GaryT-UK

I've had a missed port with NCL and rearranged ports with RCI and Thomson (not always for obvious reasons). As someone else said I've never thought to ask for compensation, I assumed that was a fact of cruising life.

I booked to go to Ashdod in July, safe in the knowledge that if politics makes it unsafe I'll end up somewhere else (fingers crossed Israel has a quiet summer [emoji4] ).

More than once with Thomson we haven't sailed away at the sailaway party due to a late flight. But I like the fact that if you fly with Thomson you won't miss the ship - however disappointing that is for those who arrived on time you can't say they don't look after their customers - but they can't always please everyone.

I didn't learn about CC until my second (solo) cruise the following year.

 

But, I also didn't know I was supposed to be worried about cruising solo; I just knew I was going to have a good time and I did.

That was my experience too, although I only found CC for cruise number 10 [emoji2]. I just do my own thing, and I'm still loving cruises.

My first 2 solo cruises were for 7 days (there aren't many shorter cruises from the UK), but after that I realised its just not long enough and now I try for 14 nights for my main holiday and 7 if I'm lucky enough to manage 2 in one year!

Perditax I would suggest you try the MDR, just so you know what you are missing. I had formal dining on my 3rd cruise and discovered the wonders of 4 course dinners and now I mainly save the buffet for breakfast & lunch. I tend to pick the freestyle option if I can now and eat when I like, sometimes with others, sometimes on my own. I don't deliberately look to meet new friends, but that just happens sometimes and they have generally also been the best cruises.

Have a great time!

Just returned from our cruise on the Thomson Spirit. We visited Israel, the first day Jerusalem and Bethlehem with Israel Guided Tours and the second day Masada and the Dead sea with Thomson excursion (as not enough numbers to use Israel Guided Tours, a minimum of 6 required). Never felt frightened or in any way vulnerable when travelling to, from and around the area. So much so I would consider visiting for a longer period of time and stay in Jerusalem.

That's good to hear - I'm on this cruise in July. I'll only be doing the Thomson tours, but haven't decided which to do yet. Would you recommend the ones you went on?

Hello we're joining Thomson Spirit on 18 May for the Ancient Wonders cruise. One of the stops is a Turkish island Bozcaada which looks lovely but they are offering an excursion to Troy on the mainland which we'd like to do. But we usually do trips independently using either HOHO buses or public transport or occasionally a taxi. So please can anyone advise me on the doability of a trip to Troy or should I just join the Thomsons organised trip? Or perhpas not bother at all? Struggling to find anything on the internet, so hope a previous traveller can help me out. Many thanks.

I'm going here in July and hadn't heard of it before either.

I'd seen there was a trip to Troy, but I haven't started my researching yet, and hadn't realised it was on the mainland!

This definitely sounds like one where I'll do the Thomson trip, but it would be good to hear your feedback when you get back too :)

Oops I forgot to add our itnerary: Olbia (Sardinia), Naples- we fancy Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, Rome - we're happy to do our own thing on the train as we're pretty familiar with Rome, Calvi (Corsica), Mahon (Menorca), Palma - we'll do our own thing as we know Majorca very well,Elba, Livorno - we'd like to see Florence and/or Pisa, Cannes - we want to do Nice, Monaco and Monte Carlo, Sete, Barcelona - considering doing the Barcelona Explorer trip! Don't mind moderate walking - (I can walk forever but hubby is a "moderate" walker).

 

:)

I agree Calvi is very nice, and Sete is also quite small and nice to wander around too. I did the combined Florence/Pisa trip from the ship - Pisa was almost an add on on the way back to the ship, but I'm glad I saw it. I also agree that Barcelona is a great city to see on the HOHO bus.

Me and my hubby are going on a back to back cruise on Island Escape on 19th May. It's our first cruise and not sure whether to "do our own thing" or book excursions. Any advice anybody?

My advice would be a bit of both. I pick the big "must see" places that I wouldn't be confident visiting on my own and book excursions, or sometimes there's a tour that I really like the sound of.

In smaller ports (and now I've plenty of cruises under my belt some of the bigger ones) I enjoy getting off the ship and exploring by myself.

