this was our first time on a cruise,and found the experience very enjoyable.we had a outside cabin which was suprisingly roomy only down side was the bathroom quite small.the food was good the entertainment very good.we went on all the excursions which can add up to quite a bit over £500,but you've got to do them.very tiring 13 hour trips, pleased for the day at sea for a rest.we did isreal[very good]then egypt[pleased to have got back on the ship]would we go back on the spirit yes certainly,the whole experience makes it cruises from now on

My mum and I sailed on the Thomson Spirit (Jewels of the Med) on 9th October and we enjoyed ourselves very much. I had sailed on the Thomson Celebration in January of this year with my husband to celebrate his 50th birthday and had an outside cabin on the 2nd deck, so I thought I would try an inside cabin to see what it was like. It was fine, there wasn't much vibration but the only thing I missed was seeing what the weather was like in the morning! The cabins are spacious enough with plenty of wardrobe space and the shower is very good. The cabin staff were amazing and left little towel animals for us in the evening and chocolates on the pillows. The cabins were kept immaculate. The weather was a bit hit and miss but most days we were able to sit on deck for a couple of hours after returning from our excursions.

As neither of us had been on this particular cruise before there were lots of places we wished to see. We decided early on to book the Thomson excursions and we attended the Destinations Presentation before booking the same. We went on the Sicily Panoramic Tour which was a little pricey I thought but our guide was very knowledgeable and made the trip interesting. Sardinia was beautiful and we went on the trip to La Madelena also very pretty and definitely worth a trip, although don't waste your time going into the cafe recommended by the guide "Garibaldis" we were totally ignored and not even given a menu to look at so we got up and left. Your time is best spent looking around the town, make sure you go to the loo on the ferry as there didn't seem to be anywhere to go on La Madelena!!! We went on the trip to Sorrento/Amalfi, I was so looking forward to this trip but unfortunately the weather wasn't great and it didn't show the two places off to their best effect. Sorrento was busy, had two coffees outside a little bar and it cost over 6Euros, which I think is pretty steep but that was nothing to compare to the cost of two ice creams (albeit big delicious ones) in Amalfi which cost 10 Euros, the guy asked me did I want to sit down outside, I nearly fell down. This was a very long day but once again the guide was excellent, and there was plenty of time in both places to look around yourselves.

My favourite destination was the trip to Port Grimaud/St Tropez, this was a lovely day, Port Grimaud is a lovely pretty place and St Tropez was much nicer than I had expected it to be, ice creams only 2.75Euros:) St Tropez old town is very pretty and definitely worth a visit. My mum and I had both been to Barcelona before, because the ship docks right in the centre of Barcelona there is really no need to go on an organised trip. If you get off the ship you can go on a sightseeing bus for 21Euros, excellent value, you can get off and on when you like and it goes the whole way round Barcelona. La Rambla is fabulous and definitely worth a visit. Don't forget the market, it was great.

All in all the cruise was great, the ship, the food and entertainment are all first class and I would definitely go on it again. Have to try the Destiny/Calypso before though.

I hope this has helped anyone wishing to book.

We had a superb holiday to the Norwegian Fjiords on the Thompson Spirit.
The staff were absolutely fantastic and I mean everyone. Our cabin was kept beautiful all week, towels changed daily and the room attended to twice a day. The food was excellent. Our waiters were so attentive that we chose to stay with them in the Compass restaurant every evening, but the waiters in the Lido and out on the decks were also very friendly and helpful.
The entertainment team were great but I have to say I really enjoyed the comedian, Lloyd Hollett, his shows were hilarious. Obviously, Lloyd was staying on the ship all week and all credit to him, he was very friendly and willing to chat to passengers in his own free time, even when he was out on trips.
I would definitely travel on the Spirit again. I liked the fact that it wasn't a huge ship, I liked the interaction from the staff, the cleanliness of the ship, the choice of activities and entertainment and the quality of the tours we went on. I have done two med cruises in the past with another company and this one was far better.

