Sailed aboard in August for 1 week with 4 in group

This is our 4th Cruise

Went aboard in Palma every thing very easy due to the well organized system, taken to our cabin and our bags were delivered minutes afterwards

As on the other cruises we were all inclusive just show your card and get your drinks, lots of bars on board serving quality brands and cocktails

The cabins are small but you are only in them to sleep and get ready so that was no problem, air con was a little bit lacking but we had inner cabins so the days heat did not reach us so bad as some of the outer cabins
The rooms were always clean and the girls looking after them seemed very happy and chatty

Food was great, you can have self service or waiter silver service in the restaurant we chose the latter for Breakfast (when we got up earlier enough) and the late setting dinner at 20.45 every night, we had a round table of 8 and got on really well with the other couples with enough choice on the evening menus for every body to have a different dish. Although you could not have a bottle of wine left if you are on all inclusive with your meal unless you paid a supplement, the wine waiter would happily top up your glass constantly, no difference. In fact we drank more because of this. At the end of every meal the waiters would put on a small show playing guitar, singing or doing tricks on your table. All extremeley attentive to your needs.

After dinner starting at around 22.30 for the late dinner sitters were the shows and very professional they were with great singing and costumes, with some evenings a comedienne was on board with 2 shows one early and a later one for adults, very good

In the afternoons when we got back from an excursion or a walk ashore there are 2 swimming pools one for children / Families and one for adults without children this was the only problem children screaming and jumping in the adult pool with their parents turning a blind eye to it, the entertainment staff mentioned it a few time over the PA but that was it, as some parents think their children are safe as they are on the ship you will often find them running around the late bars and nightclub at 2am

Only 1 day at sea then a different Port / Country every day on our cruise
Have been on previous cruises to some of the ports we visited but not Palermo, Sicily we walked from the ship into the town not far but not nice, the town was very busy with traffic and the smell from the drains was appalling we made a sharp exit back to the ship, probably better to book a tour on the ship.
Then to Naples took a sight seeing bus round the city the commentrey tells you of their may famous religious and other statues all of which are ruined by graffiti and spray paint
Still Sardinia, Toulon and Barcelona were clean and tidy after those two
Little tip for Barcelona you might get on the official sight seeing bus just outside the ships terminal and after paying about 22euros for all day travel jump off to see Gaudi's weird and wonderful church but when you go to get back on there is about a 500 person queue, you could wait in the sun or get a Taxi, get a price first but they are not expensive and they do have a meter - From the Sagrada Familia to the top of the Ramblas was about 7 Euros and that was for 4 people

Would we cruise again - You Bet were looking at the brochures already

Travelled on the med cruise with Thomson’s destiny with my mum, this was the first cruise for both of us and we class it as the best holiday we have ever had.

Ship - Before I went on the cruise I was worried reading reviews telling me that the ship was outdated and service bad whoever wrote these were just lying. Yes the ships old but it’s kept well maintained cleaned every night even to the extent that the brass banister throughout the ship are polished every night.

Cabins - standard cabins on decks 2/3/4 are very small and noisy my advise pay a small fee to be upgraded to deck 5 or 6 standard cabins they are bigger and no noise from engine well worth the little extra

Staff - One word amazing they will do anything to make your holiday gr8, you don’t have to lift a finger if u want a drink whilst sunbathing put your hand up someone is with you within seconds. Staff also have good sense of humour and seem to really enjoy they’re jobs.

Entertainment is for all ages I am 18 my mum is 38 and we both enjoyed it from dance to comedy there’s something different every night. I thought I would be bored on a ship for a full day whilst it was at sea but I was wrong after getting my timetable through my door (you get this every night to tell you what’s on the next day) I didn’t have enough time to fit everything in that I wanted to do.

Food - was good and different, personally I am not into all the posh up market food however I still enjoyed the "seven Seas" after a full day excursion you sometimes can’t be bothered getting dressed for dinner and the lido buffet was just as good as it was casual and pick what you want they always have something that will suit you. Make sure you hit the buffet for afternoon tea the scones and cakes are to die for. Foods that good i put on 7 pound and i was only there for 1 week. Go for the drinks package if your like me and like cocktails and proper drink my mum doesnt drink a lot but took the drinks package as she thought it would be expensive for canned juice such as diet coke however it wasnt it was somthing like 80p a can and she didnt really get her moneys worth of the drinks package, i did as 90% of the alcholic drinks including cocktails are free.

There is not much more I can say really, everyone’s idea of a holiday is different but I can’t see how anyone can complain at waking up in a new country every morning. hope you all enjoy your holidays.

