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Thomson Spirit

1 of 8 Thomson Cruises ships

A medium sized vessel of superior rating. Built in 1983 and refit in 2000. Carries a maximum of 1350 passengers in 626 cabins, 423 of which have ocean views. 4 cabins are accessible to disabled passengers.

All cabins are well equipped and include air conditioning, TV and plenty of storage space. Suites feature kingsize beds, lounge, minibar and bath.

The Broadway Show lounge features live shows and the High Spirits Nightclub also features a disco. Other features include 200 seat cinema and internet access.

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231 Reviews

Traveller Rating

  • Excellent
    175
  • Very Good
    36
  • Good
    14
  • Average
    4
  • Poor
    1

Review Overview

  • Cleanliness
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Service
DB
15 years 11 months ago
We’ve just returned from a 13 night ‘Ancient Voyage’ cruise aboard the Thomson Spirit. I have mixed emotions about our experiences.
The draw for us was the number and variety of ports of call. I have to say from the outset that the Spirit always arrived on time at every port and in some cases had really good berthing slots. There was plenty of shore time in each port which was useful in a couple of cases (Cairo and Rome in particular) as the big attraction for some ports was a long way inland. We had no problems with the itinerary and enjoyed good weather right across the duration of the cruise, which made it even nicer.
We used a combination of Thomson excursions and independent visits for our ports of call. If you view the Thomson excursions in the context of a fully serviced trip then they are not bad value for money, we took two half day trips and a full day trip to Cairo with Thomson and for all the other ports we did our own thing.
The issue for us came with the Spirit herself. Despite having spent some time in dry dock over the winter, the Spirit still vibrates badly, even when docked. I know this could be considered as part of the charm of an older ship, but at times the vibration was excessive. The Spirit broke down a couple of times, once during the stay in Civitavecchia and again at sea the following day, this doesn’t bode well for a busy summer season ahead.
We paid quite a lot extra for an upgraded cabin. We weren’t impressed with the threadbare bedding and carpets, the bloodstained and dirty towels or the condition of the cabin generally. The stewardess was quite outstanding and swapped the linen when we asked, unfortunately these swaps became an almost daily event. On a positive note, there was always loads of hot water available from the taps and the pressure from the shower was consistent throughout the cruise. The soundproofing between our cabin and the next was very poor. The people next door suffered from the coughing and sneezing virus that swept the ship and we really suffered with these poor people…
Our biggest gripe was with the food. The Lido buffet isn’t really very good, there’s adequate choice (usually), but the quality is pretty poor. The Compass Rose Dining Room isn’t much better, but the outstanding service there makes up for this, every waiter seems to be an Elvis impersonator. We had very high hopes for Sirocco’s based on our experiences aboard the Celebration. The food is probably worth the additional cover charge, but we found the service very intrusive, we tried Sirocco’s twice and then cancelled our remaining bookings. Afternoon tea in the Explorer Lounge seems to have been replaced with a tray or two of sandwiches in the Lido buffet.
There are loads of reclining chairs and sun beds on deck. The practice of dropping your towel on a sun bed to reserve it seems alive and well despite messages to the contrary. A new version of this seems to be in operation… Hiding the sun bed mattress in your cabin! We couldn’t move in the corridors some nights due to the number of mattresses going in and out of the cabins.
The shows and musicians aboard were all pretty good, we enjoyed the piano/violin duo, who were very skilled and were able to adapt their repertoire to match the mood.
In summary, we enjoyed the ports but we enjoyed the ship less.
In view of the additional cost of the cabin upgrade we have trouble justifying the price. The same money would have bought us a balcony cabin on a premium ship. Compared to previous Thomson cruises, there’s evidence of penny pinching in operation. This seems particularly evident in housekeeping and food areas. We won’t use Thomson as the provider for out next cruise.



