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Nile River Cruise with Viking


HOB8501
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I am new to the board and looking for information. I did search but couldn't really find much. Hope someone can help. I just booked a Nile River cruise for March 2017 with Viking. Can anyone tell me if they have gone with Viking? What can I expect on this cruise? Thanks

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I am new to the board and looking for information. I did search but couldn't really find much. Hope someone can help. I just booked a Nile River cruise for March 2017 with Viking. Can anyone tell me if they have gone with Viking? What can I expect on this cruise? Thanks

 

Can't help you with Viking questions, but we did Nile and Lake Nasser with Vantage, so I can help you with questions about Egypt in general. :)

Edited by Hydrokitty
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I lived in Saudia Arabia during the 80s for five years and traveled to Egypt twice.

Did a Nile cruise for five days, it was wonderful.

 

Times have changed since then and even though the environment has improved somewhat since Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was deposed in 2013 by the current government, the people that I talk (Middle East experts), advice that there are significant risks with travel to Egypt.

 

Yes, tours are protected by armed guards. However, the radicals are targeting tourists. Since, the number of foreign tourists going to Egypt have dropped significantly, tourists tend to stand out.

 

Sure, percentages favor no attack on you, if you go there. However, there is a risk.

 

The same thing is starting in Turkey, with terrorists targeting tourists.

 

I would love to take my DW to see Egypt, but the risk is too great, in my opinion.

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We are heading to Egypt in March, but not with Viking.

 

Most of lines we know and love on this forum only do the short cruises between and around Luxor and Aswan, with Cairo being hotel based.

 

We wanted the 'old' Nile experience of the full cruise from Cairo to Aswan and all the points in between that you don't otherwise see.

 

Fortunately the Swiss Hotel group Mövenpick have a small number of cruise ships on the Nile and run a limited number of 'long Nile' cruises each year.

 

We considered the security situation and while not perfect, it is better than it has been and may be better right now than it is going to be, so we see this as a window of opportunity that may not come again for a while.

 

Although our cruise is not on Viking, we did use them in both China and Vietnam/Cambodia so we may be able to help with general Viking queireis.

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We are heading to Egypt in March, but not with Viking.

 

Most of lines we know and love on this forum only do the short cruises between and around Luxor and Aswan, with Cairo being hotel based.

 

We wanted the 'old' Nile experience of the full cruise from Cairo to Aswan and all the points in between that you don't otherwise see.

 

Fortunately the Swiss Hotel group Mövenpick have a small number of cruise ships on the Nile and run a limited number of 'long Nile' cruises each year.

 

We considered the security situation and while not perfect, it is better than it has been and may be better right now than it is going to be, so we see this as a window of opportunity that may not come again for a while.

 

Although our cruise is not on Viking, we did use them in both China and Vietnam/Cambodia so we may be able to help with general Viking queireis.

 

Mark,

I wish you a safe trip.

In my opinion, taking the long cruise all the way to Aswan from Cairo is a waste. Yes, there are things to see that the other cruises don't visit, but the extra cost and time is just not worth it.

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In my opinion, taking the long cruise all the way to Aswan from Cairo is a waste. Yes, there are things to see that the other cruises don't visit, but the extra cost and time is just not worth it.

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but happily for us, we disagree.

 

The cost difference was minimal and time spent on a ship instead of at my desk is always worth it :)

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I am new to the board and looking for information. I did search but couldn't really find much. Hope someone can help. I just booked a Nile River cruise for March 2017 with Viking. Can anyone tell me if they have gone with Viking? What can I expect on this cruise? Thanks

 

.

 

Yes, tours are protected by armed guards. However, the radicals are targeting tourists. Since, the number of foreign tourists going to Egypt have dropped significantly, tourists tend to stand out.

 

Sure, percentages favor no attack on you, if you go there. However, there is a risk.

 

 

I did a Nile River Cruise several years ago; however, it was not on Viking.

So, my input does not pertain to Viking; it is general info on Egypt.

 

Yes, we had armed guards on all of our Tour Buses.

Armed guards on the train to Alexandra and a military escort back when we were on the return bus to Cairo.

 

There was a machine gun mounted on the Aft Sun Deck of the boat

Two armed guards manned the weapon.

Quite frankly, they were a joke.

We "rafted" with two other boats one night;

Woke up the next morning, went up to the Sun Deck and

found six guys sleeping. Woke them up and they said "Hey Joe, want picture

of you with the machine gun got $1.00".

