Reviews of Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship, Thomson Spirit, Thomson Cruises

I cannot believe I am reading...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs D Weekes

Comments:

I cannot believe I am reading some of these comments, we sailed in October as well and are seasoned cruise travellers, and we went with friends who had never cruised before.



You like what you like don’t you?



I am a smoker myself and adhere to the non smoking parts of the ship and granted it would be nice to have a deck all to ourselves although as a smoker it was nice to find a small section of ONE of the bars for smokers.



I love every bit of this ship, the people, the food, the entertainment. We also managed to find sunbeds for the four of us every single day quite easily, so I don’t know where these people were looking!



The only small gripe I had is that people tend to sit and watch the main cabaret twice; a little ticket system would be great so that everyone can get a seat for each show.

This was our first cruise as we...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs E Ashby

Comments:

This was our first cruise as we have always travelled either independently or with specialist holiday companies.



The ship is old and shabby. Cabins on board were spacious with plenty of storage space. The bed linen was threadbare and the towels provided were old and grey! The bathroom was not good. Grout kept breaking on the floor and the toilet and wash basin looked dirty as the porcelain surface was discoloured and flaking.



When the ship travelled at above 12 knots, it was difficult to sleep because of the noise caused by cabin equipment such as lamps. Many of the screws to hold the equipment in place were missing. No doubt many of these issues will be dealt with during the scheduled six month refit.



I was disappointed in the size of the ship and the lack of facilities. This was an issue I had not considered before booking. The ship is 33000 tons and has some 1300 passengers which compares unfavourably with other cruise lines. I thought the ship was overcrowded with insufficient personal space and no consideration given to the provision of a quiet area for those who did not want to take part in activities or who wanted to get away from loud fellow passengers.



In addition to three lounge areas there was a small library which was also used for internet access. There were no chairs to use for reading. A card room did have a few sofas but again this room was noisy. I acknowledge that it is impossible to keep everyone happy but I was disappointed in the organised activities such as bingo.



I did anticipate being able to play cards but this was not part of the entertainment agenda. It was on the programme but no staff appeared. The gym on board was the only activity I used. Whilst the equipment is old, it is all usable and the instructor is very good.



Smoking was a difficult issue for me. On occasions, I would have wished to see an event taking place in the High Spirits Bar but could not attend as this was a designated smoking area. Whilst smoking in cabins is discouraged, the smell in the corridors was apparent at certain times of the day. I would have wished to have designated smoking cabins/decks but realise this would be impracticable. I had to move around the sun deck to remove myself from smokers.



There were a lack of sun beds and this was more relevant the first week of the cruise when we spent more time on board the ship. I was disappointed with the number of children on board as it was not a school holiday period when I travelled. I was also disappointed in the many groups who were loud and dominated sections of the sun deck.



I am a vegetarian and there were always dishes available even if they became a bit boring after a few days. On occasions the food was very good - particularly the Chinese buffet.



There was always salad, cheese and fresh fruit courses available for those who do not eat puddings. Queues were inevitable at buffets and it is unfortunate that there is insufficient space to have additional separate serving areas. Salads and hot food were served at the same point and this contributed to queues. As to be expected a few people barged in and this was unnecessary.



The staff were all efficient. I would particularly praise the Filipino waiters in the bar areas for their manner which was courteous and friendly. As to was the fitness instructor.



Reception staff were efficient but need to guard against showing disdain when passengers had left the reception area. I once sat in this area for some time and witnessed this.



The highlight of the holiday were the ports of call. I had read all the advice provided by travellers on this site which was most helpful. I did not book excursions - we travelled on public transport when possible. I have visited Rome and Florence before so elected not to visit again. I particularly enjoyed Naples, Marseille, and Sardinia and had wonderful food in each of these areas.



Perhaps the best indicator of the type and standard of cruise is the fact that entertainment highlighted bingo and contests such as a "Mr and Mrs" quiz.



