More Nails In The Coffin

[AldoD]

How many more nails are Thomson Cruise going to put in their own coffin?

The month of January has been a disaster and they seem to be looking the other way.:mad:

Loyalty is what they had but now there customers are finally seeing them for what they are ( Mr ££££££ ). More than a few have walked the plank by them selves. Such a shame the contempt they have with peoples hard earned money.

[FOD1984]

I agree. They won't be getting another penny out of me. They need to see the bigger picture. My personal experience has meant I'll boycott every single TUI product and not just the cruises. There's no shortage of other cruise lines, airlines, package holidays and hotels which will be happy to take my money.

[wales4ever]

What has been especially bad in January?

[Julessmiles]

What has been especially bad in January?

 

Try reading the Thomson Dream reviews on here - not sure about the other ships. Also, sadly lots of negative feedback coming through on the FB pages too although some people are sharing there are improvements now.....

 

There does seem to be a bit of a pattern to 'problems' however over the winter period in the Carribean.

 

I feel sorry for the staff - they are mostly just such lovely people & they try their utmost to keep everyone happy.

[nancyneptune]

Try reading the Thomson Dream reviews on here - not sure about the other ships. Also, sadly lots of negative feedback coming through on the FB pages too although some people are sharing there are improvements now.....

 

There does seem to be a bit of a pattern to 'problems' however over the winter period in the Carribean.

 

I feel sorry for the staff - they are mostly just such lovely people & they try their utmost to keep everyone happy.

 

I spent some time reading the reviews last night. Don't think we will be booking with Thomson again anytime soon.

The crew are Thomson's best asset, and we have made many friends over the years, but I have to say they left a lot do be desired when we were on the Dream last winter. They seemed to be on a go slow, and trying to make a point. No smiles never mind any good humoured banter like we have been used to in the past on other Thomson's ships.

[geezer466]

I spent some time reading the reviews last night. Don't think we will be booking with Thomson again anytime soon.

The crew are Thomson's best asset, and we have made many friends over the years, but I have to say they left a lot do be desired when we were on the Dream last winter. They seemed to be on a go slow, and trying to make a point. No smiles never mind any good humoured banter like we have been used to in the past on other Thomson's ships.

 

We did the fortnight Xmas one on Dream in 2013. (last winter) sat at the same table in the Orion and in more or less the same place in the medusa lounge of an evening.

 

Got to know the waiters quite well. They were always attentive, friendly and helpful. After a couple of days they knew what you liked and a nod to say another drink was usually sufficient.

 

Obviously when the lounge was busy just before or after the evening show there may be a little bit of a wait as they get round everyone but this is usual on all their ships.

 

I read thru the reviews last evening but still booked a fortnight on Dream departing MoBay next Month.

 

Everything is relative. Some people were disappointed as the Xmas cruise missed a couple of stops and understandably so. Maybe this has led to them seeing everything in a slight than negative light.

 

Reviews are subjective to the individual people are far more likely to leave a negative review if they are disappointed with something than if they had a good and enjoyable time.

 

We go to NY once a year and often stop at the Pennsylvania Hotel by Madison Square Garden. If you went by Tripadvisor you would never set foot within 10 miles of the place.

 

We find it perfectly reasonable for the price range it is marketed in.

Edited January 31, 2015 by geezer466

[okavango]

We did the fortnight Xmas one on Dream in 2013. (last winter) sat at the same table in the Orion and in more or less the same place in the medusa lounge of an evening.

 

Got to know the waiters quite well. They were always attentive, friendly and helpful. After a couple of days they knew what you liked and a nod to say another drink was usually sufficient.

 

Obviously when the lounge was busy just before or after the evening show there may be a little bit of a wait as they get round everyone but this is usual on all their ships.

 

I read thru the reviews last evening but still booked a fortnight on Dream departing MoBay next Month.

 

Everything is relative. Some people were disappointed as the Xmas cruise missed a couple of stops and understandably so. Maybe this has led to them seeing everything in a slight than negative light.

