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

Our first 5 day cruise on board...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr B Croft

Comments:

Our first 5 day cruise on board the Thompson Celebration. Flight to Palma OK. Joined ship, arrangements were good.



Staff were excellent, food was good. The ship was very tired and the vibration, even in the lounges was bad. You could see yourself and other guests, rocking backwards and forwards in their chairs, or their tummies wobbling in tune to the vibration.



Hundreds of kids swamped the little plunge pools or Jacuzzis, this made it unusable for adults.



We did all the trips, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Sardinia, Barcelona. The time spent on the coaches was excessive and was a waste of time. Our lessons were not to try and do too much.



The ships entertainment was good, so we were late getting to bed, only to be up 7am ready to go off on a trip. Too much, we need a holiday to recover.



The Captains dinner was a joke, over an hour queuing to shake the Captains hand and running the gauntlet of photographers.



This was the low end of the cruising world, and so were the guests; however it was worth the money. We would go upmarket next time and do fewer trips.

I have just returned from my...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr D Hulstrom

Comments:

I have just returned from my first cruise aboard the Celebration and boy what an experience it was.



I joined the Celebration on the 27th July about mid-day, with the rest of my party, which included a disabled person for whom I was his carer.



The moment we entered our cabin - there are four cabins set aside for the disabled which are very spacious - which had panoramic views facing forward of the Celebration, so we had the most fantastic views of all the different ports of call.



The Staff and Crew are the most helpful and cheerful people you could ever meet and nothing is too much trouble for them, all you have to do is ask and they are only too happy to oblige with your request.



After unpacking, our party of six met in the Lido Restaurant for something to eat and drink and were amazed with the variety of food that was on offer and you could ask for extra portions if you wanted too.



There were several Coffee and Hot water urns dotted around for you to help yourself to want ever drink you required - needless to say I had a copious amount of Tea to revive myself after the flight and short journey from Palma airport.



The rest of the party making use of the food that was on offer. My disabled brother had no problems making his way around the Celebration, as there are ramps at the majority of the doors.



After relaxing on the Sun deck, we returned to our cabins to get ready for Dinner in the Meridian Restaurant and that was just amazing. Our party were sat together for the night and the service form the waiting staff was the most enjoyable experience ever.



They did everything with a smile on their faces, no matter how many people were in the Restaurant - which was extremely busy.



The waiters asked you to mention their names to the Maitre de and he would make sure that you were served by the same waiters throughout the week.



We attended the Sailaway Party on the Sun deck, just above the Lido deck and what a fantastic time we had, it was just like New Years Eve all over again, but better.



Everyone was dancing and singing along to the Freedom band and the Entertainment staff - who work really hard through the whole week of the Cruise - and there is a man going around all of the time with a Camcorder recording the week’s events, which you can buy at the end of the week at a nominal price.



We met some really nice people who had cruised before and told us that we would have the time of our lives during our stay onboard - and we did.



Every night there is entertainment going on in the Broadway Show Bar, Liberties, The Explorers Lounge, Hemingway’s Bar and Casino - some lucky people who vast amounts of money during their visit there - and the Horizons Bar.



We tended to sit on the Sun deck just outside Liberties after our evening Dinner, and then would adjourn inside later to enjoy the Entertainment staffs Shows and quizzes. If you only go to one Show in the Broadway Show Bar, you must go and see the Crew show, as there are some very talented people amongst the Crew members.



We did several trips ashore and there is no hard selling of these excursions by the Rep's, you can do the trips on your own if you want to. We did 4 hour tour to Pisa, Went into Barcelona on our own and I went on a half day tour to Rome, whilst the friends that were my party did Rome on their own, which worked out cheaper.



We also enjoyed a couple of hours ashore in Villefranche and Alghero, which you have to get a tender to shore.



If you attend the Captains Party - like we did - it gives you chance to dress up for the night in Evening Suits for the Gentlemen and Cocktail Dresses for the Ladies. There are two sittings for this, early and late, we were lucky to get an early sitting so that we could enjoy the rest of the evening at our leisure.



A photographer is on hand to capture all the key moments of you holiday and the pictures are really good and not too expensive. So, if you only buy a couple, its money well spent.



By the end of your stay aboard the Celebration, you don't want to leave because you have enjoyed yourself so much and if you are single like myself and my brother, then there are no worries there, as there are plenty of likewise people in the same situation and you always get chatting to someone.



I ended my cruise aboard the Celebration enjoying the company of a wonderful woman, whom I hope to keep in contact with and hope to see again in the near future, fingers crossed.



