Kruzee should be back ?

[Sailaway487]

Awaiting news from the dear lady :cool:

 

Stevie

 

She replied on the Cruise Poll thread yesterday. :)

[Sailaway487]

Huh!!! How has it put my reply at the top!!! And how did I reply to a thread two minutes before it was even put up! :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

 

Can I now time travel????

[stevedeccaman]

Awaiting news from the dear lady :cool:

 

Stevie

[happy v]

Huh!!! How has it put my reply at the top!!! And how did I reply to a thread two minutes before it was even put up! :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

 

Can I now time travel????

 

Wow this is weird.

I've only replied to see where it goes. ;);)

[Sailaway487]

Wow this is weird.

I've only replied to see where it goes. ;);)

 

I know, strange?!?! Never seen this before.

[happy v]

It seems I am only human and can not travel through the "space time continuum" :(:(

[kruzseeka]

Reporting for duty, sir! :D:D

 

Yes back yesterday after a two hour delayed return to Harwich caused by roughish seas (although not nearly as bad as the Capt predicted and quite tame compared with the Force 9/10 we encountered on our last return from the Baltic - so that was a relief!)

 

All very good - slick check-in at about 12 o/c although it said 1 -3 on the ticket but already loads of cars were parked when we got there so they must have started embarkation really early - perhaps something for next year's cruisers to note. (Just an asides though - a lady in the queue behind me was lamenting the 20 Kg luggage restriction - it is really naughty of Thomson to persisit in printing tickets with this error. As those of us on here know, these admin confusions do occur and if not for the discussions we have on here to get to the bottom of such issues we too would be worried about exceeding weight limits unnecessarily.) Anyway that to one side the process was efficient but there were delays whilst a very thorough security check was made - much like at the airport but in the circumstances who's going to complain?

 

Once on board, we immediately felt very much at home, knowing what to expect. There has been some refurb in the Lido which has given it a face-lift and looks a little more modern although the quality of the reupholstery of the chairs isn't fantastic. Otherwise we didn't notice too much difference. Some carpetting on the stairs looked in need of replacement and some hand-rails were in dire need of stripping and revarnishing (they were so rough to the touch) but no doubt this general maintenance issue will be addressed during the period it's out of service.

 

The standard cabin was really spacious with plenty of hanging space, shelving and storage (remember last trip was on Majesty so this was quite a contrast! :D). We didn't have our TV replaced during the voyage but they are in the process of putting flat screen TVs in all the cabins.

 

Vibration is still there - of course (it's not going to miraculously disappear is it?) but more evident in particular regions than others like the centre of show-lounge and sometimes in Horizons etc. but we very quickly zoned out and didn't notice it at all. Our cabin mid-ships Deck3 was quiet and not much affected by vibration, the air-con was good and the shower quite powerful and usually ok temperature wise although you had to be alert to variations in temperature from time to time and be prepared to adjust it. we weren't aware of complaints about air-con etc - the temperature inside was generally good.

 

Sun bed probs weren't a problem on this trip due to it really not being sunbed weather - more appropriate were the warm rugs which were needed in the main if you did spend some time on deck.

 

We were so lucky with the weather - although there was a lot of rain around (we often got off in the morning to see very wet roads - clearly there had been some heavy rain) almost every day we managed to have a window of bright sunny weather as we got off in the mornings and often by mid-afternoon the weather had clouded up and sometimes began to rain but mostly the bad weather was overnight or when we were at sea (just disappointing for those who wanted to spend time out on deck - although we did find a few hours here and there to do just that.)

 

BUT someone was talking to passengers from the Boudicca on our last day in Kalundborg (they were berthed close by) and they were saying they'd more or less followed us round the Baltic but a day behind and they'd had rain every day! So just shows how lucky we were - and how unlucky they were too.

 

Food was very good we thought. Ocassionally the choice on the menu wasn't especially to our taste but nevertheless each day in the Orion we were able to find something to suit and enjoyed our meals. The meat was very good and generous portions - also generous sweet portions (at least we thought so!) We tended to eat lunch in the Orion too if on board so I can't say much about the Lido menu/quality but it looked ok to me. They have a better selection of desserts and better quality ones than the Dream I'd say (a disappointing feature of Dream imo). Icecream was available in the day in the Lido (vanilla, choc and usually an iceceam of the day e.g coconut, hazelnut, pistachio) plus there was a more extensive (payable £1.20?) selection on the outside Lido deck.

