tiyana4

On 5/17/2023 at 8:02 AM, sailing.duo said:

Hello fellow cruisers!  My name is Kayla, my husband is Devin and we are originally from Virginia.  Avid cruisers, but this will be our first transatlantic.  We have been living in Europe for a little while, so we're using this cruise to get back to the US.  Much more pleasant than a flight 😁

 

We are a bit slow to planning this time, but if anyone else is looking for a private tour in Ponta Delgada, Azores, here's the one we have planned.  I've been emailing with Sarah Santos, the owner of Harmony Trail Azores, a family-owned company for a 5-6 hour tour of the island.  Devin and I are are most interested in spending some time at the spectacular viewpoints for the crater, the blue and green lakes, and visiting Sete Cidades.  So, if that sounds similar to what you'd like to do and you don't currently have anything booked, let us know!  You can email me directly at perduekn@gmail.com if you'd like.  Sarah offers a private, small group tour, at least 2 people, no more than 7 guests for 250 Euros, divided among everyone.  She said that if we had cloudy weather and the visibility is low, she knows beautiful areas to visit.  Thanks for reading, see you on the ship 😊

Hi Kayla, 

I haven't scheduled anything yet and would love to be part of your group, if possible. I will email you directly.. 

Thanks, 

Angie

I wonder if they will offer a Dubai roundtrip itinerary as a replacement. 🤔

Given the success of Carnival's Early Saver program, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Carnival Corporation decides to implement some form of this program across all their lines. It would offer great low rates and/or OBC for the cruiser who books early and a locked in deposit for Princess.

This thread is making me want to book another cruise to Alaska.

OP - I am so excited for you...first cruise and to Alaska no less!!!

Enjoy!

Who dug this one out of the archives from 2006?

See post above...

DGP - You win the prize for the absolute BEST opening for a review!!!!! What a great opening post!!!

LOVE IT!!! We don't sail the Epic until next year but I am loving your review and your pics.

No kidding! On the Triumph a couple years ago.....quite ignorant couple dipping their toddler in the hot tub after messing his diaper!!!! WTH!

Double ewwww!!!!

This is as bad as the teenager whose parent told her to rinse her infected, bleeding toe in the hot tub. :eek: Just gross!

Artwork on LOS:

What the ...? :eek: Who told RCI this was art? Hilarious!

I think you win!

I think you're right! :D

My most shocking experience was in the aft pool hot tubs on the Splendor. There was a couple that was making out well I guess that wasn't enough for them and they proceeded to......well let's just say "get it on" right there in the hot tub.:eek: I wish I could tell you it was just a hot tub remake of the "When Harry Met Sally" "O" sceen but when the noises and movements started I was out of that hot tub as fast as I could move. By the time I found a Carnival employee they were gone. It moments like this that, as hard as you might try, never leave your brain.

This is a great reminder never to use the hot tubs. Ewwww!

We did this cruise on the Freedom just 4 months ago. In fact, we had the same tour operators and went to many of the same places. Thanks for the great pics! I'll bet it was amazing to see the Star going thru the canal. That would have been priceless to see!

This thread was very helpful in the planning phase for our trip to Egypt. I wanted to report back after a wonderful trip with Ramses. I will say that the initial booking was quick and painless, but we did encounter a hiccup just two weeks before sailing.

During this time we reached out to Memphis Tours who were very responsive. I wouldn't dismiss Memphis as an alternative but I will say their prices were higher and they had different choices in hotels (probably because of the late notice). They also required 25% of the tour cost upfront. As the tour organizer, I did not feel comfortable fronting money for 12 people so I went back to Ramses. Everything worked out. In fact it went better than expected. I hope everyone else has as great a trip as we did!

Here is our review.

There are several Mohammeds..what was your guide's last name, please? We are set with a "Mohammed" and don't want a smoking one!! Thanks, Sherry

Sherry, I'm sure there are a ton of Mohammeds in Egypt. "Our" Mohammed did not smoke, nor did the driver. I would simply ask Ramses for a nonsmoking guide and driver.

We're not booked with Ramses, but the question of a tip is something I've been puzzling over.