If you have ever wanted to cruise and were a bit sceptical or afraid about the Liner bobbing about like a cork in the water, don't worry, it's like sailing on a mill pond.



My advice is try it, because once you have, you will want to return again, like myself - and yes I have already got the brochure for next year and deciding on which Cruise to do.

We travelled between 22nd...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr R Tatton

Comments:

We travelled between 22nd June-6th July on The Moorish Delight and Med Renaissance itinerary. We have been on the Spirit 3 time and are comparing the ships on some points.



The waters, bar staff and cabin stewards all seemed to be Phiipinos and they all seem to be enjoying there jobs and were very friendly.



The food was not quite as good as the Spirit but this may have been down to hygiene reasons in the Lido restaurant where food was served to you and not help your self. The portions did not have to be small as you could ask for as much as you wanted and there was a good selection, sometimes it was not so hot so we went up again and asked for fresh. No problem.



At night we dinned in the Meridian Restaurant the best place to dine almost 5* service and always hot food and plenty of choice

No BBQ on deck and no Pub Lunches which we had last year.



The nightly entertainment was average as I don't like musicals every night but one, but there are plenty of other bars and entertainment on board. Liberties did get full every night and was very smoky as this is the only smoking bar on board (we don't smoke).



The Moorish Delight was a different itinerary this year so that was part of why we picked this cruise. The Moorish Delight was not moorish and Casablanca was a real let down, even the cruise director mocked it on stage. Tanger and Cartagena were better ports and walk able from the ship, all other ports were 30-40 minutes walk from the dock.



The Med Renanissance was better and we had done most of the stops before and did our own things Pisa,Rome and Monte-Carlo. We did enjoy Alghero Sardinia and Palmos, it was a lot better second week.



We did enjoy both weeks as we enjoy being on board with friendly staff and good company. We did have a cabin on deck 7 and all inclusive which made the cruise very very good, try to pre book your cabin!



Will have no hesitation travelling on The Spirit or Celebration again as long as service and presentation don't slip due to any cost cutting by Thomson.

Just come back from our first...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Roman Epic

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs C Richards

Comments:

Just come back from our first cruise. This was a late booking, 5 days before we departed from Manchester Airport. We went with friends who were also on their first cruise, who booked a cruise and stay; we just booked 1 weeks cruise only.



Booked this through Thompsons travel agents, never again, we were in the shop over 3 hours and still had to call back later in the week to pick up documents as they were too busy to get them ready for us.



I checked this holiday out on the web later, the site is so easy to use, and we could have saved even more money, so it’s the web for me next time, in the comfort of my own home, and all done in 10 minutes, not 3 hours +.



We were booked into the VIP lounge at Manchester Airport which was well worth the £36.00 for 2, there was a variety of drinks/nibbles etc, papers and magazine all in the comfortable surroundings, you can stay in there for up to 3 hours before your flight, so well chilled out.



We arrived in Palma and was taken directly to the ship - Destiny. Before you board ship you have to leave your credit card details and have you picture taken, then once on board anything you buy is put on your account and you sign for it. We paid the extra £149 each for the drinks package, so in affect this was an all inclusive package.



You still sign for all your food and drinks, but these are not charged on your account. You do have to pay for bottled water, champagne and the special coffees etc.



You are also given a security card each which has to be scanned every time you leave and return to the ship, so they know who is missing etc.



The cost of the safe key is £12.00 but is worth it for peace of mind.



We thought the ship although not new was well looked after and very clean, the cabin size was OK, although the shower was on the small side, but plenty of hot, powerful water.



There are towels in the cabins, including beach towels to use around the pool area, and the cleaning staff did a fantastic job. In fact all the staff were very polite, could not do enough for you, and were very friendly. There is a hair dryer in the cabin, if you want to take your own tongs etc you will need a 2 pin plug that has flat prongs which converts to 110V.



The dress code on board is casual through the day, then long trousers/shirts for men in the evenings and dresses/skirts/trousers for the ladies. There is the Captains dinner 1 night each week where the men are expected to wear a suit/shirt/tie and the ladies cocktail dresses etc; we did not go the this, as my hubby did not want to drag a suit all that way for 1 night.



Friends of ours went and said some men were in long trousers and open neck shirts, so not everyone wore a suit. On that particular night we had to eat in the Lido bar which has plastic glasses for safety reasons due to this being out in the open.