 

Reviews are subjective to the individual people are far more likely to leave a negative review if they are disappointed with something than if they had a good and enjoyable time.

 

We go to NY once a year and often stop at the Pennsylvania Hotel by Madison Square Garden. If you went by Tripadvisor you would never set foot within 10 miles of the place.

 

We find it perfectly reasonable for the price range it is marketed in.

 

A good sensible way of looking at things, would all the people who have left a bad review be bothered to leave a good review, i very much doubt it

[China doll52]

Yes at least one of them would. My husband posted a review and it was the only negative one he's written in the 9 cruises we've done on the dream. Sadly the reviews are mostly spot on. I agree that the lack of port stops due to bad weather made things worse but overall it was a very disappointing cruise.

It's hard to appreciate if you were not there as a lot of people have also said on the Dream forum facebook page.

We are certainly not moaners or wingers but we did pay an awful lot of money for a cruise that didn't deliver on so many levels and are entitled to our opinion and that is all it is. People should go with an open mind and hopefully will not experience what we did but we are supposed to be able to put our thoughts out there to help other would be passengers to decide which ship to try.

We have always loved the Dream but I think after this cruise it's time to move on.

[geomagot]

Yes at least one of them would. My husband posted a review and it was the only negative one he's written in the 9 cruises we've done on the dream. Sadly the reviews are mostly spot on. I agree that the lack of port stops due to bad weather made things worse but overall it was a very disappointing cruise.

It's hard to appreciate if you were not there as a lot of people have also said on the Dream forum facebook page.

We are certainly not moaners or wingers but we did pay an awful lot of money for a cruise that didn't deliver on so many levels and are entitled to our opinion and that is all it is. People should go with an open mind and hopefully will not experience what we did but we are supposed to be able to put our thoughts out there to help other would be passengers to decide which ship to try.

We have always loved the Dream but I think after this cruise it's time to move on.

 

thanks for posting a review would like to have a look at that...... would helpful if you could post a link to your review? or explain a little bit further on how it didnt deliver??

 

did you say that you had been on 9 thomsons cruises and have posted reviews on all of them?

[China doll52]

thanks for posting a review would like to have a look at that...... would helpful if you could post a link to your review? or explain a little bit further on how it didnt deliver??

 

did you say that you had been on 9 thomsons cruises and have posted reviews on all of them?

 

Hi. Yes I said 9 thomson dream cruises the last 3 being June 2014, September 2014 and December 2014 and apart from the last one have only posted positive reviews ( in fact my June review got me review of the month and a little gift ).

Our first week was mostly good, service could be a little slow but like others have said we have got to know a lot of the crew over the last few years and we usually get served without a problem. We didn't have any issues with the staff, as always they were first class although a lot thinner on the ground than they used to be. thomson cutbacks perhaps !

I think a lot of the complaints stem from no alternative ports being available when heavy seas made port calls impossible. We were told by several staff members that heavy seas are quite common in these areas and the San Blas stop particularly is a rarity( this from people who have been on previous cruises to this area). So this was an extra sea day.

We also missed our expected stop at Puerto Lemon, instead having to deal with an extra day in Colon. As mentioned in other reviews Colon was horrendous and very unsafe, when police tell you to turn around as outside the dock area isn't safe you don't argue.

Unfortunately there was also a large biker gathering inside the dock area and a fight as well. If you had already done the Panama trip there was nowhere else to go.

On the entertainment side of things, Heart and Soul finished their time on board at the end of our first week and there was no replacement for them. They sang in the Tides bar (formerly the Ocean bar). So instead they brought out the pianist from the Delo bar for a 7.30pm and an 00.15am spot and had three travelling singers going around the bar from time to time, unfortunately you could only hear them if you were nearby. The other replacement entertainment in the Delo bar was a violinist??? Very nice if you like that sort of thing but that was what the old Argo loung was for and they got rid of that!

