This sailing was incredible from start to finish! The staff were all friendly, helpful, and couldn't do enough for you. The ship was an older classic style yacht, very comfortable but definitely a dated look to it. The cabins were small but comfortable, the beds were a little on the hard side for my taste but were still cozy enough to get a good night's sleep. The food on board was wonderful! The kitchen staff outdid themselves at every meal. I swear we barely ever stopped eating on board, as soon as breakfast was cleared, someone was out offering fresh slices of watermelon, then lunch, then a dish of sorbet on the sun deck, then an amazing dinner and cocktails, definitely overdid it but everything was impeccable. The cruise director was always knowledgeable about our ports, giving us plenty of insight on what to do while in each country (Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece). I do think the excursions could be improved upon though, they only offered a couple excursions in each port, and they were participation based, so if the one you wanted didn't have enough guests, it didn't happen. That being said, the only port I think an excursion is truly necessary is Albania. My favorite stops were Korcula, Kotor, Anti-Paxos and Paxos (Anti-Paxos had the best beach and bluest waters I've ever seen in my life!). I would gladly travel with Variety in the future, and look forward to the day I get to sail with them again! Read Less

We sailed 12th July 2018..for two weeks... cabin number 0230..it was central to everything..same floor to entertainment.. And nightclub.. You couldn't hear any noise from there at night.. The cabin was cleaned every day and bed was turned down.. The ship was wonderful.. The food was amazing.. The staff were lovely and very helpful. Internet was OK in the right places fast enough.. Only in port tho... Some ports there was nothing to do if you weren't on a trip.. I've done lots of cruises I'd never do a hotel holiday again.. It's great seeing different places even when you're on a out at sea day its very relaxing.. Great weather boiling hot only rained once then it was still hot.. I'd definitely recommend tui cruises.. The shows every night were excellent.. Very comfortable sitting areas.. There was a disabled area that was helpful to some people.. The tender is easy to get on and off.. Read Less

Chose to go on smaller ship for our first cruise, to celebrate our golden wedding, and were not disappointed. From the time of arrival at our airport until disembarkation from ship to going on to stay in Dubrovnik for a second week, we didn't have to lift a finger and were thoroughly spoiled. We had a balcony cabin on the top deck which was spacious and comfortable. The cabin stewards were wonderful. The food was good, we ate in the Compass Rose mainly and had plenty of choice and the waiters couldn't do enough for us Our last night we ate in the a la carte restaurant, what exceptional value, we couldn't eat it all! The entertainment was good and the shore excursions met up to our expectations too. We met some lovely people as we always shared a table. A holiday to remember, we couldn't have asked for more. Read Less

I can't complain about anything. Our trip in Pan Orama through the Adriatic sea (Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece) was absolutely amazing. The crew is incredible, everyone was super nice to us and we felt really well-treated by everyone. Absolutely everyone was super kind. The service is amazing, you get your room done twice a day. THE FOOD IS AMAZING!!!!!! The cabins are really well equipped, and they provide you some toiletries. It has a bar and a coffee table, where you can help yourself with coffee, infusions, tea, cookies or fruit 24/7. Its super peaceful and I am looking forward to go on board again. I was scared of being dizzy all day long, but the ship doesn't move that much and you feel in perfect conditions all the time. The shore excursions are really interesting and we went to really beautiful places ashore. The swim stops are one of the most amazing things I've ever done, it's amazing to swim in open sea.The activities on board are really entertaining and they were scheduled in the perfect moments. We relaxed and had the best vacation of our lives. I seriously hope to be back again. Read Less

Although a bit dated the ship met all our needs, and added to its charm. We are glad it has been kept in service and should be updated and kept by Thomson. our cabin was of a good size and was adequately equipped. staff service was excellent, cabin was very clean and comfortable. We booked 4 excursions within the week which was bit too much, we could have explored some of the points of interests ourselves. Would recommend the Venice tour though, very informative tour guide. We would not recommend the salt fields trip, very disappointing museum and should have had someone demonstrating how things worked. The wine tasting after did make up for it though. The ship's entertainment was very good and we very much enjoyed the show that was provided by the staff. The staff make you feel like part of the ships family. We shall certainly be booking another cruise. The check-in at the airport was quick, easy and seam less. Read Less

It was mine & the wifes 1st cruise & we wasn't dissapointed, from the lovely suite on the 8th deck, to the 2 cabin stewards Bert & Randy who just couldn't do enough for us, to the entertainment in the Broadway suite which was top class, Tom Evans & all the team did a different show every night, & every show was a delight to sit & watch, they deserve all the praise they get, well done guys, to the resident band Strumjam, they were awesome & it was a pleasure to sing with them on a bandioke night, & to all the staff & crew they all work so very hard & some get so little sleep, to the Lido Restaurant with great food every day, to the Compass Rose Restaurant & the fantastic waiter service, to the waiters & waitresses that served our drinks, to the captain & his crew for getting us to our destinations, so thank you all for a awesome 2 weeks aboard the Thomson Spirit.. Read Less

