You will need Egyptian currency for the museum. I think the price for Tut's exhibition was about 70 Egyptian pounds. On the coach they charged 100 egyptian per person.

You do get a better deal if you want to haggle if you use the local currency. The exchange rate when we went was 10 egyptian pounds to £1 sterling.

When you visit the pyramids, Sakkara isn't included. I think it's a different location.

At Petra, you get to see everything. I didn't go but my Dad and Hubby did. There's a lot of walking.

One more thing - you're not allowed to take cameras into the Cairo museum, not even cameras with phones.

If you want to use local currency, get it before you go. On the ship they only have Euros.

Have a great time.
Karen

Can anyone tell me how to charge a camcorder and mobile phone on the Thomson Spirit. The brochure mentions you need a transformer and I wondered if these were available on ship or do I need to purchase one

Also, has anyone used Memphis Tours in Egypt as they seem far cheaper than Thomson's and do the exact same excursions, but how easy is it to use another firm for the excursions

Your charger needs to be able to work with a range of voltages. There will be a voltage plate on the side where the pins are. If it reads 110v to 240v then it will work in the cabins. You will still need to use an adapter. Our cabin had both european round pin sockets and american flat pin sockets. I don't know if they all did - we had a deluxe.

If your charger can only use 240volts then you will need to buy one that operates on a range of voltages. Various phone shops sell these type of chargers. Hubby had to get one for his phone.

If you don't want to get new chargers, I think you can get cameras and phones charged at reception.

Hi
Is anyone booked on this cruise for the week around Easter?
Also does anyone have any info about Childrens clubs etc as we are taking our 10 year old son, and would like to know about activities etc for him.
Would love to hear from anyone else who are also travelling with children at the same time?

hello lynne85
we are going onthe cruise on the 12th of april with 3 children ( not including myself) two boys and one girl. one boy is 10 and the two others are 13 not been able to find out about anything on board for the kids except there is a kids club.

Hi Ian
We are boarding on the 13th at Sharm, have you been notified of the port change for Cairo?
We will be cruising for the first time, so we are really looking forward to it?
See you on Board.
Lynne85

hi lynne

lynne says

have you been notified of the port change for Cairo?

i am going a few weeks before you,what port have they changed to?

cheers irene

Hi Irene

I received a letter dated 23.01.06 from Thomson, stating that they have changed the stop at Port Suez, this is the one that you visit Cairo from to Port Sokhna on day five (but this is based on us departing on a Thursday from Sharm).
I have spoken to their customer service department and they are stating that we SHOULD have the same level of excusions available if not more from this new port. But they refuse to confirm that this will be the case.
Have you received your tickets yet, and if so have they added an excusion list as this is another thing I can not get them to confirm.
If you need the number for the customer services department just let me know, they will be able to check on your holiday and confirm if the change includes your dates.
Please let me know ablout the excursions.
Cheers Lynne85

When we went on this cruise in November 05, the port we docked at for the Cairo excursions was Port Sokhna. Thomson didn't say it was a port change. It doesn't matter where you embark, Sharm or Safaga, it's still the same cruise.

Hi Kazwaz2002
Can you tell me about the excursions, ie what's available, costs, how long they are etc. Our son wants to do everything all together , the more information I can get before we go, the less hassle we'll have on the ship.
Thanks
Lynne85

Hello Everbody - We have just got back, so any questions on this cruise?

Brief comments -
Tours Expensive but better than excellent and we were always able to book the day before. Early starts but always a fully packed day.

We always visited the nearest very small towns also - a great experience but heed this warning - no help from Thompsons for this and the taxi's will charge £20 to £40 for a 1Km ride Yes it's true.
So get a £3 ride from a taxi outside the port area or better still a 10p bus. A great experience.

Souveniers, you must haggle it's expected - Sharm El Sheik on last day, don't wait on the boat get a taxi (see above) or walk to the Old Market. This means plenty of character and small shops - and always haggle.

Traders on the trips are exceptionally persistent so say La (no in Egyptian) then when they ask where your from say Llandudno and nothing else. Good camel ride in Petra, £5 is correct price

Haggle by starting at about 1/10 of asking price then walk off slowly.
Practice on something cheap. We got a stunning pack of prints of Petra for £3.

Evening shows on board excellent.
Daytime entertainment is dire (not Dire Straits)
Unfortuanately on our trip there always seemed to be funeral in process amongst the musicians - my sincere condolences to all of them.
Food OK - fresh fruit is brilliant
Compass rose has table service and a bit better than the self service where Rule Britania meets Littlewoods
Cocktails don't bother - and don't ask for a whisky sour because it's whisky and dry ginger - but I suppose it made me sour!

Get up early for sunbeds.
Service is better than excellent
Clenliness was excellent

Please wear a Shemagh or buy some cheap but probably good quality Egyptian gear. Plenty of things for your belly dancing class. An Egyptian cotton Jellybaby thing like a nightshirt £10, a wrap with coins on £10, genuine Shemagh £3.

Don't be nasty to the traders - after all we helped to destroy there economy! Keep calm and polite and never pay more than you want.

Bon Voyage

hi lynne
have recieved our tickets.nothing on them about the change,
but as long as we still get to cairo,i am not to bethered where we dock,

as cairo is one i don't want to miss,

i am also looking forward to petra in jordan

hi cruises,
thanks for your information.