You were allocated the same table number for the week in the restaurant for your evening meal, which was waiter service. For breakfast you were sat at the next spare table and it was help yourself. There is other places to eat around the ship which were all self service. There was plenty of choice and as much as you wanted.



There was entertainment on throughout the day, and cabaret shows in the evening.



The first day we were at sea all day, so lots of food and drink and walking around getting to know where everything was.



We booked 3 trips.

1) The first was St Tropez and Port Grimaud (Little Venice) - £41 each

2) The second was Florence on Your Own - £30.00 each

3) The third was Best of Rome (Rome Express Train) - £89.00 each - this included

Lunch and we went to Rome on a private train, leather seats, and curtains at the windows.



Rome is a big place, I have heard of people doing it themselves by train and nearly missing the boat due to the trains being cancelled. Also the sites are spread out all over the city so you still have to get around Rome once you are there. I think for the first time this trip was well worth it, but there are 5 other cheaper trips, 1 being a half day at £35.00 each.



We were suppose to go to Alghero, Sardinia, but due to high winds the ship could not dock as tenders were to be used to transport us to the shore, so we went to Ajaccio, Corsica instead. Then after leaving Corsica for Mahon we hit even higher winds, it was terrible, everyone was sea sick, they ran out of sea sick pills, the reception area looked like a war zone, this must be the best place on the ship to be if it’s bad weather.



In the end I went to see the nurse to get an injection, once I went to sleep which took for ages, I slept sound all the night until 8am next day. It was the talking point of the holiday at breakfast next day. Most on our table had done loads of cruises and they had never experienced anything like it. One couple said they caught the back end of a hurricane in the Caribbean and it was nothing compared to what we had gone through, very frightening.



Having said that, other than these 2 nights of high winds it has not put us off cruising again, and I would have scored the overall trip higher if not for that reason. I think it would have been helpful if they had made more announcements telling us exactly what was happening and when it was likely to ease off.



Our friends are never going on a cruise again, and even some of the people we talked to who had done many said it had put them off. We were told out of the full ship only about 300 customers were up and about, the rest were ill.



I think for the price we paid which included extra to upgrade to a higher floor in the ship, and the drinks package, making it all inclusive it was good value for money. The places we visited were lovely, and I would do another one, once I have got over this experience.

We were on the Thomson...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Medditeranean Renaissance

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr F Campbell

Comments:

We were on the Thomson Celebration from the 29th June until the 6th July on their Mediterranean Renaissance Itinerary.



We were looking for a relaxing holiday which still had things to do and this cruise ticked all the boxes. There were plenty of excursions to go on and plenty of variety in the destinations.



We went from walking around Florence and Pisa one day to lying on a beach and swimming in the Sea in VilleFranche a day later.



The boat itself was extremely comfortable and the Waiters and Cabin Stewards could not have been any more helpful. The steward would tidy and make up the room in the morning. Put clean towels in the rooms twice a day, and turn the beds down at night while you are out. The service really is unbelievable.



The food in the Meridian Restaurant is beautiful, and I really don’t understand why people would want to spend extra on the A la carte menu, and anyone who goes hungry on this cruise must really hate food, as there is a terrific selection of both healthy foods and junk food in the Lido Restaurant



The only complaint which I would make about the Holiday was that they make you book all the excursions which you want to take on the first day on the boat.



We booked excursions for Florence, Pisa, Rome, and Sardinia, but my wife, who is six months pregnant, was unwell the day before, and the Day of the Rome trip and we couldn't go. This cost us £70 as Thomson wouldn’t refund the cost of the excursion.



This was the only blip on an otherwise excellent holiday.

My husband and I have just...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Moorish Delights

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs M Hornsey

Comments:

My husband and I have just returned from our first cruise aboard the Thompson Destiny.



Which we both found to be a great choice to do your 1st cruise. We found everything about the cruise to be very well organised.



Our cabin was always kept very clean and fresh towels everyday, including towels for the pool.



We found that the staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them. Food was excellent and in the Seven seas Restaurant our waiters were brilliant!



The entertainment was very good. It was very nice to see that everybody made an effort at the Captain Cocktail Party, all the men looked very smart in their tux's and the ladies in their cocktail dresses.



We thoroughly enjoyed every port of call. Overall we had a great holiday.

This was our first ever cruise...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Jewels of the Mediterranean

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Calamity Jane

Comments:

This was our first ever cruise and also our honeymoon. We stayed in the Neil Armstrong Suite on deck 8 which was lovely. Our cabin boy was Pande, he was friendly and kept our room immaculate. The whole ship was very clean.



