Marie-Claude

4 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

The art tours seemed to have disappeared sadly.  

Sad indeed... it was a nice thing to do on a day at sea... not very demanding for them, and it just creates more appeal for the ship and its amenities... oh well!

Thanks everyone - very helpful!

One more question - last time I was there, we could borrow an I-Pod for a tour of all the pieces of art around the ship. I-Pod are antiquated now... so I'm wondering if the tour is still available maybe from an App??

It was really interesting to get a commentary on the various artwork found around the ship!

Thanks in avance!

MC

After doing about 30 cruises, I had to take a break from cruising (work and family) and I haven't been on a ship since 2013. But I'm back! I will be accompanying a group on the Rotterdam on June 27, 2020. My last cruise on the Rotterdam was in 2005... so 15 years later, I'm sure much has changed! I know the ship was refurbished in 2017, but 3 years can be long for a ship - is the Rotterdam still in good shape?

What are the new 'must see, must do'?

Yes, thank you. Do you know if it's only for new bookings, or can you upgrade an existing reservation?

We just did it for an existing reservation - we kept the same cabin and they reduce our price to the category below.

MC

I have a question regarding luggage delivery. Is that something that you do at the port/airport or should it be arranged/booked in advance?

Thanks for the help!

MC

Thanks EuroCruiser - that's a great guide. I'll make sure to print it and take it with me for our tour of Ravenna!!

MC

It's interesting to read all the recent reviews, and always expected that all experiences should not be equal. It's always difficult to judge a company by some specific experiences, but to me, it's a question of balance.

I would be very surprised to read 100% perfect reviews for a tour operator - that would be suspicious! Having travelled quite a bit, and cruised quite a bit, I have done dozens of shore tours privately, on my own, with local guides and with cruise sponsored tours as well. Some were great, some good, some bad.

I also believe it has a lot to do with the individuals more than the company!

But how I will judge a company is by their responsiveness to my needs before hands, and to my comments (positive or negative) during and after!

I also used Ramses a year ago and was most impressed with the pre-arrangements. But what I was most impressed with was their attentiveness during the tour. Their manager called a few times during the day to ensure all was to our satisfaction. I would have felt very comfortable mentionning anything that was not to our liking at that time, and feel they would have corrected it.

I strongly agree with Cruisemom42 when she says that we must be clear and upfront with our needs and expectations BEFORE so that the operator can have all the requirements to build a tour and provide an appropriate guide for us. Email can be deceptive as we have to read between the lines sometimes... By stating clearly what we want, like a guide with excellent English skills that can answer in depth questions about history, culture, art etc., the company would know to send an experienced guide! Also, you can certainly ask to speak to the manager during the day to check on your satisfaction level!

I sympathize with those who didn't have a good tour with Ramses, but I hope that it won't prevent people from booking with them, or even worse, cancel their bookings as we had a wonderful experience with them and look forward to repeat it next year!!

MC

... I don't understand how they can book hotels, etc. with no payment beforehand...

I wouldn't worry at all... it's not any different than when you book a hotel, you don't have to pay until you check out. You leave a credit card number as a guarantee, but payment isn't until departure.

Ramses is a tour operator and they have rooms allotment with several hotels.

They have built their reputation on guaranteeing shore ex passengers complete satisfaction and they did that by asking payment at the end of the tour should you not be completely satisfied. I think this goes to show that they have your well-being and satisfaction at heart.

I can only speak for my personal experience but I only have good things to say about Ramses, and all that was promised was delivered.

Have a great time in Egypt!!

MC

We did a tour in Cairo with Ramses last November, and even if it was supposed to be milder, we had 40C in Cairo during the day. So wearing layers is the best. I wore long pants, a t-shirt and a cotton wrap over it. When we were in the Citadel, it was so hot I had to walk around with my t-shirt and I did not feel out of place at all. Then, by the end of the day, when we went on a felucca ride on the nile, I wore my wrap as it got sligthly cooler.

I have very light hair, so I can relate to 'sticking out' in the crowd in Cairo!!! But I never felt weird - little kids would come up to me to touch my hair! Same thing happened in China - I thought it was cute!!!

