Ska man

Exactly! They want the currency they can use locally without having to change it so Euros is the best and easiest option for Europe.

I always leave tips but was told by several of the staff they like English chocolate so I take a few boxes as a thank you and also give a tip , not thinking I gave them tobrollone last time

Anybody got any thoughts on Deck 7 please

We have stayed on deck 7 twice and as glenlivit says we found the cabins big enough for two enjoy

The staff on the ship invariably bend over backwards & recognises past cruisers. Thomson as a company however have no loyalty scheme & do very little for repeat passengers.

 

If you want loyalty rewards, don't travel with Thomson - plenty of others have loyalty schemes. After my first mini cruise with Fred, I was an Ocean's member & automatically get 5% discount off future cruises booked at least 12 months ahead.

 

I don't think people travel with Thomson to obtain loyalty rewards; they travel with Thomson for the itineraries, ship, staff & Entertainmet.

Your spot on about people traveling with thomsons ie itineraries ships staff&entertainment I myself don't go for any loyalty cards ie supermarkets etc I prefer to be surprised either way I go on thomsons for the above reasons but good luck to anyone who follows that route

Fred Olsen have a points system - 1 point for every night spent on board one of their ships. As the points accumulate there are various benefits:

 

http://www.fredolsencruises.com/My-Cruises/Oceans-Club-Membership-Levels/Levels-of-Membership

We have sailed with thomsons 9/10 times now and on one trip tatianna hope I spelt that right , gave us a bottle of bubbly after regonising Us from a previous cruise and two years ago we booked the dream for a party of 16 after telling her Thomson had not arranged anything for repeat bookings she gave us ,three trays of strawberry in chocolate, and bottles of of bubbly and all the glasses which we were allowed to take anywhere on ship , if you ask on board you might be surprised what you receive

A complete guess - are the 'old' staff going to the Discovery?

We keep in touch with manny a waiter on the celebration and he is in the home for a couple of months then he is on the discovery as far as we know he has always worked on the celebration so they might be taking the best staff to get it off to a good start

For men just trousers and shirt on a night apart from formal night but again you can just wear this in other dining areas, with being first timers I would say go the the all the way I am sure you will enjoy the evening,and ladies go with what you feel comfortable with as you know better than us men that a new dress and a pair or three shoes is what perks you up as I say go with what you feel comfortable with

I ment a new pair of shoes or three new pair not that there is any three legged women on Thomson ships , anybody got a shovel free before I get any deeper

Hi, we're first timers too and I'm just wondering when you say "smart no tie needed" does that mean normal/lounge suit? or just trousers and long sleeve shirt? or just no jeans/t-shirt?

 

I'm probably over thinking this...

Thanks

For men just trousers and shirt on a night apart from formal night but again you can just wear this in other dining areas, with being first timers I would say go the the all the way I am sure you will enjoy the evening,and ladies go with what you feel comfortable with as you know better than us men that a new dress and a pair or three shoes is what perks you up as I say go with what you feel comfortable with

sailing in a weeks times. hopefully 2 days in ashod israel. have booked tours through thompson. do we need to take israel money with us. is there anything to spend it on. i do like to bring back a little souvenier from where ive been. do thompsons carry there money onboard. any help would be gratefully recieved.

We usually find Thomson carry different money with rubbish exchange rates.but you might be best waiting to charge it on the ship just in case it doesn't go there and you are not left with money you might not use hope you have a good cruise

Saturday's Daily Mail reports that Sweden plans to house nearly 1800 migrants on a LUXURY cruise ship!!!!

A US charter company will provide its liner Ocean Gala (aka Island Escape) built in 1982 and transformed into a floating hotel to be anchored in a Baltic port.

(According to Marine Traffic it's now moored in Kristiansand Sweden)

Negotiations are on track to agree an arrangement under which the Swedish Migration Agency will pay 48 euros per passenger per day!!!!

Very good value I'd say.

Wonder if they all had trouble booking cabin only

Off on our first cruise in May, on the Thomson Dream. Was wondering if there was an extra charge for the formal night. Please could someone let me know. Thanks

They only charge is if you want to buy the photos you have taken ,otherwise it's a night most people look forward to enjoy.

Could be 110 then,either way we know to take travel adaptors. Thanks again

Yes take adapters and a small extension lead so you can charge your phone etc,as the plugs are awkward to get to , also on the dream try the outside omelette station very good first thing in a morning

Anyone ?:confused:

I can remember euro

Kruzseeka - I wouldn't depend on getting what you want on the return flight, unless you are near the front or rear of the aircraft.

