Im Back from Caribbean

[geomagot]

Out of interest after reading all of these comments, have the negative views been fed back to Thomson?

 

i am writing my letter/email/review to thoms as we speak....i hope others will consider doing likewise...tips: keep it breif, stick to the main points and try to mention something positive also....try to get your comments forwarded to one of their regular weekly meetings....it may well be followed up with a personal phone call...and if your comments are brought up at one of the meetings then the top guys will get to hear them

 

on the customer satisfaction questionaires:

 

difficult this one?....I happen to know that if a department recieves a good percentage of excellents, members of that department recieve little perks (like extra time off)

 

ie, ship cleanliness....housekeeping department

food service/quality....waiters/galley staff

drinks quality....bar dept, etc etc

 

I would never wish to impact any of the crew adversely

 

but

 

I suspect this is how thoms can (as they so often do) quote their (above) avarage customer satisfaction scores....they are basking in the efforts of the crew rather than in their own efforts

[kruzseeka]

Pee0305 -have a wonderful time. The islands will be fab - the weather too and the friendliness and atmosphere on board will make your holiday. Remember I said despite my observations of how changes are affecting the renowned and much loved 'Thomson product' we still had a great holiday. Relish the best bits, make the most of anything you feel might not be as good as before - and enjoy! I'm certain there will be many positives - and for all that you might find everything to your satisfaction.

 

Bon voyage - have a good one! ;)

[kruzseeka]

i am writing my letter/email/review to thoms as we speak....i hope others will consider doing likewise...tips: keep it breif, stick to the main points and try to mention something positive also....try to get your comments forwarded to one of their regular weekly meetings....it may well be followed up with a personal phone call...and if your comments are brought up at one of the meetings then the top guys will get to hear them

 

on the customer satisfaction questionaires:

 

difficult this one?....I happen to know that if a department recieves a good percentage of excellents, members of that department recieve little perks (like extra time off)

 

ie, ship cleanliness....housekeeping department

food service/quality....waiters/galley staff

drinks quality....bar dept, etc etc

 

I would never wish to impact any of the crew adversely

 

but

 

I suspect this is how thoms can (as they so often do) quote their (above) avarage customer satisfaction scores....they are basking in the efforts of the crew rather than in their own efforts[/quote]

 

Too true!

[geomagot]

Won't be covered by travel insurance and who will pay for the ship going back in to port / fuel / port fees and the pilot - could be a very sizeable bill with the hospital charge to add.

 

plus the cost of a medical repatriation from grenada

 

it sends shivers down my spine at how complacent we can sometimes be when on holiday and how common sense can sometimes go out the window...we dont always realize the danger we can put ourselves in

 

tbh...this person was on the rum runner (drinking) and was swimming at the beach they take you to when they got into difficulties and ingested some sea water and was later hospitalised for sea water in the lungs (rather than the effects of alcohol) wether the 'under the influence of alcohol' clause comes into play here? I dont know?

 

another person on grenada that day suffered a broken leg while water skiing (they had never been water skiing before, received no tuition nor even a safety briefing)

 

nevertheless i do hope that both make a speedy recovery

[100cruises]

i am writing my letter/email/review to thoms as we speak....i hope others will consider doing likewise...tips: keep it breif, stick to the main points and try to mention something positive also....try to get your comments forwarded to one of their regular weekly meetings....it may well be followed up with a personal phone call...and if your comments are brought up at one of the meetings then the top guys will get to hear them

 

on the customer satisfaction questionaires:

 

difficult this one?....I happen to know that if a department recieves a good percentage of excellents, members of that department recieve little perks (like extra time off)

 

ie, ship cleanliness....housekeeping department

food service/quality....waiters/galley staff

drinks quality....bar dept, etc etc

 

I would never wish to impact any of the crew adversely

 

but

 

I suspect this is how thoms can (as they so often do) quote their (above) avarage customer satisfaction scores....they are basking in the efforts of the crew rather than in their own efforts[/quote]

 

Too true!

