Thomson Spirit Reviews

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We have just returned from 12 days on the Thompson Spirit to the Baltic. We cannot praise the crew of the Spirit enough. The food was fantastic anything you wanted, the crew were very friendly and helpful and the entertainment to my mind was marvellous. The shows that the entertainment team performed were very professional full of fun and wonderful singing and dancing. How these performers can come up with 10 different shows in 12 days and remember all the moves as well as the songs I do not know. They were always ready for a chat if you came across them on any other part of the ship. The down side for us was the guest speaker, who I thought ought to have been in an afternoon slot when we were at sea rather than at night, but otherwise a fantastic cruise to some fantastic places. Aarhus was cold and damp but still very nice, Stockholm was amazing again a little on the cold side but sunny, went on a bike tour and saw all the sights although not to visit any. Helsinki had some wonderful cathedrals both ornate and plain. It was a very interesting place but a bit disappointed because the rock church was out of the city and you had to go on a tour on taxi. What can we say about St Petersburg, out of this world. The Palaces were unbelievable to say that they had nearly been destroyed in the war. Tallinn what a jewel with its quaint cobbled streets and alleyways and interesting areas crammed into such a small space and the last place Copenhagen was expecting the Little Mermaid to be much bigger and farther out in the river but it was wonderful. Visited a small fishing village which was cobbled streets and old houses, beautiful. Can't wait until our next cruise with Thomson.

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My wife and I were attracted to this Baltic cruise primarily because it sails from Newcastle so there would be no flying and hopefully no delays. We only have a one and a half hour drive from Wakefield to Newcastle so it is ideal. The second reason was that the cruise itinerary was great, we were to visit 6 destinations in the Baltic including two days in St.Petersburg, Russia. Thomson cruises we were not too sure about. We have been on two cruises in the past with Ocean Village and found the casual type of cruises to our liking. We arrived in Newcastle by car and headed to the International terminal there we found everything signposted for Thomson Cruise and after minimal queuing we were shown where to drop off our luggage and then directed to the car park. From the car park to the check in desks was about a five minute walk. Check in was a fairly lengthy process bit we were soon processed and allowed onto the ship. At the ship's check in we registered our credit card. Remember though that there is a 2.5% surcharge. My first sight of Thomson Spirit was that it was quite a small ship but on boarding the ship I was pleasantly surprised how large it actually was. We were shown to our cabin which was on deck 4 and was an outside cabin. The cabin had two single beds arranged in an "L" formation and a large porthole/window. The room was quite spacious,surprisingly bigger than our previous cruise ships. The wardrobe space was very good, two quite large wardrobes with plenty of coat hangers. Shelves above for small luggage and room for some luggage in the bottom. There is also a safe which has to be rented if required. There is also lots of room under the beds for suitcases etc. There is a dressing table with three drawers each side and in one of the drawers there is a hairdryer. There is a 220V and a 110V socket above the dressing table. On the other side of the cabin were three large drawers and a container for wine or other bottles. The cabin had a TV with Sky News, sports, two movie channels and some other channels. The bathroom was very good with plenty of room and an easy to operate shower. The only enhancement to the cabin would have been tea/coffee making facilities. The cabin was kept very clean by our cabin staff Ana and Nouby. There was either an elephant or some other sort of animal made out of your towel on your bed when you retired for the night along with a chocolate. Now to the dining rooms. There is the waiter service Compass Rose, Sirocco,s restaurant where you pay a supplement and the Lido which is self service buffet. We ate only in the Lido as we prefer to eat when we want and to sit where we want. We found the meals to be of good quality and there was a good variety of food with evening themed nights. Similarly breakfasts had a good variety from cereals up to full breakfasts. The only problems occur when on days at sea the Lido tends to get very full but it is a matter of choosing your time. Of course there is always food around the clock so you will undoubtedly put on weight. There were two formal Gala nights during the cruise but for those who prefer to be casual there is the Lido restaurant so no problems there. Now to the entertainment. Remembering the entertainment from our previous cruises we thought the Thomson would have a lot to live up to. How wrong we were. The entertainment for the whole cruise was great. The stage shows were really fantastic with themed shows. Even though the stage in the theatre was quite small the shows are spectacular. We thought the singers and dancers were very good with professionally choreographed shows. The Cruise Director Richard Grey was also very good and not only compared but also acted. The actor Ian Lavender of Dads Army fame was on board for the whole cruise and on one evening we had "An Audience with Ian Lavender" which was very entertaining. I understand that there are to be a series of "Audiences with" during this season. We also had a UK comedian on a couple of nights and a very good guest lecturer Gordon Parr who kept us entertained with his lectures varying from Winston Churchill to Royal Scandals. In all the bars there was some entertainment from Piano and Violin duet to guitar singers trio, caberets by the individual Thomson Spirit show team members, quizes, competitions etc. There is also a casino. There are even a couple of stage plays in the afternoon which are entertaining. In the High Spirits bar, a group called the Beat entertained us and there was Karaoke for those who like this and of course a late night disco. We found the staff to be very friendly and on our very first night in the High Spirits bar four members of the entertainment team just wandered up and introduced themselves and sat with us for a while to chat. On the last night some of the catering and bar staff put on a little show which was great. The trips that you can purchase are very good but beware some of the trips can be very tiring especially the full day trips to St Petersburg for example. Some shuttle buses were provided free of charge which is quite good as some cruise ships charge quite a lot. The ship is very clean, all the staff work very hard to keep it this way and are very attentive to all your needs. Disembarking was very easy. All luggage is left outside your cabin the evening before with a coloured label attached according to your cabin number and mode of travel, i.e. own car, coach etc. The luggage is collected and off loaded at Newcastle and you disembark at set times on arrival. Our time was 08.30 and we were taken by bus to the car park and the luggage was in a room adjacent to the car par. We were on the road in minutes. The ship was very comfortable, even in a force 6 weather on leaving Newcastle. The safety procedures were very good with an excellent evacuation drill. The Captain was very approachable and chatted with us on the stairs one afternoon and told us about our course etc. Thank you Thomson for a great cruise, thank you to all the staff seen and unseen we will certainly be back. Well recommended.

