Thomson Cruises Considering Rebrand

[Sailaway487]

Black sea......never though of that.....would absolutely love to cruise the black sea on a Thomson ship.....Odessa....Yalta, Wow! That would be fantastic!

 

Would love them to bring back Black Sea Odyssey from Corfu that was dropped, I think in 2009. Celebration was the last ship to do it I think, but The Emerald used to do it every year as a one off at the end of the season, along with another 14 night itinerary called Ancient Wonders that used to do Lebanon, Egypt and Israel (but they can continue in not operating that one for now :rolleyes:).

 

The 7 night Crimean Discovery from Marmaris for next summer is good, but just not long enough. Yalta and Odessa seem like great places to explore, but I don't think it is possible from Marmaris in a week. As it is, there doesn't seem to be a lot of time in port currently. Think the Black Sea is most certainly a favourite area on this forum. Would love to see it return properly. :)

[Jamfostgri]

Would love them to bring back Black Sea Odyssey from Corfu that was dropped, I think in 2009. Celebration was the last ship to do it I think, but The Emerald used to do it every year as a one off at the end of the season, along with another 14 night itinerary called Ancient Wonders that used to do Lebanon, Egypt and Israel (but they can continue in not operating that one for now :rolleyes:).

 

The 7 night Crimean Discovery from Marmaris for next summer is good, but just not long enough. Yalta and Odessa seem like great places to explore, but I don't think it is possible from Marmaris in a week. As it is, there doesn't seem to be a lot of time in port currently. Think the Black Sea is most certainly a favourite area on this forum. Would love to see it return properly. :)

Anyone could easily create a 14 night black sea cruise but it does not fit Thomson calendar (7 nights max with b2b option).

[GM0NJl]

I have been at the Cruise Show in Glasgow where I asked reps from various lines if they heard the rumour about Thomsons rebrand.

The consensus seems to be that there will be an addition to the fleet and it will be a new build.

Sensatori is the brand out in front by most people.

 

Thomson staff themselves would not commit themselves to any real answers but did lead me to believe on a new build, and the brand would be one they have for their top hotels, I took that to also suggest Sensatori.

 

All this would happen sooner rather than later, not in 4/5 years but less.

this would be coupled with new ports of call and maybe new and at the moment unvisited destinations.

 

All this is off course is or could be a smoke screen by Thomson staff, or it hopefully has a big grain of truth in it.

[Sailaway487]

I have been at the Cruise Show in Glasgow where I asked reps from various lines if they heard the rumour about Thomsons rebrand.

The consensus seems to be that there will be an addition to the fleet and it will be a new build.

Sensatori is the brand out in front by most people.

 

Thomson staff themselves would not commit themselves to any real answers but did lead me to believe on a new build, and the brand would be one they have for their top hotels, I took that to also suggest Sensatori.

 

All this would happen sooner rather than later, not in 4/5 years but less.

this would be coupled with new ports of call and maybe new and at the moment unvisited destinations.

 

All this is off course is or could be a smoke screen by Thomson staff, or it hopefully has a big grain of truth in it.

 

Good investigating there! ;)

 

Wanted to go to this Cruise Show, think there was one in Birmingham too, but forgot all about it! :o

 

So it would seem to believe that a Thomson Sensatori (or perhaps the Platinum approach) cruise line could happen then with a brand new ship. I would guess there would be some new information regarding this soon then, especially if (it does seem like anyway) that staff have been notified by it. Lets keep our fingers crossed... ;)

[Sailaway487]

Just had a thought, we're not getting the second ship that TUI Cruises were going to have built are we?

 

TUI Cruises does have the option of a second new build ship, and I think that decision should have been made by TUI by now, but it seems like it hasn't. I wonder if TUI have decided to transfer that order of a second to Thomson instead, hence why no information regarding it has been released yet? :confused:

 

The current new build for TUI is 97,000 GT, a bit large I would have though for Thomson. However, if they are going down the route of a new Sensatori-style cruise line, perhaps this could be the case?

[davecttr]

Just had a thought, we're not getting the second ship that TUI Cruises were going to have built are we?