The bars were exceedingly cold, far more than usual and passengers were having to leave them as they were too cold to stay in for long. We asked ( along with quite a few others ) for the temperature to be increased and it was slightly but went up and down constantly. Quite a lot of passengers , myself included developed a cruise cough ( which I still haven't got rid of) mostly down to the air conditioning.

There is also a lot more of the " hard sell" on wine packages and the various paying restaurants and while I accept that they have to do this, there are only so many times in a day that you can say no thanks with a smile. It really was a problem.

On our last day some passengers got texts from home saying our flight was delayed by 2 hours so off we go to check at reception where we were assured that our flight was definately on time and we would be leaning the ship as normal. It was shambolic when we got outside, there was no one to guide us, just locals telling us to get on to mini buses where they loaded our hand luggage through the window. There was no rep at the airport - just a man pointing us to the desks. When we got though check in we found that there was a 2 hour delay and we were stuck at the airport for hours. They could have let us stay on the ship in relative comfort but it seemed like they had no interest in us now our holiday had finished. All in all a less than satisfactory time on board.

[jaztecc]

having never been on a cruise in our life's and to tell you the truth never really fancied it! we went on this as a family celebration(Thomson dream)+(Cuban fusion)I must say it was brilliant!! we were welcomed aboard and treated with kindness throughout the meals were great and the drinks plentiful as for the ship and people saying its old and dated well its privilege to be on a ship with character and a beauty that your gran shows with age, and the staff are amazing one and all,,, only saying as a 1st timer

[nancyneptune]

having never been on a cruise in our life's and to tell you the truth never really fancied it! we went on this as a family celebration(Thomson dream)+(Cuban fusion)I must say it was brilliant!! we were welcomed aboard and treated with kindness throughout the meals were great and the drinks plentiful as for the ship and people saying its old and dated well its privilege to be on a ship with character and a beauty that your gran shows with age, and the staff are amazing one and all,,, only saying as a 1st timer

 

Glad you enjoyed your first cruise Jaztecc and hope you have many more to look forward to in the future.

If it's a first cruise you will love the new experience but for those of us who have cruised with Thomson for several years we are aware of the cutbacks and the drop in standards.

How many regular cruisers remember there first Thomson cruise?

 

I remember as we stepped aboard the ship we were greeted by the heads of department lined up to welcome the passengers on board. I remember the great show team and the excellent professional CDs, the hard working, always pleasant crew. The wonderful Buffet Magnifique which ran the full length of the MDR. The Chocolate Lovers buffet evening.The formal evening with complimentary drinks regularly topped up and lovely canapes handed round several times. In the MDR, helium balloons on every table and appetising food followed by tea and coffee. A huge basket of after dinner mints placed on a table on the way out of the restaurant. Lovely towel art in the cabin every evening.

Our most recent experience couldn't have been more different.

There wasn't even anyone there to show us to our cabin on arrival. No Buffet Magnifique. No canapes or drinks top ups on formal evening, which wasn't really much different from any other evening. Captains speech was over in minutes and very few heads of department on stage. Shows weren't the usual standard and service was very slow in all areas and the meal very disappointing. No towel art, but we were constantly pestered to buy the book. Lots of hard sell.

Everyone's experience and expectations are different. I am merely pointing out the changes and the drop in standards that have taken place over the years as I see it.

[Huddersfieldtourist]

Glad you enjoyed your first cruise Jaztecc and hope you have many more to look forward to in the future.

If it's a first cruise you will love the new experience but for those of us who have cruised with Thomson for several years we are aware of the cutbacks and the drop in standards.

How many regular cruisers remember there first Thomson cruise?

 

I remember as we stepped aboard the ship we were greeted by the heads of department lined up to welcome the passengers on board. I remember the great show team and the excellent professional CDs, the hard working, always pleasant crew. The wonderful Buffet Magnifique which ran the full length of the MDR. The Chocolate Lovers buffet evening.The formal evening with complimentary drinks regularly topped up and lovely canapes handed round several times. In the MDR, helium balloons on every table and appetising food followed by tea and coffee. A huge basket of after dinner mints placed on a table on the way out of the restaurant. Lovely towel art in the cabin every evening.