[100cruises]

This is an actual reply off Thomson

 

As part of my investigation into the issues you have raised I have also checked the Customer Satisfaction Questionnaires that other customers have filled out for the same time you were away, you may have filled one of these out yourself. These indicate that the cruise was performing above our expectations in areas such as the food, service and entertainment.:eek:

[Little Nell]

This is an actual reply off Thomson

 

As part of my investigation into the issues you have raised I have also checked the Customer Satisfaction Questionnaires that other customers have filled out for the same time you were away, you may have filled one of these out yourself. These indicate that the cruise was performing above our expectations in areas such as the food, service and entertainment.:eek:

 

This seems to be their standard reply these days. We have treated this very reply with some scepticism recently on this forum.

[skoozie]

The staff in the waiter service dining room couldn't be bothered in fact we got offered one cup of coffee after meal on one night only.

 

You got offered coffee in Orion!? I didn't realise they offered that, we were certainly never given the option. We paid for coffee most nights in Medusa. We found the service in Orion so abysmal that after complaining and still seeing no improvement we gave up and had to pay for the grill or steak under the stars the majority of nights.

[kruzseeka]

This is an actual reply off Thomson

 

As part of my investigation into the issues you have raised I have also checked the Customer Satisfaction Questionnaires that other customers have filled out for the same time you were away, you may have filled one of these out yourself. These indicate that the cruise was performing above our expectations in areas such as the food, service and entertainment .:eek:

 

Well that just begs the question 'What are their expectations' doesn't it? Clearly not set as highly as ours! :rolleyes:

 

Notice they haven't said it's getting excellent or even good ratings. They must think we're daft if we can't see through their word play!

 

If you discount reviews from first time cruisers on here and read what many (but granted not all) long time regulars are saying there is a recurrent theme about the food and service having deteriorated. I've never seen so many 1* and 2* ratings for 'dining'.

(I'm not knocking first time cruisers by the way since their opinions about a cruise are as valid as the next. But they can't compare with previous trips as they haven't experienced standards of a year or two ago - and that's the point often being made by regulars.)

 

Saying it's meeting or exceeding their expectations just means they are setting the bar too low and worryingly they are happy with it! Oh dear, even more depressed and disillusioned with Thomson. I've had a love affair for 9 years with Thomson Cruises. I feel so sad! I feel for the crew too - the pressure they're under - staff cuts and 'selling' and I bet they hate the fact that they know they aren't delivering what they used to. It must upset them to see passengers unhappy and complaining about the wait for food etc. :(

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Well said Kruzseeka :) You've hit the nail on the head.

[100cruises]

Well that just begs the question 'What are their expectations' doesn't it? Clearly not set as highly as ours! :rolleyes:

 

Notice they haven't said it's getting excellent or even good ratings. They must think we're daft if we can't see through their word play!

 

If you discount reviews from first time cruisers on here and read what many (but granted not all) long time regulars are saying there is a recurrent theme about the food and service having deteriorated. I've never seen so many 1* and 2* ratings for 'dining'.

(I'm not knocking first time cruisers by the way since their opinions about a cruise are as valid as the next. But they can't compare with previous trips as they haven't experienced standards of a year or two ago - and that's the point often being made by regulars.)

 

Saying it's meeting or exceeding their expectations just means they are setting the bar too low and worryingly they are happy with it! Oh dear, even more depressed and disillusioned with Thomson. I've had a love affair for 9 years with Thomson Cruises. I feel so sad! I feel for the crew too - the pressure they're under - staff cuts and 'selling' and I bet they hate the fact that they know they aren't delivering what they used to. It must upset them to see passengers unhappy and complaining about the wait for food etc. :(

KRUZSEEKA

 

Very true. Thomson's expectations of there Cruises are now low and there fore meeting THERE EXPECTATIONS !:(

[geomagot]

heres the bit I dont understand?

 

cruise is thriving....ships are full....over recent years it has become a v much more popular way to holiday (yes they are attracting many many more 'new to cruise' clients)

 

cruise companies are v financially healthy at the moment (despite the worldwide squeeze on incomes)

 

so why have they decided to (suddenly) not deliver? at this time when there is so much competition between the lines?