 

TUI Cruises does have the option of a second new build ship, and I think that decision should have been made by TUI by now, but it seems like it hasn't. I wonder if TUI have decided to transfer that order of a second to Thomson instead, hence why no information regarding it has been released yet? :confused:

 

The current new build for TUI is 97,000 GT, a bit large I would have though for Thomson. However, if they are going down the route of a new Sensatori-style cruise line, perhaps this could be the case?

that would be the simplest solution as a new design would not be required. 2500 passengers looks a lot for Thomson but if you think of it as equivalent of 2 smaller ships it makes sense. Delivery would be some years away though as construction could not begin until Mein Schiff 3 was delivered in early 2014.

[Sailaway487]

that would be the simplest solution as a new design would not be required. 2500 passengers looks a lot for Thomson but if you think of it as equivalent of 2 smaller ships it makes sense. Delivery would be some years away though as construction could not begin until Mein Schiff 3 was delivered in early 2014.

 

If it is going to be a replacement of Thomson Spirit and Majesty perhaps, then I suppose a large ship would make sense, although I'd worry the friendly atmosphere might be lost if a ship was too big.

 

If it can't be constructed until after Mein Schiff 3, then it probably wouldn't be delivered to Thomson until around 2017. It seems that current reports are suggesting that it will be delivered a LOT earlier than that.

 

I'm kind of hoping that it won't be the same design that TUI are looking at, and instead a smaller ship around the 65,000 GT mark, 75,000 GT at the most.

[davecttr]

If it is going to be a replacement of Thomson Spirit and Majesty perhaps, then I suppose a large ship would make sense, although I'd worry the friendly atmosphere might be lost if a ship was too big.

 

If it can't be constructed until after Mein Schiff 3, then it probably wouldn't be delivered to Thomson until around 2017. It seems that current reports are suggesting that it will be delivered a LOT earlier than that.

 

I'm kind of hoping that it won't be the same design that TUI are looking at, and instead a smaller ship around the 65,000 GT mark, 75,000 GT at the most.

they could of course divert the TUI new build to Thomson?

What is more likely is this is all the normal Thomson smoke and mirrors and the actuality will be dissapointing, like ths so called 'premium' platinum upgrades.

 

Lets face it, even with platinum ships the Thomson product is still not as good in facilities as the normal expectation from many other cruise lines.

[geomagot]

In a recent interview Fraser Ellacott is reported as saying:

 

He plans to give cruise a prominent profile in Thomson stores Being part of a company with a large retail estate, he says they are uniquely placed to help cruise truly become mainstreamand that cruise is starting to enjoy a much more prominent profile in Tui’s stores, and they are ramping up its ship visit programme for travel agents

 

He says he is 'Thinking differently about cruise' because he has never stepped on board a cruise ship before

 

Ellacott believes cruise-and-stay holidays are the perfect way to introduce the sector to a new audience, and he will be pushing the cruise message.

 

Quote: 'I have allowed myself to be consumed by the cruise industry because it was so new to me, which was part of the attraction'

 

Quote: 'In Tui, cruise is effectively a business within a business run as a separate profit and loss account and it’s very much that, you have this whole business to run with the exception of distribution

 

Quote 'It’s a great business and very much one, which over the last year and a half, we have tried to refocus within Tui for it to continue to be a core part of our offering for the future'

 

'Quote: 'We have not got to be Billy Graham-esque about this, in that it must be cruise to the exclusion of everything else, but it’s got to be a consideration for people and for a lot of people, it’s not currently'

 

So

 

it looks like they are working towards diverting their huge resort based clients towards cruising, so its looking very likely that we will be seeing Thomson branding in their cruise sector

 

Platinum - The Regular Thomson’s product but with kettles

Sensatori - 5* spa cabins, fine dining, aimed at couples

2wentys - floating party palaces for the young and hip

Thomsons Family Resort Holidays - fun filled children’s activities, creche’s and interconnecting cabins

 

maybe a brand new brand?

 

All of the above with the message 'Only from Thomson'

 

It all sounds very well....but the hardware will certainly need to be upgraded to facilitate all of this, and it is rumoured that there are bigger newer ships on the way, will we lose the main attraction of Thoms (which for me is) the friendly efficient service and great on board smaller ship atmosphere?

