The reason i chose this cruise was, it went from Malaga where i was staying for the summer ,and also because of the itinerary.I hadn't been to Porto or Porto mao before also the second week of the cruise was undiscovered Spain including ports like Roses ,Tarragona , Cadiz and so on. The embarkation was easily the quickest i have ever experienced on any cruise line 10 out of 10 for that ,we were given the option of choosing our cabin prior to the trip for 48 pounds per person which i did because i didn't want any nasty surprises ,i was told that the cabin i wanted wasn't available but another similar cabin on a different floor was, so i agreed not realising that i was getting an L shaped room with single beds that could not be put together ,It was our anniversary !! i haven't spent a night in a single bed in 30 years ,the first night i nearly fell out of the bed ,not a good start to my first Marella cruise .We went for dinner the second night in the dining room and was shown to our table ,introduced ourselves to the other guests who were very nice ,I ordered melon and serrano ham as an appetiser and decided not to order the soup ,when i saw the condition of the pathetic piece of melon and the dried up piece of leather i asked the waiter could i have the soup ,he threw his eyes up to heaven and sighed as this was going to be a big deal .I could not believe how unprofessional and downright rude he was ,I ,and the other guests at the table were shocked at his behaviour .When the dessert arrived one of the other guests ordered a pudding and her husband ordered cheese ,she asked the waiter could she possible have a little piece of blue cheese and she got the same response i got, eyes thrown up to heaven .Never had she been treated like this on any Cruise line .The bottom line is if you don't want to do the the job you are being paid for ,Leave ! This was just the beginning of the cruise . The following day we went onto the pool deck ,i have seen bigger paddling pools ,bearing in mind there were 1350 guests onboard, the pool sign said it had a maximum capacity of 8 persons ,are you joking me ? there were 10 children under the age of 12 and 1 very large man in the pool and it had a very suspect colour ,i was not getting in this pool .I decided to go to the adult pool and jacuzzi where children are not allowed ,well the rule book went out the window .children, toddlers ,everyone was allowed in the pool .so where do you go if you want a relaxing quiet read ? i know i will go to the library .i found it and the smell of damp in the room ? forget about it ! .eventually i went back to my L shaped room for peace and quiet. My husband is a very fit man and likes to exercise regularly so he headed to the Gym ,there were odd weights, no hand towels , and broken machinery all cluttered together in a small room ,the best thing about the Gym was the air -conditioning .It was the coolest part of the ship. I opted for the all inclusive drinks when i booked the cruise so that my husband would be able to enjoy a few glasses of wine or a scotch during or after a show it seemed to be a very good deal EXCEPT!!! I don't drink alcohol at all and Water, Yes! ,water was not included in all-inclusive drinks .the package was all inclusive drinks not all inclusive alcohol ,I could order tap water but the taste depending on where you were served, tasted disgusting ,i even tried to disguise it with lime ,forget it ! it just made it worse . We decided one afternoon to watch a movie in the theatre ,the movie was supposed to start at 3 pm but we sat in the theatre and no film came on ,i went reception and asked what was wrong ,she told me they needed an engineer to sort the problem out to make a longer story shorter 9 guests complained in 45 minutes to reception ,eventually a young lad came in to the theatre reached up and pressed a button and the movie came on half-way through .i asked could they rewind it and the lady at reception said No! . a wasted afternoon. The second week of our cruise teamed us up with the guests we met the second night of our cruise ,they had found a table in the restaurant where the waiters were civil ,good humoured and obliging .What lovely Guys, Jude, JR, and their team.every night they looked after us and treated us with respect and a lot of humour the banter was great between us all at the table . ,The wine waiter made a point of organising mocktails for me every night because he knew i didn't drink alcohol ,he was a pet !. Now for the entertainment ,The shows were performed most nights by a group of young singers and dancers ,who worked so hard every night to give us a good show and to be fair they were grand ,The stand -out singer was a young man named Sam who has a bright future ahead of him, he was easily the best singer in the group .He should go a long way in his career but i think he would be better suited for the West end Musicals than a third -rate cruise ship that is already sinking .The comedian for the first week Karl Schofield was hilarious and an excellent singer,he ended up doing a gig in Raffles singing til about 2 am in the morning ,fair play to him everybody thought he was the best comedian in the two weeks . The cabin staff we had were excellent, and as far as the other guests i spoke to all the cabins were kept spotless ,each night we found ,like other ships we have been on, curious animals appeared on our bed at night from monkeys to elephants to swans and kittens ,they really did their best to cheer the cabins up .but the dodgy shower heads and the grey tatty towels left a lot to be desired and no fridge. On the plus side the room was spacious with plenty of storage and hanging space . My final words on the Marella Spirit is that like most Cruises its the people you meet on a cruise and the staff that either makes or breaks it and this certainly was the case with this Cruise ,We found because this was the last year the ship would be sailing, there was a lot of uncertainty with the staff if they were going to be sent to other ships or lose their jobs ,and it certainly reflected in some their attitudes and behaviours . I was asked to try another Marella Cruise Ship and honestly i couldn't do it ,life is too short to waste time and hard -earned money on another Marella Cruise,now don't get me wrong for some people this was for them great ,but i couldn't in all honesty recommend this Cruise line to any of my friends or family . Read Less

