Reviews of Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship, Thomson Spirit, Thomson Cruises

Just returned from my first...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Mediterranean Renaissance

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

freddo

Comments:

Just returned from my first cruise on board the Spirit - anyone who has booked this ship is in for a treat! The food was excellent as was the service received in the Compass Rose restaurant. We had table 91 and the waiters were Jerry and Harris with Joel as wine waiter, these guys were first class and deserve a mention for their service. You do get to choose your table and I would recommend this one. The midnight buffet was a sight to remember with all the ice carving and fruit carvings. The entertainment was varied and the team put everything into it. We went to the fun casino on the day at sea and for £3 the staff showed you how to play stud poker, black jack and roulette properly along with the correct betting - we were confident enough to have a go with real money a couples of times, coming away slightly up I must add. The trips were a little on the expensive side, we only did 2 but the Ports of call were good. We met lots of people and everyone was very friendly most people seemed to have cruised several times with Thomson and the Spirit or Celebration seemd the most popular. We will definately be cruising again and I think Thomson's offered excellent value for money, especially with the all inclusive package free to early bookers.

We went on the Ancient Voyage...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

ancient voyage

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr R BALDWIN

Comments:

We went on the Ancient Voyage cruise on April 19th for 13 nights, and what a fantastic cruise it was. I did not experience dirty linen or towels, in fact everything was very clean in my cabin. No complaints whatsoever. The reviewer who said the food was not very good must have been eating somewhere different to me. Perhaps it didn't have quite the finesse of a Pand O ship but in the Compass Rose restaurant it was beautifully presented and of a very high standard. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. The Lido self service restaurant also had a first class chioce of food. Ports of call were fantastic, which was the main reason we chose this cruise. The entertainment in the evenings was absolutely first class with the young singers and dancers giving it everything they had. Plenty of room on the decks for sunbathing, and the weather was brilliant all the way, except in Rome when it rained, but never mind. Yes the ship did have a strange vibration which was more evident in some parts than others, but you soon got used to it. A reviewer said the ship broke down. In fact one morning as we were approaching port the engines suddenly stopped and the lights went out . Emergency lighting quickly came on and for 15 minutes we all wondered what was happening. No announcement was made and we all quickly forgot about it, the usual jokes about lifeboats and the Titanic etc... doing the rounds. To summarise Thomson have a first class product with their cruise business and save for a few niggles which you will get on any ship or holiday that you go on, I would wholeheartedly recommenf this ship to anyone. Fantastic value for money.

This was our third Thomson...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Ancient Voyage

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Jayne Verney

Comments:

This was our third Thomson cruise in 10 months and I'd have liked to have given it a score of 10 again for this cruise, but there were a couple of niggling little things that mean I can only give an 8.



We only ever eat in the Lido restaurant (excpet if we go to Aldo Zilli's) and for the first week the majority of the food was luke warm at best. This wasn't helped by the fact that the plates were cold when you first picked them up. Thankfully this problem was rectified by the second week. But I would say that the food wasn't as good or varied on the Spirit as it was on the Celebration.



My one major gripe was the service in the bars. When you sat down at a table the waiters were reasonably quick to take your order but they appared to be barred from actually pouring your drink. There was usually only one person behind the bar pouring, and there could be 3 or 4 waiters stood at the bar with orders. This meant that if your waiter was last to get to the bar, you had to wait an age to get your drink.



I thought I'd try ordering at the bar myself, but the waiters then insisted on bringing the drinks over.... again another interminable wait. It got to a point were I had to stand my ground and insist that our drinks were poured there and then, and I took them back to our table.



Apart from that, the cruise was fab. All the staff are extremely helpful and our cabin steward worked like a Trojan from dawn till late into the evening. My hubby also picked up the "flu" bug that was going around the ship and that did put a bit of a dampner on things, but he felt better after a couple of days.



The ship had the customary vibration, just like her sisiter ship The Celebration, but you soon got used to it and it was quite comical to sit out on deck and watch all the bellys juddering up and down!



The show team were awsome. They never seemed to tire and spent most of the day rehearsing, then put on two shows in the evening. I just don't know where they get their energy.



Looking forward to booking again for the Summer, probably on the Emerald.

My husband and I have just...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss M Griffiths

Comments:

My husband and I have just returned - well almost a week now - from our holiday on the Thomson Spirit. There were one or two hiccups! Lots of people went down with very nasty flu like symptoms and a cough, including my husband. Obviously this cannot be helped as it was obviously brought on to the ship by a passenger.



My only real criticism was the trip to Egypt. It was a 12 hour day which was far too long for the length of time we had to see the pyramids and sphinx. We were actually given 20 minutes to get out of the coach, walk up to the sphinx and get into the enclosed area, take photographs and back on the coach. My husband, and many, many others did not get off the coach as he is not good at walking. Another comment I would make is that the guide walked off as if on a route march and by the time half of the coach reached her she has finished what she was saying. I did complain to her but it didn't make any difference.



NOT OTHER COMPLAINTS AT ALL. This was our fourth time on the Spirit and you will not find a friendlier, helpful bunch of people to look after you anywhere in the world. Our cabin steward had also got this flu like bug but she still carried on clearning etc with such a great smile on her face she is really to be commended.



Although this was not our best cruise due to illness we would recommend this ship to anyone. Go along and give it a try. You will love it. I wish were back there now.



Can't wait for my next cruise. Wish it was soon. The only thing holding me back is cash of course. Must start saving again. Wish I could win that £2500 for filling in the questionnaire which I did.

Having just returned from the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Ancient Voyage

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Sea Legs

Comments:

Having just returned from the Ancient Voyage 13 Night Cruise, I still havnt come back down to earth.

From the flight to Paphos from East Midlands, and returning back from Palma, it was a dream holiday.

This was our 4th cruise with Thomsons our 2nd on board the Spirit and it didnt disappoint.

The thought of travelling from the Piramids of Cairo to the chic streets of Palma taking in Crete, Malta, Sicily and Italy and Barcelona on the way is a dream come true.

The friendly staff on board the Spirit need a big mention from Chris who looked after our cabin to the staff in all the bars and restaurants couldnt have done more to make the holiday a memorable one.

If I had one complaint it would be the air conditioning on board but its only a small complaint.

We found the trips good value for money from the trip to the piramids and lunch on the Nile, El Alamein, Herculaneum and Rome on our own we had no complaints.

We paid a little extra and choose our cabin which was on deck 3 towards the front of the ship and didnt experience any vibration or noise.

Already got the new brochure and are planning our next trip.

Have just returned from a 2 week...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

ancient voyage

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mrs R A Leader

Comments:

Have just returned from a 2 week cruise on Thomson Spirit which we thoroughly enjoyed. We visited some wonderful places and could not have been looked after better on the ship. The food was beautifully presented in The Compass Rose Restaurant and the waiters went out of their way to make our holiday feel special. When we felt like dining more casually the Lido Restaurant and patio buffet made good alternatives.



We enjoyed the shows in the evenings and were amazed at the amount of energy and effort expended by the in-house showteam. Well done to Cruise Director Barry Summers and his team. By way of a change the entertainment offered in the other bars was equally enjoyable, ranging from classical to jazz.



Whilst the pool areas were highly occupied on days at sea we always found somewhere to stretch out and relax by being flexible - occasionally on a side deck, or higher up the ship. We also enjoyed the lectures given by Dr Moss and since returning home have researched further some of the interesting things he highlighted.



The only irritation we encountered was the vibration that permeates the ship, though mostly felt in the centre. We learned to minimalize this by never sitting in the middle of The Broadway Lounge whilst enjoying the shows. Apparently its all to do with an auxillary engine used to boost the electricity supply. We just learned to say to ourselves 'its one of those things' and did not let it spoil our enjoyment of a lovely holiday.



Overall thank you to all the people that worked so hard both out front and behind the scenes to give us a really good time.

