Rumours of a new-build ship to join the Thomson fleet remain wishful thinking, but the line will confirm today that it has acquired a replacement for the ageing Thomson Destiny.
Thomson Majesty will take over in May, operating the Adriatic Explorer, Pearls of Aegean, Colourful Coasts, and Canarian Flavours itineraries.
The ship, which entered service in 1992 with a maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, was christened Royal Majesty by singer Liza Minelli. More recently it has operated as Louis Majesty.
The 1,462-passenger vessel has five restaurants including a la carte offerings at Le Bistro, 5-course waiter service dinners in both Seven Seas Restaurant and Four Seasons Restaurant, 24-hour buffets in Café Royale, and snacks by the pool at Piazza San Marco.
Fraser Ellacott, Managing Director of Thomson Cruises says, “We’re thrilled to be announcing that Thomson Majesty will be joining our fleet as part of our modernisation plans. Majesty is a fantastic ship with great onboard facilities, more outside cabins and the same first-rate service you’d expect from Thomson Cruises. Thomson Majesty will be calling at some of our favourite ports in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. 2012 is set to be a very exciting year for us.”
There will be no changes to the itineraries and Thomson Majesty will be calling at ports such as Corfu Town, Venice, Santorini, Dubrovnik and Split in the Eastern Mediterranean, Santa Cruz, Funchal, Las Palmas in the Canaries, and Agadir in Morocco.
The 30-year-old Thomson Destiny has long been a favourite among British cruise passengers and at one time sailed as Sunbird under Airtours colours. The ship will return to owners Louis Cruises, from whom it was chartered.
Thomson anticipate that some of Destiny’s die-hard passengers will be disappointed by the switch, and say: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused, but we would like to reassure customers that Thomson Majesty is a great addition to the fleet and will give customers a fantastic cruise experience.
“All customers set to travel on Thomson Destiny are being contacted directly by our dedicated customer service team to arrange their transfer to Thomson Majesty.”
No doubt Thomson will also be careful not to claim that Majesty is a new ship. Misleading brochure statements when Thomson Dream joined the fleet in 2010 led to a series of complaints to BBC’s Watchdog programme.
i have been on all ship and ready to set sail again the only ship that lets the fleet down is the dream it look old and tried in side