 

In another thread, I came across this post:

 

I was thinking that since the price of the hotel is included, a tip of perhaps $100 for the guide and $60 for the driver would be generous, and is well above the 8%-10% mentioned above, but maybe I'm off-base? Or is haggling over the tip something to be expected no matter how generous you are?:confused:

That was my post. I wouldn't stress too much. Whatever you decide to tip is fine. The tipping amount should be based on the level of service provided not what the guide thinks is appropriate. Just take what you plan to tip and put it separately from your spending money. That way when it comes time to pay/tip, there is no question of more. Our tour guide was halfway off the bus and we literally had to tell him to wait because we had a tip for him. No haggling...only appreciative. This is the first I have heard about a guide or driver actually requesting a larger tip. Tacky IMO.

Can you tell us the guide Mohammed's last name and the name of the driver? Also, in my correspondence with Ramses, I was told that I could pay at the end of the tour, allowing me to go to the ship to get the money. The unairconditioned van and smokers in the van is very disturbing, so I will be contacting Ramses about these issues today.

 

Thanks again

dog:)

Dog, check to make sure they understand that your plan is to return to the ship afterwards to get your money. Typically what "pay at the end of the tour" means is giving the money to your guide/driver at the port BEFORE heading back to the ship. In our case, the guide was dropped off outside the port, so going back to the ship first was not an option. Not to mention it could easily take 20-30 minutes or more (imagine everyone returning at the same time) to go through the terminal, through security, to your cabin and back. From their perspective, I would be very leery about someone returning once they are on the ship, and would hate to have to wait an additional 30 minutes after the tour is over when they could be on their way home to their families...kinda unfair to them. Just make sure there is no confusion.

If you are concerned about A/C in the vehicle, this may be something you want to inquire about as well. We had a nicely air-conditioned minibus/van based on our group size.

We are sailing on the Pacific Princess in Mid May and currently have a group of 7 it appears. We were considering the Albaraa Group but they want payment up front when they pick you up and am a little concerned to pay and then have them not show up for day 2 and being high and dry in Cairo. Another thing is that a driver apparently picks you up and the guide joins in Cairo. Is that the way it works with Ramses too or is the guide there to visit and share on the drive from Port Said?

I do not blame you for not wanting to give them money upfront. When we were having doubts about Ramses we contacted Memphis tours. They were very responsive, and had an itinerary and hotel choices ironed out for us literally overnight. The bump in the road came when they wanted a 25% deposit for everyone in my group (12 pp) upfront. So we went back to Ramses...glad we did.

Our ship docked in Alexandria but our guide did not meet us at the port. It was only our driver. We did not pick up the guide until we exited the port area. He mentioned that he could not go into the port area, we didn't ask him why. Many of the other tour buses had their guides meet them inside the port. It may be different in Port Said, but we dropped our guide off outside the port area at the end of Day 2.

Thanks so much for your posts. Very helpful.

I checked my correspondence and it shows Included and Not Included as you say.

 

ie:

Include:

 

>  Mineral water on board the vehicle during the tour

>

>

> Exclude:

>  Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary

>  Tipping Kitty

 

I'm booked withe Ramsestours.com and I am wondering if some others reporting on this thread are talking about the other Ramses company.

You are welcome.

I didn't realize there was a second company (.com vs. .net) until I read reviews on Trip Advisor. I wonder how many people give good/bad reviews to the wrong company. If I were Ramses, I would definitely want to distinguish myself from a tour operator with the exact same name, unless they are one and the same. Hmmm. :confused:

You were supposed to have free water in your vehicle. We certainly did, and that is clearly the meaning of the Ramses statement about water being available in your vehicle. As you point out in a later comment, the "extras" for which you have to pay are listed by Ramses, and water in the vehicle is NOT one of them. I think the driver was trying to supplement his income.

 

As for the armed guards thing, this is a really misleading part of Ramses' web site. During one of my emails setting up a tour with them earlier this year, I asked about this, and they said the guards only accompany the big bus tours, not their small vans. Frankly, Ramses ought to take this down or change it to something that's more accurate. (We felt perfectly safe, by the way.)

 

Glad you enjoyed your tour.

Thanks for chiming in. I thought that was the case with the water. That's why these boards are so informative. Hopefully, it will help someone on a future trip. I've heard conflicting stories about the water since we returned. One group was only allowed one bottle per person and after that were charged a fee. In our case none were free; whereas yours were. So I guess it just depends. Now others know to challenge it if it happens to them.

