Thompson Celebrity Red Sea cruise and stay January 2012

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sunseeker16
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Thompson Celebrity Red Sea cruise and stay January 2012

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Post by sunseeker16 »

(With apologies for the fact that this is 2 and a half years old - I thought it might have some relevance to anyone contemplating Thompson. Happy to answer any questions, if my memory will work!)

A few flakes of snow as we dropped the pets at the kennels and set off for Bournemouth Airport. Such a nice thought that we were flying to the sun without the trail to Gatwick and the even worse thought of getting back from Gatwick after a long(ish) return flight.

Everything was smoother than smooth at the airport, having already booked extra room seats there was no imperative to get there early. Servisair intercepted us and added Priority Cruise labels to our luggage (so that's how Thomson do it!). Only 2 flights out of Bournemouth on a Thursday morning – both scheduled for 11.45; how crazy is that? Geneva set off first, so we hit the runway at 12.05 after a smooth boarding process. Flight same as ever. Comfortable seats. No in-flight entertainment – I suppose everyone takes their own now. Landing, baggage reclaim, direction to coach and trip to the port also very slick, absolutely no complaints. After about a 25 minute drive we arrived at the dock and were processed through embarkation in no time, whilst our luggage was taken and dealt with separately. It was lovely to walk from the embarkation building across the dockside to Thomson Celebration awaiting us with all the welcoming lights on. We've never joined a ship in the dark before. The local time was 6.05pm.

The gangway was little more than a short incline and two or three steps. Crew were loading cases on, by hand, through the same access. They just stepped back and encouraged us aboard. A room steward grabbed my hand luggage and escorted us to our cabin – such service! Cabin 313 on Deck 4, the main deck. Well, it's not P&O /Cunard but it's not awful. Twin beds where I'd requested a queen but no other problems. Much more spacious than anything we've had on the other 2 lines, and absolutely tons of storage space, wardrobes and drawers. Comparitively large bathroom, with the usual tiny shower with clingy curtain, but the vanity unit, shelving underneath and glass fronted wall hung cabinet plus retractable make up mirror were great. Celebrity is undergoing refit and this cabin had been 'half-done'. The bathroom was complete, with nice pseudo granite floor tiles, the vanity unit mentioned etc and the cabin was half done, with new headboards, probably a new carpet, and the start made on installing a flat screen TV and in-cabin beverage station. A wooden 'bin' or so I thought, will probably become a 'fridge'/chilled storage place.

Dinner in the main restaurant was very welcome and was followed pretty swiftly by muster – on deck, at the boat station, wearing lifejackets. Different to what we were used to but we felt confident that staff in charge knew what they were doing and what to do in an emegency. So, that left us time to explore the ship before our much needed sleep. It felt very small in a friendly, cosy sort of way. The public areas all seemed very good. Hemmingway's bar has been 'made over' and looks very good – very like the newly refurbished Le Club on Oceana in terms of palette – and Horizons bar, the crows nest, was excellent. Libertys, the 'pub' bar has not had its spruce-up and shows it. The buffet area opens onto a largeish deck area, with small pool and stage and a very good outdoor seating area with upholstered cane sofas and chairs and smaller chairs around tables.

Day 2 – Sea day, en route to Aqaba, Jordan

Time to have a good look round. On our first exploratory walk we found that the deck area described above also has a deck grill which does the usual pizza burger daytime offer but, delightfully, is an informal breakfast station. A smaller selection of what they have at the main buffet, in terms of fruit, cereal, breads, pastries, ham&cheese, also sausage, bacon, beans, mushrooms, hash browns etc in the hot buffet but also Chef standing ready to cook you fried egg or omelette au choix, freshly made as you watch. Then you get to eat it al fresco. Delightful. We used this every day – how often can you have breakfast outside in January?

We made it to the sun deck, currently sadly diminished as it has a gang of shopfitters/shipfitters working out of containers in a roped off section of about one third the surface area. It was interesting watching their activity, though at times you wished there was more sun-worshipping.
space.

