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

We only booked this cruise as a...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

colourful coasts med

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

lisajaynec

Comments:

We only booked this cruise as a last minute deal for 2 ladies who had extra annual leave to use up-leaving hubbies at home, as this was cheaper than a week in tenerife.This was both our first experience of cruising and we didn't know what to expect, but we loved it. Even the coach transfering us to the ship in tenerife catching fire didnt put us off!

The cabin 2039 was quiet and very clean. We went on 2 excursions the nature walk in palma and the full day in maderia we enjoyed them both. In lanzarote we caught the free bus to the beach which was brilliant. The waiters and wine waiters made our trip memorable so hard working and entaining in the dining room-Cherry B, Owen and Ruddy-well worth the extra tip we gave them. The captains cocktail party was brill and we had a day at the beauty salon when we were at sea. We enjoyed wine tasting and taster sessions on the casinio tables £20 of chips for £3 which was great. The only fault we found was no plugs in the room so we stood in the passage way with the straightners and a mirror but even that didnt put us off and we charged our mobile phones overnite at reception desk. We enjoyed it so much that we have booked exactly same date next year 18th Jan 2009 to go to the carribean on the destiny in room 2039-we cant wait!!!!

Should anyone be thinking of...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship Colourf

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

ThomsonInternet

Submitted By:

Mr P Wilson

Comments:

Should anyone be thinking of booking a cruise on the Destiny -a word of warning. Make sure that you book a cabin away fron the center to rear of the ship. Out cabin(3193) was so noisy and combined with the vibrations from the engines -very difficult to sleep at all. A lot of people complained at reception from decks 2 and 3 about this problem but very little sympathy was shown and we were all told that there were no spare cabins. This was not true as passengers were leaving the ship at the end of their cruise at various ports along the way. Maybe it's time for this ship to either have a major re-fit -or sold off as a ferry.

Hi,
I travelled on the...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

singlemum2006

Comments:

Hi,

I travelled on the 25th Jan until 1st Feb 08 with my 21mth old daughter and both my parents. We stayed in Tenerife the 1st week and then joined the cruise ship in Tenerife.

When we booked, we originally wanted 2 outside cabins next door to eachother, but as I needed a cot for my daughter, I was told that the cabin wouldnt be big enough so my lo would have to sleep in the bed and therefore I would have to pay a full adult price for her. Wasnt happy with that obviously, so we were then offered a Deluxe Cabin on deck 7 (highly recommended) I paid to choose my cabin (extra £30) which was Cabin 7000, again highly recommended.

This was definately a suite, absolutely huge, the bathroom (full size bath) inc shower, was bigger than some of the outside cabins that we visited. Plenty of storage, inc a walk in wardrobe, a partitioned double bedroom, with TV, and also a sofa bed, slightly small double size.

The cabin had everything you needed, a fridge and tv, and a dining table with 3 chairs, and 3 large windows looking out with a clear view!



Only have 2 complaints re the cabin, the cot that I had pre-ordered was tiny!! a newborn would of been ok, but my little girl .. no way!! So she ended up sharing with me on the sofa bed.

And also the Air con was a nightmare! You couldnt switch it off completly and there was no happy medium, it was either to warm or freezing cold, all 4 of us came down with a very nasty cough, which we hadnt suffered until the 1st night in the cabin. We did complain to our steward, but, was told there was nothing that could be done!



The service we received from all the staff we encountered was second to none! Especially from our cabin steward Fortunato, our waiter in the SS restaurant George, who my daughter fell in love with lol and Joel our waiter in the Can Can lounge, who would make s special small non-alcoholic cocktail for my little girl!! Which she loved!!



The food, and staff, in the SS restaurant you couldnt fault at all, they even had a childrens menu, which was all home made, chicken nuggets etc. But sometimes my lo would have the same as me. My only complaint was the "early sitting time" 6.30pm is not a resonable time to feed a lo in my opinion, and it wasnt until our last day that we were told we could of asked for food to be served earlier due to having a lo.



The food in the Lido cafe, was below par, we very rairly had a hot meal from there, it was always either luke warm or cold!! very dissapointed. Also in the evening it was freezing cold and very windy! a couple of nights we missed our early sitting in the SS, and it was to cold to take my lo up to the lido so ended up ordering room service for her.



The pool bar grill in the afternoons was really nice though.



