Tropical Treasures Review Feb 2014

[paulaud]

We sailed on the Dream last February (2013) on Latin Gems. That was our first time on The Dream and we had a great time. In view of our last experience we decided to book for Tropical Treasures. However, some of the reviews by other Dreamers on Cruise Critic particularly those Dreamers cruising on the TA and over Christmas had me concerned that we had made a serious mistake. Thomson are not necessarily the cheapest and of course the ship is quite old in comparison with other cruise lines.

 

For those who do not wish to read my full comments I can confirm that we had no cause for concern. Service, staff and food were all as good if not better than last year and we both agreed that this was probably the best cruise we have done (our sixth).

 

Airport/Thomson Dreamliner

 

Manchester airport really slick once again with pretty much no queue. Waved goodbye to the suitcases and didn’t see them again until outside our cabins in Barbados. Coming home you wave goodbye the night before and again you don’t see them until you get back to Manchester. So what happens if your baggage is over the 23kg allowance?

The aircraft is fabulous and a great start to the holiday. We were in Economy, plenty of legroom, wide windows with really great view but don’t book row 37 if you want a window seat. There are no windows. Also I believe that the extra legroom seats also have no windows particularly near the doors. The wings of the aircraft do actually curve upwards in flight, quite an unusual sight. I have a great photo. Food and service good and in flight entertainment excellent.

 

Embarkation

 

We were at the port in about 25 minutes from getting off the plane. There was hardly any queue in the embarkation sheds. Greeted by a band and plenty of staff to get the process done really efficiently. I think it took about 10 minutes from entering the shed to exiting. Fantastic. We travelled on the Norwegen Jade last summer, this part of the process took over 1.5 hours mostly waiting around for our turn to board the ship! Once we entered the ship someone was waiting to take us to our cabin

 

Cabin

 

We chose cabin 7119, inside but midships. The room was clean and tidy kept so mainly by our steward Ronaldo, despite our efforts! One good tip on an inside is take a small torch or a decent alarm clock. Its dark. You have no idea of time. Fortunately I always wake up at 7am and even though we were 4 hours behind I still woke up at 7am bizarre. Tea and coffee refreshed daily. TV had Sky News and Sky Sports News along with BBC World News. This was useful to be able to see the wet and windy weather whilst we were languishing in 27 degrees!

Take something like pegs or table cloth weights to clip to the bottom of the shower curtain otherwise you will make a new intimate friend as it seems to be attracted to your nether regions. Thomson provide shower gel and shampoo.

 

Staff

 

Said many times before they make the cruise. Friendly, willing to spend time chatting

and they smile all the time. I just don’t know how they do it. They quickly recognise you which is probably due to the smaller number of passengers on the ship. Despite earlier reports we found plenty of staff available at bars and around the pool areas. Absolutely no worries here.

 

Day at Sea

 

This why I love Thomsons. Only 1 day at sea so you get more ports for your money. I don’t care what anyone says sea days will always be a problem with sunbeds on whatever ship you are on. We were awake at 7am but didn’t reserve a bed going out on deck 12 at about 9am. There was plenty of room. Now to me if you want to squander your morning in bed followed by a late breakfast then you have to expect it will be a struggle to find a bed on sea days. Passengers were wandering round with towels at noon surprised that they couldn’t find an empty bed. I have read a post that sunbeds are in a poor state of repair. I disagree. They could do with a bit of a wash but they were in good condition and those on deck 9 were really excellent.

 

 

Food

 

We visited the main dining room on the evening of the Captain’s Dinner only. There was plenty of room, the food was excellent and service was fine. We ate most mornings and lunchtimes in Sirens and Lido in the evening. The first 2 days we were served by the staff however once they had established that the new passengers had not introduced Norovirus it became self service. Food in Sirens was excellent with a wide choice of food at breakfast. Lunchtime again had an excellent selection of food from cold meats and salads to fish, shepherds pie and chicken. Usual snacks in the afternoon including sandwiches, biscuits and scones with fresh cream and strawberry jam.

Evenings we went to Lido which again has a great selection of foods including a different carved meat every night. We only saw chips once during our 7 night cruise, so chip lovers beware (this includes lunchtime). I think however they were available during the day at the Lido and Terrace grills if you cant live without them. I think you can ask for them in the evening as well but you might have to wait for them to be cooked.