The serious complaint we have was the stench of sewerage on the main deck No 5. It was there throught our cruise. On disembarking at Newcastle the sewerage and I finally met on deck 6. This was overflowing from the gents toilet and about to exit the room. No one was cleaning it up! It was reported. I must say I cannot abide blocked toilets for any reason, there is absolutely no excuse to allow sewerage to egress from a vaccum system. So for that reason I would not use Thomson again. This was our first cruise which was totally ruined. Thomson Spirit was carrying on to Harwich and I dread to think of the poor unsuspecting passengers being faced with what we had endured. It would come as no surprise if an outbreak of dysentery results, will wait and see.

the cabine crew and entertainment staff were excellent. especially Strum Jam the band in the Horizon Lounge.
Unfortunately the captain never showed himself, not even at the captains party; to top this we hardly ever docked and opted for the cheaper option of tenders which caused real problems for many holiday makers. Norway was wonderful but I'd never user the Thomson Spirit again without some assurances of improvements.
Check prices as even though we paid early to ensure discount (thats what they told us) many people actually got 2 for 1 plus other discounts as thomson got desperate to fill the rooms

Just returned from our first cruise on the Thompson Spirit to on the Red Sea Magic cruise,the ship was spotless, crew even varnishing the handrailing whilst in port.Our cabin should have been deck 3/4, but we ended up on deck which was better, our two chambermaids were from the Ukraine, they couldn't do enough for us.
The food was ok, could have been a bit hotter for me, soon seemed to get cold, enjoyed the Captain's night.The staff were outstanding, all ways with a good morning etc, always smiling, & very polite.
Spent most nightS in the Broadway, the team there were very professional, & worked extremely hard every night.
Would definately go on the Spirit again, fancy the Baltis cruises later this year.

This was our second trip on the Spirit - having previously sailed on her in September 2006.

We upgraded to Eagle deck (cabin 006) The cabin was a reasonable size but nothing special and we wouldn't upgrade to that level again. Retiring to bed early on this level might be a problem for some people as you could hear the pianist in the Horizons bar. (not a problem for us though as we weren't looking to have early nights)

Our cabin steward (Carmen) was lovely - very friendly and helpful and looked after us very well, leaving lovely towel animals for us most evenings.

We only ate in the Compass Rose on one evening. It was rather chilly in there. The food was ok but not as good as our previous trip. As this was the Formal Night we would have expected the food to be rather better than it was.
We ate at Scirocco's on one evening. The cover charge for this is now £16.50 per person. I was rather disapointed and would not bother to pay the extra again.
We at in the Lido restaurant most of the time. The food was ok - but not as varied as last time but still of a very acceptable standard.

As usual the bar waiters were excellent - keep an eye out for Farouk, Spikey and the lovely Grace out on the decks and Svetlana up in Horizons!

Onboard entertainment was good. Lots to do for people of most age groups.
This trip had a good mixture of age groups, from the very young to the not so young and all those inbetween!

Would I sail on the Spirit again? Yes. It represents excellent value for money and is a wonderfully friendly ship.

THOMSON ‘SPIRIT’ RED SEA CRUISE. 26TH MARCH 2009 FOR 7 NIGHTS
I have posted in May 2009. All Excursion prices quoted correct March 2009 under ‘Ports of Call’ below.

THE SHIP VERSUS PRICE

I give Thomson ‘Spirit’ 5 Stars purely because of the excellent price of £435pp for Cabin 403 - quite a discount on brochure price (incl flights from Luton). Booked one week before departure direct with Thomson. If we had made a decision to book a couple of days earlier there was availability on a lower deck at a cheaper price - less than £300 pp (incl flights).
Any price approaching brochure price (and we met people who had) I would give it 3 Star because it is a 3 Star ship. Nothing wrong in that at all - it’s a great little ship (but it does come under Budget Cruise Category). I am not saying Budget Cruising to be derogatory - just telling you what to expect - it is not RCI / Princess etc. This was our second time on ‘Spirit’, so we knew what to expect. Yes, we would sail on her again if the price was right. Don’t expect any ‘glitz’.