Overall, I will appreciate that one may only expect a standard equal to the cost. In my view Thomson is very much a three star cruise. I certainly will cruise again as I was quite envious of the standards on other ships in ports at the same time as were we, and as likeminded passengers who had cruised on other lines convinced me they were so much better.

This was our first cruise which,...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Spirit of Iberia

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr I Brown

Comments:

This was our first cruise which, after doing a fair bit of research, we looked forward to immensely.



Overall, we had no complaints regarding accommodation, food, or entertainment and found the staff helpful in the extreme and the ports of call very enjoyable.



However, our cruise was ruined due to the discomfort experienced by the ship shuddering, whether at sea or in dock. This shuddering continued twenty four hours a day for the duration of the cruise.



We were surprised that some form of explanation was not offered. We were assured by fellow passengers (some of them on their fourth Spirit cruise) that the shuddering was most definitely not the norm, but was so bad, they felt it would affect them choosing Thomson Spirit in future!



Our time on board Thomson Spirit has certainly left us reluctant to cruise again although we have been encouraged by others to try another ship.

After reading many reviews...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Med Reanaisance

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs D Harris

Comments:

After reading many reviews regarding this ship was rather anxious, everything was just great, it did vibrate so, wasn’t life threatening!



Ship was clean, food hot varied and plentiful... show excellent, professional lively and entertaining, guest act Morgan Lee James was excellent, ports of call all very good, did not go on any tours as like to do our own thing and have already been to most of them.



This was our 25th cruise and still gives me a buzz it’s become a drug, no other holiday will do... keep up good work Thomson, see you next year all being well and thank you.

This was my first cruise and I...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Itinerary:

Med

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Ms J Boyd

Comments:

This was my first cruise and I had read many sites before booking with Thomson - a company I have never used before.



The ship was old and shabby and very overcrowded. The ships size is 33,000 tons with some 1200 passengers. This compares unfavourably with most other cruise liners and I would urge those who have not cruised before to study such statistics as it reflects what the cruise ship has to offer in terms of facilities, space, comfort etc. It is not something I thought of before booking this holiday!



As a result there were insufficient public areas and facilities to take account of passenger interests. The overcrowding was reflected in the lack of deck chairs, sun beds and the noise level throughout the ship. All public areas were noisy - no quiet spots and all served alcohol.



The small library was also an internet room so there were no chairs suitable for reading. The card games room had a couple of sofas but again this room was noisy.



The entertainment was not to my liking - bingo/Mr and Mrs etc. No bridge or any other organised card games. The pianist and jazz trio were the exception - they provided excellent background music. On occasions something that may have interested me was held in the main smoking lounge - I could not cope with the smell nor smoke from this area so was unable to attend. I acknowledge the difficulties of any company regarding smoking.



However, it is wrong that smoking is allowed in all cabins rather than a designated deck.



The smell of tobacco was apparent in the cabin areas at certain times of the day and I often had to move on the outside deck (and carry my sunbed) to distance myself from smokers.



The food was acceptable - some buffets were better than others. Again the size of the ship meant that queues often formed as there was insufficient space to permit separate salad/vegetarian counters which would have done much to speed up queues and stop people from barging in. (This habit of barging in by some fellow passengers was most upsetting).



The food became rather tedious (I was on the ship for 2 weeks) and was invariably cold. It would have been helpful also to have had a pasta station as on some occasions I could not eat the main courses.



I was not impressed with all the staff. The Filipino waiters in the bar lounge areas were friendly, courteous and always smiled. Their service was impeccable. Reception staff were efficient but need to guard against showing disdain after dealing with passengers. This was apparent to me when I sat in the reception area for some time.



The cabin staff person allocated to my room was loud - her voice could be heard throughout the corridors and she engaged inappropriately with passengers often outside my cabin door.



It was not possible to have even a couple of hour’s quietness before dinner even in the privacy of one’s cabin because of this room maid.



