Any package tour add-ons to Cairo from Venice?

[texancruzer]

I personally would save those FF miles for another trip. Just book the whole enchilada with Gate 1 - let them take care of everything ! (Note: we had never done a "tour" and now we are spoiled !) They make it soooo easy.

 

They also have shorter trips (ie. less expensive ones) like 8 days, 12 days etc.

[mikeerdas]

I personally would save those FF miles for another trip. Just book the whole enchilada with Gate 1 - let them take care of everything ! (Note: we had never done a "tour" and now we are spoiled !) They make it soooo easy.

 

They also have shorter trips (ie. less expensive ones) like 8 days, 12 days etc.

 

Thanks TexanCruiser. It's still out of budget (something like $4700 total for a 10 day package--a monumental price tag for us). I found the fine print about the land-only Gate 1 packages not including intra-Egypt flights on the 10 day tour that interested me most:

 

http://www.gate1travel.com/egypt-travel/egypt-escorted-10ddsceg10.aspx

 

"Land only price does not include arrival/departure transfers, nor does it include flights Cairo-Luxor, Aswan-Cairo."

 

Egypt is such an inexpensive country that it shouldn't cost $470 a day in my opinion. It may well be worth it, but it's out of our budget at that rate.

[texancruzer]

Thanks TexanCruiser. It's still out of budget (something like $4700 total for a 10 day package--a monumental price tag for us). I found the fine print about the land-only Gate 1 packages not including intra-Egypt flights on the 10 day tour that interested me most:

"Land only price does not include arrival/departure transfers, nor does it include flights Cairo-Luxor, Aswan-Cairo."

Egypt is such an inexpensive country that it shouldn't cost $470 a day in my opinion. It may well be worth it, but it's out of our budget at that rate.

 

I understand but in actually it is not 470.00 per day...... first from the total you must deduct the airfare. Price airfare to Egypt and back (Its pricey) ..... then take out hotel costs (price those seperate too and you will be amazed) Be sure and stay somewhere decent as this is one place you don't want to skimp. Also remember that most meals are included(those add up fast too). Also you have a guide (ours had his masters in Egyptology) available 24 hrs a day for the entire trip. Ours was there to meet us at the airport and saw us off to return home. They pick you up at airport, all transportation is included to and from hotel, sites etc.... entrance fees to all sites are included and prepurchased thus maximizing your time to spend there, our bus was driven pretty much right to the front door of every site we visited.

 

I will tell you tho that with tips, shopping, liquor (extra on cruise part), extra meals etc. we spent just under $ 14,000.00 for our trip. That did include air from Texas to NY and back, one night in Manhattan going over and one night by JFK on the way back..... extra meals, taxi etc in NY.

 

I hope you can figure out a way to spend less than $4700. for a trip to Egypt.... it is a wonderous place to visit. Good luck.

[mikeerdas]

With the current unrest in Egypt, my wife and I have decided to go to Hong Kong and Bali this Fall. It will be my wife's first time in Asia and my second time to Bali. We're already booked the flights. Hoping to find some great snorkeling spots in Bali away from any loud party areas (e.g. Kuta Beach is a nightmare to me). Prefer the peace and tranquility of the outskirts of Ubud, e.g. Campuan and Penastanan.

 

Egypt will have to wait, unfortunately. I do wonder, though, if the same problems Cairo is having have popped up in the Luxor area.

[cruisemom42]

Bad timing, eh? Enjoy your new plan and hopefully you'll get to Egypt in the near future.

 

From what I understand, Luxor has not experienced the protests seen in Cairo, Alexandria and along the Suez. That said, I'm not sure that tours are going there right now....

[texancruzer]

Well, while it is unfortunate that Egypt is off, your "plan B" sounds like a whole lot of fun !!!! Bali is on my list too.

 

I have heard that there is some activity in Luxor - just much smaller scale and not constant as in Cairo.

[mikeerdas]

Thanks CruiseMom and TexanCruiser. The current unrest, I hope, is just a temporary setback. One positive takeaway is that I'll have a lot more time to research Egypt for when I do eventually get there. Another plus is having more time to save for a trip to Egypt.