Many people say on Forums they have had a 5 Star cruise on ‘Spirit’. Don’t let this confuse you. They are saying they have had excellent value for money. In the nicest possible way, here is an explanation:- you can have a 5 Star shopping experience at Lidl or Netto because the price is excellent for what you are buying but the store aesthetics are basic, so you know you are not shopping in Harrods Food Hall. Compare prices before you book Thomson or any other cruise line on internet, teletext, weekend newspapers. Sometimes there is very little price difference between Thomson and the real 4 Star ships.

Really lovely passengers on ‘Spirit’ (another Thomson cruises we have been on), that is without doubt.

‘Spirit’ is 26 years old (1983) – very old by cruise ship standards. A ‘higgledy-piggledy’ looking little ship from the outside. Small, 33,930 tonnes. 1254 passengers. ‘Spirit’ is well known for its vibration problems. Sometimes when watching a show, passengers visibly ‘wobbled’ in their seats.

‘Spirit’ is kept immaculate.

Thomson charge £12 PER WEEK for use of safe in your cabin. Greedy I think.

This particular cruise probably not suite to young children. The ship is small, so not a huge amount in the fun department for them, plus the long coach journeys to places of interest.

We did see ‘Costa Europa’ following us. Tonnage 54,763. 1,488 passengers. Complete refurbishment 2002 (built 1986). Looked very nice, and very sleek compared to ‘Spirit’, even though there is only three years age difference. Remember though, ‘Costa’ are an Italian cruise line, so English passengers will definitely be in the minority after Italian, Spanish, German.

I will make an attempt to add some photographs under ‘Photo Galleries’ over the next few days (after 8.5.09). Never done this before, so can’t promise. Hopefully, if it works, there will be lots of the ‘Spirit’, plus ports of call to show ‘what you see is what you get’.

ENTERTAINMENT
Once again, based on the price we paid, the entertainment (shows) were good. I am going to be very honest and say they are NOT London ‘West End’ standard (although they may well perform excerpts from West End Shows) and with the greatest respect, anybody who says they are West End standard has not been to a London West End show. Your excellent local amateur dramatics probably performs West End Shows too!! SOME of the boys’ costumes were definitely ‘one-size-fits-all’, you could see where they had been taken in / let out, taken up / let down several times, because the young team come and go throughout the season, chasing the next best assignment. Some of the boys’ costumes also lacked style.

The song/dance team certainly worked very hard every night, and seemed to get very little free time with all their other duties and rehearsals. They also put on two lunch time plays, which were very good.

The big glitzy modern-day 4 Star / 5 Star cruise ships do have shows on par with London West End shows, but ‘Spirit’ is 3 Star - not 4 Star.

The guest comedian Taffy Spencer was very funny (March 2009).

There are also quiz nights, karaoke etc.

CAPTAINS FORMAL NIGHT
Why did they do this on an excursion day instead of a sea day? Do passengers not complain or are Thomson too arrogant to listen to passengers? We were assigned first sitting in Compass Rose Restaurant (this is the only night there is first & second sitting, the rest of the time its open sitting). We arrived back from our Wadi Rum excursion at 5.40pm (our ETA). Unfortunately, Captains Drinks Reception for first sitting started at 5.00p.m - 40 minutes BEFORE we arrived back on the ship. First sitting dinner was 6.00p.m, giving us 20 minutes to RUN back to cabin, two people to shower and dress in formal wear. Nothing short of contempt for passengers by Thomson. The Maitre’D said he would allow us entry to the dining room up to 6.05 p.m. before closing the doors. I can’t say he was being rude because he was polite, just stating the fact!! We did ask in advance to swap to second sitting because we were on an excursion, but we were told over 100 people were ahead of us wanting to swap to second sitting. Captains Formal Night is a very special night for a lot of people, especially if it’s your first cruise, and it was absolutely ruined. Missing the Captains Drinks Reception did not really bother us because we have been on many, but that’s not the point, it was spoilt for many passengers.

