We booked this cruise with Thomson as we really liked the itinerary. We had not previously considered sailing with Thomson but we had read that Thomson Cruises were now Platinum and that the ship had been in dry dock for refurbishment. (Frankly, I would hate to have seen it before the refurbishment.) I really don't think the ship is worthy of the Platinum rating. Obviously from the reviews a lot of people love Thomson cruises and return again and again. I think we made totally the wrong choice for us. However, some passengers said that they had sailed with Thomson before and that they were extremely disappointed. I know it is not as expensive as some cruise lines but it still cost a significant sum of money.

There were positives as well as negatives and the flight was OK although we had a really long wait for the food to be served which was apparently as they wanted the meal to be served at what would be lunchtime once we reached the Caribbean! That's fine but our stomach's didn't agree with this approach. The embarkation procedure was well organised and we had a very short wait before we boarded the ship.

The ship was OK but looked a bit tired and shabby. The windows on Deck 8 where the shops and bars are were absolutely filthy and streaked. It really spoiled the first impression of the ship. Also there was a disgusting smell in the ladies toilet by the theatre. Read more