Egypt Private Excursions

[manoftheworld]

how is the situation in Egypt?? did all companies cancel Egypt ports till the end of the year?

 

thanks

[Embracedbylife]

Royal Caribbean has changed their ports eliminating Egypt until at least June. This is their statement on their website:

 

Protests in EgyptFebruary 9, 2011

Royal Caribbean International has been closely monitoring the situation in Egypt. In an abundance of caution, we have decided to cancel our upcoming port calls to Egypt through June. The sailings that have been modified are:

 

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Monday, April 18 will no longer call on Alexandria on Sunday, April 24. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, April 24 and stay overnight until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 25.

 

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Wednesday, May 11 will no longer call on Alexandria on Wednesday, May 18. Instead, the ship will now spend Monday, May 16 at sea, stay overnight in Istanbul, Turkey from 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 17 until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 18 and call on Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey on Thursday, May 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Saturday, June 4 will no longer call on Alexandria on Saturday, June 11. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, June 11 and stay overnight until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 12.

 

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Tuesday, June 28 will no longer call on Alexandria on Wednesday, July 6. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, July 6 and stay overnight until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 7.

 

Brilliance of the Seas, which departs Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Thursday, April 21 will sail a modified itinerary.

[manoftheworld]

Royal Caribbean has changed their ports eliminating Egypt until at least June. This is their statement on their website:

 

Protests in EgyptFebruary 9, 2011

Royal Caribbean International has been closely monitoring the situation in Egypt. In an abundance of caution, we have decided to cancel our upcoming port calls to Egypt through June. The sailings that have been modified are:

 

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Monday, April 18 will no longer call on Alexandria on Sunday, April 24. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, April 24 and stay overnight until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 25.

 

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Wednesday, May 11 will no longer call on Alexandria on Wednesday, May 18. Instead, the ship will now spend Monday, May 16 at sea, stay overnight in Istanbul, Turkey from 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 17 until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 18 and call on Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey on Thursday, May 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Saturday, June 4 will no longer call on Alexandria on Saturday, June 11. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, June 11 and stay overnight until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 12.

 

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Tuesday, June 28 will no longer call on Alexandria on Wednesday, July 6. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, July 6 and stay overnight until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 7.

 

Brilliance of the Seas, which departs Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Thursday, April 21 will sail a modified itinerary.

 

thanks for your positive response and all the best for the Egyptian people. i think that tourists must show solidarity to those people and travel once again.

 

thanks

[manoftheworld]

some of my friends said that cruise lines began heading for Egypt. of of them is ncl. is that true???

 

thanks

terry

[Welshcruiser20]

some of my friends said that cruise lines began heading for Egypt. of of them is ncl. is that true???

 

thanks

terry

 

 

Not sure that NCL are going in the near future.....but I'm sure they will get back as soon as they feel it's safe.

 

I'll be rebooking my cruise then.....and rebooking my tour with Egypt Private Excursions. They are great to do business with.

[cruisemom42]

I've read on these boards that HAL is reinstating some of its calls in Egypt. Now that the US has lifted their travel warning, others may be reconsidering. Keep in mind it is not easy logistically for ships to change their itineraries, so often there is some lag before changes are announced.

[Welshcruiser20]

I've read on these boards that HAL is reinstating some of its calls in Egypt. Now that the US has lifted their travel warning, others may be reconsidering. Keep in mind it is not easy logistically for ships to change their itineraries, so often there is some lag before changes are announced.

 

 

I think we should show our support for the Egyptian people by returning as soon as it is deemed safe. So many there working in the tourism industry must be having a very difficult time right now.

I have had to cancel my tours with Egypt Private Excursion as my cruise itinerary has changed but I have promised to rebook as soon as I get on a cruise going to Egypt. They were very understanding and easy to deal with.

[manoftheworld]

I think we should show our support for the Egyptian people by returning as soon as it is deemed safe. So many there working in the tourism industry must be having a very difficult time right now.

I have had to cancel my tours with Egypt Private Excursion as my cruise itinerary has changed but I have promised to rebook as soon as I get on a cruise going to Egypt. They were very understanding and easy to deal with.

 

i had to my cruise on ncl this year because for me Egypt was a must. i think the situation is beginning to get back to normal and cruise ships began to head to Egypt again. i hope all cruise ships put Egypt on the list again

[Welshcruiser20]

i had to my cruise on ncl this year because for me Egypt was a must. i think the situation is beginning to get back to normal and cruise ships began to head to Egypt again. i hope all cruise ships put Egypt on the list again

 

 

Cruise companies are now starting to go back to Egypt .....so let's hope things are really on the up for them there.

