Cairo Anti-Government Demonstrations

[Capricruiser]

Let's just get it together - FORGET TRAVEL TO EGYPT for the next few days at least. MSC has cancelled their cruise stops to Port Said and Alexandria and I'm sure Costa is doing the same. It's a very bad situation there in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, and several other cities. If Mubarak survives it or not, at least for the time being it's not worth the risk to try Egypt, upper, lower, or desert. There's always another time.

[cruisemom42]

Can you send me the info also, just in case? We will go to Istanbul eventually so this will come in handy either way.

 

admail4us@gmail.com

 

From a prior Georgia resident living abroad now :)

 

I will send you my notes within the next couple of days.

[jocap]

British Airways are sending planes to Cairo for nationals who wish to leave; a BMI plane turned round before landing, and returned home; the Foreign Office reckon that there's around 30,000 British visitors presently in the country, but most will be in Red Sea resorts. Thomson's cruise should be moving from Jordan to Egypt tonight, but we haven't heard what's happening, as trips from Sokhna to Cairo will not be running.

Jo.

[Jade13]

Here is a live blog. This is really bad, and issue extends to the Suez Canal.

 

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-ea...egypt-protests

 

11:43 pm - Latest casualty numbers from Egypt: 1,030 injured countrywide. There reportedly have been 11 civilians killed in Suez and 170 injured. No deaths reported in Cairo yet.

 

"4:36 pm - Suez remains the day's biggest flashpoint. Crowds look enormous there, and at least one person has reportedly died, his body carried through the street by protesters, according to Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal. "

[crabby apple]

I will send you my notes within the next couple of days.

 

Thank you kindly:D

[happy trailer]

Woke up to this unfortunate news item.

 

A lesson in going places while you can- we're doing fine in Israel, but if a new Egyptian gov't decides to abandon our peace treaty, then it may be a long while before I can finally get to see the pyramids and all...

 

One more reason to deeply desire peace though out the world..

 

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=205795

 

Looters rip heads off 2 mummies at Egyptian Museum

 

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

01/30/2011 02:02

 

CAIRO — Would-be looters broke into Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum, ripping the heads off two mummies and damaging about 10 small artifacts before being caught and detained by army soldiers, Egypt's antiquities chief said Saturday.

 

Zahi Hawass said the vandals did not manage to steal any of the museum's antiquities, and that the prized collection was now safe and under military guard.

 

With mass anti-government protests still roiling the country and unleashing chaos on the streets, fears that looters could target other ancient treasures at sites across the country prompted the military to dispatch armored personnel carriers and troops to the Pyramids of Giza, the temple city of Luxor and other key archaeological monuments.

 

Hawass said now that the Egyptian Museum's collection is secure from thieves, the greatest threat to the collection inside is posed by the torched ruling party headquarters building next door.

 

"What scares me is that if this building is destroyed, it will fall over the museum," Hawass said as he watched fire trucks spray water on the still smoldering NDP headquarters.

[RaginBajin]

I don't sail till June, and I hope that things clear up to be much safer. I'm keeping an eye on the situation, as I'm worried that Egypt won't be safe to travel. Hopefully things clear up and things really settle down and get back to some what of a normal situation again. if things are a still a little shaky, I think we are going to look for another Cruise to take as we don't have to make a final payment till April 14th.

[drarill]

I don't sail till June, and I hope that things clear up to be much safer. I'm keeping an eye on the situation, as I'm worried that Egypt won't be safe to travel. Hopefully things clear up and things really settle down and get back to some what of a normal situation again. if things are a still a little shaky, I think we are going to look for another Cruise to take as we don't have to make a final payment till April 14th.

We are also traveling in June on the Mariner of the Seas. Do you think that a cruse line like RCCL will wait a lot to make changes on the itinerary? We are also keeping and eye on the situation and making alternate plans, but I really think that from a business point of view, RCCL can't wait too long to make changes if they want to fill this cruises.

[motib]

I see no reason not to book a cruise that includes Egypt think the situation is very clear, if Egypt will not be save at the time of our cruise then your cruise company will go to alternative ports, and all companies will act the same.

I can tell you what the situation now is. MSC had canceled Egypt and the Magnifica is in Haifa today as planed but is going to stay overnight instead of 1 day only. So no Pyramids on this cruise but they got Jerusalem and Nazareth instead.

Tomson Celebration is coming to Eilat this Tuesday for un planed port call and are doing overnights instead of Sharem. They will get Jerusalem and the Dead Sea instead.

Are this bad deal? I don't know, I am not objective…

[Jade13]

I see no reason not to book a cruise that includes Egypt think the situation is very clear, if Egypt will not be save at the time of our cruise then your cruise company will go to alternative ports, and all companies will act the same.

I can tell you what the situation now is. MSC had canceled Egypt and the Magnifica is in Haifa today as planed but is going to stay overnight instead of 1 day only. So no Pyramids on this cruise but they got Jerusalem and Nazareth instead.

