Weather/excursion advice on Red Sea Magic

[Mower Lady]

Hello, We're going on Red Sea magic on 31st Jan and would like some advice from people who've just returned.

Would like to know what the temperatures were daytime & evening, to help with packing, got a lot to squeeze into the 20kg allowance! Also we're planning to do trips to Cairo & Petra (the main reason we chose this cruise) but on the other days would like to go to a beach and do a bit of snorkelling if poss.

Does anyone know if the sea is warm enough ( I'm a bit of a fairweather swimmer!) and apart from doing the Thomson hotel excursions which seem a lot of money for what seems just to be a coach shuttle, are there any beaches easy to get to by taxi on any of the ports of call.

Thanks very much,

Mowerlady:)

[WeeCountyMan]

We did RSM in Jan. 2010 - it was generally hot(ish) in the day without being unbearable.

 

Cooler in the evening, but, again, not unpleasantly so.

 

Can't comment on excursions to local beaches, never did one.

 

I expect you could get a taxi much cheaper and ask him to come back at a specific time - mind and agree/haggle on a price before you accept any offers.

[lppwrth]

We were on this cruise beginning of January 2011. We did a ships excursion in Hurgada and went on a boat over to a "paradise island" can't remember the name of it now.

Sea was pleasantly warm and they provided a lunch which was good. This trip was good value but it was an all day one.

We also did the Wadi Rum dessert trip through Thomsons and this was amazing....not just sand and more sand. Very interesting, magnificent scenery, but it was cold. Brilliant sunshine, but still cold, you are on the back of jeeps. But if don't do Petra this trip is a "must do".

We were not well prepared clothing wise and were told we did need warm clothing for the Petra and Cairo so did not do them. You do need to get off the boats as the ports are not at all scenic.

[Mower Lady]

Thank you for that, it must be warmer than here! The boat trip in Hurghada sounds good, we're not going to Luxor as we've already done a nile cruise so may do that. Don't want to just stay on the boat really & I know we can't just get off & wander around.

[blossom52]

Petra was cold 3rd Jan cruise, take a fleece.

In Safrega we got off the ship walked out of the port and got a taxi to Lotus Bay hotel.

30 LE for 2 people and £9 each to use hotel beach inc beds umbrella and towel. Nice beach bar to the left of hotel. managed to get a taxi back for 20 LE

[Shallwe123]

Hello, We're going on Red Sea magic on 31st Jan and would like some advice from people who've just returned.

Would like to know what the temperatures were daytime & evening, to help with packing, got a lot to squeeze into the 20kg allowance! Also we're planning to do trips to Cairo & Petra (the main reason we chose this cruise) but on the other days would like to go to a beach and do a bit of snorkelling if poss.

Does anyone know if the sea is warm enough ( I'm a bit of a fairweather swimmer!) and apart from doing the Thomson hotel excursions which seem a lot of money for what seems just to be a coach shuttle, are there any beaches easy to get to by taxi on any of the ports of call.

Thanks very much,

Mowerlady:)

 

Hi Mower Lady

 

We were on Celebration from 27th Dec 2012 for 1 week.

 

Daytime temps were lovely - sunny everyday, would say about 25c during the day dropping off to about 15c at night.

 

We thought the same as you - a lot of money each just to get transported to a hotel.

 

In Aqaba the ship runs a free shuttle bus into town. The bus parks right outside the Movenpick Hotel. We were chatting to some folk the day after and they were saying that the hotel is very nice indeed and facilities very good - although it doesn't look it from the outside !!.

 

In Safaga - we went on the Thompson's Ocean snorkeling trip. £50.00 each, (if booked aboard) with lunch included. It was windy that day and the sea had quite a swell to it. Some did get overwhelmed by the sea conditions and quickly got back aboard the boat.... 'The water was warmish and wet suits were needed. The reefs were superb and so were the fish, but on reflection we don't think the trip was worth the money.