 

Service in the dining room was excellent - we returned to a waiter we'd had before but our contact with all the staff was a pleasure - all very helpful, cheerful and amenable. The cabin stewards were excellent too and there was great attention to hygiene throughout the ship. Staff were posted at the entrances to the dining rooms and were reminding passengers of the need to sanitise. Didn't hear anything about illness/stomach upsets so assume their vigilance pays off.

 

Richard Grey was the CD - we hadn't come across him before but liked his relaxed manner. THe entertainment was a bit of a mix. The Close Covers(?) group were dire but the trio in Horizons very good and easy listening and the classical duo in Explorers were superb. They did an afternoon concert on a sea day (you get more of these on a Baltic cruise) which was extremely well attended and received a great ovation at the end.

 

There were visiting lecturers too; a pilot who gave an extremely interesting and well-structured series of lectures on aspects of flying (Supersonic flight, fear of flight, meteorology and flying in adverse weather conditions plus a talk-through of procedures for a flight). These were well attended too. Michael Nicholson (the ITN war correspondent) also did a couple of lectures as well as 'An Interview with......' session. This was interesting too. Apart from these there were the usual demonstrations, games, an afternoon play, back-stage visits, Bridge visits and wine tasting etc. so there was a very varied programme and plenty to do.

 

The balance of the evening shows was a bit different to what we had expected. There was a Welcome Show (compilation of shows seen later in the holiday), 2 comedians (both pretty good), 2 Concerto Shows (cabaret style) and a play. This left 7 which I'd describe as 'Production shows' (i.e. all-singing, all-dancing, staged, choreographed offerings). These were good - some very very good and included some new ones to me which we enjoyed immensely but I can't help but think back to the days when in a 14 night cruise you'd get one Welcome show, 2 comedians and 11 'proper' shows.

 

Now there may be a reason for this - it may be that having done a lot of shorter length itineraries during the summer it wouldn't be cost effective to cover the relatively fewer two-week cruises with a full programme of shows. I know for the last few seasons Thomson has introduced one Concerto show per week (but that does represent a saving methinks - no costume changes, staging, no choreography therefore less rehearsal time?) which I can understand and wouldn't complain about but I do hope this isn't a trend to dilute the evening entertainment as an economy measure. You could sense the difference in audience response after the shows when we'd seen some really entertaining and lively show with spectacular costumes - I just felt a couple more shows were needed to maintain the usual Thomson standard and meet the expectations of their passengers. This isn't the first time it's happened to us and although we didn't dwell on it (we really were enjoying our cruise!) I did hear a few people comment on seeing repeat shows on the other ships from time to time and that has happened to us too i.e. not as mnay shows as you'd expect. I sincerely hope Thomson aren't economising on this aspect of their 'product' as it's such a valued aspect of their cruises and one which I believe gives them a competitive edge.

 

But all in all a great cruise and some fabulous destinations - more of those later. I know it was the last Baltic trip of this year but I'll do a port review as it may be of interest to those who are planning to do this itinerary in 2013. But must get on with the chores.

 

Good to be in contact again - didn't suffer too mnay withdrawal symptoms :eek: and thanks for the welcome back. (I'm hoping it is a welcome stevie and not a 'OMG she's back again'!!!!!!!!!!!!:D ;))

[Sailaway487]

Nice to hear you had a great time. :D

 

Interesting reading about the cutbacks that seem to have been made regarding the shows. I hope that this isn't going to be seen on all cruises in the future, as like you say, I think the entertainment with Thomson is definitely something that gives them an edge compared with other cruise lines.

[happy v]

Thanks for the report. I must admit the only time we manage to get a bed on the pool deck is on UK sailings (we are hardy souls). Pleased to hear the food is still good...the service always is. I must say I've never seen a play in the evening before, and while I usually go on an afternoon to fill in an hour, I don't know if it would be to everyones taste for night time entertainment.

You were so lucky to have good weather. We've had some horrendous days and I was worried some of it might have caught up with you. However as my husband always says "the sun shines on the righteous";);):D.

[Jakanne1]

Thanks Kruzseeka, that was very interesting reading. Really don't know how you do it. I have so got to be in the mood and I'm not tonight to do any more of my Majesty review. (Have been Spring cleaning and decorating at my daughter's).

 

Hope you did not mind me referring to your review of Santorini. I had printed it off and taken it with me to do Santorini independently, but DH insisted we did a Thomson excursion as he "was on holiday and did not want any hassle".

 

Oh, and welcome back. :(

[kruzseeka]

Thanks Kruzseeka, that was very interesting reading. Really don't know how you do it. I have so got to be in the mood and I'm not tonight to do any more of my Majesty review. (Have been Spring cleaning and decorating at my daughter's).

