Red sea magic

[REALMAJORCA]

Hi myself and my three sons are sailing on the celebration on the red sea magic tour all the excursions are booked but does anyone have an idea as to how many egyptian pounds we will need ? This will be our first cruise
thanks

[jocap]

Hello to you- I've done this cruise one winter, and although we did take some Egyptian £££, the locals were happy with £, € or $. Because the Celebration has done this weekly trip for several years now, the locals in Egypt and Jordan know that you're British, and are waiting to shout their prices in Sterling. For instance, the taxi drivers were offering a trip to Hurghada from Safaga for 20 British pounds....
There will be some Egyptian pounds required at a few places, such as museums, so perhaps you need to buy a few before you go, or else change some on the ship.
Anything else you need to know, go back to the index and look for the Thomson page....several people have just returned from that cruise!
Enjoy- we did.

[John Bull]

As Jo's answer, you'll get by fine with sterling or euros, including £1/€1 coins. Take plenty of ones. And USD if you've got some you need to get rid of.
Bartering is the norm.
Sadly, if you show interest in a souvenir you'll be hounded, so avoid doing so unless you want to buy.
You may find some lads asking if you can give them notes in exchange for coins they've already taken. Help them out if you can - its not a con, they can't change coins at a bank.
At official sites such as museums, local currency (or credit cards) only but included if you're on ship's tours.

Egyptian money isn't popular in Jordan.

Super little ship, very friendly, super entertinment.

Have a good one.

JB

[REALMAJORCA]

THANK YOU FOR THE HELPFULL COMMENTS FEEL BETTER NOW BIT DIFFICULT WHEN ITS FIRST TIME CRUISING WATCHING THE NEWS IS GRIM AT THE MOMENT THOUGH AS THERE APPEARS TO BE TROUBLE IN CAIRO AGAIN HOPE IT DOESNT STOP US VISITING THE PYRAMIDS THIS TRIP HAS BEEN TWO YEARS IN THE PLANNING AS IV'E RE-ARRANGED IT TWICE BECAUSE OF THE UNREST HOPE WE GET THERE

[jocap]

Hi- I'm sure you'll get there- Thomson's keep their ears to the ground, and won't let you go anywhere if it's dangerous. They've not had to cancel many excursions over the last 2 years.....as I say, they've been doing this weekly cruise every winter for years now, so all the locals are on the look out for the ship coming to port, and I've seen crew and locals playing football together.
Have a really great time- if you enjoy swimming, then the Red Sea is wonderful.

[REALMAJORCA]

SORRY HERE AGAIN MY THREE SONS AND I ARE DOING THE DAY TRIP TO PETRA HOW MUCH LOCAL CURRENCY WILL WE NEED AS THEY WANT TO RIDE IN TO PETRA ON CAMELS !!!!!!!! THANKS

[John Bull]

Originally Posted by REALMAJORCA

SORRY HERE AGAIN MY THREE SONS AND I ARE DOING THE DAY TRIP TO PETRA HOW MUCH LOCAL CURRENCY WILL WE NEED AS THEY WANT TO RIDE IN TO PETRA ON CAMELS !!!!!!!! THANKS

It takes about 3 days to get to Petra by camel. So best take the coach, then take a camel ride once you're there.
Or have I mis-understood your question?

Going down the siq (ravine) into Petra can only be done by horse-drawn buggy or on foot. The camel rides are at the bottom, just beyond the first building, the Treasury. Don't expect to go far, its just for the experience.

Like most things, camel prices are negotiable - one reason why taking Jordanian dinars is a pain, you don't know how much you'll need.
Simple answer is you don't need any. Camel owners, like everyone else, accept sterling or euros or USD. Including 1 & 2 pound/euro coins. Take a stack of ones to avoid problems with change & to improve your bartering power.
You may be invited to sit on a camel "for free" to take photos. Nothing is free - no matter what they say, they'll want a payment. Same in Egypt.
If your lads want to be camel connoisseurs, rides also at Wadi Rum (the best surroundings for a camel ride & the least-obnoxious owners), Giza pyramids, and possibly Luxor.

BTW, at any of these places, street-traders may ask if you can change-up their coins to notes. It's not a con, they can't exchange coins at banks etc so do help them out if you can. A gift of unwanted items in your Thomson snack-bag is well-received too, these are kids who earn very little.

JB

[REALMAJORCA]

JUST BACK FROM THE RED SEA MAGIC CRUISE AND IT WAS FANTASTIC !!!!!! WE ALL ENJOYED EVERY THING ABOUT TRIP OUR FIRST CRUISE AND WILL NOT BE THE LAST SIGHTS UN BELIEVABLE ESPECIALLY CAIRO ! CELEBRATION RE FURBISHED WE HAD A NEW CABIN IT WAS FAB

[jocap]

So pleased you enjoyed it....it's a very special, unusual cruise.
Thanks for coming back and telling us!