We travelled on Thomson Destiny on it's first mediteranian cruise of 2006 on May 4th. We had cruised on this ship previously when it was owned by Airtours and named Sunbird. The Destiny is the biggest in the Thomson fleet. I must say the improvements under the Thomson brand were very much evident.

We flew to Majorca from Doncaster Robin Hood on the Thursday departing around 0600 hours.
At our arrival airport there was a delay with coaches taking us to our ship. The company were blaming the coach company saying that they had let Thomsons down. There were about 6 flights all arriving at the same time so you can imagine how long the queue was and there was only 1 coach to transfer all the passengers. We decided to take a taxi directly to the port for 35 euro so that we could take advantage of the included beverages rather than pay airport prices. Later that evening we found out that some people queued for over two hours to get on the coach!

Food is served 24/7. Breakfast is available in the restuarant and can be buffet style or waiter served whatever your wish. If you prefer you can take breakfast outside in the cafe at the rear of the ship, this is where you can eat an informal lunch have afternoon tea and/or midnight snacks. The food is plentiful and very very good. The standard in the restaurant is excellent. You would be hard pushed to get better food and service in a 4 or 5***** hotel. The waiters are all friendly and do their best to remeber your tastes. The wine waiter keeps topping your glass up and by the time you leave you can be a bit tipsy.....although I always blamed the movement of the ship! For dinner you are allocated a table and have the same dinner companions each evening. This is a good way of meeting other guests and making friends. On our first cruise our dinner companions became firm friends and we invited them to our civil partnership.

As I said earlier we had an inside cabin (the cheapest) although you spend very little time in the cabin I would not recommend an inside cabin as it is very dark and we found it difficult to awake each day as the previous day had been hectic. Whoever said a cruise is relaxing was wrong, although you can do as much or as little as you like. Our maid turned down the bed each evening and left a choclate on our pillows each evening. In the morning the beds would be turned back into sofas for daytime use. She/he would also tidy the room, clean shower room and replace the towels twice daily. The cabins are small although the more expensive cabins have more space.

There are childrens clubs to keep the little ones to teens happy. There was one couple we spoke to regularily on the cruise and it was not until checking in for the flight home that we knew they had three children!

There is a casino on board with numerous slot machines and gaming tables. If you dont know how to play roullette,poker or the other games there is a free learn to play day early on in the cruise. This as you may expect is noisy with all the slots ringing n dinging.

There is also a spa on board offering hairdressing, massages pedicures etc at extra cost. There is also a couple of shops on board. An internet cafe and library. All payments are made by your cabin charge card and paid before disembarkation by cash or debit/credit card.

The excursions are a good way of seeing various countries. They can be a little expensive espcially full day tours. The full day tour to Rome is extreamly tiring as you leave the ship about 0700 and only get back in time for first sitting at 1800.
You are, of course able to do your own thing and at a much cheaper cost. Although I would recommend if it is your first visit to Rome to take the tour. On both our visits we have heard of a couple being surrounded by gypsies on the train and robbed of cash, cameras and passports. Then they spent the whole day in police station reporting the crime. The walking tour is excellent but it does a lot of walking and you have to be fit.

There are two pools and ample sun loungers. The pools are salt water and great for cooling down. When the ship spends the day at sea there can be a bit of a shortage of loungers but you can normally find singles and move them together. There is an area at the front of the ship for topless sunbathing.

All in all this is an excellent entry level cruise ship. It is afterall a package holiday. I have never been on any of the modern day cruise ships so I cannot compare. However for value for money and remember tips are included in the price this is great value and if you can get a free drinks upgrade then its superb value. Try the coktail of the day. Tastes like a soft drink( you think they have been stingy on the alcohol) but gets you tipsy!

Good Points: Great Value; excellent entertainment; fabulous service
Bad points: Expensive excursions; Ship bit aged (was origionally Royal Carribean before Airtours)