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Travel operator: Thomson

James Ellis
16 years 5 months ago
We have just enjoyed the last Jewels of the Mediterranean Cruise of the season.
The ship is clean The crew is constantly cleaning polishing and painting the public areas and the fabric of the ship, one is proud to be seen sailing on her.
The food is excellent and plentiful never a moment when you cannot get some refreshment. I wonder why I only gave it four stars, maybe I have been watching too many chef programmes?
The staff mostly from the Asian continent and some from Eastern Europe really make an effot to make your crusie pleasant and comfortable every one of them was pleasant.
The only area of frustration was the reception who althogh frigidly polite in manner were rather unhelpful.
I considered that perhaps my manner was causing their lack of initiative but in conversation found that others were of the same opinion.
The entertainment team are worth a special mention, they are each very talented and worked so hard to give very professional performances. The singing was harmonious, the choreography was superb, and the shows well plotted and written. No expense had been spared on costumes and the stage fittings and lighting would be the envy of many provincial theatres.
In summary WORTH EVERY PENNY.
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Travel operator: Thompsons

Recommended
Terry And Pat Unsworth
16 years 7 months ago
We sailed on the Spirit on a three night break, visiting Amsterdam (berthed in Ljmuiden) and Bruges (berthed in Zeebrugge). As you will see from our ratings, we had a great time on board. The ship is clean and well appointed, Crew are, as usual, friendly, efficient and very helpful. We ate in both the Compass Rose restaurant and the Lido restaurant and found the meals in both to be varied and satisfying, with waiter service in the Compass Rose attentive and efficient. The cabin was nothing to shout about but quite adequate for our needs and kept spotless by our steward.

But, oh! what a disaster when it came to the advertised excursions. On a ship carrying something like 1200-odd passengers, calling at Amsterdam and Bruges, it would not seem beyond the bounds of conjecture that most people would be interested in going to visit these places. Thomsons apparently failed to make this leap of logic and were woefully underprepared for the demand. The two most popular tours, Amsterdam and canal tour and Bruges and chocolate factory tour, were oversubscribed by 4.00 pm on the day of departure and closed to further bookings. This was before the usual "where to go and what to see" introduction to ports of call, which did not take place until 5.00pm! We heard that there were only two fifty seater buses arranged for Amsterdam and canal tour but that might have been malicious rumour as we could find no one to substantiate it.
However, Thomsons did arrange a "get you there and do your own thing" sort of compromise. They put on two shuttle buses (again 50 seat jobs) to run people to the hydrofoil service into Amsterdam and later to collect them and return to the ship. This would have been fine had not the overspill from the excursion turned out to be around four or five hundred people.
This resulted, in our case, in a wait of an hour and a half to get on the bus and when we left there were many,many more still waiting. But we didn't go to the hydrofoil as by this time it was fully booked until 3.00pm and took only fifty at a time anyway. Instead we were taken to the centre of Ljmuiden and left at the bus stop to catch the local number 82 into Amsterdam. Another half hours wait and the bus came. We stood for the entire 45 minute ride.
Prior to going, we had asked if the amusingly titled Destination Service desk could let us have a map of the city to help us get around. Their response?? Sorry, we don't have any as it's our first time here this year. In the end, our day in Amsterdam was reduced to around four and a half hours. And during all that time no Thomsons employee attended to explain what was (or was not) going on or answer questions from the assembled multitude.
Have not Thomsons heard of the world famous "Six P" formula?? Readers not familiar with this should ask a friend. Many in that queue were first time cruisers and the experience has deterred them from further cruises, at least with Thomsons.
The Bruges excursion was slightly better in that we did get onto an excursion with a guide but had to settle for a visit to a brewery rather than the chocolate factory we would have preferred.
If others who were involved in the Great Amsterdam Fiasco should read this account and feel I have been factually incorrect, please post your own account and put the record straight, even if it means adding to the catalogue of woes.
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Recommended
Doug
16 years 8 months ago
Our first cruise and it certainly will not be our last. The scenery on fjordland splendors was out of this world.

The entertainment on board was superb thanks to Kate and Paul and the rest of the entertainments team. The bar and restaurant staff were extremely welcoming,friendly and efficient. The food was wonderful in all three restaurants. Cabins and the rest of the ship were spotless.
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Recommended
Barbara
16 years 8 months ago
Hubby and I have just come back from another brilliant cruise on the Thomson Spirit. It was the Fjordland Splendours sailing out of Newcastle. As usual the food was excellent we only dined in the Compass Rose for the Captains Evening the rest of the time we ate in the Lido which means if you enjoyed trying everything you could go back for more, which we did on several occasions. The only downfall is trying to get into your clothes afterwards. The staff in both were brilliant and the crack was excellent. We have sailed with Thomsons on several occasions and Neri one of the waiters remembered that he gave us extra chips every night when we went for our late night snack (did we really need it!!!!!!)on a previous cruise.The entertainment as usual is first class there is something to suit all ages. It is the friendliness of the crew that draw you back to Thomsons year after year. We are already planning our next one with Thomsons.
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Travel operator: thomson