The ports of call were all interesting and the best part of the holiday experience. I gained much guidance from reading feedback on this site and followed many contributor's advice. I enjoyed some ports more than others. I loved Naples (try the Pizza), Marseille, and Barcelona. I particularly enjoyed Sardinia and had the best food of my two week trip in a local restaurant.



Some of those on the cruise had travelled with Thomson in the past and many stated they would not do so again as they felt that their cruising experience had gone downhill. Many passengers also said they would. I would not travel with Thomson again unless they offered a cruise that did not permit smoking on board. Neither would I travel with a cruise line that did not have a designated adult only cruise. There were far too many children on board this cruise for my liking.



I enjoyed the concept of cruising but will move to another cruise line which offers a more varied experience, more facilities, and more personal space.

We have just spent a week...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Spirit of Iberia

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss L Sanders

Comments:

We have just spent a week cruising around the western med on Thomson Spirit. The weather was awful most days with rain in the morning, a bit of sunshine in the afternoon and rain again in the evening. It was not cold though.



Just to clarify what other reviewers have said. This ship has very bad vibration on it. No matter where you were on the ship it was vibrating badly. We have been on the Celebration and the Destiny where there is absolutely no vibration whatsoever.



The deluxe cabins are like what they say very deluxe and spacious.



The dining room service was wonderful and all the waiters were so friendly along with the bar staff in all the bars. The food was plentiful and something for everyone. Whether you went to the restaurant or to the buffet area to eat.



The photographs taken on board are very pricey though but they were doing deals like buy 2 get 1 free which was handy.



The shows on board are not to the same standard as the Celebration or Destiny. Most of the cabaret team did not have very good singing voices in my opinion for a cruise ship.



Overall it was a good holiday but would not go on the Spirit again.

Another wonderful cruise on the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

missjasmine

Comments:

Another wonderful cruise on the Spirit. The staff on board should be so highly praised they make you feel so welcomed and nothing is to much trouble for them.



The Spirit will be going in to dry dock soon and it really needs to be spruced up it is very tired. I believe that some engine work will be completed because the ship can vibrate at times quite a lot but my Husband seemed to like the effect this had on the ladies.



The only thing that spoiled some of the entertainment was the smoking in the High Spirits it was awful and as Mrs. Reid pointed out in the last review she is a heavy smoker and it was too smoky for her. I think that maybe because the UK have banned smoking in all public places it makes it even more unbearable to put up with now. Some of the smokers did not sit in the smoking section and were not asked to move.



The food was great with loads of choice and quality. The hygiene standard is very high with hand sanitizers everywhere.



The entertainment staff were absolutely brilliant. I would have liked to see some of the plays that they act out on the Calypso and the Celebration in the afternoon.



The excursions a bit pricey as always but you can if you wish do things independently.

I must be a great sea woman because I didn't notice the bad weather however one evening a wonderful storm out at sea was quite breathtaking.



Embarkation and Disembarkation so smooth. Flight home no delays perfect.

I would like to thank all the staff and hope to see you all again in the future.

Spirit of Iberia 27th Sept 07....

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Spirit of Iberia

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

HW tenpin

Comments:

Spirit of Iberia 27th Sept 07. Thomson Spirit.



Southampton Vigo Lisbon Cadiz Malaga Cartagena & Palma.



What Mrs T terms as our in-between cruises cruise, that last minute deal that is too good to miss. In this case an 8-day jaunt from Southampton to Palma deck seven outside cabin for under £450 each.



Now Thomson ships have taken a few knocks over the past couple of years, but come on for that money how bad could it be? As it turned out this was one of the best weeks cruising we have taken in the last few years.



From the moment we parked our car at Bournemouth airport for our return Thomson’s were spot on. The coach swiftly took us back to S’hampton docks and 15 minutes saw us boarding the ship, hand luggage dropped into the cabin a quick word with Juni our lovely Bulgarian Steward and off to Raffles for our first drink.