We were all inclusive with drinks and got our money’s worth; we had cocktails by the pool, wine with our meal and lots of different drinks and nightcaps. There is very little that isn’t included.



The only problem is sometimes it is difficult to find someone to serve you, the staff work very hard, but in the busy bars and during the shows there, you often have to wait a long time for a drink.



There was one exception with one of the staff called Eugene who looked out for us and was at our beck and call, he was a great friendly guy and couldn’t do enough for us.



The food was lovely we ate mostly in the 24 hour buffet, which serves breakfast till about 11 then lunch, then afternoon tea, before evening meal followed by supper. We ate in the Meridian a few nights which was nice and gives you a chance to meet others and you usually on tables of at least 6.



On our last night we paid a cover charge of £15 each to eat in Mistrals which is a small intimate restaurant, it was worth every penny.



We booked a celebration package which again was very good value, we got champagne, chocolate strawberries and flowers in our room, we were presented with a Happy Honeymoon cake, we were invited to a hosted table on Captains Cocktail night and we got a free photograph of our choice.



The entertainment staff were very good but by the end of the week it was all much of the same thing and a bit more variety would have been nice.



Naples was a bit run down but we took the official trip by train to Pompeii and Sorrento which was fabulous, we also took the official trip in Tunisia which I would recommend, but all the other places we made our own way.



The only bad thing was we had our digital camera stolen on board, I left my bag in liberties and my camera was taken from it then my bag was dumped in the salon, we reported it but they was nothing they could do and they weren’t really interested.



Despite this it was a great holiday and we would certainly cruise with Thomson again.

This was our first cruise so no...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Moorish Delights

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs V Sharpe

Comments:

This was our first cruise so no idea what to expect. What we got was virtual perfection.



The Celebration is a handsome ship that is spotlessly clean. All the staff are kind, helpful, and pleasant. Dress can be as casual or smart as you like.



Food is top quality, especially in the Meridian restaurant, where the waiting staff are attentive and serve you with a smile. A previous reviewer commented that portions in the Lido buffet are small - but staff will always add more if you ask. If you don't ask you don't get!



The trips we took were OK, although the tour in Casablanca was not as enjoyable as others due to the dismal venues the guide chose for 'comfort' breaks and shopping.



Our favourite places were Cartagena and Tangier, which are both exciting and beautiful.



We had a minor gripe with our toilet, which broke down twice during our stay - once on a shipside fault, the other more local. Repairs, however were swift and effective.



The Horizons bar is a great place to watch the world go by and listen to the band, which plays laid back jazz. The shows were visually great and the singer and dancers energetic and attractive.



We enjoyed the 'Butlins' style entertainment in Liberties as well - great fun if you're in the mood. The duo that played classical music were magic.

Just arrived back we had a great...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

missjasmine

Comments:

Just arrived back we had a great cruise. It was the first cruise on the Celebration but have cruised many times with Thomson in the past.



The level of cleanliness is very high indeed. They are experiencing problems with the public toilets, on two occasions I tried three toilets before I could find one working.



The food is of a good standard.



We had the same suite on the Thomson Spirit as we did on the Celebration, however the Celebrations suite was better planned, with loads of wardrobe and cupboard space. The fittings were of a high standard.



The show team are not the most talented although I have to speak very highly of them with the amount of time that they spent ensuring that the passengers were having a great cruise.



The waiters were absolutely terrific they really could not do enough for you.



There was lots of choice with the excursions but you could easily walk off at Gibraltar and Tangier.



We dined at the fine dining restaurant one night but we all agreed that it wasn't worth the £15 per head extra it was not that much better than the normal restaurant although the presentation of the food was great.



We did really enjoy the cruise and I hope that you do.

We have never been on a cruise...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Roman Epic

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

lizzie2355

Comments:

We have never been on a cruise before but we had such a wonderful time we are off again next year.



The ship was just really clean and spotless, with wonderful staff that waited on you as much as you wanted.



The food was fabulous, especially in the Meridian restaurant where we enjoyed 5 course meals every night.



The waiters were Andy and John, 2 lovely lads who were spot on!



The lido self service was also good and the food was always hot and well presented. The servers gave you good portions if you wanted more on your plate it was not a problem.



The entertainment was really good with so much to suit all tastes and we loved the shows and the entertainment on liberty’s, the cruise entertainment manager was really good and also handsome!



