Nile River and Ancient Egypt

[RosemaryNJ]

We are considering the Ancient Egypt and Nile River Cruise with Grand Circle leaving on June 19. I know it will be hot but only time we can travel. We also would add the Jordan extension to Amman and Petra. Has anyone been on this trip? Any advise? We have never traveled with GCT before so this is a first but have gone with other tour companies. GCT seems to have the best offering in price and quality for this trip. I know the group will be large but the OAT trip seems a great deal more in price. I look forward to comments as cruise critic has always given me great guidance. Thanks

[Kane]

We took this voyage last year. I wrote a review, which can be found at:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=53697

 

It was one of the most memorable "look at stuff" trips I have taken. (I like "do stuff" trips and skiing Zermatt and golfing St. Andrews are my all-time favorites.)

 

As mentioned in the review, it is very well organized and presented. It is definitely not a luxury trip but one that you will never forget as a positive and learning experience.

 

Each voyage of approximately 140 people is divided into three groups with an assigned program director. The PDs are trained Egyptologists and the information and knowledge they pass-on are what make the visit truly meaningful.

 

It's unfortunate in that it will definitely be hot while you are there but, in my opinion, you will not regret it should you go.

 

We also took the Jordan extension, and it was also memorable and well worth the effort. The "Wow!", of course, is Petra and by itself could justify the whole effort. If you are an adventurous soul, take the donkey ride up to the monastery.

[HDS]

Just returned from Egypt and Jordan. We loved cruising with Uniworld from Amsterdam to Bucharest in 2008 but for Egypt we chose a company with smaller (25 max.) groups and more extensive itinerary. In Jordan we had a private tour with a driver and guide. I think GCT groups in Egypt were using Vox Boxes which should make large groups more tolerable.

 

Our one way cruise from Luxor to Aswan was a very small part of our trip, making only two stops along the way but we used the boat as a hotel for a few days in both Luxor and Aswan.

 

Be prepared for extreme heat in June in Egypt. The monuments are magnificent, the desert vista is stunning, the history is riveting but, apart from canal and river banks, there is no softening vegetation, only rocks and sand reflecting heat and glare. The sites are very exposed, few trees, very little artificial shade and required walking. Shady hat, sunscreen, bottled water and perhaps an umbrella/sunshade. I would not enjoy Eygpt in summer and I live with summer temperatures peaking above 100’F day after day.

 

Jordan was brilliant and has so much more than Petra: Amman’s old city and Roman ampitheatre, Madaba’s incredible mosaics, Mt Nebo from where Moses saw the promised land, the Dead Sea, crusader castles, Wadi Rum’s incredible landforms, Bethany’s baptism pools and refuge of John the Baptist and finally Jerash, remains of a 2000 year old Roman city with forum, ampitheatres, temples, paved roads with grooves of ancient chariot wheels.

Hope you enjoy as much as we did.

[RosemaryNJ]

Thanks Kane and HDS for your replies. I was anxiously waiting for replies and knew someone from cruisecritic would help us. We have decided to book. I spoke to a woman at GCT who told me that all tours are done in early morning to beat the heat of the late day. We have traveled to Israel and Turkey in the summer so hopefully will survive and bring all the suggestions that HDS made. We have to travel in summer since my husband is a college professor and only has this time off for trips.

 

KANE, we especially were happy to hear your review as we have never traveled with GCT before. I am 60 and husband is 63 so we definitely qualify for the age group. We were happy to read your review of the river boat. We also have usually gone on ocean liners other than a Yangtzee river cruise which was definitely not a luxury one. We have some questions about your trip. What optional trips did you take and were they worthwhile? We were thinking of Alexandria and definitely Abu Simbel. Hubby will not do the hot air balloon as has a height thing but I might. I did a hot air ballon in Cappadocia, Turkey. I would also do the donkey as did that in Santorini. Did you also go on the Sakkara, Spiritual Cairo, Sound & Light at Karnak? and in Jordan the Jerash and Ajlun Castle and Wadi rum tour? We our anxious to know what optionals we should take. Our river cruise will start in Aswan rather than Luxor like yours did. Did you go to Israel or Alexandria first? We have been to Israel but would love to go back but I doubt we can leave early to do that or Alexandria.

Lastly, as I said this will be our first GCT tour and woman at GCT was really pushy on phone to buy their trip insurance. We will definitely want trip insurance but not sure about buying through GCT as it seemed pricey. Did you use their insurance or do you have a suggestion for another company to buy from?

Thanks for all your help. I am so happy that you responded.

[new salt]

A hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings is a must, Luxor is very pleasant and warrants more than a couple of days - it has some excellent hotels. I also nag on about the value of adding a Lake Nasser trip to Abu Simbal from Aswan. Absolutely marvellous.