I am not going to wax lyrical about the ship or the Itinerary both were as you would expect from a Thomson ship, everything was just about ok, and taking into account what we paid, certainly great value for money. We saw every show, some good some average but all worth seeing.



So why write a review?

Well let me say this, of all the cruise lines we have been on, wonderful new ships, large and small, luxury liners to Nile Cruisers we always make new friends when sailing with Thomson, so thank you Alex & Shelia, Brian & Barbara our table and evening companions, for making this cruise fun & memorable.



But a special thanks to Thomson’s for providing cruises at a price that all can afford & introduce many to this wonderful way of holidaying.

Our First Cruise and definitely...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Iberian delights

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

ThomsonSpirit

Submitted By:

Mr A Jones

Comments:

Our First Cruise and definitely not our last .... We had a great holiday - we had a wonderful week (although the weather wasn't great). The staff were falling over themselves to be helpful whoever you spoke to... nothing was too much trouble to make our cruise more enjoyable and service was exceptionally good.



Having read all the wonderful reviews beforehand we can only add ours to the list and recommend this ship and its wonderfully special atmosphere.



Everyone on the cruise was so friendly - from the minute we met the group from Belfast at Southampton in the terminal until we got off the plane at Stansted.



Only three concerns - the smoking in the High Spirits, the bobbing up and down from the vibration and a few children on an Adults only cruise but none of these stopped us having a great time. Stayed out of the High Spirits used the other bars, moved around to avoid the worse spots of bobbing and the children were all very well behaved.



The food in the Compass and the Lido being totally based on the UK diet was always wonderfully prepared and tasty... you would have to be very fussy indeed not to find something you liked among the loads of choices (didn't bother with the Sirocco - no point in paying extra when the Compass serves such great food). Missing the six course dinner and Warren ...



The entertainment team shows were always top quality and worth watching.



We enjoyed Raffles the casino bit was well supported by our Big Man Steve- hi to all his mates... how he managed to keep the same twenty pound worth of chips all week is beyond us.



The ports of call - Vigo, Lisbon, Cadiz, Malaga and Cartehana --try and get to the very informative port talks - didn't go on any organised trips just walked around the towns/cities.

Lisbon - had to get the Shuttle bus to the city (£3 each return) and Malaga was a fair walk - we got a taxi (5 euros).



We had no trouble at all getting on at Southampton - More trouble getting off but I don't suppose anyone can have expected the Palma Tornado to strike the island just as we were disembarking to go to the airport - it did make an exciting end to the holiday .. all the people who left on early flights missed all the fallen trees and the damage and the extra coach excursion around Palma.



Don't be put off by the negative comments - we will not be.



Thanks to everyone crew and passengers at Thomson- we will be back to "our" Spirit soon ...

I have to say I disagree with...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

ONe Night Taster Cruise

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Internet

Submitted By:

Mrs J Smithers

Comments:

I have to say I disagree with the other comments about the One Night Taster Cruise. I haven't cruised with Thomson before but look at things from a different view. I went with a group of friends - 8 of us in total.



Yes it was a nightmare but not the fault of Thomson, I worked on a cruise ship many years ago and so maybe can understand a little bit more than other people. The British way now seems to be will you give me more if I shout louder. Why have we turned into a Nation of greedy people.



Thomson Spirit was very late in docking but for heavens sake they had been stuck in bad weather, and safety comes first before trying to rush into a port. Of course there were no Thomson Staff there, they were all on the ship, but there were port workers; lovely girls who were just being screamed at. It would have been the same if it was Cunard, P&O, Princess or any other... what do people really expect that they will helicopter staff off.



They had a full ship, needed to get the passengers off, luggage off, clean the ship. It was spotless, I am sure people would have complained more if they had embarked onto a dirty ship. I spoke to one lady who confirmed what a horrible crossing they had had due to the weather/sea conditions.