On my first cruise (which was also IE & I loved it - definitely caught the cruise bug!!) I tried to do everything and it wasn't very relaxing. Now I do half day trips unless it's somewhere you really have to go all day for.

Hope you have a great time!

Both Pompeii & Herculaneum are well worth seeing Linda.

I'd wanted to see Pompeii for years, so I had to choose that for my first trip (on my first cruise!) and it was just as good as I'd imagined. It's a huge site though and you only get to see a fraction of it.

Herculaneum is much smaller & more compact, but also better preserved as it was covered by lava rather than pounded by ash. It has a lot of similar features to Pompeii, but also its own stories.

It's difficult to choose which was better now, but I don't think you'd be disappointed with either.

I didn't go on a trip in Trapani, but just had a nice lazy day wandering around the town and the sea front.

I quite enjoyed exploring and as Kruzseeka said there is some nice old architecture to see as well as the more modern working part of the town.

It also amused me that the ship docked right next to the main road, like they were just parking a car!

I had to pay for my summer cruise booked through a TA earlier too.

I presume the cruise line deadline is the main one, so the TAs will have to process the payment & hand it over in time.

Hopefully you'll have some leeway Dave if they bother to remind you after you've missed the TA deadline.

Which cruise line do you recommend....? I have cruised RCL and Celebrity! Love the cruises on both!

As you have sailed with & liked RCL & Celebrity already I'd choose one of those, because you already know you'll like that. I've sailed with both solo & had a great time.

I tend to pick the cruise I can afford with the best itinerary, as I like to go to different places. Decide what's important to you (on your own you have no one else to please [emoji1]) then see which ship suits that best.

I'm single & live on my own, so I'm used to spending time by myself.

It got to the point where if I didn't go on holiday on my own I'd never go anywhere. I'd always fancied a cruise, so risked 7 days and loved it. Next time was another 7 days (just in case again!) but I soon realised its just not long enough. Now if I can I go for 14 nights for my main holiday - solo cruise number 12 is booked for July and I have been to some amazing places.

It's funny reading these posts how many of the experienced solo cruisers have had the same experiences as me - I just go with a view to enjoying myself and doing what I want to. If I make new friends (and so far I always have) then so much the better.

It also makes me smile how hung up about eating everyone is - I was just the same and stayed in the buffet where I could be anonymous & eat alone for the first 2. Cruise 3 had formal dining and I discovered the delights of the MDR, 3 or 4 courses & a nice glass of wine. The buffet is just for breakfast & lunch now.

I tend to go for anytime dining so I can eat when I choose. I've had a table for 1, different table mates every night & the same group for a week - they all work equally well depends what you like.

Even now I still get nerves at first, but getting on with it is part of the experience.

If I could give any advice it would be to go with the attitude you will enjoy yourself no matter what, when things go wrong (& they will) deal with it then move on, tomorrow's another day and remember no one knows you, but most people like to meet new friends on holiday (whether they are couples or singles) and they will be interested in what you have to say.

On yes - and have fun - it's the only way to travel [emoji3]

I had a single outside on the Majesty last summer - I was on deck 9 and it was fine, 2 single beds but lots of room for one. Towards the back of the ship made it all the easier to get to the buffet in the morning :D.

I've cruised lots on my own and met loads of nice people and the Majesty was no exception, so I'm sure if you'll have a great time.

I've been on the Dream twice, Majesty once & am booked on the Spirit this summer. I also went on Freedom last October after the others. My first view of Freedom was it was huge, amazing & like nothing I'd ever been on before - it is a totally different holiday experience and I don't think you can compare it with Thomson.

However you know you like cruises and you're considering a package holiday as an alternative and I would say that a Thomson cruise is just as good as a package holiday in a resort, better because I love being in a different port every day and being entertained at night!

In my opinion the entertainment is fantastic (the shows are much more "British" than on the big ships), you also get the more fun game shows & karaoke - depending on what you like. I've never been bored.

I don't have kids, but they do have kids clubs and groups of teenagers always seem to find each other, but they don't have the climbing walls etc.

The ports of call are usually the main reason I book as they have some fantastic and different itineraries.