CABINS
Our cabin was 403 (standard inside). Perfectly adequate (small) and we never felt the need to pay more for a bigger cabin. Our cabin had no vibration problems. My only criticism, the air conditioning was not very efficient. There are no balcony cabins on ‘Spirit’.
There are no tea / coffee making facilities in cabins, but you can make yourself tea / coffee 24-hours in the self-service ‘Lido’ restaurant.

FOOD – VERY GOOD, ONCE AGAIN BASED ON PRICE WE PAID
‘Compass Rose’ restaurant is Waiter service (smart casual dress minimum requirement). Evening dinner available 18.30hrs – 22.00hrs. Just turn up when you want and you will be seated at available table.

‘Lido’ restaurant is self-service (casual dress at all times is OK, but you would be expected to cover over swim wear).

‘Snack Bar & Pizza Oven’.

‘Sirocco’s’. Located at the back of ‘Compass Rose Restaurant’. There is a cover charge of £17pp.

CINEMA
A good size cinema. Films shown on this 7-day cruise were ‘Mamma Mia’ ‘ Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ ‘Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ ‘Burn After Reading’ ‘Hamlet 2’ ‘Tropic Thunder’. Each film is shown four times a day.

POOLS
Two pools and one Jacuzzi. Not really big enough to call swimming pool, more plunge pools, although one is quite deep.

TOP DECK
Is high fenced off for kids to kick a ball around, but there is no official supervision.


PORTS OF CALL – THIS WILL CERTAINLY ADD TO THE COST OF YOUR HOLIDAY

Be aware, there is very little actual cruising on this itinerary (take a look at the itinerary on a map) and the ports you dock at are working industrial ports, NOT beach tourist ports. Don’t expect Caribbean type ports where the beautiful beaches are right where you dock. On the only sea day the ship sails very slowly because it has such a short distance to travel. If you are looking for a quick ‘cheapie’ holiday and say to yourself “I will just stay on board and enjoy the scenery from the deck”, this is NOT the cruise you for you.
There is lot of coach travel time to the places of interest. The excursions are not cheap (see below), but they are value for money.

PORT NO. 1
AQABA, JORDAN – DAY 1 (this is an overnight port).
We did ‘Wadi Rum – 4x4 Desert Adventure’. Great fun.
Largest and most magnificent of Jordan’s dessert landscapes. Excursion ends with refreshments in Bedouin tent.
Cost £32 adult. Child £20. Excursion duration 5 hours. Journey time from ship to Wadi Rum probably 45 minutes. Excellent value for money.


OTHER EXCURSION OPTIONS AQABA DAY 1
Movenpick Hotel Beach Transfer - Cost £18.00 adult. Child £9. Excursion duration 4½ hours.

FREE Shuttle Bus into Aqaba town (not very far away, could probably walk). Shuttle bus also runs on day 2.

AQABA, JORDAN – DAY 2
PETRA
We went to Petra – the Rose Red City. UNESCO world heritage site. Temples, tombs, theatres and stairways carved out of red sandstone. Amazing place, don’t miss it. You have six hours to tour Petra and lunch at the 5 Star Petra Movenpick hotel.

Petra NOT SUITABLE at all for anyone with walking difficulties / disabilities. There is approx 6 miles of walking if you stay with the Guide – more if you break away and go off on your own, up to 16 miles according to the Guide. NOT SUITABLE for flip-flop type footwear, sturdy trainers minimum.

TAKE A JACKET, no matter how warm it is when you jump on the coach in the morning. The LONG walk from Petra entrance down the ‘Siq’ to ‘The Treasury’ was cold and windy, even at the end of March 2009. NOTE: the walk back is slightly UPHILL.

TOILETS in Petra. There are a few portacabin type toilets dotted around. Not very hygienic, but if you are desperate!!! You will be lucky if there is any loo paper / running water, so make sure you have tissues, and wet wipes.

First class buffet lunch at Petra Movenpick 5 Star hotel after Petra visit. Less than five minutes walk from Petra entrance. The Guide said if you found Petra tiring or felt unwell you were welcome to leave Petra at any time and go to the hotel to rest in the foyer or swimming pool area. Alcohol at the hotel will cost you a fortune, ask the price before you order.