 

clearly thoms have cut budgets....food/entertainment/crew levels, there are so many no frills add on extras designed to increase revenue but to not enhance the experience (most of these add ons were included in the fare a few years ago...seats in theatre/steak) and most of these add ons are available for free on other lines

 

there is still no loyalty scheme, no free safes, no free anything, kids prices have been put down from age 16 to 12.....lots of extras fees that make a big difference, they keep banging on about making your cruise special?....well I am of the mindset that a cruise should be special anyway

 

the ships are still old (albeit well maintained)

 

thomsosn pride themselves on their crew (and have good reason to do so)....tips are included (who gets those tips? They have never answered that one adequately?) v soon the crew contracts for dream will be up for renegotiation (its 5 years since they took the ship over) could they? would they? take up offers from new cheaper (low buget) contractors? and slash their budgets further...could we see a big change in personnel and service as a a result.......mark my works, if they can get these contracts cheaper from somewhere/someone else? then they will

 

like I say....but why...why are they doing this now?...surely it is not wise to pare down a product when it is thriving/flying off the shelves....they are in danger of falling into the trap of thinking that when business is good lets look for ways to cut costs and make even more money....they wont be the first company that has tried that and failed miserably (remember the coca cola tab/lymeswold cheese affairs)

[Little Nell]

The answer will be in the numbers of berths that they sell at full price and the number that they have to heavily discount.

 

This is only an impression but it would appear that there has been some very heavy and unprecedented discounting in the last 6 months.

[geomagot]

The answer will be in the numbers of berths that they sell at full price and the number that they have to heavily discount.

 

This is only an impression but it would appear that there has been some very heavy and unprecedented discounting in the last 6 months.

 

they have always done that nell...all lines do that....since time immemorial:(

 

my question is....why have thoms decided to water down what is a successful product now, now when demand is high?...other lines are reinvesting and increasing capacity...thomsons are cutting costs/reducing the quality of their existing (successful) product and not increasing capacity....its almost like they want it to go down the tubes?...do they think they have a captive audience? (they dont)...in fact, what are they thinking?:confused:

[Little Nell]

they have always done that nell...all lines do that....since time immemorial:(

 

 

my question is....why have thoms decided to water down what is a successful product now, now when demand is high?...other lines are reinvesting and increasing capacity...thomsons are cutting costs/reducing the quality of their existing (successful) product and not increasing capacity....its almost like they want it to go down the tubes?...do they think they have a captive audience? (they dont)...in fact, what are they thinking?:confused:

 

I accept what your are saying about the discounting, Geo, as I say it is a purely anecdotal feeling.

 

I can't work that out why they are instituting these changes at this time. They had a brilliant product and we overlooked the old ships for the sake of all the other pluses. That is no longer the case, but why they are doing it now is a mystery. I have asked myself the same question are they deliberately running the product down but it doesn't add up with the upgrades they are carrying out to the 4 ships.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Little Nell

[geomagot]

I cant figure it out at all….we had a nice time on ventura at Christmas (not fab-u-lous but nice enough) price was reasonable for what we got

 

I am definitely considering princess for this autumn and possibly fred too (kids mostly away at college now)

 

Other than the dream montego bay itinerary next winter (booked on release) I don’t have anything else booked up at present? Not even anything that I am seriously considering….it breaks my heart to find myself somewhat disappointed with my dream experience this year and I have some concerns for my existing booking on dream in jamaica this winter…..I just don’t feel so excited about that now?…..do I give a thoms another go in autumn? maj & celebration are definitely faring better than dream in reviews….maybe celebration in caribbean? maybe my disappointments are just a dream thing? And not a thoms thing?….I do seem to be finding myself constantly clicking on the princess website?:confused:

[Little Nell]

I cant figure it out at all….we had a nice time on ventura at Christmas (not fab-u-lous but nice enough) price was reasonable for what we got

 