We’ve just returned from a 13...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Itinerary:

Ancient Voyage

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr D Bevan

Comments:

We’ve just returned from a 13 night ‘Ancient Voyage’ cruise aboard the Thomson Spirit. I have mixed emotions about our experiences.

The draw for us was the number and variety of ports of call. I have to say from the outset that the Spirit always arrived on time at every port and in some cases had really good berthing slots. There was plenty of shore time in each port which was useful in a couple of cases (Cairo and Rome in particular) as the big attraction for some ports was a long way inland. We had no problems with the itinerary and enjoyed good weather right across the duration of the cruise.

We used a combination of Thomson excursions and independent visits for our ports of call. If you view the Thomson excursions in the context of a fully serviced trip then they are not bad value for money, we took two half day trips and a full day trip to Cairo with Thomson and for all the other ports we did our own thing.

The issue for us came with the Spirit herself. Despite having spent some time in dry dock over the winter, the Spirit still vibrates badly, even when docked. I know this could be considered as part of the charm of an older ship, but at times the vibration was excessive. The Spirit broke down a couple of times, once during the stay in Civitavecchia and again at sea the following day, this doesn’t bode well for a busy summer season ahead.

We paid quite a lot extra for an upgraded cabin. We weren’t impressed with the threadbare bedding and carpets, the bloodstained and dirty towels or the condition of the cabin generally. The stewardess was quite outstanding and swapped the linen when we asked, unfortunately these swaps became an almost daily event. On a positive note, there was always loads of hot water available from the taps and the pressure from the shower was consistent throughout the cruise. The soundproofing between our cabin and the next was very poor. The people next door suffered from the coughing and sneezing virus that swept the ship and we really suffered with these poor people…

Our biggest gripe was with the food. The Lido buffet isn’t really very good, there’s adequate choice (usually), but the quality is pretty poor. The Compass Rose Dining Room isn’t much better, but the outstanding service there makes up for this, every waiter seems to be an Elvis impersonator. We had very high hopes for Sirocco’s based on our experiences aboard the Celebration. The food is probably worth the additional cover charge, but we found the service very intrusive, we tried Sirocco’s twice and then cancelled our remaining bookings. Afternoon tea in the Explorer Lounge seems to have been replaced with a tray or two of sandwiches in the Lido buffet.

There are loads of reclining chairs and sun beds on deck. The practice of dropping your towel on a sun bed to reserve it seems alive and well despite messages to the contrary. A new version of this seems to be in operation… Hiding the sun bed mattress in your cabin! We couldn’t move in the corridors some nights due to the number of mattresses going in and out of the cabins.

The shows and musicians aboard were all pretty good, we enjoyed the piano/violin duo, who were very skilled and were able to adapt their repertoire to match the mood.

In summary, we enjoyed the ports but we enjoyed the ship less.

In view of the additional cost of the cabin upgrade we have trouble justifying the price. The same money would have bought us a balcony cabin on a premium ship. Compared to previous Thomson cruises, there’s evidence of penny pinching in operation. This seems particularly evident in housekeeping and food areas. We won’t use Thomson as the provider for out next cruise.

THOMSON “SPIRIT” CRUISE...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Pharaohs & The Promised Land

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Sekhmet

Comments:

THOMSON “SPIRIT” CRUISE SHIP

“Pharaohs & The Promised Land” 12th-19th April 2008.

Itinerary:

Sat 12th – Fly out to Cyprus (Paphos) & join the boat in Limassol (temp - 76°)

Sun 13th – Syria, for Lattakia – 9am – 6pm. (temp - 74°)

Mon 14th – At Sea (lovely sea breeze & hot!!!)

Tues 15th – Alexandria, Egypt – 6am – 6pm (76°)

Wed 16th – Port Said for Cairo – 6am – 8pm (Cairo temp - 79°)

Thurs 17th – Ashdod for Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee, Dead Sea etc – arrive 6am (72°)

Fri 18th – Ashdod – leave 6.00pm for Limassol. (Jerusalem -78°)

Sat 19th – Fly home from Cyprus (Paphos) (70° & warm breeze)



The ship is doing this trip again 22nd Oct ’08, but the 1st port of call is Alanya, in Turkey, not Syria. The following report contains some basic info but, if people have never cruised before, it may provide answers to some of their questions. For others, you may be bored & lose the will to live.



We booked this trip only 3 weeks before we went, which is uncharacteristically spontaneous for us! It’s 11yrs since we cruised & this ship had a lot to live up to as the majority of our cruises have been on P&O’s “Canberra”. Whilst “Canberra” was somewhat overdo for retirement in 1997, she has a special place in the hearts of thousands of people, none less then the British troupes who served in the Falklands, when she was their medical ship. We were also aboard her when she answered a May Day call to the few survivors of a Greek oil tanker that had blown up in the Indian Ocean, in 1994. We have also sailed on a small Russian ship & Presidential Nile Cruises; the latter, through Thomson.



We flew to Paphos, transferred by coach to Limassol, had a smooth passage through customs, compulsory pic taken by the ship’s photographer, as we were about to board, plus another for the identity card that one must carry at all times. They swipe this for you when you pay for drinks or anything from the ship’s shops, the destination / tour desk, as well as scanning it when you embark & disembark in port. They send you a statement of what they’re taking from your account on the eve before last & then the balance on the final morning. Our luggage arrived very quickly at our cabin. I think arrivals were staggered throughout the day, which obviously helped with efficiency of getting everyone settled.



N.B. Everyone has to use the antibacterial hand gel before embarking – every time you re-embark in port too.



We all had to attend the customary life jacket stations, suitably attired, for a drill, later that 1st eve & were inspected by the ship’s 1st officer (responsible for all aspects of passenger safety) who looked (especially when wearing his hat) strangely like “Q”, from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”! I’m sure I held his gaze just that little too long, so – no doubt - would have left him feeling puzzled or disturbed, depending on his perception of the encounter! The Greek Captain is quite a jolly character & has also served on the “Emerald”. He provides a stark contrast with “Q”, who is sort of mean & moody, dark & broody. I only ever saw him smile once…unless it was indigestion!



I’d read on HW forum that the “Spirit” is well known for her strange vibration; folk were hoping this would have disappeared after her recent re-fit. As I don’t know what she was like before, I can only tell you what she’s like now. Whilst in port & on auxiliary engines, she does a funny little movement from side to side! Sometimes, whilst at sea, she has another vibration. At the Captain’s Speech, he was telling us that she has 22,000 horse power; as he delivered this interesting piece of info, a section of the Broadway Show Lounge, where we were sitting, was jigging up & down as though all 22,000 were galloping from one end of the ship to the other & back again, several decks below! We all looked like we were doing a fast trot! It’s certainly noticeable & just when you think you’ve sussed it & decided that it’s only discernable in one part of the ship, she proves you wrong & jiggles you about somewhere else! It’s quite noticeable in “Horizon’s Bar”. Having said that, we didn’t think it was that bad & most folk seemed quite amused by it. It wouldn’t stop us cruising on her again. I do know that one passenger was so fed up with the vibration of a picture in his cabin, disturbing his sleep, rattling against the wall, that he took it off! One guy told me that the “Destiny” is worse.



The ship seems fresh & clean. The cabin (deck 3) was perfectly adequate for our needs & kept very clean. When we left, all mattresses were being changed for the new guests. There is a chocolate left on the pillows every eve, when you retire for the night. The cabin has a hair dryer & although one can get a drink at any time of day, as one or more of the numerous bars are always open, I took my travel kettle as sometimes I just prefer to be quiet, in the cabin. In the main breakfast / lunch / dinner buffet restaurant, (“Lido”)one can get tea, coffee, mint, lemon or chamomile tea thru the day / eve. The bars serve mocha, as well as cappuccino, so I was perfectly happy….altho one little Philipino waitress kept mishearing me & instead of Café Mocha, I would get Captain Morgan!!!

We didn’t use room service or the laundry facilities. There are some quiet areas of the ship like “Horizons” & the “Explorer’s Bar”. Considering she was sailing at capacity, or near enough, one could usually find some peace & quiet here; certainly later in the day.