Tea, coffee and herbal teas are available FREE all day but not if you order from the bar, so beware. The teas are decent quality being Twinings. Coffee Nescafe.

 

They still have the Grill on deck 9 which is pay only but they have started the Steak Under The Stars, of course its not really under the stars its an enclosed area next to the pool and there is a cost. You can pay extra and include a reserved seat in the Theatre but its definitely not worth paying for this as there are always decent seats if you look around.

 

 

 

Entertainment

 

My only real grip. Went to every show in the Broadway Theatre. Shows generally were good but for me the guys are far too camp this year. In the past the group usually have at least 2 good strong male/female voices but this year they don’t exist. The male vocals are far to gentle, the strongest voice was Kirsty but the rest are really backing singers. They have also moved one of the shows up to the pool deck which we didn’t attend as it is far too windy. The UK comedian was ok but I have seen better and this time we didn’t attend the late night show.

 

I think last years group were the Top Men if I remember right. This year it is Tina and the Peakles. I am so sorry but they are really poor. Out of tune and cannot sing. The whole package here is poor and I’m surprised that Thomsons have gone for this group. There is an excellent trio playing around the ship and a brilliant duo that play in the Ocean Bar so not a total disaster. In the Delo bar Keith is back again. I do think he is an excellent pianist and perfect for this small bar as the music is not too loud gentle and provides a nice relaxing ambiance until he sings! I just wish he would play the piano only. I am not really criticising as we went in here every night.

 

The staff in here are excellent and work hard to remember your name. They are happy to spend time chatting even when they are busy.

 

Photos

 

Another new venture for Thomsons has appeared this year with PURE. I am sure I didn’t see this last year. We always stop to have photos taken as they don’t cost anything unless you decide to buy. But on one night the photographer asked if we would like to attend a private photo session. These are done in Black and White then you go back the next night to view them. When you have picked your favourites you are presented with the prices. The basic package is 1 11x18 and 3 10x8 cost £295. The cost goes up as you extend the picture selection. Now I have to say they are really good and to be fair a private session with a good photographer is always expensive. I did say that if we have these I couldn’t afford to buy any of the colour pictures taken on the other nights. The photographer said I will have a word with the manager to see what we can do. Nothing else was mentioned and I thought it was an empty promise but on the last night she left us about 6 colour photos for free so overall not a bad deal. Thanks Thomson’s

 

Drinks

 

Not big boozers but we had our fair share. Prices are about£4.60 for Barcardi & Coke. Actually most drinks are at this price including Cocktails. I think beer and lager was slightly cheaper. Unless you get the all inclusive package for less than £100 which they tend to offer at times I don’t think the all inclusive at £199 each is worth it personally. Most drinks carry a small surcharge for AI passengers at about £1.30. So working out averages you need to drink at least 8 alcoholic drinks per day each over the 7 nights to get any real value. Now sounds ok but for those who are not big drinkers beware because the spirits are 40mls rather than the UK 25mls. So every drink is almost a double giving you the equivalent of almost 16 standard UK Barcardi’s per day.

 

Excursions

 

We did the following

Antigua – Dickenson Bay after lunch. Picked up by minibuses outside the port area and driven to the beach. You are taken to a reserved area and provided with a sun bed. Brolleys are U$10. A lovely beach and the team here really look after you. Plenty of rum punch, in fact as much as you can drink. Clean toilet facilities also available. This was an excellent trip with really friendly people. Score 10/10.

Tortola – We did Cane Garden Bay. This is another beach day not quite as well organised but still really nice. A typical Caribbean beach. Taken there and back by minibus. Free drink on arrival and free sun bed. I think the brollys were free. Again toilet facilities are available. You are also given a short tour of the area by the driver who provides some local info. Score 8/10

 

St Vincent – We did dolphin and whale watching. Again we really enjoyed this but I have some tips here. You are warned that as they are free and wild there is a good possibility that you will not see anything. I saw 1 dolphin. When you get on the boat everyone goes for the seats at the front of the boat as these give the best view. However, the sea is calm whilst you are within the bay but when you go into the open sea it becomes very choppy and those at the front get absolutely soaked. Don’t do this if you think you might get sea sick. One young girl on our trip turned green and must have hated every minute. I really felt sorry for her but there is no turning back so you are on here for about 3.5 hours.

