Thomas Cook Holidays, MS Semiramis 2

My sister and I went on the MS Semiramiss 11 on the 10 Oct this year and had a brilliant time. Although the boat could do with a face lift it didn't matter as it was clean and the beds were great. The excursions which were included were excellent especially our guide Amro who was a font of information and had a great sense of humour.

I don't eat red meat so at times found the food a little tricky but always managed to find something I could enjoy.

The staff were attentive and worked hard to make sure that you had a good holiday, always smiling and pleasant and gave the impression that nothing was to much trouble.

The other people on the boat were superb and everyone mixed and got on well together [although we pharoas were of course the best] And the eight on our table got on great and swopped addresses.

When we got sailing the views along the nile were lovely. And even the boats that came and tied up at side of the ship trying to sell things were entertaining, throwing goods up on deck and haggling the price. When we were out and about the vendors could be a bit of a nuisance but this is their living, we were told to just walk past them which we did.

We had entertainment on three of the nights one of them being a whirling Dervisher which I have always wanted to see. On the other nights it was pleasant just to sit on the top deck.

To finish the week off we decided to go on the balloon ride and as I don't like heights I wasn't looking forward to it but it was something Beryl had always wanted to do, and boy am I glad that we did it as it was an experiance that I would not have liked to miss.

Although it is quite a hard week considering the heat which was in the 40's at times and there is a lot to see meaning we came home tired out I would recommend this holiday and this boat to anyone, so as you can tell a good time was had by all.

Ive just spent a week on board the semiramis2 with my husband and 4 friends and can only say we had a fabulous time yes the boat is dated but our cabins were clean the guide we had was called mahommed and was fantastic and very knowledgeable. The staff on board were very friendly and nothing was to much trouble.The weather was great the only down side was the persistant harrasment of people trying to sell there goods if they just left you alone to have a look they would sell a lot more

Had been looking forward to this holiday for a long time.

While we enjoyed the sites and the temples the rest of it was a massive let down. First of all our boat was "upgraded" the day before we travelled. I dread to think what the 3* boat was like...this boat is nowhere near 4*. Rooms are okay - comfy, but everything is very dated. The crew were nice enough, but stared at the women A LOT, which by the end of the week made you feel very uncomfortable.

No entertainment to speak of, and considering all the excursions aren't included (BEWARE: Thomas Cook not very good at explaining this! We had no idea until we got on the boat!) there is nothing to do while you are sailing. Got very boring.

Excursion are EXPENSIVE.

We paid £72 each to go to Abu Simbel. Now this one I'd been dreaming of seeing for a long, long time. Unfortunately when I arrived I wasn't feeling so great (up since 3am, 3 hours coach journey with no break) and passed out. I was offered no medical assistance at all. The tour guide left us and so did the coach. It was a very distressing incident.

Street traders are everywhere (and I mean everywhere) and while you are told how to deal with them it gets very boring, very quickly. They can also be quite rude if you ignore them like you are advised to.

Glad we did it, wouldn't go back.

have just returned from Egypt on a nile cruise after staying for a week on the semmiramiss 2 there were three of us 40 yr old ladies full of excite ment after being apparently upgraded to this 4 star boat from the 3 star nile saray on a full board basis as recommended by our travel agent thomas cook as drinks she told us would be affordable . looked good on arrival from outside and because there were 3 of us our room was not too bad although our complimentry room to freshen up on return was much worse. beds were hard and two of us had to share a single bed as i was bitten after one night in my bed several times definately not from mossies but bed bugs im sure. apart from that air com ok views good large window in room shower also good although if u looked close enough the boat rough. all of us were ill sickness and dihorrea im still suffering a week after returned dizzy sick stomache cramps etc. good if u want to looses a few stone. drinks very expensive £4 for half a larger no evening entertainment though we only made it till just after dinner then back to cabin to be sick. 55-60 degrees on deck so limited sunbathing then in small cloudy pool to cool down. food tasted good although most of the boat came down with S&D we got to know people on your table becauae we were the only ones who took immoddium tablets very popular. but excursions were fab the few we went on ps the ponnies didnt look too well looked after on the carriage excursion, so we boycotted it . id pick a better deffinately so not to ruin aggod holiday and be careful on wandering of youll be targeted by some crafty locals who want your money.

We have just had a week on board, staff are great, nothing to much trouble. Food is very good. Every thing was fine, could have done with more coat hangers. There was a damp patch on the wall in the bathroom. That does not mar a holiday. The hot fruit drink & the steamed towels on return to the boat were good. There is not entertainment every night, but it is not needed. We are now looking at booking for next year. The excursions most mornings were breath taking. We would have liked to cruise the nile from Cario to Aswan, but alas this is not possible at the moment.Roll on next year.

Chose this boat if you want

1.. a substandard cabin

2.. a filthy bathroom

3 To put up with passive smoking

4.. a worn out boat

5.. dysentery

6.. Sanitizers missing

7.. This one for the ladies-you want items of your underwear to disappear from the cabin

As mentioned in a previous review, this boat is not 4 star. The decor is dated, e.g. worn carpets, bedroom furniture old and badly fitted. The bedding was old, e.g. sheets bobbly and thin. The bedding was not changed at all during the week. The pillows were hard and smelt of smoke. The shower cubicle leaked and the door did not close properly. The air conditioning unit was filthy and the temperature control did not work. You are not allowed to flush used toilet paper down the toilet, which is a real hygiene concern - see later in the review.