Apparently, the air-con system is new & it was a little “exuberant” in certain areas! That needs refining. Despite several requests from passengers & crew, it was still too “bracing”, by the end of the cruise, in some bars. The tannoy system didn’t always work in some parts of the ship, resulting in some people getting very muddled about the 1st day’s excursions as they hadn’t heard that there would be a delay from 2pm to 3.30pm, with the afternoon ones.



The loos may take you by surprise! They did me. Don’t hover too close after flushing as they all seem to have the characteristics of Arkwright’s till, from “Open All Hours” & one might so easily be engulfed & sucked down to the depths of Davey Jones’s Locker!



FOOD & CAPTAIN’S GALA DINNER / COCKTAIL PARTY.

The food was really good; in fact we couldn’t do it justice as we the itinerary was so busy, plus, with the heat, we just felt like snacking really but did enjoy a wonderful meal in the “Compass Rose” Restaurant on Captain’s Gala Night. There was a fun parade of the chefs & waiters as they brought in the baked Alaska, amidst sparklers & played to the song, “Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!” with some waiters balancing the dishes on their heads. Here we saw a David Suchet look-a-like in the guise of our Egyptian waiter. Was just like being served by Hercules Poirot!

The vegetable & ice carving displays & demos were fantastic & brought back yet more great memories of the “Canberra”. Never did get round to trying the À La Carte (“Sirocco”) Restaurant so will just have to return!

The waiters & staff, in general, are from all sorts of places – Philippines, Egypt, Greece & associated islands, France, UK, the eastern bloc, America, Oz etc & all are lovely.

Most men were in tuxedo for the Captain’s Evening Do, eve or at least a very smart suit & tie. Those who didn’t comply, & chose not to attend, looked very out of place, wandering about the ship. All the ladies made the most of the opportunity to dress up. The ship’s photographer also made the most of the occasion & was pretty “snap-happy”! (Price for 8”x6” = £6.99p. They have gimmicky offers like pay for 2 pics. & get a 3rd free, or a free key ring.)



N.B. All the restaurants have antibacterial hand gel to use as you enter them.



SHOPS.

There is a perfume shop, gift / clothes / some jewellery / general stores shop but we didn’t really bother with them much; I tend to take everything, including the kitchen sink.



GYM & HEALTH SPA.

Usually, I do go to the gym during a cruise & this one is pretty well-equipped, but as we were so busy, I didn’t bother this time. I have prices of various treatments / massages should anyone be interested.



EXURSIONS WHEN IN PORT.

We didn’t have individual Syrian or Egyptian visas &, as we’d booked so late, decided not to go it alone, but to make use of the Thomson trips offered in port. I’ll detail those day by day but 1st, a general comment about the overall impression of the trips. They offer quite a variety, although I was surprised to see that the catacombs in Alexandria were conspicuous by their absence. It was “The Spirit’s” (but not Thomson’s) 1st trip to Syria & it showed! They really do need to smooth out a few details re: immigration procedures, both in Syria & Israel; more of that later. There were a lot of complaints, including 2 made by ourselves & I’d love to know exactly how much the Destination Team ended up refunding to the passengers as they made quite a hash of things in Syria, as well as the 1st day of Israel. This said, they did their best to rectify problems & refunded partial costs left, right & centre but one or two need a lesson in PR & also organisation! In all our years of cruising, this was the 1st time we have ever had to complain, & then do it twice, within 4 days!



ENTERTAINMENT.

There was always something going on in one of the lounges or bars – i.e. various quizzes, apart from the twice nightly show. There was a resident singer / pianist in one bar…hmmm, wasn’t sure about him; ok in small doses…at a distance. There was a guest comic magician who was pretty entertaining. The shows were varied & they did really well, especially as I believe it was their 1st cruise together. Two of the 4 young men have lovely voices. (There were 4 young ladies too in the main entertainment team for the shows.) The costumes were lovely. The Cruise Manager (Barry Summers) is quite a genial Scot who looks vaguely like Brian Ferry & is probably about the same age! Again, as we were so busy, we didn’t always see the show but did buy the Cruise DVD at the end (£20) & have seen several extracts of the ones we missed on that.

There is also a cinema with some pretty up-to-date films & up-to-date in-cabin movies daily.



INTERNET, FAX FACILITIES, MOBILES & CABIN PHONES.

There are internet facilities. Didn’t use them, but found out that the charge is £1.20p per minute; you use your card to swipe for it.

The standard mobile signal from each country is quickly lost soon after you leave port but you can log onto the ship’s own network, Sea-mobile; however, this is expensive. Should anyone need to contact you, there is a number for them to ring, to get through to the ship.

The ship’s satellite phone costs £2.80 per minute from cabin phones.

We had a local Egyptian sim, which helped in Alexandria & Cairo; forgot the pin no. of the Cypriot one! It was left over from last yr.



PORT & GENERAL DAILY INFO.

The Destination Team provides several sheets per port, including local maps, advice on what to wear, nearest chemist, bank, police station etc, plus local sites of interest. Every evening, a “Cruise News” is delivered, with a little info about the next port, daily activities on board the ship, for those folk who are not going ashore, details of the evening & daily entertainment, some staff profiles & ship statistics etc. It also gives the deadlines for booking the next port’s trips & the opening times of the bars & other amenities. It also gives arrival & departure times, from port, plus info about local taxis & / or the complimentary port shuttle bus, in some destinations, to the local town.



MEDICAL CENTRE.

Open at certain times of the day – thankfully, we didn’t need it.



OTHER AMENITIES.

3 Restaurants, 5 Bars, Nightclub, 2 lounges, Casino, Grafittis Teen Room, Kidzone Children’s Club, Shops, Video Arcade, Card & Reading Room, Library, 4 Self-Service launderettes, plus the laundry service from the room.

2 swimming pools, wading pool, Jacuzzi, Beauty Salon, Gym, Sports Deck, Sauna & Massage.



KIDS CLUB.

For ages 3-12yrs. Don’t know anything about it tho, except the daily activity progs are shown in “Cruise News”.



PLUGS & VOLTAGE.

The cabins have twin round plug sockets & there is a choice between using a 110v socket or 220v one.



CLOTHING.

Swimwear isn’t allowed in any of the restaurants. The buffet one, (“Lido”) which we mostly used, is pretty relaxed & people were often still fairly casual at night, especially if the trips had gone on later than expected, which did happen more than once. By the same token, other people (mainly ladies) were very smartly dressed.

As this itinerary is visiting countries where the population includes Muslims & Holy Sites, I took mainly T-shirts / tops that covered my shoulders & part of my upper arms, didn’t show any cleavage & wore ¾ length trousers.

Ladies aren’t required to cover their heads but both genders must have shoulders & knees covered around the Israeli Holy Sites. Hubby also wore ¾ length trousers in resorts & around Holy Sites.

Men in shorts are not allowed in the “Compass Rose” & “Sirocco” Restaurants.

There is only one formal night on a week’s cruise like this & that’s the Captain’s Gala Night, as previously described.



CURRENCY.

Reception will exchange it for you but sometimes seemed to run out of this & that. We did have a few Egyptian pounds & a few Shekels, but everywhere seemed happy to accept sterling or Euros too. Normally, we don’t flash hard currency around but, as we were only in places for a short amount of time & had limited places to shop (usually the recommended place, as shown by the guide!) we weren’t too concerned & only bought a few souvenirs in any case, as this was our 4th visit to Cairo & 3rd to Israel. Due to the mix-up (will explain later) we had no time for souvenir shopping in Syria, which was a shame, as we haven’t been before.



SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES.

Available from reception on a “1st come, 1st served basis”; charge is £12.



SUNBATHING.

