My 27 night review

[lovecruise22]

Wow well what an amazing holiday!

 

Firstly the ship - we have been on dream before so knew what to expect. Food was fine, some nights better than others. We used the grill twice and this is well worth the cover charge it was amazing!! Staff were fantastic as always, special mention to Rommel the wine waiter, Dennis in Orion and Michael and beni in the bars! Top guys!!

 

Cabin - we had 5092 which is an inside midship, this was lovely and quiet. No lift noise or engine noise. Lots of space and storage, bathroom was perfectly adequate. We did have some slight issues with the toilet but from what reception told me there was a pluming issue on deck 5. But they sorted it quickly. Always kept very clean by Yudha the cabin steward! They do work hard bless!

 

Entertainment - this is where I feel thomson have really fell down. The entertainment was very poor. The show team couldn't sing and were all out of sync with each other on the dances. They also seemed very up themselves walking around the ship. The entertainment in medusa was ok but it is the same game shows that they did 2 years ago on there. We had 3 guest comedians, the first I wouldn't even describe as a comedian, he said nothing remotely funny, can't remember his name sorry. Andre was the 2 nd one - he did more magic than comedy but was very good. The 3rd was fogwell flack and he was dreadful as well, very old jokes! Considering thomson have always been rated high on entertainment, I feel it was more xfactor than west end. Very disappointment in this area.

 

Ports of call-

 

Carribean:

 

St Maarten - we did a tour here with Bernard yours - one word amazing! We went to the French and Dutch side of the island, a beautiful bakery in Margot, stopped at a beach for 2 hours, then ended the day at maho beach in time to see an air France plane come in. I felt the jet force from one if the taking off planes as well - never again the sand stings! Unlimited drinks all day. Would highly recommend them

 

Tobago - we did a taxi tour here and this was fantastic, took us around the forts, then went yo pidgin point for the bucco reef where he arranged to collect us 3 hours later, we did a boat tour out to the reef, where you can snorkel off the boat. Saw some fantastic fish. This us one of. My favourite islands!

 

St kitts - we stopped here twice, having been here before kinda knew what to expect. We did the train with thomson on the first week, was very disappointed with this. Thought it was a lot of money for what it was. 2 nd week we just went to beach, st kits isn't one of my favourite islands.

 

St lucia - we again went here twice, first we just got a taxi to beach then 2 nd week I had organised a your with spencer Ambrose. We did the jalouise beach break. I can not recommend them enough, we were the only 2 people off the host but they met us and then we went along to collect from a hotel. Again unlimited drinks all day plus lunch with the captain brought to the beach for us. They really looked after us that day!

 

Antigua - we did a taxi tour and then went yo Nelson's dockyard, this is a lovely place.

 

Tortola - BVI - here we find the tour with thomson to Virgin Garda. We went to the baths - these are fantastic, again beautiful snorkling to be had. The guys were great on the boat and had a lovely day.

 

St Vincent - went to beach here at youngs island.

 

Barbados - we went to the boatyard after recommendations off people on here. What a beautiful beach. The sand is white and sea is so clear!

 

Bermuda - we had an overnight stop here and docked at dockyard. I really liked this place, we went to the snorkel beach first and then went for some drinks in the frog and onion pub. It's a lovely place to walk around. Next day we went in the museum and fort.

 

Azores -

 

Horta - we walked across the front and saw all the murals on the walls from previous boats, then went to peters cafe. Dream was the first cruise liner into the dock since they dragged the harbour.

Ponta del guarda- again we just did our own thing around town and went for a wander.

 

I have to be honest they weren't as beautiful as I expected but then this was just after the Carribean....

 

Gibraltor- we did a taxi tour here up the rock, saw st michaels cave, the apes and the tunnels. We then got dropped off in town and wandered down the the harbour. We decided to do a dolphin watch and this was amazing. Saw loads of them and they come fight up to the boat.

 

Cartegena- this was a bank holiday do not much open. We just wandered about the town

 

Valencia - we did the HOHO bus here, this was a good way yo see the city in a short time.

 

Overall we had a fantastic time and cannot wait yo book another one!

 

If I think of anything else I'll update.

[Julessmiles]

Thank you for this review; good to read. Shame about the entertainment team - this is by no means the first time I have read this - let's hope they get rid of them & put another team on for the summer.

 

Must be strange to be home after so long away!

[Little Nell]

Thanks so much for your excellent review.

 

I really enjoyed reading that and have picked up a few tips for our cruise next year. I especially enjoyed reading about the ports of call as we should have been on this cruise but had to cancel.

 

I am sorry to see the entertainment hasn't improved any since we were on in December and this is normally such a reliable part of a Thomson cruise.

[mtt]

Thank you for this review; good to read. Shame about the entertainment team - this is by no means the first time I have read this - let's hope they get rid of them & put another team on for the summer.

