Detailed Dream review (9 - 23 June)

[Dark Defender]

I submitted this on another site a few days ago - if you're suffering from insomnia this read may help you ;)

 

We were on the Dream for the 2 weeks spanning June 9 -23 for the Med Medley and Treasures of the Med itineraries.

 

Flight with Thomson was fine, and seemed more spacious this year in regards to legroom which is always a good thing. Post flight, and after the obligatory panic finding the right baggage reclaim point line and then waiting worrying if your luggage has arrived (as everyone else seems to have gotten theres and you've seen the same pram pass you by at least 8 times) it was straight into the airport hallway where a "Thomson cruise" sign handling chap told us what way to go to. At the carpark point advised another lady was handing out the Cruise info and taking count of passengers. Straight onto the coach at this point, and at the port side in about 20 minutes after a smooth drive.

 

On arriving at the port side beside the ship a Thomson employee boarded the coach to advise that as we arrived at the ship after 8pm on the Saturday evening we had missed the mandatory safety drill that takes place before the ship sails, so we would be shown what was required on the coach. At this point two waiters/housekeeping staff demonstrated how to put the lifejacket on, while the information was read out over the PA. Being honest, although this was more convenient for us, it was no comparison to last years Sunday morning muster drill where you had to physically go to the muster station and put your lifejacket on. I recall last year many people having issues with the lifejackets - who is to say that if disaster struck someone on the coach would not struggle in a real emergency. They might not even bother checking out where the location of their muster station.

 

It was then a case of collecting our room cards and passes for entering leaving the ship/shop and drink purchases, getting our pictures taken for the passes, providing a debit card to cover purchases, and a pic taken by the photographer available for later purchase, before putting stickers with our cabin number on our main luggage before getting shown to our room. This all sounds quite a lot and therefore time consuming and laborious, but it honestly took about 5/10 mins all in - and that also included the welcome ice cold drinks at entry to the boarding room!

 

As I pre-booked the same cabin as last August I was happy to see that it was still in fine order, and we were quickly introduced to Dewa who was a wonderful cabin steward over the 2 weeks. He probably thought he had a rough time ahead as I had to ask for his help with the safe. When checking in I was asked if I would like to use the safe, which I accepted - thought it would save me a trip to the desk on Deck 4 across from reception, turns out that is no longer there. If you want a safe it must be you take it on boarding, or go to the reception at a point during your voyage. I said I'd like to use the safe for the 2 weeks when checking in, and was given a bit of paper that had the current password, but no instructions on how to set up a new number. Luckily Dewa cracked it for us, but it was a bit troublesome (probably because of my failed DIY guesswork attempts).

 

The other task for Dewa was we were keen to get our formal evening clothes in good condition and use the pressing service (£7), but it said in Cruise News the deadline was 8pm on the Saturday. Dewa went away and quickly returned with all of our cases, and personally took our clothes away for the pressing.

 

After also changing from the early sitting allocated for the Captain's night to the later sitting we let Dewa escape us.

 

Beyond this we only spoke to Dewa when passing in the hall way, maybe half a dozen times in the fortnight, which was good as he was very efficient but not intrusive. I'm sure after hassling him during that half hour or so on the Saturday evening he was glad we weren't pestering him!

 

Due to the late arrival we were too late for dinner in the Orion waiter service restaurant. We probably could have sneaked in, but without having showered and dressed as we felt appropriately it would be like taking a liberty with those that had made the effort and put their Sunday best on. As such we made our way to the Lido self service restaurant on Deck 9. I still feel the variety of food on offer here could be better, but at the same time I think anyone would struggle to find something to eat if they were hungry.

 

By the time we finished eating we went up to the Siren's pool area for the sail away party. This was good fun and gave us a chance to relax. Because the ship was at full capacity (this was stated at the check in and reception areas) there was no chance of getting a seat, so we stood up high with our cokes!