Recommended
Lauren Hayes
16 years 8 months ago
My nan and me went on a cruise to Iceland. It was my first and deffinatly not my last. I cannot fault the staff but a special mention goes to jonny one of the waiters who i will never forget. He made me feel at home right from the start. I met lots of lovely people throught the crusie and i will never forget them.
I cannot fault the staff for the tidyness of the ship whereever i went the was somebody cleaning.
The food was fantastic i ate in the compass rose twice and all my other meals in the Lido. The midnight buffets were amazing and not to be missed.
The ships staff could not have been more helpful, they all amde me feel right at home.
The on board entertainment was fantastic. the shows in the evening were great and a real treat.Speacial mention to Zoe who was the true star on the stage.
The game shows mostly by Diana or Diane (not sure which one) were brillent. Notto be missed.
Iwould deffinatly sail on the Thomson Spirit again it was the best experiance of my life so thank you.
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Recommended
Julie
16 years 9 months ago
We've just been on our first cruise and it was one of the most enjoyable holidays we've ever had.

Travelled on the Thomson Spirit from Newcastle on the Baltic Adventure visiting Denmark, Estonia,
St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm and Warnemunde, Germany.

We travelled for the first time with my wheelchair (I have MS) and booked a cabin specifically for disabled passengers.
The cabin was on Deck 7 and was very spacious and comfortable, with a double bed and forward facing window and is located just beneath the bridge deck. In an emergency there are approximately 8 steps to get to the lifeboat station but a strong young crew member was assigned to help me so no problems with that!
(The lifeboat drill took place only a short while after we left Newcastle).
I found it very easy to get about the ship as there were plenty of lifts and level flooring everywhere.

The food was delicious. We ate in the Compass Rose restaurant in the evening which is waiter service. The waiters were always attentive and very friendly. On the first couple of evenings we sat where we were shown to sit but after that we asked for a specific table by number and sat there every night for the rest of the cruise.
We used the Lido self service restaurant for breakfast and lunch and found a good and varied choice of food.

The nightly entertainment in the Broadway Show Lounge was very impressive (and I don't say that lightly). The Moulin Rouge show was absolutely fantastic.
The show team performed a different show on the vast majority of evenings with the other two evenings covered by two separate comedians from England. I'd not heard of either of them before but they were very entertaining. The staff in the show lounge reserved several tables every evening for passengers using wheelchairs. This was unexpected and extremely kind of them as it saved wheeling about trying to find a table and squashing the feet and legs of other passengers!

The Ports that we visited were all extremely interesting and the only concern I had was that the vast majority of excursions were not suitable for passengers in wheelchairs or people who had walking difficulties. The only excursion suitable was the panoramic tour of St. Petersburg. At other ports we took a ride on the shuttle bus (provided by Thomson) to the centre of the Cities being visited and did our own thing.

We found that the majority of our fellow passengers were from either the North East of England and from Scotland. Most of them were retired and in their sixties (we're in our fifties) but there were quite a few younger adults, but only three children on board.
Perhaps this is not surprising bearing in mind the places being visited and it was not the school holidays.

By the way for those thinking that Baltic means freezing - while the rain lashed down in Britain the weather on board and in our ports of call was sunny sunbathing weather. In fact it was sweltering in St.Petersburg.

All in all we had a wonderful holiday which we would be very happy to repeat and have no hesitation in recommending a cruise on the Thomson Spirit.
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Travel operator: Thomson

Recommended
Natalie
16 years 9 months ago
Hello. I travelled on this ship when it was doing the Med itinery and I had an amazing holiday.

Ship Cleanliness = excellent. Always people painting and hoovering, and generally tidying up after everyone! The cabin maids really do tidy up very well, twice a day! and you get little chocolates on your pillow at night and some fantastic towel sculptures!

Ship Food = excellent again. Always something available. Whether its from the buffet in the Lido or outside on the pool deck there is always something available for everyone.
In the evening, the formal restuarant, the compass rose, has two sittings. We always chose the first one as you could just turn up to eat, whereas if you waited for the second sitting, we usually saw people having to que and wait for the dining area to be re-sorted. However, if you do not feel like dressing up or eating formally, you can go up to the Lido and have a more casually buffet. Both equally fantastic!

Ship Staff = fabulous. Always could not do enough for you!!! Very friendly and a great hit with the kids!