They then take you to a beach where you can get off for about 30 minutes. Take your snorkelling gear as there is some excellent snorkelling at the far end and in shallow water. Score 9/10 despite the lack of dolphins and whales.

 

Overall

 

Yes much the same as in previous cruises with Thomson’s. Great staff, decent food, brilliant itinerary and decent entertainment. There are some minor changes. Towel Animals seem rare this year but lets face it these were only done to try to sell the book on how to do them. The reserving of seats in the theatre is daft but I think passengers have to be dafter to pay for this. I don’t think this is a major issue.

We had a really great time and we are thinking of going back next year to see what is on offer.

[kruzseeka]

Thanks paulaud for that very comprehensive review. Your comments about the entertainment exactly coincides with my thoughts when we were on just before Christmas. I'm glad you found everything else up to your expectations and that you had such a good time. :)

[Robrow]

Thanks for such a detailed review Paulad. Even more impatient for our cruise now.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[happy v]

Thank you Paulaud, I love to read a review.

[barnowl1950]

Thanks paulaud for a very good review, pleased to hear you had a lovely holiday, I enjoyed reading all about it... we'll be on Dream for the first time soon, looking forward to it so much :)

Edited February 23, 2014 by barnowl1950

[Deeside dave]

Now that's the kind of review we like to see and indeed expect.Regarding 'Top Men' your loss was our gain as they are now on Celebration and are brilliant .

[Julessmiles]

Great review thank you.

 

We saw The Peakles when they were Meetch & The Peakles in 2012 on Celebration; really didn't think much to them then either - not such a wide repertoire as Top Men. They did a good Beatles night but other than that, not great!

 

I had read that they have changed their photography concessions onboard; was rather hoping they would be better value for money - can't believe they charged that much though for 4 photos (even though they thre in 6 extra 'free' !)

 

We got ripped off when we had a Blessing in 2012; they just would NOT quote us a price prior to the Blessing for photos & a DVD. When we saw them all afterwards, they were lovely & we did buy them but they were very unprofessional over the purchase when we refused to pay the price they first quoted. We eventually came to a reasonable deal but it was "Don't tell anyone else the price you have paid - this is just a good deal for you"

[BIGMANTAM]

I am so glad you had a great holiday. Thankyou for the balanced review, you have eased my mind to a certain extent.

Iam going on the 23rd of March and was quite alarmed at the drop in positive reviews. We did pay the AI Package at £796 for the fortnight and I am still worried about the feedback from that. We have always taken the AI package and have had no problems but this also seems to have taken some hits.

I dont go on holiday to knit pick, but we have paid a lot of hard earned cash for this holiday and expect value for money.

So Thanks once again for your valued opinion.:cool:

[gillhalfpint]

Loved your review. Very much as we found it as we did Tropical Treasures and Latin Gems in January.

 

We gave up with photos. Noticed they were not taking so many with the costumed folk as you left the ship this time, and seemed more posed photos on board. We never bought any as our own photos are our memories and couldn't justify paying the price. Apart from that, have better things to do than spend hours trying to find our photos on the board!! We just let them take them where they wanted to and didn't try to find them. A friend tried to strike a deal to buy half a dozen photos, and they wouldn't. He said you will just be binning them, and they wouldn't budge, so he said ok then you can bin them.

[geomagot]

many thanks for this very informative review, pleased to hear that there doesnt appear to be any hint of the dreaded noro on board

 

can i ask about the steak under the stars, if memory serves? last year steak under the stars consisted of a few tables by the (empty) jacuzzi on sirens pool deck complete with thru traffic (didnt look very inviting for evening dining imo)

 

an enclosed area sounds so much nicer, can I ask, where have they located that? is it still on sirens?

 

pleased to hear you had an enjoyable cruise

Edited February 24, 2014 by geomagot

[geomagot]

He said you will just be binning them, and they wouldn't budge, so he said ok then you can bin them.

 

I'm not sure that they do bin them gill?...I was told they over print them or use them again somehow? dunno if thats true tho?

 

i noticed on ventura that they dont print their photos, they display them electronically on screens and only print out the ones that are purchased….makes sense environmentally and economically

[Little Nell]

Great review, Paulaud. I enjoyed reading that very much.

 

I would agree with everything you said about the entertainment.