 

Talking to other folk - they mentioned the Lotus hotel and we did drive by it - so that maybe that's better option.

 

Enjoy ... wish we were going !

[koromo1]

We were on this cruise 1 March 2012 and the roads to Petra were closed due to snow it was 3 degrees!

[bk1234]

Hi

 

This is my first post, been reading for a couple of weeks.

 

Me and my good lady are doing this as a first cruise on March 21st and although the excursions may seem expensive most are actually good value for money (I have looked at doing a few privately and Thomson are very competitive).

 

I'm not really a lay around in the sun person so I'm going to pre book the below excursions (as apparently they are 10% cheaper, can anyone confirm?), you can always cancel any if you dont fancy it (or my body can't take it) and get your money back with 24 hours notice.

 

If anyone has any advice on any of the excurions below I would appreciate it :)

 

Wadi Rum - 4X4 Desert Adventure

Petra - The Rose Red City

Nile Boat & Pyramid Sound And Light Show

Seascope Submarine & Hurghada

Oceans Snorkelling Boat Trip

Then maybe Quad Biking in Sharm El Sheikh (can only book when onboard apparently)

 

Just thought of another question, has anybody ever added a stay on the end of a cruise after booking the cruise?, I am thinking of maybe 4 days in Sharm El Sheikh as I may need a rest after all of those excursions LOL

 

Cheers

 

Barrie

[Mower Lady]

Good grief, snow in Petra! :eek:We're going to escape the snow!!! We have been warned, will take an extra fleece and hope it spends the whole week in our suitcase

Blossom52 do you know how the people who went to the Lotus hotel heard about it?

Also when the shuttle bus stops outside the Movenpick hotel in Aqaba, is it by the beach and is it possible just to go in and use their facilities?

Thanks for everyone's really helpful answers:D

[Cymro1953]

Good grief, snow in Petra! :eek:We're going to escape the snow!!! We have been warned, will take an extra fleece and hope it spends the whole week in our suitcase

Blossom52 do you know how the people who went to the Lotus hotel heard about it?

Also when the shuttle bus stops outside the Movenpick hotel in Aqaba, is it by the beach and is it possible just to go in and use their facilities?

Thanks for everyone's really helpful answers:D

 

Hi Mowerlady, the road to Petra goes quite high up through the mountains on the way there. It's those passes that get blocked. We went in the middle of April 2011 and the excrusion the week before us could not get through because of snow. But when we went there was no sign of any snow anywhere.

 

Berwyn

[kruzseeka]

Hi

 

This is my first post, been reading for a couple of weeks.

 

Me and my good lady are doing this as a first cruise on March 21st and although the excursions may seem expensive most are actually good value for money (I have looked at doing a few privately and Thomson are very competitive).

 

I'm not really a lay around in the sun person so I'm going to pre book the below excursions (as apparently they are 10% cheaper, can anyone confirm?), you can always cancel any if you dont fancy it (or my body can't take it) and get your money back with 24 hours notice.

 

If anyone has any advice on any of the excurions below I would appreciate it :)

 

Wadi Rum - 4X4 Desert Adventure

Petra - The Rose Red City

Nile Boat & Pyramid Sound And Light Show

Seascope Submarine & Hurghada

Oceans Snorkelling Boat Trip

Then maybe Quad Biking in Sharm El Sheikh (can only book when onboard apparently)

 

Just thought of another question, has anybody ever added a stay on the end of a cruise after booking the cruise?, I am thinking of maybe 4 days in Sharm El Sheikh as I may need a rest after all of those excursions LOL

 

Cheers

 

Barrie

 

Hello Barrie and welcome to the forum. :)

 

Would throughly recommend the Wadi Rum excursion - so interesting and far more to see/experience than I had imagined there would be.

 

I'd say Petra is a 'must see' - fantastic.

 

We also did the submarine and Hurgada trip which we enjoyed - something different.