BTW, I figured as much with the security. There was only one motorcycle escort at the port and I never saw him once we left the port. You're right, the security information on the website is a big misconception and should be updated to reflect the correct info. I hope you enjoyed your tour with Ramses.

It's so exciting planning this cruise!:)

 

Can you tell me, which tour number did you take?

It was Tour Option 1 - Overnight

Quote:"Disappointments:

· Bottled water on our bus/van was not free. The driver charged $1 per bottle, resulting in only one or two people purchasing it. Based on the details of our itinerary, we were expecting the water to be complimentary.

 

· The 3-hour travel trip to/from Cairo was not in a convoy with security as promised. We only had our driver and tour guide, no armed guard accompanied us. We also traveled on the highway unescorted. To the driver’s credit, he got us there and back safely although the traffic was hair raising! "end quote

 

Thanks so much for the review. Really appreciate it.:)

 

What did the driver/guide say when you showed them the agreed upon correspondence about the mineral water while on tour being included and the convoy with armed guards traveling to Cairo?

 

Like you, I would expect to get what is promised. It sounds like you had a good tour and I thank you again for sharing.

 

dog:)

 

 

Hi Dog,

We did enjoy our tour. When asked about the water our guide just shrugged his shoulders. Our itinerary stated the following:

"Mineral water on board the vehicle during the tour"

I guess this could be read two ways: We will provide water on the vehicle (but it's not free), or water will be provided on the vehicle (at no cost). We took it to mean the latter. There was a section of exclusions at the end of our quoted itinerary, but water was not excluded. Perhaps I should have asked for clarity, but it was misleading to say the least. Rather than argue the point, our group made a bigger statement by simply not purchasing water.

With regard to security, this is from Ramses' website:

Security is provided by the Egyptian Government to ALL tours. This can be in the form of a security officer accompanying the group, or a police car preceeding the van. It depends on the Egyptian Police arrangment. Tourism is one of the major incomes to Egypt. So, the government always makes sure that passengers feel safe and are well protected whether with the cruise line tours or any other agency.

Here's the link: http://www.ramsestours.com/egypt-shore-excursions/shore-faq/

Now we did see quite a few vehicles on the highway that were transporting cruise passengers, but they were not in succession, and weren't being led by a police escort. Still a great tour.

Thanks for taking the time to post your review, it is really informative and it is helping me plan my trip.

 

Doug

Thanks, Doug.

I am not much for posting reviews, but this was such an important visit for us (top ten on our bucket list) that I wanted to share our great experience.

Here is our review of Ramses' Overnight Tour:

After a number of very disappointing emails just weeks prior to departing for our cruise, I have to say that Ramses came through for our group of 12 people. We initially booked in spring 2010, and later added a few more people in August. All seemed to be going well until two weeks prior to departure when I (the group leader) received an urgent email stating there were no rooms available to our group at either the Oberoi Mena House or the Le Meridien. Imagine my disappointment and frustration. We were offered other hotels (Sheraton and Marriott) but I decided to hold out for the original hotels agreed upon at booking. Unfortunately, it appeared that Oberoi Mena House hotel overbooked leaving Ramses’ hands tied, but Le Meridien was able to accommodate everyone in our group.

We arrived at the port just before 7 AM as scheduled. The ship was not cleared until 7:20 AM. There were only one or two port officials checking for visas (no fault of Ramses) which caused delays exiting the ship. Once off the ship, Ramses was there waiting for us with signs and had numerous groups booked for private tours (probably 1/4 - 1/3 of the ship, if not more). Due to fog, we were unable to leave the port until 9:30 AM. Again, this was no fault of Ramses. Port officials made the decision to delay departures for the safety of the passengers; including those on ship sponsored tours. Upon leaving the port, we picked up our guide, Mohammed. We later discovered that it was also Election Day, which caused further traffic delays, but eventually we made it to Cairo.