I am definitely considering princess for this autumn and possibly fred too (kids mostly away at college now)

 

Other than the dream montego bay itinerary next winter (booked on release) I don’t have anything else booked up at present? Not even anything that I am seriously considering….it breaks my heart to find myself somewhat disappointed with my dream experience this year and I have some concerns for my existing booking on dream in jamaica this winter…..I just don’t feel so excited about that now?…..do I give a thoms another go in autumn? maj & celebration are definitely faring better than dream in reviews….maybe celebration in caribbean? maybe my disappointments are just a dream thing? And not a thoms thing?….I do seem to be finding myself constantly clicking on the princess website?:confused:

 

I feel torn too, Geo. We booked the Celebration in the Caribbean when we came back from the Dream because we loved the Caribbean so much and wanted to see the Eastern Caribbean. I wondered if what we had seen during the TA was specific to the TA. It now appears that the issues are as a result of business decisions and are systemic and despite Thomson's denials to that effect we can see the results. We will be keeping a close eye on Celebration reviews but tbh the itinerary alone will probably win over everything barring complete meltdown.

 

Our next cruise with Celebrity will determine where we go from here. Fred is a definite possibility for us due to very local ports and some lovely Northern itineraries and Princess is a possibility too.

 

Whatever our decision is it will be a late deal and we will take our chances but it is unlikely to be with Thomson.

[100cruises]

This is from the portfolio of Mr Peter Long CEO of TUI UK.

Read into it and come to a conclusion??? If you can!

 

“There was a period of fashion where customers used to like to talk with their friends and say, ‘Look, we’ve done this ourselves and it’s great. And we think we’ve saved some money’,” he says. “Now it’s, well, this is actually a lot of hassle.”

Besides, he adds, austerity has brought about a revival of package holidays, particularly all-inclusive deals. Scale makes the all-inclusive cheaper. Try putting together your own holiday, he says: “You will know. You go on to a website of any of the low-cost carriers on any peak dates now for summer, and the flight prices are ridiculous.”

More than half of Tui’s customers prefer all-inclusive deals. It is “here to stay”, says Mr Long. It is the “bedrock”. The company’s success earned him a pay package of more than £10m last year.

[geomagot]

yes..he's right...try putting your own holiday together these days and its never going to be financially viable (unless you go out of season to a country that has just suffered a major upheaval/political crisis)

 

I guess cruise is a similar package (particularly on thoms) included flights, full board, entertainment included, tips included....if you were to factor in all that travelling/full board/entertainment then yes a cruise is a good value holiday and that is possibly why it is becoming so much more popular....and thomsons (other lines too) keep it casual...no more tiaras and that exclusivity that cruise used to stand for...they have all shaken off that mantle now....its a holiday for all, couples, families, all ages all social groups, something for everyone

 

some will still want to do the all out luxury cruise thing and are willing to pay extra for that (but wouldnt those people choose silversea or something like?)...others will take the basics that are offered....there you have it, a product that will create maximum appeal to maximum clients....but do those that pay for extras subsidize those that dont? and is a basic (no frills) cruise good value when so many traditional cruise aspects are being stripped away from the product and cropping up as payable luxury extras....to my eyes that looks as if they are veering away from the ai/full holiday full board package format that they themselves are saying is the way to go?

[kruzseeka]

It really is so sad .............so many of us saying we're heartbroken at the state of affairs. We've invested so much into Thomson and just wanted it to carry on in the same way that we have come to love and enjoy.

 

We've always said that whilst ever we were satified with the 'Thomson product' we had no wish to look elsewhere. And for so many cruises and years that has held true. The last trip changed all that. Too many cuts, too penny-pinching and apparently no signs of an intention to remedy these issues inasmuch as they are denying they exist.

 

I can't tell you how much it's unsettled us - we know so many lovely people on board, have fabulous memories and met some wonderful friends into the bargain. We're 'people people' and have always felt Thomson provided that 'feel' which we could buy into - the crew and amosphere being a big part of that. We thought Thomson were on our wave length; service, entertainment and ambience and with comfortable ships (albeit older) and good food - it was our spiritual 'home' in terms of holiday choice.

