We have just returned from a fabulous 7 days. The whole thing was fabulous. A clean and lovely ship. The staff are excellent can’t do enough for you. Cheerful friendly and helpful. Our room was well looked after cleaned everyday. Top ups for tea coffee milk etc. Our cabin was a balcony deluxe and it lived up to its name.Chocolates on your pillows. Always an animal towel in your bed lol.The entertainment was professional and great to watch.A different show each night. We had waiter service in the bars for our wide selection of cocktails.Irish cream coffees Baileys etc. The food was great .A good selection and always hot. Salads were tasty and tempting. Breakfast has a wide variety of things From English breakfast to continental. Omelettes were delicious. The trips were long days but we made lots of memories. Just need extra stops on the Rome walking tour. We packed a lot in a week but was a great holiday. Can’t wait to go cruising again with TUI. Thanks to everyone. Read Less

We arrived at the ship after our flight from Leeds/Bradford first impressions were wow what a ship how large it was, suppose it had to be with around 1800 passengers, check in airport security style, got a plastic card which was key to cabin, card for drinks food etc, and boarding card, got to out cabin 9100 which was deck 9, reasonable size with a large balcony with chairs table and a hammock, beds were ok, Bottled water-small bottles of wine, biscuits on what we thought was a complimentary tray, later discovered all that was chargeable, at an exorbitant rate. This is where it all started to go wrong, we booked as "All inclusive", turns out not as all inclusive as you think. In the coffee pot lounge you were charged for coffee, several other places, bars and restuarants had a charge, and not cheap. So we set sail had our first nights meal in The Market Place, which was very basic cafeteria food, which was ok, self serve pumps of red/white wine and fosters lager, this was free. had a wander around the ship seemed quite well appointed, eventually went to bed around 11pm quite a tiring day... didnt sleep at all well as above the twin beds was the air conditioning unit very noisy all night slept badly, woke tired. complained to reception asked if it could be turned off, very curtly told no, reception staff not very helpful, after talking to other passengers who also agreed they had problems with reception. tried other restuarants Meditteranean pasta and pizza, average, latitude 53 was ok, but not exactly what we would expect from a restuarant that appeared to be a bit more upmarket than others. drinks were free, rather most drinks were free, could drink oneself silly as a lot did especially on the pool deck Entertainment was somewhat amatuerish, girls and guys prancing around and trying to sing, more like yelling, too loud afoten had no idea what they were singing about, the best night was when they had the comedian steve? terry he was very funny. Excursions to Rome-Florence-Pisa etc were very expensive almost £200.00 per couple, and those places would be jam packed with tourists, All in all for us was not a good experience, could, and should have spent our money elsewhere .not on a cruise, we agreed that it was an experience not a good one and we would never ever go on a cruise again, although there was one guy who had done 54 cruises in 7 years (must have been insane) The plus side was our cabin staff were absolutely amazing Madelyn and ? cannot remeber his name nothing too much trouble. Read Less

This cruise was suggested to us by our local Tui store so we went ahead keeping an open mind. We didn't realise this was the inaugural sailing of the Explorer, and were pleasantly surprised at the generous promotional gifts waiting for us in our cabin. Embarkation was easy and the systems employed throughout the cruise proved efficient. We had mixed feeling about the increased balcony space at the expense of stateroom floor-space. The hammock and lounger were useful.... but so would have been the space in the room: you can't have everything so it was what it was. Our room attendants were superb - always friendly and helpful and a credit to the ship. It would be remiss not to mention the first morning's confusion, but suffice to say, from then on, everything on the ship appeared to run smoothly. We chose to eat in the dining room and one has to say the food was superb. My only criticism was that although wine and beer were available with the meal, spirts were not. On the subject of wine, the quality of the wine on tap in the Market Place was awful. Not only could I not drink either red or white, I saw countless glasses of unfinished wine on tables left by others doubtless of the same opinion. The theatre and entertainment by contrast, were fabulous (no other word for it). The dancers were so professional and "together", they could have been on the West End stage. The musicians were equally as good (as well as those throughout the ship). The theatre was as good as I have ever been in: the seats were well placed. with lit-up tables and efficient waiter service. The captain was ever present and approachable: we managed a bridge tour where we enjoyed his hospitality and shared some of his experiences. A big thank you the crew who made or cruise as enjoyable as it was Read Less