Those sun beds available were lovely – the most comfortable I can remember seeing anywhere, leaving aside the 'spa' type in The Rereat etc. Large, very adjustable, including a click to give you an inverted v for your leg rest. The pool towels were also gorgeous. Very large very fluffy – they too must be part of the refurb.

I think we docked in Aqaba at lunchtime. There were trips but we didn't bother, having a long day ahead the net day.

Day 3 – Petra

A 7.30 start, so meet at the buses by 7.15. Not as bad as the people off to The Dead Sea who had a 6.30 start. They seem very strict on timings. We were warned over and over that if we weren't on time we would be left behind. So, off to the outdoor brekkie station dead early, to find that there must be some infection on the ship – we were not allowed to help ourselves to juice etc and the formerly help yourself tea/coffee stations were manned full time. This continued through the cruise, though I didn't hear of anyone who was actually ill, or see any sign of illness.

Three and a half hours on a bus. Ugh. The Jordanian guide was very good and very keen but unfortunately thought he ought to start telling us all about our day as soon as we boarded. It would have been sooo much better if he'd left us to doze for an hour or so! The roads were amazing. In parts lovely, new, smooth; in other parts – just washed away, or absent. The landscape was incredible, through the Arabian desert. I don't think I can describe just how desolate and formidable it is. All the more amazing to actually get to Petra, park up and enter the historic area. It's a good walk but not as tough as I had been led to expect by trip descriptions etc. It's also chilly in the shade of the defile but nothing too awful. Given my time again I would have junked the fleece (which stayed tied round my middle all day) and long trousers and gone for cut-offs and a t-shirt with cotton/linen shirt on top.

So – WOW. You walk along(or take a horse & trap, or ride a horse), start to see a few man made places, then you enter the defile. There's no other word – it is classic defile, where the rock movements have cleaved the 'cliffs' apart, leaving a narrow space. Underfoot has been levelled and surfaced and is easy to negotiate, which is great as it means you can relax and keep your head up looking at everything around. So much to see all the way down – drainage channels, tombs, heiroglyphs, coptic writing, statues. Then, double WOW, as the defile opens to allow you to see The Treasury. Cue Indiana Jones music. And that's not the end – after you've been amazed at that you walk a further distance, with tombs and artefacts all the way. As I suspected, I can't describe it – you'll need to read a better description, or watch a film, methinks. Suffice to say that I have now fulfilled a long-held ambition and can only urge anyone who thinks they would like to see The Rose-Red City to get along and do so. Combining it with a lovely cruise seems a good way to go – I don't think it is a place with easy access however one goes about it.

So, all sights seen and all history heard, some of which will be remembered for ever, we walked back and walked a short distance to the Movenpick hotel for an excellent and very welcome lunch at about 2.30. We asked the price of a beer to accompany the meal - $13 for a small one, $19 for a large. We stuck to the water and coffee.

Then, a few minutes free time to walk around the town of Petra. There are a of of hotels and eateries of all grades and tourist shops of course.

Then - home, via the opportunity to spend more tourist money at a well appointed shop/cafe/toilet stop at a good viewpoint high in the mountains. There was snow atop the peaks and our guide told us the roads had been closed recently because of heavy snowfall.

A long. long ride back, just as it had been a long journey there. So lovely to get back to the ship and be welcomed with hot towels, cold drinks, a 'crew band' singing, a Welcome Home banner and hand sanitation before getting back on board. I should also have mentioned that Armina, from the crew, accompanied us all day, apparently just to stand guard at the restaurant entrance with his bag of sanitation squidge, to keep us all safe.

Supper of cold cuts and red wine on the deck and off to bed. What a busy day, what wonderful memories


Day 4 – at sea then Port Soqna

I can't remember anything about this day, other than we were tired, obviously, so will use this space to ramble on a bit about Celebrity and cruising with Thompson

Well, we met a lot of lovely people, as you do on cruises, in fact I think they were a slightly more positive group than the sometime moany ones on P&O/Cunard. Many said they were committed Thomson cruisers but they would all have been at home on the other lines, except perhaps the fixed dining and formal nights element. I got the impression some of the gentlemen (who were gentlemen, no slobs) would have rather gouged out their eyes with a teaspoon than put on a dinner suit!

