seaninplymouth

Hi I was on the Celebration earlier this year, hope some of these answers help you:

Is it 2 pin plugs and therefore I need adapter? - EU plug adapters will be needed

Is it just news on the TV or anything for kids? - Was just news channels on TV, loads for kids to do on board though

Is there a fridge in standard cabin? - there was no fridge, but was an ice bucket which was refilled daily to keep things cool

are there tea and coffee making facilities in cabin please? - yes there were, you can ask your steward for more by leaving a note

Is there are 'shower gel' etc in bathroom (or tissues) - yes but not a lot, worth taking your own or buying at the airport. there were tissues

Is there a decent hairdryer - I've got long hair!!? - the hair dryer did the job when we were away

Is there bottled water in cabin and how much do they charge for it? - No free water, but a 2l bottle was 1.5 euro.

There are 4 of us, so is a drinks package a best buy and does it include stuff for an 8 year old? - I would always go for a drink package

Is there a launderette and/or an ironing room etc? - There was a launderette on board with an ironing board, you can also ask your steward to press suits/dresses for a small charge (can't remember what this was, sorry)

Is it worth booking a Thompson trip for Venice please? - I don't know, sorry

Does anyone have recent experience of the weather in Venice. Croatia etc - Do we need cardigans or the like? - likewise, I don't know, sorry.

Is the swimming pool heated? - none of the pools were heated

Is there a gym and Spa? - there was a small gym and spa on board, the spa offered daily deals so worth looking out for these.

I would leave the Ashdod shuttle until later in the day. They will get everyone off the boat in the morning to go through passport control, most people think "we're off now so may as well wait for a shuttle" You will be waiting for ages if you do this and you're very limited as to where you can go in the port.

The Ashdod shuttle was about one every 20 minutes in each direction, no prior booking needed but expect a lot of people to be on excursions - they will get priority when going through customs it took them about 2 hours to get everyone through customs, it is necessary even if you are not going ashore to go through passport control. Make sure you keep your passports on you when going into Israel to get back on board.

For the Larnaca shuttle you had to book at the main reception. They will give you a ticket which wasn't checked when we got on the bus at either end. The shuttles start and end at the ships gang way

I was on celebration earlier this month, the shuttle to Larnaca was £5 return each, quite a few shops, bars and restaurants as well as a very nice beach; definitely worth a fiver. The shuttle to Ashdod was free, Ashdod is like a normal city centre apart from the security barriers when trying to get in to the malls, they have all the shops you would expect to find at home. it's a short walk from the shuttle stop to the beach which again is worth a visit. It is much less conservative than Jerusalem - shorts and vests seem the norm. The duty free at the port was closed when we got to Ashdod. Lots of open wifi networks in both places to keep in touch with people at home and making facebook friends jealous with all your holiday snaps!

Just come off Celebration. The drinks package was being offered on board at £225, we paid £69 for it which was a real bargain as we must've drank that amount in the first day! I think if we booked with Thomson again we would buy the drinks package, even at £199 although that seems a massive price hike!

I am going on Celebration next Monday for the Aegean and the Holy Lands cruise, I am looking all the more forward to it having read your really positive review! This will be our first cruise and although I have read a lot of the posts on this forum, we are still excited as we don't fully know what to expect. Thank you!

I'm on this cruise as well! I will be buying our visa's online before we go. As far as I understand you need a Visa if your cruise starts or ends in Turkey but not if you are stopping off in the country for a day for excursions, etc. it costs $20 online or £20 at the airport, saving just short of 50% if you buy in advance.

Thanks, Sean

I'm going on board Celebration on 5th May and have been sent the email from Thompsons stating we both need a Visa for entering Turkey. From what I have read, if you are boarding the ship in Turkey you need the Visa but if you are only docking as a stop off for excursions, etc. then you don't need one. The cost is $20 online or £20 at the airport, a saving of almost 50% if you buy it online. I know what I'm doing!

Thank you. There is loads of really useful information in your link.

Hi

I'm going on Thompson Celebration on 5th May and would like to ask a few questions if that's ok? Firstly, if anyone has been aboard her, what is she like? Is the entertainment any good? I would also like to know what sort of plug sockets does she have? Are they EU standard or UK?

All answers appreciated! Thanks