The entertainment was v. good some nights, and not so good others, there is no doubt though, that the team work extremely hard, they are there to "check you" in at the quayside, and also when you leave, plus doing other duties during the days. There are some fantastic singers and dancers amongst them, and my lo loved watching them and singing along, well worth staying up late for! lol



We went exploring at every port of call, this is where I feel completly let down by the Colourful Coasts Itinerary, and to be honest I would'nt recommend it. We went to the excursions guide meetings most days, to get some tips really rather than actually paying to go to some.



Gran Canaria, no problem there, we have been before, so knew where to go and what to do.



Las Palmas, we arrived on the Sunday, but was told at the meeting that most of the shops were shut, and indeed they were, in my opinion a total waste of time, and it was an absolute dump of a place, dirty and smelly! We walked around for an hour and went back to the ship.



Madeira next, now my parents had spent 2 weeks here a few years ago and loved the place so I had high hopes, unfortunately, we had to go shopping for cough medicine for all of us, and also nappies for my girl as I was starting to run low, but from what I saw it was just shop after shop after shop, very boring place. I wish that we had paid to go on an excursion, and would recommend people do that if they have never been here before, but unfortunately we needed essentials.



Agadir, well we decided that we would like to go, but had read some previous comments about the place and decided if we were going to venture there we would go on an excursion which we did, we did the afternoon shopping inc the Souk market. As soon as you step off the ship the smell should really give you a good insight into what Agadir is like!!

It cost us £18 each, and we were taken to a leather/jewellry/carpet/ornaments/furniture shop, very friendly people, very interesting and some excellent high quality goods, the leather items were fantastic!! A bit pricey but, it was a good 2hrs spent. Then onto the Souk! this place is not for the faint hearted!! We were last off the coach, and before we had entered, some dinner friends of ours were on there way back to the coach, must of been in the place no more than 20min! They were pounced on as soon as they arrived and the sellers were very pushy, they hated it!

We walked in and down some steps, before I reached the bottom step, a local with very good english grabbed the pram and told me he was our guide! he was hired by the company, and that we did not have to pay him lol He told me what ship we came from, and that we were to meet our coach outside gate 10 blah blah blah!

He was extremly intimidating, very pushy, and would not take no for an answer, basically I spent 35min in the place, if I stopped to look at anything, I was pounced on, my poor mother was grabbed by her arm, and found 4-5 bracelets were placed on her, and she could not get away! This so called guide was trying to steer us away from the center of the market, which is where we were advised by the coach guide to stick to, and he just would not take a polite go away for an answer! We hated the place! a great shame as there were some slippers which I would of liked, but to scared to stop and look properly! Thomson should ditch this place! Everybody who came back from our trip complained it was a rip off, and that they felt very vulnerable.



Lanzarote, we took a taxi ride (8 euro) to a local beach for the day, nobody else was sat on the beach, but my lo loved it all the same!



All in all I was relatively happy with the ship, although they clearly are not set up for young families, steps everywhere, no baby change facilities, so had to go back to the cabin as and when etc.

The ship took on two different looks, in the day time, it looked like a Pontins holiday camp, very relaxed, but in the evening it seemed a lot more formal with people dressing up and making the effort, which we liked.



I definately wouldnt recommend the Colourful Coasts to anyone in Jan however, and if you do go, then either use the excursions, or do a lot of background into the ports of call, so you dont have boring dock days like we did.



Also I wouldnt recommend this ship for anyone with young children due to the lack of facilities, Thomson should really buck their ideas up, as other cruise liners are fully equipped for youngsters.



Would I cruise again? Yes, but not with Thomson, and definately not on this Itinerary!



Sorry this is long lol but hopefully Ive been able to help someone with this review?!?!?!?

We have cruised with most of the...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

0

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs J Ashwell

Comments:

We have cruised with most of the Biggies and the cruise on Destiny was one of the best. The cruise Director Gavin was great and set the tone for the cruise. The show team was the best we have ever seen and by far the hardest working. Mike and Corea were outstanding as were the whole dance team. Destiny's cabins are not big but were scrupulously cleaned and all the staff on board were so friendly and helpful and could not be faulted. The restaurant was very good but the Lido was in definate need of some attention and refurbishing. We did not know what to expext from a modestly priced cruise but could not fault it in any way.

I would like to say we are Just...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Canaries

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Ms J Mackay

Comments:

I would like to say we are Just back from a 2 week Cruise with Thomson Destiny

Could not Fault a thing. The Food was Excellent Staff were lovely could not do enough for you.

