flying long haul w/Thomson fly (now First Choice), what to expect?

Has anyone flown long haul with Thomson?  I am aware it is not a major carrier, but sincerely I dont' know what to expect!

I've been told to bring money because they charge you on board for everything - which I'm OK with. How about the other "extras" like on-board entretainment? pillow/blanket?
I plan to arrive at the airport super early to be able to get a decent seat (I need it to be an aisle seat!)... but I just want to make the trip a little bit more confortable...

(I booked through Thomson, but now I've been told that I will be flying First Choice...!)

We flew to Florida and back on Thomspon.  It was a great flight, but paying extra for everything does include food. You have to order a meal ahead of time and they hand them out to people who bought it. I don't think they gave you an option of buying the meal on board, but they did have snacks you could buy.  On our flight to the US, they had extra meals and gave them to those who didn't order it, but on the way back to the UK they didn't. 

Otherwise, everything was easy and just like a flight on any main airline. They had in flight entertainment and friendly staff.

A few years ago we flew to Florida on one of those airlines, and I can't for the life of me remember which one. Sorry. But, if you turn up at the airport early enough, and ask to be upgraded to first class, it only costs £50 (well it did at the time) It was a really lovely flight.