Just returned on the 5th August after a weeks cruise on the marella spirit. Was very apprehensive about going after reading the latest reviews. I would just like to say ignore all the negative reviews as there was nothing to complain about. Yes the ship is tired in some areas but made no difference to us. Firstly check in at the port was excellent and cabin was ready and luggage delivered to our room promptly. The room had a double wardrobe and plenty drawer space. The staff on board can not do enough for you and are constantly cleaning the ship. The food was of good choice and always hot, not like previous reviews have said about food being cold. There were always a lot of people around the pool area but we always got a sun bed on the top deck, enabling us to see the amazing sites and the sights as we were sailing out of port. We were all inclusive but if you wanted eg corona, magners etc then you had to pay £2.30 and the odd cocktail had a £2.30 supplement. We had the odd drink we paid for but mainly had a/i drinks which were good. There was always a cocktail of the day to choose from. Also if you order soft drinks they are for example pepsi, sprite, fanta etc. The resident band Strum Jam were amazing as were the entertainment team. We went in the show bar a couple times, very good shows. We had an amazing time and compared to the cruise we did in October last year on the discovery I would say they were both on par, apart from a better selection of a/i drinks on the discovery, but made no difference to us. IGNORE ALL NEGATIVE REVIEWS Read Less

Everything from start to finish was first class. I have never written a review and not had at least one bad word to say so this is my FIRST, we are now totally hooked on cruises and our yearly holidays will be crusing from now on. everyone on board was SO freindly its almost too good to be true that this WAS OUR PERFECT HOLIDAY it really is a very friendly ship. FOOD was the BEST EVER and i take my hat off to all the chefs you really do lay on some wonderful dishes, i am normally an egg and chips girl but enjoyed so many other dishes, the best thing was if i just wanted plain old egg and chips or a plate of gravy and chips it was there, and the sunday roast would make any gran ashamed, there was even my fav sponge pudding and custard oh i so wish i was back on board this tea time. entertainment was FIRST CLASS and without question top class west end standards. entertainment team was fantastic and so polite. Cabin was as expected and houskeeping was 5 star. the staff are the most pleasant, polite, happy, hard working people i have ever come accross. WELL DONE TUI you really have left us dreaming of our next cruise. The ports and shore excursions need a separte review as i feel this should just be all about how wonerful this ship is! its just a shame the SPIRIT is ending in oct this year. I have only one minor thing to grumble about PLEASE put a toaster on board at breakfast so guests can make there own HOT toast. Read Less