[rogerdawhip]

I have traveled with GCT/OAT 14 times. I always buy third party travel insurance. Not only is it cheaper but you are usually protected against travel company default. Check out the website insuremytrip.com for a good comparison of the major travel insurance companies.

[RosemaryNJ]

Rogerdawhip -Glad you have been happy with GCT/OAT as you must have been to have taken that many trips with them. Did the group size ever cause a problem as we have never toured with that many before?

I went on insuremytrip.com and I found it very confusing. It is definitely cheaper than GCT though. The main reason we want the insurance is in case of cancellation or having to interrupt trip due to ailing parents and also the air vac cost . Do you have a suggestion as to which company to use as they were very similar in price?

Have you ever had to make a claim?

Thanks,

Rosemary

[rogerdawhip]

Rosemary..I used OAT for my Egypt trip so group size was only 14. I've been on seven European river cruises with GCT and most of the time size was not a problem. The main problem that occured was an occasional passanger that could not keep up with the group. I also buy travel insurance mainly in case my ailing parents take a turn for the worse. I have used various companies and cannot really recommend one over another. I had to turn in one claim with AccessAmerica and encountered no problems once I provided them with all the required documentation. If you are comfused using insuremytrip.com go to each individua companies websites and get a quote.

--roger

[sands28]

A trip insurance store has a nice online presentation that give you the choice of numeous insurance companies and plans. You can easily compare plans and prices. Their people are also availavailable by phone and are extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

[Kane]

...clip... We have some questions about your trip. What optional trips did you take and were they worthwhile? We were thinking of Alexandria and definitely Abu Simbel. Hubby will not do the hot air balloon as has a height thing but I might. I did a hot air ballon in Cappadocia, Turkey. I would also do the donkey as did that in Santorini. Did you also go on the Sakkara, Spiritual Cairo, Sound & Light at Karnak? and in Jordan the Jerash and Ajlun Castle and Wadi rum tour?

...clip...

 

We did not do many of the optionals, but did a few of the ones you are interested in.

 

• We did not do Alexandria, but comments from those who did said it was o.k. but not outstanding (much of the history there is underwater).
  
• Abu Simbel is a long bus ride but definitely worth the effort. You will leave early in the morning and get back for a late lunch.
  
• The balloon ride is highly recommended. My wife has done many of these and said this one was her all-time best.
  
• Sakkara was o.k., but anti-climatic after visiting the great pyramids. We did the sound and light at the pyramids instead ... it was a bit tacky but enjoyable as a tourist presentation.
  
• Spiritual Cairo was o.k., significant for the information about on the different religions that are practiced there.
  
• Jerash is good and worth the effort ... Ajloun is o.k.
  
• Wadi Rum is a fun way to end the trip ... blasting across the desert in 4WD vehicles. You will see (and realize) the way to do this is on the back of a camel, but I believe these excursions are only available to those who overnight there.
  

GCT uses "whisper" radio headsets in Egypt which allow everyone to clearly hear everything the PD has to say. This is important, as each of the three groups is the size of a bus.

 

Being herded-around is not our cup of tea, but this is a small sacrifice to see the wonders of Egypt. You will not regret the experience.

[RosemaryNJ]

Thanks so much for all your help. I will keep all your comments in mind.

Kane, it sounds like you took most of the trip excursions except Alexandria and Abu Simbel and I will defintely keep your thoughts in consideration when booking. I was surprised that you can't book them before leaving for trip. Can you credit card the excursions while on the trip? The only reason we are considering Alexandria as I felt 6 days in Cairo is a long time. We are traveling alone so not sure we want to go it alone in Egypt.

Roger, I will once again look at insuremytrip.com and try to wade through the info but I assume any A rated company will be fine. I will look at Access America since you have had a claim with them and got good service. We were considering OAT as my sister did their Peru and India trip and loved the small size but the price is considerably more.

I will also check out the insurance store.

I will probably do the hot air balloon as I loved it the only time I tried it in Cappadocia, Turkey. My husband will not go as he has a fear of heights so not sure I will go it alone. You all have been wonderful and I appreciate all thoughts.

[40yearcruiser]

Hi! We have used both Grand Circle and OAT over the past 11 years (one OAT and one GCT last year) and have always enjoyed them. We are booked for Egypt with OAT at end of Sept. this year. We like the smaller groups and it's a more "active" tour. If you compare what is included, you will find that OAT is usually not a lot more expensive than Grand Circle. We are finding that as time passes Grand Circle is including less and providing more optional tours that increase the cost, so look at everything before making a decision. We are booked to do pre-tour to Alexandria and post-tour to Jordan (because of the date we are traveling these are backwards from what is in their literature; our Nile cruise is from Aswan to Luxor and is 4 days on the ship). We are looking forward to it, and from what others on our previous tours have said about this trip it should be very interesting. One thing I like about group travel is that you find out from others who have taken a tour you're considering what they liked and disliked about it.