 

Support the local companies as much as you can......they have lost several months' worth of income

 

Egypt Private Excursions......here I come!!

[Zukini]

I would highly recommend Dalia, the guide I had on my first visit (see my Alexandria port review below) -- she also can do Cairo. Unfortunately, she was not available the day I was in Cairo. The guide I had was fine, but I would not recommend her as much as Dalia.

 

As to Cairo, I have spent quite a few days there on various visits and have done most of the "big" tourist must-sees like the pyramids and sphinx (2x), Museum (3x), bazaar, Citadel, Coptic Cairo, Memphis, Saqqara (2x), etc! So I was looking for something that was a little off the beaten track. As I said, H. David was great in sending me suggestions to consider for the day.

 

Cynthia, I just received an email from H. David at EPE to let us know that Dalia will be our guide for Cairo on May 21st and 22nd:D! Very excited to hear that, as I know from your previous Alexandria review that you were very pleased with her.

 

It's been a bit of a roller coaster, with the Star Princess dropping Egypt and substituting Livorno and Malta and extending the stay at Istanbul at first, then changing their minds and returning to the original itinerary, but I'm ultimately very excited that Egypt is back on the menu for this cruise. I'll be posting full reviews of each of our port stops when I get back.

 

Thanks again!

[cruisemom42]

Cynthia, I just received an email from H. David at EPE to let us know that Dalia will be our guide for Cairo on May 21st and 22nd:D! Very excited to hear that, as I know from your previous Alexandria review that you were very pleased with her.

 

It's been a bit of a roller coaster, with the Star Princess dropping Egypt and substituting Livorno and Malta and extending the stay at Istanbul at first, then changing their minds and returning to the original itinerary, but I'm ultimately very excited that Egypt is back on the menu for this cruise. I'll be posting full reviews of each of our port stops when I get back.

 

Thanks again!

 

I'm very pleased for you; I'm sure you will have a wonderful tour with Dalia. Please give her a very warm "Hello" from Cynthia!

[dog]

we were extremely pleased with this company. samir was our guide for overnight 2 day for 2 people. we had a private a/c van (new). seating for driver, guide and 9 passengers.

no security and no caravan. we left at 7:15am and went off. felt very safe until last 1/2 hour in Alexandria when a fight broke out. man threw clay potted plant at car in parkinglot along waterfront, car chased man and others, driving erratically it came within a foot of hitting our van. driver had dh and guide get back in van and got us out of there. this fight broke out very quickly and crowd gathered. not a nice end to a wonderful 2 days.

am willing to answer any questions you have.

[Welshcruiser20]

we were extremely pleased with this company. samir was our guide for overnight 2 day for 2 people. we had a private a/c van (new). seating for driver, guide and 9 passengers.

no security and no caravan. we left at 7:15am and went off. felt very safe until last 1/2 hour in Alexandria when a fight broke out. man threw clay potted plant at car in parkinglot along waterfront, car chased man and others, driving erratically it came within a foot of hitting our van. driver had dh and guide get back in van and got us out of there. this fight broke out very quickly and crowd gathered. not a nice end to a wonderful 2 days.

am willing to answer any questions you have.

 

 

Hi dog, can you tell me what hotel you stayed at? What was it like?

[dog]

Hi dog, can you tell me what hotel you stayed at? What was it like?

 

Oberoi Mena House and I love it. The older section is due to have some renov. done shortly ie: new a/c. Ours was fine for us and the hotel upgraded us to a pyramid view room. It did not have a balcony but the windows did open and you looked right across at the Great Pyramid, and the shops in front of it. So close.

The property is very clean and kept in good condition. The intercontinental restaurant had a very good buffet breakfast included and we didn't find any problem with the food there (but were careful and only drank bottled drinks etc). We also had our dinner there and it was very good as well.

We could not see, but could hear some of the light and sound show.

Since the day was so long we didn't use the pool. You can walk down the street to other restaurants and shops easily.

I heard people at the Cairo Marriott got sick from the food/drinks there. (of course, I cannot verify this).

[Zukini]

I had promised to post back here about our overnight excursion with Egypt Private Excursions after our trip. Unfortunately, I came down with Norovirus the day before we arrived in Alexandria (my wife came down with it 24 hours later), so we had to cancel on VERY short notice.