We were originally booked to travel to Florida but as a result of damage etc and the hurricanes prevailing at that time we decided to cancel and were offered the chance to rebook so decided on a cruise and stay as always fancied this type of holiday. We had cruised many times before, only once though with Thomson on the Majesty which we hadn't particularly enjoyed at the time but had heard of good reports of the Discovery 1 and 2 ships. We were immediately very impressed, only had an inside cabin as that was all that was available approximately 6 days before we sailed but it was fine, plenty of storage, clean, quite modern, well kept by the steward whose name I sadly have forgotten, easy access to the parts of the ship we visited and also close to a water cooler so we always had fresh water to take ashore or during the night, great idea this instead of the constant sales push by other companies to purchase bottles of water from them at extortionate prices. The only negative is the horrid shower curtains that keep attaching themselves to you, why can't they get rid of them! Shower doors would be much better. We used the main dining room for breakfast as we had had a break from cruising as we had both got utterly sick of buffets, the queueing for tables and hustle bustle and noise of it all in the past. This was a much better choice, waiter service, good selection of breakfasts and much more relaxing dining option and we never had to wait for a table. We also used this option for dinner, generally we had to have a pager but often we ordered a drink, sat down and then our pager went off. Food was excellent too at dinner, cannot fault it and my husband is fussy! Would thoroughly recommend the main dining room and the all inclusive drinks option was wonderful. The Prosecco, cocktails and wines which I tried were excellent and bar service was good. We used to have a drink in the bar on the upper deck which became the disco later in the evening and would then go down to book a table for dinner, going into the atrium bar while we waited. Coffees were also available on the all inclusive package. We did not book any trips etc but did our own thing. During the day we used the glass house for swimming as I do not sunbathe, the pool was a little chilly but the atmosphere was lovely and the food options for lunch good and the takeaway section just outside did a variety of foods and fresh fruit selection. We only used the buffet once, quite late in the afternoon so it was not too busy to at that point. We went to a couple of shows which were very good but generally did our own thing in the evening. Embarkation was very speedy when we boarded and our suitcases arrived very quickly indeed which is always a relief !and as we were going to a hotel for four days we left the ship fairly early in the morning but sadly we ended up sitting on a coach for ages as the coach was overbooked initially, the passengers were transferred to another coach, all a bit of a pain really and then we had a long wait to check in at our hotel but that is another story! The cruise was excellent thoughout, would definitely go again and would recommend, the all inclusive drinks package and tips included is a bonus. Read Less