 

Really looking forward to getting back to Bali and am intrigued by Hong Kong. Since we're flying Cathay Pacific (a wonderful airline I've flown before), and Hong Kong is its hub, it was a natural place for a stopover. Costs will be low because we booked the flights using British Airways frequent flier miles (using Cathay Pacific, who is a partner airline) and will likely be booking our 2 nights in Hong Kong using free night certificates from Hyatt. Hyatt is offering a credit card sign-up bonus right now that gives you two free night certificates at any class of Hyatt after your first purchase on the card. The annual fee is $75, but I'll cancel it before the first year is over. My wife got the card two, so we have a total pool of 4 nights. I've heard some people saying there were able to get $700-$900/night Hyatt rooms in Paris for free. So the $75 is well worth it.

 

Bali's incredibly cheap once you get there. Or rather, it can be as cheap as you like ($10/night for a modest two story bungalow overlooking a rice field) or $1,000+ a night at one of the Four Seasons hotels.

 

I'm very tempted, being that far East, to book another short flight to Western Australia. Once you're in Bali, Perth and/or Darwin (north Australia) aren't too terribly far away. Bali is often referred to as "The Hawaii of the East" and is a popular honeymoon destination for Australians. We'll be in Bali for 7 nights. Given how short most port stops are, and considering Bali is a smallish island, it shouldn't be any big deal to carve out a few nights from that to get to Australia--or maybe Phuket, Thailand or Singapore. There are some very cheap flights originating out of Bali (airport code: DPS).

[texancruzer]

.....considering Bali is a smallish island, it shouldn't be any big deal to carve out a few nights from that to get to Australia--or maybe Phuket, Thailand or Singapore. There are some very cheap flights originating out of Bali (airport code: DPS).

 

Please come back and let us know if you get to Phuket. We are looking hard at a tour to Thailand (with Gate 1 again !) and it includes Phuket.

 

Geez.....too many places to go and not enough time .... (or is that money ? )

[4774Papa]

Thanks Texan Cruiser and CruiseMom. Enjoyed both your reviews.

 

Texan Cruiser, enjoyed your review. Indeed, Gate 1 does seem to offer land-only packages. But there's some fine print--it left out some major air connections. I thought once you got to Egypt on your own,a land package would take care of all domestic connections. I was wrong.

 

I still think the best option money-wise for me might be to fly to Luxor, stay in a nicely appointed hotel (thanks for the recommendations CruiseMom), and be based in Luxor to see what the area has to offer and book day trips from the hotel. CruiseMom, I've seen some of the hotels you mentioned in Luxor for decent prices, e.g. USD ~$68/night for mid-May. My other time frame is late September / early October. Have not checked rates then.

 

I'd then hit Cairo briefly on the way home and book trips from a hotel. I'm hoping British Airways would allow me one free stop over on Executive Club miles.

 

I realize there's much to see and do--too much. So I might be satisfied with a short and focused visit. I don't think there's a single cruise or package tour that achieves what I want to do within my budget. I don't want to even try to see too much on a first trip. On the other hand, I don't want to be completely stressed out by DIY. But if it's very limited DIY with being picked-up / dropped off at my hotel, and building in some relaxation / reading time at the hotel, then it might work.

 

Would be interested in hearing from anyone else used to DIY who has tried to DIY in Luxor, most importantly, and second, in Cairo. I don't entirely mean DIY--I don't expect to book my own transportation. I'd book tours that provide transportation, etc.

 

Or here's a thought: how about flying to Luxor for a week and saving Cairo for another trip? e.g. as a port stop on a Med. cruise? CruiseMom, is there enough in Luxor worth spending a week there to see?

 

Cruises are terrific for seeing many ports in a short amount of time. But I'm thinking most of what I want to see is in and around Luxor. And a short stop in Cairo on the way home would be great. Cairo doesn't seem at all relaxing.

 

 

Consider a river cruise from Luxor. Most go from Luxor to Aswan. We did a five day, but I think there are four day cruises.

Also, Luxor is a rat hole, I would not be out on the street at night in that city.

[cruisemom42]

Consider a river cruise from Luxor. Most go from Luxor to Aswan. We did a five day, but I think there are four day cruises.

Also, Luxor is a rat hole, I would not be out on the street at night in that city.

 

Huh???

 

I've been to Luxor twice (most recently last November) and far from finding it a rat hole, I really enjoyed it. I would not hesitate to walk around the street at night (as a single female) in the main areas. I wouldn't wander off into areas that aren't well-lit, but that's true anywhere.