Juat returned from our first cruise and chose it as it appealed to all ages as our family includes 2 teenagers and a 9 year old. We did the Colourful Coasts and enjoyed every port of call except Morocco which we chose to stay on board after reading other peoples reviews.
Couldnt beleive how many times our room was tidied, at least 3 times a day and towels changed as soon as they were used.
There was plenty of choice to eat. We ate in the seven seas restaurant every evening and found a good selection on the menu, but more than the food, the waiters made the evening enjoyable with their own little performances. It was made even better that we were sat with a lovely family from Blackburn. One criticism was that the childs menu didnt change all week, but our waiter was happy to add a starter to the 9 year olds meal each evening, which wasnt included in the childs menu.
We found all the ships staff very friendly and couldnt do enough for you.
The on board entertainment was very good, but if you are on the 2nd dinner sitting you need to choose between the show or the nightly entertainment programme in the Oklahoma Lounge. You can do both if you are on the first dinner sitting, but this was a little early fo us.
To summarise, it was a good family cruise that was relaxing, enjoyable, mostly informal but a good excuse to dress up on the captains cocktail party night (men take your black ties if you want to be in the majority!).

First time cruise and best holiday ever!

All staff are extreamly friendly, including RICKY our cabin steward who made every effort to make our holiday special. He kept our cabin spotless, and made us many animals out of towels,and decorated our cabin with balloons when it was one of our party's birthday.

We have just returned from our first cruise and absolutely loved it. We chose a stay and cruise holiday simply as we wanted to unwind from a long hard slog at work to be in the right frame of mind to take in all a cruise has to offer.

The reason we chose the Thomson Destiny was because it fitted our dates, travel options and the Canaries was the closest to the UK we could travel for some late autumn sun.

I had read the reviews about the Thomson Destiny and did have some concerns. All I can say is, there must be some fussy people out there or they are half pint millionaires who would not/could not afford the top of the range cruises that you can opt for. I am involved in event management at work and can, therefore, be hyper critical!

We had an outside cabin on deck 3 – it was bigger than both of us expected. I've stayed in pokier hotel rooms and certainly ones with less storage. Our cabin stewardess kept it spotless and immaculately tidy at all times. My only moan is that the extractor fan over the shower in the bathroom is so strong that the shower curtain is sucked into the shower and can cling to you.

We did not have an evening meal in the Seven Seas restaurant as the first night we were 1st sitting and we like to eat late. We did change to 2nd sitting but I tried the waiter service for breakfast ad found it rushed – we prefer to linger over a meal so we opted for the Lido buffet instead. We chatted to some people who did say that they had to send a couple of plates back as the food was hot enough.

There was more choice at the Lido buffet and you can mix and match your selections rather than having the exact meal presented to you. The food there was always hot and fresh. There were some nights when the food was better than others; but overall it was good.

I had breakfast either in the Seven Seas restaurant with waiter service or in the Lido buffet depending on where we were or what was happening. Both offered the same full range but you could get freshly made omelettes at the Lido buffet and mugs of tea or coffee. Yes the mugs are plastic - but you can grab a mug whenever you want and take it on deck with you.

For lunch I tended to use the Pool bar for a snack and salad then walk down to the Lido buffet for the pudding of the day with custard! My husband used the Lido buffet for lunch found there was a massive choice. I did indulge in afternoon tea once – just for research you understand!

There was plenty of day time activity to keep you occupied. We did not do any excursions as we had been to all the ports of call before. I am ashamed to say I did not once get off the ship but my husband did have a wander at every port except for Agadir, as the town was miles from the port.

In the evenings, we passed on the shows in the Can Can Lounge as that was not “us”, we enjoyed the fun in the Oklahoma Lounge, we visited the Sky Bar, Blake's and the Clipper Bar and in none did we have difficulties finding a seat nor were we kept waiting for drinks service.

I was impressed by all the staff; polite and as friendly as you wanted them to be. I thought the standard of cleanliness throughout was very good. OK the Thomson Destiny does look a bit tired in some places but it's an old boat and is not looking tired where it counts.

I must comment on the disembarkation process & transfer back to the airport – faultless and smooth.

All in all a great first time cruise. We will do more, we'd like to do one that leaves from the UK just so we can take more glad rags without fear of ruining them in suitcases and trusting others to iron them. I would recommend the Thomson Destiny – ignore the petty whingers.

