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Live From the Garden Villa on the Jade

WhenIsOurNextCruise

By WhenIsOurNextCruise,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Fishbait17

Fishbait17

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Thank you for the great review. Can you comment on whether or not any of the bathrooms would be suitable for someone who is handicapped?

 

I was in this villa in December, and would say that the master bedroom and bath should not be much of an issue for handicapped, if they can transfer to and from wheelchair. I will check my pics to look at the threshhold for the shower. The bathtub has plenty of maneuvering space around it and a shower attachment, will look at pics for bars. The toilet is in a covey, will check there for bars as well - it was fairly tight. The second and third bath are fairly tight - set up exactly like the baths of the AC, AD, and AE. The master bedroom itself has a LOT of maneuvering space, the other two are pretty good sized as well. No problems with the living areas, there is a threshhold from the inside to outside, but they might be able to place small ramps there - it is a small bump (like on the bottom of a sliding door. Can't remember the threshhold from the foyer to the outdoor area (will look at that as well). The extra half bath is tiny and would be difficult to access.

 

We had a friend in a wheelchair who sucessfully maneuvered around the suite, but she was able to transfer pretty easily. Off to find my pictures!

 

Robin

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Fishbait17

Fishbait17

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Ok, I just checked my pictures. The bathtub in the master has a small towel handle - not sure if it's strong enough for a handrail. The shower itself has a high threshhold (3 inches at guess). The slider threshholds to outside (2 from liv room and 1 from master) have a 3 inch or so threshhold. The regular door to outside (from foyer) has a higher threshhold, maybe 4 inches?. The hot tub has several steps up to it, and the upstairs deck is accessible by stairs only (unless there is a hidden elevaotr to the courtyard deck - then you could reach it from there - there are doors connecting the upper suite deck to the courtyard deck).

 

Can't figure out how to post pics here...

 

Robin

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Gaily215

Gaily215

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Wow thanks for taking the time for such a detailed description of your cruise and shore excursions. I know you mentioned the scenic views when sailing near Italy, how about while sailing through the Greek isles and near Turkey, was it as scenic? Thanks and enjoy the rest of your cruise!!

 

Gail

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WhenIsOurNextCruise

WhenIsOurNextCruise

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Thank you again for all your posts and info. Have you happened to notice whether there is any TV coverage of the Olympics? The men's gold medal hockey game is on the night we're departing from Casablanca and I'm getting nervous.

 

P.

 

We have ESPN on our television but coverage has been mostly highlights and no live coverage that we have noticed. Sorry about that..... There is a sports bar by the pool but i'm not sure what they are showing.

Cathy

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WhenIsOurNextCruise

WhenIsOurNextCruise

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Off we go for our Cairo Overnight at the Mena House. We've heard traffic is unbelievably crazy! We are going to be as safe and alert as we can be. We received a medical alert from the ship's doctor that said be careful about what you eat and drink and if anyone becomes ill they should let their tour guide know immediately and the ship know upon return. Will post when we get back tomorrow night!

 

First time in Africa for all of us.

Cathy

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clarksnavy

clarksnavy

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You guys are the greatest. I think I will try this on our cruise in April. We are in an AB, first time in a suite! Hope we get as good as you are getting (or nearly). We actually have friends on this one with you so we are being updated on how they are doing by you. Glad everyone is well. Looking forward to your post tomorrow evening, if you aren't too tired:D.

sheri

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WhenIsOurNextCruise

WhenIsOurNextCruise

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Giza and Cairo

Docked on time Sunday morning and, with the help of Monica, we were off the ship at 7:15 a.m. We found the Ramses rep and he said our guide would be here in a moment. There were about 40 to 50 buses in the square. Mohammed showed up and we dragged our luggage across the bridge, showed our passports and found our driver, Khaled. Mohammed, a 25 year old Egyptologist with a masters in Anthropolgy was willing to answer any questions we asked. Later in the day we asked him about the last cruise where they were held up for 5 hours and he said it was very difficult for the guides and drivers too because they were on stand by for hours with rumors circulating but nothing for certain. He said there had been so many delays the last few cruises that they were all shocked when we were released on time this trip. Lucky us! His first order of business was to give us the three rules to driving in Egypt.

  1. Just go
  2. Don't look left or right
  3. Trust your brother

and we were off! Three hours to Giza (which is the west side of the Nile vs. Cairo which is the east side of the Nile), arriving around 10:30 in a Toyota van that was worn, but about on par with every other van we saw. After two days in Egypt traffic, I can honestly say that the vehicles are comparable with what you would expect to see in Mexico - unrecognizible brands and most of them with bondo in more than one place, crunched bumpers, and needing paint. We had a midway stop for a restroom break and the first $1 payoff for about 4 squares of toilet paper. We had brought our own, but as a courtesy - and because we had a TON of dollar bills, we paid the toll. First stop was the three Pyramids of Giza. We thought the pyramids were away from the city, and they used to be, but now the city of Giza butts right up against the pyramids. There is another nice bathroom at the entrance and another $1. Without boring you with all the education we received, we visited two of the pyramids (driving between them) and then the Sphinx. There were busses and vans everywhere. But there is plenty of room so that it wasn't overly crowded (except the traffic part). Mohammed stopped to pick up tickets for the Sound and Light show, which is presented in about 10 different languages. English is usually at 6:30 but on Sunday night it is at 9:30.

