Reviews of Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship, Thomson Celebration, Thomson Cruises

Just spent a fabulous week on...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Full Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs S WINDER

Comments:

Just spent a fabulous week on "Celebration" sailing the Norwegian Fjords. The overall condition of the ship was excellent, staff were really friendly and efficient. Food was great and there was PLENTY of it. Captain Roy kept a great atmosphere on the ship and I think overall everyone had a great time. The highlight of the trip was the day on the "Flam Railway Experience. Yes it may have seemed a bit dear at £79, but was worth every penny, including a superb buffet lunch during our stop in Voss. Just to make the trip super fab. was the weather - 70s and 80s all the time - better than the Med. something we had been doubtful about before the trip, but we were not disappointed. All in all wonderful memories - those can never be taken away from us.

Just arrived back from baltic...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

baltic highlights

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mrs V Thompson

Comments:

Just arrived back from baltic highlights what can i say but wow, nothing to complain about absolutely fantastic the crew were brilliant always smiling with a morning madam or morning sir,the ship very clean as they are always cleaning somewhere, if smokers were on deck smoking you could not hear them as the cabin window glass is very thick, i cannot fault this holiday in anyway as all on board staff were a credit to thomson,look out for Eddie and Salvador in the lido as they are always helpful and friendly,Celso in the horizons bar was also one of our favourites. Just wish i could go again NOW. Iwent with my husband daughter son in law and grandaughter, they were fantastic with the little one she lapped up all the attention.Take a trip on this ship yourself and you will see how wrong the bad reviews are.Only back a few hours missing them already, saving again now for another cruise, To sum it up FIVE STAR.

I have just returned from...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr P Bunker

Comments:

I have just returned from another cruise on the Thomson Celebration this time 'Lands of the Vikings' after going on the Red Sea with this ship in February 2008. My wife and I have had another excellent holiday on this ship. The food is very good and the crew do everything thay can to ensure you will have a good time. I have only had cabins on deck 8/9 so I cannot comment on the others but the ones at the top of the ship are excellent, the best ones in my view are deck 9 but not near the lifts.

Got back from this glorious...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Mediterranean Discovery

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr R Land

Comments:

Got back from this glorious cruise last week and within 3 days had booked another for December! This was our first cruise and it was a joy from beginning to end. The staff were tremendous - couldn't do enough for us. The entertainment was so professionally presented, and so much consideration had been put into costume design, lighting, and show content. Captain Leech is a warm and charming man with a great sense of humour. He kept us uptodate with all the latest sea conditions and what to expect - we were very reassured being first timers. Our cabin was basic grade but adequate for our needs with ample wardrobe, drawer and underbed space. We had a porthole which was a bit scary when there was a sea swell, felt like a goldfish sometimes! Memories are made of adrenalin. It was lovely waking up each morning in a new country with a new culture/language to experience. The catering staff put on a spectacular buffet with carved fruit and vegetables one evening, it seemed a shame to eat it! The catering generally was second to none with all tastes catered for 24/7. As first timers we felt this was a good 'taster', being in the basin of the Med. It felt almost like island hopping. Of the excursions we enjoyed Barcelona the most, very vibrant and alive, the Ramblas is highly recommended, and do pop into the indoor market to glance at the stunning display of fruit and veg which they are deservedly renowned for. We could not dock in Marseille due to industrial action on their part, but we did dock just ahead of Marseille in Toulon - beautiful place and it worked out to our advantage. We found a quaint little cafe in a courtyard and enjoyed a lovely lunch outside, ordered our lunch with the help of a patient interpreter (our friendly French waitress), all washed down with a lovely glass of local wine ..... hmmm. Rome was fabulous - ruins, monuments, etc. and our guide was very knowledgable, but the earphones we were given were a problem (one plug for one ear only) which made hearing him very difficult unless you got closer to him and you could hear him in stereo. Lunch was included in the Rome tour, and be ready for generous portions - again helped along by copious amounts of local wine, but we're not complaining. The Celebration is known as "the happy ship", and we certainly felt she was. It was lovely to experience all that we did but all too soon it was over. But for anyone nervous about sailing I suggest this cruise as a good taster. Bon Voyage!