Tomson Celebration is coming to Eilat this Tuesday for un planed port call and are doing overnights instead of Sharem. They will get Jerusalem and the Dead Sea instead.

Are this bad deal? I don't know, I am not objective…

 

Those look like very good alternatives.

[drarill]

I see no reason not to book a cruise that includes Egypt think the situation is very clear, if Egypt will not be save at the time of our cruise then your cruise company will go to alternative ports, and all companies will act the same.

I can tell you what the situation now is. MSC had canceled Egypt and the Magnifica is in Haifa today as planed but is going to stay overnight instead of 1 day only. So no Pyramids on this cruise but they got Jerusalem and Nazareth instead.

Tomson Celebration is coming to Eilat this Tuesday for un planed port call and are doing overnights instead of Sharem. They will get Jerusalem and the Dead Sea instead.

Are this bad deal? I don't know, I am not objective…

Those look like good alternatives, but in our case we cruised on the Equinox last year and went to Istanbul for two days. If RCCL decides to change Egypt for Istanbul we will cancel our cruise. If they change the itinerary for the Holy Land itineary we will go to the cruise. I just hope that RCCL doesnt wait too long to make a decision.

[cruisemom42]

Those look like good alternatives, but in our case we cruised on the Equinox last year and went to Istanbul for two days. If RCCL decides to change Egypt for Istanbul we will cancel our cruise. If they change the itinerary for the Holy Land itineary we will go to the cruise. I just hope that RCCL doesnt wait too long to make a decision.

 

If things seem likely to calm down a bit, they may not make a decision before final payment is due. Just be prepared.

[drarill]

If things seem likely to calm down a bit, they may not make a decision before final payment is due. Just be prepared.

Thanks for the advice! There is nothing we can do, just sit and wait. We already have our plane tickets and working on a plan B and C. If Royal changes the itinerary to the Holy Land we will stay on the cruise, if they change it for Istanbul we will cancel and will do a land vacation.

[dileep]

We had been thinking about going to Egypt for a long time, and we finally did last November. I am so glad that we did!

 

It is sad to see the turmoil there, but I hope that the "new Egypt" will be stable anf safe for visitors and a better place for the citizens of Egypt.

[Mexfolkart]

We did not get to Cairo and Egypt..we were to leave Saturday night on our flight to Cairo. Friday we had to fly to NYC to make the connection for Saturday. As of 4pm on Friday our trip was still ON..however at 730pm that night we received a phone call from the tour company that we would NOT be going. We were going first on a land tour of Cairo and then a 7 day cruise down the Nile. We had private tours set up in Cairo and there is no way to email them we aren't coming but they must assume we aren't. I sent the email anyway. I believe that the planes Friday night to Cairo did go. There were many people on our flight to New York who were going to Egypt for vacations. Delta was wonderful and made arrangements to change our flight from 2/12 to Sunday and we got home at 730pm last night. Made the best of Saturday afternoon and went to the Egyptian exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!!! We still want to go to Egypt and will have to do it another time. Best, Sherry

[cruisemom42]

Thanks for the advice! There is nothing we can do, just sit and wait. We already have our plane tickets and working on a plan B and C. If Royal changes the itinerary to the Holy Land we will stay on the cruise, if they change it for Istanbul we will cancel and will do a land vacation.

 

I understand -- waiting and wondering is the hardest thing to do. I'm sure everyone's first choice would be to make the call in Egypt, and that's one reason why the lines will wait as long as they can before making a determination as to whether it is safe and advisable.

 

Won't you lose $$$ if you cancel after final payment?

[havcamwiltravel]

I understand -- waiting and wondering is the hardest thing to do. I'm sure everyone's first choice would be to make the call in Egypt, and that's one reason why the lines will wait as long as they can before making a determination as to whether it is safe and advisable.

 

Just to offer a note of optimism:

 

What is going on in Egypt right now is not a revolution, it is a revolt. Given both the persistence of the demonstrators and the reluctance of the military to use excessive force, Mubarak's days in power are probably numbered. If he steps down, which is likely to happen soon, Egypt's political situation will continue to evolve and, hopefully bring real reforms for Egyptians, but the demonstrations will end.

 

The demonstrations in Tunisia, which seemed to spark the same in Egypt, have already ended. If you'll remember the recent demonstrations in Iran, they ended soon after they began - albeit that they were put down with force.

 

There are four full months to go before our cruise. Cruise lines are acting cautiously optimistic and I think we should too. I think it's still early to talk about cancellations.

 

Just my two cents worth.:cool:

[Jade13]

Thanks for the advice! There is nothing we can do, just sit and wait. We already have our plane tickets and working on a plan B and C. If Royal changes the itinerary to the Holy Land we will stay on the cruise, if they change it for Istanbul we will cancel and will do a land vacation.

 

What is your current itinerary?

