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Thompson

m/s Thomson Spirit

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Reviewed by: Ann and Leanne Amarantha
# previous cruises: 1
Date of Trip: March 20, 2006
Itinerary: Egypt

Value for money. Great for first timers. Ideal for visiting all must do Egyptian tours.

Some of the lounges smelt a little musty. Kept really clean however, always see crew members tidying. The pool areas was clean and kept tidy too. Sun beds were a nightmare to get if the ship was at sea. Refused out of principal to join the grabbers at 6 o'clock in the morning. A member of staff (one I seen) did attempt to keep reserving to a minimum, but we had to lie on our towels on more than one occasion.

Food was amazing and plentiful. Could not be faulted. The compass rose was more of a formal dining experience, a must if not at least for the captains night! The lido 24 hour non stop if you could manage it, and to a high standard with plenty of choice too.

We had a basic two berth inside on the fourth deck. We were pleased with the space, two double robes. Shower with continual hot water, all of which were kept immaculate by our Romanian stewardess Daniella, who was a gem.

We only attended one of the entertainment evenings (as not our cup of tea), so are not best people to rate overall. What we did see we enjoyed and the entertainers were all excellent and very professional. The cruise staff were all pleasant and pampered all.

Excursions: My only gripe. The guides make a point of telling you how cheap fuel is in Egypt..50p a gallon, and how their cost of living is up to 75% lower than ours. Then, why their government (or is it the Thomson's?) can justify charging #68 per person (no reduction under 12)for the valley of the kings, and the pyramid tour defies belief! Then they make it very clear that you have to pay them extra for entering the pyramid, asking for a further #4 pp (incidentally only #2 if purchased from a small booth 100 yards from the entrance, which I opted for, out of principal) #10 per person for entering the mummies room at the Cairo museum (again, savings to be had if purchased at the nearby booth, I saved #10 for the two of us, as I obtained a student discount for my 15 year old daughter.) I did query with the Travco rep, and expressed my disgust as being charged double. She blamed it on the Egyptian government. There was a fair amount of pressure to be 'herded', not only in to buying at the higher price, but to keep the pace, which was fast, not good for those less mobile or the elderly.

BEWARE: When entering the pyramid. I would strongly recommend those over a certain age, or those less mobile, not to bother, seriously, the entrance is 3'6 in height, by 2' wide, to say you are doubled up for 90% the whole time is no exaggeration! Once you get to the end there is nothing there anyway, just a small 12x12 room with nothing but an egyptian telling you to "mind your head" (who then holds his hand out for the pleasure of doing so...?) and a grave, which has nothing in it! Not worth the effort if you are going to struggle. As we were entering an old chap (who was quite a hefty chap too) was in extreme distress coming out. His lips were blue and I knew he was having problems. When we come out, sure enough, he was on the ground receiving attention from the available reps and other holiday makers. Unfortunately, he did not make it, and I found out the next day he had died.

The valley of the kings was also too much of a fast pace. I am relatively fit (if a little bit of a couch potato for 9 months of the year!), but I found it a gruelling pace. You feel under pressure to keep up, so as not to hold up others or the coach. Could be because of the limited time available, but not ideal.

Ports: A bit military, especially Port Sokhna (for cairo) and Safaga (for valley of the kings). Not easy to escape from the ship, a few taxis at Sharm, but other a long walk before any are seen. Was not ideal as my daughter has mobility problems following long illness.

Would recommend the cruise and stay option, as recovery needed ideally from the must do excursions, so would have been lovely to have had a week in Sharm to do so, was very envious of those that were being transferred.

Overall a must do first cruising experience for everybody.

I would say the average age of fellow passengers was 55-60. Not a gripe by any means; many of them taking advantage of their retirements which I applaud them for. Few teenagers, but for many this would be a strong plus, as it was for me. I took my 15 year old daughter, but she was not too bothered as in the main we both seen it as the perfect medium for getting to all the must do sights that we went to Egypt for in the fist place. Would recommend this for first time cruisers particularly, (as we were). Strongly consideration should be given to the cruise and stay option, I would have loved the option of doing so, as the pace of the excursions are fast and it would have been great just to chill for a week afterwards in one of the Red Sea resorts such as Sharm, as many had opted for.