Cruise Destinations

As my two most recent cruises have both been to the Red Sea, I was greatly amused by the reaction prompted by my friend Gene Sloan's report that Costa is planning to base two ships in the region next winter. His USA Today Cruise Log reports that the 820-passenger Costa Allegra and the 770-passenger Costa Marina - two of the oldest and smallest vessels in their 15-strong fleet - will be sailing seven-night cruises from Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. The itineraries include calls at Adabiyah, about two hours' drive from Cairo; Safaga, about four hours from Luxor; and Aqaba [...]

It's a relaxing day at sea on board the cruise ship Thomson Celebration, as we thread our way through the oil platforms of the Gulf of Suez en route to Port Sokhna in Egypt. We left Aqaba in Jordan yesterday evening, most of the passengers subdued after their strenuous all-day excursion to the fabulous city of Petra. The monuments and tombs hewn into the red sandstone of a narrow valley hidden 3,000 ft up in the mountains may be familiar to anyone who has seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but the moment when the spectacular Treasury first [...]

The children we met in the Sudanese port of Suakin during the cruise on board Spirit of Adventure were delightful - always a beaming smile and, unlike those we encountered in Egypt, they were not incessantly pestering for cash. They have not yet been spoilt by hordes of visiting tourists, and they were happy to see their own faces on the cameras' screens rather than demanding hand-outs. We saw no signs of the harassment and violence which the US Department of State cites in order to warn its citizens to avoid travelling to Sudan. Spirit of Adventure's managing director, James [...]