Report: Thomson Celebration - A Weekend Affair

Took a weekend away with Thomson on the Celebration
(Harwich-Amsterdam-Zeebrugge-Harwich).

What a shambles.

Day 1 (Embarkation)

Boarded the ship in plenty of time, told where the cabin was and found it
with little difficulty. First impressions: Cabin good sized for 2 people,
with a double bed, plenty of storage space and a porthole just above the
water line. Unpacked and went up to the Lido deck to see what the departure
party was all about. Performers were very professional, with some excellent
singing voices.

Ship sailed on time, until we got about 500 yards out of port, then there
was a noticeable shudder through the ship, a cloud of black gloop in our
wake and we were hauled back into dock. No information as to what the
problem was, but rumours we had hit a sandbank were rife. The only
announcement was that a 'technical problem' had caused the return to dock.
Sat there for about an hour before taking another run at it. Got out of port
and all seemed OK.

The food on board was of acceptable quality, with a reasonable choice
including a vegetarian option. We only ate in the casual Lido restaurant,
and were pretty satisfied.

Day 2 - Amsterdam.

Lovely city, convenient docking for city tours. Didn't spend a lot of time
aboard the ship.

Day 3 - Zeebrugge.

Why?

Tell me WHY do ANY cruise ships bother docking at this middle of nowhere
hole in the earth? It is a perfect port if you have a ****load of containers
to move, but offers absolutely nothing to cruisers. Went ashore, spent about
30 minutes in the town itself (3 shops, all fishmongers) then returned to
the ship. To be fair, we COULD have caught local transport to Bruges for a
few hours, and it seems a fair few other guests did, but we have been there
before a few times, so didn't bother this time. In the light of events to
come, I wish we had!

Upon departure from Zeebrugge at 11pm we managed 200 yards this time before
being hauled back to dock. This time, we were told, the port engine
controller had abandoned ship, and we were going to be stuck there until new
parts could be delivered - at least 12 hours delay in the middle of nowhere.
Great. On this occasion, we were at least kept informed by the captain (or
'driver', as he referred to himself on one occasion) of the progress, or
lack of it. He finally announced that it would be the following afternoon
before we would be able to get under way, and that we would have £5.00 per
person credited to our accounts. This was later increased to £10.00 per
person.

We finally got under way the following afternoon - 16 hours late. this
caused both my wife and I to miss a day's work - Our claim for loss of
earnings has been submitted.

A few other points:

1. The ventilation system in our cabin was constantly blowing cold
air, regardless of what we set the thermostat to. Despite representations to
our cabin steward, nothing was done about this matter.

2. The coffee & tea stations in the Lido restaurant were NEVER
equipped with sufficient cups for guests to use, no matter what time of day
or night I used them. Waiters were standing around making no effort to
supply fresh cups despite repeated requests.

3. The onboard shops were closed for the entire cruise. While this
may have been beyond Thomson's control due to EU law, there was no advance
warning of the situation to guests. Surely it would have been courteous to
warn people?

4. The lift nearest our cabin. When using it to go to deck 4 (main
deck with reception etc), we were greeted by a locked restaurant door, with
a message to use the main entrance on the port side. This involved going up
or down one deck, walking to midships then up or down again to get to where
we needed to be in the first place. This was a very real safety hazard.

5. The reception staff seemed to have little or no idea what was
going on most of the time. I contacted them on the evening we sailed out of
Amsterdam to enquire whether the casino on board would be opening. I was
told that it would not. The following evening, I was informed by other
guests that the casino HAD been open on the previous evening after all. I
then called again to enquire whether it would be open upon departure from
Zeebrugge. Again I was told that no, it would not, due to our late
departure. It was open. Fortunately, the casino manager had opened up as
soon as the final rope was slipped, so he was royally screwed when we were
dragged back to dock, and had to stay open or face a barrage of angry
passengers!

6. Once we realised we would both miss a day's work due to the delay,
we requested a copy of the Thomson letter that was being supplied for the
information of employers, and that it be posted under the door of our cabin.
This request was accepted. I collected the letter upon disembarkation at
Harwich. There was no attempt to deliver it as requested - Although the
account for our cabin was delivered in plenty of time.