Thomson Cruise

Part of the travel giant, Thomson Holidays, Thomson Cruises offer mainstream cruises on board its 5 ships, and cater primarily to the UK market. The division aims to create a traditional cruise experience, with classic entertainment and a wealth of onboard services and facilities. Thomson Cruises are popular with families and first-time cruisers, and offer a great choice of itineraries throughout Europe, at a range of prices.    

 

Thomson Cruises was founded in 1995, and has steadily developed since then, now operating a fleet of 5. The flagship of the Thomson Cruise fleet is the 37,773-ton Thomson Destiny (originally a Royal Caribbean vessel), with capacity for 1,450 passengers. Thomson Spirit and Thomson Celebration, both 33,930 tons and with capacity for 1,254 passengers, joined the fleet in 2003 and 2004 respectively, starting life as Holland America ships. The oldest and original of the Thomson Cruise fleet is The Emerald, a true old faithful, and the newest is the much smaller Calypso, with capacity for just 486 passengers and catering to an adult-only clientele. Boasting an extensive range of services and activities, a Thomson Cruise (with the exception of The Calypso) offers entertainment for all ages and traditional touches such as fixed sittings for dinner, a formal evening, nightly shows and onboard games, quizzes and competitions.  

 

Destinations offered on a Thomson Cruise include the Mediterranean and North Africa, the Baltic’s and Scandinavia, and the company has plans to introduce Caribbean cruising in the future. Itineraries on a Thomson Cruise tend to be 7 or 14-night cruises repeated throughout the season. Thomson Celebration sails from UK departure ports, such as Harwich and Liverpool, whilst cheap flights are offered from regional airports to access the various international ports that the other ships sail from.