we have just returned from Roman epic cruise on the Destiny,
having already cruised on the Thomson Spirit 3 times
she had a lot to live up to,i'm pleased to say she is almost as good,there are a few subtle differences but the major link between the 2 ships is the crew,in fact quite a few where on the Spirit last year,and lo and behold they recognised us!the only downer crew wise which i wouldn't say was so much a problem for passengers, but the assistant bar manager from the Spirit was this year drafted to the Destiny ! he is the most miserable person i have ever met, when he appears the waiters and bar staff mood changes immedietely, he barks out commands in the way most people wouldn't talk to a dog!Ivan the Terrible is the name i gave to him as did the bar staff!
the ship is kept immaculate,the crew are polite and courtious and very helpful,our cabin attendant was a Ukrainian girl called Vicky she was excellent and she has only just joined the ship this being her first cruise ship she will be a credit to the ship
the food was very good the seven seas restuarant was excellent with attentive waiters who bent over backwards to ensure you were happy, look out for cherry baby as she is known your wine glass will never be empty ! she was on the spirit last year.
the unsung heroes of the Thomson ships are the sea-men
who work tirelessly with great humour for very little wages in comparison to what the more fortunate among us earn,also we must not forget the Ghurka security team,these guys are amazing.
getting back to the ship i must say is that
we did prefer the lido bar on the Thomson Spirit though,
a few people on this forum think the same thing,
we did our own trips this time including catching the train to Rome again i have done this for 3 years in a row and the cost of a return ticket is still 9 euros!!the metro hop on hop off service was only 4 euros why o why cant it be this cheap in England!!.
We used the ship tours to go to Portofino which is one of our favourite places on earth,and we booked a trip to Neptunes caves in Sardinia,unfortunatly due to bad weather and Sardinia being a port where you need a tender to get ashore we diverted to Corsica,i believe the cost of mooring alongside at this port in Sardinia is extortion at its worst,so most companies use the local tender service which couldn't operate due to high seas
the other option was spending another day at sea so 3 cheers to Captain Konstantinides for choosing Corsica
the weather there was wonderful,the captain was a very charming and humourous chap always keeping the passengers informed with what was going on and where we were going next he also gave warning if the weather was going to be rough so sea sickness prone passengers could take advance precautions,
entertainment was excellent on the whole the singers and dancers were great the cruise director was a chap called Steven guy a great singer/compere,far better than the one on the Spirit last year!
there was a band called High Life who seemed very flat and uninterested in what they doing!
also another dissapointment is that there was no passenger/crew talent night!.
Bill the pianist tinkled away on the ivories virtually the whole day and night very talented he was too, another form of entertainment that wasn't on the itinery was the most amazing lightning storm during our day at sea on the friday we watched it from the sky bar it was truly awesome,the weather on the whole was mostly hot and sunny we both came home a lovely shade of brown again.
There was also a tv celebrity on board among the passengers who i didnt know at the time i only found out who he was because i mistook him for a Colour Sargeant i knew in the Royal Marines he was the living image of him!!he was a very funny eccentric chap called Johnny Kingdom who fronts a wildlife programme about Exmoor he has gained a lot more fans !!
another port of call was Mahon a really nice place along with Toulon which was our first port ,
our only regret of the whole cruise was that this time we didn't do 2 weeks due to commitments at home but next year it will be 2 weeks, again with Thomsons but
until we get the new brochure we don't know what ship.
All in all a great cruise yet again .

Hi just come back from jewels of the mediterranean
cruise aboard the destiny, we've sailed on the Spirit,
and the Emerald before and found the Destiny just as good she's a lovely big ship and we never had a problem finding sunbeds or tables to eat at,the two swimming pools were nice and warm, food quite acceptable, and the staff efficiant, we were all inclusive and our glasses were never empty!
cabins as stated before are small but do you really
want to stay in them long no. entertainment was ok
but the band high life seemed well uniterested in what they were doing, we had great weather but the ship did rock a little on the crossing to Palma from
Barcelona and they put sick bags everywhere so i dont
know what it would be like in rough weather.
all in all a great holiday, we didnt do any trips but just did our own thing, Scicilly was the worst dirty and busy, Naples was busy also but plenty to see,
Corsica nice, marseille nice also, Barcelona great,
would be happy to sail on the Destiny again.

This was our 5th Cruise, the others on the Spirit which we'll go back to, and the Emerald which we wont. We went on the Roman Epic Cruise, which was excellent, and managed to proudly 'do our own thing'and still saw all the sights. We thought that the entertainment on the Destiny by the very talented Showteam was excellent, very energetic and colourful. We decided to change from second sitting to first for dinner, and so did not miss out on the very enjoyable T.V. type game shows led by a very humourous and mischievous Kane. Sam played his part well also. Steven Guy was a brilliant singer, and like the rest of the team, put his heart and soul into everything he did. A comedy duo called Barricade were absolutely fantastic.Captain Terry was very animated and spoke English very well. The 'High Life'singing group were O.K. The keyboard player was better at playing than singing, but still. Our cabin boy was very friendly, and very hard working, but I found it necessary to hide my nightie, once I realised he was going to make pretty patterns with it every night,as had happened on the Emerald, sadly he was not into towel sculptures, The food was excellent and available 24 hours. All the crew were very friendly and approachable, and we will be returning, depending on the itinerary of course.

