Suez Canal & Agaba

Planning a cruise through the Suez Canal with a port stop in Agaba in May. Does this sound like it could be a bit dangerous considering what is going on right now? My husband is a bit concerned about that part of the world and I am trying to ease his anxiety. Anyone with experiences you would care to share? I'm up for the excitement. OK, I live a dull life. :D

Jemnibabe in S. Florida

We did that trip in November on the Celebrity Constellation and really enjoyed it. Petra is not to be missed.

As far as what's going on and danger, the cruise lines will not go someplace that's really bad. Note they don't go to Istanbul anymore. We found the people in Jordan to be very friendly. Taking everyday precautions, I wouldn't pass up the trip.

One of the most interesting cruises I've taken was from Genoa to Dubai on the old Costa Europa back in December 2007. The passage through the canal kept me out on deck almost the entire time while the excursion to Petra from Aqaba is tops. Cruise lines don't stop in Yemen anymore for obvious reasons but back then they offered the two day Overland Al Hudayda to Sanaa and then down to Aden. I'll never forget it. In any case in March I'll be on the MSC Fantasia from Dubai up to Genoa with the Aqaba port call and canal passage. Really looking forward to doing it again!

Planning a cruise through the Suez Canal with a port stop in Agaba in May. Does this sound like it could be a bit dangerous considering what is going on right now? My husband is a bit concerned about that part of the world and I am trying to ease his anxiety. Anyone with experiences you would care to share? I'm up for the excitement. OK, I live a dull life. :D

We stopped in Aqaba in May for a day tour. The tour bus had a police officer in it. We had no problems, but I did not trust the competency of the guy who was the cop.

After the organized tour, we did a brief taxi tour that we arranged by going to the taxi rank at the town square. This was the most scary part of the trip, as two taxicab drivers had a huge argument over us. It ended up OK, but I would advise anyone against just going to the rank and finding a taxi.