We stopped for lunch and then drove to Sakkara to see the first pyramid ever. The drive from the Giza Pyramids to Sakkara was shocking. We were next to a wide ditch we called the River Vile because of the trash and occasional floating dead animals we saw. We saw a few clean new areas in Cairo, but in general we found the entire area to be a tired, dusty, gray and brown place with desert sand coating everything. The people who live on the route to Sakkara are surrounded by crumbling houses, trash piled up in the streets or on the corners, donkeys pulling carts of bread from house to house, a woman pumping water into a bucket, sheep on a small vacant lot between two ratty houses. Children as young as 5 were workng the crowds at the pyramids, selling post cards or book marks for $1 and being closely watched by a nearby adult. We were not bothered by all the vendors including many adults selling jewelry, books, pyramids, etc.. We just ignored them or said "no thank you" in Egyptian as taught by our guide, and they usually wandered away to someone else. If you wanted a souvenir, they were inexpensive.

We asked Mohammed about salaries in Egypt and he told us that his father, a teacher, had just retired and had been making about $400 per month. His mother, also a teacher, is still working and makes $300 per month. He thought the pay for teachers is about $100 (maybe less) per month after a couple of years teaching. But teachers also get all of their insurance paid plus discounts on some things. He makes $20 per day for his guide services. On Sunday, he took a taxi from Rosetta (about 40 minutes away) in order to pick us up by 7:15 am and said good night to us at 10:30 pm at our hotel. He picked us up Monday morning at 7:30 - so he works long hours for that money. Also, he works as a guide only 4 or 5 days a month at most. The rest of the time he does some translation work when available. He has a fiance attending university and told us in order to marry her he has to purchase an apartment, furnish it, pay for the wedding and pay her father a dowry. He has purchased the apartment but still lives with his parents as he is still furnishing it and working on saving for the wedding and dowry. He hopes to marry her in about 2 or 3 years. He's never been out of Egypt.

From Sakkara, we went to the museum in Memphis (another very poor area), which is mostly ancient statues and pieces found in the area. And then a brief stop to shop and then to our hotel.

We had chosen the Oberoi Mena House and upgraded to rooms with a view of the pyramids. The Mena House is, as promised, a beautiful 5 star hotel in the shadow of the pyramids. Mohammed made all the arrangements and got us checked in, and we were invited to enjoy a glass of hibiscus juice while waiting in the lobby. There is a guard gate at the entrance and scanners when entering the hotel. They have lush gardens, nice restaurants and we had an amazing view of the pyramids from our balconies. We had dinner and then enjoyed the balcony until Mohammed picked us up for the show. A couple of notes regarding same..... the grounds immediately around the show are immaculate. The men controling the flow of people were courteous, organized and very nicely dressed in suits and ties. At 9:30 it was chilly and we rented blankets for $2. We needed them. As expected, the show was hokey - but we're glad we did it. It helped us soak in some of the facts we had heard during the day, and helped us get all the pharoahs, kings and gods in chronological order.

Then we couldn't wait to get back to our rooms. We took hot showers and fell into bed - exhausted! Monday morning we had the buffet for breakfast (lunch on Sunday and breakfast on Monday were included in our tour as well as all admissions which included

  • Pyramids at Giza - 60 LE each ($12)
  • Sakkara - 60 LE each ($12)
  • Memphis Museum - 35 LE ($7)
  • Citadel of Saladin - 50 LE ($10)
  • Egyptian Museum - 60 LE ($12)

I'm detailing for two reasons - to express that we thought the two day tour was priced very well and to point out that the Egyptian authorities are collecting a TON of money from tourists and could spend a few dollars to give their citizens a cleaner, healthier life. Stepping off soap box now.

Mohammed and Khalad picked us up at 7:30 and we headed to Cairo, stopping first at the Citadel of Saladin overlooking Cairo (lots of brown and gray) and visited the Mohammed Aly Alabaster Mosque. From there it was the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities with over 120,000 items exhibited - including the amazing items from the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Both stops were crowded but excellent. We chose to skip lunch and head back to Alexandria. We were all certain we didn't really want to miss the ship and anything could happen on a three hour drive with crazy traffic and an old vehicle.

