I'm off on a nile cruise on monday.MS Lady Mary can't wait yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Will do a report when I get back

hello,

i'm wondering if anyone has heard anything about sickness on a first choice nile cruise that was so bad Health & Safety were brought on board and people had to cut their holiday short and fly home.

Have been into my local first choice shop, they phoned head office & they are not aware of anything like this happening.

The person who said this said majority of boat fell ill on last morning aboard. Between them waking up unwell and departing for airport around 2pm, First Choice had brought in Health & Safety people to go over the boat and came back with results that it was all o.k. and they also said that people who were due to extend their holiday for another week cut it short and flew home.

Of course when i first read it i went right into panic mode, then after reading it again - i started to ask a few questions, how come Health & Safety got on board so quick, tested the boat and got the results back - all within a few hours. If people were that unwell that they wanted to cut their holiday short due to severe sickness and diahorrea would they not be deemed unfit to fly and have to stay in resort till doctor gave them all clear?

I'm due to go in three weeks and when you hear reports like this it is a bit of a worry, it's the only negative review i have read regarding the food and cleanlieness on board - many about first choice - nothing to bad about the boat. I'm not in any way saying this person is lying but somewhere along the lines something is not adding up as First Choice have said they are aware of all Health & Safety hygiene issues within their hotels and have not had to bring anyone home early from Luxor due to sickness.

If anyone has heard anything i'd love to hear.

Suzie

Hi Suzie

As you have already surmised if you are unwell an airline will not take you, and if there are groups of people unwell they definitely will not be allowed to fly until tests confirm what is wrong with them and they have all been declared fit to travel.
An airline will not allow you to travel in a plane when there is the risk of spreading an unknown or communicable illness on to others.

I don't think I would read too much in to it, remembering that you will always have some people that are ill for one reason or another.

We did the FC Nile cruise (going again in Jan) and there was a small group of friends who were ill and were very vocal that it was the ships fault, however it later came to light that the first 2 of the group to become unwell were a husband and wife, and hubby had been cleaning a blocked sewer pipe a couple of days before departure, and in fact they had both been unwell (sickness & dihoreia) on the day they departed from Gatwick.

Thanks for the reply kiltman.

I'm wondering if it's just people out to get compensation as i'm sure if most of the boat had been ill there would have been something in the papers, gmtv and a lot more posts on the forums.

In general the boats seem to get good reviews, well that is apart from First Choice i.e. no legroom in plane and schedule of the boat.

People i know booked for the Orchid for next July with First Choice but were contacted a week after booking by their travel agent and were informed they had been moved to the Thomson Presidential boat so i'm wondering if First Choice will be using the Orchid and Tulip after May.

Suzie.

Hi Suzie

We booked for the Orchid months ago for next January and haven't had anything to say we will be moved to another boat, I know the Orchid is in for a refit at the moment.

I suppose there is a chance that as First Choice is now part of TUI they may combine passengers on the one boat

We were on the Nile cruise with First Choice from 1st-8th September on the Tulip and there were a few people with upset stomachs but nothing major. We had a second week in El Gouna and there were people who had been on the Orchid and they didn't mention anything. The food on the boat was actually better than in the hotel the second week. The rep at the hotel was for Thomson & First Choice and she said that the First Choice contract with Wings, who run these Nile Cruise boats, was finishing soon so maybe that's why people are being changed to the Thomson boat.

Thanks for the reply shilldill

This time in 3 weeks i will be on the cruise, have packed & weighed my case tonight as i know how strict they are at the airport about luggage allowance.

I'm thinking that there would have been more reports on one of the forums if it was as bad as it was made out to be.

Certainly you would have heard something from the people who were on the Orchid the week after if Health & Safety had been on either of the boats & people had been going home early due to sickness.

How did you enjoy El Gouna, it looks so nice in the photo's, i did a day trip to the red sea last year and the only thing that's stopping me going for the week after the cruise is the long road journey there and back, was there a lot to do there or just beach / hotel based?

Thanks for the reply again, i'm a lot more relaxed knowing you were there around that time and didnt hear of anything major happening.

Suzie.