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Flew on time from Birmingham Airport. We used the previous day check-in facility which worked a dream. There was no queue and everything took only a few minutes. On arrival it only took an hour from landing to be on-board. At the ship's check-in we registered our credit card only to be advised that there would be a 2.5% surcharge. We quickly changed this to my debit card. This has changed from the Destiny cruise we were on in January this year. Penny-pinching! We had a deluxe cabin on deck 7 (Cabin 130) so plenty of room and a bath not just a shower. The entertainment was excellent and was lead by the Cruise Director Richard. The shows in the Broadway Show lounge were of a high standard. The entertainment team in "High Spirits" were Craig, Alistair, Lauren and Lee who worked hard running all the quizzes and the alternative shows. A special mention must be made of Craig and Alistair whose rendition of the songs of Simon & Garfunkel was excellent. We found out afterwards that this was it's first performance. The ship itself was maintained to a high standard with all the public areas continually cleaned and painted. The bar staff work tirelessly to ensure that everyone has a good time and smile and joke with everyone. The same high standards are maintained by the cabin staff. However, the quality and variety of the food on offer was disappointing. The Compass Rose Restaurant service was slow and the choices on offer were not up to the standards previously experienced on other Thomson ships, e.g. Fish & Chips on the menu for the Gala night! We did also eat in the Lido Restaurant but found that the choices of food on offer did not match well together. I've also been advised, by fellow passengers, that the hot breakfasts were anything but hot. Shuttle buses were supplied at some ports and were free! This was a pleasant surprise as we have been charged for this on other Thomson ships. We are booked on this ship again in September for the round Britain cruise and hope that the negatives are improved whilst the high standards of the rest are maintained.

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We 'escorted' the Spirit from Cyprus to Newcastle and had a lovely time in the bargain. Our cabin (543 on A Deck) was spacious, tucked away on a very short corridor with a lift nearby and was kept immaculate by Bert and Mai-Anne. Some engine noise but nothing to write home about. No problems whatsoever with embarkation and disembarkation. Mainly the Ports of call were fine but we hit Kalamata and the lovely Vigo on a Sunday so there wasn't much going off. Loved Gibraltar but not enough time there. Naples is okay for visiting Sorrento, the Isle of Capri and the beautiful Amalfi Coast. The Port of Civitavecchia feeds Rome which is a couple of hours ride away and not much else. Barcelona is well worth a visit and holds many attractions. Lisbon is okay but has a massive graffiti problem. Cherbourg was nice and convenient for a D Day Landings trip which we did. By choice and convenience we ate mainly at the Lido Buffet where the food was good and varied. Can't see anyone going hungry even those who may be picky or are vegetarians/piscatarians. Didn't go to the Captain's Evening because we've done it so many times so thought we'd have a break. We're on the Spirit again in September so we may dress up and attend. The entertainment from the Thomson team was really good and worth watching. Guest entertainers included comedians Maxwell Plum and Rudi West and Chris Andre(brother of Peter Andre)and an ex Drifter called Michael. All were superb especially the latter. The casino is worth a visit and has some really friendly staff. Look out for Larry and Kushan who work in the adjoining Raffles Bar. The shops are good and have plenty of sales and bargains. Visited the Spa and had a special package of three wonderful treatments there. If you want big and impressive with fancy cabins and fine dining then the Spirit is not for you but if you want small and comfortable, laid back, homely and friendly with good grub then this ship is for you. My grumbles are so small I'm not going to bother you with them.

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My wife and I went on the Pharaohs and Holy Land Cruise on the Thomson Spirit in April 2012 The Itinerary included Antalya in Turkey, Alexandria, Port Said in Egypt and Ashdod in Israel Having travelled on The Thomson Spirit twice last year we didn't hesitate to book this cruise on the Spirit again The Itinerary included Ashdod for Jerusalem and Bethlehem and this excursion was by far the best trip we have had in 6 years of cruising all around the World A little expensive, ?? 85 each but well worth it, the excursion came with a guide who was very informative and well educated. The food in the Compass Rose restaurant was excellent once again and the service in there was equally good, the waiters ensured we had the same table each night and we were greeted by first names each night The entertainment was outstanding, West End type theatre shows in the Broadway Show lounge and themed Game shows in The High Spirits Bar The Resident Band, Rhythm of Three was very entertaining and Lauren and Lee were very good and confident game show hosts The Room Service as always was excellent and the rooms cleaned and made up twice each day I couldn't possibly find any negative comments about the Cruise and recommend this ship to anyone, whether new to cruising or cruise regulars The friendliness of the staff was of the highest order, quite a few staff recognised us from last year and some even remembered our names Finally the drinks were very reasonably priced, ?? 3.50 for a pint of draught lager and ?? 2.10 for a latte Don't expect a five star ship but DO expect a five star service

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