Cost £79.00 adult. Child £39.50, including entrance to Petra and lunch at Petra Movenpick hotel (5 Star). Hotel is less than five minutes walk from Petra entrance. Although £79 is expensive, it is excellent value for money.
Excursion Duration 10 hours. Journey time to Petra 2 hours each way.

If you are a party of four you can save money DIY, getting a taxi both ways, and pay your own entrance fee into Petra. I believe taxi charges approx £80.00 return – so that’s only £20 per person. I believe entrance fee to Petra is equivalent £23 (£1 equals 1 Jordanian Dinar in March 2009), but of course, there is no meal included in this price.


OTHER EXCURSION OPTIONS AQABA DAY 2.
Dead Sea.
Cost £51.00 adult. Child £25.00. Excursion duration 12 hour. Journey time 3½ each way.


PORT NO. 2
PORT SOKHNA FOR CAIRO

We did we did Pyramids, Mohammed Ali Mosque & Nile Cruise with lunch

Pyramids & Sphinx amazing. Just about enough time for your photographs, ‘crouch’ into the middle of a pyramid, and a quick camel ride of you want. The Guide will try to put you off the camel ride, but the choice is yours, and the Guide on the coach will advise you what to pay IF YOU ASK THEM. There are police on camels patrolling so you won’t come to any bother. I guess there is never enough time when you consider what you are seeing, the history, and the fact you may never return.

Entry into Pyramid costs additional £7.50 adult. This price goes up and down depending on exchange rate. Making your way to the centre of the pyramid is VERY claustrophobic and you have to crouch down until you reach the centre where it becomes airless (my husband had to puff on his rarely used inhaler). Then, you have to crouch back out the same way you came in, which means you have two-way people traffic, everybody crouched down. I am only 5ft tall, fit & healthy, but found it a little difficult. The Guide on the bus selling tickets probably won’t tell you this. Some people only made it a few feet and had to turn back, no refund of course. Certainly not suitable for elderly / disabled / claustrophobics.

Nice buffet lunch on purpose-built Nile boat restaurant and short Nile cruise lasting approx 1½ hours. Belly dancer and Whirling Dervish entertainment, although most people went on deck after the lunch.

Even on the Nile boat restaurant they wanted money for using the loo. I felt sorry for an elderly lady who obviously had no change and did not have the guts to say ‘No’. I was shocked to see her handing over a £5 note (yes, 5 UK pounds) and guess what, got no change. The young girl very quickly put the money into her pocket; she must have thought she had won the lottery. Unfortunately I was just passing at the time, so had no small change on me to give the elderly lady, and the handover of cash was taking place as I saw it.

Mohammed Ali Mosque was a bit on the ‘grotty’ side - eg quite a few broken light shades, broken light bulbs in the huge circular chandelier, simple things that could easily be put right. Personally I think the mosque could be deleted from the itinerary, although it was very popular with school children.

I wish they would STOP obligatory visit to papyrus and jewellery outlet (next door to each other). This wasted almost 1½ hours and everybody moaned. Most people came outside after a few minutes and stood around in the street waiting for the buses to leave. Some people passed the time feeding starving dogs their uneaten packed lunches!!! This time would be better spent split between longer Nile river cruise and Pyramids / Sphinx stops, but the travel company will never do this as they must all get some £sd from it.

Cost £72 adult. Child £26. Excursion duration 11 hours. Journey time 2½ hours each way.

OTHER EXCURSION OPTIONS PORT SOKHNA FOR CAIRO

Classic Egypt – Pyramids & Cairo Museum.
Adult £72. Child £36.00. Excursion duration 11 hours. Journey time 2½ hours each way.

PYRAMIDS, MEMPHIS, TOMBS OF CAIRO
Adult £72. Child £36.00. Excursion duration 11 hours. Journey time 2½ hour each way.

PYRAMIDS & CITY SHOPPING
Adult £45.00 Child £22.50. Excursion duration 11 hours. Journey time 2½ hours each way.