I heard one man asking a young lass for compensation, hello this was at 3pm in the afternoon and the ship wasn't due to sail until 5pm anyway. What did you want compensation for?? Would you have been given it in the airport if the aircraft was delayed like hell you would have, you have to have a very long wait before you get a 5 pound voucher. No one has mentioned the 2 drinks vouchers per person Thomson had given everyone in the cabin on arrival.



The restaurant staff were amazing and the food was 1st class. The entertainment was excellent, it was a shame about the loss of power for maybe 1/2 mins but anyone can encounter a power cut even in your own home.



I didn't like High Spirits because it was too smoky but that was because it was cramped with younger people who treated this cruise like a boose cruise to be frank.



I felt sorry for the Hostess & Reception Manager who took a tongue lashing from one stupid women over nothing, even if it was recorded and played back to that women I am sure she would be ashamed at how stupid she sounded, or maybe not.



And that poor little girl who worked nights on reception just took abuse from drunken idiots, people should be ashamed at the way they treat others these days. I heard one lad saying I demand to speak to someone english you don't understand, ignorant pig is all I have to say she spoke better english than half of England put together. Erm how good is your Russian/Romanian (sorry if you read this I don't know where you are from).



This cruise has not put me off going with Thomson in fact I think the product was very good for the time we had onboard, I have booked to go on Thomson Destiny for Dec over Christmas and New Year.



One final thing to finish with is people need to think about how they would deal with the situation if they were in the staffs shoes rather than shouting first.



Joanne

WOW what a trip!

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Reid

Comments:

WOW what a trip!



Yes we have sailed on the Spirit before and yes she is about to go to dry dock to have the shaking problems sorted.



We arrived at Southampton far too early (12.00) but were still allowed to board the ship, we dropped our cases before checking in, and they were outside out deluxe room before we got there.



We unpacked and headed for the Lido for lunch - great as usual with several different choices.



We set sail and for some that were sea sick it was a rough crossing but the captain went as slow as he could so that many passengers could enjoy the trip but this led to moans when we arrived in Cadiz late. You can’t win them all.



We had an electric storm between Cadiz and Malaga which was spectacular to watch - a freebie not provided by Thomson.



I agree that the charge for most of the excursions were rather high so we choose to make out own way around but you could walk from the ship in Cadiz, Malaga, small charge for shuttle bus in Gibraltar although we walked, Lisbon we didn’t get off as it was Sunday, Vigo walked off ship, Cherbourg got a free pony and trap ride to the town. We are in our 50s and I have bad knees and walking problems normally but did not find a problem at any of the ports.



We were given extra time in Malaga due the short visit to Cadiz so we got a train to Fuengirola at the vast cost of £2 each and spent most on the day there.



The food was out of this world and we met some lovely people over dinner in the Compass Rose restaurant - we never had to queue to get in and be seated. The two formal nights the meals were at 6 and 8 but the restaurant manager changed both ours to the later sitting which suited us better.



Due to rough seas and high winds the external doors on the promenade deck had to be roped together but this didn’t really seem to cause a problem.



As a heavy smoker I did find that even I found that High Spirits was just too smoky on many occasions for me to be able to sit in there, so I went to the lido deck or any outside deck, they have ashtrays hanging on the bars on most decks, although I did take a portable ashtray with me.



Entertainment was far better on this cruise than the previous cruise we had done on the Spirit. A mum had taken her handicapped men away with her and I must say that everyone on the cruise applauded as Ian conducted the music where ever you saw him on the ship; he was also thanked by the cruise director for conducting the music before the show started, a real added bonus to the cruise. Thanks Ian if you ever get to read this



A lot of people moaned about the rough weather over the Bay of Biscay but in this day and age it doesn’t take much to investigate the places you are going to and if the ship is likely to hit rough waters.