For plusses and minuses, I would say that MDR food on P&O is much much better, which isn't to say that Thomson food is poor – just not as good. Thomson bread is better, apart from focaccia, and it is lovely to have fresh, crisp French bread available every day. The outdoor breakfast was lovely. A useful comparison might be that where I always describe P&O as the best quality of mass catering – for instance if you were at an up-market wedding or outdoor event – then Thompson would be a good standard of mass catering – perfectly acceptable, always served with a smile and questions always asked as to whether you enjoyed, whether you would like more etc. We used the buffet more than we have on the other ships and both of us thought it better in terms of layout and lack of 'canteen-y' clatter. Lots of staff around, swooping on empty plates and uneaten scraps – also asking if you want a drink, or if they can fetch you water or coffee
Btw, the coffee was a big plus. The bog standard served from urns in the buffet or coffee jugs in the MDR was better than the other lines but the drinks package allows unlimited good coffee in the bars at any time. What a treat. Better than the Costa franchise on P&O and equivalent to Cafe Concordia on Cunard

Some parts of the Celebrity are rather like a 2* hotel – homely but uninspiring! There is nothing remotely like 'an entrance' or 'an atrium', the higher stairs fore and aft seem to be just like your own domestic stairs, there is only one gangway.
The ship is very well signed and we never found ourselves in unexpected places
However – we thought all emrakation and debarkation was smoother and less congested than on the bigger ships. We couldn't work out how that happens but it does.

We found the entertainment as good as the other lines and the Broadway lounge (like Starlights etc) a comfortable place for the larger acts. Wewere able to find seats for all the shows we wished.
There is a small cinema, showing recent films which change daily. 3 showings per day
The on-board Egyptologist was truly excellent (brain the size of a small planet, methinks)

The shopping opportunities were small but it seemed you could get all you wanted. There were no sales out in the corridors – Hooray! Big plus

No gratuities and and AI drinks package at £69pp, which was perfectly adequate for all but the most sophisticated/demanding tastes, were a bonus. Our end of cruise bill came to about £18 – a t-shirt for himself, reading specs for moi (I knew I had packed them but couldn't find them ... found them in a corner of a case as I was packing on the last day - ho hum) and one glass of prosecco, when I had a fancy one night. Now, that is a bonus as far as I am concerned.

In contrast, the trips were expensive - £440 for both of us to go to Petra and Luxor. Both were long days, with guide, security escort, two drivers, meals and entrance to sites. For instance, entrance to Petra was 50 Jordanian Dinars, equivalent to £50.

Oh, that reminds me. I should have said that the toilet facilities, in the middle of nowhere in Petra, are as good as you will find anywhere. So, no need to worry about holes in the ground. It costs £1 but is well worth it

Day 5 - Port Soqna

Trips to Cairo/Giza/The Pyramids/The Sphynx from here. We didn't go, thinking three long trips would be too much like hard work. I am in two minds now. Firstly, I'm a bit sad we didn't do anything, Secondly – we will simply have to go back again, to see sights we misse this time. Port Soqna is a working port, so there was plenty to watch from the deck, though nothing of great beauty. The ship was quite quiet with the majority of passengers having gone their various ways

Day 6 – at sea, then Safaga

If Port Soqna was no beauty, Safaga is a horror of a port. I giggle to myself at the thought of the Queens tying up here, for that is what they have to do if the passengers wish to get to Luxor etc. The berth is alongside the Aluminium Company of Egypt depot/mill. Plenty of white dust blowing about, so sunbathing on deck is not the best. Next time round we will book the half day trip to the beach at Hurghada

Day 7 – Safaga

Having practised early wake-ups on Petra day, this was the day we had to meet the bus at 6.15am. So, a quick bowl of porridge and small coffee, banana in my bag and off we went. At lest there wee no wardrobe issues with this trip – expect it hot (though it was a cool start in the dark, so we needed our cosy stuff which was left in the bus till our return) The convoy set off on time, complete with guide, spare driver and armed guard!

