SMNYCruise

It’s been a tough few weeks in Cairo with protests and lockdowns. I hope things settle down soon. We decided to cancel our river cruise there and switch to Europe. Just not willing to take the risk that the trip will be suddenly cancelled or that the itinerary will be effected (as well as the flights). We were hoping for continued peace in the region but it’s not looking good.

Yesterday Lufthansa and British Airways abruptly suspended flights to Cairo. While the suspension is only for a week, it does concern me about the safety of travel to Egypt.  Viking and Uniworld have almost sold out their 2020 river cruises to the region. If this suspension continues, it would be devastating to Egypt's tourism industry. 

Personally, I would not pay for a visa or for a tour in Maputo. Fellow passengers, even those on organized ship tours, did not feel safe there. The shore excursion guide told me he had to intervene several times to assist passengers in getting away from aggressive vendors. 

Very sad to hear about the latest incident. There was a similar incident in December. Tourism is so important to Egypt’s economy. This might hurt the recent uptick in tourism there.

In Cape Town, we took a private full day tour to Cape Peninsula with Rob from Cape Convoy. Happy to beat the tour busses and crowds with an early start. Rob knows all the less touristy spots including an empty beach with penguins. He was happy to cater the tour to our needs (seeing as much wildlife as possible) and after a full day, he dropped us off at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens where we had a late lunch. 

Just a word about Table Mountain Cable Car...it shuts down due to weather frequently so if possible leave an alternative day to do this. The cable car was closed two days before our visit and the lines, at times, were several hours long. We got there very early (before opening) and still had to wait an hour. It is, in my opinion, a "not to be missed" attraction.

We took the HOHO bus to the beach and had lunch at a seafood restaurant. Another restaurant we liked is called Willoughby & Co. Its in the mall at the V & A Waterfront, so ambiance isn't great but the food (sushi) was good. Don't let the line scare you away...it moves quickly. 

Hope this helps.

Not sure about the Insignia, but we were on the Nautica in January and I was very happy with the internet. Called home from South Africa using WhatsApp and it was very clear. 

The first thing you do when you board is to walk to the tables set up in the lounge and leave credit card info and get your key cards. After that, you will make your specialty restaurant dinner reservations, sign up for the spa and/or beverage plans, check out the excursion desk, and then head to lunch. I love how easy Windstar makes embarkation! 

Thanks for all your responses. I have returned from Africa with 1000 wonderful photos  thanks to the Panasonic FZ1000. It has a steeper learning curve than expected, but I was happy with the videos and photos. 

19 hours ago, cbb said:

 yes, we would be sailing Viking totally for the itinerary.  Uniworld just doesn't go to enough places that I want to see on the Nile, and Viking does. 

 

I wouldn't particularly care about the food and probably wouldn't have to deal with a snippy/overworked staff much (hopefully) but would like a comfy bed--Oceania has spoiled me!!!

 

We'd probably be doing a land tour of Turkey either before or after the Nile cruise--just have to work on getting the 2021 dates to link.  If not, we'd spend some time in Greece in between the two. 

 

With our luck, international relations would take a turn and both Turkey and Egypt would get cancelled.  (Even O has done this to us--both Instanbul and some Egyptian ports, so it's try try again!)

 

thanks y'all!

 

 

 

I was surprised when comparing the Viking to the Uniworld 12 Day Egypt and Nile trip. I always thought Viking was the "cheaper" alternative.  Turns out that Uniworld was $1,300 per person cheaper (we got a pay in full promotion), and includes transfers, even if you don't book their air. Trips are very similar. Uniworld uses the Four Seasons Cairo at Nile and has a brand new ship., S.S. Sphinx. 

Uniworld Egypt 2020 dates and itinerary are available for booking now. No information about pre or post cruise trips.  Looks like they just changed the name of the new ship to S.S. Sphinx. 

I have heard that November-March is the best time to go.  We just booked a trip to Egypt in January. I prefer to tour in cooler weather. 

As far as the above post by bubbulz...the State department has a four level rating system to provide advice on traveling to every country.  Egypt is at a level 2 which means travelers should use extra caution.  Other countries at level 2 are Belgium, Antarctica, Belize, Denmark, France, Cuba, Germany and so on. I'm sure if the situation in Egypt changes, the tour companies will make adjustments.  Everyone who reported back from their recent Egypt trips felt safe.

We refused to buy the Mozambique visa on our last cruise. Oceania and our TA sent several forceful emails about needing the visa, but the Maputo consulate confirmed that we did not need one if we weren't going ashore. After hearing back from many passengers who did not have a good experience in port (very aggressive vendors and not much to see), we were happy with our decision to save the $200.

Just got back from a three week trip to South Africa including a cruise. Happy to answer questions. Johns advice was spot on. I would strongly recommend you take a safari either before or after the cruise. Day trips to "game reserves" during the heat of the day will not give you a safari experience. We stayed at the Bush House in Madikwe Game Reserve. Highly recommend this lodge and its malaria free.  

Stickyshocker:  I would love to see some of your East Africa Safari pictures! I have purchased the FZ1000. Aside from the more difficult than expected learning curve, I am thrilled. Its not weather sealed, but that wasn't a deal breaker, and I have purchased a $7 rain/dust guard which will help with dust and splashes. 

Decision made:  Panasonic FZ1000.

Thanks again for all the advice.

We purchase internet because of the need to promptly read and return business emails.  If purchased more than a week before the cruise, its 2 devices for the price of 1. I didn't find the internet on the Windsurf that slow...especially very early in the morning. Not sure about VPN access.

The information is in the FAQ section of Windstar website under “communication at sea”.  I believe you can also find the actual phone number to each ship there.

(800) 258-7245 

or ( 206) 733-2991 after business hours 

Wow...you are all so helpful and have given me a lot to think about. I recently went to Best Buy just to hold and handle a few different kinds of cameras. I know I am all over the place, but after thinking about how I travel and my ability to navigate electronics, I have decided that a bridge camera makes sense for me. The good news is that my DH said "get whatever you want".  So...thoughts on which bridge camera I should get?

Thanks everyone for your continued help!

Now leaning toward a DSLR because I am worried, if I catch the photography bug, I will want a more flexible camera. 

Costco has a very well priced bundle: Nikon D3500 with 2 lens, case, extra battery and 32GB memory card for $599.

My concern is that it doesn't have Wifi, only Bluetooth tooth app called snap bridge. 

Thoughts?

I have been reading about the Nikon D3400 vs the Canon Powershot SX730HS.  Leaning toward the Canon. Having a light camera with a great zoom, all in one piece, is appealing to me. 

Anyone have the Canon?

We got a free upgrade from the 1st to 2nd deck on the Windsurf recently. We didn’t ask, and were never told about it. Just noticed on our later cruise documents that our cabin number had changed.  It was our 6th Windstar Cruise.  

Thank you! Your reply was very helpful. 

I have been using my iPhone for photos. Looking to buy a SLR that is very easy to use, with a decent zoom lens (going to South Africa on a safari soon), and since I like to upload to social media, I need wi-fi. I know very little about cameras and I am not that tech savvy. Something light and not too expensive would be great. 🙂

Any recommendations?

There is visa confusion on many of the cruise lines, not just Windstar. Oceania has flip flopped on whether we need an expensive visa in Mozambique if we don't plan on leaving the ship. The Embassy officially said no, but Oceania is now requiring that we get one anyway in case of an emergency. I think cruise lines tend to "play it safe" when it comes to visas.