Author Topic: Thomson Spirit leaving Thomson??  (Read 5103 times)

Offline Petros Psarras

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Thomson Spirit leaving Thomson??
« on: November 18, 2012, 11:21:10 AM »
Spirit arrived today at Piraeus for her winter lay up but thomson cruises insginia were missing..Do we know why?Does she leaves Thomson fleet?

You can see the picture
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1686057
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Offline Clive Harvey

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Re: Thomson Spirit leaving Thomson??
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2012, 11:51:04 AM »
If she is leaving Thomson's employment then it is a very sudden decision as their website has her featured with a variety of cruises for her.

Offline Richard Paton

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Re: Thomson Spirit leaving Thomson??
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2012, 09:14:29 PM »
I have noticed Thomson Celebration booked into Northern European ports for 2014, but i was told by someone who has just returned from a Thomson cruise that Celebration may do Spirit's itineraries in 2013, so yes it could be possible the Spirit is being pushed out.

Offline rd77

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Re: Thomson Spirit leaving Thomson??
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2012, 07:51:50 AM »
This is curious indeed. Louis has been downsizing its own operations considerably over the past few years, and they have only recently upgraded those operations a little bit by running the LOUIS OLYMPIA (ex-THOMSON DESTINY, ex-SUNBIRD, ex-SONG OF AMERICA) from Greece. I'm not sure the Greek market would support another ship of that size (LOUIS OLYMPIA is approx 37,000 gt, THOMSON SPIRIT is approx 33,000 gt) at this moment.

And then for the Thomson side of things: will there be a replacement for the THOMSON SPIRIT, and if so, which vessel? Let the speculation begin!  :)
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Offline Petros Psarras

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Re: Thomson Spirit leaving Thomson??
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2012, 08:38:48 AM »
finally the tui logo is back to the funnel...Why it was erased?
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Offline rd77

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Re: Thomson Spirit leaving Thomson??
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2012, 09:50:39 AM »
puzzling indeed! Perhaps she ran a short charter for somebody other than Thomson?
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Offline Jens Boldt

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Re: Thomson Spirit leaving Thomson??
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2012, 06:27:24 AM »
...
And then for the Thomson side of things: will there be a replacement for the THOMSON SPIRIT, and if so, which vessel? Let the speculation begin!  :)

That's the problem, I think, which all operators of ships of that size are facing (Thomson, Saga, Phoenix, Louis). Second-hand tonnage of ships that size is wearing thin slowly but surely as cruise ships kept becoming bigger and bigger in the past... And the ships of that size they're operating are becoming older and older. (Thomson's ships average 26 years of service, Phoenix ships even 30 years...)

I'm sure that Prinsendam will leave the HAL-fleet with the delivery of their new ship in 2015 and with the delivery of their second new building  by MHI in 2016 AIDA cruises might decide to get rid of (at least) AIDAcara (maybe -aura and -vita, too, but that's just guessing).

HAL's Statendam-Class of ships has the right size, too, but I don't think they will be available within the next... say... ten years(?).

So in the (not so) long run operators like the ones mentioned above will have to decide: Start operating bigger ships or building their own new ones...
« Last Edit: November 20, 2012, 06:30:34 AM by Jens Boldt »

Offline Kai R

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Re: Thomson Spirit leaving Thomson??
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2012, 08:47:26 AM »
maybe they just had to repaint the funnel and/or restore the logo?

 

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