this was our third cruise with...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

med

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr G A Bond

Comments:

this was our third cruise with thomson and as with the spirit and emerald the efforts made by all the crew to make the holiday as enjoyable as possible can not be faulted.the food was at all times nothing but excellent.the excursions although well organised seemed at times a little rushed or paradoxically a little too lingering in some dull spots.the ship needs a bit of a loving touch our room on deck 3 had a rather tatty shower and the carpets around the ship were looking a bit threadbare in places. these are only minor quibbles as overall the whole experience is one i would recommend to anyone.

Just back from a week aboard the...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Itinerary:

Mediteranean

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr C PARKES

Comments:

Just back from a week aboard the Thomson Celebration and what can I say.................AWFUL ! !



We paid £147.00 to choose our deck and cabin (408) and upon returning at 23.45 on our first night we were met with a loud motor noise from the ceiling and a banging on the the outside. I phoned the reception who said the motor noise would stop as soon as we left port, which it did, but they had no idea what the banging was but they would send someone down. Guy came down, had no idea what it was, and he went back to reception. Phone rang, it was reception, said "You want to upgrade" "No we want a room where we can sleep" "We can upgrade you but it will cost in between £70 & £100 each or we can move you to a lower deck inside cabin...but you will not get a refund....or could you sleep if we gave you some earplugs ! ! !"



Well, three solutions but all in Thomsons favour, what happened to the customer is always right.



We opted for a temporary room, thank heavens it was temporary, and said we would sort it out in the morning, it was now one twenty in the morning.



Following morning we waited our turn at reception, loads of people complaining, and still could not get a straight forward answer to how much an upgrade would cost. Asked for a key to check out the upgrade room and after saying yes we would have it as long as it was no more that £140....surprise surprise we were charged £140. No mention of refund for the 408 cabin but we were told that the noise is due to the stabilisers which they use when the sea is a bit rough, they had numerous complaints the week before about the noise. However, they had never had complaints before..........what NEVER ! !



Anyway we moved to the DELUXE cabin, queen size bed, bath, his and hers dressing gowns, bigger TV (even though some of the channels sounded as though Sylvester the cat was reporting, ssuffering ssuthatassssshhh, did not know there was so many ssss's in the English langauge. But before you get too excited, being on the promeande deck does mean you have to put up with smokers talking, laughing and coughing their lungs up most of the night. The ding ding of the lift makes you feel like an extra in the Pinball Wizard and the walls are so thin you don't really need your volume on if you want to watch the same programme as next door, least it did away with the hissing.

There again the conversations, not shouting, from both sides was so enthralling, not really, you did not need the TV. Just lie there on you queen size bed laughing at the accusation that a 70 year old man was being accused of pulling the women down by the self service cleaning are, listen to the 24 hour..7 days a week drone of the engines and vibration through the shell of the ship.



Go down to the show and listen to the group of girls heckling the comedian and nothing being done, "I can't do anyhting about it" was one reply. Great......



Try to sleep as the ship makes its way from one city to another, the bed moving so violently you think there is someone else in the room who is trying to flip you out of the bed.



There were fun times though, watching the old people making there way from room to room as though they had been drinking all day, walking like Thunderbird puppets. Swaying from side to side, people leaving more drinks in the bar than they were drinking, great fun.



Good points: the Fillipino crew are outstanding, the entertainment people were great.



Bad points: all the above plus the girl at reception who was more interested in taking my money than solving my problem.

The fact that a couple in cabin 680 who had the same problems as we did, but put up with it, were given a refund of £98.00





I don't know why either............perhaps I looked rich and they could see my wife had not slept the night before and looked as though she was going to vomit all over the reception carpet?



Went on the Rome trip, £75.00 each, and barely heard a thing through the radio thing you had to wear. Seen the Pope, well I think it was him as he sped past at 50 mph or somewhere around that that speed. Went to the Colleseum, Trevi Fountain and al the other sights.......great.............seen pictures, Trevi Fountain..go to this pace to buy your stuff. Why it's 100% cheaper 20 yards away? Total waste of money.



