Flights to Red Sea

[Ministryofgiraffes]

That’s good to hear. I usually find food on liveaboards in the Red Sea are very boring. Mainly catering to western tastes and very plain. Breakfast the usual ‘toast/pancake/fried potato’ boredom.

what did they serve on the aggressor 3?

 

[Dan]

I think Red Sea Aggressor (RSA) 3 won't start until March or later. After last November RSA 1 burnt down, they replaced it temporarily with Scuba Scene (SS) until last December. I was on the 2nd to the last trip on SS. The food was bland as you mentioned.

I almost finish editing my videos from that trip. Hopefully I'll finish them by this weekend and post the trip report in SB by next week. In the meantime, here is my first video from that trip.

 

[chillyinCanada]

We spent a few days in Luxxor and i'm glad we did.

 

[mcohen1021]

That’s good to hear. I usually find food on liveaboards in the Red Sea are very boring. Mainly catering to western tastes and very plain. Breakfast the usual ‘toast/pancake/fried potato’ boredom.

what did they serve on the aggressor 3?

If you get the same 2 chefs we had on RSA1, you’re going to be very pleased with the food. Their soups were amazing. Their desserts also. Entrees ranged from Italian, American, and more, I think they served a steak on the last night. That being said, I know there are still legal issues surrounding the crew that was aboard RSA1, so I hope its all resolved and you get Hussein and Sherif as chefs. FYI – if you want anything harder than beer and wine, you need to take your own, easily available duty free @ Istanbul airport.

Several of the dinghy drivers from RSA1 moved off to RSA2 prior to the fire, but they are all good. When you’re at either island, take special note of your location, there could be a lot of LOBs and if it gets windy, the may move the boat. I came up exactly where we were anchored on a self-guided dive and the boat was gone. No problem, the dinghy picked me up.

Here is our video from RSA1:

 

[Illini_Fan]

My flight home would leave at 03:50 on December 29, arriving Houston at 19:05 on December 29..

I'm still looking at options from DFW to HRG for my trip in October. Although I'd have to get to a Turkish Airlines gateway (ORD,IAH) I like the flight times. How was the HRG departure at 03:50? Someone else in this thread had mentioned that international departures from HRG can get "tourist tax" -- what was your experience?

thanks

tom

 

[Dan]

I'm still looking at options from DFW to HRG for my trip in October. Although I'd have to get to a Turkish Airlines gateway (ORD,IAH) I like the flight times. How was the HRG departure at 03:50? Someone else in this thread had mentioned that international departures from HRG can get "tourist tax" -- what was your experience?

thanks

tom

I’m not sure what you mean by “tourist tax”. I got some Egyptian stone carving tablet, as shown below, that a stone carving souvenir shop, right outside the Valley of the Kings, wrapping up nicely with bubble wrap (I haggled for the price from $500 to $200, but I think I still paid too much). The Hurghada security asked me to open it. So I unwrapped it nicely & show it to them. Then they let me go without paying any tax.

I got to the airport around 10pm. So I got time to mousing around the airport lobby until midnight when the Turkish Air ticketing counter was open for check in. There was a so-so deli that I stopped by to grap a so-so sandwich. Egyptian food is not my taste, but I got it down to my tummy & it didn’t complain, so it’s all good.

 

[Dan]

I hope you have a bunch of our crew - the service was outstanding.

DMs Katya, Mahmood and Eashad were great. Heygazi and Ali stewards were awesome. The food was awesome, they even made me homemade felafel just for asking!

I guess not all RSA1 crew moved to Scuba Scene in last December trip. We had different DM / videographer (Ahmed) & CD (Mira). Ali, the steward, was the only one that I can recognize the name from your list.

 

[Illini_Fan]

I’m not sure what you mean by “tourist tax”.

Thanks -- I was referring to the comments made in post 14 of this thread by another person. But glad to hear that you did not experience any of the items that person referenced.

b/t/w I like the piece you purchased.

tom

 

[Dan]

Thanks -- I was referring to the comments made in post 14 of this thread by another person. But glad to hear that you did not experience any of the items that person referenced.

b/t/w I like the piece you purchased.

tom

I had only 23kg on my checkin baggage but about 15kg on my carryon (camera gears & that stone carving tablet). Turkish Air let me through without any overweight charge.

 

[mcohen1021]

I'm still looking at options from DFW to HRG for my trip in October. Although I'd have to get to a Turkish Airlines gateway (ORD,IAH) I like the flight times. How was the HRG departure at 03:50? Someone else in this thread had mentioned that international departures from HRG can get "tourist tax" -- what was your experience?

thanks

tom

We’re in DFW also. Our flights were as follows:

Delta (turkish partner) - DFW to ORD (1.5 hr layover)
Turkish - ORD to IST landed @1615 (9 hr layover)
Turkish – IST to HRG Landed @ 0300

Private shuttle from HRG to Port Ghalib Marsa Alam.- arrived 0600

We stayed at the Siva Port Ghalib all inclusive. Hotel was nice, the food was inedible. If I was to do it all over again, I would have stayed in Hurghada both times @ the Marriot.

Note: Prepare yourself to feel boxed in on those tiny seats on Turkish Air – I am only 5’10” and I just about had an anxiety attack and had to go stand in the back of the plane for a few hours.