 

Twice we've been located midway and by the time the converging carts reached us they were sold out of the popular spirits. :(

 

Might be worth buying plastic bottles of your preferred tipple on the way out, if available, and packing them to take home ?

 

The double packs are usually good value.

 

You can then buy in the Canaries for local consumption.

Always worth taking some bubble wrap no weight but comes in very handy

Thank you, Ska man.

Have been told they do a few different offers on train travel so keep a look out if it's in my local paper I will let you know

It doesn't help the people from Scotland when there are no flights to the Caribbean area for 2017 from the next available international airport, (Newcastle) either.

 

I have just booked the Pride of Panama/Cuba cruise for Feb 2017 and find they are only using Gatwick, B'ham and Manchester. We have yet to work out how to get to Manchester (cannot risk driving over the Pennines in February again). Train tickets and overnight hotel adds greatly to the cost when there is an international airport nearby that Thomson have always used. :mad:

If you do need to catch a train. Look for the offers in papers printed by Johnson press,think they cover most local papers.they had a offer travel anywhere unlimited stops for £10 or £17.50 for weekend to book in advance. Or if two are traveling ask for train tickets as a duo most lines do this but a lot just like to sell you two tickets might cut your expenses down a bit. The Johnson offer you can do it online I think ?

Hi All

 

Has anyone been on the Thomson spirit Myths and Legends cruise taking in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Beirut? Have the trip to these places gone ahead, if not what was the alternate trips?

I have the trip booked for April and given the escalating terrorist attacks in all of those places i am concerned the trips in Ashdod and Lebanon will be either cancelled or changed. I only booked the cruise to visit those places.

 

A big thank you to any one that can help

 

Tubbyhubbie

We went to Bethlehem when the trouble started in Egypt meaning we had to change , it is one of the most interesting places we have been to plenty to see I am glad we went with the ships trip as the guide on the trip was very informative,he had to get of the bus as it went over the border and got on again on the way back ,took us to all the major sites to see and plenty of time there,it is one of my favourite trips and I would go again felt really safe and relaxed

Looked at it, nothing new, been like that for years in all walks of the travel industry, it was always possible to pursue some sort of partial refund IF you could be bothered to have a long drawn out battle with the company concerned, most people just use their travel insurance and take a hit on the excess, i see that some people quoted in the article did not have insurance, not a very good move unless you can afford to take a massive hit for things other than just a cancellation.

I am glad some thought it was a interesting read that's what the forum is about to try help people be aware of things and to help with stuff we don't know

whats differant about cruise companies small print as against every other type of companies small print ???????????????????????????

It's more to do with when you have to cancel and what they don't tell you and how they make money, have a look maybe it's something you don't know but might need to know

There is a news story in the telegraph about cruise company's making money when people don't read the small print you can catch it on yahoo

off airport far cheaper price it up through such as park and go/purple parking/holiday extras, you can usually find a discout code to get 10%-15% of the quote.

at the moment jetparks 3 is probably cheapest at about £26 7 days, hunters (formerly shentons) about £28 ,personally i would use the latter, more straitforward to get to coming down from scotland and with jet park you have to take your keys with you on holiday

Some friends of ours used one 15 mins away got taken by bus foc to the airport when they got back off holiday there were Burger King wrappers in the car ,not there when they left, they said they would never leave keys again , worth thinking about

If you do park and ride check the time to the airport. The first time we did it many moons ago, (before the internet :o) there was a 25-30 minute drive :eek:. Since then we've always parked on site.

Jet park 2 is 3/5 mins away so I think it's the nearest

Normally fly from Scotland but Manchester next time Where is the best place to park or Park & Fly. Close to Airport or on airport please

 

Dont know Manchester Airport at all

 

Thanks

Put in holiday extras Manchester airport and it will bring it up we Use jet parks 2 about £35 we paid last time , free bus picks you up both ways hope this helps

Now that would be a diffrent trip.

Also look for the Chinese bazaar shops up the hill near the shopping center some good bargains there , there is another one that that sells custard. Mixed fruit,jelly and cream but I think that's-

A trifle bazaar. Sorry.

Thanks for your advice. I think we will get off at the end of the run. Would not be happy if the bus passed me by.

In caleta there is a bar with lambrettas and vespa scooters all mod stuff we usually go in there if we go for a fishing holiday in winter cheap beer and a good atmosphere

Any trip tips please? We have never been here before.

We have been a few times and we catch the bus down to caleta de fuste lovely place to look round with nice beach and go to the front and you can see the chipmunks running in and out of the rocks they will come right up to you, when you do dock there is a big shopping mall if you like shopping