Worst holiday I have ever had and never again..........thanks for nothing Thomson Celebration........wish I had stayed at home, total waste of £1500.00

We had a lovely time on the...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs R Burdass

Comments:

We had a lovely time on the Celebration once we had got used to the terrible vibration of the ship. We booked higher floors to ensure a decent deck. However, during the Captain`s questions we were told that the ship was built as a cargo ship and not a passenger, the same as the Spirit and there would always be vibrations. Even in dock the stabilisers seemed non existent. Hence the Celebration is known `The Vibrating Ship` No complaints really for the price. We previously sailed on Celebrity Cruises `Millenium` so had been spoilt for any other ship.

Fantastic value for money, Very...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Red Sea Majic

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Barbara Dewing

Comments:

Fantastic value for money, Very well organised, we were looked after very well. We would definately cruise with Thompson again.

I have been on the Celebration...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Ms A McDonagh

Comments:

I have been on the Celebration four times in the last 5 years and must say that, once again, the Crew and Entertainers excelled themselves! The food, as always, was delicious, the staff, waiters and stewards couldn't do enough and the ship was incredibly friensly. Captain Alan Leech who took over Captain Larsen was a Paul O'Grady delight. But don't be fooled. As funny and informal as he was to the guests, he was one heck of a Master to his crew. A tight ship, fantastically run - well done all! We shall return!

Just returned from a week on the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr C Bentley

Comments:

Just returned from a week on the Celebration.....excellent is all I can say. The food was excellent, the quality of servie from all of the crew and staff was excellent and even though the weather was not as good as we expected and the seas were rather choppy, the Captain, Alan Leach did his utmost to keep the vessel comfortable and kept us aware at all times. The only critisism.....we had to come back to real life!!! Well done to all on the Celebration. I have read with interest some other comments about people who have been on this ship, all I can say is that I tell it as I find it and the ship is excellent value for money.....no doubt if you pay may thousands of pounds for a cruise you would expect something even better, but at this value for money price I cannot see how anyone can complain!

Just returned last night from...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs J J Fraser

Comments:

Just returned last night from the Med Discvovery on Celebration. This ageing but immaculate ship is a very comfortable way to tour the Med. The staff are so enthusiastic. The entertainment was superb . Lots of people we spoke to said it was better than on much higher class of ships. Each trip was well organised and the shuttle buses to the main towns near the ports of call were plentiful and very cheap. We sampled the food in all of the restuarants on board and cannot fault any of them.. The entertainment team work very hard and should be very proud of the level of shows they produce. We are first time cruisers and would definately do it again.

This was our second cruise...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

PORTRAITS OF THE PAST

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Ms A Espy

Comments:

This was our second cruise aboard the Thomson Celebration and was absolutely fabulous.

We loved the Red Sea Magic last November when we were in a Deluxe Cabin this time however we booked a basic twin outside cabin which I must say was very spacious and every bit as nice as the deluxe !

What makes the holiday so good is the friendliness of the staff who go out of their way to be helpful, The food is fantastic and most plentiful.

The best for us was the wonderful entertainment team, they are all young and full of life mostly just out of college and bursting with enthusiasm and talent. The shows could not be bettered if you went to the west end. During the day always something to do from dance lessons to game shows, port lectures and on some days a play in the afternoon.



Captain Leech always very approachable and kept his passengers informed at all times.



I would highly reccomend this ship to anyone.

Myself, My Partner and Sister...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr Craig Mckinnon

Comments:

Myself, My Partner and Sister have just returned from a week onboard the Celebration. We do not have a bad word to say about it! our ages range from 20's to late 30's and met friends of ages from 20's to 60's!!!