Firstly this is our 14th Thomson Cruise, but our first on the new type of Thomson ship (Discovery 1 or 2) and we were excited to see how the new generation of ship had changed. First impressions were excellent, the ships interior was very impressive and our deck six balcony cabin was clean, contemporary and had more than enough space. The balcony had a small table and two chairs, more than enough space for two people. One small gripe with the induction on the ship was that normally we would be met by a member of staff who takes you to your cabin, however we were left to try and find it ourselves, and as a result didn't even see our cabin steward until the second to last day! Food :- The food was fantastic :) The best food we have ever had on a Thomson ship, We ate at the buffet at breakfast and lunch, and then in the restaurant in the evening. There was lots of choice for breakfast, you could have omelettes with anything you want on, different types of pancake, obviously all of your usual full English breakfast items, and continental. Dinner we had everything from Suckling pig, home made pies, and unusual ways to eat vegetables such as courgette pancakes which were lovely. There was also your usual chips burgers and pizzas in the main islands buffet. We met people who also highly rated the snack shack where they had fish and chips, hotdogs etc. but we never got round to going there. There was also proper whippy ice-cream served between 2 and 4 everyday which is highlight recommended! The evening meal was always fantastic. Lots of choice, and always high quality food. Our waiting staff Marco and Robert were excellent, and always put a smile on our faces every evening. They were so good, one evening I had a steak and as I cut into it he could see that it wasn't cooked to how I had asked (I would have just eaten it!) but before I knew it he had replaced I with another which was cooked perfectly. Entertainment - Generally the entertainment was good, however this is where I start with a few gripes about the ship. We aren't one for the musicals so we tended to spend our time in the venue or live room. The entertainment compared to other ships was very hit and miss. Some nights we would have fantastic entertainment, fantastic game shows and the bands particularly sound wave was excellent. However one night the entertainment consisted of us being give voting pads so that we could choose a music video to be played - if I wanted to do this I would choose one I liked off my iPad and go back to the room! This was the main entertainment. Also there wasn't a quiz on in the venue every night as there had been on previous boats. This is strange as they seemed to have more entertainment staff than ever. Saying this we never went to the main Broadway lounge so that could have been excellent. Itinerary - We did the Spanish sunsets itinerary, which consisted of Malaga, Palma, Almeria, Ibiza, Barcelona, Ceuta. To be honest you needed to do trips at everywhere bar Ceuta as we were always docked miles away. This is where my second gripe comes in. We docked miles away from the main ports (not our problem!) yet we are expected to pay 6 Euros each for a courtesy bus to make up for this, surely they should be provided for free. This was the case in Palma, Ibiza and Barcelona. if I would have known this in advance I may have chosen a different itinerary. Ceuta was beautiful however and well worth a visit. Almeria we did a lovely trip which took us to a lovely village called Aquadulce after travelling over the Sierra Nevada mountains - well worth the money. Service - The staff were excellent, however there was simply not enough of them. They now have a digital system to take drinks orders, and for some reason Thomson now feel that they now need less staff. this resulted in the majority of people going to the bar to get there own drinks, which meant that they weren't able to make the drinks for the people who had ordered via the floor staff. In the end we ended up drinking on the deck which was much quieter and we never failed to get a drink. Again this wasn't the staffs fault, they were worked off their feet, I think it is more a result of Thomson's penny pinching. Overall we had a lovely holiday, Captain Chris is a legend, and kept us entertained everyday with his witty comments. There were lots of kids on board, but to be honest we didn't find these a problem (when you go in the summer holidays you have to except this!) I do feel there are a few niggles that need ironing out, but the ship is beautiful, the staff are fantastic, and the cabins were excellent. Thomson really need to give the ships extra staff, pay for better docking positions or at least free courtesy buses, and iron out the entertainment niggles and this ship will be perfect :) Read Less