My wife and I celebrated our 35th anniversary with an unforgettable Adriatic cruise aboard the Thomson Spirit. We found the Spirit to be a lovely old ship with excellent facilities, restaurants & bars and our cabin was perfectly adequate and clean. Our cabin stewards Henry (we loved the animal shapes he made from our fresh towels every day !) and Vitaly were always charming and helpful, Shine & Rosemarie were amazing drinks waitresses in the Horizons Bar and all the crew members we met were obviously very proud of their ship. We enjoyed the wide variety of food available and took full advantage of the excellent drinks package. Sunbathing on the decks was very enjoyable and there was always a drinks waiter on hand from whom to order a refreshing cool drink. All our shore visits were interesting, the places picturesque and our gondola trip in Venice was just one of many highlights during our holiday. I took part in a couple of well organised guided cycling tours, a fun way to see places, while my wife treated herself to relaxing massages aboard the ship ! Our flight from Glasgow to Dubrovnik and the subsequent coach journey to the Spirit were stress-free and a big plus was the fact that Thomsons uplifted our luggage from Dubrovnik airport and delivered it straight to our cabin aboard the ship. Overall, our first cruise proved to be such a memorable experience that we've already booked another cruise for next year ! Read Less

We chose this cruise because of its destination, the size of the boat and the fact that it was vetted by Wilderness Travel, an excellent US travel company. Eight of us traveled for a week along the Dalmatian coast and had a wonderful time thanks to the great crew and the really nice ship. The embarkation was the only little problem we encountered: no one answered the phone earlier that day so we did not know where to go on the pier. Turns out you have to go through a customs office first, which was not mentioned in the instructions. But everything after that was great. All of us would recommend this heartily for people who like low-key vacations in smallish vessels. The only reason some of the ratings below (Enrichment activities, Entertainment, Fitness & recreation) do not get "excellent" is that they refer to large cruise ships and we were very very glad not to have them available. Read Less

We did search many cruise lines and I was about to book on a different cruise line when I came across "the cruise critic". Thank goodness we did. My wife and I were taking this special trip of 14 days to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. We flew into Dubrovnik 3 days before starting our cruise with Crystal. Dubrovnik was great and I am glad that we allowed extra time to see this city. Now it is time to meet up with Crystal. The overall experience was as good as it gets! We took a taxi to the terminal where you embark on Crystal and Crystal staff was there to meet us at the taxi. They went into action and the next thing we knew is we were entering the ship where again more staff welcomed us with champagne and a wonderful welcome. That was the start of the Crystal adventure!! The staff was perfect, food was the best, and accommodations were outstanding. The shore excursions were all great. We had a shore excursion every day. All included so we did not have to deal with add-ons etc. No tipping etc., all was taken care of. All was as near to perfect as one could hope for. We will cruise small ships from now on and it will be with Crystal. We could not have had a better celebration. Thank you Crystal staff!! Read Less

I noticed an advert for the Crystal Esprit in a publication from our Travel Agent and it fitted in perfectly with other travel plans. The yacht has been fully refurbished and it's all SOTA in every way. The cabins are beautiful and every luxury is catered for. The beds and pillows are divine and the bathrooms are large and well-equipped. Great shower! There is an Michelin-star chef on board - Rainer Buss - who oversaw every plate that left the kitchen. The presentation, variety, flavours, and portions were perfect. The wines were good and the table service was efficient and friendly. Every crew member was pleasant and cheerful - always a smile and a greeting. The Patio cafe for a light location for breakfast and lunch. The Yacht Club dining room was low lit and pleasant place to dine. The Cove Bar was a comfortable place to read during the day and have a drink in the evening. Our chef brought around delicious canapés each evening - perfect. We were treated to champagne and caviar on the penultimate evening of the cruise. Deck 5 - Sun deck was well equipped and there was plenty of seating for evening drinks as well as lounging during the day. The bar was always ready to serve everything from coffee to cocktails and you could even have an early snack up there. The ports visited were all interesting and without exception the guides on the tours were knowledgeable and entertaining. Our one complaint was the air conditioning on board - in the cabin particularly - it was cold and there was no temperature control. We asked for the fan to be turned down to make it bearable. We escaped to the Cove Bar where it was warm if we wanted to read as it was too cold anywhere in the cabin but in bed under the doona. The Patio cafe had an automatic door and this had a life of its own on chilly mornings - opening and closing and freezing those having breakfast. Read Less