 

After spending two weeks in Egypt I came to one conclusion.

 

Every one in Egypt wants a tip.

Saw the palm of more hands

than I could count.

 

Two tips:

DO NOT drink the water. Bottled water only.

TP is stolen from the Rest Rooms and "sold'" back to you.

Take your own.

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I fear the OP will be getting worried at this point.

 

Do please ask and questions you may have, although none of us it seems have taken the cruise you plan to be on with the same line there is a wealth of experience around here on Viking, and it seems on Egypt so between the two I'm sure we can help :)

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HOB8501,

 

We plucked our courage and booked a mid-January Nile cruise with Uniworld after reading reviews by David The Wonderer and WendyTheWanderer. Although they were on Uniworld, I would imagine their experience might be of interest to you.

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It was 2009 when I was in Egypt and we did a land and cruise tour through Trafalgar. We had the same tour guide throughout, but all transportation, tours, etc., were with an Egyptian tour company. At the time we were told that all tours had to be with Egypt companies, so Trafalgar had to book everything with an Egyptian company. I imagine the same applies now and Viking must do the same.

 

We had a wonderful time and were booked to go back in 2011 due to start just two weeks before the revolution. Needless to say, we had to cancel.

 

Do you know the name of the ship you will be on? If so, you could do a search on it and see if there are any reviews online, not necessarily Cruise Critic reviews. Egypt is awesome. You should have a great time, but do get a lot of smaller bills for tips. When we went, they loved getting $1 American, but I don't know if that is still the case.

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Honestly, I don't know how much sway Viking would have over anyone else. Viking charters its cruises from Mayfair cruises and Steigenberger, much like the practice is in China. The only part Viking is actually involved in is the booking. They may or may not have a couple liaison employees aboard ship.

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The only part Viking is actually involved in is the booking. They may or may not have a couple liaison employees aboard ship.

 

The ship is only part of the tour though and although you could have said the same thing about our Vietnam/Cambodia tour as well as the China trip we were on with Viking, although the ships and the crew are chartered, you never feel that it is anything other than a Viking experience.

 

The Viking reps stayed with us for the whole trip, in both cases and I'd expect the same in Egypt. Even though local guides were used along the way, the main tour guides were always there enduring everyone was fine and felt safe and appreciated.

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I have spent maybe 6 weeks in Egypt over several trips {almost to the Libyan border (Siwa), the Sudanese border (Abu Simbal), to the Med, to the Red Sea, to the Canal, etc}.. Mostly on the local economy. I have been to well over 100 countries and found places in Egypt that were VERY impressive. Try not to judge Egypt by the tourist crowd scrum; most of Egypt is very gracious, generous and amazingly honest (BUT "business is business" so don't be taken in by your new BF). The tourist touts actually served me well: if I said that I was willing to look at "their" hotel, they first took me to the one I had in mind (where they also probably got a commission) and then "theirs". Never felt hassiled.

 

Are there risks in going to Egypt: sure. Are there risks in going to Washington, NY, London, Paris - again sure. GO!!! I don't think you'll regret it. Say "Hi" to Karnack for me; I hope to be back.

 

Thom

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We did a private 2 week tour of Egypt and Jordan with another couple last February with Memphis Tours. We had an armed guard plus a guide with us most of the time. As part of the tour we did a 4 day Nile cruise on the Sonesta Moon Goddess. The whole trip was fabulous.

Edited by Viv0828
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We had an armed guard with us when we did Egypt and Jordan in 2009....our bags were x-rayed every time we went into the hotel and every time the bus pulled up and before we left the parking lot the driver and our guard would get out with what looked a lot like the selfie stick and looked under the bus. This was set in place at the time by the Tourism Bureau of Egypt following the attack on German tourists at the Pyramids. Our trip, like yours, was absolutely fabulous and we felt very safe. Even then however, we avoided places where there were confined crowds, like the main bazaar and we rarely went out on our own...although some did and had no problems. It' interesting, in a Muslim culture there is very little theft or crime of course they have baksheesh, which is like legal robbery! :D But I loved the people, they were so friendly and kind to us and so very glad that we came. IMHO you are no more at risk in Egypt than in any other country, big city or shopping mall. It's a different world and we just have to get used to it I guess.

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This story relates to personal safety in Egypt. I will admit that this took place in 1983, but based on what I hear about the country, this should still raise some eyebrows.