Day 1

We drove the 3+ hours to Cairo. We stopped at a rest stop halfway to Cairo. There are bathrooms available (fees apply) and a bakery and drink counter. If your trip is delayed, this is a good place to get something to eat to tie you over until lunch which may be as late as 2 pm depending on your itinerary. The tour guide adjusted the schedule to make up for the time lost at the beginning of Day 1. I thought this was a great idea as it allowed us to see everything on our itinerary, just in reverse.

We then moved on to our first site, the Citadel and the Mosque of the Muhammad Ali. Removal of shoes is required upon entering the mosque, or you can purchase shoe coverings for $1 or $2 each set. We went inside the mosque and were given the history and insight on the culture. Outside the mosque, there is an amazing panoramic view of the city’s skyline. The vendors here are very pushy and will impose on you while you attempt to take photos. After the mosque and Citadel, we had lunch at a restaurant right on the Nile River. This was followed by a leisurely Nile River cruise. This mode of transportation was surreal and totally unexpected. We rejoined our driver and visited the Egyptian Museum. I wished for more time here but as the museum closed early, we saw the highlights and were left to explore on our own, prior to going to the gift shop. The Egyptian Museum is a treasure not to be missed.

We left the museum and drove directly to the Light & Sound show at the pyramids in Giza. It was a mad dash to cover the distance, but our driver got us there just as the 6:30 show began. It gets chilly in the desert, so if you are cold natured you may want to take a jacket. The show lasted roughly 20-25 minutes. DD and I enjoyed the show and thought it was something you should experience once. It’s very similar to the light show given at Chichen Itza with the pyramids there. We were then taken to our hotel for the evening. It took some time to get us checked in, but the rooms were nicely laid out and well worth it.

Le Meridien hotel was wonderful and many in our group had balconies and pyramid view rooms. The bathrooms were luxurious (unique shower), the breakfast was very well laid out, the view from the room was great, and the poolside bar looked inviting. DD and I wanted a local dining experience so we ate in the lovely courtyard at Felfela (watch out for the stray cats though). We spent less than $40 for two dinners, dessert, and drinks. Others in our group ate at either Mena House, the Tex Mex restaurant onsite, or the restaurant bar. We then retired for the evening.

Day 2

We arose in time to have a delicious breakfast in the elegant dining room at the hotel. There was a nice selection of breakfast items but we had to rush in order to be ready by 7:30 when our guide and driver arrived at the hotel to pick us up. We began our day in Memphis visiting the statues of Ramses and a smaller version of the Sphinx. We were literally among the first to arrive. It didn’t take long to get through this site. There are a few souvenir stands here. After this visit, off we went to Sakkara to see the step pyramids. There are vendors here as well. We left Sakkara and headed to Giza. Finally….the pyramids.

We stopped at the Great Pyramid first and climbed up the first section to take photos. We then went to the site near the camel rides where we could take photos of all the pyramids in a row. We took numerous photos thanks to our guide. Camel rides followed this (thoroughly enjoyable) before moving on to the Sphinx. The vendors here are downright rude! They will follow you around harassing you even after telling them you don’t want to buy anything. My advice, buy your souvenirs before you get here or be prepared!!! This was a major turnoff for those in our group.

We stopped for a leisurely lunch in the city. The restaurant was a nice outdoor restaurant where they cooked fresh bread and whole, rotisserie-style chickens right there for all to see. They literally served half chickens along with a wide variety of side dishes. After dining, we briefly stopped at a souvenir store before heading back to Alexandria.

Our last stop was the library in Alexandria. We had enough time to photograph the exterior of the library, take a few snapshots of the Mediterranean, group photos along the waterfront, and watch the sun partially set over the Mediterranean. What an adventure! I’m sure there are some details I missed, but our days went by in a whirlwind.

Disappointments:

· Bottled water on our bus/van was not free. The driver charged $1 per bottle, resulting in only one or two people purchasing it. Based on the details of our itinerary, we were expecting the water to be complimentary.

· The 3-hour travel trip to/from Cairo was not in a convoy with security as promised. We only had our driver and tour guide, no armed guard accompanied us. We also traveled on the highway unescorted. To the driver’s credit, he got us there and back safely although the traffic was hair raising!

