Thomson Destiny to Mediterranean

Thomson cruises packs a lot into this former Royal Caribbean vessel- mainly people. A minimum of 1400 people inhabit this 38,00 ton ship during her week long cruises, nearly all British passengers, flown in from around the United Kingdom on one of the company's own planes.

Thomson Destiny is beautifully styled, with a jaunty, raked bow and the old 'Viking Crown' lounge from RCCL still in place around her funnel.  From her, you have an amazing, 360 degree vistas of the horizon from fourteen floors up. But, because only one small elevator goes there, most people simply never found this room. Shame.

Inside, the original Schooner Bar from her old days is still largely intact, with its maritime regalia still intact. It has wonderful views out over the sea, and live music on some nights. It is still easily the prettiest lounge on the ship.

Thomson added a set of prefabricated balcony suites to her, high up forward and looking out over the sea. They also added a covered Lido Restaurant to the stern to complement the decent, British accented fare offered up in the main dining room in two sittings.

In talking about food, remember that Thomson Destiny is pretty much a budget product, with plentiful decent, but unimaginative food for those on board. This same attitude carried over to the entertainment, which was very much of the 'Blackpool pier' variety; fun, energetic, slightly risque, but truly predictable.

For the sun worshippers, Thomson Destiny has two quite large pools, separated by a central bandstand, with sun loungers all around, as well as on the level above. Despite all this space, you needed to be sharp to grab a decent sun bed.

Cabin wise, Thomson Destiny features many small inside and outside cabins, with pretty poor insulation between the walls. However, there is a range of demi-suites up on Deck Seven that overlook the Promenade Deck. With their own, separate sitting area and plenty of wardrobe space, they also feature a tub bath/ shower combination. These are actually a very good buy on this particular ship.