SUNSET CRUISE, PYRAMIDS SOUND & LIGHT SHOW
Adult £45.00. Child£22.50. Excursion duration 8½hours. Journey time 2½ hours each way.

STELLA DI MARI BEACH TRANSFER
Adult £22. Child £11.00. Excursion duration 4 hours. Not far from the ship.

PORT NO. 3
SAFAGA PORT FOR LUXOR & HURGHADA – ANOTHER OVERNIGHT PORT

Because we have done Luxor on 7-night Nile cruise we opted for Paradise Island – Sun & Snorkel. A great day beach day.

Approx 1 hour drive from Safaga port to Hurghada – its 60 kilometres.
Then, 45 minute boat ride to Paradise (Giftun) Island.
As you approach Paradise (Giftun) Island your boat anchors offshore (along with dozens of others, it’s amazing how many tourist boats make this daily sail over to Paradise). Then you are picked up by a little boat that takes you the last leg to the shoreline, all very tropical.
Lovely beach, plenty of shelter from the sun if you want it, good buffet lunch, good public conveniences. Cute beach ‘bar’. Soft drinks only.
You arrive at the beach and have about an hour. Then you get back on the little boat back to the big boat that brought you over from Hurghada. You sail round the bay (takes 15 minutes) and snorkel for approx 1 hour. Snorkel gear included in price. Then it’s back to the beach for lunch and more time on the beach.

Cost Adult £49.00. Child £25.00. Excursion duration 9 hour. Journey by coach Safaga/Hurghada 1 hour each way.


OTHER OPTIONS

LUXOR OVERNIGHT WITH SOUND & LIGHT SHOW LUXOR TEMPLE
This also includes Valley of the Kings, Temple of Queen Hatchepsut.
Adult £130. Child £80.00. Overnight hotel. Buffet dinner. Breakfast. Excursion duration is OVERNIGHT. Journey time to Luxor 3½ hours each way.

HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE – 40 MINUTES DURATION
This can only be booked as an ‘Extra’ added to the Luxor Overnight Excursion (see above).
Cost £160 per couple. £110 single.

LUXOR, KARNAK, VALLEY OF THE KINGS
Adult £78. Child £39. Excursion duration 14 hours. Journey time to Luxor 3½ hours each way.

HURGHADA DESERT QUAD BIKING
Cost Adult £37.00. Child N/A. Excursion duration 5 hours, inc travelling time to quad bikes (don’t know how long this takes).

SEASCOPE & HURGHADA CITY – travel time to Hurghada approx 1 hour – it’s 60 kilometres.
Glass-bottom boat that takes you three metres under water.
Hurghada City shopping time.
Cost Adult £35.00. Child £17.50. Excursion duration 6 hours, inc journey to glass bottom boat.

HURGHADA SHOPPING & SHOW
Two hour shopping. One hour Bedouin show.
Cost Adult £26.00. Child £13.00. Excursion duration 6 hours, inc coach journey 1 hour each way.

HURGHADA CITY TRANSFER
Cost Adult £14.00. Child £13.00. Excursion duration 5 hours, inc coach journey 1 hour each way.

SNORKELLING BY BOAT
Cost Adult £21.00. Child £10.50. Excursion duration 5 hours.

SOL Y MAR HOTEL BEACH TRANSFER – short drive from ship
Cost Adult £16. Chile £8.00. Excursion duration 5 hours.


PORT NO. 4
SHARM EL SHEIKH

QUAD BIKES
Cost Adult £29.00. Child N/A. Excursion duration 3½ hours.

RAS MOHAMMED BY BOAT
Snorkelling.
Cost Adult £32. Child £16. Excursion duration 4½ hours.

GLASS BOTTOM BOAT
Cost Adult £22. Child £11. Excursion duration 2 hours.

The End.

Having cruised before it was with some trepidation that we went on the Thompson Spirit as I thought it would be a holiday camp afloat.

How wrong was I. The ship is well appointed and despite the constant vibration which you become used to after a while.

The food, entertainment and staff are superb. The cruise director Paul was a credit to the company.