We all went along on this holiday with the pre-conception of cruises are full of 'older persons' well this was the case! along with lots of 'young persons' all of who we had a fantastic time with. Age was no barrier and all had a great time, infact i enjoyed the company of my superior seniors much more than the company of some of my own age group! We even went to bingo and was hooked! although there were tears when we did not win :-(



The cabin was lovely and spacious, the food great and the staff..... Well what more can I say other than "FANTASTIC" a true hard working and committed team who work very long tiring hours to ensure we all have a great time.



We took along a charity teddy bear from our work place where the point is to get as many pictures of teddy in many countries to rasise cash for Christies Cancer Hospital and The Princes Trust, Captain Alan Leach had no hesitation in posing with 'Travelling Ted' to help with the cause!! A true gent and very down to earth!



We met many fantastic people onboard of all ages..... Pat & Tony, Karen & Paul, Chrissy & John, Carol & Jean, Barbie (Thanks for giving me first aid during an accident) and DOT (the funniest lady you could wish to spend a week with).



P.S we did not see much of kids? then we found out why, they have a fantastic kids club where they are kept so entertained all day that they really do not want to be around us boring adults!



Happy to answer any questions or concerns



craigpmckinnon@btinternet.com



Enjoy!!



Craig, Nic & Clare (Manchester) onboard 6-13 March

Recently returned from Red Sea...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Red Sea

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs S Bliss

Comments:

Recently returned from Red Sea on board Thomson Celebration, The cruise was bought for my husband & I by our lovely families, as my husband has recently been diagnosed terminally ill with prognosis 3 months,The memories will last me a lifetime, & what a memory for my husband to take with him too. This holiday was the most memorable from start to finish, Captain Alan Leech runs a fantastic ship along with his crew, you can see he is proud of each & every one of them, the entertainment was first class, the waiters & cabin boys were always more than helpful & immaculate. everything on board constantly sanitised including handrails on stairs etc, food, well if you want to gain an extra pound or 2, this is for you, its served 24/7, the shows were just like being on Broadway, so proffesional, the entertainment was all round fantastic,we met some wonderful people on board. Kerry the social host was our "Star" of the week, she arranged to have our weding vows blessed by Captain Leech, it was all last minuite & although he was strapped for time, he still went along with this wonderful gesture that my husband so much wanted to do for me. Kerry was so professional & kind, The Captain was a very genuine, sincere man, (they both know what they did for us & knew what it meant to us both, there were lots of extras thrown in too!! by these two wonderful caring people! Thank you Kerry!, Thank You Captain Leech!) can't forget Matra D Cesar, waiters Bem & Fred, Cabin Boys Panji & Dedang, Hope I have not forgotten anyone, FANTASTIC! WELL DONE THOMSONS YOU DID US PROUD, sorry for shouting but want everyone to know how happy this holiday made my husband & I Sincerely, Sheila Bliss

Our review aimed towards the...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr D Hann

Comments:

Our review aimed towards the younger traveller, if you are in your 20's & 30's the Thomson Celebration is great and Thomson as an operator are very good. It's true to say (sorry to the grey-brigade) that this cruise is 90-95% 50+, but this is a good thing. We met loads of very nice cruise veterans and virgins on board and this definately added to our overal holiday. Food, entertainment and staff 1st class. The ship, due for a refit will be good (however, if you like the 1970's then start a petition to keep it as it is).



If you do the x3 main excursions then be beware. Giza, Petra and Luxor are all out-of-this-world, however... if you don't like long coach journeys then this may not be for you. Luxor being the longest. We left the ship at 6:30am and got back after 10pm, there was a traffic incident but still a very long day. I would suggest considering the overnight stay at a 5Star Hotel and also add the balloon flight as well. We didn't do this and wished we had. If you have busy working lives then you will need to consider a second week at a hotel in Sharm el Sheikh to recover from the busy schedule.



Good advice would be to throw yourself into anything that's offered. Each night in your cabin you will receive CruiseNews, so whether it's Latin American Dancing, the Cinema (free popcorn) or all excursions info (Quad Biking, don't miss!!!) you will enjoy this cruise and your camera will be full of great pics.



Would I recommend this ship, the cruise itinery, value for money and that there may only be a handful of younger likewise travellers on board... a BIG YES!