We have just returned from a cruise on the destiny, we have been on the emerald and the celebration, and although a great ship we did prefere the celebration.
The Destiny cabins were small but clean and we found had plenty storage room, we were on deck 4 in an outside cabin which was great, we did hear complaints about the lower decks, (engine noise).
The staff and food were fantastic. although eating in the Lido was like sitting in a wind tunnel and you needed your coat on most of the time, but the food was very varied and good!!. Entertainment could have been better but everyone did their best.
We paid for a drinks package and saved money by doing this, the bars were good we spent most time in the oklahoma lounge, this is where most of the entertainment was on. All in all a good holiday and value for money. We will cruise with thomson again but maybe not the destiny, but who knows

My husband and I have just returned from our first cruise and hopefully it won't be our last. We had a ball, the ship was great, really clean, food was fantastic and staff from housekeeping to bar managers to senior crew treated all passengers like royality. I did hear a few moans at the first dinner of people who had been on other cruises complaining about the cabin size but hey, its no longer the age of Titanic and Mauritiania is it?

We did the Moorish Delights Cruise and all the ports were excellent except for Casablanca, you were set upon by the "natives" as soon as you were away from the ship, wouldn't recommend this "port" to anyone!

Entertainment was great, a good variety in the can can lounge although some of the performers needed to work on their voices but hey, they aren't professionals and its a hard job to do. The disco was great although the DJ could do with making few variations from time to time!

There was a couple of choppy nights but I didn't hear many people complaining. The boat did rock a little but nothing as bad as I expected and it was only where the speed had been upped to cover the mileage.

Only REAL complaint I had was the cruise manage Kane Davis, he was quite rude to myself and another friend I'd made on board, we tried to pass through the Can Can lounge to get to the far end of the boat (if you didn't pass through you had to go down a floor and come back up again) he was exceptionally rude to us, that really put me off, plus he was a bit "red coat camp" and patronising when introducing the entertainment in the can can lounge.

Other than that we had a fantastic holiday!

Cannot praise the whole team enough. From cabin staff to waiters to entertainers to the Captain himself. All made our weeks holiday excellent.

Have been on Destiny for the second time and thoroughly enjoyed it. The food is excellent as is the service.

Weather was very changeable but the Destiny tried to keep those on board fully entertained by changing programmes and putting on extra entertainment - well done!

The Entertainment team were absolutely brilliant. Went to the late shows and found them superb. Such a wide variety in the Can Can lounge that you cannot fail to be impressed and entertained - well done to all.

Look forward to sailing with you again.

the ship was very clean cabins where spotless food was ok always found something to eat bar staff was very good always got time to have a chat while still managing to do their job restaurant staff always seemed to be miserable. can someone tell me why the trips are so expensive? overall not to bad an holiday bu t i dont we will bother with this ship again

The lido restuarant is not even worth a mention, the food is hot when served and cold when you eat it. You will need outdoor clothing to eat there.
Cabins were very small but that isnt the main problem, you can hear people in the next cabin even when they whisper. the bathroom stunk of sewerage.
The ship is very bad at sea and rolls so bad you will need sea sick tablets or the injection .Stay off the higher decks if you feel sick.
There seems to be a very bad virus in the air conditioning that gives you a sore throat , then developes into really bad bout of flu like symptoms.
The entertainment team were excellent , so was the service and the meals.
If you havent already booked ...dont.

firstly the ship, although old she was kept very well with painting and overhauling going on constantly. there was plenty of room on deck . only problem was the very ignorant types who despite being told not to place towels on sunbeds took no notice (you know who you are and shame on you)the bars and entertainment areas were very good. the food was very good and no complaints there.i would say that all the staff from the senior crew to deckhands were very helpful. and curtious. cannot fault them. the cabins were a bit cramped and if you take a tip from me stay away from the aft cabins as the constant engine drone is like torture .we went on the colourful coasts trip from tenerife sailing o/night to gran canaria las palmas and up to madeira.so far so good.then for whatever reason the ship went from madeira across the atlantic to morrocco.the sail was 30hrs. duration and after about 12 hrs the wind picked up as did the sea and we spent 20 hrs. being tossed and turned like a cork in a bottle people were physically ill and it was really hard to get about the ship and at times impossible to go on deck. noboby seemed to want to go to agadir (maybe it was the dead dog lying on the quay all day that put people off) and those that did were back as quick as they could after being hassled in the town!! after only 8 hours in the port we were back on choppy water heading on another 18 hr. stint to lanzarote. by the time we got there every body i spoke to seemed totally disorientated and for the next two days every time i closed my eyes the world was rocking. from lanzarote the cruise was fine again. i do not know what tempted thomson to have a 48hr. trek to that dump in bad seas when a cruise around all the canary islands would have been great.my conclusion is that although this is not a small liner it is not as equiped as newer ships to manage anything other than calm seas. be warned next winter this ship is dong a 19 day cruise around the caribbean and med. this involves a five day trip across the atlantic. personally i would rather spend a fortnight in dartmore prison. than tackle that one, i would never walk in a straight line again. you have been warned.

