Thomson Calypso Cruise Ship

3 readers found this review helpful

Just finished cruise on CALYPSO .Exellent in every way.The only fault is the demise of the ship with THOMSON.Three weeks then back to owners.I think a small ship is more friendly than larger ones.The crew were superb in every department.How we did not burst i do not know,food was out of this world!!!
The itinery both weeks was great.Week 1 Hellenic Treasures,Week 2 Aegean Wonders.
We are booked for DESTINY feb 14 2010 caribbean and DREAM sept 7 2010.If these go as well as CALYPSO we will be well pleased.
Many thanks to THOMSONS for CALYPSO criuse.May i suggest another small ship in the same mould.
Regards,FRED.

5 readers found this review helpful

We have returned from our second cruise aboard this ship and it was wonderful! Just as enjoyable as last years! The ambience, friendliness of crew, standard of food and accommodation are really good and the entertainment is excellent! Shame the Calypso is being 'retired' from the Thompson fleet. But Thompson should really thimk about their future of adult only cruises - just having a month here and there is not good enough for those who have to take holidays during the school hols and only want an adult only holiday! The Dream (the replacement for the calypso) will only be adult only in June and September! Thompson have just lost a customer.

5 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from another excellent cruise on the Calypso. What a shame the ship finishes its last cruise in October! It will be sadly missed. The staff has always were excellent - service fabulous from cabin stewards to bar staff to restaurant staff. The food was brilliant & the weather really hot - the thunder storm at sea was exciting too!
The itinery was very good - Thessaloniki, Crete, Rhodes, Marmaris, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Thessaloniki.
It will be interesting how Thomson make up for the loss of the Calypso, the atmospher on board was superb!

4 readers found this review helpful

We have just come home from a wonderful holiday on the calpso Adult Only ship. It was great to be on a all audult Ship, All ports were well organised and the food brill 1st Class and all staff were very friendly and would do anything for you, we would love to go again, and I hope you will keep th adult only ship going
Alan Lynne

5 readers found this review helpful

Calypso makes up for her small size by having a big personality. This cruise fulfilled its name and really delivered. The weather was perfect, so no doubt we are a bit influenced by this - but overall this was an excellent cruise, with stunning destinations, especially Santorini and Istanbul. We didn't notice the noise commented on by the previous reviewer, but I suppose that might depend on the weather, when the sea is a bit rough, she does come down with a bit of a thump! The entertainment was delightful, with a very talented team who put on a great show every night. Generally entertainment is a bit more sophisticated than other ships, with jazz and classical music available every day (I exclude the game shows here). We can't wait to do it again!

3 readers found this review helpful

had a week on board it was plenty, this must be the most noisiest cruiseship ever could not sleep in cabin or talk at a descent level, it was the same on the sun decks it is an adults only cruise [ good idea ] but you have to be over 60 to enjoy the type of entertainment in the evening on this ship,although the staff and entertainers are brilliant couldnt fault them,the trips were good and the food was faultless, thomson need to have entertainment for the younger adults [ about 20% being 40/50 80% being over 60 yrs old ] this ship is small but we only chose it for the itinery i think it has seen its better days unless you are at a pensionable age this cruiseship is not for you.

3 readers found this review helpful

I just wanted to say that I had a wonderful time on this cruise, and am really grateful to other posters who answered my many questions, and also to those members I met on board.
The ports of call were all varied and there was lots to see and do, whether you took a ship's excursion or did your own thing. There was no hard sell for excursions, and the Destination Services Manager, Paula, was helpful to all cruisers, whether they had booked a tour through her or not. I particularly liked the trip in Sevastopol seeing the Crimean War sites and the unique Panorama. There was also time to explore on my own and try Crimean food ........ brain fritters and kasha (buckwheat porridge) which was delicious despite the off-putting contents.
My cabin (336) was comfortable, spacious and spotlessly clean. The cabin steward, Henry, was charming and efficient and made me welcome from the very first time I saw him.
The food was good; obviously mass-catered, but with only one galley serving both passengers and crew, the quality was good and the quantities were copious. You don't need 24 hours food availability on here ............. there are plenty - if not too many - of opportunities for eating and drinking, with a good choice of courses and ingredients. Vegetarians were well catered for!!
I was thoroughly impressed by the Entertainments Team - all very talented and willing to do anything to keep the passengers happy ...... games, singing and dancing lessons, hosting activities, accompanying excursions etc. They were all very lovely and genuine people who work hard throughout the season. They gave me great pleasure, and I particularly enjoyed seeing 3 plays - Hobson's Choice, Outside Edge and The Odd Couple. The quality of the acting and singing was certainly West End standard, though the fact that the ceiling in the showlounge was low and the floor space limited made the entertainments team work much harder ... but they gave 120% whatever they did. The guest act, Sue Denning, was extremely good, and I really enjoyed her set. She mingled with us all, and was as charming off-stage as she was talented on-stage. The guest lecturer, Alfred Rowe, was both well-informed and approachable, and his input into the ports of call and features of our voyage - the Dardanelles, the Crimean War and Istanbul - really added to our personal experiences ashore.
The information desk staff were also very charming and helpful. There was nothing that they couldn't do for you. I really appreciated their help, especially their tenacity in booking a taxi for me to get to a restaurant in Thessaloniki, when none seemed to be available.
The entertainment and housekeeping staff, crew, and bar and restaurant servers were polite, friendly and professional. I had feared that it was a 'front' to encourage tipping, but no, it was genuine, and lasted throughout the cruise.
I would strongly recommend the Calypso to other cruisers ..... it is nice to get away from under 16s sometimes, and it is not an OAP cruise. Fellow cruisers came from all parts of the UK and all walks of life. Their friendliness was an important part of the success of my holiday, and even if there were some cruising regulars who found the ship too small for their liking, the intimacy of the facilities and lack of pretention of my fellow-crusiers made the seven days at sea pass far too quickly