Actually there were a lot of moaners on the ship, from the fact that the captain stopped the lifts being used unless you were disabled in the high winds for the passenger’s safety to the food. Well having done 7 out of 9 cruises with Thomson now I can say that you definitely get your monies worth with them. We have paid a lot more and got a lot less with other cruises so we keep going back to Thomson.



We had a loose floor tile in the bathroom but didn’t think it was worth mentioning but we arrived back in our room to find it fixed one day, the toilet got blocked so we told the room steward and again it was fixed by the time we went back in the room.



My mobile phone charger would not fit into the sockets in the cabin but I took it to reception and they charged it for me on three different occasions for no extra charge.



I heard comments that the staff on the Celebration are much friendlier but the crew change ships and crew members regularly, they are on a six to nine month contract so you may never see the same crew twice, I found nothing wrong with the crew on the Spirit, they all said good morning good night etc and always had a smile on their faces, especially the wine waiter who forced me to drink far too much wine every night hehehe.



I really hate ice in my drinks and I only had to the staff once that I don’t want ice and they remembered every time, in fact sometime I walked in Horizons and my drink followed me to table - perfect every time thanks to Laura.



So overall summary of our holiday - Thomson I can’t wait to sail with you again.

Fantastic. This was our first...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Legends of the Fjords

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs K E Larwood

Comments:

Fantastic. This was our first cruise (2 adults and our 2 children aged 10 and 7) and it lived up to and exceeded our expectations!



Liking the lakes and mountains of Switzerland and Austria, we decided to try this 6 nighter cruise to Norway, and from the moment we boarded at Harwich (very quick and efficient) to the moment we left, everything was wonderful.



We booked a 4 berth cabin on deck 1, very spacious - 4 wardrobes and 3 sets of 4 draw units all of which were spotlessly clean. There was so much space on the ship; I often wondered where the other 1200 passengers were - even on days at sea. We were worried about the vibration after reading other reports, BUT this was not as bad as we thought it would be.



Yes, the ship vibrates but after a while you get used to it, we weren't going to let it spoil our holiday.



The food in the Lido buffet restaurant (open 24 hours a day) was fantastic, plenty of choice, wonderful desserts, free tea, coffee and water - absolutely everything that you could want and masses of choice. The Lido Pool Grill was great for children - pizzas, chips etc.



The evening shows in the Broadway Lounge, were very, very good, not far off West End show standards and Andre the guest magician/comedian was brilliant our children loved him - I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on television.



The crew consisted of 26 nationalities all of whom were very friendly and helpful. Excellent service especially in the Lido restaurant by Chris and Jay, they were a credit to the ship.



There was plenty going on during the day if you wanted it, with quizzes, guest lecturer, a library if you wanted somewhere quiet, and for children a very good Kids Club. My children loved this especially the film night when they had pizza and chips etc in the Kids Zone room.



They were also taken to the very good Compass Rose Restaurant one night and then to the Broadway Show Lounge for the evening.



The Norwegian Fjords are very scenic with beautiful snow on the mountain tops in Eidfjord. The weather was very good, mild - thought you did need a jumper.



There wasn't a lot to do in Eidfjord our first port, we walked around the Fjord for a while and took the Troll train around the village for an hour - about £5.00 per person. It rained a little but we didn't have any snow.



Our next port Flam was also very scenic and the start of the Flamsbana rail journey to Myrdal - very famous in Norway. There was a tour arranged by Thomson, which included a lunch and a couple of other places. This was very expensive £75.00 per adult. We instead took the Flamsbana to Myrdal and the main line train to Voss which is a beautiful resort surrounded by mountains. The total cost was about £100 for our family.



I did hear one or two comments that the £75.00 tour was very good with a very good guide and a lovely meal which included fresh salmon.



