Just got back from another week on the Thomson Spirit – this being our 6th time over the years. Really love this ship and the friendliest crew in the fleet; however, the standards seem to be going back generally throughout the ship. Most noticeably in the Compass Rose Restaurant where many of the same staff are now serving many more tables and they do not have time for the pleasantries or paper roses and serenading that was an everyday part of previous cruises. The food on this cruise was not as varied as on earlier sailings – on the last night for example there were three fish-themed main courses (fish and chips, seafood thermidor, or shellfish linguini) and the long wait between courses on every evening meant that a lot of passengers did not stay for desert or coffee if they wanted to catch the first show in the Broadway Lounge. This is an unacceptable delay and Thomson should take note but they probably won’t !!

We only have one warning for anyone who chooses not to visit the Holy sites when staying in Israel; if the docking port is Ashdod then save yourself the bother of getting the shuttle bus into the nearby town as it is very very poor in terms of shopping. If you decide to ignore this and make the trip, then don’t bother to take your camera as it is not photogenic in any shape or form.

If your pastime is sunbathing you will be disappointed by the quality of the sunbeds on the main Lido deck: they are worn out and dirty and badly need to be replaced – but once again Thomson will opt to ignore the complaints and just keep taking your money. Read more