Especially the Entertainment team Emma & Bram not forgetting all the rest they were

Brilliant. If you ever concider this is a Must





Jeanette & Alastair Mackay Inverness Scotland

what a great holiday , we...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr R Wilson

Comments:

what a great holiday , we traveled as a family of 4 with my wife ,3 year old daughter and mum in law .

the staff on the ship could not be faulted , the cleanliness was 1st clas and the entertainment was great

just a note to the lady who complained about it being like butlins , why dont you go on a adults only cruise before you complain about (shock horror) children dancing on the dance floor

the ship is advertised quite clearly as being family freindly and we loved it

we stayed on deck 7 in the delux suites and they where good , would defintly go again !

we enjoyed this weeks cruise...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

colourful coasts

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

princessthomson

Comments:

we enjoyed this weeks cruise very much. We have been on many cruises such as princess, royal carribean and cunard. Granted the thomson is a different grade of cruise but it is excellent value for money. the food is excellent, entertainment ..the shows were better than any we have seen on other cruises. I can t believe some winggers out there rate this cruise as a 1/10!!!!!!!! the staff are as attentive as other ships we have been on even though thereare fewer of them but more than you would find on a land based holiday. The rooms need upgrading but they were clean well cared for by the cleaning staff who were always very friendly and extremely helpful. The inside room my sons had was better than our outside room as the beds were more comfortable.

The worst port of call was agadir.never never never again will i go to agadir. every one getting back on the ship was saying the same thing. i have been to tunisia and turkey and not experienced the level of hassle you get .........that we found in agadir. So when we go back later in the year we will stay on board and wave. the other ports of call are fab espescially Madeira. its gorgeous. The waiters on the restaurant were attentive but as you would expect on a lower budget ship there was less of them. But they were excelllent. the 24hour buffet is a bit drafty as its on deck at the back. so take a jacket for night time tea coffee etc. We loved this cruise and are returning later this year along with going royal carribean at summer. We also enjoyed on this ship that it was easy to make friends whilst on board. A downside of it is that if you get rough seas the ship moves a lot...........unlike larger more modern ships (e.g sea princess) that you cannot feel moving even in a gale.



anyway its great for families....well i can only speak for the school holidays. I am sure at other times it is an older clientel on board.



what ever u decide enjoy your holiday.

We have recently returned from...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Itinerary:

colorful coasts

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs M Cllifford

Comments:

We have recently returned from our New years cruise which we take every year and have been on The Destiny for 5 times. However we could not believe how this ship has ben allowed to get so run down. It will never be able to compete in the Carribean.



The food had deterioted in general although we did have the occasional good meal they were few and very far between. The service in the restuarant was poor and almost every night even though we were seated near the door the show had started before we had completed our meal.



The lido restuarant is not even worth a mention as we do not like to eat cold food. This was largely due to the stone cold plates it was served on.



The entertainment had gone down rapidly or we have been spoilt in the past with previous cruise directors. The present one never had a personality when he was assitant cruise director.



The service in the clipper bar and show bar for drinks was so slow because of the complete lack of staff every one must have gone home forChristmas and the New year

we are afraid that if staff is cut any further the Captains Cocktail Party will become a buffet. The staff were also not very pleasent one can only presume that is because they were overworked.



Wake up Thomson this is false economy in a highly competitive field to stay ahead you have to raise standards not lower them gone is the day when you could rely on faithful customers. Your ship is only as good as a persons experience on it and one dissatisfield customer will tell many more.



For my self I feel very sad i have to complain because my husband and I have made many friends on board. This year there were eight of us who met up and not one of us was satisfield. We have also always written when we were pleased.

What a fantastic family holiday...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs J M Richards

Comments:

What a fantastic family holiday we had. All the staff worked tirelessly to ensure we had the best service possible, we could not fault any of them. The ship was spotlessly clean and all the communal areas were of good decor. The cabins are a little tired and dated but always clean and for the price what more can you expect.The onboard entertainment team were fantastic with some really good evening stage shows. There was food on offer 24hrs a day all was good, but that offered in the Seven Seas was of an excellent standard.



We had an all inclusive drinks package, which as drinkers was great value. We travelled as a group of 2 adults and a 9year old child. The Kids Zone was fantastic and there was a varied activity programme for under 11's. Teenage children may get a little bored on the ship.