Spanish Sunsets Cruise : Date of Cruising: 28 May to 4 June 2017 Having cruised previously with Princess, Royal Caribbean and P&O on their larger ships holding 3,500 passengers, we were a little nervous about booking a western Mediterranean cruise with Thompson (now rebranded TUI), on their newly refurbished flagship ‘Discovery 2’. The TUI ship is a lot smaller carrying just 1900 passengers. Obviously, on ‘Discovery 2’ you don’t get the feeling of space as on the bigger ships and there is no ice rink, sports court, flowrider, water slides, large promenades, zip wires, etc … that you get on the larger cruise ships, everything is obviously scaled down, but so is the price. This ‘Discovery 2’ is a ship that was previously owned by Royal Caribbean but sold to TUI who then have rebranded it along with a major refurbishment in May 2017. I was presently surprised by what I saw and experienced and in most areas my expectations were exceeded. The cabin was first class and on a par with the other cruise liners we have sailed with. It was spacious and well equipped and had we had no complaints what so ever. The restaurant where we dined for our evening meals (Gallery 47), was also excellent with a varied menu and delicious food. The service from the restaurant staff was also first class. No complaints from me and I’m a fussy eater. Breakfast and lunch was in the Islands buffet restaurant and again the food was very good. It did get busy at peak times but going slightly earlier or later meant you could always get a table. (Peak time for breakfast was around 9am). Generally the look of the various areas of the ship was good and taking into account that it was a ‘refurbishment’ and not a ‘refit’ a good job had been done. Most importantly there was new carpeting throughout which is important as nothing makes a ship look more ‘tired’ than worn faded carpeting. There was a variety of entertainment around the ship and most was of a reasonable standard and some excellent. The main disappointment were the shows in the main theatre. Although the singers and dancers were very talented, their choice of material was disappointing and song choices could have been a lot stronger. The production and scenery was good and the seating was very, very comfortable, it was just a shame the the material chosen for them to perform was not the best. Also TUI could have done better by having more variety with professional artists being brought onboard to perform that were of a higher calibre than the TUI resident dancers and singers, as good as they were. There was one variation during the week when we had a comedy magician who was OK but not the best. Most of the crew were very courteous and helpful and the room stewards good although they were not as visible and as ‘chatty’ as some on other cruises we’ve been on. There were two pools (both with jacuzzis), one indoor and one outdoor. Both were of good quality and the indoor one was not overcrowded, as was the outdoor one, but that probably wasn’t helped with the week of our cruise being Spring Bank holiday week, and so there was a large number of children onboard. There were plenty of sun beds around the ship and if you looked around you could find a variety of shaded areas. In summary: There is an old saying that ‘you get what you pay for’, and that is certainly true here. You just get the feel that things are just not quite as big, as plush, as roomy and of the same quality as the cruise companies I’ve made mentioned previously, but for what you pay it is good value for money. As you can probably tell, I’d prefer to cruise with Princess, Royal Caribbean, P&O etc, but for a cheap one week cruise in the Mediterranean then it’s worth considering if ‘money is not is a little tight’. Having spoken to others that have previously sailed with TUI/Thompson, I think this is a step up for the company and the effort they are putting into raising their image and brand in the cruise market is to be commended. If you’ve booked a cruise on ‘Discovery 2’ then I suspect you’ll enjoy it as long as you don’t expect the same experience as on the larger cruise liners who specialise in this type of holiday. I hope this review has proved useful and if you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me at glyn.day@ntlworld.com. Cheers, Glyn Read Less

This was our second time cruising and we were celebrating my 60th birthday and our silver wedding anniversary. We flew from Manchester to Malaga and once boarded, we decided to stay and explore the ship and rest up. The ship was very clean, our cabins were cleaned twice daily by very friendly cabin staff who made us feel like it was home from home. The food was plentiful and delicious (I'm sure I gained weight) and we made lots of friends. As part of our celebrations, we were invited to dine at the captains table with other guests, a most enjoyable occasion. We paid extra for a photo shoot, a celebration package, which included flowers, Champaign, basket of fruit and of course a cake. A truly memorable occasion I highly recommend the spa treatment, it was fantastic. Everyone on board made you feel special, however, having requested an outside cabin with a queen size bed, we in fact got two single beds at opposite side of the cabin. We are now taking this up with the travel agency who made the booking. in spite of this, we enjoyed our cruise. Read Less

This was my first cruise ,we had a fantastic time the staff were great the food in all restaurants was very good ,we had the drinks package again great value , the ship is a little tired but very clean , the only place i would not go to again is Casablanca, you get a lot of street traders who won't leave you alone and its not very clean, we did not go on any organised trips , i like to explore on my own, the shows were very good a different theme every night, the comedy was a little dated , the bar staff in the horizons bar were very good we had a good laugh with them all , the thing about this boat its not too large so you get to know the staff and crew ,also you have more of a interaction with the other passengers , i will be booking another Thomson cruise very soon . Read Less

Tips taken at the beginning of the cruise not at the end, no refund for bad service, Food on the ship was always cold in all restaurants, Also some meets under cooked,My wife suffered with sickness and diarrhoea onboard, The cabin shower was filthy, the toilet brush was caked in faeces took 2 days to replace the brush,We washed out the toilet by hand, Paint was pealing and bubbling off the walls and the sink,Witch had been painted over many/many times, The bedside table had broken drawers we fixed, This is purely a booze cruise for the spainish, All entertainment is for the spainish, Not for mixed nationalities,The ship is old and tired and needs a total reform, This was a 25th wedding anniversary gift for my wife, It was the worst experience of our lives, We will never cruise with pullmantur ie the zenith, hope this will stop this company taking advantage of any more of there clientele. Read Less

