Dream v Celebration

[Ginjoli]

Having enjoyed two wonderful cruises on Thomson Dream, which we absolutely love, I am very reluctant to try any other ships in the fleet.

 

However, having now done 5 Western Med cruises (Airtours Carousel, Ocean Village +OV2 three times), we have visited pretty well most of the ports, and some twice.

 

We'd really like to do a different itinerary, but loving the Dream as we do, wonder if swapping to another Thomson ship would lead to disappointment and wishing we'd stayed with the Dream.

 

Please can anyone who has experienced both ships give us some idea

of the main differences. We particularly like the Outside Plus cabins on Promenade Deck and the excellent a la carte Orion Restaurant, also the

fantastic Broadway Show Lounge.

 

Any advice you can offer would be grately appreciated.

[Langtoncouple]

I look forward to seeing what others say. We've always been on the Dream (3 times) I just like the same as you Ginjoli. Each time, we've had the same trio of waiters. We just love the ship and especially like the elegance of the old artifacts like the paintings, ships and other antiques when it belonged to Homeric Lines.

[geomagot]

just back from celebration and have been on dream in march

 

celebration comes out tops for me...its a slightly smaller ship and cabins were also smaller (although I had a standard inside on celebration and plus cabins on dream?)

 

the big difference is the medusa....for me, it just doesn’t compare to liberties on celebration, liberties is a smaller and more intimate room and doesnt suffer so much from the relentless thru traffic thatyou get on the dream (game shows are the same as dream) but hosts seem to be able to engage better with the audience in the smaller space

 

also horizons on celebration, a pub like atmosphere at the top of the ship with great sea views nothing like that on dream...shame

 

we met many crew on celebration that we had met previously on dream also top men seem to switch between dream and celebration

 

the decor (platinum) is virtually the same on both ships, same (nice) wicker seating on lido

 

only one buffet on celebration, the lido which is a large room but nicely partitioned and has 2 lines so works better than the one line on dream

 

no sirens pool area on celebration but celebration does have an adults pool and sunbathing area above the lido family pool area

 

same sunbed wars unfortunately

 

little difference between the ships on food quality in mdr(s) same style of service and same waiters (maitre d’ on celebration was rey from the dream)

 

same bar menu and prices

 

there are some nice quiet little decks at the back on dream which are great for sunbathing or a quiet drink in the evening....nothing like that on celebration

 

all the entertainment is on one deck on dream no so on celebration....so you need to travel between bars

 

the lifts work on celebration

 

hope this helps

[Big Paul]

I have done two trips on Celebration and only one on Dream. Very little to choose between both ships however I found the service on the dream very poor compared with the service offered on the celebration, the only saving grace on Dream was the service in the main restaurant. If a choice between the two ships I would choose the Celebration.

[kruzseeka]

Agree with everything already high-lighted but would add:

 

Vibration on Celebration can be a bit obvious.

Two self-service restaurants on Dream - at least for breakfast and lunch. I prefer the smaller Sirens on Deck 11 (but that closes at night)

I actually find Liberties and High Spirits (on Spirit - same layout) a little claustrophobic with the low ceiling but I take the point about a through-way in the Medusa on Dream being a nuisance.

Also think it's a real shame that there isn't an equivalent wrap-round bar on Dream like the Horizons on Celebration (real plus on Celebration).

Like the larger pool deck on Dream and greater number of locations for sitting out - no equivalent pool deck on Celebration just the Lido deck.

Like the fact that there is a cinema on Celebration although last time we were on I didn't think they had a good selection of films to cater for a variety of tastes/ages.

Showlounge is much better imo on Dream; fixed seating (so people can't come in late and move their seat in front of you), bigger and more likely to accommodate demand, not a though-way like that on Celebration (although people aren't supposed to walk through during shows unfortunately some do).

Dining room seems more spacious on Dream - but it's fine on Celebration.

Lido deck very similar on both.

We have standard inside cabins - and I think they are a similar size but more storage (drawers) on Celebration and perhaps more (all?) can be converted to doubles now after refurb (?) but at one time doubles were like hen's teeth on Celebration with most cabins a L-shape layout (perhaps someone can clarify this as it's a while since we last on Celebration) but if that matters to you perhaps you should check that out.

 

Celebration was always our favourite but more recently it's perhaps been supplanted by Dream I feel it's a bit more airy - but things like service, entertainment etc can vary from trip to trip so at the end of the day I feel I can only really comment about the physical differences in the ships and it's important to consider recent reviews to give you a feel of the current situation re satisfaction levels for food and other service related aspects.

[Big Paul]

We were on celebration in May (I think) 1st cruise as a platinum, the number of cabins in L shape configuration seems to be rather large as the queue at reception the first day seemed to be mainly complaining about this fact. If this is important then I suggest that people pay to choose their cabin.