This was our first cruise and we had a really lovely time. We shared an inside 4 birth cabin, and yes it was small but we are used to holidaying in tents.But we booked a last minute bargin holiday for £360 each, which included all inclusive drinks package.We all thought it was very good value for money. Our cabin steward came in twice a day and kept it immaculate for us, with a chocolate on our pillow every night.
We ate in the seven seas waiter service restaurant for dinner and had very attentive, kind and funny waiters. They contributed greatly to our cruise experience.My 14 year old daughter is vegetarian and there was always a very inventive option on the menu for her. We tended to eat breakfast in the lido and just remember to take a woolie with you.
My 4 year old son looked forward to pizza time every late afternoon, whilst I gorged on sandwiches and cream cakes.
Kids club reps were great with a wide variety of sessions. my favorite was 8pm-10pm.It gave us a chance to eat in peace, my son ate earlier.The bonus of 24 hour food.
The entertainment we saw was good, not west end level but not far off. They have a 2 week programme and sometimes do 2-4 shows a day.We were late sitting for dinner at 8-45 pm and then the late show started at 1030pm.needless to say we found ourselves dropping off on the settee style seating in the main show room on a couple of occasions(us not the show).A combination of sun, alcohol and good food.
The Gala meal and captain's reception was a lovely experience. A chance to get dressed up, but I never felt uncomfortable.
Yes the sea was a bit rough on the way and back from morrocco.None of us felt sick etc..And we didn't hear anyone complaining.
We definately will cruise again.
Give it a go.
We arranged car hire on gran canaria and lanzerote prior to our departure (CICAR).This worked out half the price of going on the organised trips, also giving independence. We researched the ports of call and planned where we would visit.In Madera you can walk form the boat(20 mins) or catch a small boat across the harbour for 1 euro each. We caught the cable car up the mountain and sledged down (a must!!!!half way) the walked, 40 mins. Our calves ached the next day but there are taxis waiting.
La Palma was closed as it was Sunday, but we had a pleasant walk along the prom.
In Morrocco we paid and went on the 8 hour 4x4 jeep safari including lunch £49 each.Included desert, banana plantation,beach and traditional lunch that was quite nice.I would give it 8/10.No visit to souk so no hastle.

We had previously travel on the Sprit and the Celebration and was expecting similar cabins. Upon arriving at our cabin we were, to say the least shocked. The cabin was about a third small than a deck two outside cabin on the other two ships. One bed actually dropped out of the wall with a cupboard approximately two feet above you head and above this was the television pointing in the opposite direction, making it impossible to watch television whilst lounging on you bed. The other bed had a drop down back rest to convert it to a soft in the day so this meant you had to be careful when turning over in bed at night. Storage space i.e. cupboard, wardrobes and draws were very limited and there was probably twice as much storage space on the other two ships, not to mention floor space. The bathroom was also smaller with less storage also.

The Lido Cafe was outside on this ship and to say it was sailing in the winter months was not always suitable as it was quite windy and you food was cold especially in the evenings. Getting to the lido was quite a treck as it was on deck 9 at the rear of the ship. If some one was in a wheelchair I don't even think they could get to the Lido because of all the stairs going down to it for the lift end.

The entertainment of the show team was not of the standard of the other ships but it was possible they could have been a new team.

All in all we were very disappointed with this ship albeit the staff were excellent but we will not book another cruise on the Destiny

Never been on a cruise before, and I have to say, it was a bit too much like a package holiday on sea for me. The (non-English) staff are fantastic and can't do enough to help. The English staff all acted like they were important and didn’t really need to bother with customer service. The food & drink very, very good, and you can eat and drink 24/7. Some people did, and never left the boat.