Good flights and speedy transfer from Malaga to port and check in to ship even though very very busy at port. Great service. Went All Incl and enjoyed the experience. Relaxed approach and this cruise could be as Formal or informal as you wanted........superb staff. Bit dated but still a great experience. Would highly recommend this as a taster to let you try cruising. Formal dining if you wanted it or relaxed as you want when you want buffet dining. Bars and tastes for all. Good entertainment and facilities. Only down side was some passengers were rude to staff and in my opinion thought they were on the QE2. STAFF AND SERVICE TO BE APPLAUDED.....Will certainly be cruising with Thomson's again, relaxed style suited us perfectly. Plenty of choice for drinks, food and things to do. Sunbeds always available and trips in every port if you wanted them. I REPEAT, STAFF WERE GREAT AND HELPED MAKE THIS CRUISE A GREAT FIRST TIME EXPERIENCE for us. WELL DONE THOMSONS. Read Less

My husband booked this trip as a surprise birthday and wow, what a wonderful time we had. The old lady was charismatic and a joy to sail in plus our two cabin stewards Randy and Bert couldn't be more charming and helpful. Apart from some cold food problems on the lido deck, overall, eating here is not a problem. With sailing only for 7 days we tried to cram as much of the evening activities in as we could (for the size of her you wouldn't think you could). No two nights were the same and enjoyed every minute of the entertainment. As it was a special birthday we booked Scirocco's and what a spectacular meal and evening they gave us. The service was impeccable as was the food. Being on the 8th deck we did experience a bit of choppiness on the first couple of nights but you soon settle into the motion. I had more of a problem finding my land legs after getting home (wasn't expecting that, kinda like jet leg). We got off at every port (glad I did) apart from Casablanca, we read requests on what women "should" wear. We decided to give that one a wide berth, not because I didn't have anything suitable to wear but purely because I choose what to wear, I shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable to suit others. Judging by the amount of passengers on the ship that day, I'd say most had the same idea. Would I recommend a Thomson Cruise again ... most definitely. It was our first but certainly won't be our last! Read Less

We had no idea what to choose as we never cruised before. Thomson travel agency helped us to decide.Their staff are wonderful, and so helpful. The ship met all our expectations and much more. It was just the right size too. We got lost a bit to begin with. Any larger would be hard for us! Our cabin was perfect and the cleaning crew so friendly and polite, We enjoyed eating at all the restaurants. Fantastic food. everywhere. We were so taken with the entertainment. The nightly shows as well as the daily bits. The service was outstanding in every section of the ship. We tended to do our own thing at the various ports, but did go for one tour in Lisbon. it was really good. We loved every second of it. We were hooked right from the start, and booked the next within days of our return.We are booked for 2 weeks this year. One week was too short for us. The Spirit was really great and all the crew friendly and helpful...Counting the days to the next. Thank you Thomson. Read Less

This was our first cruse and certainly won't be our last. Yes the ship is old but very clean and well maintained. We were on deck 1 with a outside cabin and must say it was very comfortable and larger that I expected. The housekeeping was amazing with fresh towels every day , at night when we got back to our cabin there was aminals made from the towels and bed turned down . The food was fantastic anything you could want and the service brilliant, jo jo was our food water and Neil was our drink water and they were extremely attentive. The embarking and disembarking went very smoothly. We didn't go on any shore excursions , but got off ship and just done our own thing . Entertainment was fantastic and there were lots of activities . Would definitely go again already looking up cruses with Thomson for next year Read Less