 

Funnily enough on the way to the Siren's deck we saw Stephen Guy walk up the stairs who gave us a smile and a hello - I expect the Elton John show had just finished in the Broadway - and when we got in the lift seconds later we saw the head honcho woman from Peel, the talent agency that provides the show team and was in the judging panel with Stephen on Showboaters. I assume she, and others from Peel were there, for the final rehearsals of the 'new' showteam that started on 16 June.

 

The entertainment team the first week, led by Stephen, were outstanding talents. Ashanti and Jenny were brilliant female vocalists. Ashanti genuinely can be a recording artist with her amazing voice. The boys in the team were also great singers. When you consider this was their last week it was astounding. My favourite show of the week, and I think it's fair to say it was the same for most people, was the We Are The Champion's play with Queen songs. Absolutely outstaning. My only criticism of the shows was that Ashanti wasn't in more of them.

 

The showteam on the second week, led by Paul Fisher, was probably not as good, but still fantastic! There were a few returning faces from Paul's team last year - Ross, Corea (sorry if the spelling is wrong), Jon and Rob. It was good to see Jon get to do more, last year the only time he got to open his mouth was during an afternoon beach party - this year he had more lines in plays and the chance to sing a bit too. Corea is still amazing - could I say she was better than Jenny, her equivalent in the other team, probably not, but she's still very good! It was a shame that Ross didn't have more to do, he's an amazing singer but I felt he wasn't doing as much or being challenged enough - maybe that's what making it look easy is! Rob is a great all rounder, he's probably doing too much (on one day he was involved in 4 shows) but he carries it off brilliantly. Honourable mentions go to Darren, who was a very good singer, and Claudia from Showboaters. When we saw her walk by during our first week onboard we had to do a double take. It's probably fair to say she was the villain of the TV show, but she was really lovely and getting involved in interacting with crew and passengers alike at all opportunities. Her performances were not as crisp as the other girls, but I think she'll be a very good cruise team performer with some time and experience. Her performance as the young Simba in the Lion King part of the new "Broadway Blitz" show was brilliant. BB, by the way, is now Cats opening as before, but with Chicago and Lion King replacing the "old" BB Hairspray, Miss Saigon, and Les Mis.

 

2 new shows were Parklife and Kipps. I thought the first 10 minutes of Parklife were a bit ropey, but then it was brilliant. Absolutely first class. Kipps was enjoyable for us, but a few people walked out during the show, which started about 3/4 full. I'm guessing this was a mixture of people not enjoying the show, and also folk worrying about packing their cases on the last night. It's not a bad show, but I'd expect it on the Sunday afternoon rather than an evening show. Probably too much goes into the show to make that automatic switch.

 

By the way, Adam F from the 'old' showteam was there the second week as part of the ents team in the Medusa/Sirens pool ent team. Don't know if this is a move up, or just a change for him.

 

As for the Cruise Directors, I'd say that Stephen Guy is the better on stage performer. What a voice and a presence. However, I'd say that Paul Fisher is probably a better overall Cruise Director. He seemed to have more useful updates and information, and was a lot more visible throughtout the week than Stephen was. Name and area of the ship I can probably say I saw Paul, other than the stairs on our first evening the only time I saw Stephen was on stage in the Broadway or at the sail away party in Sirens pool area. One funny thing was on Paul's first night he introduced the whole team before the Abba show, and then explained that everyone talks to everyone on board, and it's ok to say good morning etc. He practices this when director, but I found it funny he said this as during our first week when Stephen was still in command of that spot Paul would regularly waltz around the ship with his head down in a rush! All is forgiven for being such a good all rounder though!

 

The Master of the ship was "the voice from above" Captain Roy Dearman. We found his dry sense of humour amusing during the Captain's night on 10 June. His daily updates were a tad boring as it was very much a matter of fact weather update. My only previous cruise was on the Dream in August 2011, where Captain Torsten Olbrich had some interesting, funny, and/or crazy stories to share each day!