Bergen our next port was very beautiful, we walked for about 15 minutes through Bryggen the lovely old district, past shops etc and then took the Floibanen up Mount Floyen for a fantastic view of the city, well worth it, about £17.00 for all of us. Again we did this ourselves, far cheaper than the excursion Thomson offered. The weather was very sunny and warm.



Norway is a very expensive country, far more so than Switzerland and in our opinion not as pretty.



All in all a great first cruise, and we will DEFINITELY be cruising on the Spirit again. WELL DONE THOMSON.

After a 200 mile, 4 hour journey...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Itinerary:

One Night Taster

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs S Hudson

Comments:

After a 200 mile, 4 hour journey we arrived at Harwich at 11.45am to be told that the Spirit was running 90 minutes late due to bad weather. We were offered the chance to take the train to Harwich town centre, to fill some time, but we would have had to take our luggage with us!! So we joined the queue in the embarkation 'shed' and waited. The numbers multiplied, with hundreds waiting outside, the good weather being fortunate.



There was a small commercial cafe with a queue that took 105 minutes to gain the front which began to run out of food. The 90 min wait stretched to over 5 hours for us and 6 - 7 hours for those at the back of the queue. It was evident from passengers returning from the Baltic cruise that the ship was going to be late - why had Thomson not provided free drinks and food or hastily booked the other available embarkation 'shed' as well? About 4pm some returning passengers were let off and those passengers with car park tickets 1 to 100 let on the ship. This meant that approximately 400 returning passengers were kept on the ship - occasioning an almost riot. Eventually these 400 were allowed off the ship down a ramp into the masses waiting to embark (We have photographic evidence of this very dangerous melee). The 400 were being transferred to the car park by 2 vehicles, one a 29 seater and the other a 16 seater. Gridlock ensued, only to be sorted out by 2 middle aged security men (no Thomson employees were in sight!) who received a standing (!) ovation. Embarkation at last continued with the security scanners switched off, presumably to save time.



We set foot on the ship at 5.15pm. After a quick bite to eat and a drink (waiting for a non existent jazz group to appear), listening over the tannoy to a laughable and lengthy safety announcement - instructions on how to put on a life jacket which is in your cabin, not in the public areas where you have to be for the announcement, are not helpful. We went to our cabin to freshen up for dinner (We did try on unsuccessfully our life jackets using half remembered verbal instructions about toggles and D-rings.).



We had missed a lunch, leisurely drink, afternoon tour of the boat, and workout in the gym. We had checked that we did not have to book for the Compass Rose restaurant, so we were disappointed to have to queue for 40 minutes. The food and service were both excellent, but we were frightened when the engines stopped and we were plunged into darkness - we could not see the food on our forks. We thought that the engines stopped 4 times: the Hotel Manager would only confirm once. Later, when sitting in the Mezzanine Bar, we observed that we were drifting backwards! Due to the delay in having dinner, we missed the 10.15 show.



We were very pleased with the facilities in our deluxe cabin with the exception of not being able to switch off the very noisy air conditioning. A call to reception at 2.20am to enquire how we could switch it off met with the response "Sorry Madam nothing can be done until after 8 in the morning." This was of little help as we had to vacate our cabin by 8am! We also had to take our luggage with us to breakfast.



We arrived at Southampton over 2 hours late and disembarkation was orderly except that wheelchair passengers were bumped backwards down the gangway steps. Seeing a young wheelchair bound disabled girl in tears from pain just summed up Thomson's attitude to their passengers.



As a 'Taster Cruise', Thomson's organisation led to the general consensus of "Never again!"

I can only agree with the...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Itinerary:

One Day Taster Cruise

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr E McKenzie

Comments:

I can only agree with the earlier comments made regarding the shambles at Harwich.



My mother and I were supposed to board the Thomson Spirit at 12pm but because the ship was delayed due to bad weather, we didn't actually get on board until 5.15pm. Given that this was a one day taster cruise, that is an awful lot of wasted time!



