I had an absolutely wonderful time onboard the Thomson Celebration, I did the Red Sea Magic cruise starting on 10th January 2008.
The entertainments team up in Liberties hosted very funny and well organised gameshows, I especially liked name that tune and the weak link with Keef and Haley.
The show's were fabulous, a great team of singers and dancers, and loved the song choices of the Africa show.
The food was great in the Meridian and waiter service I couldn't fault.
I thought it was really good that room service was provided throughout the day and loved the goodnight chocolate on my pillow!
I would definately go on this ship again.

The Celebration is a floating Butlins. Accomodation is third rate small, shabby, dated, lacks privacy, and is noisy - although clean. Entertainment is hi-de-hi style, with quizzes, bingo, and low budget musical/tribute shows. Occasionally they try to go a bit upmarket and have a weekly `meet the captain evening' - which involves dressing up, and getting your photo taken with the boss, Captain Roy (alias Captain Smug, which they then sell you. They also claim to have a classical music ensemble, but this has more to do with two musicians playing Sinatra, and Barry Manilow very badly, than Bach. Drinks are expensive (unless you have an all-inclusive deal), and average around £3.50 for a G&T. Smoking is permitted on the main Lido deck (next to the tea point), and Liberties Bar (where they hold a nightly disco). So if you fancy a cup of tea without secondary smoke you will have to go to the restaurant, and if you fancy a dance without passive smoking...tough!
Also don't think you will be doing much cruising. The bulk of your holiday will be spent in three of the ugliest/smelliest ports in the world. Think sewage works combined with a cement works/industrial estate, and you have the picture. Don't think you will be able to go off exploring on your own, because with the exception of Sharm, which has numerous tourist police, Egypt is just too dangerous (which is why armed police ride in and accompany all tourist trips).
On the positive side, food on the Celebration is good. So if you get an all-inclusive package, you could spend all day eating and drinking - and people who do this seem to like it, as the reviews suggest.

we travelled January 2008 but the year is unavailable to select
The ship is dated but very clean. the food is a good 5 star rated for both presentation and quality couldn't fault it the staff are very hard working and provide and excellent service. the kids zone is excellent and run by to lovely girls sky and kelly they gave my daughter a lovely time on-board on my husband and i sometime on our own. the entertainment well they are of top london quality they all work very hard. the ports are not the best to view from but then again this is egypt. the trips that are available are good and if your intressted in ancient history very well worth it. petra was for me the best. Someone said this reminds them of butlins on the sea, i for one went to butlins on numerous times as a child and these are some of my happiest moments i can remember. so as i say a holiday is for the whole family children included............ as for going on the ship again yes i would and are in the process of booking one.

This was our first cruise and wont be our last,from the moment we arrived at the airport early morning we were greated by the warm smiling Thompson team who made our check in so easy Once on board ship checking in was so simple and easy,only draw back was having to wait for our luggage which took over 1 and half hours to arrive,but with hindsight we should have gone straight to Lido restraunt to have meal first.On Arrival at restraunt we were met by the smiling waiters who were always willing to assist you in any way they could,plenty of choice from cold salads to hot meals,fresh fruit to warm puddings.We could not find fault with any of the restraunts always clean and plenty of choice.
On Board Entertainment was pure pleasure ,Cruise Director Stephen Guy who himself has a great vocal range heads up a team that overflows with talent Keef Maynard his assisant hosted the game shows was excelent
and put all the contestants at ease,in fact he reminded me of a young Bruce Forsythe and young Haley who does a mean impression of Anne Robinson while hosting the weak link,and not to forget young Bret the baby of the team who took so much stick,but still come out smiling. The Quality of the Broadway shows was outstanding Moulin rouge was breathtaking, Africa was in a class of its own ,and nice and easy was brilliant
these shows are a must see.The day time activities are excellent to keep you amused.The only complaint i have would be the tours,they are quite expensive and not worth the Money
Cairo\Pyramids £70.00 per Person ,i was looking forward to the visit to the Cairo Museum and we were told that we would have nearly 2 hrs in the museum,but by the time we qued up we only had 50minuts inside and could not get in to see the treasures of Tutenkamen owing to the amount of people trying to get in.In fact there were times when it felt like a cattle stampede
Valley Of Kings £72.00 per person This day is a killer
You leave the ship 6.30 AM and we did not get back from
Luxor Till 10.50PM we were told to be back on coach by 5.30 to be escorted back to ship the convoy did not start moving till 6.10 how many check points we went through i lost count, but the journey back was horrendus.I Could not understand why this excursion was put on at the penultimate day bearing in mind you had to pack your cases and have them outside your cabin door before 1.30AM.
To sum up life on board was a sheer heaven ,any body heading off for this cruise be prepared for some serious pampering,but the excursion i would not recomend them
A heart felt thanks from Captain Roy and his team for making this a wonderfull Cruise