Having read the reviews of this ship I feel I must add my own review. We travelled on the Jewels of the Mediterranean Cruise on the Destiny and booked a deluxe cabin that is situated on Floor 7. It WAS a bit extra but the space, cupoards, sitting area and bathroom you got for that extra cash was well worth it. If you want a special holiday for any reason book the deluxe cabin.
The food was plentiful and of excellent quality espcially in the Seven Seas Restaurant. We had an inclusive drinks package as part of our original booking and this certainly proved worthwhile too.
The staff are hardworking and friendly and the Captain was approachable and hands on,
The ship is dated but kept spotlessly clean. Towels and beds are changed daily and they still make time to make you a sculpture in towels!
The entertainment is varied and on our trip the hosueband were excellent, and again very hardworking doing several slots a day in various locations around the ship.
We went on several trips during our week and chosen carefully they are good value for money if you find yourself in an unfamiliar place.
Would we return? Definately

Bredin Family - Coleraine Northern Ireland
Thomson Destiny - 30th July to 13th Aug 09
Again the Thomson Destiny did not disappoint us. The service provided by the Bar & Waiters and the Cabin staff was excellent.
The rooms were kept spotless every day. The standard of cleanliness through-out the ship was very good.
The food in the Seven Seas was luvly. Dining outside in the Lido and grill bars up on deck was fine. Bit of a mad dash at breakfast.
Some people must have thought it was the end of the world and they had to get their last bite, given the fact that they could not be
bothered to get in the que. So they just pushed in. Very sad people indeed.
The shows in the Can Can lounge were exceptional as well as the entertainment in the Oklahoma Lounge. The group on board the
Destiny this year, was a five piece band called "The Top Men". They were fantastic, and could play almost any song, as all five of them could sing.
The ship is getting very old now and if it was not for the engineering staff constantly going around painting every day, I think this ship will just rust away.
The rooms albeit very clean are a bit tired looking and small compared to the bigger Ships. Some of the staff told me that the Destiny is being
replaced with the Costa Romantica, end of season 2010. Seen her in Gibraltar. Fine looking ship.
First week the price of a Cocktail was £3.40. The second week, the price for a Cocktail was £3.65. Thats goes for all the drinks. They removed
the bar menu and replaced it early hours Thursday morning, increasing all drinks by 25 pence over night. Probably done that because they
knew the English were arriving. (School Holidays etc).
1st Week.
Morrocco - Tangier's - Not very nice. You need to take a shore excursion on this stop over. Very expensive though.
Portugal - Portimao - Playa de Rossa - Luvly Seaside resort - You do not need a shore excursion. Simply walk around the town. Luvly
Gibraltar - Walked into town - got a taxi bus to take 7 of us around the Rock for 120 euro. Very cheap compared to Destiny Prices. Walked around
the town afterwards. Luvly Square with loads of bars and restaurants to sit and people watch. Ciggies and Booze very cheap. £12.50 for 200
ciggies and the customs do not check you on return to ship. Ship security will take your drinks off you, and give it back at the end of the cruise.
Spain - Malaga - Got the Suttle bus into town. Nice day to shop and just relax off ship
Spain - Caragena - Got the Shuttle bus into town. Luvly little town
Palma - Went to water park while the newbies arrived
2nd Week
France - Villefranche - 22 euro return for 2 adults and 1 child to Monte Carlo or Nice. 1 euro if you take the bus to either cities. We stayed in the village.
Took a trip on the Noddie train. Did a bit of shopping and went to the beach for the day. Beutifull village. Worth staying there if your not interested
in Monte Carlo or Nice. If you are take my advise and do it on your own. Ship Shore Excursions are very pricey.
Italy - Marina Di Carrara - Pisa/Florence - Industrial Port - Had a walk around the small town and back on ship as we did this stopover before.
Very good market there. And cheap
Italy - Civitavecchia - Rome - Very nice town. Good market and shopping area. Didnt do Rome as we did it before. But you can get tours just outside
the port area very cheap to Rome.
Corsica - Ajaccio - Luvly Seaside town. Also has a great beach. Just walk around the walls and shopping area. Sat and had the "smallest coffee in the world" at the harbour restaurant.
Spain - Palamos - Luvly Seaside town. Also has a great beach. Great for shopping and chilling out.