 

personally, I don’t pay 5* prices for thomson and don’t expect 5* surroundings, overall I like the product broadly as it is, I may well be tempted to pay a premium for extras (balconies/new ports of call) but if the product starts to feel like the Celebrity/Cunard/Princess offerings, then the outcome for me would be that I would probably shoparound more.....the one thing that Thomsons dont want us to do?

[kate52]

I would not be happy with the scenario suggested above by geomagot.

If they have ships "specialising" in a particular market, then it means a LOT more ships or much less choice for the average Thomson's cruiser.

I don't want balconies, flow riders, fancy spa treatments, "first" and "second" class ships. Just a comfortable cabin and the thrill of waking up in a different place each day.

Like geomagot, the small size and friendly atmosphere are the things that are important to me. And most of all the ports- this is where Thomson have had the "edge" over many of their competitors. Only one day at sea a week (on the emerald we had NO sea days!), and the knack of using their smaller ships to get to new and interesting ports.

In 2007, they were one of the first cruise lines to use Kotor. We docked on Calypso- should have been in Albania, but they changed the itinerary as it was proving unpopular. You don't see many cruise ships stopping in Skiathos or Parga either- at least not ones I can afford!

Many of the big lines offer "half" the itinerary, e.g. the Canaries without Tenerife, the fjords without Flam etc.

In my opinion, it's Thomson's ability to provide good itineraries that fills their ships, and that's what they should concentrate on for the future.

kate

[kruzseeka]

I would not be happy with the scenario suggested above by geomagot.

If they have ships "specialising" in a particular market, then it means a LOT more ships or much less choice for the average Thomson's cruiser.

I don't want balconies, flow riders, fancy spa treatments, "first" and "second" class ships. Just a comfortable cabin and the thrill of waking up in a different place each day.

Like geomagot, the small size and friendly atmosphere are the things that are important to me. And most of all the ports- this is where Thomson have had the "edge" over many of their competitors. Only one day at sea a week (on the emerald we had NO sea days!), and the knack of using their smaller ships to get to new and interesting ports.

In 2007, they were one of the first cruise lines to use Kotor. We docked on Calypso- should have been in Albania, but they changed the itinerary as it was proving unpopular. You don't see many cruise ships stopping in Skiathos or Parga either- at least not ones I can afford!

Many of the big lines offer "half" the itinerary, e.g. the Canaries without Tenerife, the fjords without Flam etc.

In my opinion, it's Thomson's ability to provide good itineraries that fills their ships, and that's what they should concentrate on for the future.

kate

 

 

Points well made, kate and I wholeheartedly agree!

[davecttr]

The overriding requirement for me is A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP which I can't get on Spirit/Celebration. Majesty I will find out about in February and Dream prices are too high to risk.

 

Spliiting Thomson into different sectors looks dangerous to me. They will have to market the ships as seperate brands otherwise total confusion will result like what happened with Island Escape when it was in the same brochure as the rest of the fleet.

 

More sectors means less choice of itinery and the sophisticated 'aimed at couples' brand rules out us solo cruisers.

 

I would like to cruise with thomson, especially as my last P&O cruise was less than satisfactory. OK, I was ill or recovering for two thirds of the voyage but I found Ventura rather disappointing this time. Despite all the facilities the ship did not have atmosphere for me. The bars were dead and they have cut bar staff so much you had difficulty in getting a drink at the bar. The formal aspect was no problem, just go to the buffet that night and dress smart casual as normal.

 

They should update and expand the Island cruises brand as there is a demand for a laid back style and little capacity in the market. Over on the P&O forum there is lots of arguments about basing ships in the med, basically most P&O cruisers don't want it. If Carnival resurrect the Ocean Village brand Thomson will have competition. Meanwhile I think they should develop casual cruising with a good modern product and steal all those Carnival cruisers :)

[kruzseeka]

All this talk of the Far East, plus our friends having recently booked a cruise in the area lead me to do a bit of idle research one sleepless night on the dstinations in the Far East.

