jacknorman

Sorry to come in late to this but could you also compare the likes of tips and evening formality between the 2 lines. we like the idea of tips included, but on reading the small print of some of the others, they want a lot of money paid up front. I also dont mind wearing a jacket and tie sometimes, but not a tux, so how does Eclipse compare with Thomsons idea of smart casuals. Thank you

They have a premium drinks package at £10.50 PP Per night which allows you to drink almost anything. Only you can decide if it is worth it for you. I was happy with the Worthingtons and the boss was happy with the brandy so we didnt bother, I suspect the ones drinking John Smiths in cans were on the package

Just as a further to my Q The bitter is now Worthingtons, which suited me as I prefer it to John smiths. we had a very nice week and were pleasantly surprised by the IE in view of some of the comments. Yes we did miss the A La Carte and waiter service in the main restaurant but it was still very nice. The Bounty Lounge is far superior to Liberties, and the entertainment every bit as good all round. cheers

I Hope you are right Rebel Rouser, unless stevie was on after you in April, as Thomsons dont miss a trick

Sounds like bad news for me. I only drink bitter, dont like lager, but dont like the idea of paying 2.60 for something on an all inclusive. cheers

Thank you very much for that. sounds good

We have booked a last minute to go on Tuesday on IE. Could you tell me what bitter they do now, It used to be Boddies when I first started, and it was good but on our last cruise they had changed to John smiths and it was not so good. Could you also tell me if they have bars to equate with Hemingways and Horizons and also what is it like to get off and look at Livorno and Toulon

Thank you

It all boils down to the fact that Thomson have swallowed up the opposition and think they can do as they like. we used to travel with portland to get the same flight and hotel cheaper than Thomsons. They bought them out, then eventually closed them down. they bought the Callers Pegasus travel shops and they are all now Thomsons, then First Choice--now all Thomson shops. Thomas Cook dropped their Baggage allowance to 15K and jammed all their passengers in with their knees up to their chin, and wondered why they went belly up. Last year our cruise and stay price dropped by £800 per couple 2 months before we flew. I dont consider 2 months last minute. This year while researching a land based holiday in Tenerife there was£1100 {yes £1100} difference between jet2 and Thomsons For the same hotel on the same date, simply because Thomson had decided to elevate the hotel to 'a la carte' status. This has slowly come down to £270 as the penny has dropped, but still a significant difference. All of the hotels I compared had at least £100 per person difference. In cruises Thomson have a superb network of flights from local airports to get people to the ship on the same day. I think they rely heavily on that point. If you want to cruise with anyone else you invariably have to go to Southampton or fly from Gatwick or Heathrow. I am glad jet2 are providing a bit of competition on the land based holidays, and Fred Olson has started to offer a/i on his ships, so it might make Thomson sit up and take notice. In the meantime we have just come back from Portugal with jet2, are booked at new year with them and now Tenerife next May.