· There was very limited shopping on the itinerary we chose because we preferred to see more of the sites. We did stop at a commercial store but there wasn’t much here that held our interest. If you want to shop, I suggest building a bazaar/shopping stop into your itinerary and skipping the stop here. My group would have appreciated a bazaar much more. Thankfully, the ship excursions were late returning to the port and the bazaar at the pier allowed us to do all the shopping we needed. Due to harassment by vendors at the sites, we didn’t get to do much shopping. Vendors in the Caribbean can’t hold a candle to these aggressive vendors.

Pleasant Surprises

·As promised, the Egyptologist was very informative and his English was very good. He was

also very personable and I felt that he truly bonded with our group.

·Our guide, Mohammed, took multiple photos for everyone in our group and individual

photos as well.

·Our guide arranged for the camel handlers to take our photos while riding. We were

apprehensive about relinquishing our camera equipment but the handlers took fantastic

photos and DD and I tipped them 20 LE each (I later learned $1 USD would have sufficed).

In looking at my collection of photos later, the handler earned every penny.

Summary

Overall, Ramses did a fantastic job given the amount of people who opted for private tours from the ship. Aside from the three things mentioned, I have nothing but positive things to say. While these things did not have a negative impact on our trip, I just wish we had known beforehand. I highly recommend Ramses and Mohammed, if he is available. He has a great sense of humor and our group just loved him! We received a quality tour at a great rate. It was definitely worth every penny!

We are doing the Cairo overnight tour with Ramses in January. It is $220 pp. I am just wondering what a base range for a tip is. I know that tipping is subjective, but what would be considered a decent gratuity for this kind of tour? I put money back for everything we do so I wanted to figure out what to budget. Thanks.

I generally ask the tour operator for specific tipping info. I got this response directly from Ramses:

As for tipping kitty, it is really up to your satisfaction, and how much you appreciate the service. Average of 8-10% of the tour price (that is a suggestion guide)

I have posted this question elsewhere on the boards, but thought I would post it here as well.

Has anyone received an urgent message from Ramses regarding overbooked hotel rooms within a month of their sailing? We are little over three weeks out from our stop in Alexandria and are just being notified that the rooms we booked 6 months prior are not available. The rooms were confirmed back in May. We have been corresponding with them since earlier in the year and always received timely responses.

So this is the first time since Feb 2009 we return to sail Princess... I emailed Liza at her old email address and left a message on her voice mail California time 9:30am.

 

She called me back California time 3pm, informing me the email needs to be sent to shareholderbenefit@princesscruises.com. It will take 3 to 5 business days to process the request. I told her I used the note written down in my "cruise file" for her old email address. She said I need to read shareholder annual report... Somehow, she does not sound as nice as in previous occasions I contacted her on the same subject. Granted it was almost 2 years ago.

 

She sounds a bit cold despite being polite. I suppose that she knows the price we paid is very low, but it is not a Flash that much I know because our agent told me we qualified for an agency credit of $75. Our agent said Flash sale does not get agency credit. Well, if it is not Flash, then we are entitled to the shareholder credit benefit...

 

I asked her whether fax would be quicker. She said No. I asked that would it be enough time for our Oct 9 sailing which we just purchased Saturday night. She said Yes as she is now still processing for Sept sailings.

 

I cannot believe that we are now on Sept 20 and Liza is still processing passengers sailing in the upcoming 10 days...

I will say that I have never had much of a delay (24-36 hour max) in getting the confirmation. I'm sure she is just bombarded with requests and she may be overwhelmed. I don't think she has any way of knowing the price you paid unless you submitted your actual cruise confirmation. She's only one person....give her time.

[quote name=aldeya;25434226

here we go again. Political correctness at its finest. Sara' date=' we do "honestly think about themselves and others".

But can we just enjoy a review without comments like this? Geez.....

+1

This was a great thread otherwise.

Mike,

So glad you and your family had such a great time on the Epic. Thanks for providing such a thorough and enjoyable review! We are definitely looking forward to sailing the Epic in the future.

In essence, cruises are like layaway plans. Your deposit serves as your downpayment and any subsequent payments you make are contributed to the outstanding balance. This of course is if you are booking far enough in advance to make payments. We generally book at least 12 months out so that we have plenty of time to save up for airfare, excursions, etc. in addition to paying off the cruise in full by final payment. If you are booking at less than 3 months out, you will need to pay pretty much in full.