 

It is good to hear that there were plenty of staff.

[Midsomer Madness]

We have just returned from a back to back, and I so agree with your comments about the band, they are shockingly dreadful, far too loud,the lead singer screeches and wails. We were very disappointed. However the trio are absolutely fabulous, we loved how they would just pop up all over the ship..

 

We found the bar staff by the lido pool and in the medusa lounge to be uninterested and rather aloof..not at all friendly..by comparison Neil and Carlos (AKA Socks to us) who were in the outside bar on deck 10 where the smokers go were fantastic..

 

Our waiters, Jodel and Crispin were brilliant, it was lovely to see Jodel again and be greeted so warmly by him.

 

Certain members of the entertainment team were extremely arrogant and looked down their noses at passengers,they need to remember we pay their wages...very poor attitude..

 

Personally I did not rate dinner in the Orion at night, however Jodel always got me chicken breast if there was nothing else I liked!

[Deeside dave]

Don't be worrying about what you have paid for the AI package.You won't be a mile out at the end of the cruise .I only worked out what I thought I would have paid if not on AI as it's the first time I have paid full price for it.When on AI you don't think twice about what or when to drink so absolutely no worries .We go again in June on Majesty and this time with friends so there will be 4 of us.I will be interested to see if that means we will drink more although I am on a definite winner as have only paid £69 for this one.Console yourself with the thought you will have a smaller bill at the end of the cruise.

[paulaud]

Geomagot, I didn't actually go to Steak under the Stars but they seem to section off an area next to the Jacuzzi near Sirens. The area seemed to be separated by those plastic rollers that they pull down. I thought it was very windy up there when the ship sailed and I don't think these will help to block out the wind. I didn't fancy cold steak plus the wife feels the cold easily and I cant stand the earache!!!

[kruzseeka]

Yes they screen off the area immediately to your left as you exit from the left-hand door to the pool deck. That's the opposite side to the Grill which remember is now in the opposite 'wing' of Sirens from where it was originally located. It's under the overhang from the sun deck above and when we were on they hung very light weight (muslin?) drapes to create a more intimate feel. Of course they wouldn't keep out any draughts. I don't recognise the rollers paulaud mentions so perhaps they are a new addition to try to deal with the issues of draughts.

 

tbh the location didn't work for me (although it may be better now with the rollers). By comparison I think they have done a great job on the Grill. It looks a much more special and appropriate setting for a pay extra meal. I have no probs paying for the Grill but don't think the location is attractive enough for the Steak under the Stars.

[paulaud]

Hi Kruzseeker

 

you could be right the segregation might have been as you described although I do seem to recall there were some like clear plastic panels, regardless it is really windy up there when the ship is at sea. I agree the Grill looks really cosy

[grab1]

Thanks for such a detailed review Paulad. Even more impatient for our cruise now.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

Hi Robrow

When are you going? we only got 2 days to go:)

Bob

[grab1]

Lovely Review.

So glad staff on deck 10 are good, as thats where we are most of the time being smokers

[Midsomer Madness]

I think Neil said he was moving down to Argo Lounge as would shortly be going home, if you see Carlos, please say hello Socks! He will no doubt laugh! Have a great cruise!

[Robrow]

16 days for us! 😃

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[geomagot]

I think Neil said he was moving down to Argo Lounge as would shortly be going home, if you see Carlos, please say hello Socks! He will no doubt laugh! Have a great cruise!

 

yes it can be a bit windy up there in the evenings when the ship is at sea...and if it rains the floor would get wet too wouldn’t it?

 

doesn’t sound ideal imo

 

perhaps they should rename it steak under the stairs:rolleyes:

[kruzseeka]

yes it can be a bit windy up there in the evenings when the ship is at sea...and if it rains the floor would get wet too wouldn’t it?

 

doesn’t sound ideal imo

 

perhaps they should rename it steak under the stairs:rolleyes:

 

They can put the roof over but whether they would go to that trouble for 'Steak under the Stars' I don't know but I can't see that area being suitable if it's raining! :eek:

[Midsomer Madness]

They can put the roof over but whether they would go to that trouble for 'Steak under the Stars' I don't know but I can't see that area being suitable if it's raining! :eek:

 

We had the roof partially closed and it was so hot, didn't like the experience at all,would have been better by the lido pool IMO