 

As for your Pyramid trip I can't advise on that one. We did the Pyramids, Memphis and Sakkara which we thought very good - the site at Sakkara is more varied than Giza so not just more of the same.

 

I'm sure others will chip in with their experiences of trips too but I do agree with you that although the Thomson excursions seem expensive it's by far the best way to go on this particular itinerary. I'd recommend a Diy approach when possible but for security reasons and distance travelled from the ship to get to the sites of interest it's not worth risking not sticking with Thomson on this cruise imo. Any delays to your coach - they will wait for their own trips - not so if you are going independently.

 

Enjoy your first cruise. :)

[kruzseeka]

My neighbours have just returned from Celebration (Thursday). They and clearly others too had been ill and apparently on the day of departure all passengers (at least those travelling home - don't know about any b-2-b ones) were taken to a hotel quite early in the morning to await transfer to the airport to allow them to do a deep clean on the ship.

 

Given the prevalence of this virus all over the country, it's not surprising someone has come on board with it - it's the biggest wonder any ship escapes (schools and hospitals don't!) but I do feel sorry for anyone affected. :( Hope their efforts to get rid of it are successful - hopefully it may be one of the silver linings with this cold weather reducing the incidence of this horrid bug. But you can't fault Thomson's approach to hygiene as they take it very seriously. Trouble is we've all witnessed passengers that subvert their best efforts!

[bk1234]

Thanks kruzseeka

 

I'm sure I will enjoy it, it was the last of the itenaries I fancied but once I saw the excursions it was the only one I wanted to go on. I'm hoping the Nile trip is relaxing as I have tried to mix relaxing and non relaxing otherwise I would need the 4 days on the end to recover (still thinking about this one or the bank balance is :D)

 

I think for the saving of a tenner per excursion I would rather go with Thomson and as you say the peace of mind of knowing the coach will wait for you puts my mind at rest.

 

I may have to keep the wofe away from this thread otherwise it will be face masks at the ready! tbh I'm suprised there isn't more cases.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Good grief, snow in Petra! :eek:We're going to escape the snow!!! We have been warned, will take an extra fleece and hope it spends the whole week in our suitcase

Blossom52 do you know how the people who went to the Lotus hotel heard about it?

Also when the shuttle bus stops outside the Movenpick hotel in Aqaba, is it by the beach and is it possible just to go in and use their facilities?

Thanks for everyone's really helpful answers:D

We went to Petra in late February 2008 and it was very hot, but the guide told us that the week before had been very cold - so I guess it's pot luck. Have a wonderful time anyway :)

[Mower Lady]

Thanks Linda, I'll be prepared for any eventuality, its better than being stuck in snowy oxfordshire anyway:)

[happy v]

bk1234, we've done the Pyramids with sound and light show and I did enjoy it. My first preference would be Pyramids with museum but this one definitely isn't relaxing. If you go to the sound and light take a jumper or coat as it gets quite cold when the sun goes down.

This is a fantastic cruise and I'm sure you;ll enjoy it whatever you do.:)

[Shallwe123]

Good grief, snow in Petra! :eek:We're going to escape the snow!!! We have been warned, will take an extra fleece and hope it spends the whole week in our suitcase

Blossom52 do you know how the people who went to the Lotus hotel heard about it?

Also when the shuttle bus stops outside the Movenpick hotel in Aqaba, is it by the beach and is it possible just to go in and use their facilities?

Thanks for everyone's really helpful answers:D

 

Hi Mower Lady,

 

Hope the weather is good for you like it was for us.

 

Passengers that had cruised RSM before also told us about The Lotus Hotel but we went on the Oceans Snorkelling trip that day.

 

Shuttle drops you off in the car park right next to Movenpick. Google the hotel there are some photos of the facilities on their web site. I am sure you can just go in - there maybe a charge for towels ? Look forward to hearing how you get on.

 

We were off the ship for about an hour and a half - just walked around the town, the locals seemed friendly - parents walking with their children said hello and smiled at us. Saw the huge flag pole and the ruins of the Fort from the suttle bus !