Another amazing and unforgettable day. We saw so much. The journey itself was fascinating (though inevitably a little tedious). The contrast between the desert through which the major part took place and the lush fertile Nile region is quite astonishing. It's as clear cut as here dry/here fertile. I'm not sure if it's a security or road safety feature but there are definite high ridges, almost like a line of bricks, across the road every few miles (or less in places). The bus has to slow almost to a stop. Oh, it doesn't half get on your pip! Long queues at the petrol stations – they have problems and have a severe shortage

Huge statues first and then the truly astonishing Valley of the Kings. Tombs, tombs, tombs, heiroglyphs (right there, just in front of us – amazing) Tutenkamun – everything Egypt. Our guide (Magic!) lived up to his name. He was very knowledgeable but a bit of a hard taskmaster – he kept us on our toes, moving swiftly through the midday heat. Phew! There are so many tombs in such a small area, so today is not as hard on the feet as the Petra day

Then, off to the Temple at Luxor. Again amazing. The scale of these structures is astonishing now, without thinking back to the time they were constructed and the means available then

Finally, at something like 3pm, we made it to Luxor (an interesting town/city; I would like to spend more time there) and the st George Sonesta hotel for our lunch. Oh that was so good! It is a beautiful hotel. My joy at arriving there and enjoying the lunch was somewhat tempered by recalling that this was the hotel we were due to spend a week at, following a week cruising on the Nile, on the holiday that never happened because of snow at Gatwick in 2010

Still more, and possiby the best. Back on the coaches in no time, drive past the Temple at Luxor, which would be well worth a visit, given sufficient time, and on to the magnificent Temple at Karnak. Red carved pillars everywhere, statues, heiroglyphs and history in every stone. We were there as dusk started to fall and the reddish sunlight falling on the red stone was beautiful.

Finally, finally, back on the coaches but the day was far from done. The trip back was excrutiating! The first part was interesting, driving a different way than directly through Luxor as we had arrived. This time we ran alongside a Nile tributory/canal, through town/village after town/village. It started off fascinating, as we were able to see people going about their normal evening affairs, but as we went mile after mile, crossing road hump after road hump we just wished for a teleporter, to click our fingers and get us back 'home'. However, all things come to an end and we finally arrived back at the ship. Safaga actually looked quite vibrant and interesting in the dark! We were nearly an hour late and our bus was the first in the convoy. Still our crew was waiting for us with towels and drinks and appeared genuinely happy and relieved to see us back. I made a joke about Sorry we're so late but the officer seing us on said No No No, it is lovely to have you back, don't worry. Relax now, enjoy your evening. I'll bet the Captain was pleased to have everyone back so he could set sail for Sharm and the end of the cruise

Final part, with disembarkation, our week in Sharm, reflections and anything I've forgotten, tomorrow

Day 7 – return to Sharm and hotel transfer

Final day onboard. We were safely tied up by the time we woke after our busy day yesterday. Cabin vacate time was 9am but we elected to keep ours till we disembarked for the sum of £30 I think (hey – that's more than doubled our on-board account, which I mentioned earlier). A nice day and a lot of people took to the open decks after breakfast, to 'supervise' the luggage unloading. Suitcases are placed outside cabins on the last evening, as usual, but are off-loaded from a roped off area of the prom deck,using the crates we are used to seeing and an onboard crane. It's quite an interesting process, as crate after crate is lowered to the dockside and then cases are grouped according to colour-coded labels, which correspond to flights, independent traveller or onward hotel. Most flights run from noon till 6pm, so there is time for many passengers to undertake the ritual of Inspection of the Luggage, where they temporarily disembark, walk along the dock and satisfy themselves that their luggage is indeed in the correct place and that they know where it is and will be able to trundle it the few yards to their coach, when it arrives.

We were one of only 3 couples transferring to the Iberotel Palace, so the hotel sent their own minubus to pick us up. We left bang on time at 1.15 and, 2 minutes later, pulled up in front of the hotel! It is literally just around the headland, indeed, we could see the funnel from the beach at the hotel.
A very efficient 'check in process' with hot towels, cold drinks and an explanation of how things worked and a few minutes later we followed a room-boy with our luggage to our first floor room. It was very comfortable and well appointed – in fact it made us realise just how non-luxurious our cabin had been. The two couples who transferred with us were both first-time cruisers and hadn't enjoyed themselves very much. One described their inside cabin as like holidaying in a caravan and both complained of noise from inconsiderate neighbours, with voices well into the night. That would have annoyed me too.