This was our first cruise and one which we hope to repeat next year but maybe to a different destination but definitely with Thomsons. On arriving at the airport a Thomsons rep. ticketed our cases with the cabin number and the arrival on board was extremely efficient and pleasant. Our cases arrived at our cabin within 30 minutes and we were pleasantly surprised at the size of the cabin. Loads of wardrobe and drawer space and very clean. The cabins are cleaned twice a day (clean sheets every day and clean towels twice a day) and at night your sheets are turned down and a chocolate placed on your pillow. Thanks to Tiwan, our steward, who did an excellent job. Cleaning on board seems to go on 24/7 and the whole ship is spotlessly clean. All the staff, except the captain and officers, seem to be from the Phillipines, are are a very helpful and friendly bunch of people. Nothing is too much trouble for them.
We booked the three trips we wanted to do on that same evening and tickets arrived underneath our cabin door as if by magic, along with the "Cruise News", a daily paper letting you know what's going on where around the ship. There is no cash used on board. An account is set up for you which you settle before leaving the ship. This was a very efficient system too. We were all inclusive and had paid the extra £70 per head to include drinks and tips so just had the trips to pay for.
TIP-Buy your bottles of water the evening before your trip in the Broadway lounge as the queues are long in the mornings.
Our first trip to the Rose City in Jordan was wonderful, although tiring. A lot of walking but well worth the effort. The guides on all the trips were very informative and had a good sense of humour. If you do this trip wear comfortable shoes, a hat, and take plenty of bottled water!! You do get hassled to buy postcards or jewellry but a firm polite "No thank you" seems to work. All of the trips were around £70 a head but this includes lunches at five star hotels, transport and entry fees.
Our second trip was to Cairo to see the pyramids at Giza and Cairo museum. An experience not to be forgotten.Cairo museum was extremely busy and we could have spent hours in there but as it was only got about 90 minutes. It was chaos everywhere, although out guide managed to get us round the main exhibits.
Our third trip was to Luxor for the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatchetsup's temple, and Karnak. Again we lunched at a five star hotel. This was the longest trip of all. 15 hours from leaving the ship until we returned but worth every minute.
On arrival back from trips the stewards are waiting for you on the quayside with hot flannels and cold drinks. Very welcome after a hot day.
We dined at the Lido restaurant for breakfast and lunch. A good selection of everything and piping hot, and in the Meridian restaurant in the evening - waiter service and five courses, again a good selection of food from the menu.
There is a different show on in the Broadway lounge every night, and very proffesional too. Thanks to all the entertainment team. You did a grand job!
In Liberty's bar there are quizzes and you can have a dance into the early hours if you so wish.
All in all the Celebration is an experience I would recommend to anyone. We made lots of new friends and have become dedicated cruisers.

This was the first time my wife and I went on a cruise. I'm not sure but maybe we were spoiled but I loved every second of it. We did the "Red Sea Magic" cruise for seven days. EVERYTHING semed to go right from the greeting at the airport where we were assigned cabin numbers to our departure at Sharm (Egypt)a week later.

The food was exceptional, all the efforts of some b***dy hard working staff who need to be applauded for making the cruise so enjoyable. The excursions were important for us (I'm an ancient history buff) but it has to be said they were a little expensive. Tha said they were enjoyable nonetheless.

Entertainment was top notch. I can't remember all of the names sadly but Keef Maynard and Cleo Joseph stood out (my apologies to the rest - You know who you are and you were brillient)and thank-you for a lovely week. I wish you every success in the future (let's see you in the west end).

Will I travel on the celebration again?... I'm planning me next Building Socity robbery right now!

Seriously...you've really got it right...but don't become complacent...it can always be bettered...e.g. Eastenders on the Cabin's TV ...(my wife has made me write this)...if only to keep herself quiet for seven days...! See you in 2008 (or perhaps 2009 if the Robery squad don't get me before...

Genuinely, Thank you...