 

Hope you did not mind me referring to your review of Santorini. I had printed it off and taken it with me to do Santorini independently, but DH insisted we did a Thomson excursion as he "was on holiday and did not want any hassle".

 

Oh, and welcome back. :(

 

 

Thanks Jakanne - been reading your reports to date which I have found very interesting and a good read. Of course I didn't mind you referring to my review - only pleased to know it had been of help. Also really pleased to learn that you had a good time and enjoyed the cruise - I'd been seeing your posts from on board but was keen to hear all the details when you got back. Will be interested to hear the rest of your experiences - like you I'll have to wind myself up a bit to do the rest of my reporting.

 

The port reviews are perhaps the most important for other cruisers to help with future planning (well I always find reading about what others did such a good way of trying to work out what we want to do). But since no-one will be doing the Baltic again this year it's a bit academic but still, it wil be on here and I can do a 'search' to find it again for anyone interested next year - and there's nothing surer than if I don't do it now I'll have forgotten all the details if anyone asks a year on!!! :confused:

 

I can appreciate your DH's point of view re DiY at Santorini - great to be independent if you've been before and know how it all works (we did the Thomson trip the first time) but also knowing how many other ships are there is important too. Our friends are off on one of the Queens this weekend to a cruise which includes Santorini. I checked for them and there are 5 or 6 ships in with a total number of passengers of over 10,000! My earlier advice to them of doing Oia DiY was soon modified to 'take the ship's trip'! Can you imagine the bottle-neck with all those independent passengers at the cable car? :eek:

 

The holiday already seems ages ago (and multiple washing loads later) but I'll relive it all when I get time to do the ports. There's no doubt that after a cruise you come home with so many memories after visiting so many different places - how lucky we are to be able to do it. ;)

[infoqueen]

Great to see you back glad you had a lovely time. So where are you going to next? I am off to fuertevetura in 12 days and then got to wait till feb for the colourful coasts.

[kruzseeka]

Great to see you back glad you had a lovely time. So where are you going to next? I am off to fuertevetura in 12 days and then got to wait till feb for the colourful coasts.

 

Thanks infoqueen. :) Nothing at all in the pipe-line at the moment and not likely to be going any time soon but you can rest assured I'll be thinking about it and tracking a few possibilities! ;)

 

Hope you have a wonderful time in Fuerteventura and congratulations on the safe arrival of your new grandson. You will be ready for a rest! ;)

[geomagot]

Hi there Kruzseeker, pleased you have a lovely cruise, many thanks for the report

 

this is very interesting,

 

2 Concerto Shows (cabaret style) and a play.

 

apart from the panto at christmas never seen a play on thomsons in the evening in the theatre, but I have seen them on costa & msc, the italians/germans love these plays, they also love the concerto style shows too....i wonder if thomsons are doing a little market research to see how it goes down with thier british audience?

[kruzseeka]

Hi there Kruzseeker, pleased you have a lovely cruise, many thanks for the report

 

this is very interesting,

 

 

 

apart from the panto at christmas never seen a play on thomsons in the evening in the theatre, but I have seen them on costa & msc, the italians/germans love these plays, they also love the concerto style shows too....i wonder if thomsons are doing a little market research to see how it goes down with thier british audience?

 

 

I suspect it's a 'padding out' exercise. On itineraies which are b-2-b they have to prepare and rehearse for 14 nights' worth of entertainment. But the ones which are mainly 7- night ones (like the Spirit has been doing this summer) with other 11, 12, 13 night and the odd 14 night trip thrown in I think they have been 'creative' in trying to extend the evening show programme to avoid preparing, staging, rehearsing and providing costumes for an extra 3/4 shows.

 

I can understand it to a point. It happened when we did the Celebration relocation to Marmaris last year (12 nights) after a season of basically 7-night cruises in the Red Sea. In the interests of making economies to keep competitive I have no issue with this as it would be expensive to have more shows for just an odd week's cruise - but it can leave you feeling a little flat if you've gone expecting a full programme of shows (perhaps the small print should alert custonmers to this - but then again could be one reason why these relocations can be very cheap.) Not only did we have a play in the evening on that trip we also had one of the Mr & Mrs style game shows from Liberties put on in the show lounge!

 

But your point about testing the waters in a potential change of emphasis with a new market profile may also be a factor. If so I think they will find a lot of negative feedback on the customer questionnaires based on comments we heard from other passengers! (Again not quality but selection of material in question). The interview with Michael Nicholson is also something we have seen before but always in an afternoon. I think they should take care not to kill the Golden Goose - their entertainment is a big attraction for lots of people!