Thomson Cruises, Spirit Canary Cruise

we have been on thompson celebration dec09 and had a great time. the spirit is a replicar ship however w felt that alot of things have been cut back such as the choice of bevrages on the inclusive and that a lot more alcoholic drinks occur a supplement. the food on board was ver poor,muchof the same food daily. daytime entertainment was also poor. we stopped at ports where they were inaccessable to the local area by foot - a charge was made if u wanted to g on the shuttle bus, this before was free.

we met a lot of couples who were disappointedwith there accomodation because of excessive noise that prevented them to sleep- this was dismissed by staff who stated that being on a ship it was expected that u would have discomfort!!!!!

dont think we will go on another cruiseagain.

POUND FOR POUND THIS, WAS

PROBABLY THE BEST HOLIDAY MYSELF AND FAMILY HAVE EVER HAD.THE FOOD WAS TO A VERY HIGH STANDARD THE ALL INCLUSIVE DRINKS PACKAGE WAS SUPERB.HAVING READ SOME NEGATIVE REVIEWS WE WERE A LITTLE APPREHENSIVE,HOWEVER ALL I CAN SAY IS THE PEOPLE WHO WROTE THESE REVIEWS SHOULD REMEMBER HOW MUCH THEY PAID FOR IT AND WHAT WERE THEY EXPECTING. WE WERE SO IMPRESSED IN FACT WE HAVE BOOKED TO GO AGAIN NEXT YEAR ON THE SAME ITINARY BUT A DIFFERANT SHIP IF THE SERVICE AND THE FRIENDLYNESS OF THE CREW ARE THE SAME WE WILL BE MORE THAN SATISFIED, THEY WERE GREAT.

The holiday overall was good, but if you are on deck 7. 8.or9.be aware that the ship rocks and you feel as if you are in a tumble drier Also you have to watch that you are not charged for preimer drinks if you are all inclusive.This i found funny i asked for a rusty nail drink. A whisky and drambui was told i would have to pay a premiem BUT if i asked for a whisky and drambui in the same glass NO CHARGE

Just myself and 15 year old daughter on a weeks break. Weather was

wonderful 25-30 degrees every day! Loved the cruising experience, my

first, but hooked and would love to try again, perhaps the Caribbean,

when funds permit!

The staff are wonderful. Our housekeeper Daniella from Romania was a

little gem, always chatty and she kept the room immaculate. Made up

like a living area in the day, then after 7 all presented beautifully

for sleeping, complete with the wonderful towel creation...different

every day, and so clever. All the staff pamper you so well. The

entertainment (if you partook) was different every day too, they are

very professional, I was surprised, having endured some of the Spanish

resort efforts! No comparison.

Food was plentiful (24 hour if you could cope!)Loads of variety of

dishes, expertly presented every time. Could not fault the food in any

way. Missing it all already!

Excursions: My only gripe. The guides make a point of telling you how

cheap fuel is in Egypt.50p a gallon and how their cost of living is up

to 75% lower than ours. Then, why their government (or is it the

Thomson's?) can justify charging £68 per person (no reduction under 12)

for the valley of the kings, and the pyramid tour defies belief! Then

they make it very clear that you have to pay them extra for entering the

pyramid, asking for a further £4 pp (incidentally only £2 if purchased

from a small booth 100 yards from the entrance, which I opted for, out

of principal) £10 per person for entering the mummies room at the Cairo

museum (again, savings to be had if purchased at the nearby booth, I

saved £10 for the two of us, as I obtained a student discount for my 15

year old daughter.) I did query with the Travco rep, and expressed my

disgust as being asked for double. She blamed it on the Egyptian

government. There was a fair amount of pressure to be 'herded', not

only in to buying at the higher price, but to keep the pace, which was

fast, not good for those less mobile or the elderly.

Beware: When entering the pyramid. I would strongly recommend those

over a certain age, or those less mobile, not to bother, seriously, the

whole entrance is 3'6 in height, by 2' wide, to say you are doubled up

for 90% the whole time is no exaggeration! Once you get to the end there

is nothing there anyway, just a small 12x12 room with nothing but an empty stone casket and an

Egyptian telling you to "mind your head" and then holding his hand out for a tip (I draw the line at people expecting money for doing nothing!). Overall a must do cruising experience. Would or maybe should have considered the cruise and stay option, as three excursions in a week was gruelling, and would have been lovely to have chilled for a week following them.

Thomson Cruises, Spirit - We have been on other cruise ships, better rated, but we are booking to go back on the Spirit as soon as we can take time off.