Sharm El Sheik on last day, don't wait on the boat get a taxi (see above) or walk to the Old Market

.

from sharm did you head back to the boat for the coach pick up?
or did you make your own way to the airport?

irene

yes have been told about the change of port this is our first proper cruise
we did a mini cruise about two years ago from cyprus to egypt the ship was very basic but we only stayed on it for two nights and enjoyed it
we (me) are wanting to do all the excursions so like yourself i am checking this page as much as possible.

If you visit the small towns outside the ports, do you need a Visa?

Ahoy Shipmates,
About visas - We couldn't get definitive advice before going, but this is how it worked for us.
Step1 Get off the plane
Step 2 Follow local Thompson reps (black suit red tie) towards visa desk, but no advice from them.
Step 3 Overhear others saying I'm not bothering with this, we'll get them if we need them.
Step 4 So everybody follows them to passport check and exit, and nobody needed a visa.
Well it worked for us - but we just did the cruise & Petra (Jordan), Cairo (Egypt)and local trips (Egypt). For the Thompson trips there seems to be some arrangement whereby individual visa's are not needed.
For local towns we just walked past security, and had passports checked on return to port - no visa.

Hi,

Yes we did return to the ship for the transfer to the airport. We went to town returned to the ship for lunch then had a drink before we boarded the coach to the airport.

It is not impossible to make your own way to the airport, you would need to make Thompson staff aware of your arrangments, then negociate a fare price for the taxi, which could be difficult as the taxi drivers know you will be looking at a departure time and will bump up the price.

It took approx 30 mins by coach from the port to the airport. Thompsons had us leave the ship 4 hours before our actual departure time. It took a considerable amount of time to get through the whole departure process approx 2.30 hours. Food and drink are mega expensive in the airport and you will struggle to find anywhere to sit and eat.

hi cruisers

thank for that,

i will return to the ship,to be on the safe side,
as you said

the taxi drivers know you will be looking at a departure time and will bump up the price

.

i can well imagine they would

cheers irene

We have just returned from a fantastic week aboard the Thomson Spirit.

One of the main questions we had, and many others ask, is regarding the excursions. So here is a quick run down taken from the leaflet you get in your cabin.

AQABA, JORDAN - Friday:
1) Wadi Rum 4x4 Desert Adventure (inc. 7 pillars of wisdom). Departs 12.30 (5hrs duration) £33.00 per adult. (recommended, great fun)
2) Shuttle bus to town. Various times. £5.00

AQABA, JORDAN - Saturday:
1) Petra - The red Rose City. Departs 7.30am (10hrs duration) £70.00 (recommended - involves 6 mile walk) 2 hour drive from ship to Petra.
2) Dead Sea Resort. Departs 8.00am (11 hrs duraation) £65.00
3) Wadi Rum 4x4 Desert Adventure (inc. 7 pillars of wisdom). Departs 1pm (5hrs duration) £33.00 per adult.
4) Shuttle bus to town. Various times. £5.00

SUNDAY - at sea

EL SOKHNA, EGYPT - Monday
1) Pyramids, Sphinx & Cairo Museum. Departs 7.30am (12hrs duration) £65.00 (recommended)
2) Pyramids, Sphinx & the Memphis Tombs. Departs 7.30am (12hrs duration) £65.00
3) Pyramids, Sphinx, Mosque & The Nile. Departs 7.30am (12hrs duration) £65.00
2 hour drive from ship to Cairo.

SAFAGA, EGYPT - Tuesday
1) Hurghada Transfer. Departs 12.30 (5hrs duration) £12.00
2) Submarine & Hurgada Shopping. Departs 1pm (5hrs duration) £48.00

SAFAGA, EGYPT - Wednesday
1) Luxor - Karnak & The Valley of the Kings. Departs 6.30am (15hrs duration) £68.00 3.5 hour drive from ship to Luxor
2) Paradise Island Swim & Snorkel. Departs 8am (9hrs duration) £50.00
3) Sun & Sea Hotel Beach Transfer. Departs 10am (4hrs duration) £23.00
4) Hurghada Transfer. Departs 10am (5hrs duration) £12.00
5) Submarine & Hurgada Shopping. Departs 10am (5hrs duration) £48.00

SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT - Thursday
1) Ras Mohamed by Boat - Sun & Snorkel. Departs 9am (4.5hrs duration) £32.00
2) Quad Bike Desert Riding. Departs 9am (3.5hrs duration) £35.00
3) Glass Bottom Boat. Departs various times from 9am (2hrs duration) £18.00
4) St Catherine's Monastery. Departs 7.30am (9hrs duration) £35.00
5) Naama Bay Transfer (shopping). Departs 9.30am (4hrs duration) £12.00

If I was to give one piece of advice, it would be ... do not get on a camel at the pyramids. You will have to pay £20-£40 to get off !! I speak from personal experience!

Also do not take anything from traders. Once they have thrust something in your hand, they want your money and will not take it back!

All in all we had a fantastic holiday. The ship is just the right size, the food is superb, the staff very friendly (not pushy) and the entertainment the best we've seen out of 5 cruises.
We will definately be booking another Thomson cruise.

Happy sailing shipmates!

Hi meezermum and welcome to HT!

Thank you so much for posting the details and prices of the excursions. This is exactly the kind of information many members are looking for and will be most appreciated.

luci