 

We are looking elsewhere - we've booked an Iceland and Norway cruise on Celebrity for a similar price to that paid for 14 night Norway cruise on Thomson having already paid gratuities up-front. Ok we know we'll pay more for drinks compared with Thomson - but in the grand scheme of things that's not going to make a big difference to the overall cost of our cruise. And from the menus I have downloaded I'm expecting far more choice and quality in the evening meal. So not much in it. But what about the ship? No doubt better and with more facilities.

 

As others are saying - what are Thomson thinking? I cannot believe that they can't see that people aren't noticing. Do they take us for granted to the extent that they seriously don't think we'll defect to other cruise lines? Do they actually understand what cruise customers want? Do the people who call the shots ever think that short term gains (i.e. profits) brought about by cuts might not be sustainable? And as geo says what about a loyalty scheme? No hardware investment either!

 

They don't have the ships so what is your usp Thomson? It's so eroded now imo it really doesn't give you the edge any more. What a shame!

[BIGMANTAM]

I couldnt agree more cruiseseeka, I think youve hit the nail on the head. Thomsons acting like nothing has changed and taking past passenger loyalty for granted.

Enough is enough.:(

[willyboy1]

Thomson really should think twice about the silly rum runner trips.

The people drunk in the dining room were a disgrace and made a public show of themselves.

They should not of been allowed in with football shirts on and the two woman Joan and her mate couldn't stand up.

Why do they think people want to look at they .

We noticed one lady being carried back to her cabin maybe they need face lifts and go on a 18/30 hol next year I am sure it's more apt for them

 

 

 

[/font]

plus the cost of a medical repatriation from grenada

 

it sends shivers down my spine at how complacent we can sometimes be when on holiday and how common sense can sometimes go out the window...we dont always realize the danger we can put ourselves in

 

tbh...this person was on the rum runner (drinking) and was swimming at the beach they take you to when they got into difficulties and ingested some sea water and was later hospitalised for sea water in the lungs (rather than the effects of alcohol) wether the 'under the influence of alcohol' clause comes into play here? I dont know?

 

another person on grenada that day suffered a broken leg while water skiing (they had never been water skiing before, received no tuition nor even a safety briefing)

 

nevertheless i do hope that both make a speedy recovery

 

Th

[geomagot]

tbh we noticed, football shirts/shorts/crops/flip flops/vests in dining room

 

head waiter said that there isnt much they can do about it as people complain that they have paid the same as everyone else and as so cannot be denied the same facilities as everyone else

 

imho there are dress code rules yes they may have paid the same as everyone else but that doesnt entitle them to break the rules

 

bit like saying they have paid for their car so they are entitled to drive it without wearing a seat belt if they want

[BIGMANTAM]

Iam now booking with NCL. They are offering much more for less money. Also the price I have paid I am getting balcony cabin.:D

[cariad1000]

We have just been comparing two different last minute cruises, one with P&O and one on Majesty.(similar grade cabin) P&O were two thirds of the price of Thomson. Given the comfort and luxury of the more modern P&O ship, I would have expected this to be the other way around. I do hope Thomson have a rethink. Start by including safes; no hard selling( a few adverts at reception, or a couple of adverts for steak under the stars in the daily newsletter would be a compromise), and no extra charges for drinks on all inclusive, (if you have an all inclusive package, then all drinks should be included.). I know some time back there was a suggestion it was becoming like Ryan Air. We have enjoyed several Thomson cruises, however, there are lots of cruiselines now offering far more at a competitive price, with even more entertainment, more guest star, better desserts(!), plusher cabins, sparkling wine for sailaway included, safes included, normal theatre seats free (although you may pay for the boxes and the frills that come with that)

We have one more Thomson cruise booked and hope we will not be disappointed, otherwise it will be P&O, or Princess, or Cunard for us.

Sweby

 

 

You have to pay for theatre seats with Thomson?????