I had intended to book a 7-day 'Red Sea Magic' cruise with Thompson in November 2008, having had it recommended by friends, but it seems they are not running it until March 2009. The ship will also change from the Celebration to the Spirit. Has anyone any knowledge of a similar cruise in that part of the world?

We did this a few years ago on MV Discovery one of Voyages of Discovery ships....joined at Sharm el Sheikh and left at Alexandria after going up the Suez....very nice and same sort of trips as thomson do...we've also done that!!!!

Thanks Judy. I'll look into that.

I heard today that the Celebration will be doing the Red Sea Magic itinerary next winter , there is a brochure out now. This was a very popular cruise but Thomson withdrew it for this winter, however they realised it was a mistake because Red Sea Magic was a great seller and they have decided to bring it back

Thomson Cruises have launched their Red Sea Cruises onboard Thomson Celebration, sailing start from Nov 09 - Apr 2010. For a limited time also receive Free All Inclusive upgrades on selected cruises

luci

Hi

I note in previous posts that you don't need to get visa's as the ship will organise this for you, but can you still disembark if you don't go on the cruise excursions?
or do you need to get a separate visa for this?

Having done 3 nile cruises, we would like to see somewhere different when everyone else goes to Luxor, and being adventurous we won't be doing the trip on that day but want to go elsewhere.

Thanks

No you don't need to get any visas..(we did at Sharm el Sheikh airport but we don't think thats the case now)..the ones you need will be arranged by Thomson....we didn't go to Luxor either as we'd already been and just went into Hurghada on one occasion and to a hotel beach resort on another occasion.

Thomson are really good at organisation so you don't need to worry about anything!!!

Thanks very much Judy.

Hello everyone, apologies if this has been covered, I had a quick scan through and couldnt see anything. My partner and I are thinking of booking a red sea magic cruise for march 2010. We have never considered a cruise before, but thought it would be a good way to see lots of places in the course of a week. I would be grateful for any opinions, good or bad, and any information you have time to share. We know absolutely nothing. We were thinking of booking a basic inside cabin initially, does it matter which floor you are on ?
how much can we expect to pay for the excursions as we would want to do them all, are they easy to book ?
Is there a dress code ?
I notice the cruise is full board, is it buffet style, and what is the food like.
what is the entertainment like.?
are drinks expensive on board ?
do you routinely tip the staff ?

thanks to anyone who finds the time to help.

kind regards

sally

Sally

I have merged your post with an existing topic on the Red Sea Magic which may have some information.

Another reason for merging it is that any members subscribe to this topic will get notification of a new post and may visit to provide further information.

luci

thanks, i am a bit stupid when it comes to forums, i thought there may be something somewhere already on this subject but couldnt find it, so thanks.

Hi,
I have just booked the Red Sea Magic cruise on the Celebration for April 1st. Can't wait as it is the first cruise I have been on.

Couple of questions, if anyone could help please?

The formal wear for the gala night - is it really suits for the men and long dresses for the ladies??

And I read in the back of the book in the terms etc that no irons are allowed on board, but they will iron 3 items per person for you on the first day - how do people cope with that?! We have 2 days of travelling before we board the ship - my clothes are going to be well creased!

Thanks!

Yes Gala night is long or cocktail length dresses for the ladies and dark lounge suit or dinner suit with shirt and tie or bow tie for the gents....however if you don't want to dress up you will be able to eat in the buffet that evening...it is only one evening per week. I usually take black silky trousers and glittery tops for evening wear...easy to pack !!

Regarding creased clothes...there are ironing boards and irons in the launderettes on board...not sure where they all are but there is one on Deck 6 on the starboard side by the forward door out onto the promenade deck....has two washing machines/driers as well !! But having said that I always roll things up which lessens the creases (we usually have a couple of days with family before flying so cases are packed for several days!!) and then hang any stubborn things in the bathroom so the steam helps the creases drop out. I also use those vacuum bags you can get (which you let all the air out of ) which saves space as well!!

..... We were thinking of booking a basic inside cabin initially, does it matter which floor you are on ?
how much can we expect to pay for the excursions as we would want to do them all, are they easy to book ?
Is there a dress code ?
I notice the cruise is full board, is it buffet style, and what is the food like.
what is the entertainment like.?
are drinks expensive on board ?
do you routinely tip the staff ?..............

Hi there Sally...Inside cabin should be fine...I would go for a deck 3/4 if you can afford it and see how that works for you....there is a vibration problem on Celebration (and Spirit) and higher up the ship seems to be better from all accounts and somewhere in the middle rather than at the back or front!!

The excursions are somewhere around 70 - 80 pounds for the full days and around half that for half days. If you look on the Thomson website under 'ports of call' there is a list of all the ports of call and all the excursions they do with prices. They are going to introduce a means of booking them before you go but I think at the moment you still cannot book until you actually get on board....all the info will be in your cabin when you arrive. there will probably be port talks which are well worth going to for information about the excursions.

There is a buffet restaurant and a dining room with waiter service for breakfast lunch and dinner....we usually always eat in the dining room unless we're going on a trip then we eat in the buffet for quickness. Dress code during the day is casual...usually shorts and tops if its hot...swimwear by the pool or for sunbathing...no swimwear in the buffet...cover up!!! Evenings its smart casual in the dining room except for gala night. We've been on Celebration twice and Thomson five times and the food has always been excellent.

the entertainment is also excellent with musical shows probably 6 out of 7 nights by the entertainment team with piana music, singing, cabaret elsewhere in the evenings. Quizzes, Bingo, Mr and Mrs, etc. during the day and evening. and of course TV in your cabin!!!

Tips are included in the cost of the cruise so you do not need to tip anyone ....however if you have excellent service which is above what you would normally expect it is nice to give a little extra...usually on the last night for the dining room staff...or last morning for cabin steward/ess.

Drinks are not expensive...we think the cheapest of all the cruiselines we've been on...they do an All Inclusive package (which is sometimes free if you book really early!) but it is generally thought not to be worth the cost (£170 ish) as everyone in the party has to buy it and the feeling is that you would have to go some to drink that amount in a week!!! remembering if you're on trips that you won't be there much anyway!!!!

Hope this helps somewhat.....anything else just ask!!

Brill info Judy thanks.

And what currency should we take? I saw somewhere about paying for something in Euros?? Looked at so much that not a lot has stuck in the old grey matter!!

Any other tips? I am a first time cruiser so any tips will be gratefully received! Hopefully we will both enjoy this so much we (hubby especially as he is a bit reluctant!) will want to do it again!

The Egyptians will take anything!! we usually take any euros we may have left from a previous holiday...along with some US dollars and Egyptian pounds...Aqaba, Jordan, will take dollars but we found we hardly needed any when we went on trips...just a bit for souvenirs which are cheap in Egypt.
Main post offices keep Egyptian pounds as well as euros and dollars in stock so no need to order and they are usually a good exchange rate.

Sorry - another question (or 2 lol)

Do you get water/juice/lunch or anything to take with you when going on a trip? Is there somewhere on board you can buy water or snacks?

I think i have got some E pounds from years ago - I will have to dig them out! ha ha

Yes you will either get a lunch pack i.e lots of goodies in a box or be taken to a hotel for lunch....we've had both at different times!! If you don't get a bottle of water I think there will be little bottles for sale as you leave the ship. You could take some fruit from the buffet and put in your bag....I usually take a banana when I go on a trip just in case !

We would like to go on Thomsons Red Sea Cruise (Egypt). I've heard that mostly the ship is docked in industrial ports. Is that true? At any of the ports is there anywhere to walk to from the ship. Is it safe?

Thanks for any comments/advice.