 

It came as a bit of a revelation. For port such as Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi you're looking at anything from 2-3.5 hours transfer times from where ships usually dock! :eek: That's ok a long as you are prepared for that - but does need to be taken into account when looking at itineraries as if all your ports are like this it cold be very tiring and expensive. I know the Red Sea is the same - but you are looking at a different level of lead-in price (assuming the Far East is going to be relatively expensive to start with) and usually for one week only (I may be wrong but think perhaps if people are travelling to the Far East a two week cruise would be more appealing).

 

But one thing that was mentioned is that some smaller ships are able to get in closer to the cities - now that could be an edge for Thomson. Resist the temptation to go bigger and perhaps offer an itinerary with easier access to the destinations that only the 5*/6* cruise lines with smaller ships are currently offering.

 

I'm not sure what size is the right size to facilitate this but I must say it did give me pause for thought when looking at where the ships berthed in relation to the location of the cities visited.

[Grez]

Following on from Geomagot's insightful thoughts, I think it could work. I don't see too much confusion, and the majority of the fleet would already slip into one of the categories quite nicely -

 

Platinum - The Regular Thomson’s product but with kettles Dream, Celebration, and maybe Spirit

Sensatori - 5* spa cabins, fine dining, aimed at couples Mein Schieff or new build

2wentys - floating party palaces for the young and hip Island Escape, Majesty

Thomsons Family Resort Holidays - fun filled children’s activities, creche’s and interconnecting cabins - possibly a refurbed Destiny

 

Shouldn't cause any issues with the existing product. Dream, Celebration would be seen as a step up from Majesty/IE as they are now. Nothing would really have to change. Whilst not ideal, it would certainly get Thomson started on a new strategy quickly and easily, whilst retaining the core product.

[happy v]

I agree with Kate. If you split the ships into different catagories you will have less itineraries to choose from. Most people always say it's the itineraries which determine the cruise, not the ship.

There could be improvement made in offering more, one off, and two week cruises instead of keeping the same itineraries for a whole season.

[happy v]

All this talk of the Far East, plus our friends having recently booked a cruise in the area lead me to do a bit of idle research one sleepless night on the dstinations in the Far East.

 

It came as a bit of a revelation. For port such as Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi you're looking at anything from 2-3.5 hours transfer times from where ships usually dock! :eek: That's ok a long as you are prepared for that - but does need to be taken into account when looking at itineraries as if all your ports are like this it cold be very tiring and expensive. I know the Red Sea is the same - but you are looking at a different level of lead-in price (assuming the Far East is going to be relatively expensive to start with) and usually for one week only (I may be wrong but think perhaps if people are travelling to the Far East a two week cruise would be more appealing).

 

But one thing that was mentioned is that some smaller ships are able to get in closer to the cities - now that could be an edge for Thomson. Resist the temptation to go bigger and perhaps offer an itinerary with easier access to the destinations that only the 5*/6* cruise lines with smaller ships are currently offering.

 

I'm not sure what size is the right size to facilitate this but I must say it did give me pause for thought when looking at where the ships berthed in relation to the location of the cities visited.

 

I must admit I haven't researched in depth.

I was first interested by a holiday from Airtours Far and Wide. The ship cruised up the coast of Thailand and visited islands Phuket, Koi Sami, Krabi, Malasia and Singapore. It was a few years ago so my details could be wrong. Then it continued to Vietnam and others.

I do think two week cruises would have to be offered but if you can include small islands or resorts with the longer city stops it should be doable.

I wouldn't consider flying for so long unless it was a two week cruise to be honest.

You've given me something to think about so I'm going to go and look in the atlas to draw up an itinerary ;)......but first I'll have to make some lunch.:)

[kruzseeka]

I must admit I haven't researched in depth.

I was first interested by a holiday from Airtours Far and Wide. The ship cruised up the coast of Thailand and visited islands Phuket, Koi Sami, Krabi, Malasia and Singapore. It was a few years ago so my details could be wrong. Then it continued to Vietnam and others.

I do think two week cruises would have to be offered but if you can include small islands or resorts with the longer city stops it should be doable.

I wouldn't consider flying for so long unless it was a two week cruise to be honest.

You've given me something to think about so I'm going to go and look in the atlas to draw up an itinerary ;)......but first I'll have to make some lunch.:)

 

 

:D:D:D I'm sure I can rely on you to draw up a fascinating itinerary - with a suitable blend of city, beach and culture. Sign me up! ;)

[davecttr]

OK, I have solved the Destiny mystery

 

After xmas 2013 a refurbished Destiny goes to the Caribbean to replace Dream which...