Hope you enjoy the cruise Suzie. I liked it better than the week in El Gouna. El Gouna was a nice resort, very new and clean but you could have been anywhere in the Mediterranean. There were quite a lot of shops but they nearly all sold souvenirs or fake designer clothes, sunglasses etc. Saying that, at least you could look in them without a lot of hassle. There was a party in the Marina twice a week with singers and belly dancers. We went once but we were sat so far away you couldn't really tell who was on stage. Otherwise we just stayed at the hotel.

You're right about the transfer from Luxor to El Gouna. Going wasn't so bad. We had the morning on the boat and then left at 1.15pm and reached El Gouna about 6.15pm. Coming back took 6 and a half hours, 5am to 11.30am, then 5 and a half hours on the plane. Wouldn't do that again.

Let me know if you want to know anything else.

Diane

Hi Shilldill
Nice to hear you had a good time cruising we will be there 4 weeks tomorrow, Can you tell me if you are allowed to use your travel kettles and irons onboard because I like getting up before breakfast and having a cup of tea. Did you do all the trips and which one did you enjoy more.
Eilean

Hi Eilean

Hope you enjoy your cruise. Are you going with First Choice?. The trips are not included in the price with them, you have to pay extra. We paid £120 for the package. To be honest it was so hot you just wanted to get back in the air-conditioned bus. Hopefully it will be cooler by the time you go. We went to Karnak & Luxor temples the first day, Edfu the next and then Philae. I'm probably ignorant but Karnak, Edfu & Philae looked the same to me but in a different place. Philae was a bit different as it is on an island and you have to go across on a motor boat. We made the mistake of booking the Philae Sound & Light Show which is extra. It would probably have been OK if we hadn't already been during the day but we basically paid £20 each to go to the same place except it was dark and they switched lights on and off. Just to warn you on one trip, I can't remember which,we went to a perfume palace. I made the mistake of buying some perfume that was supposed to smell like a well known one. When I undid the bottle at home it stinks!! Kom Ombo temple was right beside the Nile and the boat docked right beside it. As it was 12.30 p.m it was so hot we didn't bother getting off even though we'd paid.. The felucca ride would have been lovely but there was no breeze when we went so we had to be towed by a motorboat. The best trip was the Valley of the Kings and Hapshetsut's temple. We didn't go to Abu Simbel so I can't say what that was like. I just liked being on the top deck watching what was going on on the banks as we sailed by. Make sure you're up there when the boat goes through the lock at Esna. All these little boats appear trying to sell you stuff. In spite of what I've said about the trips I did enjoy the cruise. As I've said before you got to see a lot more of the real Egypt than we did in El Gouna the second week.

I don't know what boat you're going on but on our's there was a socket for the T.V which I used to charge the phone etc so you could probably use it for a kettle or iron. A lot of the cabins had tea-making facilities anyway.

Hope I've answered your questions

Diane

Hi there suziesuze and kiltman graham

I was on the Tulip nile cruise, from the 8th /15th, we became ill the night before we were due to leave for Cairo, our trip to Cairo had to be cancelled, there were so many people on the boat ill, and in pain, and crying, if the doctor was called, it cost 50 pound to be told to take there antimal tablets, then if needed a saline drip all in all the cost was about 80 pounds, no antibiotics or anything else, we asked the rep if possible for a doctor for all the people not as individuals. Yes the inspector did come onto the boat, an inspector is not called for only a few people being ill. he was called in on the morning of leaving by one of the reps, the second rep warned the head waiter in the restaurant, the staff were running around like headless chickens, we saw all of this due to having to sit in the reception from 8.30 am until 2pm awaiting to be moved to our next place, no tests were taken up until the time we left that we saw. there were other things probably not mentioned before, the swimming pool was only cleaned on the request of the holidaymakers as you couldnt see the dolphin at the bottom of the pool, there was inappropriate behaviour by some of the male staff on the boat towards the women passengers (details of which would not be for me to say)

follow on message, we were transferred to our hotel in Luxor, did not leave our room other than for water or try to eat food for 4 days, the rep checked with us twice a day for the duration of our holiday to see how we were, there are reports gone into the head office on our own case copies of which we hold, several were advised not to do internet reports as they are a waste of time but to report to the head office. We are now 2 weeks further on and still having to visit our best friend the toilet many many times a day, waiting for test results from the doctor. A lot of people went on to other resorts, so may not of had time to do reports as yet, there were several cleanliness issues which I cannot report on due to my complaint that has been sent in. I wish anyone luck if they go on this boat until it has been assessed completely. I would suggest you ask for a transfer to a Thomson cruise.