Eamonn Clifford
28 November 2007

E

This was our third successive trip on the Celebration (which says it all) and, as usual, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. All crew members were polite, cheery and helpful, the food was plentiful, the cabin clean and entertainment ... what we saw of it, fine.
That said, the excursions are a bit strenuous to say the least. We visited Petra, Giza and Karnak all of which were magnificent and memorable. (Petra meant a long downhill walk over stony, sandy ground ... further if you wanted to see other buildings ... and the return walk was pretty horrendous in the 80+ degree heat. Horse and traps were available to take you back at a cost, we were told, of £20).The hotel meals were quite good although there were doubts as to the wisdom of going for salad dishes.
The main problem was the long, convoy-style coach journeys to and from the destinations, ranging from 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours each way. It was pretty tough going and it's best to add a 1/2 hour to each journey because of frequent hold-ups and roadside check-points. This meant that we arrived back at the ship on 2 occasions shortly before it was officially due to depart. As a result the stage shows had started and were packed out ... hence my lower mark ... and the Meridian restaurant had closed.
The toilets on the buses are non-flushable, paper has to be placed in a receptacle ... and gentlemen should have been asked to sit (like the ladies), instead of adopting their usual pose and failing to cope with the swaying, rocking bus!
Nonetheless the experience won't stop us recommending Thomson as we know what their cruises elsewhere can be like, having had 6 to date.

This was our first cruise and certainly not our last on the Celebration she has a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. We cannot fault the ship or its excellent crew they were more than helpful and always smiling. The cabin was larger than we expected as there were only the two of us,the shower cubicle does require upgrading also the bedding and towels were looking rather tired The entire ship was clean and the crew were always cleaning. Food was plenteful and well presented especially in the Meridian no waiting for tables even when we had not booked.Special thanks to Jo Jo waiter in both the Lido and Meridian he helped make our cruise fantastic,also Eugene on the Lido and Michael. The steward Anam who left the chocolates on our pillows every night and clean towels as needed. The entertainment was well presented, again what a team they appeared to be working all day and evening, my daughter being only 24 was more than impressed with their shows and the murder mystery, she enjoyed the quizzes on the Lido in the afternoon, she participated in many of the quizes as she had injured her ankle and was ship bound for three days but was not so disappointed as there was so many differing on board entertainment and help from the crew always someone around and ready to help. Now looking for next years injury free cruise I hope, it will definately be with Thompson and a week without any children on board as our travel agent had advised us this was a cruise with no children.

this was our third cruise with thomson and it was as good as the others.the jewels of the med itinary was one we wanted to do for a while. the celebration is a well laid out ship , the crew were very friendly,food was excellent and varied,our only complaint was the excessive use of air conditioning which made our cabin uncomfortable.leaving palma for la goulette in tunisia gave us a day at sea,we had no problem finding a sunbed on deck and the day was a most plesant relaxing day.the following day was spent much the same as we stayed on board having recently been to tunisia .our time in port was short anyway ,so unless you did one of the trips the hassle of walking locally wasn't very appealing.naples the following day provided us with the superb opertunity to visit pompei.we opted for the full day sorrento/pompei by train excursion at £55 each.guide was very good,sorrento gave us some free time for shoping and lunch before going to pompei.pompei is an enormous site so no matter how long we could have been there it would not have been possible to see and take it all in, the one and a half hours that we were there only allowed a brief glimse of this fantastic place, but still very memorable.corsica was only a half day stop but was still very enjoyable,just walked around the town and visited napoleans birthplace.next was marseille,here we did the avignon excursion again with a very good guide.this part of france is suspect to what is known as the mistral,which is a cool wind blowing towards the sea.on the day we travelled it was quite strong so trousers and a jacket may be adviseable.the city is dominated by the popes palace but it as much more to offer as well.final port was barcelona.a very fitting ending,a week there wouldn't be long enough.open top bus at 19 euros for the day was excellent value and the football ground and goudis cathedral are must sees.barcelona was a big suprise to me and is somewhere i will visit again.a most enjoyable week.certainly prefer the open dining of the celebration/spirit it allows a more varied evening,all our dining companions provided good company.hope you find this log helpful.

Fantastic Holiday!
Ship was very clean with painting and cleaning constantly in process around the ship!
Lido food was always available and the Meridian food gave lots of choice and if something you wanted wasn't on the menu, the waiters would go out of their way to get it for you.

The staff all over the ship were very friendly and always there to help you.
On-board entertainment was superb as usual!
The show team consisted of Vicky, Danielle, Zoe, Kirsty, Abbie, James, Corey, Exy and Bryan. These guys put on excellent shows every night, although on our first week there were problems with the sound system in the show lounge where shows has to be delayed, however this was controlled very well by cruise director Lee Oliver and by the end of the week we had seen all of the shows we were supposed to have seen.
The entertainment team consisted of Bram, Emma, Sarah-Jane and Saul. Saul also participated in many of the shows in the Broadway.

I didn't really see many of the evening game shows however I did see Mr & Mrs and it is one not to be missed!!