We wanted to see Gibraltar and this cruise covered part of the Canaries, Madeira, Portugal, Gibraltar, Spain, Ibiza and finished in Mallorca, so it covered a good area and choice of ports. As everyone has said, the ship is showing it's age but the crew keep it as well as can be. Captain Richard, who has a very soothing voice, kept us well informed over the tannoy when we docked each morning. Our cruise was quiet choppy in places and we did feel the rocking through the 'ol girl. We were rocked to sleep at night in an inside cabin that did us quite nicely as we don't spend much time there. The cabin was kept spotless by our housekeeping chap, Erna. Well done to him and very much appreciated. The entertainment was varied. We personally only went to one show done by the show team, they worked hard and it was ok. There was a comedian on board for a few shows, Bob Taylor, he was good and he also gave a talk in the lounge about the Beatles, which was very interesting. The 3 boys as Acoustic Soul in Waters Edge and the 2 in Tides were excellent but we didn't like the band in the main lounge, but that's our choice and they all worked hard. The food was not very good. The Orion Restaurant where there was table service was just about ok but the Lido buffet was awful. The food was sloppy and messed around with, not hot, with awful hard uncooked frozen brussels. There was never anywhere to sit that was clean. On the 2 nights a Captains evening was held, we could not eat in the Orion, so had to endure the buffet dinner. Buffet lunch was fine if you took it on the upper Sirens Deck, and the Terrace grill did burgers, hotdogs and pizzas which were good. The serving staff, both restaurant and wine waiters are all there, look around but never seem to see. More attention needed. One chap who was Employee of the Month for March always managed to walk around with an empty tray and never pick up any dirties!! He was very skilled at doing nothing. The entertainment team did their best but so many quizzes, bingo, cheap noisy stuff that we did not enjoy. Far too gay for me!! We never got to sit on a sun bed, usual reasons, but they all had to be so close together and you wouldn't want to swim in the 'tank', you couldn't call it a swimming pool. The excursions were all fine except at Portimao when we had to be taken off by launch. Absolutely diabolical. From getting a launch ticket in the lounge to reaching shore, took 2 and 1/2 hours!!! They said they didn't expect so many to want to get off!! Well they should surely expect the 1500 ppl to get off and arrange accordingly. When talking to other folk, many had been on other Marella cruises and the other ships sounded far superior to this one. If you want to go on a cruise, choose another ship. Read Less

Went on the TUI Discovery as part of a cruise and stay holiday and had a great time. Have heard negative reviews of the ship and spoke to some people who didn’t like the size, too big, food not good etc, but can honestly say it’s one of the best holidays we’ve had. We have cruised with NCL, Carnaval, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Thomson and all have something different to offer, but this ship was easy to navigate, lovely staff and very clean. Room was compact but improved by changing the layout to twin opening up the space in the middle. Shower was dreaded curtain, clinging to bits I didn’t know I had. Room kept clean and the couple of issues we had were quickly fixed. Dining, MDR was very good and we used for lunch and dinner most days, always enjoying the food. Service particularly by Alex from Macedonia and Bobby from Indonesia was very good. The Italian restaurant up the stars was also very good. We used the buffet for breakfast and discovered a couple of issues, namely don’t sleep in as cups run out as does the coffee and juice, although they did eventually get replenished. It’s busy and everyone pushes and shoves. We used the glass house for the deli lunch and a couple of nights for tapas which we really enjoyed. We didn’t use the pay for as there was no need, food was excellent everywhere else. Bars, we used the Atrium, lovely place to sit and relax, the Bar 11 which housed the disco at night and were very well served by Alexsander. Live Bar was busy, it had the casino, and the Venue was quiet when we were there. Drinks were good, but ask for the bar menu and then, as there are few of them, photographer the drinks so you know what’s included in you package at all times Read Less