This is our third cruise with Thomson on our third different ship. This time we were on the Spirit. The ship is dated and doe's have some little quirks, like the vibrating. It did not bother the two of us, in fact it added to the charm. I will start with negatives. !. No acknowledgement that we are returning customers and we were not the only ones. 2. The all inclusive is not all inclusive. We did know this but first timers did not. Also they have put a lot more supplements on the drinks menu. Cider has a £2 supplement, that's ridiculous. I don't drink it but lots of cider drinkers were not happy. 3. We had priority tags put on our luggage yet we waited over an hour at Malaga airport for it to trundle along the carousel.. Now to the good bits. The staff. To a person they could not do enough for the guests. Thomson's are very lucky to have such great staff. They made the cruise. The dining. We dined in the Lido for breakfast and lunch. We always had plenty of choice for both. Food is one thing we don't have an issue with on the ship because we are not fussy eaters. Everything was always fresh and had plenty of choice. You could have full English in the morning or continental. At lunch, again plenty of choice. We usually had a salad and found no issue with the freshness or the options offered. In the evening we always dined in the Compass Rose restaurant. A warning. If you want a table for two you may have to wait anything from 5 minutes to 30 minutes depending on how busy it is and if you want the same waiters every evening. We chose to have the same waiters, Tori, Ren and Kumar the wine waiter. I recommend them. The food was always well presented and tasty. It is not five star but it is good quality. The wines were fine to me but I am no expert. I especially liked the rose. Entertainment. You have lots of choice in the evening. You have the twice nightly show. These were very good. On the last night they did a west end show. This was fabulous. One of the best shows we have seen. Raffles bar usually had a singer and then Strum jam. We and lots of other people danced the night away to Strum jam. They were very good. A big hello to all the people who danced with the two of us. You have Horizons bar if you want a quieter night. A very nice bar, yet again with great staff. On the back of the ship you have High Spirits. They have game shows and it is where they have the disco. I have already mentioned the staff but we can't thank them enough for the wonderful service they gave us. Last but not least. A really big thanks to all the lovely guests we met on the ship. I wish we could name them all but here are a few. Ann and Ryan. Lisa. The families from Dagenham. Irene and Alan from Shevy LOL and to everyone else we met. Thank you !!!!! And the big question. Would we go again. A big fat yes. We like Thomson cruise's. not because of the ships or Thomson themselves but for the service we get on the ship and the entertainment that is provided. It suits the two of us. It is not to everyone's taste but there is plenty of choice out there. Hope you have found this helpful. Read Less

This is our first cruise with Thomson and will most certainly be the last, this ship is well past it's best, despite ordering a double cabin we got 2 singles, I complained straight away as did others who were in the same boat (pardon the pun) and basically the reception staff were quite rude about it so not a good start, walked into the bathroom and was totally disgusted it was a disgrace tiles falling off the walls, plaster coming off etc which shocked us and it wasn't particularly clean, that said our cabin stewardess did the best with what she had. There was a leak in the mens toilet on deck 5 when we arrived and was still like it when we left the smell of urine in the corridor was horrible and the air blowers they were using to dry up the area just blew the smell around the ship. Decks were filthy and other return passengers were saying how down hill it had gone. Food was very samey worse than any all inclusive i've ever been to and wasn't particularly nice. The best art of the trip was the entertainment crew they were fantastic, we saw every show and they just got better and betterm not sure what such great entertainers wanted to work on this ship for to be honest. We also found a lot of the crew to be rude I asked for a coke zero and got my head bitten off saying they dont sell it on board even though i'd had it the day before, when I told her this she huffed at me and went off to look for some and quickly came back with my coke zero, not even an apology. Having cruised many times before I would not touch this ship with a barge pole again, stay well clear is my best advice Read Less

4th cruise on the Spirit. 2 more booked before she goes. The staff are to die for, cabins spotless and the entertainment great. Food readily available and good. Special restaurants super. Old ship....Who cares? It's only your floating hotel. You can keep your American floating hotels.The ship has loads of character and will be missed. We are proud to board the Spirit when surrounded by massive ship. Impersonal or what? Single travellers are very well catered for and kids have a whale of a time Could live on the Spirit forever. It's a 3 star ship but we are 3 star people. Those that moan and prefer Cunard or some such...sod off and pay twice or more. All our Thomson experiences (except Dream x 2 yuk have been great but 'home' is the Spirit. I will take loads of pics Apr and Oct and will remember her for ever. God Bless. Read Less