Just Back From a holiday on the thomsons destiny and really enjoyed ourselfs. Couldn't believe how nice the staff were and how hard they worked. Seven seas resteraunte was the best. our waitors Billy And Gil made our holiday. best staff on the ship. took time to get to know your name. there was something for everyone from the afternoon quizes to cocktail demonstrations to shows and discos in the Oklahoma lounge till the early mornings. Shows were amazing and i do not agree with anyone that didnt like this holiday as the ages of our family varied from 14 to 86 ! and there was most deffinetly something for everyone. Steven Guy , Kane , and rest of entertainment staff were very talanted. would recomend this holiday to anyone ! 10/10 :-D x

We have just got back from Roman epic Cruise, and having just read the last review from jon from Crewe. I am incredulous and find it hard to believe he sailed on the same ship as us.I was a little wary about sailing on this ship as previously we have had 2 fantastic holidays on the Spirit. I need not have worried from start to finish it was excellent.Cleanliness was of an exceptional standard,sometimes it was impossible not to trip over a hoover as you walked the corridors! All the waiting staff in the bars could not do enough for you, mainly remembering your drink after the first night.The food in the 7 seas restaurant was of an extremely high standard, if you had chosen then decided you would like something else, no problem.I was unsure whether I would like the fixed sittings for dinner having been used to open dining on the spirit but it was lovely to have the same waiters every evening, it seemed your wine glass was filled after every sip. Maybe it would have been different if you had not got on with your dinner companions but we were lucky in that respect. Although we did not like the Lido as much as on the spirit a little breezy, the food was still good. I actually enjoyed the grill bar for a snack, though we enjoyed lunch in the 7 seas also. The food is almost constant from early morning to early hours of the morning. I was amazed to see a line of waiters around 1am every morning fan out around the bars with trays of food, after all it was a couple of hours since everyone had eaten!
I was a little concerned that there would be lots of out of control children, this was not the case from what we saw. Obviously groups formed but when I saw them they were quiet and well behaved. There are ship's officers walking round the ship all the time looking for problems, and if children were in the adult pool (there are 2 pools) they were ejected.
Even at lunchtime on the day at sea there were ample sunbeds.
We are not gamblers so obviously missed the corridor Jon saw! We only found a quite spacious room with card tables and slot machines which opened out into the lovely Clipper bar.
The entertainment staff day and night were great, polite, funny and talented, and all looked like they really wanted to be there, which I am sure had a lot to do with the fantastic Cruise Director, Steven Guy. I thoroughly enjoyed all the shows, the singing and dancing was excellent. Obviously not quite the West End, but you are on a Thomson Cruise ship in the Med! Even when not on duty they went out of their way to speak to everyone.
I did not speak to anyone who did not enjoy this holiday. Another great thing about Thomson is that there are no hidden extras, we were all inclusive and could easily have not spent a penny on board. Myself and my husband are sailing on the Celebration in November, on the Red Sea Magic, we can't wait.

Our first cruise and speaking as an ex seaman with experience working on some of the top liners in the old days I looked at things with a citical eye. the cleanliness of the ship could not be faulted. I was amazed to see one of the deckhands with a little pot of paint touching up the marks left by the mooring ropes every time we left the harbour.The cabin although small was kept spotless with fresh towels everyday and the bed laid out every evening with a chocolate on the pillow.The food was great and we ate mostly on the Lido deck as we like to be informal.Dress up if you like but normal holiday clothes are quite adequate. Night life is okay if you like caberet but even though we are in our fifties we found it a bit tame later on in the night. The group high life had no life! some of the staff were a bit glum but they do work hard and do long hours for not much pay, so make sure you tip them when you leave!! We would do another cruise with younger people and a bit more lively entertainment but overall well worth the money especially if you go all inclusive. try it you will enjoy it!

We sailed on the Destiny on the Med Renaissance in July as our first cruising experience. Excellent.

Food: Absolutely brilliant food and service in the Seven Seas restaurant. Food availbale 24/7 in the Lido Cafe, very presentable but not to the same standard as main restaurant.

Staff: ALL brilliant, from Entertainment Team (special mention to Gemma) to Show Team to Waiters, Waitresses, Bar Staff, Cabin Steward.

Entertainment: My son was fascinated by the constant entertainment available from Quizes to Shows to Game Shows to Music and Cabaret as well as guest comendians. Totally enjoyable and good fun.

Pool Deck: Pools a little disappointing (sea water).

Sailaway Party: Brilliant
Buffet Magnifique: Brilliant
Captains (formal) Night: Did not attend for 2 reasons, age of our kids (4 and 10) and I don't believe in wearing a suit on holiday.

Kidzone: Great effort by staff but very difficult to maintain interest of a small group (25/30 kids) over a wide range of age groups.

Ports: We did out own excursions to Monte Carlo, Pisa and Rome. No problems and a lot cheaper than Thomson excursions. I do think, however, that the Destinations Services could be more helpful for independent passengers, their main aim seemed to be to sell excursions.

Check In/Out: Super efficient and reassured by security arrangements when going ashore and returning.

We also stayed in Majorca (Coma Gran Aparthotel) for a week before the cruise and would also highly recommend this for a child friendly break. All in all a brilliant holiday and will defintely cruise again, perhaps when our daughter is slightly older.