Companies rely or 'repeat purchase' to sustain there profits. There must be many satisfied Airtours/Thompson customers out there? I recall hearing in this forum from people that have been on a number of Airtours cruises - thy must have been satisfied.

So lets get a balanced view. Have you enjoyed a budget cruise or was it a nightmare?

For a change, here are some positve opinions from this web site:

"I have been cruising with Airtours ever since they started. I find the cruises good value for money and terrific fun. I have been on the Seawing 9 times now and each time it gets better. It is such a friendly boat being small compared to the others".
(P.James)

Sundream: "A great value cruise for our silver anniversary, could not fault ship on value or money or the attitude of the crew which was always welcoming. Why the negative reviews on the web site?? Do not compare with the likes of P&O as it is a different price range" (Martin Denny).

Carousel: "Good budget cruise. Don't expect Royal Caribbean or Princess because it sure isn't. However, it is a great cruise for the money, and for the ports you visit". (Jerry L).

Paddy.

I don't think Malcolm does work for a tour operator, but is just trying to balance the opinions of Airtours from different people.
(Am I right?)

No I do not work for any cruise lines or have any relationships with any! I also do not favour a particular line or ship - each time I cruise, I plan to try a different ship and line.

I was simply revealing the other side of the coin. As I've said I've never cruised with Airtours, but I have read many conflicting reports. It puzzels me why some passengers think the ships are great and others think that they are appaling? It's hard to belive that the passengers in the reviews, even on this site, are talking about the same ships!

Of course proper sanitation and accomodastion etc are vital at even the lowest prices. I was making the point that some Airtours customers do seem satisfied with there experience. (Please bear in mind that we've not seen the photos or videos, that you have).

Brenda, I'm sure that you are providing a good service. Those passengers that are getting a raw deal do need a 'champion' - afterall it might be my turn next, to have a bad cruise experice.

Can I just say that if anyone has had bad expriences, do not let them put you off that line forever. I would give the Carousel a miss for a while, but certainly would try and get the Sunbird or even Seawing, and if you to have complaints, try Brenda's website. It could be very useful.

**TOP CRUISE SHIPS FAIL HYGIENE TESTS**

Some of the world's top cruise ships are breaching basic hygiene standards, with
cock-roaches, rodents and toxic mould posing a threat to passengers health,according to new data from the United States.

Among the worst offenders is the QE2. In an inspection carried out April last year, health officials found 12 violations including cockroaches in the Lido and Queen grill restaurants. They also found mouse droppings in a food store.

Although the QE2 was passed as satisfactory, it scraped through with a mark of 87. A mark of 86 is the minimum pass. A year earlier it failed an inspection when it returned to American waters after an outbreak of diarrhoea among the passengers.

The previously unreported findings show 21 violations, including raw and cooked
fish stored together, black mould in a juice machine and cockroaches in one of the kitchens.

Other ships, which have not met the basic hygiene standards, include the Dawn
Princess, the Black watch and the Norwegian Star. Additionally, sixty-two passengers who travelled on the Sudream, last year suffered a stomach bug and are suing Airtours.

It does not seem to matter what we pay for a cruise (Topaz or QE2) we could be sujected to unhygenic conditions! How do we know which ships are 'clean'? Should we all stay at home?

At the end of the day quality is down to the individual. I have been to restaurants where I thought the food was pretty good but then get to work and my colleague thought it was awful and vice versa.

We sailed Sunbird Feb 2000 and have rebooked for Mar 2001 because everything was above expectation. If you hear bad reports of a cruise line then you will expect that quality of that cruise line is no good. On our cruise I only heard of one couple who hated the Sunbird, they were even complaining that their cabin window was dirty!!! Come off it, get a life!!

I hate hearing that Airtours or Thompsons are "cheap". Could it be that they are correctly priced and other "exclusive" liners are overpriced? That is another topic. Ultimately people have their own opinions and wether they be good or bad they should be kept as opinions not forced onto people as the way it is.

Right that's my rant over for the day. Sorry if I went on a bit.

Happy Cruising whatever ship you choose!

Whilst our cruise was very enjoyable, it was not without some problems. The "toilet flushing" on the Sunbird is very fragile to say the least but was sorted out very quickly. We had fittings in the cabin that squeeked and rattled at very annoying times during the night.

However, these minor complaints did not really affect the outcome of the cruise.

Some people have to realise that a cruise ship is a self contained vessel and also a mechanical beast! In those circumstances surely a little leeway should be given to the cruise company.

If a problem was reported and then ignored or fixed inadequately then Yes that can ruin a cruise but if things were fixed when reported surely the cruise line should take some credit.