OnBoard Entertainment = in my opinion, the most amazing part of my holiday. A special mention to the showteam who were on at the time if any of them read this:
Kate Darby, Paul Fisher, Daniel Kent, Paul Thornhill, Alice Bell, Gemma Lomax, Curley Cait, Sarah and Zoe.
And also to the entertainment team, Mick Dundee, Gareth Cole and Sian Hopkins.
Together they all did FANTASTIC shows every night. Including Africa and Venetian Nights. The costumes were amazing and they performed their hearts out every night.
They also put on spectacular deck parties twice a week, and unfortunatley we had some bad weather on our second weeks deck party - so they brought it inside!
They also have dance/singing lessons for those who want to give it a go and I would really recommend giving the Line Dancing lessons a go! They are a lot of fun!

As this was my second cruise, i once again thoroughly enjoyed it and have already booked the Thomson Celebration for Summer 07!

And yes. I would recommend travelling on any of the Thomson ships to anyone!
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Travel operator: Thomson

Recommended
Maureen Bantock
16 years 10 months ago
cruised on the mediterranean renaisance from 4th to 11th May 2007.
this is the second time that we have been on the spirit and again we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. the enthusiasm of the staff is wonderful.a special mention must be made of the waiters in the lido restaurant, and also the tour director richard sykes and his very hard working entertainment team.
only one real point to make is that we feel that the entertainment in the broadway show lounge is becoming dated and dreary.whilst the entertainers were wonderful and so hard working, the content of some of the shows are boring especially the its all in the stars show, and just dancing and singing every night, does become boring. Especially enjoyed the comedian.magic act(father and son) and suggest that they vary the entertainment by bringing the talent show forward so everyone can enjoy this at a more normal time.
The catering staff did a wonerful job, with typical pub lunches being available sometimes in the week in one of the bars.
Will be back again.
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Travel operator: thomson

Recommended
16 years 10 months ago
Itinary - Meditereanean Reinassance May4-May11 2007

Start Palma - arrived at lunch time and after lovely lunch in waiter restaraunt got citysightseeingbus around Palma (keep ticket for 10% discount off fare in next city if you decide to do the tour there)

Day at Sea - this is where things didn't quite go according to plan a force 6 storm hitting the boat with plates sliding all over the table- everyone staggering and alot of people being sick. Good news 2 out of the 4 of us had good sea legs and were not unwell, however we did retire for a few hours to bed as it was very hard work standing up.

villefranche - beautiful little town - but we chose to go to Montecarlo on the train DIY. No problems finding anywhere visited the palace, watched the changing of the guards, and then took tourist train round - enjoyed going round the gand prix track - will bring back memoroes when we watch end of May on TV

Livorno - again DIY on train to Florence and the sightseeingtourbus. Very informative and some wonderful buildings to look at- really enjoyed

Rome - again on train DIY bus tour. Unfortunately the day we were there was a taxi strike and they were protesting whioch slowed all traffic down to a snails pace. it was just too hot and too much traffic to go to spanish steps and Trevi Fountain - but got to see everything else and it really is worth making the effort to see.

Alghero - disappointed with this stop. From the boat I was expecting great things. Got the tourist train round the old town- really not worth seeing- very narow streets with not alot on them. Then walked to the beach which was full of sea weed and small coconut balls??whatever they may be?

palamos - what a surprise - a lovely town with a fantastic beach all within walking distance so we didn't venture on any trips at this port.

Back to Palma for the journey home

Summary

Fantastic ship with free A/I just couldn't fail to enjoy. staff are friendly and helpful but as tips are inc then you do not feel there is a purpose to the help, if you see what I mean. However did tip staff we felt had given us OTT service and there were a few of those.

Cruise Director is Richard Sykes who is just great. Have been a few time on the celebration when the director was Stephen Guy- another excellent entertainer. However David Bradshaw was the cruise director when we went on last November and what a differennt atmosphere he created - no team spirit to say the least! Turns out he is no longer with Thomsons perhaps the numerous complaints made about him had some bearing - who knows.

We had inside cabin- friends o/s cabin imo I only sleep in cabin so not looking for views and in a force 6 storm with the sea slapping against the windows i can think it is a positive advantage inside cabin.

All in all a 10/10 cruise - not all the entertainment was to my personal liking but they certainly do have choice so if you don't like A you can always do B.

Go enjoy and I am sure you will want to do another
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Travel operator: thomson

Recommended

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