3 readers found this review helpful

We booked this cruise last minute after being unable to find a land based holiday that we fancied. Having never cruised before we were a little apprehensive but thought we'd give it a try. We chose this particular cruise because of the itinerary and the fact that it was child free. We needn't have worried. Overall it was a fabulous experience.The ship is small in cruising terms but the only disadvantage to this as far as I could see was that the pool was very small and not much use if you actually wanted to swim.
I was told by more experienced cruisers that the bigger the ship the more stable it would be in rough seas but we only experienced moderately rough seas on one night and didn't find it a problem although some people did.
I can't praise the entertainment team enough. The shows were excellent and were performed with great enthusiasm and skill. My particular favourite was "Broadway" which consisted of music from hiit broadway shows but I also enjoyed the plays particularly "The Odd Couple".
The crew and staff were very efficient, helpful and friendly helping to create a really nice atmosphere. A special mention for Athanasios who looked after our cabin. (his creations with our pool towels were something else) and for Ronnie in the bistro who almost sings good morning to you.
The food was of the highest standard in both the restaurant and the bistro with plenty of choice and drinks were reasonably priced. My only criticism would be that the draught bitter was actually from a can. Perhaps it's not possible to have true draught bitter on a moving ship. Lager was true draught.
The itinerary was really good. The only minor problem was at Thira on Santorini which is accessed by cable car from the port. There were a lot of cruise ships visiting at the same time which led to quite long queues for the cable car and the very narrow sreets were very crowded. We went on the trip to Ephesus from Kusadasi and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would suggest this is not a place to go to without a guide. Our guide's commentary brought this amazing place to life.
I did hear some complaints of the ship being noisy depending where your cabin lay but we did not experience noise to any great degree.
Overall this was a terrific holiday and we are certainly going to cruise again and wouldn't hesitate to book with Thomson in the future.

1 reader found this review helpful

Well what can i say! This was our first cruise, a present for my 30th birthday and oh my god it was fantastic!!!
The ship, although smallest in the Thomson fleet is more than adequate, the cabins, service, food and entertainment are all first class.
Robbie "the plate guy"! as mentioned in a previous review, We agree, makes your morning!!
We would like to pay a very special thank you to Henry our cabin steward who was lovely, we wish you all the best for the future and hope to see you again, thankyou for everything you did for us! x
The entertainment was second to none, from the caberets and shows to the quizzes and gameshows! ( and yes we also won a keyring!!) Frank Hammond with the help of the very lovely Ray's gang were very professional but all had time to stop and have a chat even though they are trying to be in 100 places at once!
We dined in the restaurant every evening, out waiters, Hany and Emelio were extremely professional and friendly, Thank you, Hany for your help on the last night when i wasnt too well!! A big hello to the rest of our table, Miss Patricia!, Geoff, James and Janet, we had a fantastic week and dining with you made it even better!
The choice of food was also to die for!! and the Itinerary could not be faulted.
A very friendly and personal service.
A big thank you to all of the crew and staff aboard the Calypso who made my birthday present and first cruise so special and enjoyable.
Jill and Paul
xx

1 reader found this review helpful

just returned from two fantastic weeks on the calypso. The boat was fantastic the service from the staff was excellent the food was brill. Anna singing a russian song on the talent contest was amazing, emma from the ent team was a wow, the whole ent team was fantasic. The cabin was clean from top to bottom we had a lovely cleaner flavia who looked after us. Santa rini was amazing my legs are still recovering after the long walk down all those steps. We had a blessing aboard which was a lovely day thanks to the captain staff and lucy. We will definatly be going back aboard the calypso again, as for the quizes we got 6 key rings 2 shirts and 2 hats on the outside quizes, we met a fantastic couple and there daughter sue ken and sian they made our holliday also karl the up and comming priest and nat thanks guys. I can honestly say i cried comming of the ship because of the way we were looked after the whole of the staff and ent team were fantastic what ever you asked for they did there best to help. Frank and ray were exceptional. The plays and the shows were great. The food in both the bistro and the restaraunt we couldnt fault one bit. One last thing my mr plate guy who gives you plate in the morning your the best hello madame how are you today haha. if you have been on this ship you will know what i mean. All i can say is we will go back and if you are unsure about this small boat dont be the friendlyness of this small ship outweighs every thing else.