Our most recent experience couldn't have been more different.

There wasn't even anyone there to show us to our cabin on arrival. No Buffet Magnifique. No canapes or drinks top ups on formal evening, which wasn't really much different from any other evening. Captains speech was over in minutes and very few heads of department on stage. Shows weren't the usual standard and service was very slow in all areas and the meal very disappointing. No towel art, but we were constantly pestered to buy the book. Lots of hard sell.

Everyone's experience and expectations are different. I am merely pointing out the changes and the drop in standards that have taken place over the years as I see it.

There has been a drop in standards in many ways - most notably but not exclusively that of some passengers which sadly is not being challenged on board. Passengers in Sirens without any footwear etc being just one of many examples.However I agree that the formal night has fallen away a little and needs revitalising. The hard sell of the towel book and Crew show DVD is increasing year on year. You can add to this the on deck selling of lottery tickets.The Buffet Magnfique was stopped due to poor attendance however having it at midnight also does not help to get a good attendance. I recall a cruise on the Celebration where it was held at midnight on the night before an early morning ( 6am) departure for the popular all day excursion trip to Luxor.

 

I could make them alot of money without the hard sell and simply better organisation and planning alone !

Edited February 1, 2015 by Huddersfieldtourist

[FOD1984]

The crew show DVD is a joke. We bought it. After a few cocktails it seemed like such a good idea! Got it home and it was NOT our cruise despite it being implied that it was at the point of sale. It was Shepp the CD that was on our cruise but it was so old he even refers to buying he DVD for just £6.99. When we bought it the DVD cost £10! It looks like it was shot with some scabby camcorder from the mid 90s. Saw us coming!

 

Also for the lottery nobody has EVER won the jackpot and a regular cruiser told us the most that's ever been won is a couple of hundred pounds.

[okavango]

The crew show DVD is a joke. We bought it. After a few cocktails it seemed like such a good idea! Got it home and it was NOT our cruise despite it being implied that it was at the point of sale. It was Shepp the CD that was on our cruise but it was so old he even refers to buying he DVD for just £6.99. When we bought it the DVD cost £10! It looks like it was shot with some scabby camcorder from the mid 90s. Saw us coming!

 

Also for the lottery nobody has EVER won the jackpot and a regular cruiser told us the most that's ever been won is a couple of hundred pounds.

 

i would not recommend anyone to buy the crew show dvd if you are buying it because you think you are helping the crew welfare fund, carefully worded that a portion of the price goes there, how much ?????? the answer would probably be embarrassing for the CD.

better for you to give the cost of the dvd as a direct contribution to the fund.

a bit same as the auction i remember for the navigation chart of the cruise,same spiel, a portion to the fund (aye,anything it made above £80)

as for the lottery tickets,would anyone buy them at home considering the odds and money on offer. the sooner people stop buying them the sooner they will stop pestering us.

[davecttr]

Also for the lottery nobody has EVER won the jackpot and a regular cruiser told us the most that's ever been won is a couple of hundred pounds.

 

It is not surprising as you have to match 6 numbers spun on the roulette wheel.

 

spin 1 - you have a 1:6 chance of surviving to next spin

spin 2 - you have a 1:7 chance of surviving to next spin

spin 3 - you have a 2:17 chance of surviving to next spin

spin 4 - you have a 1:11 chance of surviving to the next spin

spin 5 - you have a 1:16 chance of surviving to the final spin

final spin - you have a 1:31 chance of winning the jackpot.

 

Now my calculations are probably wrong but the above means your chance of winning the jackpot is

1:1,947,792

 

what a scam!

 

if they sold a thousand tickets per week on their 4 ships the jackpot would be won on average every 9 years!

