYTHING is duplicated, the menu's, the entertainment - even down to the afternoon quiz (yes the same questions the second week!) The same films and dvd etc... So take that into consideration if you want a 2 week cruise. Another thing to mention on this cruise, we found that when sailing to Morocco it was so windy on deck that you really loose one day, however, they have a play on in the Oaklahoma lounge "Move over Darling" it is hilarious - well worth a watch. We originally thought it was a film. My last tip is READ THE CRUISE NEWS! It comes through your door every night - I won't go into details why.... Let's just say we should have started reading it earlier!!! We met some really lovely people and overall was our best holiday yet! We will definately do another cruise and with Thomson.

The lido restuarant is not even...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr R Harrison

Comments:

The lido restuarant is not even worth a mention, the food is hot when served and cold when you eat it. You will need outdoor clothing to eat there.

Cabins were very small but that isnt the main problem, you can hear people in the next cabin even when they whisper. the bathroom stunk of sewerage.

The ship is very bad at sea and rolls so bad you will need sea sick tablets or the injection .Stay off the higher decks if you feel sick.

There seems to be a very bad virus in the air conditioning that gives you a sore throat , then developes into really bad bout of flu like symptoms.

The entertainment team were excellent , so was the service and the meals.

If you havent already booked ...dont.

My partner and I have just...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr N Brown

Comments:

My partner and I have just returned from a week on Destiny colourful coasts cruise. My first cruise, my partner has done earlier cruises with other companies.

We both enjoyed the holiday, even though my partner started with a sore throat on the third day, which has now developed into a really bad cold. I do not think she caught it onboard though, I suspect it was on the flight out.

The service provided by all the crew onboard is first class, the cabins are constantly checked and cleaned, chocs left on the bed in the evening and amusing animals made out of towels. everyone goes out of their way to be friendly, the waiters in the bars get a special mention, especially in the clipper bar and even more so, the waiter who does the magic tricks, can't remember his name though.

The air conditioning is ok once you get the settinng right, although it did affect my breathing a bit as I have had a problem with it previously.

The only downside to the holiday was at the airport on the way home. When we boarded the coach, we were told that on arrival at the airport, there would be a Rep to help us. The coach just dropped us off, no Rep in sight and we had no idea where the check in desk was, the monitors were few and far between and hard to understand, in the end we found check in and it was a long way from coach drop off. All in all, we think a beach holiday will be more relaxing for us and so we will be going to Majorca with Thomson in Septemberl.

Returned recently from a 7day...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

COLOURFUL COASTS

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr G Lambert

Comments:

Returned recently from a 7day cruise on Destiny, overall we enjoyed it but this, being only our second cruise the other was the celebration red sea we dont have much to compare it with.

We found this was not as good as the celebration the main reason being the Lido

restaurant it could be very cold at this time of the year its what i would call semi alfresco and the food got cold very quickly, you can eat in the seven seas which is waiter service and very nice but has set eating times which did,not always suit us, in fact most of the time we ate in the Lido and put up with the cold.



SMOKING is only allowed on the port side in the Oklahoma bar and port side on decks 7 and 9 which will make lots of people happy ( ex smokers probably ) and you cannot smoke in cabins anymore, i think its now going too far and if the non smokers ( and ex smokers ) get their own way and the ships become totally smoke free they will then have something else to moan about the cost of a cruise will go out of the roof as very few smokers will want go on a cruise which means their partners and family probably wont go either i woudn,t,and every single smoker i spoke to said the same, if any thomson people read these reviews i would suggest they take note, we are going on the Ocean Village2 in June where the smoking laws are much more relaxed you can smoke in your cabin and you also have coffee and tea making facilities by the way which Thomsons don,t have.



The places we visited were very nice in particular Medeira we stayed on the ship in Morocco as we were told you get lots of hassle from the locals trying to sell you things at inflated prices etc after speaking to people who had gone ashore this seemed to be the case.

Overall we were very happy with...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Canaries

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs S Huckle

Comments:

Overall we were very happy with the food/entertainment/facilities. The staff were wonderful and nothing was too much for them they were always very cheerful and helpful. The only thing I would point out is that we booked a cabin which was for 3/4 people and the third and fourth beds were actually bunk beds which you had to climb a ladder to get to bed this is totally unacceptable for older people. We had a brillant holiday and would cruise with Thomson again.

cabins very poor ,drawers...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Itinerary:

colourful coasts

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs E SHIACH

Comments:

cabins very poor ,drawers falling appart. entertainment in lounges terrible ,music was for over seventies .unless you went up on deck late at night it was good but very cold.

eating up at lido meant the food was frozen as you did not have much protection from the wind. staff very friendly and helpful .

has put us off cruising. probably as we stayed the first week in a beautiful thompson hotel called porta mare in madiera.

We have just returned from a...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr M SLUMAN

Comments:

We have just returned from a weeks cruise on the Thomson Destiny and would highly recommend this to anyone. Having cruised on the Thomson Spirit which we really liked and then reading some of the reviews on the Thomson Destiny we were a little apprehensive. However our concerns were unfounded , the food was excellent, staff couldn't have been more friendly and helpful and the entertainment was as good as you would get in the West End. The ship was very clean and the facilities were first class (we particularly liked the Sky Bar) Okay some people can always find things to complain about , but whoever we spoke to, many being veteran "cruisers", everyone said that this was unbeatable value for money.

This was our first cruise and I...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

linda07

Comments:

This was our first cruise and I was quite curious to see what it would be like. I was very impressed with the service they provide. The staff on the cruise work very hard. The cabins weren't all that to be honest. They were quite small but we was not in there very much so it did not really bother us. You will never get bored on this cruise as there is so much to do. The evening entertainment was excellent and very enjoyable. The food was of a very good quality and all the waiters are extrememly friendly and will help you any way possible. I would recomend the all inclusive drinks package if you are big drinkers. If you do get sea sick it could be useful to take a tablet for the first day because it can take some getting used to. I was very impressed at how clean the ship was, they take hygeine very seriously and your room is cleaned and tidied every day. They do work very hard. Overall it was a very enjoyable and lovely holiday, not so relaxing though as you were off every day in each new place. I would definetly do a cruise again.

Having just returned from a 14...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Colourful coasts

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs S Hill

Comments:

Having just returned from a 14 day cruise aboard the Destiny, I have to say this was an excellent cruise, both the accomodation and the excursions were real value for money, any concerns we had were dealt with in a proffesional and friendly manner and more than sorted out to our satisfaction. I was a little apprehensive about this cruise before I went after reading other reviews, but I had no need to worry the rooms which were described as small, were very adequate for my sister and I, plenty of luggage space, and we don't travel light, and the cleanliness on board was first class, as were all the staff who worked non stop to make this cruise a memorable one. I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone, all ages are catered for, and if you have a celebration on board, like a birthday or anniversary you will never forget it. Well done Thomson, I have traveled previously with some 5* cruise lines and your dedication to pleasing your customers is right up there with the best of them. The staff in all the restaurants are attentive and the food is of good standard. The entertainment is excellent too. I have left this cruise a very satisfied customer.