The decks were pretty crowded & we were all a bit packed in like sardines but it was ok for just the 1.5 days we had without a trip. I don’t really like being so close to the next person that their iPod is audible to me &, if their sunbed isn’t at quite the right angle, I can’t turn mine to “chase” the sun round. Couldn’t help but compare that aspect to the “Canberra” though & remember how we used to be able to find plenty of space on the Observation Deck. It’s one of the reasons why it’s taken me a while to persuade hubby to go cruising again; he’s worried that anything after the Canberra will be a disappointment as the new P&O ones don’t have a similar layout to her. Have to say that I know what he means but we have both said that we’ll seriously consider cruising with the “Spirit” again or one of her sister ships.

The sun is deceptively strong as there is a sea breeze, so you feel cool & don’t realise that you may be getting burnt; this can also be the case when the ship is in port, not just at sea. There was one guy, who wasn’t particularly fair-skinned, with dark hair, that totally misjudged the sun’s strength on the Monday, at sea, & ended up with sunstroke. He was still suffering the effects as he sat, looking very dejected, in Paphos airport, awaiting his flight home.

As it’s not always practical to drink as much as one maybe should when doing land trips, I had a Dioralyte rehydration sachet every night & felt absolutely fine with the heat. Thankfully, the humidity was low everywhere, which suited me. The Egyptian excursion coaches did have loos on board, but the Syrian & Israeli ones didn’t.



CELEBRATE IN STYLE.

You can have an announcement of an important anniversary in the “Cruise News”, have flowers, champagne & strawberries, champagne breakfast, dinner at the Senior Offices Table, celebratory cake, a blessing at sea & all the trimmings that go with each choice, for a wide variety of prices. Ask if you’d like details & I’ll explain further.



SMOKING.

In designated areas only on open deck.



AGE OF PASSENGERS.

Mixed – young couples, young families, teenagers, middled-aged, elderly & one guy of 90!



There were several infirm passengers; one guy had 2 sticks & walked all round the Egyptian sites. He didn’t go in a pyramid tho. A lady, called Sheila, had her “wheelies” – a sort of Zimmer frame with wheels. There were several wheelchair users too; I applaud them all & only hope I shall still be travelling when meeting the challenges of old age or any physical difficulties.



DEPARTURE PROCEDURE.

Passengers were either staying in Cyprus or flying home, to various airports, on the 19th. A list of departure times is issued in good time, just like with any hotel. We were to disembark at 1pm but some were not due to leave the ship till about 6pm, so courtesy cabins were being provided as check out, from rooms, was 12 noon, altho’ they could obviously remain on board. As with all tours, passengers have to congregate in the Broadway Show Lounge 15-20mins before disembarkation.

It wasn’t too bad for us but it’s a bit inconvenient in that one has to pack the night before & leave the suitcases outside the cabin door by 4am on the morning of departure. This necessitates a bit of forward planning & juggling about as to what you require to be in your hand-luggage. If you want suntan lotion, it’s got to be a bottle which you’re prepared to leave behind, due to the regulations about liquids going thru customs in hand-luggage. You need to have your toothpaste in a clear plastic bag as well as roll-on deodorant. (Separate bags for each item). As I say, it wasn’t too bad for us, but we were glad that we weren’t staying any longer on board without access to our cases or usual cabin.

Passengers disembarking to transfer to a hotel left at noon.



Your luggage is identifiable by coded coloured labels (different ones for each flight) that you have to put on it before you leave it out on the last night. You see it as you leave the ship, take it through customs & watch it go onto the transfer coach to Paphos airport.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PORTS OF CALL



Tip: I carried antibacterial gel with me everywhere!



If anyone wishes to know further details about any of the trips offered, but not explained, please ask.

LATTAKIA, SYRIA.

Trips available:

1) Aleppo - £44 adult, £22 child, approx 11hrs. (Active)

2) Crac Des Chevaliers - £44 adult, £22 child – approx 10 hrs. (Medium activity)

3) Saladin Citadel - £28 adult, £14 child, approx 4hrs. (Medium activity)

4) Ugarit “Ras Shamra” & Panorama of Lattakia - £28 adult, £14 child, approx 4 hrs. (Medium activity)



We chose the Saladin Citadel; a crusader castle on a ridge between 2 ravines that lead from the mountains to the sea. After the Citadel, the tour is supposed to go round parts of Lattakia, visit a museum, & see ancient parts of the city.

The morning groups were very late in setting off, which had a knock-on effect for the afternoon groups, of which we were part. As far as we can tell, the reason for the delay of 1.5hrs was that the immigration paperwork wasn’t completed by Thomson in time. This meant that whilst we did see the scenery on the way to the Citadel & the wonderful fortress itself, we returned in the dark, having been ushered out of the Citadel as it was due to close. There was no time for souvenir shopping (tiny shop at the Citadel, containing nothing of any interest) & we saw nothing of the museum, or Lattakia. For the 1st time ever, on a cruise, we complained & received a refund of £28. Many others also received a similar refund. What had really irritated many folk was that the Destination Team rep kept fobbing us off as to the reason for the delay & saying the coaches were there, on the quay. A quick glance out of the window confirmed they weren’t! Whilst I don’t condone his phraseology, I can see why one passenger swore about the situation when addressing her across the lounge as we all waited.



The scenery was lovely, lush & verdant. We’d have like more time in Lattakia & Syria in general. The few people we met seemed genuinely interested in the visitors & it seemed a little less strict for the local women & the national scarf / veil than Egypt; maybe it was just that area. They told us that Lattakia is one of the more green areas & provides a stark contrast to Damascus. Had we all known that we would have been so delayed, we could have made the most of our time & gone ashore in the morning, thereby seeing a little of Lattakia. The lack of organisation meant that we weren’t able to make the most of our precious short time there.



ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT.

Trips available:

1) Discover Egypt – overnight tour to Cairo - £159 adult, £79, 2 full days. (Active)

2) Greek & Roman Alexandria - £30 adult, £15 child, approx 4 hrs. (Medium activity)

3) El Alamein - £30 adult, £15 child, approx 5 hrs. (Medium activity)



We chose Greek & Roman Alexandria. We visited the small but very interesting museum, which includes artefacts from the Pharonic age, as well as Greek & Roman, & one may take photos without flash in there. Mine turned out fine. We also saw the amphitheatre, with its many cats who live there now, so I was in seventh heaven! They seem happy & although skinny, they are certainly not the most heart-rending cases that I have seen.



We saw the famous library from the coach & made a stop at the Qait Bey Fort, built on the original site of the Pharos, Alexandria’s lighthouse & one of the Se7en Wonders of the Ancient World.



We travelled everywhere in convoy, in the coaches & with plain clothes armed guards. This didn’t prevent a bit of an incident outside the museum. Our coach arrived just after whatever it was had happened. We later heard that 3 of the bus windows had been shot with an air rifle. One assumes that the glass “spider-webbed” & was then pushed out, for safety reasons, so it could be safely driven away. As far as I know, nobody was hurt but it did send the guards into a bit of a frenzy!



After lunch, hubby & I decided to venture out alone. Big mistake; won’t do that again. Alexandria can rival Sharm for the pushy vendors, the relentless taxi drivers & the caleche drivers are something else. They will follow you down the street, get out, pester you (leaving the carriage & horse in the middle of nowhere!) & just go on & on, like a dripping tap.



I was soooo sick of the unfriendly stares from the local women. One even slapped me as I stood waiting to cross the road. I didn’t give her the satisfaction of a reaction. Apparently, there have been cases reported in the papers over there, about lady tourists being slapped in recent years. If I “take a step back”, I can see why they feel like they do, but that doesn’t excuse their behaviour, which is ignorant. They will know that their men folk will be subjected (& succumb) to the “charms” of lady tourists in places like Sharm, they worry that they may be left on the shelf, as Egyptian men are hoping for a “rich” lady tourist to take them away from Egypt & tourists don’t help the situation by going topless in Alexandria. We know from a guy we have spoken to, in Sharm, that he’s met with abuse when he goes to his (local) beach in Alex & asks ladies to cover up in front of his 2 young sons.