[FOD1984]

Yup every day the tickets were being sold. Judging by the amount of people in the casino on last night there were quite a lot bought!

[Julessmiles]

And the Dream also missed the stop in San Blas again this week.

 

Have to agree with Nancy Neptune. Standards have changed a lot on the Thomson ships since we have been sailing with them, as has the standard of passengers (sorry but it's true!) and we get fed up with the 'sell, sell, sell' too now.

[Little Nell]

And the Dream also missed the stop in San Blas again this week.

 

Have to agree with Nancy Neptune. Standards have changed a lot on the Thomson ships since we have been sailing with them, as has the standard of passengers (sorry but it's true!) and we get fed up with the 'sell, sell, sell' too now.

 

Can't argue with that.

[geomagot]

Hi. Yes I said 9 thomson dream cruises the last 3 being June 2014, September 2014 and December 2014 and apart from the last one have only posted positive reviews ( in fact my June review got me review of the month and a little gift ).

 

Yay! Well done, I didn’t know they did that on here…great! I do like to read the reviews but (imo) they do only represent a small handful of people when you compare it too the thousands that go on thoms every week

 

Our first week was mostly good, service could be a little slow but like others have said we have got to know a lot of the crew over the last few years and we usually get served without a problem. We didn't have any issues with the staff, as always they were first class although a lot thinner on the ground than they used to be. thomson cutbacks perhaps ! .

 

Yep…I agree the staff did seem to have too much to do? I especially felt for the (hapless) two guys who had drawn the short straw and were required to work in the bar in the new sunlounge/tomato/sauna house!.... the bar is not very well stocked, no blender/little ice and so cant serve any cocktails? just beer and soft drinks, those guys have to lug all the stock (inc the beer barrels) up the spiral steps, thru the sunlounger maze and over the superheated new plastic floor! and run off down the stairs everytime someone ordered a cocktail....Little wonder they weren’t smiling much huh?;)

 

I think a lot of the complaints stem from no alternative ports being available when heavy seas made port calls impossible. We were told by several staff members that heavy seas are quite common in these areas and the San Blas stop particularly is a rarity( this from people who have been on previous cruises to this area). So this was an extra sea day.

We also missed our expected stop at Puerto Lemon, instead having to deal with an extra day in Colon. As mentioned in other reviews Colon was horrendous and very unsafe, when police tell you to turn around as outside the dock area isn't safe you don't argue.

 

Yeah, we missed too stops too (playa del Carmen & costa maya) the two stops we were especially looking forward too as we hadn’t been to either before (we had been to all the other ports) disappointing yes … but that was down to weather:(

 

Unfortunately there was also a large biker gathering inside the dock area and a fight as well. If you had already done the Panama trip there was nowhere else to go.

 

Large biker gathering! Yay!:cool: (was that what I think it is? ….gangs on Harleys??):cool:

 

On the entertainment side of things, Heart and Soul finished their time on board at the end of our first week and there was no replacement for them. They sang in the Tides bar (formerly the Ocean bar). So instead they brought out the pianist from the Delo bar for a 7.30pm and an 00.15am spot and had three travelling singers going around the bar from time to time, unfortunately you could only hear them if you were nearby. The other replacement entertainment in the Delo bar was a violinist??? Very nice if you like that sort of thing but that was what the old Argo loung was for and they got rid of that!

 

Yep…we were not really into the violinist either but some enjoyed it I guess? (if only he could have cracked a smile) :p I agree the entertainment could have been better but there were things to like, we liked the live lounge on deck 10 evenings and grumbleweed sang in delo one night (he’s a v good singer actually)

 

The bars were exceedingly cold, far more than usual and passengers were having to leave them as they were too cold to stay in for long. We asked ( along with quite a few others ) for the temperature to be increased and it was slightly but went up and down constantly. Quite a lot of passengers , myself included developed a cruise cough ( which I still haven't got rid of) mostly down to the air conditioning.

