| Date |
Ship |
2013 |
Incident |
| February 10 | Thomson Majesty | The Guardian reports five people have died on a cruise ship operated by the holiday firm Thomson after a lifeboat fell from the vessel during an emergency drill at La Palma in the Canary islands, according to Spanish officials and reports. Three other people were injured in the incident, which was moored at the island's capital, Santa Cruz. Government officials quoted emergency services as saying crews were sent to the dock just after midday local time (12pm GMT) after "a lifeboat with occupants had fallen overboard from a cruise ship docked at the pier". Spanish reports identified the ship as the Majesty and said those dead were believed to be three Indonesians, a Filipino and a Ghanaian. The country's media quoted police as saying the boat, carrying eight members of the ship's crew, dropped around 30 metres into the water before overturning. It was not known what caused the boat to fall. Those injured, two of whom were badly hurt, were identified as being two Greek nationals and one Filipino. | 5 crew die in accident |
| Date |
Ship |
2012 |
Incident |
| October 31 | Island Escape | From a passenger: i just wanted to let you know that on the 27th and 28th october 2012 we were on the island escape on the saturday night the power all went off and the ship was drifting at sea, you could hardly walk and people had there mobile phones out to try n see where there were going and everyone was being sick everywhere. if that wasnt bad enough on the sunday night it felt like the ship was about to tip over all our things on the dressing table fell off n landed in a corner of the room some people were saying there bed moved to the other side of the room its was terryifying .the captain didnt even reasure us that we were safe ill never go on a cruise again. | Power outrage |
| May 20 | Dream | From a passenger: I was a passenger on board the Thomson Dream on the 20 night Caribbean Crossing Itinery starting on 15th April 2012. On 2nd May 2012 we were approaching Gibralter at approx 9.30 am in calm seas (in the straits) when the ship made 2 very sudden manouvers. The 2nd of which resulted in the ship seriously tilting to port side. The water from the pool poured out and pots etc could be heard crashing. We were on deck by the pool and expected to hear the alarm for our life jackets. Nothing happened & the ship gradually righted itself over several minutes. Passengers were distressed & crying. There were reports of injuries (scaldings) but no announcement was made by the captain. After 24 hours & numerous complaints, he finally said sorry & announced that it had been caused by a “slip of the hand”. From an other passenger: Further to the report appearing as dated 25 May (should it be 20th?) on the Thomson Dream, I can confirm that the incident happened on 2 May exactly as reported. In addition to the damage reported there was crockery in the restaurants broken and a display case in the Jewellery shop that topped over and in the process broke the display glass, its lighting and' that this rendered the cabinet both unusable or repairable. We were in the cabin at the time and items on top of the dressing table and bedside cabinets slid onto the floor. The Captain made an announcement the following evening and although difficult to hear this from the cabin he said something along the lines that:- It had been brought to his attention that some passengers were frightened by a manoeuvre that was made the previous morning and he would like to apologise. He (the Captain) had not commented the previous day because to him it was a "completely normal manoeuvre". He went on to explain that he had to enter the shipping lanes at 90 degrees!!! but that if in doing so he frightened anybody then he apologised. What utter bull! The Captain surely could have thought up a better explanation than that-why do these people treat us like idiots?. The ship did list a substantial amount and although I suspect it was nowhere near to putting the ship in peril, it was certainly enough to have every passenger feeling uncomfortable for a short time. In the circumstances the truth would have been appreciated rather than the laughable explanation that we were given. | Severe list |
| January 12 | Dream | The Examiner reports more than 200 persons have filed a 'class action type' lawsuit against a cruise line because of problems with odors and poor hygiene when they sailed two years ago. British based Thomson Cruises experienced problems on their flagship, the Dream, and passengers that sailed between May and October, 2010 have filed the suit. The Dream is a 55,000 ton, 1,506 passenger ship that Thomson purchased from Costa Cruises. There were reports of numerous problems on board the ship in it's early days of operation, including plumbing problems. According to a British newspaper, 'This is Staffordshire', complaints included 'toilets blocked and overflowing, food was undercooked and reused, and air conditioning units were often broken'. Another couple claimed they might have become sick because of the trip. | Lawsuit |
| Date |
Ship |
2011 |
Incident |
| April 21 | Unknown | The Press Association of the UK reports a 63-year-old man has gone missing while on a cruise ship holiday in Egypt. A Thames Valley Police spokesman said officers are becoming increasingly concerned for the welfare of John Halford, of Greenleys, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Mr Halford left Luton Airport on March 31 to join the Thomson cruise but when it finished in Sharm El Sheikh on April 7, he was not on board. It is thought he went missing some time between 11.45pm on April 6 and 7.30am on April 7. | Pax missing |
| January 17 | Thomson Dream | A review posted at Cruise.Co.UK reports there was a starboard engine fire early in the cruise that departed Barbados on December 30. Despite rumours of it being serious, there is no indication at this point that it impacted the itinerary and no reported injuries. | Fire |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2010 |
Incident |
| 27.8.10 | Thomson Celebration | A passenger wrote, regarding the August 16-23 cruise: The ship's itinerary was significantly changed because of engine problems. The ship left Marmaris, Turkey (port of embarkation) more than 24 hours late, and two ports (Santorini and Cannakale) were dropped. In addition, port call times were changed. The reader also writes: On Day 7 after departure from Rhodes, the ship lost electrical power, the passenger areas plunged into darkness, the engines appeared to stop, I observed one officer with his head in his hands and the ship appeared to drift for 10 minutes. One passenger was complaining of black water everyday and there were frequent airconditioning problems. On the transfer coach back to the airport the wheel broke and we ended up stranded on the side of the road - but that's another story! | Engine problems |