We embarked in Malaga 2 days ahead of the main embarkation in Barcelona. We flew in with Ryan Air from Liverpool and arrived in Malaga at 11.15 am. We took a taxi to the port which cost 24 euros and we were at the port by 11.40 pm. We dropped our suitcases off outside and were given our stateroom number. As we had booked last minute we were guaranteed an inside cabin and that was all we knew! We then made our way to check in and were the only ones waiting to do so. We were checked in, usual welcome on board photo taken and on board by noon. As this wasn't the main embarkation port, we felt a little let down that there was no welcome committee so to speak that you usually get and which happened 2 days later for the majority who boarded in Barcelona, as this is the main start to the holiday...first impressions. We quickly got our bearings found our cabin to find we had been upgraded to a porthole window..the cabin was adequate, clean and functional our suitcases were delivered by 1 pm. We had the muster drill in the theater which was painless. Food and service in the Garden restaurant was excellent. As we did anytime dining we didn't have the same waiter once but the standard we received was consistently good. We tried Windows for breakfast on one occasion but had to wait over an hour for our food so never went back but the staff were very friendly. The Bistro - not so good. The service was slow with no atmosphere. We waited over 40 minutes for our order to be taken and then a further 40 minutes for our starters to arrive. My husband who never complains had a really bad meal. We didn't bother with desserts as we were totally fed up by now and just wanted to leave. The manager promised to refund the cover charge as a goodwill gesture but we were still charged. Cagney's - good but not amazing. We felt a bit rushed as we had booked at 7 pm by 7.45 pm we had left having had 3 courses in less than an hour. Tappanyaki - starter and dessert disappointing but the main course was lovely and of course the added attraction of the chef cooking it for you was good although not sure if it warrants the larger cover charge. We only used the buffet restaurant now and again as it was always crowded with no where to sit unless you went out onto the back of the ship which would've been fine if it wasn't blowing a gale. The Blue Lagoon - good for munchies after the nightclub. The chicken wings were excellent. Also had fish and chips here during the day which were also very good. We found all the staff who served us in the bars to be friendly and efficient. A big shout out to Alfredo who works in the Beer Garden during the day and the Galaxy of the Stars at night. Go find him...he's such a joy and a credit to NCL. Also Philly in the night club, bless her she must have one of the hardest jobs on board dealing with the "rowdy ones" until silly o clock each morning. the staff in the champagne bar were excellent too. The entertainment staff were very good. They even managed to get my husband up for dancing like a Norwegian which was brilliant fun for me, he's still in hiding now ;) The pool was closed for 5 days whilst we were on board, mostly due to rough seas but then a crack appeared. We were fortunate to meet some lovely people on board who made the holiday for us as without them I think we would've been bored by day 4. We plan to cruise with them again next year. So in a nutshell... A very old ship which could do with a major refurbish, excellent staff, good food and good entertainment. After 6 cruises with Princess and 7 with celebrity we loved the freestyle idea. Would we sail with Norwegian again? Definitely but on a newer ship. Many thanks. Read Less

Recommended by a friend who also went on the same cruice, and he was a friend if the owner which he helped to finance to built the ships.. At that time I was living in Sweden. The crew and service aboard was absolut excellent. And I meet my future wife on the cruice,we get married feb 14 2014 she had cabin number 119, and I moved to USA where she was living. Very happy with the cruice. We are both living in southern California. Our tour went to: Malaga, Casablanca, Tanger, Gibraltar, Sevilla. We are hoping that we can make it again on one of the Flyer Ships. My wife had been on Star Flyer some years before, from Athen to Asia ended in Phuket, Thailand and to Hong Kong. That's why she did a new trip. even that time she was very satisfied with every thing at that time too. Read Less