As you can see, I only took one shore excursion which was in Morrocco at a cost of £28 per adult and £14 per child. Cost me £70 for a 2 and a half hour trip.
This was a total rip off and a waste of time. I also fell out with Destination Services because this was a high price for a rubbish trip.
If I have one Grip about Thomsons. Its Destination Services. They provide a terrible service and a very expensive service. Your better off doing stuff by foot or organising your own trip. Very easy to do. Or just chill on the boat or walk about the town you are berthed at. Every day I walked past the Destination Services Desk there was always someone on there arguing with them for their bad service.
If your thinking of booking, book early, and take advantage of the All Inclusive Drinks Package. Got my final bill which obviously showed 000 because of the AI. But I added it up when I came home and this would have cost me approx £1500 for the three of us. Yes, believe it. £1500. We are not allco's, but between the soft drinks during the day and G&T's and Cocktails, at night, that would have been the final bill. Amazing.
All in all a very nice holiday. Looking forward to the Celebration in Turkey - July 2010. And yes we have the AI again.
Good luck - Colin B.

Moorish Delights.

Our first cruise on the Destiny.

The ship was very clean, the food and choice of food was excellent, the crew were wonderful and the entertainment was superb.

Portugal, Gibraltar, Malaga and Cartagena were all lovely.

Tangiers is not recommended - if we were going again we would stay aboard when in Tangiers - but then we can always say we have been and experienced it !! It is as you would imagine it. The locals were extremely intimidating and persistent, trying to entice you into buying their £2 Rolex watches and other items. Definately go on a organised trip if going ashore.

Apart from that the holiday was wonderful. We can't wait to cruise again. The crew in the 7 Seas Restaurant, in particular, were brilliant.

The Captain and Officers were extremely welcoming, friendly and approachable.

The enteratinment was excellent - the shows in particular - were very professional and of a high standard. Something to suit everybody. If not you must be very hard to please.

All in all a wonderful holday with every one on board doing their upmost to make your holiday perfect.

fab holiday did a cruise and stay put on 9 lbs in weight already got the 2010 brochure. Did all the excurtions some were a bit pricey but i was ready for that, what other hols do you see Monaco,Monte carlo, florence,pisa, Rome Vatican city, barcelona,Corsica Palma, busy but well worth it. FANTASTIC

As first time cruisers having read Butlins at sea comments etc , what a surprise this holiday was , from embarkation to disembarkation the holiday was a joy , food was superb , service and entertainment in particular were out of this world , the crew on this ship work so hard that , the shows put on are out of this world , the house band that they have were excellent and even the corny quizzies etc were all great fun.
We throroughly enjoyed dining in the Seven Seas Retaurant and special mention must go to Danver and Chris for looking after us and an extra special mention to Zelle our wine waiter - who was one of the most respectful gracious people i've ever met in my life - depsite my repeated attempt to ask hiom to call me by my first name , he always insisted on calling me sir and the surprise he organised for my wife and i on our annieversary will never be forgotten - i hope you get home to see your wife and daughter soon Zelle.
Special mention also on behalf of my son to Svetlana Titov - at 14 i think he got his first crush , she worked in the Oaklahoma Lounge - he described her as a real life Bond girl (as his Father i will make no comment for fear of my wife reading this !!!)
I will definately cruise again and will try another cruise line some time , but based on our whole families enjoyment of this trip it will be hard to beat.
Thanks to all the Crew and Staff of the Destint you all deserve a huge round of appluase

Just returned from Meditteranean Renaisssance tour, the best holiday ever, the Destiny was the first ever cruise we have been on and will definately be going again, there were no complaints at all, having been all over the world staying in 4 and 5 star hotels this easily compares, I went on there insisting that I would not eat for England and was laughed at by previous cruisers who were adamant that I would soon be as bad as they were and thet were right the food is fantasic, we stayed in a suite on the 7th floor and it was well worth the money, keep a watch out for the towel sculptures that suprise you in your room!!!!!!, if you read this and are still undecided, give it a go you will enjoy it, do not worry about the booking of the trips there are plenty of people on board who have cruised before and they are only to willing to help you.

My family and I have sailed on both the Thomson Destiny & Thomson Spirit many times in the last 5 years. We have always been extreamly happy with the ports of call & service on board. The only 'sight' complaint we have is the cost of the tours or 'shore excursions' that the ships organize.

Now we prefer to do our own thing during our time in the ports of call. We have a membership on the websit 'save on cruise tours. com'. We figure we have saved between 200 to 300 pound per cruise.

Its a great site with some very useful information. If you have booked a cruise that will visit Italy, France, Spain or Morocco - I would recommend you check out this site.

congratulations to Keith Maynard and his great entertainment team. Another fantastic time on the Destiny,
ok, the cabins are small, the ship is old but you certainly cant beat the fab atmosphere!
Food is excellent.
All in all cant wait to go back on board