Second week – Hotel Iberotel Palace, Sharm el Sheihk

This was the part of the trip we were apprehensive about, not having done a land-based hotel-type holiday for several years. We were also a little concerned that the AI buffet regime would result in us being faced with the same food for a week.
We need not have worried. The room was excellent, as previously mentioned, kept spotless, and with a spacious balcony overlooking The Arena, where there was evening entertainment some nights.
The food was faultless. Yes, one had to fetch it from the buffet, but the choice was amazing, changed every day and was of very very high quality. We tended to breakfast in one restaurant, have a salad or 'kebab' for lunch at the beach cafe and dine at the second restaurant. One evening meal in the a la carte Italian style restaurant is included in the package and there is a £3.50 allowance against any future meals there. Most of the main courses come in around £6-7. Wine, by the glass, flows freely, or beer or soft drinks
We were impressed
There was an international clientele. Brits via Thomson, Russians, Finns, German, Dutch and probably many others. All the staff slip effortlessly from Egyptian to English to German to Russian

The hotel has heated outdoor, unheated outdoor and indoor pools, plus a guarded beach. Fresh towels provided daily, in exchange for your 'towel cards'. Plenty of beach beds and shades. The hotel runs a boat over to a second beach which it owns/runs, for snorkel fans. There is the opportunity to get a 'round the bay' boat or a glass-bottomed boat from the beach. The hotel runs the minibus to Naama (I think) 3 times a day, for those who want more action. We were incredibly lazy and did pretty much nothing, though I must put in a word for Mr SS who was recovering from shingles; we had done a couple of tiring days so took the opportunity to do absolutely nothing. If we return we will be much more energetic.

The weather for the week, whilst far better than UK, was a bit iffy. There were a couple of showers, one period of several hours of rain, some strong winds and cool/cold nights as we left. The hotel staff were mortified and kept telling us "It's not usually like this/It's never like this". No worries, it was fine and meant I was able to enjoy fesh air all day, without having to hide indoors from fierce mid-day sun

We only left the hotel to cross the road (probably the most dangerous thing we did all trip!) to the old market opposite. We felt perfectly relaxed about this.

Last day, transfer to the airport, and the flight home were fine, except that very strong headwinds lengthened the flight by over an hour. We arrived home at 1.30am GMT, which of course felt like 3.30 to us. Yawn. But our comfy bed was waiting and we were soon relaxed and asleep.

Reflections

Did we enjoy it – oh yes we did!
Would we do it again – oh yes we would, in fact we are actively considering it for next year, or possibly just a couple of weeks at the hotel, with local excursions from there.
It was interesting, exciting, relaxing, warm, good value – lots of good things to say

I would hate to do hotel first/cruise second. The difference in standard of accommodation and food would be very stark and, I think, would leave you dissatisfied on the ship. That sounds like I didn't enjoy it, which isn't true; we both loved it. It is, however, not luxurious. It is lovely, cosy, friendly, relaxing. The food is good, plentiful, always available etc. I don't think it would be a good 'entry-level' cruise.

Egypt has it's problems but there was no evidence whatsoever of any political trouble anywhere we went. Poverty is all around. You have to believe that some of your tourist pounds will help everyone in due course. I was pleased to see no evidence of animals maltreated. The working horses were monitored by The Brooke Organisation; the hotel cats (not too many) were tolerated by staff who looked the other way as residents fed them.

It was lovely to get away from January here to sun there simply by going'down the road' to Bournemouth airport. So much less of a hassle than trailing round the M25 to Gatwick.

Oh, that must be enough! Of course I'm happy to answer any questions, assuming I can remember

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Kendhni
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Joined: January 2013

Re: Thompson Celebrity Red Sea cruise and stay January 2012

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Post by Kendhni »

Great review sunseeker. We love the Red Sea area nd ave done it both as land based and via a cruise ship (RC).
I remember the long bus journeys to Petra and Luxor ... but really glad we did both trips.

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