 

Food and drink was good - keen Scots will even find Irn Bru on board now! As above I think the buffet areas could do with more choice of food, but there food is of good quality. We had almost all of our dinners in the Orion. We were served by Jeff and Dennis - lovely guys, both very helpful and chatty. It was a shame to see some rude woman have a go at Jeff about the bread - some people really need to find some manners, and then mind them! Ferdinand the wine waiter was always chatty too, albeit during service he was busy doing the rounds amongst the wine drinkers (we must be the only all inclusive people to stick to water for dinner, and soft drinks during the day and at night time!). All 3 helped make dinner a really nice experience, which was needed as either the waiting or kitchen staff are overstretched, or both. Dinner was much swifter last year - a few occasions this year it got to around the 2 hour mark. One night I left as soon as I finished my main meal in order to ensure a reasonable seat for the entertainment in the Broadway that evening. When you cross the 2 hour mark for dinner it's really a bit of a drain. That said it's not life threatening is it, just a bit tiring.

 

The ports of call were broadly speaking excellent, with one change to the itinerary in the second week. Naples was changed to Sorrento due to congestion in the Naples dock. I don't know if passengers starting their voyage with the Treasures of the Med itinerary were notified in advance of this change, but we found out about it on the Saturday evening as a slip of paper was left with our cruise news. More on the ports later.

 

My view on each port is:

 

Palma - lovely city to join the Dream and quickly view en route to the ship. We returned for a full day on the following Saturday (see below).

 

Ajaccio - we were here last year, lovely town with a great little train ride and nice sights to explore. Be careful you get the correct train ticket - there's a short and longer train journey - ensure you are clear when purchasing to avoid disapopintment.

 

Livorno - we did "Florence On Your Own" with Thomson as not much happening in Livorno. It is the most industrial of the ports we've been too - highly recommend doing a trip via Thomson. Florence is a beautiful city - the guide on the tour gave us maps and highlighted the main sights, and even walked us to the Duomo cathedral when the coach stopped at the "other side" of the train station, so getting around was easy as was finding our meeting point at the McDonalds in the train station. Highly recommend Florence on your Own if you aren't keen on getting dragged around by a guide from pillar to post, or sitting on coaches most of the day.

 

Cannes - lovely town to wander around. The tourist train was our first activity, this is great as it gives you a high level view of everything worth seeing, and takes you to the top of the town for a great view below. After this we wandered along to the walk of fame, nice way to pass some time and see some of the stars that have got their hands dirty with cement! After a look around some shops etc we headed back to the ship. A lot of people talk about the cost of things in Cannes - behing honest, if you want a 15 Euro coffee I'm sure you'll find it and I can guess some places you'll get it, but most shops, bars and cafes are very reasonable for food/drink/merchandise. This is a tender port (as was Villefrance in week 2). Don't worry about this, it's actually very fast (usually 5 minutes) and a comfortable journey to the land.

 

Toulon - we were advised that another cruise ship had taken our berth (one of the excursion team said that Norwegian own the port so bumped Thomson - given the other stuff the girl was saying I won't bet he house on that). A shuttle bus would be provided from the ship to the town centre, and you had to get tickets for a specified time, first come first served. I went down when the tickets became available, and found hundreds of people - thankfully the excursions team were very efficient. Unfortunately the next morning we went to the Medusa Lounge as requested 10 mins before departure and were advised to go to Deck 4. When we got there the bus was filling up, and lo and behold it was full and moving with us at the port side. The young excursion team member, Lucy I think, seemed clueless to what was going on. It was difficult to understand how we weren't on that bus if only people with tickets got on board. Either Thomson booked the wrong size of bus, the wrong size turned up, or she wasn't checking the tickets like she was supposed to. One family gave her a bit of a hard time about it, while others like us just wanted info on when the next coach would arrive. In 3 conversations in about 3 minutes she went from 20 minutes, to an hour, to an hour and a half. Thankfully Paula, the head of the team came down and after a bit of chat advised that she'd been informed by the local agent who was on the port side on her phone the whole time that the traffic was very bad. And then that it was so bad because the mayor had been kidnapped - I kid you not! Paula to her credit then arranged a boat hire to get us from the ship to the town centre! This took about nearly an hour of sitting in the Medusa lounge after about an hour at the port ground where the buses should be, but fair play to Paula for managing to arrange transport. Sure enough on arriving at Toulon the streets were cordoned off by police etc! Didn't find out what happned to the mayor, but before long the police and cordons disappeared. Back to the town, not that much happening here in the town centre. I reckon the tourist train would have been a good shout, but with time against us after the hassles earier and it not operating at first because of the cordoned off streets we didn't get a chance with it. Definitely a pleasant place though, and many Brits will no doubt love the C&A in the shopping centre there! Another mention to Paula, who stuck to her word and went with us on the first boat tender from the ship to the town centre and said she'd be there until everyone was back on the ship later that afternoon. When we got back to the boat later there she was. A real credit to Thomson - it's just a pity that some of the junior staff don't have any nouse at all never mind being as good as Paula.

