Cruise Reviews

Baltic cruise August 2008
Reviewed By: Bell, King's Lynn on 22nd Aug 2008
Cruise Line: Thomson Cruises Times cruised before: 1-2
Cruise Ship: Thomson Celebration Sailed: August, 2008
Destination: Baltic Age: 36-45
Just back from a Baltic cruise on The Celebration. This was our second time on this ship and we had a good time. The weather was good and there were no rough seas. As usual the food was excellent and the Meridian resturant still has has great service. The pianist and violinist were superb and some nights there was standing room only. The quizzes and competitions are little bit tacky but as we won one quiz we can't really complain too much. Bram gives it his all and is good at what he does. The shows this time we felt were poor with one performer in particular letting them all down (not fair to mention him here but he could make a living as a Stan Laurel impersonator). There was a good selection of excursions but some were very expensive. Late into Stockholm so didn't see much of that but the Vasa museum was great. We visited under our own steam with a short taxi ride. Helsinki was nice but instantly forgettable. St. Petersburg was tatty but very grand and our tour guide (it was her first ever tour) was excellent. The Hermitage was rushed but worth a visit although the Gold Room was disappointing. The ballet was OK but the crush at the interval for a free drink was awful - what is the matter with these people? The trip to Pushkin and the palace was OK but you don't actually visit Pushkin so that was a bit misleading. We all agreed that the lunch was incredible. It was in a lovely vaulted resturant but the staff were awful and the fish wasn't cooked. The 'traditional' band rather overdid things but it was an experience we won't forget. The 'chance to shop' was in a small back street shop that looked derelict and only sold what they thought we tourists would want to buy i.e. wall-to-wall Russian dolls. Tallin was a lovely old city and we did our thing here as it is only a few minutes walk to the old medieval town. They have really got thier act together to accomodate cruise ships without it being turned into a Disneyland. Several beers in the market place made for a nice day in a city that not many people get to visit. Warnemund and Rostock were also good. The guide Andreas, was a real character and as an East German had many tales to tell about 'The Days' as he called them. The KGB museum was interesting as was the beach at Warnemund. Again, a few beers in a little cafe by the canal rounded off another good day. Copenhagen was nice but like Helsinki, quickly forgetable. Even the Little Mermaid was disappointing but that's probably my fault as I thought it was as big as the Statue of Liberty! One bad point are the queues at disembarking. Why, oh why do people crowd around the landing and stairs when they've been asked not to and then moan about the crowds? And probably the only unhelpful memebers of staff out of over 500 are the reception staff. There is no way on earth that they will ever accept that a complaint is genuine. The head receptionist has a fixed expression that appears to be a smirk. We encountered this when we had cause to make our only complaint. It was about a smell of diesel in and around deck 2. There were several people talking about it but when questioned, our friendly receptionist just said 'No there isn't. There can't be because there is no machinery in that area'. Well, what can you say to that? Not much I suppose, so most people just left with thier tails between thier legs. As for leaving the ship for the car park, I know Thomson can't be held responsible for the weather but when we got to the car park and saw the cases out in the open in the torrential rain, most of them in puddles, we couldn't believe it. What a shambles. All-in-all a very good time, just beware of the final bill for the excursions and the drinks which in our case was an additional £1000.
Quality of Food5
Mostly Meridian but a couple of times in the Lido.
Entertainment2
Celebration show team were poor but Maurice Grumbleweed and Bobby Bennett were OK. Classical duo were superb. The other band were OK but a bit 'pub singer' in style.
Shore Excursions3
Warnemund and Tallin were excellent. Copenhagen and Helsinki forgettable but OK.
Staff4
All waiting staff are very good. Cabin staff (Tedjo) very good. Reception were unhelpful. Cruise director Gary, was OK and it was good to see the captain wandering about although he apparently left the ship at some point during the second week.
Children's Facilitiesn/a
Onboard Activities3
Quizes in Liberties were a bit tacky.
Cabins4
Cabin was good with planty of space. The TV is a waste of time but then again you don't really spend much time in the cabin watching it. The weather forecasts on channel 31 that accompany the view from the bridge are rubbish. You're better off guessing.
Overall Rating4
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Question by Bell, Hebburn, Tyne & Wear (03 Sep 08 14:16) about this REVIEW.
Are their any reviews on Autumn Cities cruise we are going on this in October
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Opinion: Disagree Comment by Smith, Holbeach Lincs (27 Aug 08 16:17) about this REVIEW.
Captain Alan did leave the ship from Estonia due to the fact that his mother was taken seriously ill.We attended the informal chat in the Broadway with his excellent deputy to learn this and much more. Did you not see the Moulin Rouge show? Amazing by an excellent show team enjoyed by a packed Broadway audience.
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Comment by Bell, King's Lynn (28 Aug 08 02:00) about a COMMENT by Smith (27 Aug 08 16:17)
We asked a couple of staff members about the fact that we hadn't seen the captain and they were reluctant to say anything, which seemed a bit odd. We obviously missed the talk in the Broadway explaining his departure. As for the shows, I have to concede that I am not a big fan of musicals or any of these kind of shows, but myself my wife and our travelling companions agreed that the previous performers and shows (Med cruise May '07) were better. I am obviously in a minority on this subject because the Broadway is always packed, with people barging in straight after the first performance to secure a seat for the late one. I was looking forward to West Side Story and I thought it was terrible. I wasn't the only one as there were people leaving which I have never seen happen before. I decided to miss the others after this but I am reliably informed that Moulin Rouge was quite good but that's the way it goes. During the course of the trip we spoke to many other travellers and the general consensus was that Thomson is in the lower half of the cruise holiday league with Ocean Village being the company that most people were raving about. I still think that The celebration is a nice ship and the mood is very relaxed, but like most people I also think it could do with a refit. Having said all this we will certainly cruise with Thomson again but we will probably try a different company next time just to get a comparison.
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Opinion: Agree Question by Breeze, Didcot (22 Aug 08 19:32) about this REVIEW.
Can you tell me whether the classical duo were Janos and Jozsef and the resident band was the summerland band? If so did you take any piccies of them?
ANSWER
Answer by Bell, King's Lynn (26 Aug 08 00:47) to a QUESTION by Breeze (22 Aug 08 19:32)
It was Janos and Jozsef in the Explorer's Lounge but the band were called the The Freedom Band. No pictures I'm afraid. Simon.
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