We only wnet on 1 excursion in Lanzarote to see the volcanoes, this we felt was not the most exciting of trips and not good value for money. Top tip is to get a local taxi to take you around on each of the islands.



Overal we felt this holiday was great value for money, the staff, food and entrertainment was excellent, but the excursions were not upto much. We will certainly be going on the Destiny again.

This was our first cruise and we...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs M Clarke

Comments:

This was our first cruise and we must admit we are not fussed about doing another unless we pick a better class ship/cruise.

Our cabin was deck 4 outside and I would give this 2/10. It was clean but very dated and shabby and small but we didn't spend much time in there other to sleep anyway.

The whole ship was spotlessly clean. The bars and entertainment rooms were large as were the decks so plenty of space/sunbeds. The food was plentiful and varied. We ate in the lido restaurant for breakfast and lunch (selfservice) and in the Seven Seas Restaurant in the evening which was waiter serviced. We hadn't upgraded to the drinks package as we had been quoted £149 each! We actually spend £200 between us for the week as we are not big drinkers. Bottle of House wine £9, lager £2.30 pint, coca cola £1, cocktails £2.85, non alcoholic cocktails £1.65, whisky £2.30. Price not bad! Entertainment just ok. However, the down side to this cruise was it was Butlins at Sea,claustrophic/noisy with the type of people that you tend to get on these holidays, kids running around on the dance floor etc. I think Thompsons have gone downhill as far as cruises are concerned as they have made them affordable to everyone!

Me, my partner and baby went for...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss F Qualters

Comments:

Me, my partner and baby went for a week on Thomson Destiny, overall the holiday was great. Yes the cabins were small, but you are on a ship. We had a few problems with plumbing and a wet carpet in our room, but the staff on the ship dealt with everything efficiently and even gave us £50 due to the inconvenience caused.



The food in The Seven Seas restaurant was excellent, I’m vegetarian and there was always plenty to choose from. It’s a shame I can’t say the same about the pool snack bars, I found most of the food here was never hot, always warm or cold.



There was always sunbeds available around the pools and the ship is kept immaculate, with staff always working, they were painting, varnishing, cleaning etc.



The shows in The CanCan Lounge were excellent on some nights and not as good on others, I found the ship was lacking somewhere that played good music and I think the ship is more geared up for the more mature person!

We booked a year ago so was able...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs V A Lloyd

Comments:

We booked a year ago so was able to pick the cabin for £30.00p. This was worth it as the cabin turned out to be big with a separate bedroom and a walk in wardrobe. It also had a large bathroom with bath and a lounge area with sofa and dining table ect.



The furnishings were ok but not plush (it is a budget cruise). The ship although older had a lot of deck space compared to the celebration. It has two good size pools and plenty of sunbeds.



The public entertainment rooms were very good and we always got a seat.



The clipper bar was our favourite and the staff very good and hardworking, couldn’t fault them. Our cabin steward "Fortunato" was unbelievably good (we have cruised a lot).



The dining room was very crowded and we felt cold and cramped.



Our waiter had no personality at all and would not get anything that was not what he wanted you to have.



The wine waiter (William) however was brill, kept us topped up with our favourites from start to finish, well worth the extra tip we gave him.



The food was lacking, we had paid a lot for xmas week but I think it was an insult to us to give us "instant mash potatoes" I did speak with the maitre de and he informed us that most of the food is frozen and yes it was instant potatoes mixed with really (I know there was no really potatoes) he also said our waiter would bring different things but this was not to be.



In all fairness I never expected this cruise to be anything other than a budget holiday but it was disappointing.



As far as entertainments go it was average but I found that the whole cruise was about the entertainment team and how much room they could take up on the dance floor making you not want to get up.



We had been looking forward to "karaoke" and made every effort to get one of our family names down but alas it was 1 very short session and guess what the entertainments manager let everyone from first sitting sign up leaving no space for the second sittings.



I felt this was grossly unfair as we all paid but the team leader had a bad attitude and I felt intimidated by him. Perhaps if they did the karaoke in the daytime instead of some of the other boring activities it might be better. (it was the same last year on the celebration) everyone I spoke to all said the same “more karaoke" as it’s as good to watch.



I found one member of the entertainments team (a dj.) To be very rude when I overheard him telling a young lady to!!! P!! Off. I was shocked as she was a guest requesting a song.