 

 

Barcelona - the ship berthed at the bottom of Las Ramblas, so a great spot. We walked up the famous street, and onto the Gaudi cathedral. It's a bit of a trek - especially on the way there as you start to question whether the directions you have are accurate, but it's worthwhile. Fantastic city.

 

Palma - We regulary holiday in Majorca, so have grown to love this city. On this occasion we took a trip to Palma Nova, and went to some usual haunts such as the crazy golf (Golf Fantasia) and the beach and shops. If we weren't so tired because of the sun we would have also went into the city centre and had a walk around. The cathedral is lovely, and the shops are also good here - C&A anyone?!

 

Olbia - truth be told a bit of a disappointment. If the ship berthed at the beach perhaps a bit more charm and things to do, but the town centre hasn't got much. We enjoyed looking at both churches though.

 

Sorrento - what a blessing, Naples was subbed with Sorrento! Fantastic place. Recommend following the signs for the lift and paying 1 euro 80 for a return journey. Takes less than a minute each way, and once at the top is the entrance to heaven. Fantastic shops and area, one of the best Cathedral's I've ever been in, and the souvenir lemon soaps etc are fantastic. Food in the restaurants all looks great, and the gelato was lovely. A must see place.

 

Civitaveccia - the gateway to Rome, we pottered about the port town as we've been to Rome a few times for days at a time so would struggle to do anything meaningful in a few hours. Not much happening at the port town, but brilliant for people that want to get into Rome, either with official excursions or on their own. The train station is a 10 minute walk from the shuttle bus drop off point/McDonalds.

 

Villefranche - fantastic little port town, loved it. Explored it after making our own way to Monaco/Monte Carlo. Fantastic day, really loved it.

 

Palamos - nice little seaside town with a lovely beach and nice shops. Worth going to the fish market if you have a strong stomach!

 

Couple of observations:

 

The ship seems to be attracting more of a drinking crowd and kids. As the excellent guest comedian Paul Eastwood joked "kids on a cruise" *frown* - the kids are fine if their parents keep them in line. Some didn't sadly.

 

Also seems to be a lot of people drinking heavily - last year I didn't see one drunk person. This year sometimes it was like the kebab shop after the dancing. Genunely wouldn't be surprised to hear there was a punch up in the Lido queue at 1am.

 

The guest comedian the first week was also very funny. An old chap called Les Brian. Sadly missed his first show as one of our party was sick with the rough seas/rocking. This was on the night we were leaving Livorno. Having seen other passengers attempting to walk up the stairs and then the sick bags getting left at communal areas I expect there was a few casualties. Interestingly this was the only time on the ship that I smelled the infamous "stink" in the hall way area.

 

The ship also rocked and rolled en route to Palamos on the 2nd week in the middle of the night. Not as bad as the first week where drawers flew out etc, but everyone was talking about it the next day.

 

Not much Thomson can do about these points I suppose - nature and the attitude of the guests.

