celebration cruise thro Suez in Oct 09

[cjcmack]

Hi

We are first time cruisers and need help!! We are thinking of going on the Eygypt/Suez canal one in Oct 09 on Celebration.

We would appreciate any tips i.e. what cabin to choose whereabouts in the ship is the best position for quiet sleeping!!
What extras are involved in cruising so that we dont have a shock at the end of the cruise.
I have seen some threads mentioning all inclusive deals so that you can have all the drinks you want !! How do you book that kind of deal??

Any other help would be appreciated. Many thanks in advance

[mtt]

I've booked this cruise for next year, booked a deluxe cabin midship 219,
with free AI, look on the thomson website and call them up to see if they can match the internet price, or try portland/ thomas cook who tend to beat thomson

[merciaman]

Welcome,
I may be wrong but I dont think the Celebration moves to the Red Sea until November so you may have to move your holidays back a month.But whenever you go you will have a fantastic time
Best cabins are generally mid ships and low down (decks 1 or 2) for less movement in bad weather.All inclusive is on a first come basis and limited numbers so you need to check if its still available for then.Cost can be as much as £169.00 per person and must be taken out at booking time and all adult customers in that party must take it out.
As for extras,they can be as much or as little as you like. Drinks prices are quite reasonable ,so AI is sometimes not worth it depending on the amount you pay for it and the amount you drink.Tip are included but you may tip individual staff members if you like,ie £10-20 at the end of the cruise to cabin steward,waiter,wine waiter etc, but only if you want .It is not expected and they wont spit in your soup if you dont.The staff are wonderful.
On that particular trip your biggest extra would be Trips to the various sights.Due to the location of the ports I think organized trips are a must on this cruise particularly Petra.My wife and I are hoping to do this trip in Jan 2010 and are really looking forward to it.We were cruise virgins last year but are now converts.:D

[jenny wren]

This cruise leaves Corfu 23 october 2009 and looks a very good itinerary.....we did a similar cruise on Celebration in October 2007 but ours started in Palma....We like a cabin on Promenade deck then you can just nip out on deck from the cabin (nearest you get to a balcony!!) Ours was 223 which was fairly close to the door out on deck and also the launderette and was not noisy at all. Although there is a deck outside your window there are voile curtains so people can't see in !! If the pennies won't stretch to a deluxe cabin try and stick to mid ships or forward of it as there is quite a bit of engine noise at the back lower down.
You have to pay to choose a specific cabin number (£35 I think) but its worth it for peace of mind. Have a look at deck plans and make sure you won't be above, below or next to the theatre or noisy bars.
Tips are included and the staff do not expect more but of course you can give them more if you like....we usually give a small amount to our cabin steward and waiter (if we have the same one for the duration). You will probably be too late for free All Inclusive for this year although you could still ask!!(if you book for 2010 you may get it) and it is generally thought not to be worth buying it as each person in the booking has to buy it and you'd have to drink like a fish to make it worth your while!!! The drinks are not expensive..tea (herbal and ordinary), coffee and water are available free from machines 24 hours a day.
Cruise deals website can usually beat the on line thomson price as well!!
I would save your excursion money for Petra and the Egyptian ones and try and do your own thing in the Mediterranean ports which are quite easy!! Its a real experience transitting the Suez ...on our first transit from Red Sea to Med we were stuck for 36 hours half way up because a tanker had gone aground and we couldn't get past!!!

Hope this helps a bit...I'm sure you will enjoy it!! Celebration is a very friendly ship we've been on it twice.

[cjcmack]

Hi

Many thanks for all the very useful info i am so looking forward to booking this cruise now so thanks again for all your help.

[Smee]

Hope it gets through Suez safely, we need it to be parked up in Sharm on Christmas Eve..................:D:D

[dykercruiser]

I have just returned from Pearls of the Aegean on Celebration.
Try to get cabin 002 on the Eagle Deck ....it is huge and very well appointed. I don't subscribe to the "lower deck is more stable" brigade, as the weather is very seldom bad enough for that to make a difference ...live dangerously and take the risk!! By the way, what no one has told you so far, is that, if the weather is bad and you have a lower deck outside cabin, the water comes up over the porthole, as the ship rolls!!! You choose which is preferable.
The worst problem up on Eagle Deck, is early evening, when all the lower decks are showering, it takes a while for the hot water to get up that high.
My other half is seriously claustrophobic, and a lower inner cabin is not an option, but we have never regretted choosing an upper deck.