Wanted to try a cruise and the travel agent recommended this one to us. Embarkation and disembarkation was well organised. We had an outside cabin on floor 3. Cabin was small but had everything we needed in it. Has a hairdryer. You have one plug in the cabin that takes European convertor. Enough drawers and hangers. We used the dining rooms to eat in. The Seven Seas and the Four Seasons. Really enjoyed sharing a table with others. Great way to meet others. Food was really good. Staff really friendly. Two small pools on deck 10. The entertainment each evening was very professional, so very very good. We used the train to get to Nice, don't follow signpost when you get off tender at Villafrance. Walk along seafront and up the steps to the station. 3.60euros return to Nice and 6 euros return to Monaco.We did Pisa by bus, courtesy bus drops you off near tourist information, they will direct to bus. If you get there early enough you can get a train before 945am. After ten there is a wait for next one. Had a lovely morning in Corsica. There is a free bus to Marseille just a short walk off the ship, otherwise the ship offers a bus for 6 euros return. A small train takes you up to the Notre Dame de La Garde Church. Lovely views of Marseille from the top. Everything and everyone on this cruise was great, only one thing for us was a rough crossing from Marseille to Barcelona this put us off going again. Read Less

I have just returned from a weeks cruise which was offered at a knock down price due to the fact that the ship is coming out of service at the end of the year. We were a bit apprehensive as to what condition the ship would be in, the ship was as described as a bit tired and the cabins small however we couldn't fault the organisation of Thomsons everything thing went like clockwork from checking in at Gatwick to departure day at the end of the holiday, well done Thomsons. The ship itself was as described tired but everything worked as it should, the food was excellent as were all of the staff the entertainment was brilliant.It might not have been the best nor the biggest ship in the world but the atmosphere and the enjoyment was amazing. We would certainly book again with Thomsons due mainly to there fantastic efficiency Read Less

we chose this cruise because of the destinations and it was recommended to us from our daughter and son in law who went on a cruise last year on the Thomsons dream who also came on this cruise with us along with our granddaughter who is 16 who enjoyed it as much as all of us . we found that the entertainment had something for everyone of all ages also the food and drink was more than plentiful excellent service through out the ship the staff always had a smile and was very polite could not do enough for us although there were plenty to do it also was very relaxing I only have one negative thing to say most of the children on board were well behaved apart from a couple of children rolling allover the floors in one of the bars while the parents seamed to be oblivious to it all my greatest concern was for the waiters carrying the drinks it would not have taken much for an accident other than that we all had a fantastic Read Less

we have never on this ship before, last year we were on the celebration and loved everything about the cruise, with not 1 complaint, right from the start this cruise failed, no one from Thomson to meet us as we got off the plane to tell us that we had to collect our own luggage or even where to collect it from, nor were we told HOW to exit the airport terminal, once we found our way out of the airport we were finally meet by the cruise director and taken to the coach, it was only when we got to the ship we found that WE had to collect our luggage, it then cost us €25 to get our cases from the airport. TV was unwatchable, off more than on, we were woken up at 6:45am 2 mornings by kids NOT being looked after by their parents. cabin crew wanted to clean cabin just after 8am even though we had do not disturb. No UK sockets and no adapters available on board ship. the stuff left in cabin for drinks ( tea coffee etc) made 1 drink each then had to go to coffee bar to order more drinks, the drinks left in cabin to buy were not even in a fridge so red hot as no fridge in cabin. we eat in the buffet all the time building up friendships with a few of the waiters as well the head waiter who set up a wonderful surprise on our wedding anniversary, we always found the staff really excellent, the entertainment was good even met a singer (Benjamin Moss) we had made friends with on the Celebration singing on the majesty, we found the cost of shore excursions to much and a total waste of time so we went ashore when we wanted to and got more enjoyment that way finding our own way around the places we went. Read Less