However, there was always something happening on board (whether you wanted to be entertained or not) and subsequently no quite chill out areas. Live music is amplified in the bars, sometimes making conversation difficult, and does get a bit samey after a while. On deck, music is pumped through speakers. The newest song I heard was the Jams 'going underground'. Great song, but now the best part of 30 years old. The entertainment was indescribably bad; suffice to say that the comedian was telling jokes that were 20 years old, insulting and racist. We walked out. The shows were no better, but it was fairly full every night so draw your own conclusions. I think it was simply because there was a captive audience…… We went to one show and didn’t bother staying very long. The young team tried, but I think it would be fair to say they are on a boat for a reason. In all honesty the restaurant team provided far better entertainment; and looked like they were enjoying it too.

If you are an independent traveller (i.e. you're not going to bother with the organised tours) information is limited, and not always correct. We found that it was actually easier and quicker to get off the boat and see what was there, rather than rely on the information given. In fact, it was this kind of thing that made the holiday. The boat became a means of food and drink and getting from a to b.

If this sounds like a whinge, it's not. We made the most of it, and had a laugh. Like you, we looked at this and other sites and made a choice. If you have done this type of thing before, you already know if you will like it or not. If you haven't, it's worth the experience, but don't set your expectations too high. Be prepared to not always see everything you'd like on shore, and to get frustrated when you need to get back to the boat just as you have stumbled on something interesting (as we did when the whole town was out one evening for a festival).

Overall, as I said, an experience worth doing once, but as a group (age 35 to 42) we wouldn’t do it again.

One last thing. Tick the drinks package. It just makes life easier and covers proper tea and coffee from the bars, along with alcohol.

To sum up in one word... FANTASTIC!!

Sailed on the Destiny for 2 weeks from the 8th Feb 09 around the Caribbean and it was most definatly the best holiday I have been on. The places were great and the ship was fab!

Having sailed on the Thomson Spirit before, I had an idea of what to expect, but this exceeded my expectations. I much prefer the Destiny. It is very very clean. Spotless in fact. Maids make up your room twice a day, and everywhere you go on the ship, there are always people cleaning and polishing. Very hygenic too with dry hand soap pumps by all the places where food is sereved.

Food...well the choice is just amazing. Everything you can possibly imagine for breakfast in both the main Seven Seas and Lido Restaurant. Cereals...toast...fresh fruit...cooked breakfast...cold meats/chesse!! Luchtime - never actually went in the main restaurant but the Lido had plenty of things to offer, we mainly enjoyed the salads! Also the Pool Grill always had pizzas, burgers, hot dogs, bbq's, chilli, jacket potatoes, fajitas and much more. Then there was afternoon tea...scones, cakes, biscuits, sandwiches...the list goes on. And most impressive was the dinner/tea in the Seven Seas. Thats where you can really induldge! Apetisers, Soups, Salads, Main, Dessert, Cheese & Biscuits and finally tea/coffee. I didn't find it possible to have 1 of each course (although all delicious) I didn't have enough room. I must say, the meals were beautiful.

Ship... cabins are relatively small (even the entertainment team made jokes about this) so that is no secret, but ask yourself this question, how much time do you actually spend in there? Well, you sleep and use it for getting ready so not a lot to be honest, so no reason to complain. It is adequate for what you need. Always cleaned by your maid. Plenty of wardrobe and cupboard space. Hairdryer also in cabin. We were in cabin 3146 and can not fault it to be fair. We were mid ship, right by the mid stairway & lifts and it was an outside cabin. No noice from outside although could hear the hairdryer in the cabin next door early each morning but thats it!

Staff... they just couldn't do enough for you. So friendly and chatty. Always willing to help. 5* they were. Mark De La Cruz (headwaiter in Seven Seas-also featured in Thomsons brochure!) was great, and remembers everones names.

Entertainment...absolutley brilliant. Top marks to the entertainment team, especially the theatre show team. Shows were excellent, some hard work goes into them, and they are all so very talented, especially Leanne (dance captain), Corea and Peter - lovely people! Deck Party's were good also, lots of singing and dancing. Comedian guests - very funny. Lots of pool side entertainment in the day and quizes/bingo. So there is just loads to keep you entertained!

I went on this holiday with my boyfriend, parents and younger sister and we all had a great time so it is suitable for all age ranges. My sister is 6, myself and my boyfriend are 21 (I celebrated my birthday out there) and my parents are 50 and we all enjoyed it! The atmosphere on the ship is just fabulous, as everyone is so friendly (passengers and crew that is) so everyone just gets along and has a great time - which in my opinion is something that money can't buy.

I would definatley sail on this ship again (in fact waiting for Summer 2010 brochure to book!) and if you are thinking about the Destiny, I would recomend you to sail on this ship too!