Thomson Spirit by Aimee
Ship - Thomson Spirit
Line - Thomson Cruises
Date - 17th September 2009
Day 1 - Thursday 17 September 2009
It was a long journey down to Harwich, which started from Barrow-in-Furness via London at 10:15 on the morning of 17th September. We had to cross through the capital, and then take a train straight through to Harwich Town. When we arrived a convenient bus took us from the Train Station directly to our pre-cruise hotel.
We were booked into a Premier Inn, which in Harwich proved to be a good, cheap and convenient option to beak up one's journey and spend a night before boarding at Harwich Cruise Terminal the following day. We chose to add breakfast to the cost of our room at a cost of £7.50 per person, for the 'All You Can Eat' option, which is a great way to start the day!
Day 2 - Friday 18th September 2009
Check-in time at the Cruise Terminal was 10am, so after rising early at 7am and enjoying our Full English Breakfast, we decided to walk to the cruise terminal, which took around 15 minutes. If preferred, a taxi could have been ordered and would have reduced the journey time to 5 minutes.
The whole check-in process took around half an hour, and we were checked-in by 10:45. We were not able to board until 12pm but this was not a problem as there is a café at the port to have a coffee and pass the time.
Once 12pm came we had boarded the ship within 10 minutes, and were greeted by a friendly staff member who took us and our bags to the cabin. Our cabin was number 410, which was a Standard Inside; although quite spacious with a lot of storage I felt these cabins did need up grading, however the Superior Outside Cabins and higher grades were of a good standard.
I took in a Full Ship tour of all rooms and facilities on board; this was a very good way to get my bearings and see a lot of the ship!
On deck, the Sailaway Party was in full swing, and provided a real party atmosphere. With cocktails in hand we sang along and waved goodbye to Harwich.
That evening we dined in the main restaurant, the Compass Rose on the 20:30 sitting - we were greeted by our friendly waiter and he took our orders and with in 10 mins we had our starters in front of us. In my opinion the food that night was as good as any other ship I have been on. After dinner we then took in a show in the Broadway Show Lounge, which that evening was a ABBA and Queen themed night. I must say the entertainment was fantastic and created a great atmosphere, with people dancing in the aisles! This was a fantastic way to start the evening, and things only got better as we visited the High Spirits night-club, where the entertainment team did a few more songs in a Blues' Brothers' style...
Day 3 - Saturday 19th September 2009
We had to vacate our cabin before 9am, so we were up and dressed for by 8am. Breakfast was down in the Lido Restaurant, which was a selection of fruit, cereals, pastry’s and of course a Full English option. it was then time to say goodbye to Thomson Spirit and head down to reception to settle our on board account. We then joined the queue to disembark and actually got off the ship for around 09:30.
After disembarking we took a taxi from Southampton Port to the Train Station; the taxis wait for passengers at the port, there are so many you don't need to pre-book. It was a 5 minute journey at a cost of around £7.50.
To sum up the Thomson Spirit:
Great value for money
Fantastic entertainment
Excellent food
Efficient and friendly staff
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