 

Agreed the a/c was whacked up a bit…we also noticed a few with cruise cough too, but I have noticed that in previous winters (our mil went down with it one year) also noticed it on ventura last winter

 

There is also a lot more of the " hard sell" on wine packages and the various paying restaurants and while I accept that they have to do this, there are only so many times in a day that you can say no thanks with a smile. It really was a problem.

 

Agree on this also…there does seem to be some (target driven) salesmanship? going on? :confused: they are all great waiters and bar stewards but not especially good salesmen ;-) …must say I hadn’t noticed any of that on our previous cruises with thoms?

 

On our last day some passengers got texts from home saying our flight was delayed by 2 hours so off we go to check at reception where we were assured that our flight was definately on time and we would be leaning the ship as normal. It was shambolic when we got outside, there was no one to guide us, just locals telling us to get on to mini buses where they loaded our hand luggage through the window. There was no rep at the airport - just a man pointing us to the desks. When we got though check in we found that there was a 2 hour delay and we were stuck at the airport for hours. They could have let us stay on the ship in relative comfort but it seemed like they had no interest in us now our holiday had finished.

 

Tbh …this shambles is probably down to mobay airport!, (I have decided that mobay airport is probably the worst airport in the world... even tops sharm!! and that aint easy!!) local officials take over once you have disembarked the gangway and basically its organized chaos from then on (yeah man - no problem) its highly likely that mobay airport failed to inform thoms of aircraft delays? this was certainly the case for us when we arrived at departures to be told that our aircraft wasnt delayed they had just changed the time?!

 

All in all a less than satisfactory time on board.

 

yep …we too were a little disappointed with some aspects of our cruise…. But there was still lots to like, I wouldn’t say that we have been put off cruising with thomsons, but ….we are not very enamoured with next Christmas & n/y's offering (4 sea days an overnight in Havana and mobay? And only 5 other ports of call over the fortnight! (it only takes another missed port to really put the eyewash on that cruise!) so we are not likely to take the risk and probably wont be booking thomsons for that reason (although most other lines out in caribbean winter season also have 2 sea days per week)

 

thanks for taking the time to let us know your thoughts (thumbup)

[gillhalfpint]

And the Dream also missed the stop in San Blas again this week.

 

Have to agree with Nancy Neptune. Standards have changed a lot on the Thomson ships since we have been sailing with them, as has the standard of passengers (sorry but it's true!) and we get fed up with the 'sell, sell, sell' too now.

 

The bad example of standard of passenger last week on the Dream was a chap getting out of lido pool, putting a vest on, and going into the buffet bare footed and with water still running everywhere from his soggy shorts to get his hot drink.

[Julessmiles]

The bad example of standard of passenger last week on the Dream was a chap getting out of lido pool, putting a vest on, and going into the buffet bare footed and with water still running everywhere from his soggy shorts to get his hot drink.

 

That sort of behaviour was happening a lot in the summer when we were on.....

[Iain1873]

A good sensible way of looking at things, would all the people who have left a bad review be bothered to leave a good review, i very much doubt it

#

 

totally untrue , most of my reviews on TA are positive and indeed if i feel a place deserves it i am more likely to leave a review than i would if it was a bad experience - Pride of Panama cruise was a bad experience and given the prices Thomson charge for their cruises it's unlikely i would use them again , there entertainment had dropped markedly since my previous cruises with them so that doesn't win me over anymore and the staff on this particular cruise while nice , they were no nicer than staff on other cruise lines that i've experienced (and not a patch on the staff that i experienced on the Destiny) , so again thats another previously winning reason gone ....... they have lost their edge and are charging premium prices for very average cruises

[AldoD]

Iain1873

It is the truth that January and before were appalling to the standards we were once use to with Thomson Cruises.

I have written many raving reviews on Thomson's who we use to love (Fantastic).

There friendliness, food that was served, AI and over all the staff who use to enjoy serving and chatting to you. It was all part and parcel of what we expected and loved.

It is now not to mock those who rubbish what as been delivered to them now.:mad: