I was in a group of 6 and found every was as good as I expected
Staff were friendly and pleasant and more then helpful food was very good and choices were plentiful the entertainment was good in fact we could not fault anything looking forward to my next cruise

Mrs Irene Cockroft

Feedback from Thomson Dream – Cruise Ship – 31st January – 14th February 2017

Overall we had a fantastic holiday and I would like to give feedback about the whole experience on the Thomson Dream and highlight both the positives and the negatives. The positives outweighed the negatives by far.

Positive Feedback – absolutely loved the cruise, although my personal preference was for the other side of the Caribbean starting in Barbados. Very glad we did it and thoroughly enjoyed however.

 Excellent entertainment team - team worked very hard, they had great sense of humour and always made us laugh. Main team members I remember were Rusty, Gavin, Joe, Ashley and cannot remember the others, but they were all great and provided a great range of entertainment throughout the fortnight. Game shows were great, especially The Perfect Couple which was hosted by Gavin and Rusty.

 Broadway Shows – I did not watch all of them but those which I did watch were fantastic and the costumes were amazing.

 Cabin – clean roomy cabin with Hugo as our housekeeping attendant. Very friendly and he did a great job throughout the fortnight we were there.

 F&B Service – nice friendly service and again the team overall worked very hard throughout all outlets and bars. The main outlets we used were Medusa and Tides Bar and Orion’s Restaurant in the evenings and Main Pool Bar and Sirens Restaurant during the day.

 Food – great range of meal options provided and something for everyone. Breakfasts were fantastic. We had one meal in the Kora-la Restaurant which was lovely. Very hot and spicy and not to everyone’s taste but I thoroughly enjoyed what I had.

 Excursions – some good excursions on offer and enjoyed them overall. However one of them I went on was a very big disappointment and frankly a rip off, which I would not recommend it to anyone.

Negative Feedback – this mostly focused around the upselling of packages, restaurants and the all-inclusive supplements on the all-inclusive package which is a sign of Thomson’s getting too greedy!!

 All Inclusive Supplements – since the last cruise I did with Thomson on the Barbados side, a lot of drinks now have a supplement to be paid even for those who have paid for all inclusive. The price for All Inclusive Premium is extortionate to say the least and rather ridiculous when already paid an all-inclusive supplement. It is of course understandable for drinks such as Cognac and Premium whiskies but not for cocktails such as Mojito's. The only items which had a supplement previously were items such as Cognac and Premium whiskies. The quality of the cocktails had also deteriorated since our last cruise.

 Up-selling of Restaurants and Packages such as Wine Packages, all inclusive Premium, etc – this got very annoying especially when staff were walking through the pool decks giving several daily reminders about the Speciality Restaurants on board the ship and were reminded with every daily announcement about the Speciality Restaurants. Guests all know that the restaurants are there, we can all read and we do not need daily reminders about them. Not blaming the staff trying to do the up-selling as they are obviously only doing as they are told by Thomson Dream Management.

 Sales of Sangria and Magnum Type Ice Creams – again on the pool deck we had girls coming around repeating “ Sangrai Ladies and Gentlemen, Nice and Refreshing, Sangria, Nice and Refreshing – Talk to me People – Talk to me People” and they were repeating again and again like parrots. Again this is VERY annoying and I did comment to the girl that when nobody talks to her it mean they do NOT want it. Nobody likes a pushy sales person and guests do not like people trying to force sell things on them. Again - not blaming the staff trying to do the up-selling as they are obviously only doing as they are told by Thomson Dream Management.

 Caribbean Experience, Costa Rica – I booked an excursion through Thomson at all ports with the exception of Grand Caymen. All other excursions booked were enjoyable and good value for money, except for Caribbean Experience in Costa Rica.

The literature for Caribbean Experience, Costa Rica, by Thomson stated it would last approximately 7 hours – it lasted exactly 5 hours on the day we did it (I also put this in writing on the ship as every time I went to see someone in Destination Services the queue was either very long or nobody was there and this has never been answered ). There was very limited time in Puerto Viejo – we were only given 20 minutes which was no sufficient to look around. At the 2nd place Cahuita – we were told by Destination Services to make sure we took swimming costumes, but there were no swimming opportunities. After a visit to National Park and then a lunch stop at some bar, we were taken back to the ship. Again insufficient time to actually look around the village. Impression was that the tour guide wanted to go home early and brought us back to the ship early. This trip was extremely disappointing and very expensive for what it was.

Stephanie Robertson

The cruise itself was good, carpets in cabin areas dated and not in good condition. To view land each morning as the person sharing, her bed was against the wall, to view the window one had to climb on the other persons bed. Food was barely warm, this was food that should have been served hot. We were told that it was an all inclusive cruise but had to purchase water that was in the rooms.

I must add that the head waiter in dining room was very attentive and was able to assist one of my friends with a diet as she had a special gluten free diet which I found quite impressive.

The trip was alot better than I expected. I had visions of being sick but it never happened. I thoroughly enjoyed almost everything about it. The staff were lovely well most of them some could have smiled a bit more and the one thing I found very rude was that there was a lot of Phillipeano workers and they would converse in their own language even one of the stewards. Now this is a ship used by Brits so should they not be speaking our language.

The hygiene side of things should be stepped up. Some of the cloths they were using looked very well used and dirty, we watched as they cleaned surface after surface with the same cloth. This spreads germs. Also some of the toilets had run out of hand soap. Lots of people are under the impression that using alcohol gel will kill germs after using the toiler. It won't, it's hot soapy water so maybe a few notices dotted around explaining this. Also I think they should do as some of American Cruise ships do you can't go into the dining hall unless you use the gel. Or so I have been told by someone who has been on these cruises. But it does make sense .

Food was sometimes a bit cold another way of causing upset stomachs as isn't keep at a certain temperature. The photograph taking was very annoying why can't they just accept a no. I think guests should also be told about the beggers when going to different ports as it can be an ordeal if you are elderly. They are very persistent and also Thomson guides misleading people into going to places where they know they are selling goods under pressure, even though they say they are not. This happened to us in Turkey and it was very annoying.

Entertainment was good especially the Broadway . The cabins were clean although the sink and toilet had seen better days. They were cleaned twice a day although the sheets didn't appear to be changed they just turned them. But overall can't complain the towels were changed regularly, although some of these had seen better days.

Overall I would recommend this ship to people you get what you pay for and I will be taking another trip soon hopefully.

Thomsons think it is OK to charge £8.00 every time you log on to the internet, despite their log on page offering a one off £96 (which in its self is a rip off).

My claim for a refund of over £100 in excess charges finally got rejected today. I found out in the travel agents at Corby Branch. It has taken them since the 14th of October to respond and even then I didn't get a letter to myself.

They lost my next cruise to a competitor. Do Thomsons realise that customers remember and talk about being fleeced? Can they really be that stupid?

I would recommend any one looking for a cruise to go elsewhere, Thomsons deserve to go bust!

We have been on 3 Thomson cruises before and enjoyed each one. As it was my special birthday my family came with us costing over £7,000 for 6 days. It was the worst holiday we have ever had. The staff were so slow we waited half an hour for drinks most nights. When we went to the dinning room we had to wait for a table when there was empty tables, it states we did not have to wait in the brochure as freedom diners, but we had to wait to be seated. The food was only warm and not good quality and if you wanted steak you had to pay extra £9.99. All the money the terrace grill charges in the evening for a steak is not stated it in the brochure and we paid for all inclusive. We complained at the reception but it was like talking to a robot and they could or would not answer our questions.

I feel like I have not had a holiday. it was my families first cruise and we feel very let down.

I have had to make a complaint about this ship. I asked for a refund which was denied. I have been on other Thomson's cruises which were good, but this is an old ship, the pool was small and unclean and nobody wanted to go in it.

There were long queues for not very good food. The queues passes the breads, passed the cold food, and finally the hot. If you only wanted a plate of hot food hard look, as trying to get hot food practically caused a riot.

During the week we had evening entertainment for 6 days and the Thomson entertainers got a bit boring.

Well, decide for yourself.

The Good
Staff smiled and greeted and were always helpful. Great service.
Entertainment in the theatre was outstanding, really good singing from Max and his wife.
Food was plentiful and varied.
Cabin roomy and clean, we were in an outside+
Dreamliner trip to Jamaica was very comfortable with free food and drinks.
Pool deck entertainment was very good.

The Bad
The ship is worn, tired and in great need of a refurbishment throughout.
Cabin taps were broken.
Window was dirty until staff cleaned the outer rim without cleaning the window. They left dirty drips of soapy water running down the glass which spoiled the view for the rest of the holiday.
The food in all eateries was cold or warm at best, overcooked and tasteless, Many dishes were kept warm for ages and even allowed to go cold. I suffered a bad tummy in the middle of the first week.
I saw ice creams being taken around the ship in inadequate conditions which did not keep them frozen. I returned an ice cream which had gone bad and the bar manager refused to give me a replacement or a refund.
The excursions were disappointing and lacked value for money.
Many passengers broke their arms on board and one passenger got a nasty burn from a soot ball that had been blown out of the ship's funnel.
There was a bad cough bug aboard. Many passengers were effected and some on antibiotic drips for pneumonia. We came home with this terrible cough and still are suffering on writing this review. Passengers were charged for medical treatment.
The bar staff stacked cups two high on round trays then carried them down spiral staircases risking passengers safety below.
The pool deck floor was bubbled and torn in places, very hot in the sun and slippery when wet.

I personally will not sail this ship again and it has put me off sailing other Thomson ships.

Having just returned from 7 brilliant days on the Dream that the accommodation was very good and food in the Orion restaurant was excellent. The entertainment was of a very high standard for a cruise liner and the crews show on the last night was superb. All the bar staff were so polite as was all the crew members on board as well as the cabin staff. A special thanks to Jeffrey in Tides for his humor and politeness. When we got home we put on our DVDs we bought from the photo gallery only to find we ordered 2 DVDs 1 of the crew show on the last night and the memories DVD of the cruise, only to find we had 2 DVDs of the crew show.

Review of our two week back-to-back cruise in the Mediterranean returning on the 4th October.

On the flight we booked the ‘seats with extra legroom’ just to try them out but found on a short flight, they were not really necessary for us as we are both on the small side. The flight was pleasant enough with just half an hour delay.
Check in at the boat was efficient and the queue was not to long.

It would appear that Thomson is now recognising returning customers as we were issued with a gold card (they call it a sand card) on arrival, no idea if you receive anything special!

Our cabin on deck 9 was as expected very clean with plenty of storage space but the bathroom is in need of refurbishment everything worked ok and we had no problems throughout the cruise.

The first week we ate mainly in Sirens for breakfast and lunch, which we found very good with a vast selection to choose from, then down to the Orion for evening meals. We never had a problem with any cold food as some revues have stated, the only problem we had was making a selection from all that was available

We had one special meal in the Grill, which you have to pay extra for, and found it of a very high standard you also get a song from Hazel one of the staff who has a fantastic voice.

The second week we ate mainly in the Orion for all our meals because the dreaded norovirus was on board and we did not want to take any risks, also because of the virus they closed the whirlpools and self-service ice cream machines.

We found the trips both good value and informative, the only stop we did not even get off the ship was Casablanca, which along with many other guests we dislike, we have in the past been to the Hassan 2 mosque which we did find interesting but our feelings are that there are a lot prettier ports they could visit. All the other ports are great especially Gibraltar for the duty free, which by the way you can bring back on board and Thomson do not mind if you consume it in your cabin.

The ship is very old and in a tired state but they are in the process of refurbishing the lounges etc which I think is due to be completed prior to the crossing in November, we had a little disruption whilst contractors produced the quotes but not to bad.

We found, for us anyway, that the food was of a high standard with plenty to choose from.

Entertainment, again for us, could not be faulted with fantastic shows, of particular note was Phantom and Thriller also the groups around the ship gave us great entertainment and staff friendliness and efficiency was high standard I must say we feel this level has never dropped in the years we have cruised with them.

Bottom line is another great holiday made some new friends but you do need a rest to get over it.

As this was our thirty ninth cruise with Thomson and have been on most of there ships past and present,(it could be said we are biased but after trying some of the bigger ships find that this type of cruising suits us down to the ground) I will list the pros and cons as we see them which may help someone who has not yet cruised or who is intending to cruise with Thomson.

Firstly the flight, usually its with Tui and if it is delayed the ship will not go without you we have seen this on several occasions.

Then on a back-to-back 14-day cruise you only have two days at sea one the first week and one the second I do not know of any other cruise line that does this. This will change for the Dream in November when it’s in Jamaica.

The staff and crew are some of the friendliest you will find and you don’t have to tip but invariably you will.

The shows and entertainment are always great.

The cruisers are mainly British with any announcements in English, which also makes it easy to find some new friends.

On the other side this ship is very old, but very stable in rough waters, and does require constant maintenance.

You do not have all the facilities of the larger ships.

Before closing just a few recommendations that we have found useful over the years, in your hand luggage take a change of clothes this is particularly important when travelling on a long flight as they say your luggage can take a few hours to arrive, we have only ever waited half an hour. Mix you clothes in your cases, if one is delayed or lost then you will both have something to put on.
Thomson are very critical about safety so you must attend a drill, at the moment on the Dream this is at 21-30 hrs which may be late if you have children but you still have to go.

I hope this helps someone.