My partner and I decided to try a cruise for the first time not really knowing what to expect but were pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. We embarked on the Thomson Dream at Bridgetown, Barbados for a two week cruise of the caribbean visiting eleven islands, St Kitts, St Maarten,Tortola (British Virgin Islands), Antigua, Dominica, Margarita Island (Venezuela), Tobago, Grenada, St Vincent, St Lucia and Barbados. we had an outside plus cabin with WC, wash basin, bath and shower on deck 6 near the lifts. We used the Orian Restaurant each day as this provided excellent waiter service. The food, service, friendliness of staff, facilities on board ship, cleanliness, attention to detail, the Thomson excursions were all excellent.

We attended two Captains cocktail parties and gala dinners where we dressed up in our formal attire. We wore cream tuxedos for the first one on our black dress suits for the second. The cabins were cleaned to a high standard and beds were turned down each night. The check in process was easy and the cashless system on board was good in that you charged everything to your on board account. We absolutely loved it and every day between the 31st March and the 14th April 2013 was special to both of us. We have certainly got the cruise bug now and although we have no comparisons to make with other cruise lines, we would certainly travel on the Thomson Dream again.

If I had one criticism it would be that there were insufficient sun beds on the decks. As I am not a sun worshipper it did not really bother me but following a day on the island we were visiting my partner did like to relax on a sun bed. This was particularly important for him when we spent two days at sea. All in all we loved the experience and would highly recommend this ship to anyone considering a cruise for the first time. The staff were wonderful, so polite, pleasant and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble for them. We also came away with lots of colour photographs which will be lasting memories of our wonderful holiday. thank you Thomson for introducing your cruises to us.