We saw so many unusual things - including a full size city bus traveling down the freeway with people who had crawled through the ventilator and were sitting on the roof of the bus! They jumped back through the roof as we came to the toll booth. We saw pigeon houses along the highway which looked like huge bee hives with holes all the way around. Pigeons fly in and can't get out and get sold for dinner. This morning we saw several camels and their handlers (some of them children) about 5 miles away, but on their way to the pyramids for a hard day's work. Even though there was abject poverty at every turn, we never saw anyone begging. The street people were offering goods or services. We had two $2 shoe shines and bought one for Mohammed while shopping Sunday afternoon. The shoeshine boys did a great job. No one was rude to us. And even though the traffic was crazy, we didn't see any accidents. Drivers honked at each other but we didn't see any anger or road rage. On our way back to the ship, we were in traffic next to a small taxi with 4 people plus driver in the front seat and 7 people in the back - some of them children. And when we asked Mohammed, on Sunday night, why our driver was driving without headlights, he said - oh - he has headlights - but his is Egypt. Lots of other vehicles didn't have their lights on. And, as Mohammed told us, the lines on the streets are a suggestion only. You may drive anywhere you wish.

We tried to be very careful with what we ate and drank, (we brought bottled water, our guide gave us bottle water, there was bottled water in our hotel rooms) so we're hoping we have avoided the real curse of the Pharoahs! We are happily back on board, eating chocolate covered strawberries and looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow. We all agree we are SO GLAD we visited Egypt and are equally glad to be safely out of Egypt. It's more than a little intimidating to have police all over the place, carrying AK47's.

Our guide and driver were excellent and I don't think we could have had anyone better for either task. One funny thing - our driver had a magic button some where that released a puff of very sweet smelling air spray that wafted back to us. There were a couple of places where it was needed - but for the most part we weren't sure why he was hitting the button. We privately called it his "Puff the Magic Dragon" button and didn't really mind because he was so nice and a great driver. And, who knows, he may have been bothered by the way we all smelled! Ramses offered a great price - $260 per person included everything except the upgrade to Mena House ($60 each) and the upgrade to a pyramid view room ($30 each) and dinner on Sunday night. They delivered everything they promised.

We had a blast - but all agree we didn't leave anything in Egypt and there's no reason to go back........

BTW, onboard time was 45 minutes ago and sail away was 15 minutes ago. We just looked out and 6 buses are unloading - Cairo traffic!

Cathy

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carontori

carontori

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Hi Cathy,

 

Thanks again for keeping us updated. We are getting anxious for our turn in 2 weeks! Do you know anyone that went on the Nile dinner cruise? We have booked it and I am becoming concerned as to whether it will be safe, food wise?

 

Caron

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jalynn

jalynn

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A great review of your Cairo visit. A question or two...how many were on your tour? And had you agreed ahead of time exactly where you would go? and that admission fees would be included?

 

thanks again--looking forward to the next post!

 

Jo Ann

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WhenIsOurNextCruise

WhenIsOurNextCruise

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Hi Cathy,

 

Thanks again for keeping us updated. We are getting anxious for our turn in 2 weeks! Do you know anyone that went on the Nile dinner cruise? We have booked it and I am becoming concerned as to whether it will be safe, food wise?

 

Caron

I don't know anyone but will post if I hear. We didn't do it because we heard dinner was in an enclosed boat (where we have been eating every day) and there are a lot of belly dancers. Plus after seeing the Nile, I can only tell you the skyline wouldn't be like looking at NYC.

Cathy

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WhenIsOurNextCruise

WhenIsOurNextCruise

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A great review of your Cairo visit. A question or two...how many were on your tour? And had you agreed ahead of time exactly where you would go? and that admission fees would be included?

 

thanks again--looking forward to the next post!

 

Jo Ann

 

Just the six of us in the GV were on the tour and we had agreed on an itinerary with the tour operator before hand but had the flexibility to make changes. All admission fees were included for the items we agreed on - except the sound and light show was extra.....

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ETHS1965

ETHS1965

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Thank you so much for the detailed information. We are on the March 28th sailing and have booked the same tour with Ramses. We also want to stay at the Mena house. Our selection for extra activities is the Sound and Light show. As you can see, our tour closely parallels yours. It sounds wonderful! Now even more excited than before. Thanks again.

 

Meg

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loan lady

loan lady

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Hi Cathy:

 

I have been reading your updates for a few days and I cannot even evaluate the information you are providing... a blow by blow day by day of what we are trying to imagine.. THOUGH the villa would be wonderful.. I can deal with our balcancy very well ( l0l) It is incredible what you are providing. You sure are helping us to visualize (somewhat) the future adventure we all are looking forward to and trying to visualize in our fantasies.. Thank you for all the (stimulation) and excitement you are helping us experiance. We leave on the 3/7 cruise and are very excited.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience.

 

Mary H

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travel4me

travel4me

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Thanks again, we are onthe Jade's March 28th sailing. Your information is priceless.

 

:D:);):o:D;)

 

Ditto! We too are sailing on the 28th and are so appreciative of your posts. Thank you for being so generous in giving your time and sending these most detailed and enjoyable postings.

 

Eileen & Joe

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