MC

Hi Janina,

I guess it would depends on what you decide for your itinerary, and if you opt to do something at night. Some people opt to see the Soung & Light show at the Pyramids, so the Oberoi Mena House would be a great hotel and convenient for that. You can rest up at the end of your touring, clean up, then go to the show.

If you decide on the Dance and Dinner on the Nile, you may want to stay in Cairo, especially if your second day's visits and in the city (Museums, bazar, Citadel).

I think either choices have their advantages - I'd go with the one that is most convenient for your itinerary!!!

MC

Hello Janina!

I think the best thing for you is to look at the great advice given above, then at the tours offered by Ramses, then see if there are things that you would want to see and do differently and talk to Ramses to fit it into your itinerary.

I have been to Egypt twice, both time just for one day from Alexandria.

On our first visit, we went to the Gizah plateau, then down to the pyramids. We had lunch at a cafeteria right in front of the Sphinx. We then headed towards Saqqarah where we entered the tomb of a nobel man - amazing hyeroglyphs on the wall, then saw the Puramid of Djoser (Step pyramid). We then drove to Memphis, and finally went to a Cartouche and Papyrus Institute for a papyrus demo and to pick up jewelry. We then drove back to Alexandria.

On our second visit, we first went to Cairo Citadel to visit the Mohamed Ali Mosque, the museum. We then went to Coptic Cairo where we strolled this amazing Christian neighborhood and visited ancient churches. We had lunch at the Hard Rock, then went on a felucca ride on the Nile - what a fantastic way to end the day... so peaceful after the turmoil of the day in Cairo!!

I'm going back in November and this time we will visit the Museum and the Bazaar Khân al-Khalili. I'm also hoping to get to Dashur, but I'm not sure we'll have time for all that!!

But with two days, if you opt for staying overnight, you'll be able to do quite a bit, plus, you can have a night activity!!

I have to say that planning this with Georges and Mohamed from Ramses has always been to easy and pleasant. They provided great information, and suggestions! I've always been pleased with them and have booked again with Ramses for next November!

MC

After reading all the wonderful reviews we are going to book an overnight w/Ramses for our November cruise..Just the 2 of us (so far)

Which tour would any of you recommend...the one that includes Sakkara and Memphis or Coptic Cairo???

Thanks!

This really depends on which 'Egypt' you are most interested in - Sakkara and Memphis are of the Pharaonic Era, and Coptic Cairo is the Christian area, dating back to the birth of Christ, with some churches built on the old Roman fortress of Babylon - very different and both very interesting.

We visited the Pyramids, Sphinx, Saqqarah and Memphis on our first visit to Cairo, and on our second, we did Coptic and Islamic Cairo with a ride on the Nile.

MC

On our one-day tour to Cairo from Alexandria, we had lunch at the Hard Rock Café in the Hyatt on the Nile. I had inquired ahead of time where and when we would have lunch and was given the same answer as you.

I had also asked if we could get something a bit more 'local', but once there, I understood that a precise time and place might be difficult to commit to. Traffic is horrendous and depending on where you are in the city, it might be wiser to change plans.

Hard Rock Café has an 'Egyptian Food' all-you-can-eat buffet and that's what was included in the price of our tour. We had to pay for beverages. For a cola and a beer it was close to 20$. Food was OK at best. Our guide didn't eat that, he ordered a hamburger!! And that's what I would do next time. But by the time we got there (past 2h30) I was so hungry, that I would have eaten anything!!

But the location was great - we had a great view of the Nile and after lunch, we walked for 5 minutes to the Feluccas for our ride on the Nile, which was absolutely fantastic!!

MC

THanks floridatravelersforlife!

We did a day-tour to Cairo (from Alexandria) with Ramses last November and were extremely pleased with the service before and during the tour.

We are going back next November, this time with 2 stops (Port Said and Alexandria) - so we are looking at doing an overnight in Cairo to make it somewhat easier and allow us to enjoy the city at night.

My first question: Did you select the hotel or was it suggested and booked by Ramses? Marriott never seems to be in the usual recommendation, so did you book it yourself?

Second question: There were several not so great reviews of the Dinner cruise - knowing what you know now, would you book it again, or would you plan something else?