I’m a natural blonde, but they may think it’s dyed & that I’m just a “floozy”! I also had young men wanting to take my pic with their mobile phones. I’m old enough to be their mum, for goodness sake! I was dressed in ¾ length trousers, a t-shirt that covered my cleavage (such as it is!) & the tops of my arms. I also wore shades, didn’t make eye contact & wasn’t wearing make-up, but none of that helped me. There was a nice little shoe-shine boy who asked me for some food; all I had was an apple, but he seemed happy with that.



Next time, as I want to enjoy my holiday every second of the day, I will cover my hair with a scarf. I was also relentlessly stared at in Cairo, yet again; the women always do that to me in Cairo. Alexandria is a very nice port; we hope to return, but I will be in disguise! Several other passengers also gave up & returned to the ship, but I appear to be the only one who was slapped! I suppose I should be grateful that at my age (wrong side of 40) they still regard me as that much of a threat!



We were thankful to re-board the ship, after taking a caleche back there because I couldn’t stand it any longer; (it went against the grain to do so, but the saving grace was that our horse looked pretty healthy & round) & had a giggle at “Q”, supervising the re-embarkation of his passengers, as he snarled at some minion, down his radio, to go & get his cigarettes from somewhere.



The sea was quite rough in the night; I’d have slept through but an unfamiliar sound awoke me & I was treated to the delightful site of hubby, leaping about in his undercrackers, trying to grab objects, including souvenirs, that were in danger of falling off the dresser! I left him to it & went back to sleep.



PORT SAID, EGYPT

Trips available:

1) Classic Egypt – Pyramids & the Cairo Museum - £68 adult, £34 child, approx 12 hrs. (Medium activity)

2) Pyramids, Memphis & the Tombs of Cairo - £68 adult, £34 child, approx 12hrs. (Medium activity)

3) Pyramids, Mohammed Ali Mosque & Nile Lunch - £68 adult, £34 child – approx 12 hrs. (Medium activity)



We chose Pyramids, Memphis & the Tombs of Cairo. It was my 4th visit to Cairo & hubby’s 2nd. It was back in 1988 when we 1st visited Saqqara & Memphis, so wanted to see them again. I want to have a few days in Cairo & spend them in the museum, as there is never enough time on a day trip; hubby will have to go & play golf.



Anyway, we drove, in convoy, about 3hrs to Cairo, along with our 2 trucks of armed guards; one in front & one behind, plus 1 or 2 on board. Our 1st stop was Memphis. It was good to revisit it, even though it’s quite small. The huge fallen statue of Ramses is amazing & there are several interesting artefacts in the grounds, including a mummification table.

Then it was on to Saqqara & the Step Pyramid. It’s hard to believe you’re actually there, staring at it. I’ve studied some of the history at Uni. since our 1st visit, so it made it even more special for me this time.



We had lunch at the Meridian Hotel, which was lovely; may consider staying there in future.



Afternoon was spent on the Giza plateau & round the Sphinx. We went inside the 2nd Pyramid. You have to bend quite low on entry. It’s an ideal opportunity to become well acquainted with your knees & toes, as well as the butt & heels of the person in front.



As some people aren’t sure what to expect, I took particular note of distances inside. It’s almost 70 steps down, then walk along for a bit, then just over 70 more steps, walk along a bit & you reach the inner chamber. The air was pretty stuffy & there is (in one sense) nothing much to see, except a guide who points out the fairly well preserved sarcophagus (as if you could miss it!) & then expects a tip! It’s well worth it for me to go inside but I realise it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Don’t go in if you’re claustrophobic as you are literally brushing against the people going in the opposite direction to you; one young lass was in tears & having a bit of a panic attack, just metres from the inner chamber. It’s a constant stream of folk going in & out & NO photographs. Cameras are left outside with your guide. Don’t let anyone offer to use your camera to take a photo as they will expect a tip to hand it back; that includes the tourist police. The tourist police will also often ask for a tip if you take their picture!



We had plenty of time around the pyramids & Sphinx, although not all coaches ran to time & there were yet more complaints & partial refunds, I believe.



There are many, many vendors who will hassle you, including young children. The guards aren’t always pleasant to them, so be prepared as one of ours picked one up, rather roughly & plonked her elsewhere, very unceremoniously.

After the Giza plateau, it was the compulsory papyrus museum (yawn). We just sat outside in the last bits of sunshine, before the long journey back. The guide didn’t re-board the coach & we left her in Cairo….naughty! She was supposed to return all the way with us, we found out later. Not good, driving all that way “alone” without an interpreter.



Many people on the tours to Cairo were quite taken aback by the difference in culture, the rubbish that is around, the pathetic looking animals & vowed never to return. I don’t find all that I see there easy on the eye & the difference in attitude to animals really tugs at my heart strings, but I have to accept that it’s part & parcel of Cairo. I mention it as some people may not be prepared to see dead donkeys or dead horses in the Nile tributaries, from the bus, on the way to Memphis; these animals may be fairly near the standpipes of families who are busily obtaining their drinking water! You may also see larger animals being transported in ways that aren’t acceptable / legal in our country. There was an unnecessary act of cruelty by one of the vendors near the customs as we re-boarded the ship, to a young kitten; it just happens there. Didn’t stop me having a go at him, but not as much as I really wanted to. I sincerely hope that the fleas of 1,000 camels infest his crotch & his arms be too short to scratch - & that’s being kind to him!



ASHDOD, ISRAEL

Trips available:

1) Jerusalem & Bethlehem - £44 adult, £22 child, approx 10 hrs. (Active)

2) Nazareth & Galilee - £49 adult, £24.50 child, approx 11hrs. (Medium activity)

3) Massada & Dead Sea - £55 adult, £27.50 child, approx 12 hrs. ((Medium activity)

4) Tel Aviv & Jaffa - £22 adult, £11 child, approx 5 hrs. (Medium activity)

5) Yad Vasham & Jerusalem - £49 adult, £24.50 child, approx 10 hrs. (Medium activity)

6) Jerusalem Through Time - £49 adult, £24.50 child, approx 11 hrs. (Medium activity)

7) Jerusalem & Mount Zion - £49 adult, £24.50 child, approx 10 hrs. (Active)



We chose Galilee & Nazareth for the Thursday & Jerusalem & Bethlehem for the Friday. We had been to both before, but not since 1993 & 1994 when we had the boys with us.



GALILEE & NAZARETH.

The Israeli immigration officers insist on seeing every passenger personally, irrespective if they’re going ashore or not. Each passenger has a landing card, which must be carried at all times. Two passengers failed to show; one was ill & the other had a hangover. The officers went & banged on the cabins!



The system seemed to be working well on the Thursday morning; it didn’t have to be repeated on the Friday. However, things were about to turn sour. Some people were held up by immigration as Thomson hadn’t transferred the correct names, or (in some cases) all the middle names of some passengers, onto the paperwork. The immigration officers can only work with what they’re given, so it wasn’t their fault. I was near one guy who hadn’t had all his names transferred onto his landing card, so when the officer looked at his passport, the 2 didn’t correlate. They made a few phone calls & he was cleared pretty quickly.



Hubby & I were cleared quickly & went to sit on our coach, number 28. There was a man & his daughter onboard, waiting for the wife / mum. She is French & has several middle names which hadn’t been transferred. Just to complicate matters further, she has one middle name which is a boy’s name (obviously a family one). She was one of several who was kept a…g…e…s. Our guide (Ilam Leshem) kept checking back with us to see what was happening, as did the Destination Rep. There were a few people missing from other coaches too. They kept jiggling people about, so they could send a full coach out…but ours remained!



Finally, our French lady arrived, very agitated & explained that the Thomson reps had tried to shift the blame her way re: her names! She soon put them straight & she, plus a few others, spoke up for a man who missed coach number1, then 2, then 3, then 4…only to be told he’d have to miss his trip altogether! The passengers with him insisted that Thomson pay for taxi to whisk him off to meet up with his correct coach, once cleared. This also had to happen for another man who ended up on our coach, only it was other members of his family who had to meet him later.

Ilam came to see if our lady had arrived; this was at about 9.20am (50mins after we should have left the quayside). Fine, but he didn’t tell the Destinations Rep, who also asked at about 9.40am! After more faffing, one lady having had to re-board the ship to go to the loo & several of us wishing to do the same but deciding to wait, we left Ashdod at 9.50am, 1hr 20mins late, legs crossed!



Ilam told us that the comfort stop wasn’t far away. He overshot this as he was so busy with his mobile & forgot to prompt the driver. The driver’s face was a picture, as were the faces of the family hoping to meet up with the man on board our coach! We could see the taxi as we sailed by the café! We pulled into another, but it had no loos, & finally found one that did, but it was a dive & the facilities inadequate for the 40+ people. Some managed to grab a quick drink but hubby & I didn’t; the man had to be reunited with his family by the roadside a bit later.



The sites of the day were wonderful & we saw far more of Galilee than last time, but we were rushed as we were so behind. Sometimes, Ilam would speak before all the group had reached him. The flowers & colours of the area are stunning. The Sea of Galilee is wonderful, amazing & seemed so blue, with little “white horses” all across it, but we had no time to go down to the shores. The Golan Heights are clearly visible in the distance.



One can’t visit the spot where John Baptised Jesus, but there is a newly accepted Baptism site, called Yardenit. It’s peaceful there, & pretty, but you still can’t go down to the water; I’m sure we did with the boys, last time. We had lunch at the restaurant, there’s a gift shop (of course!) & then on we rushed.



In the afternoon, we travelled through Tiberias & visited Capernaum, the house of Peter, then Tabgha (where Jesus fed the multitudes with loaves & fish) & the rock on which the food was chopped, within the little Church of the Multiplication, the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount; then it was onto Nazareth. Here, we saw the Church of Annunciation, the remains of Mary’s house & had a little time for souvenir shopping before leaving Ilam near Nazareth & returning to the ship. Again, Ilam should have stayed with us & returned to the “Spirit” we later discovered!



On arrival at the port, our driver entered via a different gate, drove round confidently, drove on… & on…we could see the ship….from all angles, but were no where near it. There was constantly a stretch of water between us & it. In the end, he had to drive back to the gate & get an escort. He still managed to go the wrong way & also almost bumped into the car at one point! Probably because he spent most of his time on his hands-free, prattling into his mobile!

Finally, we drew up at the side of the ship. No Destinations Rep to greet us, just a grumpy immigration officer, who wouldn’t allow anyone to stand up, let alone get off, until she had asked several questions:

1) Guns anyone? (No thanks, we were up to quota)

2) Bought anything? (No!…..*quickly sitting on all packages*…think she meant had anyone given us a mystery package!)

Can’t remember what else she was on about; we were all past caring & very tired! It was 9pm!!!!

A group of people went to complain about the fiasco, but we went straight to the cabin. The Destinations Desk was closed, so I suppose the passengers went to reception & demanded to see someone. I wrote a lengthy letter & put it in the drop-in box. I said that in all our years cruising, we’d never had to complain before & here was our 2nd in 4 days! I said that they could ring me about it, next day, when we would be in Jerusalem & Bethlehem, but I would seek a refund for all calls received on my mobile. I requested a partial refund for the trip.

Next day, we learned that the group who went to reception was awarded 50% refund per person. We were given 100%, so kept very quiet!



JERUSALEM & BETHLEHEM.

No delays today & a great guide called Moses Schuster. Reminded me of a British actor, but can’t think of his name or in what he’s featured! He was so laid back & although we covered a lot, we never felt rushed. It was a pleasure to listen to him.



We saw the epic views from the Mount of Olives, the Gardens of Gethsemane where Jesus went to pray after the Last Supper & was betrayed by Judas, the Church of All Nations, & then into the Walled City of Jerusalem. The Western Wall is on the right, soon after the gateway. I went down to the women’s part. One lady was asked by a lady, handing out leaflets, to cover up her cross. The Jews regard the Wall as theirs & some fanatical ones don’t want to see signs from other religions in its vicinity. One tip: ladies, don’t turn your back on the Wall as you leave; walk backwards to a respectable distance before turning away. Moses hadn’t warned us, but I quickly realised & corrected myself as I left the Wall to return to the group.



We walked through the 4 quarters of the city (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Armenian) & part way along the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus carried the cross. Modern day Jerusalem is much higher than back then, so one must remember that the real Via Dolorosa is several metres down, below the surface on which we were walking, although some old slabs have been brought to the surface (on purpose) in the Armenian part. There are some excavations near the Western Wall too.



We visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, on the spot where Jesus was Crucified & buried & there is an anointing stone, on top of the actual one used to prepare Christ’s body within this. There is a painting which suggests that the walls of the city were different back then & the spot of the Crucifixion was outside the perimeter, unlike now.



There were some within our party for whom this was a deeply religious experience. Whilst the same can’t be said for hubby & me, I’m fascinated by the history & sincerely respect the spiritual meaning the city holds. Whatever religious sites I may visit, in whatever country, I prefer an air of calm, dignity, peace & reverence to prevail. I therefore struggle (as does hubby) with the hustle & bustle, loud talking , jostling, mobiles going off, running about that is present in most of the churches & Holy sites in Jerusalem & Bethlehem. Some of the priests appeared to be short tempered with some folk & I can see why. We were asked to wear respectful clothing, ¾ length trousers (at least) & tops that cover upper arms & chest, yet the behaviour of the majority of tourists (including some staunch Christians, who push & shove!) makes a mockery of the sanctity of the Holy places. It must have been busy when we visited in the 1990’s, although mobile phones weren’t an issue back then, but I really noticed it this time. It was in stark contrast to the peaceful shores of Galilee.



Lunch was in Palestinian-controlled Bethlehem. As he’s not allowed to cross the border, we had to leave Moses in Jerusalem. Lunch was the worst we’d had anywhere, all week. Dried up chicken, sweetcorn & something else that escapes my memory, along with some limp looking excuse for a salad. Looked like it had crawled onto the plate & expired, s..l..o..w..l..y!



We met our lady guide for the Church of the Nativity. Here one can see the spot where Jesus was born, where the manger was laid & where the Wise Men would have stood. You have to go down a narrow stairway to these sites because, like in Jerusalem, the street level was much lower then. There is soooo much pushing, shoving & attempts at queue jumping that hubby lost his temper & decided not to go down; he saw it all last time & decided he could adequately remember the spectacle. A tourist policeman had to come & keep back a group of “devout” ladies (crossing themselves & lighting candles) who were shoving our group of mild-mannered Brits aside! The number of lit candles that suddenly appeared in a relatively small sand container was scary! A priest was looking on, at this fire hazard, in horror! It was further compounded by a group who were having a spontaneous service in front of the spot where He was born! Some were prostrate across the shrine! It makes it really hard when most visitors are trying to keep to a time-table. Anyway, I persevered & went down. We also saw the place where the Holy Family hid & the graves of the Innocents, i.e. the baby boys, killed by Herod. I found those very moving.



Street vendors in Jerusalem & Bethlehem will accept dollars, Euros, Sterling or Shekels. Children (noticed them more in Bethlehem) will come & hold their hands out for money; no trinkets or postcards to exchange, just begging.

After some souvenir shopping in the customary shop recommended by the guide (there was no time to go elsewhere) we returned to Jerusalem & Moses. This time, we didn’t see the Shepherd’s Fields near Bethlehem. The shops also accepted Sterling, Euros, Dollars or Shekels.



Moses came all the way back to the ship with us; the immigrations officer was far more pleasant than the one from the previous day & we didn’t mind answering her questions! “Q”,& a pilot, guided the “Spirit” out of Ashdod, with the Captain waving in a jolly manner, to people on the quayside. He was waving with his hand that held his radio, so its aerial was waving about, frantically!



LIMASSOL, CYPRUS.

Trips available:

Unfortunately, we couldn’t book either of these as we were disembarking at 1pm.

1) Paphos - £24 adult, £12 child, approx 4 hrs. (Medium activity)

2) Curium & Omodos – £24 adult, £12 child, approx 4.5hrs. (Medium activity)



Anyone who gets through all of this report, well done & thanks; you have probably aged 10 years! Dust off the cobwebs & go & have a drink…or 3!

I'm now a week back from the...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Pharaohs and the Promised Land Crui

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss C Moore

Comments:

I'm now a week back from the cruise which I really enjoyed. Not all the ports of call/trips went to plan but the main reason for my going on the cruise was to see Israel and Jerusalem & Bethlehem both of which were brillant.



On the first day at the airport things seemed a little muddled and I was surprised no one from Thomson's took names off you before you left the airport just numbers!!, we were just asked to get on coaches in a rough unorganised fashion and greeted by this chap called "Alex" who welcomed us by saying he was sorry but he was tired what I ask on the first day of the cruise and the 6-7 months cruise period!! but I did learnt later he's nothing to do with Thomson Cruises. This was due to shortages of staff available to go to the airport then at the port in Limassol things improve but better is to come when another port opens up in future years when Louis Cruises build a brand new port for cruise ships, should be good as the present facilities are too small.



I cover briefly the trips and ports of call.



Syria (Latakia) was a dead lost as it took us too long to depart the ship and the trip didn't live up to expectations, we only saw one place, and the journey was eventful and scary at times and sometime more interesting than the Citadel we saw and at times one wondered if the driver(s) knew where they were going. Just put it down to the new port of call and teething problems, we had a laugh great company on the coach.



Egypt (Alexandria/Port Said) - I've been here before so did self-style tours. In Alexandria I went off with a lovely couple from Brighton and we took a taxi trip to some of the sights, the catacombs, which were excellent and not covered by the ships tour and well worth a visit. Then Pompei's pillar and then onto the Theatre of Kom El-Deka which was interesting, we managed to get away with paying £30 for 3 hours and we did include a tip for our driver Maurice, he was recommended by the security chap on the gate and he was excellent and made us feel so welcome. But be warned when you leave the port you'll be swamped by the taxi/horse and cart drivers after your trade it was too much for some passengers they just returned to the ship. You are travelling around a very busy area but well worth seeing things for yourself at your pace, you'll need local currency for entrance fees to the various places you visit but some places do take dollars, the taxi drivers can take you to bureaus to change money but make sure the notes (£10/£20 etc) have no tears as no one will take them! Other travellers independent to our cruise paid up to 100 euros for a similar taxi trips! I must say our driver had a baseball bat at the side of his seat but don't be alarmed, self protection I suppose as it is a poor country, just keep your doors locked and be aware as you walk around and enjoy! most of the sites have guards outside and you feel totally safe inside. Just make sure you keep an eye on how long you've been in the taxi for as they do encourage you to take longer tours, which would cost more money, but they are happy to wait outside each place for as long as you want.



I have visited the El Alamein before in fact last year on the Celebration and found this a totally moving trip, so would recommend this as well.



In Port Said we just went for a walk along the river front and looked at the stalls, and saw the ferry crossing the river which was interesting along with the wooden scaffolding on the buildings around the port which is a surprise. Have fun bartering for goods, I paid one dollar for everything I got, necklace, bracelet and shopping bag - yes 50p each! don't accept their first price - halve it!



Then onto Israel/Ashdod.



I visited Nazareth & Galilee (Thur) and Bethlethem and Jerusalem (Fri). I enjoyed both trips. The meal in Jerusalem wasn't the best but it was edible, although we heard on other trips the meals were superb where the tours stopped at hotels. The sites on both days were very good and both guides for A1+.



I was quizzed by the immigration people for a while before I was allowed off the ship on our first day. They required to see everyones' passports whether you were going on or off the ship. They questioned only a few people so don't worry. I appreciate they have a job to do (shame the UK isn't as strict!) and do it well, I do have a colourful passport with many stamps therein having seen a lot of the world in that area, Egpyt being the main problem having been there 6 times in the past and as I was travelling alone being a solo travellers but that's just my love of the history in that part of the world coupled with the lovely weather they have throughout the year. I shall be returning to see more.



We had plenty of time on our trips on Friday and saw every we'd planned to see, including the Wailing Wall, the Garden of Gethsemane, Church of All Nations, etc.



Whereas Thursday we were late arriving at the last few places we'd planned to visit (so only saw them from outside) but did get to touch the sea of Galilee and see a great part of its coast line and where Jesus was baptised! in the river Jordan.



So that ends my trips now returning to the ship and its facilities.



The Spirit was extremely clean and tidy, some parts may have been refitted out but having not sailed on her last year I can't comment. My cabin (single cabin) twin beds and was on the deck just below the reception area was neat, tidy and quiet comfortable. The engine noise was minimal nothing to worry about afterall you are on a moving ships which has motors going what would one expect? I didn't notice any vibration noise as mentioned last year.



The food was very good and I ate most evenings in the main restaurant where the waiter service is top notch, but I did try the Lido Restaurant several times, both offered a good selection and nicely present food. Depends on timescales as when the restaurant is busy you've plenty of time between courses which is nice but if rushing to catch the show this may not suit.



The hot drinks are available 24/7 so this is good as I prefer a hot drink to an alcoholic drink, they had my favourite herbal drinks as well all in the Lido area.



The alcohol drinks were very reasonably priced and good measures. They didn't seem to charge for mixers which was a surprise. Prices vary from £1 for a coke, £1.20 for half a lager to say £3+ for a cocktail (or £2.25 for the cocktail of the day!) so very good. Considering what one gets charged in Cambridge where I come from excellent. Its sometimes cheaper to have a bottle of wine than a glass. The all inclusive travellers seemed to enjoy having the full quotas of drinks up until an 1 hour before they leave the ship which was good.



The entertainment team were good and included several lads from as far away as Australia. They were lively, had lovely outfits and put loads of energy into their acts. There were some good singers. I think as the season progresses they'll just get better and better, as they do have so many routines to remember as on the longer cruises they don't repeat shows. One should remember they do have to carry out other jobs including meeting and greeting new guests etc so have a busy schedule let alone rehersals.



The senior staff were very pleasant including the Captain, the cruise director (who was from Scotland and looked smashing in his kilt) etc some of whom I'd seen on other ships before (Leroy in the restaurant, charming man).



Concluding this review I must say I totally enjoyed the experience again as usual, and having cruised 7 times before and it was at the top of my list cruises. Lets hope Thomsons cruise for a good few more years to come.



I look forward to reading other reviews later in the year.



Charlotte

i have just returned from pharos...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Comments:

i have just returned from pharos and promised land cruise thomson spirit.100% i give the cruise in every way. to say that this was an unrehearsed cruise full credit to all thomson staff and ships crew.i have not one complaint like some people find for findings sake.the people of syria eygpt isreal and palestine are extremeley friendly and they are happy with what they have.the military service and security provided in eygpt and israel wae no problem to me.the itinerary was very well organized and the thomson reps deserve a medal for keeping it all together. the ship is vert elegant and meticulassly run. thr food cabins entertainment crew and organisation were excellent. ther was no problem with any of the food in bethlehem or souvenirs to buy from the shop or church of the nativity. and our guides were ALL excellent in their knowledge.anybody who was not fortunate enough to do that cruise does not know what they have missed.

Pharaohs and The Promised Land...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Pharaohs and The Promised Land

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

ThomsonPharaohs and The Promised Land April 08

Submitted By:

Huddersfield Tourist

Comments:

Pharaohs and The Promised Land Cruise 12th April 2008 for 7 nights.