Hi Sandbill,

I'm sorry to hear about what happened on board, i am hoping it was just a one-off as this has been the first report regarding bad hygiene on the Tulip.

All other reports on the First Choice Cruise have been quite positive apart from the boat's schedule etc. At least the rep's moved quickly and seemed to be trying to sort things out.

Is there any way you could hint at what the innapropriate behaviour to the women passengers was? i got quite a bit of hassle in Luxor last year and it's the one bit of the holiday i am dreading although this year i wont be as scared to tell them exactly where to go!!!! Although i dont expect you to go into great details but a few hints at what to expect would maybe help a wee bit (i have been advised to act like a bit of an ice-queen with a hint of darth vader this year, i dont normally like acting like that but i was told they probably took my friendly attitude as a bit of a come on!!!! - lesson's learnt there i think )

I did the Thomson 4T Presidential Nile Cruise last year and am booked again for next May, the boat was immaculate and there was no sickness on board, the food served was not always piping hot but it was very good, it was a set menu and not buffet style at dinner time, there were also very few people drinking on board as the price of alcohol was very expensive. Not that i am saying in any way that it was overindulging in the Egypt Sun which made you all ill, i'm just hoping by following the same rules this time as last time (over-use of anti-bac hand gel, avoiding the plunge pool, not eating a lot, steering clear of dairy,eggs & salads, drinking 3 + litres of water per day and only allowing myself one gin & tonic a day) will help me avoid any tummy troubles, i've also started taking the pre and pro biotics - perhaps i should up the dose just in case!!!!!

I do hope you are feeling better soon, once again i would like to say in no way did i think you were over-indulging on your holiday i was just listing the steps i take to avoid getting any form of sickness on a nile cruise and keeping my fingers crossed they will work again this time.

I'm sure First Choice will be keeping a close eye on the boat so hoping everything will be sorted out by the time i go on the 13th.

Suzie.

hi suziesuze,we work in france and are used to the heat and hygeine, we are covered by all hygeine injections that are possible for our job in france as we work in very strange conditions too complicated to explain as we only have 60000 characters, for every normal glass size of wine we drink half a pint of bottled water as in France, we really should have been the last type of people to have become ill. we didnt do the plunge pool, we dont sunbathe, normally drink 4 litres of water, but do the wine its compulsory in france lol!! we came across a lot of other passengers on other boats had great trips, boats clean and not many people with illnesses, there will always be people ill on any foreign trip due to change of circumstances, but this was too many people on one trip to be ignored. There were many problems with this boat all which many people would possibly have ignored if not so many people had become so ill, to see people crying and in so much pain and distress on a holiday of a lifetime for so many was quite distressing to watch. We heard no complaints about thomson boats whilst out in egypt, only tulip first choice, and a few complaints on orchid, please contact me direct if you want further information

Hi Diane
We will be on the Orchid or the Tulip on the 27th of this month we are only taking our kettle just in case, After the cruise we are doing 2 nights in Cairo and then to the Jollie Villi in Luxor for 5 nights. On our cruise we are doing the package but we don't know about Abu Simbel because we don't know if we can do something else while the boat is moored at Aswan. When we get to Jollie Villi we are doing the Baloon ride, Light and Sound show and the Fellah's Tent
Eilean

Hi All
Just a quickie when you go to Abu Simbel has the coach got a toilet on board or do they stop for a toilet break on the way because it is a long time for me without it.
Eilean

Don't worry, the coach has a toilet o board

A tip too make your journey more comfortable, take along a pillow from the boat and have a good sleep.

Hi Graham
Nice to hear from you and thanks I can relax now
Eilean

When we get to Jollie Villi we are doing the Baloon ride

Hi Eilean

Just a reminder that the (identical) balloon flight can be booked much cheaper than your tour operator price by booking with one of the companies in Luxor. I would recommend Jolleys which is located at the Old Winter Palace hotel.

Graham