My review of Thomson Dream July 2015

[Andy W]

My wife and myself were on The Dream July 18th for the Treasures of the Med Cruise cabin 1018, I have only been with Thomson previously and this was my first trip on The Dream, I booked about 5 weeks before going after watching the prices rise and fall, by the time we went the price had risen by £300, some people who booked early paid a hell of a lot more than us ;)

 

I had a few gripes and dislikes but nothing to spoil my holiday.

 

I have seen a lot of things change over the years, like anyone else Thomson are cost cutting and doing the hard sell bit, one thing I hated was one particular night the waiter at our table of 5 presented us with the menu and told us to pick a starter and sweet from the menu and the main from the "other menu" which he presented to us, the other menu was the upgrade to a steak for an extra £10 each! I argued with him about it and he did take an instant dislike to me as I told him he was been devious and deceitful, even my wife said he had it in for me lol! I complained on board about this and was told that the staff are giving incentives to push sales, the incentives are not cash but days off apparently. The staff constantly tried to get you to upgrade to a steak, dine in a speciality restaurant, have black and white photos taken or trying to sell you the most expensive treatment in the health spa when you are enquiring about there own basic as advertised special offer.

 

We went on a trip to Pompei which was very disappointing, it should of been advertised / described as a whistle stop quick tour of a few ruins, I have been to Pompei before and booked this cruise for the Pompei trip as my wife has never been, we didn't actually see much and there is a lot more to see including intact buildings, a brothel, wall frescos, gardens .... over dinner someone else said they had gone making their own way and saw it all, if I would of known before hand then I certainly wouldn't of bothered.

 

We went on a trip to Italy by coach for lazy people (saw most of the sights from the comfort of your seat) the guide was knowledgeable but quite rude and stern to some of the passengers, she did say the coach would not wait for you and if you were late it would cost you 250 euros for a taxi back, she nearly left one couple behind, another coach did actually leave a couple behind!

 

Bar waiting staff didn't seem to know all the all inclusive drinks available, we were refused one in one bar and served in another.

 

The coffee lounge is not part of the all inclusive package, we didn't know and they did not tell us.

 

The food was excellent as usual but this time no food available after 1.00 am, I have always had a bit of supper previously before retiring to bed, we couldn't even get a coffee after 1.15 and told to call room service.

 

The Phillipino staff are still fantastic and will do anything for you, some of the other international staff could be quite miserable, one guy in the casino when paying me out my winnings literally slammed it down on the counter.

 

I enjoyed the cruise overall, food was great, trips were not good value for money in my opinion, some staff were better than others, the cruise itself wasn't bad value for money compared to what some people paid and I would go on The Dream again but not bother with all inclusive drinks package and organise my own trips.

 

My favourite trip was Corsica, an open top bus from outside the port gates, 8 euros each, great value for money :D

[csmjfmbe]

We were not on the same cruise as you, but we were on the Dream 4 weeks ago.

At no point did we have any hard sell, and as you say, the staff are brilliant.

Mike and Janice

[nancyneptune]

We experienced the hard sell when we were on the Dream in the Caribbean 2013. The food was terrible on that cruise. Lots of complaints from passengers at that time. You had to pay to get a decent meal. Same for coffee or ice creams. Service was very slow as so many of the waiters were involved in selling packages.

[blossom52]

Supper after 1 am? Nearly time for breakfast...............