 

Must be strange to be home after so long away!

 

i think someone said on fb the new team go on in june

[kruzseeka]

Glad you enjoyed yourself. As ever the ports of call appear to be a real highlight. I can identify with some of the points you make about the ship - sadly similar thoughts to those we had and reported in December.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Great review lovecruise. We also thought the entertainment was not as good as usual when we were on this time last year :(

 

Some good tips about ports of call if I get to go to the Caribbean again :rolleyes: So many new places to see, so little time. lol :D

[Jakanne1]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this excellent review and so shortly after your return. :). And welcome back!

 

I agree with you about the show team. They were the weakest singers I have seen on Thomson cruises but they did put a lot of energy into their performances. Hopefully the summer show team will be better as Brandi and Max who were on the Majesty last summer will be part of the Showteam. They, along with Rob, were the singers who sang live leaving Venice and were fantastic.

 

Hopefully, I will return to the Caribbean one day and be able to use your tips and comments about the Ports of Call and the tours you did.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Jakanne1

[jennand]

Does anyone know what the entertainment team on the Spirit are like? We sail in 2 days and have told our friends that Thomson entertainment is exceptional. They usually do Princess cruises and say that although the entertainment is good, it doesn't tempt them to go & see every night. I do hope the Spirit team doesn't let us down.

[Huddersfieldtourist]

i think someone said on fb the new team go on in june

 

 

21st June is the changeover date for the showteam and entertainment hosts too

[kruzseeka]

21st June is the changeover date for the showteam and entertainment hosts too

 

Hello HT - hope you and Mrs HT had a great time. :) Seems as though the itinerary was a big hit. (Still wish we'd been able to join you all! :() The entertainment is getting some criticism - that sounds as though it's a team issue and could well be remedied shortly on changeover but how did you find everything overall? You've done a lot of cruises over the years so I'd be interested in how you rated the food in the mdr in comparison to the outward TA and from a couple of years ago. (Just general impressions - I am so hoping the slide we detected in Dec has been reversed.)

[Jakanne1]

Does anyone know what the entertainment team on the Spirit are like? We sail in 2 days and have told our friends that Thomson entertainment is exceptional. They usually do Princess cruises and say that although the entertainment is good, it doesn't tempt them to go & see every night. I do hope the Spirit team doesn't let us down.

 

I was on Spirit at Easter just after the new team arrived. They were much better, IMO, than the current Dream Showteam. One of the dancers, Margot, has been on Majesty at least twice and is an excellent dancer. They seemed to go down well with everyone. The Show lounge was always packed and usually had people standing at the back.

 

I suppose it depends what you like, but I did find the choice of songs (not the Showteam's fault) on the week we were on, not always to my taste.

That week's shows were:

Blast of Broadway (musicals)

Dance, Dance, Dance

Fairground Attraction. (50's)

Comedian and Party on the Deck at 11.15

By Special Arrangememt. Concert style

West End Wonders (musicals, inc. Mary Poppins and Les Mis which got a standing ovation)

Music that made the Movies (songs and dance from films)

[Huddersfieldtourist]

Hello HT - hope you and Mrs HT had a great time. :) Seems as though the itinerary was a big hit. (Still wish we'd been able to join you all! :() The entertainment is getting some criticism - that sounds as though it's a team issue and could well be remedied shortly on changeover but how did you find everything overall? You've done a lot of cruises over the years so I'd be interested in how you rated the food in the mdr in comparison to the outward TA and from a couple of years ago. (Just general impressions - I am so hoping the slide we detected in Dec has been reversed.)

 

We enjoyed it but was let down by the middle week weather and both of us got varying degrees of chest/throat infections and headaches and there was alot of spluttering and coughing on the shiip. That is the first time I have ever been poorly on a cruise and I have done plenty of them.

 

Overall it was similar to the last time - Desserts improvement in the Lido but everywhere else the food was of the same standard.

 

I have put some comments on another thread also.

 

Will we go again - yes - nothing has put us off but I do suspect there will be changes as Tui appear to be marketing alot of brands as available to all so the link regarding Sunwing is not at all surprising.

[kruzseeka]

Thanks for your reply. Yes it does seem as though there are changes afoot. The danger for us is that what we have known and loved for so long may change more than we would want - although who knows it may bring some benefits too. But a wider marketing policy could militate against price drops for the UK market. Something to think about!

 

They have tried this before as we once did a Canaries cruise on Celebration and there were about 500 Russians on board so they clearly were advertising to that market. Announcements were in both languages - didn't help on the trips though when they couldn't seem to get the hang of the time you were meant to return to the coach!!!! I have no problem with a mix of nationalities but there was no doubt it changed the atmosphere on board. I wonder why they didn't continue with that as we haven't come across this since.

[Julessmiles]

I don't know if it is the same entertainment team in the Dream as Winter 2012/13 but I do know there were real issues then too so let's hope the summer team are better!

[Little Nell]

We enjoyed it but was let down by the middle week weather and both of us got varying degrees of chest/throat infections and headaches and there was alot of spluttering and coughing on the shiip. That is the first time I have ever been poorly on a cruise and I have done plenty of them.

 

Overall it was similar to the last time - Desserts improvement in the Lido but everywhere else the food was of the same standard.

 

I have put some comments on another thread also.

 

Will we go again - yes - nothing has put us off but I do suspect there will be changes as Tui appear to be marketing alot of brands as available to all so the link regarding Sunwing is not at all surprising.

 

Welcome back HT and Mrs HT. I am sorry to hear you were poorly during your cruise but glad you enjoyed the trip overall.

[joeholiday2]

Welcome back all that have just returned and thanks for the reviews.

 

The new showteam I expect will be excellent, Brandi is always saying on her FB page how talented they all are and how hard they are working to perfect the shows.

 

I know what you mean about the choice of shows Jackie. Our first week was better than the second, the West End Wonders show is excellent, ours got a standing ovation too.

[jennand]

I was on Spirit at Easter just after the new team arrived. They were much better, IMO, than the current Dream Showteam. One of the dancers, Margot, has been on Majesty at least twice and is an excellent dancer. They seemed to go down well with everyone. The Show lounge was always packed and usually had people standing at the back.

 

I suppose it depends what you like, but I did find the choice of songs (not the Showteam's fault) on the week we were on, not always to my taste.

That week's shows were:

Blast of Broadway (musicals)

Dance, Dance, Dance

Fairground Attraction. (50's)

Comedian and Party on the Deck at 11.15

By Special Arrangememt. Concert style

West End Wonders (musicals, inc. Mary Poppins and Les Mis which got a standing ovation)

Music that made the Movies (songs and dance from films)

 

Well that sounds like a good itinerary Jakanne. I'm sure we've seen Margot on one of the other ships too, but I daresay there may be more than one Margot.

I'll post back with my opinion on my return.

[Huddersfieldtourist]

Welcome back HT and Mrs HT. I am sorry to hear you were poorly during your cruise but glad you enjoyed the trip overall.

 

 

Thanks - many were ill to various extents from a minor cough to more serious chest infections etc. Medical Centre made a fortune !!

 

We had a good time and as reported elsewhere there were some small improvements to the food in the Lido but elsewhere was of a similar standard.

 

And so to the next one - probably the crossing in December but we will have to see !!

[Little Nell]

Thanks - many were ill to various extents from a minor cough to more serious chest infections etc. Medical Centre made a fortune !!

 

We had a good time and as reported elsewhere there were some small improvements to the food in the Lido but elsewhere was of a similar standard.

 

And so to the next one - probably the crossing in December but we will have to see !!

 

We are settling for btb on the Celebration from Barbados next February as it is such a good itinerary and the only island we've been to before is Tortola. Thomson certainly do brilliant itineraries. I wouldn't rule out a TA later in 2015 as we enjoyed the last one so much :) We were so lucky on that one as there were no large outbreaks of illness, although there were some pretty serious incidents for one or two people.

 

Next cruise for us is with Celebrity to the Fjords in August.

[Little Nell]

Thanks for your reply. Yes it does seem as though there are changes afoot. The danger for us is that what we have known and loved for so long may change more than we would want - although who knows it may bring some benefits too. But a wider marketing policy could militate against price drops for the UK market. Something to think about!

 

They have tried this before as we once did a Canaries cruise on Celebration and there were about 500 Russians on board so they clearly were advertising to that market. Announcements were in both languages - didn't help on the trips though when they couldn't seem to get the hang of the time you were meant to return to the coach!!!! I have no problem with a mix of nationalities but there was no doubt it changed the atmosphere on board. I wonder why they didn't continue with that as we haven't come across this since.

 

I remember the Russians. Conversation at dinner was by sign language :eek:

[wiganwarrior]

i think someone said on fb the new team go on in june

 

if i'm right in thinking Brandi & Max that were on Majesty last year are joining dream soon , i have been following them on fb and they are or have been in yorkshire doing routines.

Paul

[Jakanne1]

if i'm right in thinking Brandi & Max that were on Majesty last year are joining dream soon , i have been following them on fb and they are or have been in yorkshire doing routines.

Paul

 

They definitely are on Dream this summer. They told me last September on Majesty that they had got the contract already. :)

[Jakanne1]

if i'm right in thinking Brandi & Max that were on Majesty last year are joining dream soon , i have been following them on fb and they are or have been in yorkshire doing routines.

Paul

 

They definitely are on Dream this summer. They told me last September on Majesty that they had got the contract already. :)