 

I contacted H. David by email the evening before our arrival to let him know not to send Dalia to meet us. Although the cancellation policy is 5 days prior, Mr. David very graciously waived all of his fees, although he had already contracted with the guide and the hotel, so I'd like to offer my personal thanks to him for that.

 

We were both very disappointed to miss Egypt on this trip, especially after all of the care and planning we put into this excursion, but it was unfortunately necessary. I can't imagine what we would have done if we had become as ill as we did if we were down at the Mena House....we certainly wouldn't have been in any shape to get back to Alexandria.

 

Dog, for what it's worth, I'm not entirely certain the illnesses mentioned were actually contracted in Egypt, since Noro was on the ship before we even arrived in Alexandria.

Edited May 30, 2011 by Zukini

[cruisemom42]

I had promised to post back here about our overnight excursion with Egypt Private Excursions after our trip. Unfortunately, I came down with Norovirus the day before we arrived in Alexandria (my wife came down with it 24 hours later), so we had to cancel on VERY short notice.

 

I contacted H. David by email the evening before our arrival to let him know not to send Dalia to meet us. Although the cancellation policy is 5 days prior, Mr. David very graciously waived all of his fees, although he had already contracted with the guide and the hotel, so I'd like to offer my personal thanks to him for that.

 

We were both very disappointed to miss Egypt on this trip, especially after all of the care and planning we put into this excursion, but it was unfortunately necessary. I can't imagine what we would have done if we had become as ill as we did if we were down at the Mena House....we certainly wouldn't have been in any shape to get back to Alexandria.

 

Dog, for what it's worth, I'm not entirely certain the illnesses mentioned were actually contracted in Egypt, since Noro was on the ship before we even arrived in Alexandria.

 

Zuke, I'm so sorry to hear that you missed your tour. I know how much planning you put into it.

 

I hope you'll find an opportunity to go back again.....

[Welshcruiser20]

Oberoi Mena House and I love it. The older section is due to have some renov. done shortly ie: new a/c. Ours was fine for us and the hotel upgraded us to a pyramid view room. It did not have a balcony but the windows did open and you looked right across at the Great Pyramid, and the shops in front of it. So close.

The property is very clean and kept in good condition. The intercontinental restaurant had a very good buffet breakfast included and we didn't find any problem with the food there (but were careful and only drank bottled drinks etc). We also had our dinner there and it was very good as well.

We could not see, but could hear some of the light and sound show.

Since the day was so long we didn't use the pool. You can walk down the street to other restaurants and shops easily.

I heard people at the Cairo Marriott got sick from the food/drinks there. (of course, I cannot verify this).

 

 

Thanks for the name of that hotel and it sounds great. It's always good to have a first hand recommendation in places like Egypt. Thanks a lot....I'm going to have a look at their website now

[Zukini]

Zuke, I'm so sorry to hear that you missed your tour. I know how much planning you put into it.

 

I hope you'll find an opportunity to go back again.....

 

Cynthia, thank you for all the advice you offered during the planning stages. Yes, it was certainly disappointing, but we wound up enjoying the other sites on this cruise SO much, there's almost no question that this "once in a lifetime" experience will be repeated in the next year or two.

 

I can't say enough good things about the way Egypt Private Excursions handled this, either. With our email to cancel only 9 hours before the tour was to begin, Mr. David would have been perfectly justified to request full payment. Instead, he was very understanding and compassionate and didn't even ask for a partial payment to cover his expenses.

 

I just hope that Dalia was able to pick up another tour group at the port. I feel terrible that we had to cancel on her.

[dileep]

Thanks for the name of that hotel and it sounds great. It's always good to have a first hand recommendation in places like Egypt. Thanks a lot....I'm going to have a look at their website now

 

We stayed in the old part of Mena House last November and liked it a lot. The Indian restaurant is popular and serves good food. We also arranged our Sound & Light Show tour with the travel agency in the lobby. Great view of the pyramids and the horse drawn carriages from the garden.

Edited May 31, 2011 by dileep

[jane10]

:) We just returned from a cruise on Star Princess, our reason for choosing the itinerary was because of the overnight stay in Alexandria and we are so glad the restored that port.

I had contacted Egypt Private Excursions when the itinary was changed a few weeks before the cruise and corresponded with David by email, he confirmed the tour route, the size of the vehicle and special arrangements for our party of four because I needed a wheelchair. He did not request a deposit which was great as the port was not a definite call but gave us emergency contact details.