Thanks!

MC

Hi,

That was a great accounting you provided of your 2007 one day Ramses tour from the ship to Cairo and back. Was there a specific name for the tour??

Thanks in advance.

Ed d

I think this tour was called Best of Egypt!

The beauty with Ramses is that they can tailor the itinerary to what you want to do and see...

Hope your plans are coming along nicely!!

MC

Since Crown E231 was re-posted, here is a different perspective of same cabin number but on the Golden.

MC

Hi Kathy,

I can't tell you about overnight stays as we are only in Alexandria for one night.

But for the one-day tours, Azamara is typically charging 199$ for most tours per person on a large bus.

For a tour for just 2 of us, with a French speaking guide (which Az could not offer) I am paying half of that i.e. 100$. So you can imagine the savings if you have a larger group!!

If you are concerned about the vehicle, request a picture from the companies you will contact - I have done this for a larger group I have out of Bodrum. With the picture of the vehicle, I was able to decide that even if the vehicle holds 12 that we would limit our group size to 6 so that everyone had a comfy seat and a window!

As for tips, I understand that 10% for the driver and 15-20% for the guide seems to be the going rate. Of course, this is entirely dependent of your appreciation and quality of services!!

Hope this helps!

MC

To cruisers wanting to book with Ramses,

I had some concerns about 'what if the car breaks down...'. George from Ramses wrote me to say that they now have back up vehicles in case of a break-down, another coach would be available in minutes.

We'll be in Egypt in less than a month and I can't wait!! I'm sure we'll have such a great time in Cairo!!!

MC

MC,

I did with no results. I will try again and also look into another tour. It is a good thing I don't have to negotiate for a living. I would be unemployed.

Thanks

Rosie,

Make sure you are comparing apples to apples...

Sometimes people want to add stops, or a camel ride, or a felucca tour etc. and expect to pay the same price.

If you are comparing the same itineraries with same stops, for the sames services (same amount of people), I'm sure any tour operators would match the prices - Ramses included, as they have been more than collaborative in price negotiation!

Good luck!!

MC

Rosie,

Why not write an email to George at Ramses Travel and discuss that with him?

I have found out early in the booking process with Egyptian agencies that everything is negotiable... so you should negotiate!

And if you don't come to an agreement that is suitable to you, you always have the option of using another company!

But I would definitely contact George who has proven to be very flexible with many requests!

Good luck,

MC

Thanks teeniewahine!!

We also have a tour booked with Ramses and it includes lunch - but I would much rather have a quick lunch where all the action is rather than spend 1.5 hour at the Hilton...

This sounds like a perfect place to grab a bite and be in the action - I just hope it's not something weird as Anthony Bourdain can get pretty adventurous sometimes!! :eek:

Thanks!

MC

We had emailed Ramses about a restaurant we saw on the food network and that's where they took us. Very close to the museum - so we wasted no time. Lunch for six people cost approximately $11.00.

Hi teeniewahine,

Would you happen to remember the name of that restaurant???

MC

My husband and I are in the process of setting up 2 day tours - one full day in Cairo (October 21) and a half day in Alexandria (October 22) with Ramses. We are arriving on the Grand Princess. We would prefer to be part of a group and wondering if you or someone else on our ship would like to be part of our group?

 

Sharon:)

I believe this is the link for your cruise's Roll Call - as per Maryann ns' post, this is the best place to ask for tour sharing! This is a very active Roll Call - already 60 pages of post - check it out, and good luck!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=836933

I contacted Ramses and they answered in 2 hours. Problem was that the Yahoo spam filter put their reply in the spam box. I would think if you don't get a reply look in your spam box.

I had the same problem - if you don't hear back from them, make sure to check the Spam box... also, using a yahoo or gmail address helped fixed my problem!!

MC

Contact them and ask them what vehicles they have available. It will probably depend on the number of people on the tour. A car for 2 people, a mini van for 4 people, etc. They will usually respond in a day or two to your questions.

Some American and Canadian servers put Ramses email in the Spam or bulk boxes... if you don't hear from them within 24 hours, check you Spam box!! They are usually very quick in responding!!

Using a gmail or yahoo address usually helps!!

MC