 

Walked back to the shuttle bus along the public beach - lots of blokes sitting around as they do - beach looked ok but we felt that we couldnt relax there ........

 

Enjoy.....

[marylizcat]

Hi

 

This is my first post, been reading for a couple of weeks.

 

Me and my good lady are doing this as a first cruise on March 21st and although the excursions may seem expensive most are actually good value for money (I have looked at doing a few privately and Thomson are very competitive).

 

I'm not really a lay around in the sun person so I'm going to pre book the below excursions (as apparently they are 10% cheaper, can anyone confirm?), you can always cancel any if you dont fancy it (or my body can't take it) and get your money back with 24 hours notice.

 

If anyone has any advice on any of the excurions below I would appreciate it :)

 

Wadi Rum - 4X4 Desert Adventure

Petra - The Rose Red City

Nile Boat & Pyramid Sound And Light Show

Seascope Submarine & Hurghada

Oceans Snorkelling Boat Trip

Then maybe Quad Biking in Sharm El Sheikh (can only book when onboard apparently)

 

Just thought of another question, has anybody ever added a stay on the end of a cruise after booking the cruise?, I am thinking of maybe 4 days in Sharm El Sheikh as I may need a rest after all of those excursions LOL

 

Cheers

 

Barrie

 

Just wanted to alert you to the fact that very few travel insurance companies cover quad biking. You might want to check this before you go.

[Shallwe123]

My neighbours have just returned from Celebration (Thursday). They and clearly others too had been ill and apparently on the day of departure all passengers (at least those travelling home - don't know about any b-2-b ones) were taken to a hotel quite early in the morning to await transfer to the airport to allow them to do a deep clean on the ship.

 

Given the prevalence of this virus all over the country, it's not surprising someone has come on board with it - it's the biggest wonder any ship escapes (schools and hospitals don't!) but I do feel sorry for anyone affected. :( Hope their efforts to get rid of it are successful - hopefully it may be one of the silver linings with this cold weather reducing the incidence of this horrid bug. But you can't fault Thomson's approach to hygiene as they take it very seriously. Trouble is we've all witnessed passengers that subvert their best efforts!

 

Kruzseeka - cant believe that the horrible Novo managed to get to our beloved Celebration, they all work so hard in keeping the ship spotless. Great to hear that Thompson's looked after folk - another thumbs up for them .

[blossom52]

Mower Lady

We spoke to the builders on board doing the refurb, they told us about the Lotus Bay hotel, they try to go if they can get their alloted cabins finished, they have to do so many a week.

[livingston]

How is the cabin refurbishment progressing ? Do you think they will be finished on schedule? Not seen any reviews on Celebration for some time Is that good or bad ? Going in June so plenty of time !!!

[merciaman]

The weather i Petra in Feb can be anything from baking hot,to snow,to fog and anything in between.But if the trip is running you MUST do it,it is the highlight of the cruise.:)

[blossom52]

I don't know the schedule for the refurb, but the close sections of cabins off and do them, then use those and do some more older ones. Ours hadn't been done but it was fine, no probs at all.

We had a great trip, I think you can always be critical but they are good value ships and I will (hopefully) do another.........after the one I am alredy doing in Feb!!!!!

[bk1234]

I was told by my TA, all will be done by the time of my cruise (March 21st) when booking and I'm not sure if the TA when checking for our cabin for a pre book was told they are all done now.

 

HappyV thanks for the tip about a jacket, think I will go with the Nile and light show, hoping it will be quite relaxing. :D

 

Good point marylizcat about the quad biking and travel insurance, I did mean to check and completely forgot so thanks for the reminder. :D

 

Thanks for all the input, really friendly this place :)

[Mower Lady]

Thanks everyone for the really helpful answers, that what I like about this forum, you find out stuff that you would never know otherwise:o. I still carry on logging in every now and then even when I'm not going on a cruise, you are all so funny:D (in a good way!)