| 25.7.10 | Thomson Dream | Wales News reports two Welsh friends are threatening legal action after their dream cruise turned into a nightmare. They claim they found fleas in their beds and smelly sewage on the carpets. They also say they were struck down with sickness and diarrhoea, and had to stay on board when the ship docked at Tunisia, Barcelona, Sardinia and Egypt. One woman, in her 50s, said the toilets in her cabin were so bad she had to climb several decks to reach a good one. The pair travelled on the cruise ship between May 25 and June 2 this year. They boarded in Palma, Majorca, and immediately had to hold their noses because of the strong smell of sewage. Carmen said: “We just couldn’t believe it and obviously imagined it would be temporary. “But throughout the whole trip a number of the toilets were overflowing. “Men were running around with spanners trying to fix things but that should have been done before anyone stepped on board.” A spokeswoman for Thomson Cruises has confirmed there were plumbing-related issues during the friends’ cruise. But the firm has assured that this problem had now been completely resolved. NOTE: The ship was previously Costa Europa (see February 26 below). | Sewage problems |
| 2.3.10 | Island Escape |
The Leicester Mercury reports a family are among more than 70 angry British holidaymakers seeking to take legal action after their cruise turned into a Christmas nightmare. They say endured a fortnight of broken toilets and leaking ceilings, while fellow passengers were struck down by diarrhoea, fever and the contagious vomiting bug, norovirus. They spent days on the ship when a series of ports refused to let the vessel dock. The passenger said things started to go wrong on the third day when the ship was refused entry to Madeira and again the next day at Cadiz. Both times, guests were told the ports were closed and were forced to stay on board where broken toilets meant a foul smell filled the air. She said: "For three full days we were at sea, it was difficult to find a toilet that was working. "There were awful smells coming through the air-conditioning. If you went into a public toilet they were filled up with stuff that had not been flushed. "There was water coming in through the ceilings everywhere. I've never experienced a holiday like it in my life." | Lawsuit - illness, missed
ports, and more |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2009 |
Incident |
| 12.11.09 | Ship unknown | Bolton News (UK) reports a five-year-old boy who wears nappies because he has Down’s Syndrome was turned away from a children’s play area on a Thomspon ship. His parents claim staff told them he could not join in with fun sessions because he wore pull-up nappies. The mother said “I couldn’t believe it. Ethan is able to use the toilet but he does sometimes have accidents. If Ethan had an accident, it would not have affected the others because he had pull-ups on.“ The company apologized and said it wopuld investigate. The chief executive of the Down’s Syndrome Association, said: “It does not make sense and does sound like discrimination. The situation with the nappies could have been got around and arrangements made allowing the child to play with other children.” | Child turned away from child centre |
| 23.7.09 | Thomson Spirit | The Journal (UK)
reports hundreds of passengers were afflicted with norovirus on a
cruise in early May. A couple onboard are launching legal action after
their holiday descended into chaos when the vomiting bug swept through
the ship. Passengers had their boarding cards cancelled in a bid to
contain the outbreak during the cruise in May. According to a
passenger, “Hundreds of people were affected – the medical centre was
inundated with people queuing for medical supplies and a large number
of people were also confined to their cabins. It was absolutely
horrendous. There was certainly a breakdown in hygiene standards. The
ship in general was not clean, hot food at the buffet was cold, there
were flies all over the food, toilets were not cleaned – the list was
endless.” |
Illness |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2008 |
Incident |
| 25.10.08 |
Celebration |
The Daily Mail reports that a cruise scheduled to depart
from Liverpool has been cancelled due to bad weather. More than a
thousand passengers were due to go on the four-day trip to Ireland, but
Thomson Holidays cancelled the cruise after high gales were forecast
for the Irish Sea. More than a thousand passengers have been left
stranded and Thomson is refusing to provide refunds -- instead it has
offered an 80% discount off future cruises. The ship had been due to
visit Cobh and Dublin. Passengers on the starboard side of the vessel
are faced with with a view from their windows of a huge pile of scrap
metal at the Canada Dock processing plant. Passengers were given the
option going home or to stay on the ship for the four days while the
ship remained moored at the dock. |
Cruise cancelled |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2007 |
Incident |
| 7.8.07 |
Thomson Celebration and Ocean Majesty (Page and Moy) |
The two ships collided in the Greanger fjord (Norway) on
Tuesday afternoon at the two were berthing. The damage is
reported as slight with some lifeboats and davits taking the brunt of
the slow collision. There are reports online that passengers on
the Ocean Majesty have been sent home as repairs would take three days.. |
Collision |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2006 |
Incident |
| 23.10.06 |
Thomson Destiny (1) |
Passengers report that the ship's toilets have not worked
for three days and there has been no hot water for 24 hours. A
series of blockages in the plumbing system have been blamed for the
problem; experts have been dispatched to deal with the problem. See
article here and also one
here and here. |
No toilets |
| 26.9.06 |
Thomson Celebration (2) |
A 39-year-old Filipino crew member died from injuries
sustained in an accident when one of the ship's tenders was about to be
hoisted onto the vessel. The ship had spent the day anchored off
the island of Guernsey and was preparing to sail for Southampton. |
Crew Accident / Death |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2005 |
Incident |
| 14.5.05 |
Thomson Celebration |
Cruise canceled and 600 passengers flown home after the plumbing in 250 cabins failed. The 21-year-old ship left Southampton on May 8 for a 14-night cruise but major problems with a pump was discovered three days later, making some cabins and public toilets unusable. Passengers will get a refund and 25 per cent off their next booking. | Toilets fail Cancelation |