 

One thing Thomson can perhaps do, or maybe not, is address the Ship's structure. We were in the same cabin as last year, and didn't feel a movement or hear a thing. This year there was a sort of shake/vibration a lot if not all of the time. In fact, in some areas of the ship things were constantly rattling/vibrating - at sea or not.

 

The ship's bar staff deserve a lot of credit, but it's worth pointing out that some now have a habit of being less than chirpy. As we don't drink sometimes we'll have a tea or latte rather than a cold soft drink, and you could see the eyes roll on some occasions. Sorry to put anyone out! Largely it was fine though. Service was slower too - the automatic thought is there's less staff, this could be true, but I think because they work such long shifts the staff will take their time at the bar area while processing orders. It wasn't unusual to wait 10 minutes for a can of coke when you're the only order and you've already got the can (as sometimes you've went to the bar to get it) - just waiting for the card.

 

Last year we didn't hear a noise once in our cabin. This year we could hear the noise from the Medusa evening show if it was still on when we returned to the cabin. There was also lots of noise from other passengers - one family/group seemed to shout from around a third of the way down the landing to the lifts at muster A. A tad inconsiderate.

 

These are just some observations that made the holiday less enjoyable than last year, but it's still a great trip, honestly. Enjoy!

 

Quality of Food

 

?

 

Orion for dinner, Lido/Lido Grill for lunch, Sirens for breakfast

 

Entertainment

 

?

 

Showteam brilliant throughout. Les Brian and Paul Eastwood great guest acts. Paul so good bought his DVD!

 

Shore Excursions

 

?

 

Florence and Monaco/Monte Carlo are great places!

 

Staff

 

?

 

Dewa great cabin steward, Jeff and Dennis fantastic waiters. All nice, caring, go that extra step.

 

Children's Facilities

 

n/a

 

Onboard Activities

 

?

 

Could probably do with more, or even changing what they have (eg alternating Dream Vibe and Rhythm of 3 in venues).

 

Cabins

 

?

 

Great cabin, only let down by the noise sometimes.

[kruzseeka]

Thanks for your very detailed and informative review. It was interesting too noting your comparisons with your last trip. We have also found some cruises attract a different demographic whether that is to do with the itinerary, time in the year or what I'm not sure but it's true to say there is a different 'feel' some weeks compared with others.

 

It was good to read about your description of the the entertainment - something we rate too. Was the Parklife show the one set in a cafe in N.Y. and is the Kipps show the one based on Half a Sixpence? If so they are ones which have been resurrected from the past (not necessarily a bad thing - I'm still waiting for the show based on Bob Fosse the choreographer to come back - Chicago, Cabaret and All that Jazz - it was one of the best ever imo!) but I must say those two aren't amongst my favourites. Still as long as the team is good we're happy! (Corea, Paul and some of the others you mention were on last year when we were on Dream and Stephen's team were on in the Caribbean so we were pleased to have had such good teams on board.)

 

Sounds like Toulon was a bit of a nightmare - what a shame as it's an easy walk-off port if you can berth in town.

 

But all in all I'm pleased that you had a good time. Thanks again for the review.:)

[Grez]

Kruzseeka, the Bob Fosse show was performed on Spirit last month, so looks like its back in rotation.

[kruzseeka]

Kruzseeka, the Bob Fosse show was performed on Spirit last month, so looks like its back in rotation.

 

Grez - that's great news! I hope that we may be able to catch a cruise before too long and see it. :D

[Jim The Scot]

I must say Dark Defender in how disappointed I am in your review,expected something a lot more comprehensive :D

 

 

I read it on the other site,excellent review

[topsey130]

Thank you Dark Defender, an excellent review, there have been one or two negative comments made on here of late regarding the Dream, but you have allayed my fears. Cant wait now :D

 

Kidnapped Mayor in Toulon, - I bet that's one port visist you will never forget :)

[Judaism]

Is there still a weekly late night buffet/feast? Two years ago, when we cruised on the Dream, it still existed, but haven't heard much about it of late? There certainly wasn't one on Thomson Spirit last year?