 

On my first trip to Egypt, I flew in for a weekend on my way from leave in the USA on my way to Saudi Arabia, where I worked for the US Army.

 

 

I was alone and had reserved a room at the Nile Hilton in downtown Cairo. The airport is some miles from downtown. I waited for a taxi, got in to a large Mercedes-Benz Sedan and the taxi driver proceeded to exit the airport, but first he had to sign out at a security station with the local police. He had to give the police his taxi registration, personal ID and state where we were going. Also, I provided my passport and confirmed our destination.

 

The taxi ride into Cairo was the most frightening car ride that I ever had in my entire life. There are few streetlights in Egypt and whoever arrives first at the intersection honks and if he honks first, he has right of way. We had several near collisions. Fortunately, my taxi was a larger vehicle than most. We did arrive safely at the Nile, Hilton.

 

After arriving in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I asked a couple of my Egyptian friends that worked for the US Army about the process that the taxi had to go through to exit the airport.

 

The Egyptians told me that the process was to protect tourist from being taken out to the desert, murdered, raped or just left there to die, after being robbed. Apparently, several cases had taken place like this. I was told certain things about Egypt.

 

Half the people there live in homes that have mud or dirt floors. The majority of Egyptians are illiterate. Most were honest, but poverty was very high and crime was a concern for tourists. I was told not to wander in strange area on my own, especially at night.

 

I have been to Egypt twice and loved the people there as well as all the ancient wonders that I saw.

 

However, it is not Europe and it is not even Mexico, which has a far higher standard of living.

 

Also, I was told not to eat at restaurants outside of a four or five star restaurant, nor drink and beverage handed to me that was not a sealed bottle. Further, never to eat food sold from street vendors.

 

Now, terrorism is more of a concern. While, many will tell you it was great, terrorism is more of a concern and when I visited Egypt.

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Well, the good news is that on an organized and guided tour such as the one the OP is taking (assuming they haven't been frightened away yet :) ) none of those particular risks are going to be left open for them to stumble into.

 

The guides Viking has used everywhere I've been so far have been great at covering all the street food, water, restaurant and other warnings as well as never leaving people to fend for themselves regarding transport and always arranging reliable and safe options for guests who want to venture away from the group.

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The taxi ride into Cairo was the most frightening car ride that I ever had in my entire life. There are few streetlights in Egypt and whoever arrives first at the intersection honks and if he honks first, he has right of way. We had several near collisions. Fortunately, my taxi was a larger vehicle than most. We did arrive safely at the Nile, Hilton.

 

Half the people there live in homes that have mud or dirt floors. The majority of Egyptians are illiterate. Most were honest, but poverty was very high and crime was a concern for tourists. I was told not to wander in strange area on my own, especially at night.

 

I have been to Egypt twice and loved the people there as well as all the ancient wonders that I saw.

 

Also, I was told not to eat at restaurants outside of a four or five star restaurant, nor drink and beverage handed to me that was not a sealed bottle. Further, never to eat food sold from street vendors.

 

Now, terrorism is more of a concern. While, many will tell you it was great, terrorism is more of a concern and when I visited Egypt.[/quote

 

I think there's a HUGE difference between traveling to Egypt alone and going with an organized tour group. But one thing that hasn't changed since 1983 is the traffic!! We were in a modern coach and I counted 6 lanes of traffic going each way on a 4 lane road!! There were traffic lights, but no one looked at them...and there was a fender bender (you can't do much damage when the fastest speed is about 5 MPH) right next to our bus. This is what happened: Both drivers got out of their cars and started yelling at each other with much arm waving. Then others who had seen the accident got out and started yelling and arm waving...this lasted 2-3 minutes and then everyone got back in their car and drove away! Our hotel was across the street from the Nile and there was a beautiful shaded walk along the river. DH and I wanted to walk along the river and asked the concierge for the best place to cross the street, he said: "Oh no, Madam, you cannot cross the road you will be killed"!

 

It's true there was a lot of poverty in Egypt in 2009 when we were there but the people were friendly, hard-working and welcoming. We didn't go to the bazaar (I don't like crowded closed in places) but I never felt insecure. When we were there we were told that crimes against women, especially tourists, were dealt with seriously and penalties were severe. I'm not saying nobody tried to "rob" us....they did, everywhere we went....but they weren't forcibly taking our money, they were just very persistent in getting you to buy stuff! :D

And everyone expects to be tipped whether it's for directions or toilet paper!

