Overall Score

BERLITZ'S RATING
	Possible	Achieved
Ship	500	342
Accommodation	200	133
Food	400	241
Service	400	261
Entertainment	100	66
Cruise	400	280

How this score is created

Originally built for Royal Caribbean International, the ship was sold in 1999 to My Travel/Sun Cruises, which pulled out of cruise vacations and ship ownership towards the end of 2004. It is now the largest ship in the Thomson Cruises fleet (on charter until 2011). The all-white ship, now refurbished, is smart-looking, with nicely rounded lines, sharply raked bow, and a single funnel with a cantilevered, wrap-around lounge called the Chart Room (a fine place from which to observe the world around and below you).

There is a decent amount of open deck and sunbathing space (but it will be crowded when the ship sails full, which is most of the time), and some nicely polished wooden decks and rails. There are two swimming pools – the aft pool designated for children, the forward pool for adults.

The interior decor is bright and breezy. There is a good array of public rooms, most of which have high ceilings, and are one deck above the dining room. These include the main show lounge, casino and nightclub. There is also a small conference center for meetings, as well as an internet café (with six computer terminals – but no café).

Thomson Cruises provides a consistent, well-tuned and well-packaged, fun product, in comfortable surroundings. As part of Thomson Holidays, it uses the Thomson-owned Britannia Airways and is therefore able to offer complete cruise-air-stay packages at such attractive rates. The company does a good job of getting you and your luggage from aircraft to ship without having to go through immigration (depending on itinerary) in foreign countries whenever possible – so your cruise holiday is relatively seamless. The company offers airlift from almost a score of UK airports via Britannia Airlines. You can pre-book a window seat for an extra £10 per adult (£5 for children), and a premium seat (more space than standard seats) for £20 per person, while pre-booked meals cost £10 per person (£5 per child).

The company’s brochures tell it like it is – so you know before you go exactly what you will get for your money. Like other ships in the Thomson Cruises fleet, the space per passenger (particularly on the open decks) is very tight when the ships are full. There is little choice of tea and coffee. There are no cushioned pads for the sunloungers. Standing in line for embarkation, disembarkation, shore tenders and for self-serve buffet meals is an inevitable aspect of cruising aboard all large ships.

Your fellow passengers are likely to be British (typically about 80 percent of passengers will be over 45). During the summer a lot of families with children go cruising, so you can expect to find them everywhere. Perhaps the best part of cruising aboard Thomson Destiny lies in the destinations, and not the ship (although it is perfectly comfortable). Hotel add-ons can extend a cruise vacation, and Thomson has a fine collection, depending on your needs, budget, and whether you are traveling with children (or grandchildren). The onboard currency is the British pound. All Thomson Cruises’ ships are non-smoking, although smoking areas are provided in most public rooms.

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008