I don’t think I will do another Thomson cruise as it’s just not good enough with the things that a cruise is all about (food) and the unprofessional entertainment team.



All in all you live and learn so next year my money will probably go somewhere else.

Colourful Coast tour in Dec....

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr Michael Richardson

Comments:

Colourful Coast tour in Dec. 2007. Great itinerary especially the New Years Eve fireworks in Funchal, Madeira.



Food onboard was very good in the restaurant, but the semi open aired top deck buffet made dining up there a cool experience.



Restaurant and cabin staff were superb working their socks off throughout the whole tour.



A good variety of tours from the boat although the options are quite limited in the Canaries.



The entertainment was very good in the main lounge, although it tended to be not really 'mainstream' well recognised songs, which did not suit everyone, but very well presented.



Our outside cabin very small in size, with an L shaped bed arrangement was really woeful. The beds are really berths with poor mattresses and one berth had a cupboard and shelf above it. If this boat is going to the Caribbean the Americans will not put up with it.

We were very apprehensive...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

hardon

Comments:

We were very apprehensive about going on this cruise - The colourful coasts from Madeira.



What a wonderful week. How people can moan about service or anything amazes me, you get what you pay for and everything was great.



Thank you to all the staff and crew involved in making our week memorable.

Just back from the New Year...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Colourful Coasts New Year Cruise

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs J Johnson

Comments:

Just back from the New Year cruise and feel slightly disappointed. We went last year at the same time and had a wonderful time, but this time was different.



We joined the ship at Gran Canaria and when we arrived at the port no one came on board to welcome us, the bus driver just told us to get off! Not the best of starts. Eventually we were shown our cabin - a deluxe on deck 7. Room looked a bit shabby but clean and comfortable, but "deluxe"? Soon found the loo did not work - no flush. Had to call the plumbers out 3 times in a week.



Entertainment was good, it appealed to all us with ages ranging from 15 years up to 55 years. Staff worked hard to make sure we had a good time, cabin steward worked tirelessly, bar staff were happy and always smiling.



The service in the restaurant was excellent, the waiters were helpful and happy, and we loved the singing waiters! We didn't go all inclusive but found the drinks to be really reasonably priced and never went short; we paid £1.85 for a gin and tonic (double measure) so no complaints there.



Only did one excursion in the week - enjoyed the Souk & Fantasia trip in Agadir, never felt threatened in the souk but my husband is a big fella! Last year we got in a taxi and went to the beach area, fabulous beach. The driver waited for us while we had a coffee and a walk on the beach.



Madeira was fabulous, saved a lot of money but walking into town and getting to the cable car ourselves, you can buy a joint ticket for the botanical gardens and save money. At the top we found the toboggan run and enjoyed watching other people put their lives on the line - also there is a nice cafe/bar at the top which is very reasonably priced.



The terrace outside is a great place to see the view and enjoy the sun. The shop at the back is great, sells lots of different things of good quality. My husband enjoyed the impromptu wine tasting.



The fireworks on the evening were out of this world, we had a fabulous New Year deck party.



The arrangements at the Port of Arrecife (Lanzarote) were truly terrible, no taxis and no buses provided. We walked a long way up to the main road and kept meeting passengers who had given up and turned back - we were just beginning to accept that day's trip off the ship was going to be a walk round the port when we managed to flag a taxi down (had to toss a coin with another passenger who got there at the same time), the local town was shut as we didn't get into port until about 1.30pm so we went to Puerto del Carmen instead.



I think Reception got a lot of aggro from passengers that afternoon. Can't understand why they would let passengers leave the ship and not say anything about the lack of transport. My advice would be to avoid the aggro and book an excursion instead; at least a bus should be available!



Disembarking the ship on our final day was badly organised, no one to help us or tell us where to go - we waited 3/4 of an hour for a bus to turn up. Eventually a member of the entertainments team (singer?) turned up with a walkie talkie but not sure if his presence made any difference though. No one came with us on the bus to the airport and we had to figure out for ourselves where to check in, it turned out we were far too early and had to wait 3/4 of an hour again for our check in to open.



We flew into Tenerife last year and felt truly welcomed, this year flying into Gran Canaria we felt like a nuisance and not worth bothering with. I'm still angry about Thomson's indifference to their Gran Canaria passengers.



Sorry if this review is negative, last year I would have rated our cruise as 10/10 but this year I feel things are different. I still think anyone going on this cruise will have a great time; perhaps we have just been unlucky.