 

Absolutely, NEVER buy water from a street vendor and be very careful where and what you eat in Egypt. Their standards of sanitation are strictly third world...and they think nothing of picking up empty water bottles, filling them with water from a hose (directly taken from the Nile) gluing the cap back on and selling it to tourists the next day! But the food in the restaurants was fabulous...we just ate only in places our guide took us to or recommended and no one got sick.

 

Of course terrorism is a big concern today, but I still don't think you're any more at risk in Cairo than you are in Paris or New York City.

Edited by Hydrokitty
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...I think there's a HUGE difference between traveling to Egypt alone and going with an organized tour group....
I absolutely agree. IMO it is far safer to travel alone. Terrorists are looking for publicity. Extremely little publicity in killing one person. LOTS of publicity in killing 50, and even better if that includes armed guards. (BTW the group of Germans were killed in Luxor, not Giza - I was at that temple a few weeks before that happened). I have had wonderful meals at small places all over Egypt (but I've also eaten at street stands in India:eek:). I trust something I can see being cooked more than I trust 5 stars.
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I looked at that cruise offered by Viking and it looks terrific. It looks like you will be visiting most of the major tourist sites in Egypt. I was there in 2009 and there was security at all of the sites. Some of the security was obvious and some not so obvious. I never felt my safety was in danger.

 

Touring Egypt was a bit of culture shock for me. Part of our tour with Trafalgar was a 7 day cruise on the Nile and it wasn’t unusual to see women washing clothes in the Nile while their house had a satellite dish mounted on the roof. Riding in a taxi wasn’t for the faint of heart and traffic in Cairo was a nightmare. For some reason I really enjoyed hearing the call to prayer ringing out from the minarets. Egypt was one of the most fascinating places I have ever visited.

 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~Mark Twain~

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I absolutely agree. IMO it is far safer to travel alone. Terrorists are looking for publicity. Extremely little publicity in killing one person. LOTS of publicity in killing 50, and even better if that includes armed guards. (BTW the group of Germans were killed in Luxor, not Giza - I was at that temple a few weeks before that happened). I have had wonderful meals at small places all over Egypt (but I've also eaten at street stands in India:eek:). I trust something I can see being cooked more than I trust 5 stars.

 

You are right of course, it was Luxor not Giza. You have a valid point about terrorists wanting to make the biggest splash they can with their killings, but in your previous post you were talking about tourists being waylaid into the desert to be robbed, raped, murdered or just left to fend for themselves..and while that's terrifying to be sure, it's also not a terrorist act it's a crime of opportunity. I would still rather be with a tourist group with an armed guard even if I am a bigger target for a terrorist.

 

You're braver than I am, Thom....I don't eat food off a street cart in New York, let alone India or Egypt!! But then, if you can eat MRE's you can eat anything! So said my Navy Dad and my Army DH and my 10th Mt. Son. :D

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Thanks for all your replies. Safety was the number one concern when deciding on this trip - but as someone said, your not safe anywhere anymore. I am looking forward to the trip and looking at the itinerary it looks like it's going to be on the go and non stop. Is there any down time to just relax? I just started researching so heard about the water (I guess that would include ice cubes in drinks too) and foods to avoid. Does this include in hotels and restaurants? What are some things I should bring, types of clothing, etc. As I do more research I will have many more questions I'm sure. Thanks for all your comments.

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We never drank tap water. We even brushed our teeth with bottled water - the hotels and Nile ship gave out water for that purpose. Tourist restaurants use filtered or bottled water so you can have ice in your drink at a reputable place.

 

If we bought something to drink while out and about, it was in a sealed bottle or can.

 

Have a great trip - Egypt is fantastic.

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We never drank tap water. We even brushed our teeth with bottled water - the hotels and Nile ship gave out water for that purpose. Tourist restaurants use filtered or bottled water so you can have ice in your drink at a reputable place.

 

If we bought something to drink while out and about, it was in a sealed bottle or can.

 

Have a great trip - Egypt is fantastic.

 

Never drink the tap water in Egypt. Don't drink anything unless it comes in a sealed bottle. Also, in a restaurant ask that the waiter open the bottle in front of you.

 

Don't even put your hand in the Nile, there are parasites that you would not want in your body.

Also, take a small roll of toilet paper if are away from your hotel or cruise ship.

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