My husband and I have cruised before and, some might say, have been spoilt by our previous experience which was excellent. Nevertheless, despite this Thompson Spirit was able to offer true value for money. On the plus side the crew did their absolute utmost to entertain and to ensure we enjoyed ourselves: top marks go to them. The cabin, though tired, was always clean and well furnished with plenty of storage space. The walls, however, were paper thin and I comment on this later. We were greeted by turned-down bedding and a chocolate on the pillow when we retired for the evening. A nice touch, which has been lost with the larger operators. Embarkation was a joy and by comparison to larger ships we simply breezed through formalities. Although informal dining was available we chose to dine every evening in the Compass Rose Restaurant. The food was good (note choice of words) with, I believe, something for every taste. The waiters were friendly and often joined in as part of the entertainment. One evening I was pleased to notice that pretty much everyone had troubled themselves to dress up which helps to create a special atmosphere. On the formal night a good number of gentlemen wore evening dress. Before booking I noticed many comments made regarding rocking and vibrating and I take this into consideration. Take it from me - she does! Quite spectacularly! And this affected a number of passengers we spoke to. We were quite lucky in that respect. I had been dreading sailing past the Bay of Biscay having heard from many that it could be an experience one could discuss for many a year. Fortunately it was calm and we didn't even notice. The ship is quite old and as I write I believe she is on her final voyage before a re-fit. She maintained an air of old luxury and dignity but now the poor old girl is past it and the re-fit is over due. Thompson please note: Attention must be made to the quality of wall partitioning. Sadly on our trip we had neighbours to one side who appeared to gain enormous enjoyment from poor quality partitioning. They even seemed to know that by thumping the bed on their side of the wall the sensation would be felt with equal force on mine. I think the rooms would also benefit from the television being linked to an automated system whereby one could keep abreast current purchases. This would be especially useful when partners or even children can purchase independently. It was not essential to go on tours. Traveling independently was easy at all destinations. Indeed in some respects it was more preferable. Warning: it is important to recognise traveling on an organised tours is far safer than going it alone. The ship could go without you if you are unexpectedly delayed. At our final destination the sailing time was changed. This was advertised in the daily news sheet that was pushed under our cabin door. However, I believe that not enough attention was given to the thought of ensuring all those who departed were aware of the time change. Disembarkation, by comparison to our earlier experiences, was frightful. Our group, navy blue, were the first to leave as we had a 10:20 flight. No sooner had the group been called to disembark when the true British grit turned nasty and became a free-for-all. Only one coach at a time was allowed and was quickly filled by passengers wanting later flights. At one point the staff lost control and almost had to physically drag people off the coach. This had a knock-on effect right through to departure when people were actually running to catch their flight! Finally, it was comforting to note the way in which, after their previous problem this year, Thompson regarded the health of passengers and crew with high regard: to the point where hand cleansing when boarding or entering restaurants was paramount. Overall I would recommend Thompson Spirit, but only after her re-fit. She has a large number of dedicated passengers who clearly would not go anywhere else.