[geomagot]

yep, we had L shape config on celebration and the flat screen tv is bolted onto what looks like the old crt screen shelf/cupboard thing? above one of the beds so that you cant see it....more storage in celebration cabin tho imo....no jug of water for the kettle on celebration and kettle is fixed to the wall so you have to go and buy a bottle of water if you want to fill the kettle, most kettles on dream are plugged into the wall so that you can fill from the tap

[skioncruises]

yep, we had L shape config on celebration and the flat screen tv is bolted onto what looks like the old crt screen shelf/cupboard thing? above one of the beds so that you cant see it....more storage in celebration cabin tho imo....no jug of water for the kettle on celebration and kettle is fixed to the wall so you have to go and buy a bottle of water if you want to fill the kettle, most kettles on dream are plugged into the wall so that you can fill from the tap

 

The base of the kettle in our cabin on Celebration was fixed to the dressing table but must have been a man who decided this as there was no room to put bits and bobs.:eek: We were able to lift kettle from base, as we would do with our own at home, and fill under tap. In what way was it fixed to wall? How did you pour it?:confused:

 

Not interested in tv or newspapers on holiday, but would agree it is sited in the most stupid place as only one person will be able to watch it, or perhaps share a single bed.;) When we arrived it wasn't even switched on with the usual welcoming lifeboat drill video playing.

[geomagot]

The base of the kettle in our cabin on Celebration was fixed to the dressing table but must have been a man who decided this as there was no room to put bits and bobs.:eek: We were able to lift kettle from base, as we would do with our own at home, and fill under tap. In what way was it fixed to wall? How did you pour it?:confused:

 

Not interested in tv or newspapers on holiday, but would agree it is sited in the most stupid place as only one person will be able to watch it, or perhaps share a single bed.;) When we arrived it wasn't even switched on with the usual welcoming lifeboat drill video playing.

 

there was a huge dressing table amost the length of the cabin and a mirror which ran the full length of one wall (so that you could see yourself from every angle into infinity (must have been designed by a very vain man)...loads of drawers under plus some (fixed to the floor) bedside cabinets too

 

in one corner of the dressing table was a tiny jug kettle (not cordless) affixed by its (10") lead to a box on the wall....we didnt use it much it was too small for us

 

dream also have tiny jug kettles but you can uplug them from the wall and they did supply a fresh jug of (tap) water each day

 

not interested in tv either but I do like to leave the 'veiw from the bridge' showing when in an inside cabin just to get an idea of the weather/time of day

[skioncruises]

there was a huge dressing table amost the length of the cabin and a mirror which ran the full length of one wall (so that you could see yourself from every angle into infinity (must have been designed by a very vain man)...loads of drawers under plus some (fixed to the floor) bedside cabinets too

 

in one corner of the dressing table was a tiny jug kettle (not cordless) affixed by its (10") lead to a box on the wall....we didnt use it much it was too small for us

 

dream also have tiny jug kettles but you can uplug them from the wall and they did supply a fresh jug of (tap) water each day

 

not interested in tv either but I do like to leave the 'veiw from the bridge' showing when in an inside cabin just to get an idea of the weather/time of day

 

Hi geomagot

 

Sorry to take so long to reply, the thread had been well and truly buried since yesterday.

 

We were on deck 3 in June and the kettle, although not quite full sized, gave us 3 insulated mugs and it was detachable from a base. A 10" lead that cannot be detached seems a bit risky to me. Would have thought the kettles would have been standardised throughout the whole ship. Thomson's at their best again.:eek:

 

Full length wall mirror was a bit ott, but definitely the best ship for storage, along with the Spirit.

 

Our only extra on cruises is an outside cabin and we leave the curtains open.:)

[geomagot]

I felt the kettle on celebration was rather small (only one & a half insulated mugs full) and a bit plasticy & flimsy....hope they can cope with heavy use

 

the one we had on dream was stained inside too (already)....tap water on dream has a brown tinge to it

 

agree on the huge mirror....being greeted by various views of my white a**se every morning was a bit of a shocker:eek:

[ronjae]

Having enjoyed two wonderful cruises on Thomson Dream, which we absolutely love, I am very reluctant to try any other ships in the fleet.

 

However, having now done 5 Western Med cruises (Airtours Carousel, Ocean Village +OV2 three times), we have visited pretty well most of the ports, and some twice.

 

We'd really like to do a different itinerary, but loving the Dream as we do, wonder if swapping to another Thomson ship would lead to disappointment and wishing we'd stayed with the Dream.

 

Please can anyone who has experienced both ships give us some idea

of the main differences. We particularly like the Outside Plus cabins on Promenade Deck and the excellent a la carte Orion Restaurant, also the

fantastic Broadway Show Lounge.

 

Any advice you can offer would be grately appreciated.

 

Exactly the same as us Ginjoli. Been on Dream twice and love her but since we want to see other places we are booked on Celebration for next June. I'm sure from what I have read about Celebration there's nothing to be concerned about.

[mrsloopylou]

Having enjoyed two wonderful cruises on Thomson Dream, which we absolutely love, I am very reluctant to try any other ships in the fleet.

 

However, having now done 5 Western Med cruises (Airtours Carousel, Ocean Village +OV2 three times), we have visited pretty well most of the ports, and some twice.