The attentiveness of the bar staff and the waiters is beyond reproach.

I do recommend the All Inclusive drinks package that proved to be a great saving.

We will be back for another cruise on this vessel in the future.

well yet an other cruise on this great vessel comes to an end.
the usual hassle free thomsons efficiency at check in both at the departing airport and at palma straight on to the coach to the ship they really have this down to a fine art,within 30 minutes we are being shown to our cabin.
sailing out of palma to begin our day at sea in order to reach our first port of call villefranche,at first all was well, a little surface chop on the sea BUT !by morning it was like a thrill ride huge waves with the ship ploughing through them one wave went over the bow and endedc up spraying the lido deck!we are lucky in the fact we don't suffer sea sickness unlike many of our fellow passengers, the ships doctor was kept busy throughout the day and the life boat drill had to be seen to be believed, not many people wanted to be trussed up in a lifejacket and my only gripe with thomsons was that many people who were being seasick were asked to pose for a picture !!most insensitive i thought.
later in the afternoon we went to a wine tasting session which was excellent value costing only £5.00 for 7 different glasses of really nice wine with cheese and biscuits(the wine seemed to counteract the rolling of the ship!).
the captain was excellent with regards to the rough seas,he made the anouncement that he was altering course to bring us nearer land and relatively calmer seas it worked, that evening we were near the coast of southern france and were treated to the most spectacular lightning storm i have ever seen it lasted well over 2 hours.
next day we reached our destination lovely hot and sunny weather in a really charming place the train station was approx 20 mins walk from the ship nice ,monte carlo and monaco only a 10 minute train journey away costing only 3 euro's !
next stop livorno in italy we took the ships tour entitled a taste of tuscany excellent value and well enjoyed by all who went.
next stop civitevecchia the gateway to rome,
i always take the train and do my own thing at 9 euro's for a return ticket on a clean,punctual train its daft not to !just allow yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship the train journey takes 1 hour leave the ship asap to get the early train and you will have at least 7 hours in rome to do as you please.
next stop sardinia a stunning place we took the ships tour to costasmerelda the playground of the rich and famous a fantastic place to visit.
mahon was the next stop yet another beautiful place,the glass bottom boat trips are well worth the money .
then back to palma the cruise was over far too quickly so its 2 weeks next year for us having spent 2 weeks on the spirit a few years ago we will do it again sadly the spirit is in the fjords around norway next year having spent some time there with the royal marines i think we will give that a miss so it will be another thomson ship in the med again for next year.
the crew were as usual outstanding they really are the key as to why this ship is so well loved,
from the mainly phillipino seamen, to the cleaning staff who work non stop, bar staff,waiters,entertainments team and officers and so on .
the entertainment team were excellent led by the cruise director barry summers who was very good and very approachable always willing to chat,
another excellent part of the entertainment was the resident ships band a group of phillipinos called the top men they were really outstanding and very good at queen covers !.
also of note was the talent night on the wednesday,featuring the best elvis impersonator i have ever seen or heard he was a fellow cruiser from copenhagen in denmark singing suspicious minds he was incredible,also a scottish lady sang a great song to her husband in accapella style very moving it was too.also one of the ships crew a young lady by the name of eleyna from the ukraine who did a bellydance it got me a dig in the ribs from my wife !
most of the bar waiters i recognised from previous cruises some names that spring to mind are, farouk in the lido bar,galina in raffles, spike also in raffles,nataliya in the broadway lounge really great personalities who really go the extra mile.
we mainly ate in the compass rose the lads who looked after us were great,robert the wine waiter,don and delboy.
the food was excellent and well presented under the watchfull eye of leroy the maitre d.
all in all another great time was had by most people who seemed to cover most of the planet !the most miserable and downright rude travellers were the russian contingent of which there were many, i witnessed some of them being most offensive to some of the ukrainian barstaff completely out of order in my mind ! since the collapse of communism in the soviet union they have embraced western values and freedom of travel but basic western manners such as please and thank you have yet to be learnt it would seem.
the good thing was on our return to the u.k the sun was still shining !.