Destiny - just returned home

[paulaud]

Hi Folks

 

Just returned home from the Destiny last night. Had a great time but weather not great. Seas very rough for most of the cruise so i suggest taking sea sickness tablets to be sure. Looked like the weather was settling down yesterday but it did seem to do that most days. First trip on this ship and i was well impressed.

 

Any questions i am more than happy to try to answer

[Bispham Boo]

Welcome home! We go tomorrow morning, just finishing the packing. Was the food good? And which was the best bar?

[paulaud]

Wow you lucky devils!

 

Read some poor reviews but i can tell you they are rubbish, this ship is excellent and the food is faultless. Great service and friendly. I could not find any fault for this ship for the money.

Have a great time. We liked Oklahoma and Sky bars best. but they are all good!

[Rebel Rouser]

All Bars are good :D

[Bispham Boo]

All Bars are good :D

 

Too true! On a ship I like a bar where you can look out & watch the sun set or see the lights of the town. Sounds like the Sky bar for pre-dinner cocktails for us :)

[infoqueen]

hope you are enjoying your last few days was that you dancing in the oklahoma lounge wearing a red top on thursday night?

[kruzseeka]

hope you are enjoying your last few days was that you dancing in the oklahoma lounge wearing a red top on thursday night?

 

 

Are you back? Did you have a good time? Hope it was everything you hoped for! :)

[infoqueen]

hi yes it was fabulous we made some lovely friends and had the best time. the staff are great, food excellant and we realyy enjoyed the trips we did in la palma, morocco and lanzarotte.got the washing on now.

[she153]

We came back too on Friday and had the most wonderful time - Thomson Destiny ticked all the boxes for us and we couldn't fault it, the staff are so lovely they made the holiday for us. Time to start saving for the next one!! - will definitely cruise with Thomsons again - would love to know however which ship is favourite for everyone, thanks

[kruzseeka]

We came back too on Friday and had the most wonderful time - Thomson Destiny ticked all the boxes for us and we couldn't fault it, the staff are so lovely they made the holiday for us. Time to start saving for the next one!! - will definitely cruise with Thomsons again - would love to know however which ship is favourite for everyone, thanks

 

 

So pleased you had such a good time. I think you have 'bought into' the Thomson product; atmosphere, friendliness, service, entertainment etc. (Which is, I think, what most of us on here value rather than the big glitzy ships because of course the Thomson ships are older, if well looked after and comfortable and welcoming in my opinion.)

 

I think you will find that the ethos is very similar an all Thomson ships although people do of course have their favourites and from time to time we do get the odd post when regulars feel something has changed a little on one or other of the ships so perhaps hasn't lived up to previous experiences.

 

However to answer your question we like all the ships and would happily travel on any of them for the right price and an itinerary which appealed. But in all honesty, Destiny is our least favourite mainly because of the Lido restaurant which we don't like much - it's ok for lunches, afternoon tea but a little too draughty for my liking. When it was in the Caribbean this wasn't so much of an issue but we found it chilly in the Med and Canaries. I also prefer the open dining for the evening meal on all the other ships rather than the fixed dining on Destiny simply because it gives you more fexibility from day to day to vary the time when you dine. The cabins too are a little 'utility' in appearance and small compared with the others with limited storage. (At least basic cabins - don't know about the other categories.) I like the spacious Oklahoma Lounge on Destiny.

 

But as I said before this is trying to find differences - I really would go on Destiny without any reservations but since you pose the question that's how it stacks up for us.

 

As far as the others go, Celebration and Spirit are sister ships so have identical lay-out and cabin types etc. They also have a cinema which some people like. We forget which one we're on and really have no preference. We like the cabins and there is plenty of storage too. The game show lounges (High Spirits and Liberties) are a bit small with low ceilings so aren't as good as Oklahoma or Medusa on Dream imo. The Horizons Bar on Spirit and Celebration are lovely - bit like the Sky Bar on Destiny but with a small dance floor and performance area for musicians so has a different feel. But all of these are a kind of 'look out' area and very nice - there is nothing similar on Dream.

 

Dream has more space in the public areas which we like and cabins are nicely appointed and look attractive. I like the theatre on Dream better - the seats are fixed so people can't move them around and sit bang in front of you at the very last minute!!!!

 

It is a personal choice though and an 'on balance' decision as to which ship suits you best. But I think having had such a lovely holiday on Destiny you could confidently try any of the others and not be disappointed. Happy planning and happy cruising! ;)

[Sailaway487]

We came back too on Friday and had the most wonderful time - Thomson Destiny ticked all the boxes for us and we couldn't fault it, the staff are so lovely they made the holiday for us. Time to start saving for the next one!! - will definitely cruise with Thomsons again - would love to know however which ship is favourite for everyone, thanks

 

Agree with everything kruzseeka has said about the ships. All have a great friendly atmosphere and the entertainment and service from the staff onboard really is excellent. Even though the ships aren't large, modern skyscrapers sailing in the sea, they're much more friendlier, and you do feel more like you're onboard a ship, rather than a hotel on water.

 

Like kruzseeka, our least favourite in the fleet is probably Destiny. The Lido Cafe isn't really practical, and even though the ship is larger than Celebration and Spirit, the extra space seems to have been used to fit in more (and small) cabins, hence why they have to do the two sittings in the main dining room due to the number of people onboard (something we're not as keen on, much prefer open sitting). The good thing about Destiny though is the second entertaintment venue, Oklahoma Lounge. Much better than it's equivalent on Spirit and Celebration.

 

Celebration though is probably our overall favourite ship. It's well laid out and (unlike Dream), not all entertainment venues are on one deck. The cabins are spacious and are well laid out with plenty of storage. The cinema is also a great addition to this ship.

 

We do like the Dream also, which we feel has a similar style to Celebration/Spirit (probably due to the fact they're both ex-HAL ships), but the lack of a forward facing bar at the top of the ship on Dream is a shame. Dream though has the most spacious and better decorated cabins, larger entertainment venues, and the option of two buffet restaurants is good. The Broadway Show Lounge on this ship is also a lot better than on any of the other ships, more of a theatre layout.

 

Celebration though is still our favourite. Probably more down to the fact that our first ever cruise was on it's sister ship, Thomson Spirit, so we probably are more used to this layout of ship. Celebration also just beats Spirit mainly due to the crew and service. As Thomson have more freedom when hiring crew with Celebration, you usually find that the staff onboard are sometimes better. Although the service provided on both ships is excellent.

[kruzseeka]

We are clearly thinking on the same lines Sailaway! ;)

[Sailaway487]

We are clearly thinking on the same lines Sailaway! ;)

 

Indeed we do kruzseeka! ;) We must have good taste. :D