 

We'd really like to do a different itinerary, but loving the Dream as we do, wonder if swapping to another Thomson ship would lead to disappointment and wishing we'd stayed with the Dream.

 

Please can anyone who has experienced both ships give us some idea

of the main differences. We particularly like the Outside Plus cabins on Promenade Deck and the excellent a la carte Orion Restaurant, also the

fantastic Broadway Show Lounge.

 

Not been on the Dream, but just got back from Celebration, and wouldn't go on it again, previous ships have included OV (Miss them)and RCI, all down to personal choice but we just didn't like the feel or the vibration on the ship, we had new crew which didn't help and not fab service and broke down, food was poor in main dinning room, very rushed in minstals and expensive compared to other ships, lido food was great, but drinks service poor, not enough sun beds and generally an old ship which has had a minor face lift and been called platinum for some reason which we failed to see !

[Ginjoli]

Very many

[Ginjoli]

Many thanks for all the helpful info re differences between the Dream and Celebration.

 

At the end of the day, as you quite rightly say, it is down to personal preference, and weighing up all the excellent descriptions and opinions, I feel certain that for us personally, the Dream meets all our expectations, and as they say... "if it aint broke, don't fix it"! It's a pity that Thomsons don't offer mini "taster cruises" like some other cruise lines, - avoids a costly mistake if you really don't like the ship.

 

The only itinerary left for us to consider on Dream, without in some cases triplicating Ports of Call is Moorish Delights. We have visited Gibraltar, Casablanca (Marrakesh was an amazing experience) and Cadiz, but not Motril or Cartegena.

 

Are there any really interesting excursions from either of these Ports?

 

 

Whatever we decide, just have to book a cruise on the Dream again soon - already suffering withdrawal symtoms and we've only been back four weeks!!

[Julessmiles]

We've not been on the Dream (have booked for next year though!) but have been on the Spirit & Celebration and due to sail on the Celebration again soon - we love the ship & feel the same nervousness as you about trying another ship next year but we've gone & booked it! We have also never done the Western Med before on a cruise so looking forward to some new destinations;)

 

What I can say about the Celebration is the itineraries are lovely - we love the Eastern Med; Istanbul is an amazing city and a lot of the Greek & Turkish ports of call are excellent - a lot can be DIY & there are some good trips too.

 

We love all the bars on the Celebration, particularly Horizons which is at the top & front of the ship so some amazing views from there. I think the atmosphere is very similar on all the Thomson ships & the entertainment is the same good standard. Certainly the Spirit & Celebration were both very similar in many ways (& not just the fact that they are identical in layout!)

[kruzseeka]

Many thanks for all the helpful info re differences between the Dream and Celebration.

 

At the end of the day, as you quite rightly say, it is down to personal preference, and weighing up all the excellent descriptions and opinions, I feel certain that for us personally, the Dream meets all our expectations, and as they say... "if it aint broke, don't fix it"! It's a pity that Thomsons don't offer mini "taster cruises" like some other cruise lines, - avoids a costly mistake if you really don't like the ship.

 

The only itinerary left for us to consider on Dream, without in some cases triplicating Ports of Call is Moorish Delights. We have visited Gibraltar, Casablanca (Marrakesh was an amazing experience) and Cadiz, but not Motril or Cartegena.

 

Are there any really interesting excursions from either of these Ports?

 

 

Whatever we decide, just have to book a cruise on the Dream again soon - already suffering withdrawal symtoms and we've only been back four weeks!!

 

I know how you feel!!!;) And we love the Dream too - have you thought of the Caribbean if you want a real change - but perhaps you can't wait that long! :D

 

Cartegena we thought wa sa lovely port - very clean, easy to walk around and a good tour bus/castle entry deal available which someone wrote about. I'll try to find it if you want more info on that. Good DiY destination. Sorry can't help with Motril.

 

But - talking of taster cruises, there is a 4-nighter on Spirit from Harwich on 24th August - not sure whether that would be a possibility for you or if you'd be interested but since Spirit and Celebration are the same layout that would be a means of testing out the ship itself at least in terms of the layout and featuresof the ship - especially if there is a late bargain to be had.

 

You'd just have to imagine the 'platinum' bit though as Spirit hasn't been 'done' however the carpets, cabin refurbs, Lido deck etc have been done in the same materials/way as on Dream so you could certainly get a feel for the Celebration. The mosaic tiles in the en-suites on Celebration have been re-done too so that's an improvement - but will still be the old style on Spirit. Of course food, entertainment, service can vary a bit from ship to ship and cruise to cruise even on the same ship so that's still a bit of an unknown.

 

But I agree with Jules - the Eastern Med itineraries do offer something really different and we've really enjoyed the Greek and Turkish ports but I do understand your 'not broke don't fix it' approach Ginjoli. We feel much the same - it's a lot of money to splash out on a cruise and I for one would be so disappointed if it was a real let-down. I think that's partly why we keep coming back to Thomson but we'd be prepared to travel on any of their ships for the right price and itinerary.