 

We chose to go to the great pyramids & the sphinx, Sakkara step pyramids & tombs, Egyptian museum & citadel and alabaster mosque

When we docked and left the ship, having heard that many of the cruisers were not even going to get off in Alexandria it was pleasing to meet Momen who was our tour guide. He was extremely knowledgable about the history of Egypt ancient and modern and was also very proud of his country and its recent revolution. He made sure that we could visit the monuments without being hastled by the traders and also ensured that we got as close as physically possible because of my walking limitations. He provided a great deal of information about every artifact in the museum and really brought it to life.

 

Our driver was also brilliant and sped through the Cairo traffic at ease and with a great sense of humour.

 

The first lunch stop we had was very good and the Mercure hotel that we stayed in overnight was excellent, huge well furnished rooms and the meal we had was very good and very cheap. The meal on the second day was slightly dissappointing but still ok.

 

On the second day we were accompanied by a young and silent armed policeman who we did not really feel was necessary but his snoring kept us entertained on the long drive back.

 

I would recommend visiting Egypt, staying in Cairo and using Egypt Private Excursions as they provided an excellent service. :)

[dog]

I would recommend EgyptPrivateExcursions to anyone visiting Egypt because of the excellent service we received. We felt safer being with 2 Egyptians (driver & guide) than on a big bus from the cruiseline.

We did see armed guards with the large groups at Giza but did not have one with us and did not drive along in a caravan/convoy.

Lunch at an outdoor place at Sakkara was good. Did not eat anything to cause any problems. Drank bottled water. We did not want lunch on day 2 after having the breakfast buffet at Mena House.

 

Zuke, I am so sorry you missed Egypt. We had the most wonderful trip. And we're so sorry to hear about all those sick on the cruise. I met a few after they got loose after being quarantined and they looked terrible and did not have the good attitude you have.

 

If anyone has any questions I'll be pleased to answer them.

Also thanks to cruisemom for her help here.

[dog]

A few photos from our EPE tour.

[dog]

We stayed at the Oberoi Mena House and asked for a room close to reception & restaurants. The long day had taken its toll on our legs, so the hotel upgraded us to the pyramid view room, close to the elevator on the 3rd floor. The windows opened up and we had a view of 2 of the pyramids of Giza.

The rooms on either side of us had balconies.

The buffet breakfast was very good, but we stayed clear of unpealed fruit and uncooked vegs.

Dinner was very good as well.

[manoftheworld]

We stayed at the Oberoi Mena House and asked for a room close to reception & restaurants. The long day had taken its toll on our legs, so the hotel upgraded us to the pyramid view room, close to the elevator on the 3rd floor. The windows opened up and we had a view of 2 of the pyramids of Giza.

The rooms on either side of us had balconies.

The buffet breakfast was very good, but we stayed clear of unpealed fruit and uncooked vegs.

Dinner was very good as well.

 

hi dog

 

since you were in egypt, may I ask you about the security as I plan to travel to egypt?

 

many thanks

[dog]

hi dog

 

since you were in egypt, may I ask you about the security as I plan to travel to egypt?

 

many thanks

 

We felt very safe with our guide and driver. Samir, the guide, left his wife & 2 kids in Alexandria and went to Cairo with his BIL for the 3 weeks of the revolution. He was one of the guys surrounding the Egyptian Museum to protect it. The driver was excellent in his safe driving skills and getting us out of an uncomfortable situation in a parking lot on the waterfront in Alexandria.

We left before the bus convoy/caravan and did not have any armed guards going along the highway with us/nor on the way back. No need IMHO, things seem to have gone back to regular daily life in the cities and on the highway.

We felt perfectly safe at the sites-Giza pyramids, where you ride camels, Sphinx, Sakkara, Memphis, Mena House Oberoi. On the Sunday morning we went to the Egyptian Museum-it was a busy couple of streets around there but I'm assuming far less people than usual and we were scooted in/out quickly by our guide to keep us out of crowds-which were mostly tourists and their drivers.

At the camels, where men & youngsters were trying to sell you things a tourist police dressed in white came over to help me get the guy away from me who was wrapping a shawl around my neck. My guide and DH were out riding the camel at this time.

I did see 2 armed guards in dark shirts and pants (did not see guns) but my guide told me they were armed guards with the bus.

Our table mates went on the one day Princess bus to the pyramids and did not have a guard on their bus, but saw one on the bus behind them.

We felt safe there. It was worth the overnight trip for us. I would only go with a guide though-not on our own like we do in other ports.