The food is fine and drinks prices are reasonable, even better if you can get the cheap all inclusive package, but again you won't get the massive range of drinks options the big ships have.

Cabins will be nothing like as modern as you are used to, but again they're as nice as a 3 star+ hotel.

I'd say read up on the ships and see if they sound like something you'd enjoy, maybe compare with a resort you'd consider, but really don't expect the ships be the same as the cruises you've experienced before. They are a lot smaller for one thing.

That's not a negative, as I've said I'm back on Thomson this summer because I know what I'm getting and I've always enjoyed myself, but as you'll see from the advice of others it will also depend on what kind of people you are and what you like personally too.

Hope you have a fab holiday whatever you decide to do [emoji3]

I've done a similar itinerary to this and like others have posted already really enjoyed the Castles & Caves tour in Koper and the wine tasting trip in Dubrovnik (the weather was awful when we were there, but didn't affect this trip).

In Venice I caught the People Mover, but then walked down the Grand Canal - it took me an hour to get to St Mark's square, but you see all sorts on the way and can explore little back streets too.

On a previous visit to Split I went to see the waterfalls in the Krka National Park - one to try if you like a nature walk.

Just one other tip as its your first cruise, build some quiet days or half day tours into your plans. On my first cruise I booked tours for every day, wanting to see everything, but was so busy I needed another holiday at the end of it!!

If I'm doing a tour I always go with the cruise line (my preference - I know lots of people prefer to be independent) and they are usually good tours.

I've done both the Coliseum and Vatican tours with Thomson and they were both really good - though you probably see more of Rome on the Coliseum trip, but there's a lot more walking too.

Ajaccio was easy enough to get off and explore on my own, with a nice beach and a few shops, and you can find Napoleon's birthplace if you like that sort of thing.

Palamos is similar, nice beach again, but I've also been on the trip to the Dali Museum at Figueres, which is fantastic if you like art or Dali. I met some people who went to Barcelona from there but spent a couple of hours in traffic jams each way and had hardly any time to see it, and they were disappointed as a result.

Have a great time [emoji3]

Hi,

I also went up the cable car in Gibraltar & then wandered down stopping at the caves, apes & siege tunnels on the way back, saw a lot, but it was a long walk.

Barcelona is one city I feel comfortable exploring on my own - I've been 3 times now. The HOHO buses are great, but I got on at the port last time as there were huge queues for the buses at the square at the top of the Ramblas the time before - though that was mid summer. May be better to get off there at the end and walk down the Ramblas. I also did SF myself and don't recall it being too bad. Depends how long you are in port I suppose & also where you dock, as I've stopped at the World Trade Centre, which is easy to walk from, but also further out and they had a shuttle to and from the ship, which means building time in to get back for that too.

I've been to Livorno three times as well, so had done Pisa/Florence & also a wine tasting trip as ship's tours, so last time I just wandered round the town on my own. It's not very touristy, but actually that made a nice change as there's always something interesting to see.

Hope you enjoy it [emoji3]

I can only speak for myself, but I went on the Majesty for 2 weeks last summer and had a fantastic time.

No the cabins aren't sparkly and new and don't compare with the more modern Celebrity or RCI ships I've been on, but it was clean, comfortable and a nice enough place to sleep.

I don't remember having a bad meal, but I know food is subjective, so I guess it depends how fussy you are.

However I booked the cruise based on a great itinerary and the price was right for me. I also think the entertainment is first class and that is also a big selling point.

All ships are different and I enjoyed it - I don't recognise the dingy, claustrophobic ship described above, but I guess it depends what you are comparing it with.

I've had 4 Thomson cruises now (as well as several others) and have booked for the Spirit this summer, and I guess that's because I know what I'm getting from Thomson and it suits me.

Hi, I stayed in 962 last summer, it's the one right next door to the kids club, which worried me at first, but actually I never heard the kids. There was more noise on a few evenings when the parents were queuing up outside around 7.30 ish, presumably to drop off or pick up - I just amused myself by opening the door and watching them jump :)

I just took the allocated cabin, rather than choosing, and it was ok - 2 single beds rather than a double, which is a bit irritating as they sell it as a single, but there was plenty of room for one. I would say being right at the back of the ship I did notice vibrations coming into port at morning, so if I was choosing again I'd move away from the back. However the back of deck 9 was really handy being close to the stairs and one deck up to the buffet.