The restaurant at Harwich had only 1 member of staff to serve coffee and snacks to waiting passengers. The cue was so long, it took about 1 hour to be served. Despite having paid Thomson for full board from 12pm, we were forced to pay for refreshments. A lot of people had envisaged a nice lunch on board about 1pm but this was never going to happen.



Thomson staff called passengers to line up in an orderly fashion according to the scrap piece of paper handed to them when they arrived at the port (numbers 1-100 first). There was no way it was ever going to be orderly. They had to get people out of the waiting areas to make way for the cues, and to let people disembark from the ship. People just joined the line regardless of their allocated numbers.



After about 2 hours, we finally got into the "holding pen" where we would be able to get on the walkway to embark, only to be told that they had another 350 passengers on board that needed to disembark first.



What a complete shambles as 350 people then swamped the ramp and couldn't go any further as they were waiting for a courtesy bus.



1 hour later, it took several pleadings from passengers to suggest that the Thomson reps organise the disembarking passengers into a cue around the perimeter of the "holding pen". There was an almighty cheer as the last disembarking passenger vacated the ramp and we could finally get on board.



First stop the restaurant for much needed food and drink. This meant our plans for an early dinner were in tatters.



The Lido restaurant was staffed adequately, and the choice and quality of food was good. The cakes were fantastic!



We visited the High Seas to watch the scheduled "Weakest Link" show but that never materialised. We couldn't have stayed there anyway as the smoke from the smoking side was dreadful.



Our meal in the main restaurant was great, except that the waiter forgot our drink order and we had to wait until we were nearly finished our meal before we got our drinks.



There was a power cut during the late show which meant we missed quite a chunk of the performance.



The vibration of the boat was terrible. This wasn't just a gentle side to side motion, this was a fully fledged bouncing up and down. I don't know how the women with low cut dresses coped!



During my time at the casino, not one waiter came to ask if I needed a drink.



The amount of youngsters running up and down the corridors yelling at the top of their voices meant I didn't get to sleep until about 5am!



The disembarkation at Southampton was shambolic again as were late into port.



I had asked reception the previous night about how we could get from Southampton port to the train station. I was told to come back later as they didn't know. When I went back they said I should have booked the courtesy bus at the same time I booked the cruise. They then corrected that and said it was walking distance.



When I asked at Southampton, they told me it was about 3 miles (hardly walking distance!). Luckily there was a free courtesy bus that took us there. Some people were in such a rush due to the ship being late that they couldn't wait the 20 minutes the driver said it would be before we left. They had only got about 500 yards up the road when we passed them in the bus!



So, all in all not a great experience as a taster cruise! Luckily I have already been on a previous cruise with Thomson on the Destiny, so I know it can be a lot smoother!

My wife and I travelled with Mrs...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Itinerary:

Cities of the Baltic

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr N Boulton

Comments:

My wife and I travelled with Mrs A Barber (see previous review) in a foursome as we also were celebrating our Ruby Wedding and as we had cruised with Sun Cruises on the Sunbird, now The Destiny and we persuaded them that cruising is great.



I would like to agree with the review of the 2 week experience and add my comments.



Destination Services need to get their act together to help passengers who prefer not to go on the on/off overpriced bus excursions, and want to go ashore on their own.

A Ports of Call map was available but no precise location of where the ship actually berthed. When visiting Helsinki the location where we berthed was not even on the map provided.



Another problem was the the smoking policy on the ship - this was allowed only in the High Spirits lounge or on deck. We could watch the 1 hour show in the Broadway lounge which we really enjoyed, but after this had finished some of the entertainment we wanted to see was in High Spirits but was smoke ridden and alternatively the Horizons Lounge was only small and full.



On our previous cruises, passengers had said that the Thomson Spirit was an experience in itself. It certainly was that - we have only just got over the constant vibration, even when we were in dock it was bad. It will not put us off cruising but we shall give this ship a wide berth until we see that the problems have been rectified.