We loved Deal or no deal and catchphrase! We loved the Freedom band that played on the deck each day at 1pm and sometimes didn’t get off the ship until we had listened to them. Our cabins was really clean and well presented. And any problems were seen to immediately; special thanks go to Caesar the maitre d’hôte.



Thompsons did a brilliant job with everything with very smooth transfers both ways.



We had 3 hour delay going home but there was technical fault on the plane so not a problem as that had to be sorted.



The only problem on board was the lack of public toilets especially near the Meriden restaurant, where there were only 2 loos for the ladies with a huge vanity area which could have housed 2 more loos easily. When we queued here most ladies agreed that the toilets must have been designed by a man! Sometimes it was quicker to go back to your cabin.



Overall it was absolutely brilliant and apart from the half stone weight gain, we can’t wait to go again next summer.

We got on to the plane and was...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Itinerary:

Jewels Of The Med

Date of Holiday:

May 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs L Coverley

Comments:

We got on to the plane and was delayed by a hour being told that we were waiting for 4 passengers. Then we were informed that the luggage for the 4 missing passengers had to be taken of the plane, but then we were told that a woman on the plane had seen her suitcase being taken off so then we had to wait to get her suitcase back on to the plane, we got in the air approx 1 hour late.



When we got off the plane and found our luggage we headed towards the Thomson Rep where we were told that the Ship was not in yet so we were going to a hotel instead of waiting at the Airport.



We were given a letter to say that the ship was on its way from Barcelona where it had been in dry dock for the last 3 weeks due to engineering work, we said fair enough it will be sorted out for when we do get on it.



We were to taken on a 50 minute bus ride to Cala D'Or to the Hotel America, where we were met by another Thomson Rep, and there we were told we would have more details about leaving for the ship 17:00 we were given a room so we could freshen up and we were given All Inclusive wrist bands so we could eat and drink while we were there, we did not empty our suitcases as we expected to be on the Ship quite soon.



The time then changed to 17:30 and again to 18:00 by this time we were thinking the worse that we would not be on the Cruise at all, we all sat waiting for news on the Ship and eventually we were told the Ship was in and the bus would be collecting us at 21:30.



The journey took over a hour back to the docks and there we queued for over a hour, nothing was organised ready to board the ship so we had wait while everything was set up causing a member of our party, who is a diabetic, in having a hypo as she needed food fast, so we reported this to one of the Thomson rep and all she did was take her to one side sat her down and left her.



When we collected our boarding cards and started to queue for our photo to board on to the ship, my husband fetched our friend, who was all alone and no rep insight, to get her photo taken as we needed to get her sorted before anything more serious happened.



When I got on the ship after all the queuing up my picture was not on their laptop so I was told that I would have to sort it out next day.



Saturday in the early hours of the morning we set sail and that morning we had the muster, we got to the correct deck and lifeboat with our lifejackets on. We reported to a member of staff and were told to join the queue.



I told that member of staff that I suffer with panic attacks while I have the life jacket on this has happened every year, but all she said was to join the queue.



So I then found a male member of staff who checked me in but he had no record of me being on the ship - this was due to my picture not being on the laptop from the night before - he made a note off me then said I could go.



After the muster was finished we went to the cabin and collected my passport then made our way to the reception and explained that there was no record of me being on the ship.



The lady at the desk asked for my credit card details again, as everything had to go back on to the computer, so my husband went back to the cabin to get the credit card then when he returned he was told he would need the booking reference number, so again he had to go back to the cabin. Then I had to fill in some paperwork to say that my husband was ok to use the same credit card as myself with it being in my name.



1] We had to report a faulty shower which took 2 days before it was sorted out.



2] The public toilets on the ship were blocked most of the time or out of order.



3] Food was given out by the restaurant staff, so you only ever given small portions this resulted in queuing twice then the food was cold when it was only warm in the first place.



4] Never enough waiters about when you needed a drink, other years the waiters have been great, they even get to know what you are drinking.



5] The entertainment is always the same e.g. Ice sculpture, vegetable sculpture, cocktail making etc.



6] The entertainment team did not even speak to you when you saw them, other years we have had Robin, Nolan, Kris and Gavin always willing to chat to you as they walk by but this year they just did not want to speak it felt like you were not welcome, without the passengers these people would be out of work.



7] Very poor entertainment in the daytime, no pool side games all you got was a quiz each day.



8] On the Thursday when we were getting ready to go home people were saying that the late arrival of the ship was because they had had a bug on board not an engineering problem like we were told at the beginning.



