With just one week to go until Thomson Cruises welcomes the 1,800-passenger TUI Discovery (above) the company has announced there will be a TUI Discovery 2 from May next year.
Discovery is the former Royal Caribbean ship Splendour of the Seas; Discovery 2 is sister ship Legend of the Seas. Old favourites Thomson Spirit and Thomson Majesty will be leaving the fleet at the end of 2017.
Discovery 2 has 915 cabins, almost 40 per cent of which have balconies. There are eight bars, plus activities and entertainment offering something for all the family, including a poolside cinema screen, a rock-climbing wall, a mini-golf course and an indoor swimming pool and spa.
Two more ships, the 1,900-passenger Mein Schiff 1 and 2, are scheduled to transfer to Thomson from sister company TUI in 2018 and 2019. There is no sign of Thomson building new ships, however; all the additional vessels are around 20 years old.
No announcement has yet been made about Discovery 2’s itineraries, which will go on sale in June. TUI Discovery – should we now call her Discovery 1? – is being christened in Palma, Mallorca, on Thursday, and begins her maiden voyage from Barcelona next Saturday.
Managing director Helen Caron said: “It’s an exciting time at Thomson Cruises as we bring to life our modernisation and transformation strategy to benefit UK customers.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming TUI Discovery 2 to our growing fleet in 2017. This ship will offer something for everyone, helping to attract a broad and new customer base. At the same time, we will ensure our cruise holidays maintain their friendly intimate feel, delivered by the friendliest crew at sea, not forgetting the focus we place on sailing to unique destinations that Thomson Cruises are well known for.”
Legend of the Seas is currently operating Australian cruises for Royal Caribbean International, and will now be withdrawn from the region earlier than planned.
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