We have been on the Spirit before which is very very much the same as the Celebration for all intents and purposes with a couple of very small differences. Transfers from Paphos Airport took about 45 minutes and were efficient. Since we last went on the Spirit in March 2006 the door from the Lido to the pool deck is now opened automatically by sensor which is a great improvement if you have a tray of drinks and food etc. There were no other noticeable changes spotted other than the smoking ban is now extended and smokers can only smoke in small designated areas on the OUTSIDE decks only and nowhere inside - the small area in the High Spirits bar has now been taken away from you smokers - as none smokers we preferred this but if you were to fancy a cigarette with your drink indoors then you will be disappointed.We did feel that all the staff including senior crew and the reception had even further upped the personal service and the bar staff,waiters etc and stewards were still of the same high standard as before. Food was still of the same high standard for what you pay - in both the Lido and the Compass Rose - we tended to use the Lido as we snacked on and off all day between activities and did not want a large evening meal - and we can only say that we would 100% go again on this ship if the itinerary were one we liked. Cabin was more than adequate for what we wanted and we used it as a base - we do not go on a cruise to sit in a cabin !!!! We were in an inside cabin on the Main Deck - same deck as Reception and Compass Rose. Yes the stern of the ship still has the vibration and this can be felt more so when the side thrusters are in use also. Trips to the Bridge were available on the ship and take about 30 minutes - these are announced in the Cruise News.This cruise took in Syria,Egypt and Israel however Thomson's big failing to me is that they do not vary their itineraries enough to retain as many repeat customers as they could otherwise. As an aside with the Emerald going out of service at the end of this year Thomsons may be reducing capacity until such time as they get another ship to replace the Emerald. As for the ports we stopped at - in Syria it was Latakia - not much there but the town itself was safe to walk around and quite westernised in its feel with shops selling swimweaar, lingerie and t shirts suitable for a hen party !! Not much else to see here and not a port Thomsons use much - it's not too surprising in that respect. As usual in Egypt the stops were Port Said and Alexandria and that provides the opportunity to go to Cairo / Pyramids from Port Said and see El Alamein from Alexandria. Ashdod was used in Isreal - security much stricter here but you could easily get a reliable taxi to and from Jerusalem from within 50 metres of the ship.We did and went to Jerusalem and back by this method. Israeli immigration did not stamp the passports but gave all passengers a stamped landing card - this avoids the issue of the "Israeli stamp in your passport". Areas for improvemnts are the photographs they take of you - they had become tacky and were still overpriced with silly offers to entice you to buy them - for example the Captain's dinner photo of you with the Captain now has a fake Captain's autograph etched on to it etc - only a little thing, I know. The other aspect was the trips - it is a pity that some of the trips were needlessly long 10 to 12 hours with stops for food etc and there were no options of shorter trips to the same destination which some may prefer.Again the prices were high for the trips but many took that option rather than independent travel as I suppose they were anxious about being in the Middle East. We were quite happy in the taxis we took only paying on the return to the shiup and agreeing the price before starting the journey.This itinerary was more of a one off but all in all we can only recommend Thomsons as our areas for improvement did not spoil our holiday at all but are just areas that in our opinion could be bettered.

The Thomson Spirit ship and it's...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Syria.Egypt & Holy Land

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Other EK Willie

Comments:

The Thomson Spirit ship and it's facilities / staff are 1st Class in all respects. The food, service, entertainment - in general - can not be faulted in any way. Our cabin was kept spotlessly clean, with jim-jams folded under the pillow & chocolate left on the pillow every night. The Lido self service had an excellent choice of food from breakfast through to dinner + the 24 hour buffet ajoining it. The Compass Rose silver service dining was equal to any 5* rest'rt any where, the food was immaculately presented and cooked - by chef's & waiters whose singing was also appreciated (Elvis Parsley!). The Entertainment Group put on a superb performance twice each evening. We later found out that this was the first time that they had actually all performed together. The staff are all very friendly and cheerful, and nothing is too much trouble for them.

There are a couple of things that do need looking at by Thomson. All the on-board shops on this trip were closed while in port because of local laws. Unfortun'atly this meant you are unable to purchase ANYTHING in an emergency (ie. items of a personal female nature etc).

The other thing which some what spoiled thing were the excursions. These need urgently reviewing before this itinerary is repeated. Syria - the trip left extremely late due to Syrian Immigration. When it finally got underway, the lead driver became lost and all the coaches ended up at a quarry!! When the correct destination was finally arrived at, it was all very rushed. There were a great many steps to be climbed at the fort, not mentioned in the excursion brochure, there were several older & slightly disabled persons who were not given the time to keep up & missed much of the commentary.

The trip to Jerusalem & Bethlehem was also advertised as 'active'. When we left the area of the Temple to travel up through the Stations of the Cross, it turned out that this was a very steep climb of over 1 hour, up steps, of at least a mile (maybe more) with no stops or breaks. There were several in the party who found this a bit of a struggle & hadn't realised the extent of the climb. There were no opportunities to shop for presents, keepsakes, books, postcards etc. from Jerusalem, which as this would be the only time most of us would visit we found very dissappointing. We had to lose our (excellent) Israeli guide before Bethlehem as he isn't allowed into Palestinian areas. We were taken to a cafe for a meal, that consisted of a starter of cabbage, tomato, cucumber in vinegar, a piece of dried chicken, rice & sweetcorn + an overripe bannana to finish. We were then taken to a local shop to purchase souveniers, this was the only opportunity to do any shopping, and the selection was limited. Many people ended up leaving this trip without any mementos from the visit. The guide didn't turn up so we were escorted to Manger Square & the Church by one of the waiters. We were then put with another group whose guide didn't speak very clear English. Again, the approach to the Church (from the bus station) was up a very, very steep hill, not mentioned in the trip details. To give Thomson their due, we were later given a refund of half the excursion money.



If Thomson can iron out the problems with the trips - and make the descriptions of the activity involved clearer - and allow a short time to shop while in Jerusalem then this cruise would merit the other 2*s.

All in all a very enjoyable cruising experience on a great little ship.

Just got back from this week...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

yuchna

Comments:

Just got back from this week long cruise - taking in Latakia (Syria), Alexandria & Cairo (Egypt) Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Tel Aviv & Jaffa (Israel) on board the Thomson Spirit. Wonderful trips, very tiring - ship had no faults whatsoever to complain about. We left ship yesterday in Paphos and they were changing all the mattresses for the new guests boarding yesterday evening. Food great and entertainment is much improved upon from 2 years ago when we were last on-board.

We were in a lovely suite and it was all in all a really good holiday. Highly recommended.

I too took a 14 night...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr Bob Bedford

Comments:

I too took a 14 night cruise in October and it was awful! After many years cruising I tried this bottom end cruise to see if it was value for money - not for me I am afraid! Previous comments about smoking are exactly right - for all intents and purposes smoking may as well have been allowed throughout the ship, as the smell of tobacco was everywhere. Some areas were unusuable for the non-smoker. The food was the most "ordinary" I have ever had on a cruise - I would equate it to 2*/3* Spanish hotel food. The entertainment was fine for those who enjoy bingo, and the type of workingmen's club cabaret I used to enjoy as a child in the 50s.



The cabins were spacious enough, but there is nothing more good to say about them. I could not believe the sheets were grey and threadbare, the towels were just grey, rather that white. Basins and wc suite were chipped and stained; grout coming away to make it dodgy in the bathroom. The light fittings shaked and had loose wires, and shades that rattled loosley and did not tighten. I spent a career in the Royal Navy, and never did I see such poor maintenance standards.



Of course the ports of call were as enjoyable as one made them - my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed each destination through the 2 weeks. There can be no complaint about that - my consideration is soley directed to life onboard. And that was pretty dismal. Many were on "all inclusive deals" and seemed to be trying to drink the ship dry - whilst their children ran riot around the passageways. All in all, a great experience for those it suits - but never again for me.

We have cruised on theSpirit and...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Spirit Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr D RATTUE

Comments:

We have cruised on theSpirit and many P&O and now booked again on the Spirit in April



We are unable to fault this ship it is clean friendly the entertainment and food are first class



Being a smaller ship the attention to detail and customer satisfaction is on the button



We are looking foreward to the next time