this was our first and last cruise with thomson.
there was no waiter sevice for breakfast and when there was they couldn't get it right,it was cold.
the captains night was a farce people were lined up ten deep we finished our meal at 10.45.the draft machines weren't working for 2days waited 45min.for a drink.we were told "thomson only took this ship over in january "all very well but we booked this holiday last july? we had destinations changed and little time ashore
this was our third holiday this year with thomson and was to be our special one for my wifes 62nd birthday and it turned out to be our worst .we will seriously have to consider changing our travel agent.

We went on the 12th May. On arrival our cases were delivered within 20 minutes bearing in mind we were one of the first am on. This is our second cruise, having cruised with Carnival Cruises. Yes the Destiny is not up to the standard of the Carnival but nevertheless the cleansiness was excellent except for the toilet on deck 5 adjacent to the CanCan Lounge mostly in the females did get blocked in the evenings. Ships food - 10 out of 10 and on par with Carnival if not better. The waiters we tried to bring our waiter in our suitcase home. He wouldn't fit. They were 100% committed to making sure you were happy. Even down to our friend Sully asking for brown sauce on his breakfast. The waiter even poured it for him. We drank mostly in the CanCan Bar and the waiters get to know you, know your drink and again can't do enough for you. Excellent. A few days into our cruise we did hear that there was a mutiny within the staff the week before. The cruise Entertainment Director was unexpectedly in his words was on board. The questions and answers that were put to him he answered to a satisfactory conclusion and believe us the entertainment in the evening was as good as you would see in any London theatre (A thousand times better than Carnival). The comedian filled the CanCan Lounge and could have filled it twice and what a top artist he was without the use of any bad language. Top all round entertainer.

Yes we would sail on this ship again although we would like to do a different itinery and our friends (first time cruisers) loved it. Especially Lyndon his bestest friend his all inclusive card.

Itinery - Monte Carlo and Monaco - well worth doing.
Do the train around the Grand Prix circuit and town. Something we didn't do but regret Jacq Coustow Museum (spelling not right).
Pisa - We did not do with the tour but found it better doing it on our own. Take the bus to town off the ship then bus to the train station and one stop on the train to Pisa. By doing this you have the advantage of being able to go up the tower. If you do the tour you have not got enough time. So make sure soon as you arrive at Pisa book your entrance but you are allocated a time - check.
Rome - excellent - be prepared to queue. You need to do the tour. We done St. Peters and the Vatican tour.
We didn't do any of the other tours but found that there was not a lot to do in Corsica and Menorca if you didn't.
Our name is Thomas not Thomson but belive us they have got it rights now.
Well done Thomsons. Try and make sure you take the All Inclusive option - it is well worth it for your drinks.

We were looking forward to our two week cruise on Destiny, we have sailed on the ship when it was Airtours Sunbird and never been disapointed. The ship was a very unhappy ship food was terrible service very poor. Roumers went around the ship that it was nearly cancelled due to staff problems and the staff had not sighned contracts due to disagreements on money. Our ports of call were recruiting times, we should have gone to Portimao but were told this had been changed due to a lack of tenders, later a member of staff told us that was not the case we were going to Lisbon to collect yet more staff. It was that bad that we had the vice president on board. What a very unhappy ship, it could have been so good but instead was so poor We would not sail on the Destiny again

This was our first cruise and we had looked forward to it for years - we booked it when the ship was the Sunbird and were very disappointed to have it cancelled then we rebooked as the Destiny.

Although the food, entertainment and staff were brilliant there was a huge difference between week one and week two of the cruise. The first week the ship was clearly not ready to go to sea with staff, cleaniness, maintenance etc in upheaval - no organisation whatsoever for the first 4 days. After that things improved daily, you were offered a choice of waiter service at breakfast or buffet you could please yourself; there was a lack of entertainment during the day (maybe this could be addressed) and the organisation did improve. The first week the safety drill was pathetic but the second week it was much better. First week no email on board but second week it was intermittent(?sorry no spellcheck?)

The 'destination manager' was extremely rude to me and the captain was indifferent to his customers (they both need to work on their social graces and customer care skills as they appeared to have none).

Having said that I can visualise in a few weeks time that this cruise ship could improve immensely and could become a great cruise because of the staff, food and entertainment.

We seemed to be lucky we got a great waiter service and had none of the problems that we heard about from other people.

We only did the Rome excursion with lunch and that was tiring but brilliant and especially the restaurant included - all the other ports we did our own thing and enjoyed most although Gilbrator visit was too short (2 hours is not long enough to even get a glimmer of it) and in Lisbon everything was closed!

We realised it was a maiden voyage for this entire crew but some had sailed in her before and we believe the problems were from the top, lack of management and leadership especially when things went wrong - the plumbing has got a lot to answer for. The staff were wonderful and I think they will really gel in the future the longer they sail together - this could be undone by another refurbishment and all those short-term contracts alledgedly!