I really enjoyed the Majesty, met some nice people and you already know there are plenty of bars and entertainment to enjoy. Hope you have a great time.

I am only considering "jumping ship" because DH would like to visit the Baltic this year and Thomson are no longer doing ex-UK cruises. I am prevaricating because the cruise we are considering is end Aug/beginning Sept and I realise the weather will not be as good as the Med at that time. :(.

I went to the Baltics in late July 2012 and had fantastic weather (I incorrectly thought Baltic meant freezing!!) - depends what's most important for your holiday, but the ports you get to visit make it really worthwhile.

...still feel the shows (as opposed to guest acts) aren't in the same league for staging, costumes or choreography. Thomson are so much better than any other cruise line we've been on - they just seem so much more creative, varied and edgy - to say nothing of the number of shows (6 per week) plus cabarets most nights from the show team members which rates highly for me - although I realise not everyone likes the same type of entertainment.

I entirely agree with you that the quality and quantity of the production shows sets Thomson apart, but that's also the kind of entertainment I like most. The likes of Celebrity & RCI seem to go more for variety, which can be a bit more hit and miss, but even then it's rare I've seen a bad show. That said I did find the pre/post show evening entertainment around the ship better on Celebrity.

Celebrity win in the food stakes for me, I just think their meals were a step up from any other ship I've been on. I don't mind the standing menu, but found I had so much choice on the other half I kept leaving the favourites for another night, so didn't try some as much as I would have liked (I loved the onion soup 😄).

I don't really understand why people talk about "jumping ship" though. For me part of the joy of cruising is checking out the various different itineraries and finding exciting places to visit. Obviously price plays a part and there are some lines that don't really appeal to me, but I've never felt like I must be tied to one cruise line forever (maybe that's because my early cruises were with Ocean Village, so I had to change when they went).

Of course the other thing Thomson do really well is offer new and interesting itineraries, so I'm already being drawn back to them for 2015.

Hope you all have a Happy New Year of cruising whoever you sail with :D

I was on the Freedom in October and only wanted a table for 1. I only waited a few minutes once and was seated with the same waiters every night. I was going around 7pm as I wanted to be in and out in time for the late show, but did notice longer queues as I was leaving. Not booking meant I could just go to the Windjammer on the night I was running late - which was convenient, but I wouldn't do it every night.

I've had 2 great cruises on Celebrity - it's different, but different in a good way, so enjoy it for what it is. When I had my next Thomson cruise I enjoyed that all the more for the things I think they do really well.

I'm in my early 40s and sailed on Celebrity twice (the Baltics and Iceland/Norway) and am just back from the RC Freedom of the Seas (W.Caribbean).

I'd say I picked great ships for the locations I went to, and would highly recommend both lines - but maybe consider what you want from your itinerary too.

I really enjoyed the Celebrity lectures on sea days, about the ports we were going to (I like learning about new things) and that suited the sightseeing/nature spotting cruises I was on.

However on Freedom in the Caribbean I was ready to party and I think RC did that perfectly. It definately had a wider/younger age mix.

I'd agree with most of the people on here saying the food is better on Celebrity, though RC was okay.

I like the shows so couldn't fault either line. I tend to like the "singers in bars" type entertainment later - which Celebrity had more of. RC seemed to have more game show style entertainment.

Although Celebrity did have an older crowd, a lot went to bed after the shows, so the age group in the bars was a lot younger later on.

Overall I'd say Celebrity is a bit more sophisticated than RC, but not in a snobby way. RC was lots of fun, but you can still have the formal nights when you want something nicer.

In the end so long as you go with the attitude that you're on holiday to enjoy yourself and get into the spirit of the ship you are on I don't think you'd go too far wrong with either of them.

Lunch wasn't included on the airport run tour either, but there is a cafe at the Saturn V centre and we stayed there long enough to visit and have lunch.