 

We have also traveled with Vantage (owned by brother of GCT owner) and they do a nice tour. I considered their Egypt tour, but it is quite a bit more expensive. The hotels they use are usually a bit nicer.

[RosemaryNJ]

Just a quick question for those have doen this tour. We just got an application from GCT to apply for Visa and it is costly. I also have to get more photos. They said it is advantageous as we are also going on the Jordan extension so we would need to get Visas twice on entering Cairo. Did anyone get the visas when they got to Cairo and then again after going to Jordan? Is it easy and do we still need to bring the small pictures for the visa? Thanks for your help.

[shoshona2]

Hi Rosemary,

 

We landed in Cairo last October and paid $15 for a visa at the airport. Our travel company wanted over $100 to get our visa and I was skeptical about waiting to arrive in Cairo to obtain it. If you do a search on the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic, you will find many people who did it at the airport. Don't miss Abu Simbel! It was an awesome sight and the wonder of how they moved it piece by piece 300 feet up so it wouldn't be underwater was incredible. There is a Discovery Channel documentary on it.

 

Have a great time! Wear a good hat for the sun and take some probiotics for your tummy.

 

Sheila

[HDS]

Rosemary,

It was very easy to buy a visa at Cairo airport when we arrived from Australia via Dubai and Singapore. Our travel company recommended that we fly direct to Dubai from Amman after our Jordan extension as travellers transitting through Cairo on the way home were not treated well.

I had previously heard gruesome stories from travellers transitting through Cairo airport on their way home from Jordan. They were not offered the option of buying another (Egypt) visa and confined to a small room, no explanation, no food, no water, armed guards for company until their airline came to release them and escort them to the flight out.

An expensive multiple entry visa for Egypt might be GCT's way of preventing this situation, if they insist you transit through Cairo and won't fly you direct from Amman.

Enjoy the trip,

Deb

[shoshona2]

to deb,

 

Wow. I'm so glad we flew non-stop from Amman to Heathrow on our way home to California in November and didn't go through Cairo.

 

Sheila

[40yearcruiser]

Is it possible to buy a multiple-entry visa at the airport or must you get a new visa each time you enter? I'd rather pay $15 twice than $100 to a visa company to get one for me. We will be staying another night in Cairo when we return from Amman, so hopefully we can just buy another visa (if we can't get multiple-entry the first time) and continue on our way.

[coasters]

Thanks so much for all your help. I will keep all your comments in mind.

Kane, it sounds like you took most of the trip excursions except Alexandria and Abu Simbel and I will defintely keep your thoughts in consideration when booking. I was surprised that you can't book them before leaving for trip. Can you credit card the excursions while on the trip? The only reason we are considering Alexandria as I felt 6 days in Cairo is a long time. We are traveling alone so not sure we want to go it alone in Egypt.

Roger, I will once again look at insuremytrip.com and try to wade through the info but I assume any A rated company will be fine. I will look at Access America since you have had a claim with them and got good service. We were considering OAT as my sister did their Peru and India trip and loved the small size but the price is considerably more.

I will also check out the insurance store.

I will probably do the hot air balloon as I loved it the only time I tried it in Cappadocia, Turkey. My husband will not go as he has a fear of heights so not sure I will go it alone. You all have been wonderful and I appreciate all thoughts.

 

RosemaryNJ

If at all possible DO GET TO VISIT ABU SIMBEL - and learn the story about how it was moved to its present location!!

About insurance... we found considerable differences in both the terms and total coverage dollar amounts (aside from premium). I often ask my TA to make insurance recommendations, then study the details.

Also, check on if and how medical is (or is not) covered under your medical insurance provider should it be needed when outside of the US. Often it is not.

I have previously posted my journal and photos should you be interested, let me know. email me at: itsmystuff@verizon(dot)net.

Jerry (Sea Girt, NJ)

[Kane]

Is it possible to buy a multiple-entry visa at the airport or must you get a new visa each time you enter? I'd rather pay $15 twice than $100 to a visa company to get one for me. ...clip...

 

We were not able to get a multiple-entry visa on our initial entry into Egypt and had to repeat the process on return from Jordan.

 

It is, however, a pretty painless process. The visas are not sold at a special immigrations desk, but at (if I remember correctly) a currency exchange window or something similar to that. It's a fast process and there were no long lines.