This was our fourth cruise and it was very disappointing for a Thomson Cruise.

We enjoyed a fantastic (Red Sea...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Red Sea Magic

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs S Norris

Comments:

We enjoyed a fantastic (Red Sea Magic) cruise on board the Thomson Celebration in April 07.



Having spent our last two holidays in Florida, we were struggling to find a holiday that everyone in our family (2 adults, 14 year old girl, and 10 year old boy) would enjoy. We certainly hit on a winner with this cruise and, having previously avoided cruising (as we thought it wouldn’t be our scene), we are now cruise “converts.”



Everything about the cruise was excellent from the smooth check-in at Manchester Airport onwards. Even the airline food during the Thomson flight to Hurghada was pretty good!



Food on board the ship (and at the hotels where we lunched on the trips), entertainment, selection of bars (our favourite evening haunt was Horizons bar overlooking the front of the ship), organised trips, crew etc. were superb. We couldn’t fault it. – and we’re pretty hard to please!



If you want “Butlins” style entertainment, then it’s available but if you fancy something more relaxed, then that’s there too – there’s something to suit all tastes. The drinks prices on-board were not excessive and free water, tea, and coffee are available 24/7.



We took lunch and dinner predominantly in the Meridien Restaurant (which had waiter service) as this made our meals feel more of an occasion. However, the Lido (self-service) restaurant was perfectly adequate if that’s your preference and that’s where we had breakfast most mornings.



We chose this particular cruise because it provided the perfect opportunity to visit some fantastic historical sites without having to spend a significant amount of time in Egypt or Jordan.



We did the Luxor (Temple of Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings, and Temple of Karnak), Jordan (Petra), and Cairo (Pyramids, Sphinx, and Cairo Museum) trips. A word of warning though – all these trips were pretty long days - the Luxor trip being the longest at approx. 15 hours in total – but well worth it.



All were extremely well organised and all things considered were very good value for money (children under 16 are half price – which was a pleasant surprise). The tour guides were very knowledgeable (as you would expect) and the information they provided enhanced the experience no end.



We are now planning our next cruise and would be more than happy to book with Thomson again.

On arrival in Palma no ship it...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Itinerary:

Jewels Of The Med

Date of Holiday:

May 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs S Dearden

Comments:

On arrival in Palma no ship it had been in dry dock 3 weeks. Put up in Hotel in Magaluf boarded 12 hours later. Set sail first port Tunisia.



Set sail for Naples then was hit by gales for 12 hours, left Naples only to be told all portholes to be shut as we had a force 10 gale to get through. Did not make next port of call which should have been Corsica.



Another 14 hours of storms.



Could not get to our cabin, spent the night in main theatre. When we got into our cabin everything thrown out of drawers and wardrobes and things smashed in bathroom.



So if we had have been in our cabin god only knows what would have happened to us.



Wrote to claim our monies back off Thomson.



Our first and last cruise I can tell you.

Having never been on a cruise...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs A McFarlane

Comments:

Having never been on a cruise ship I didn’t know what to expect and was a little worried.



My worries were soon put to rest from the minute I boarded, the staff were so welcoming, and couldn’t do enough for us, and this friendliness lasted the whole of our cruise.



The food was amazing with the self service restaurant being open all night every night, there is also an a la carte restaurant if you like to dress up for dinner.



The on board entertainment was superb, from Broadway shows, a casino, a cinema quizzes on deck, to bingo and much more, there is always something to do.



The cruise itinery left in our cabin every night gave us a chance to plan our day ahead, whether to go on an off board excursion or stay on board for the day.



The scenery when we arrived at the fjords was breathtaking, but remember to take a rain jacket and comfy shoes for when you are visiting ports (especially BERGEN) because it can get a lot of rain.



I would recommend this cruise ship to everyone, and if you decide to book up tell Erik, (with a k), who works in the casino bar that his friends from Scotland said hi.

Expensive for the excursions so...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Red Sea Magic

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr A M Gear

Comments:

Expensive for the excursions so I could only go on the one to Petra. Despite it raining it was well worth the money.



The cruise ship was second to none & the staff were very helpful. Even to having singles functions.



The entertainment was exceptional even when one of the entertainers hurt herself & the special entertainer Lloyd Hollett had to take over one of the shows at very short notice.



The rest of the entertainment team carried on with the shows as seamlessly as though the hurt entertainer was never there.



It was good to see how they practiced to compensate for their loss.



The food was of very high standard and there was never a day where I found nothing to eat.