 

Does a round the world westward with segments that the new Dreamliner can service. Arriving back in Palma in March.

 

Simples :D

[happy v]

:D:D I'm sure I can rely on you to draw up a fascinating itinerary - with a suitable blend of city, beach and culture. Sign me up! ;)

 

Oh my goodness how embarrassing :o. It seems my geography of this area is appalling. However there is loads to be discovered. I think a ship could be based here and do a mixture of seperate itineraries which would keep us happy for quite a while i.e. Thailand, Malasia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and China.

 

I'm sure someone at Thomsons is busy working on this at the moment :rolleyes: :D.

[happy v]

Oops, Malaysia even.

[Sailaway487]

I think that too many brands won't really work. As it is there is already Thomson Platinum Cruises, Thomson (normal) Cruises and Island Cruises. I think a clearer defined role of these three would be perhaps a better solution. Island concentrating on the family market, market it similar to First Choice Holiday Villages, Thomson Cruises as the standard cruise operation (with perhaps a few more extras included than currently, and a better standard of ship) and then Thomson Platinum Cruises to be focused on the premium and adult market, similar to the Platinum and Sensatori concept already.

 

I agree that the itineraries for me are what makes me book. Adriatic Explorer for example. To be able to visit all those ports in just a week with only one day at sea is much better than any other cruise line, that would most likely miss out places like Koper, Split or Kotor. They just need to improve the standard (and age) of ships, and improve their product in terms of what you could get for free that Thomson currently charges for etc.

[Sailaway487]

Oh my goodness how embarrassing :o. It seems my geography of this area is appalling. However there is loads to be discovered. I think a ship could be based here and do a mixture of seperate itineraries which would keep us happy for quite a while i.e. Thailand, Malasia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and China.

 

I'm sure someone at Thomsons is busy working on this at the moment :rolleyes: :D.

 

Sounds like a hit for me! :D

 

I'm sure someone in Thomson HQ are currently just finalising that brochure for its November launch for a Far East cruise for next year. I can almost hear the printer! :D

[newplaces]

I must admit I haven't researched in depth.

I was first interested by a holiday from Airtours Far and Wide. The ship cruised up the coast of Thailand and visited islands Phuket, Koi Sami, Krabi, Malasia and Singapore. It was a few years ago so my details could be wrong. Then it continued to Vietnam and others.

I do think two week cruises would have to be offered but if you can include small islands or resorts with the longer city stops it should be doable.

I wouldn't consider flying for so long unless it was a two week cruise to be honest.

You've given me something to think about so I'm going to go and look in the atlas to draw up an itinerary ;)......but first I'll have to make some lunch.:)

 

ur right happy. I went on that cruise in 2002 and it was great i did it on a small ship called the sea wing and it was one of the best holidays ive ever had. :)

[Sailaway487]

Been looking at various forums on here over the past couple of days, and it seems that quite a few have rumours regarding ship changes.

 

Those ships that seem to be leaving their fleets are:

 

Celebrity Century

 

Holland America Lines Statendam Class:

MS Statendam

MS Maasdam

MS Ryndam

MS Veendam

 

Mein Schiff

 

With a Platinum style refurbishment, any of these ships would be good for Thomson. I still think that a new build might only be a 'hope' at the moment, and a more realistic step for Thomson would be to get a newer ship and refurb it.

[davecttr]

Been looking at various forums on here over the past couple of days, and it seems that quite a few have rumours regarding ship changes.

 

Those ships that seem to be leaving their fleets are:

 

Celebrity Century

 

Holland America Lines Statendam Class:

MS Statendam

MS Maasdam

MS Ryndam

MS Veendam

 

Mein Schiff

 

With a Platinum style refurbishment, any of these ships would be good for Thomson. I still think that a new build might only be a 'hope' at the moment, and a more realistic step for Thomson would be to get a newer ship and refurb it.

Royal caribbean who have a 50% stake in the Mein Schiffs own Celebrity cruises so Celebrity Century launched in 1995 and 71,000 tons matches the Mein Schiffs!