1st ever cruise & what a fantastic experience . From the minute we got of the coach at Palma docks to the minute we got off the staff where fantastic so polite & friendly. Our cabin had a balcony which was beautiful to wake up to with a different port/country, it was spotless cleaned at least 3 times a day The food in all the eating venues was got of this world & again the service was 1st class, would recommend that you book before boarding for surf& turf & Chinese restaurant's in advance to avoid disappointment as places limited (Extra £20 per head but well worth it) Loads of staff only spoilt by ignorant people demanding drinks etc Not for young children but couples from 30 year you will have a ball Tip we travelled with 2 other couple's & did our own excursions as it worked out cheaper Went to Monty Carlo paid 99 Euros for 6 pints near casino so take care Read Less

This was our second time on the Dream, the first was three years ago and it was poor, we gave it another go because we new about the refurbishments, plus we had a very good cruise on the Celebration in Nov 2014. How these two ships can be so different is unbelievable, the dream is a tired, old ship and not worthy of the Platinum class that Thomson describes it as. Our cabin, 6156, had to be cleaned properly, carpet was sticky and dirt down the side of the settee, well, it had never been cleaned in a long time. The bathroom tiles were damaged and had to be repaired, not an acceptable standard. There was a broken glass between the two doors at the end of the corridor that led on to the deck area ( 6 ) it was there for four days before it was removed, but only after I reported it. Food quality was poor to average, never hot enough. Formal complaint made on board, had meeting with restaurant manager about food but nothing really changed. Taking complaint further. We were booked to go back on the Dream in March 2016' we have cancelled, no way is Thomson getting £3800 to sail on this third rate ship, never again!!! On the plus side, crew were terrific. Read Less

Let me start by saying we had a fabulous holiday around the med on this ship and I'm sad to see it go. This ship has had its fair share of bad reviews however as a first time cruiser I have nothing more to compare it with other than the time I had onboard. Yes with the age of the ship it was a little dated but it certainly exceeded my expectations. Embarkation was swift and so well organised we quickly were given key card to our cabin and everything was ready for us to settle in. The cabin was 7550 on deck 7. It had 2 twin beds and a fold down bunk which was not needed, a picture window, It had lots of hanging space and drawer space and space under the bed to put suitcases. Believe me I took a lot of clothing and there was more than enough room for what we needed. The bathroom again was small but perfectly adequate with shower sink and toilet with toiletries. Satpal our cabin steward deserves a special mention. He was a most efficient cabin steward who kept our cabin extremely clean and tidy and basically looked after our room for the 2 weeks we were aboard. I loved the towel art he added as finishing touches and he was so happy and polite. Let's move forward to the dining areas. Dining was buffet style unless you booked a la carte at an additional charge. It was help yourself style and for what I paid for the holiday I most certainly can't grumble about the standard and choice of food. There was carvery meat and veg on every night and many different alternatives. Choices of starters and desserts too? The waiters again were extremely helpful and Midy and Ronny deserve a medal for looking after us. They looked after us so well it made our mealtimes very special. Drinks on board were all inclusive unless you ordered cocktails, branded drinks and speciality coffees fro the cafe. The unbranded drinks were excellent and the supplement cocktails were at very reasonable suplpliments we tried the hot stone a la carte and found it a great experience. Next to mention was the entertainment. Ross the entertainment director has a very special team of entertainers. Including Ross they are all extremely talented and provide entertainment as good as the west end. I can say this as I've been to watch many shows in the west end and I found the musical showson ship as impressive. The other entertainment was from a very young team and I can't say enough how talented this young team was. As for Ross he was fantastic (and doesn't do the amount of work for a chuffing 0/10 and quite rightly too) it certainly wasn't Benidorm at sea as one review described it. We did many excursions and I thought were organised extremely well and I thoroughly enjoyed them even though I walked my socks off. However I didn't go on a cruise to spend my time on the ship when there was so much to see. Finally all people I spoke to had a fabulous time and were pleased,they booked it. There were many planning to cruise again with thomsons in the future because of the experience. Hopefully this review will set those peoples mind at rest for the four weeks of travel this ship has left. Read Less