My Anemone and the Egyptian Cruising Company

[buster243]

We booked a Red Sea Liveaboard, the My Anemone, in the fall of 2023, aware of Middle East issues but confident in Egypt's safety measures for tourists (we have been to Egypt in the past couple of years, but not on a liveaboard). After reading positive reviews on here about Egypt (not the ship), we felt secure. However, a week after full payment, Egyptian Cruising Company canceled due to low bookings.

We booked through liveaboard.com for leverage, knowing little about Egyptian Cruising beyond their listings. We chose the My Anemone for its newness and appeal. With airfare already purchased, we were committed to this timeframe. We asked liveaboard.com to switch us to the Aggressor, which had availability and seemed unlikely to cancel. It seems liveaboard.com has no clout at all.

Egyptian Cruising refused to refund us, offering instead a berth on the Bismarck, a ship brand new, with unknown ownership (so far), no website, no brochures, and limited photos. We reluctantly accepted, as forfeiting our payment wasn’t an option. We know a local dive company has chartered the Bismarck and has 20 bookings on the ship besides ours. We have talked with the owner of the dive shop directly.

If anyone has experience with this ship, operational since March 2024 so doubtful many people have even seen this ship, any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Learner Diver]

I would think the Egyptian operators would have a good crew aboard. Enjoy your dive. Cancellations, overbooking, and other determinants can and do effect our lives. The young at heart see the adventure through. Take out insurance if money is your main concern. Be observant at all times. Most tourists tend to relax and drop their guard while on vacation. I read three tourists died of heat stroke in Greece just recently. They underestimated the climate, terrain and their own capabilities.

 

[buster243]

I would think the Egyptian operators would have a good crew aboard. Enjoy your dive. Cancellations, overbooking, and other determinants can and do effect our lives. The young at heart see the adventure through. Take out insurance if money is your main concern. Be observant at all times. Most tourists tend to relax and drop their guard while on vacation. I read three tourists died of heat stroke in Greece just recently. They underestimated the climate, terrain and their own capabilities.

We hope it turns out well, but it’s going to be a challenge no matter what. We dislike the unknown, and this trip is almost completely unknown to us. In a world where information is usually immediate, this trip lacks any details except for what we've been told through emails.