First can i say this was the second week of the cruise and so my review is based on that alone, not what iv read went on the first week or what people told me went on the first week.the ship was clean,our cabin was clean, all crew going about doing there jobs as they do on all ships.the food was excellent in the restaurant and on 2 occasions i ordered something i didnt like,no problem at all,on the second occasion it was dessert and when i re-ordered (smiling 2 0f those please) i got 2 and a little sing a long too.the lido is buffet,open air buffet, personally wasnt keen only because on the cooler days it wasnt pleasant to sit and eat, im sure as the months go in it will be warmer.the food in there is not all on display ie, breakfast,tomatoes mushrooms hash browns etc were at the back and you had to ask for them didnt realise this on the first day. Afternoon teas yummy, didnt eat in there in the evening but always went up for a cuppa late oneish and people were eating currys and steaks alsorts and very nice it all looked too.99% of the staff were very pleasant and friendly,i personally found reception staff the ones to lose the extra point and i only went to get a note changed. Entertainment was excellent,african,circus circus with special guests,comedian andy rudge,(brilliant,)love show, fever nights and broadway show with bits taken from west end shows. Something different every night. Also poolside quizzes games light melodies games etc in the oklahoma lounge (acid alice , the weak link hilarious.)Midnight caberet.disco. Then the usual bingo, casino, piano bar,library,internet, whatever takes your fancy,embarkment and disembarkment went without a hitch. I cannott comment on the tours but the ports of call were exactly were we were told would be.and finally would i sail on the ship again. Yes we are thinking of going again beginning of september!!!!

Very disappointed with this ship. The service was poor due to the lack of staff. It just seemed like a training ship. It has spoilt our holiday. The food was cold, could not get drinks due to lack of staff, toilets blocking, showers backing up. staff unhappy. My I say though the staff they did have did their best and worked as hard as possible, The holiday was not a last minuet deal for us and did cost quite a lot and we did expect value for money which we did not get.

We are in the middle of a 2 week cruise - we left 19th May. There have been reports of big problems at the start of the season but everything is fine now.

My only gripes compared with the Spirit are:

the lido food on the destiny is not very good - its not self service and you cannot see what you are getting

the internet charge is a staggering 1GBP per MINUTE which is why we are using the EasyNet cafe on the Ramblas in Barca.

Everything else is fine.

like many others on this ill fated May 5th maidon voyage for thopson destiny, my wife and I, on our first cruise where very disapointed.
I expected a holiday. a break, I work long hours in my job, so this was supposed to be the only way to relax, and let the tour opperators do all the work....
We only had one week... so we took the brunt of All the problems. Im still decinding what action to take against thompsons.

Our cabin was cleaned twice a day. They were a little tight on space but comfortable and we found we didn't spend too much time in it anyway. Generally the ship was kept clean at all times although we did here of a few plumbing problems. The food was excellent with plenty of choice. Would advise that you opt for early sitting for evening meal as 2nd sitting didn't start until 20:45hrs which meant that although the main show was repeated, you missed some of the other entertainment in the Oklahoma lounge. Most staff were very friendly and helpful. Would advise that you should/must try the chart room for a quiet drink and excellent views as you are leaving port. We had the all inclusive deal and thought it was ok but draft beer was rotten and you were given own brand spirits unless you specifically asked for brand named spirits (which were available within the all inclusive packagea at no extra charge). Shows were very good but cramped as there were to many chairs packed around the tables,making it difficult to get in and out. We weren't impressed with the choice available in the onboard shops and you are not able to buy duty free cigarettes or alcohol onboard. This was our first cruise and enjoyed the experience but we were disappointed in Palermo as there was lots of touting from local taxi drivers etc and Olbia was to small for a full day. We went on Thomson excursion in Naples which went to Serrento and Pompei, this was and excellent day trip was good value for money although a little more time in Serrento would have been nice. Toulon was ok for the day but the highlight of our trip was Barcelona. We took the open top city tour bus which cost 17 euros per adult and you had 3 interchangable routes to choose from. Could easily have spent more time here. Both our embarkation and disembarkation were well planned and organised by Thomson's and everything ran very smoothly. We didn't leave the ship until 18:00hrs on day of departure and although we had to be out our cabin for 08:00hrs, we were able to use all the facilities onboard, courtesey cabins were available to freshen up in and our all inclusive cards were valid until we departed. Overall we had a fabulous time and would consider cruising on Destiny again.

This was a great family holiday and very stress free. we did 2 weeks and our children loved it. They have kidzone and some days they had the children for upto 7 hours, so you have time to relax and have time for yourself. we only did one excursion that suited us as a family. But the excursions were very expensive. we just got of at certain ports that had amenities at hand and were very much entertained by the ships crew. The food was fabulous at all times. My husband loved it. The all inclusive package is well worth it with a family. We took £900 and came back with £400. We are looking forward to booking our next holiday with thomson.