[carolynne15]

great review very helpful thank you

[merciaman]

Regarding the entertainment team you have repeated my comments almost exactly. Ashanti and Jenny were by far the superior singers and when we went in February I said that Ashanti wasnt being used to her full potential. She was only in a couple of the shows each week although they did let her do her own set one night in one of the small bars which was very popular. She was hoping this was going to become a regular slot, it would be interesting to know if it become one

[Little Nell]

Thanks for your review, Dark defender, very comprehensive. I also read it on the other site. Thankfully on the Majesty, I only saw one woman the worse for wear due to alcohol on the first evening. The rest seemed to be enjoying themselves and no different to usual. It must be down to which people are on the ship I would guess.

[Dark Defender]

Thanks for the kind comments - truth be told I'd probably have written more if it hadn't been for me wanting to see the 2nd half of the England game!

 

Random points folk have asked about:

 

Ashanti had a show in one of the lounges on the Thur night with Keith the pianist. I sadly missed it because of the wait for food in the Orion - on the plus side that was the night of We Are The Champions (Queen show - outstanding!) and the hilarious Les Bryan in the Broadway.

 

Re: drinkers, after the talent show on the second week went for a midnight snack in the Lido. The 2 guys in front of me in the queue were steamboats. Also stuff like the first week some folk in the upper part of the Broadway shouting down to folk at the front of the lower level, and I'm told throwing an icecube down (I didn't see this). I also didn't like how someone was in the Broadway with their Rooney England jersey and baseball cap. Honest, I'm not a snob, but there's a time and a place, so if I can make an effort when in Rome, surely everyone else can!

 

Parklife is set in a London park. The dialogue of the script is new or recently rehashed. All British songs. Some parts are great.

 

Kipps is indeed based on Half a Sixpense.

 

The rehashed Broadway Blitz features brilliant bits from Chicago. Especially the 3 girls singing.

 

Re: late night buffet, regular fast food type stuff nightly in Lido, on Thurs night is a Orion event with "objects" made from food.

[Little Nell]

Thanks for the kind comments - truth be told I'd probably have written more if it hadn't been for me wanting to see the 2nd half of the England game!

 

Random points folk have asked about:

 

Ashanti had a show in one of the lounges on the Thur night with Keith the pianist. I sadly missed it because of the wait for food in the Orion - on the plus side that was the night of We Are The Champions (Queen show - outstanding!) and the hilarious Les Bryan in the Broadway.

 

Re: drinkers, after the talent show on the second week went for a midnight snack in the Lido. The 2 guys in front of me in the queue were steamboats. Also stuff like the first week some folk in the upper part of the Broadway shouting down to folk at the front of the lower level, and I'm told throwing an icecube down (I didn't see this). I also didn't like how someone was in the Broadway with their Rooney England jersey and baseball cap. Honest, I'm not a snob, but there's a time and a place, so if I can make an effort when in Rome, surely everyone else can!

 

Parklife is set in a London park. The dialogue of the script is new or recently rehashed. All British songs. Some parts are great.

 

Kipps is indeed based on Half a Sixpense.

 

The rehashed Broadway Blitz features brilliant bits from Chicago. Especially the 3 girls singing.

 

Re: late night buffet, regular fast food type stuff nightly in Lido, on Thurs night is a Orion event with "objects" made from food.

 

Thankfully have never seen anything like that sort of behaviour ever on a cruise. Saw a few people wearing England tops the day of the Jubilee celebrations but most people wore red, white and blue that day as requested by the cruise director and I didn't see anything wrong with that, but football tops generally is another matter. I agree there is a time and place.

[Dark Defender]

As I say very isolated incidents.

 

I mean I know someone that saw a lot of this regularly on Norwegian Epic.

 

Maybe it stands out so much as everyone else is behaving so well!

[carolynne15]

hiya does anyone know how far the catacomb is from where you dock in palermo and how much is it to get in

 

thanks carolynne