There was a good range of food to eat, although lunch and dinner were very similar. The choice of drinks at meal times was very limited, either wine, beer, sprite or water.

The entertainment in the evening was poor. The only highlight was the whirling dervish. The bar, where the entertainment was held, was very smoky and although there were 3 non smoking tables, the whole atmosphere was very smoky and also very dark and gloomy.

I found the staff on the boat very friendly.

My major concern about this boat is hygiene. Many passengers fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea and I know at least 4 passengers, including myself, needed the intervention of a doctor. There may have been more as I only spoke to a limited number of people and also there were non-English speaking people on the boat. On our table of 8, 7 fell ill with diarrhoea. On the last day 2 elderly people, not related, collapsed just before boarding the coach!

Why all this sickness? Some of the things I noticed - no hand gel in the dining room and passengers serve themselves from the buffet so that contamination is easily spread. The rep said there had been a gel machine but it had broken and had not been replaced! Plates which you took from the buffet were often wet, so that water borne diseases could be spread easily.

Toilets - the bins containing soiled toilet paper were emptied twice daily but I do not believe that the cleaning staff took proper precautions e.g. on the last day I happened to be in my cabin when the bins were emptied - no sign of gloves or anti-bacterial spray and then the clean towels were put out! How easy it is for contamination to be spread from one cabin to another! I have written a long letter to Thomas Cook about my concerns and they say they are looking into the hygiene matters I raised.

The trips to the temples etc were very good and the guides knowledgeable. the local people make life difficult for tourists as they harrass you as soon as you get off the coach.

If you are booked on this boat, take antibacterial gel with you wherever you go and use it frequently. Take disinfectant wipes as well and wipe your cabin door handles and surfaces in the ensuite. Make sure you have diarrhoea pills and rehydration sachets. The rep said the salad was safe to eat as it had been washed in bottled water but if I went again I'd avoid it. Make sure any plate you take from the buffet is dry.

My sister did a Nile Cruise last year with Thomson on a 5* boat and she had no problems at all. Her boat did guided tours of the kitchens as the staff were so proud of their food. Also toilet paper could be flushed away. So if you have the money I'd go 5* with a different company.

Semiramis 2 badly needs refurbishing and is certainly not 4* standard. Carpets in public areas are dirty and worn though on the stairs. the lounge is dreary, decorated in grey, black and silver. The dining room is on level 1 and the curtains are pulled most of the time. The wood all over the boat is very dark brown.Our suite was large with a separate area with settee, coffee table and another table and chairs. King size bed. The bath was disgusting with chipped enamel and spa holes that were dirty.The tiles were broken and the grout missing and mastic was smeared all over the edges.Every time we had a shower, a large puddle of water came from under the bath. We reported it 3 times and they came and looked, but nothing was done. In the end they gave us an extra bath mat to soak up the water! The basin and Toilet were clean and there were no bad smells.Sticky marks and old driink rings were evident on the coffee table and dressing table and the 2 floor rugs were very dirty.

Food was ok but rather monotonous. Lunch and dinner were exactly the same sort of thing. Dessert at lunch was always jelly and blancmange and fresh fruit. Dinner dessert was cakes and gateau.Not much choice for drinks in the restaurant. Wine was by the glass - red or white, no idea what type or which country it came from. The red was decanted into bottles from a 'bag'. these bottles were never washed, just refilled when empty. White came out of the kitchen in the glass. Most people drank the beer which was nice.

The massage room was just a grubby little place not much bigger than a cuopboard, but the masseuse did a good job and the cost was reasonable. there is no hairdresser." little shops, a jewellers and one selling galabayas.

The top deck is the sun deck. plenty of sunbeds and chairs and tables. There are 2 small plunge pools.However the pool towels are always grubby and we noticed them being refolded one evening and put back in the 'clean' bin!! Not hygienic and why do they think it will not be noticed?

We were on a Thomas Cook Jewels of the Nile trip. Our Guide 'Amro' was excellent and all the trips were first class

Would I recommend this boat to friends? Not at the moment as it is certainly not up to the standard we expected and it is certainly not worth spending the extra for a suite.

This was a fabulous holiday. The staff and tours were great. There was one very significant problem - the standard of our room. In the brochure the lower cabin rooms are the standard rooms on a 4 star boat. They are sub standard. Very smelly. Overpowering smell of diesel and worse in the bathroom. The room was shabby and certainly not appropriate for a 4 star boat. These rooms should not be sold to paying passengers.

booked the Nile Saray and got an upgrade for the Semiramis 11 . we had a fab holiday for my husbands 50Th birthday they did him a cake in the restaurant and brought it out singing and playing music the cabin was decorated with tinsel and a big candle done from the towels, the food was amazing and we made very good friends with the people who we were sat with. Mohamed our tour guide was very knowledgeable, sights were amazing early starts 3.15 am 4am 6am but are well worth it not a holiday to rest but a real eye opener. you do get a lot of beggars etc take pens for the children as they do ask if you have any glad we did it.