 

We are on Azamara (owned by RCCL) and only schedued port stop is in Alexandria. Our final payment is in two weeks, but problem is non-refundable airfare. We wanted to change to a differant itinerary but the ones we can do will not work because the increase in airfare ranges from $2,200-$7,200.00 for two.

[Jade13]

Delta was wonderful and made arrangements to change our flight from 2/12 to Sunday and we got home at 730pm last night. Made the best of Saturday afternoon and went to the Egyptian exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!!! We still want to go to Egypt and will have to do it another time. Best, Sherry

 

And it is a great exhibit at the MMA. Is the Eqypt in the time of King Tut exhibit still in NYC? It was in December. We saw it in Philly a few years ago.

[drarill]

I understand -- waiting and wondering is the hardest thing to do. I'm sure everyone's first choice would be to make the call in Egypt, and that's one reason why the lines will wait as long as they can before making a determination as to whether it is safe and advisable.

 

Won't you lose $$$ if you cancel after final payment?

Hi! We are not going to wait after final payment to decide what to do. I can understand if RCCL waits a couple of weeks to make their decisions. I can only tell you that our ship is really far from being full and if I didn't have a reservation I wouldn't make a new one right now. If by the time of final payment they still have Egypt as a port of call and we don't feel that the political situation is stable, then we will cancel. We already have our non-refundable airfare, and that's our problem. We are making alternate plans, if Royal changes the itinerary to the Holy Land we will cruise with them, if they don't, we will do a land vacation.

[drarill]

What is your current itinerary?

 

We are on Azamara (owned by RCCL) and only schedued port stop is in Alexandria. Our final payment is in two weeks, but problem is non-refundable airfare. We wanted to change to a differant itinerary but the ones we can do will not work because the increase in airfare ranges from $2,200-$7,200.00 for two.

Hi; when are you leaving? We are cruising on the Mariner of the Seas, June 4 departure. Our cruise stops in Sicily, Athens, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Alexandria (two days), Naples and back to Rome. It is a 12 nights cruise and the following cruise (June 16), goes to Naples,Kusadasi, Crete Athens, Rhodes, Haifa and Ashdod Israel, is also a 12 nights cruise.

[Zukini]

Hi! We are not going to wait after final payment to decide what to do. I can understand if RCCL waits a couple of weeks to make their decisions. I can only tell you that our ship is really far from being full and if I didn't have a reservation I wouldn't make a new one right now. If by the time of final payment they still have Egypt as a port of call and we don't feel that the political situation is stable, then we will cancel. We already have our non-refundable airfare, and that's our problem. We are making alternate plans, if Royal changes the itinerary to the Holy Land we will cruise with them, if they don't, we will do a land vacation.

 

We're booked for the Star Princess in May, and our final payment will be at the beginning of March.

 

My wife & I have had extensive discussions about this. The opportunity to see Rome, Naples, Athens, Istanbul, and Egypt in one cruise was certainly a driving force for our decision to book this trip. However, we recognize that any port can be missed at any time on a cruise with no advance notice due to weather or other extenuating circumstances. The only difference here is that we know in advance that there's a better than average chance that we will forced to miss Egypt.

 

While it's disappointing, it's not functionally that different than if we had to miss the port with no advance notice, due to fog or rough seas.

 

Given that we're tied in with non-refundable airfare, and we've already made some non-refundable pre-cruise reservations, we've thought long and hard about whether we should go for a land-based vacation or bite the bullet and change to a far less expensive Caribbean cruise. We've decided to stick it out. Being able to see the other ports on our itinerary will still make the cruise worthwhile, even if we are unable to dock in Alexandria. In addition, with even a little advance notice, I'm presuming that Princess will insert a substitute port, be it Sicily, Malta, Israel, or Crete.

 

If, on the other hand, the situation in Egypt is resolved by May, and an atmosphere conducive to tourism returns, we will still be in a position to visit there as part of the cruise.

[drarill]

We're booked for the Star Princess in May, and our final payment will be at the beginning of March.

 

My wife & I have had extensive discussions about this. The opportunity to see Rome, Naples, Athens, Istanbul, and Egypt in one cruise was certainly a driving force for our decision to book this trip. However, we recognize that any port can be missed at any time on a cruise with no advance notice due to weather or other extenuating circumstances. The only difference here is that we know in advance that there's a better than average chance that we will forced to miss Egypt.

 

While it's disappointing, it's not functionally that different than if we had to miss the port with no advance notice, due to fog or rough seas.

 

Given that we're tied in with non-refundable airfare, and we've already made some non-refundable pre-cruise reservations, we've thought long and hard about whether we should go for a land-based vacation or bite the bullet and change to a far less expensive Caribbean cruise. We've decided to stick it out. Being able to see the other ports on our itinerary will still make the cruise worthwhile, even if we are unable to dock in Alexandria. In addition, with even a little advance notice, I'm presuming that Princess will insert a substitute port, be it Sicily, Malta, Israel, or Crete.

 

If, on the other hand, the situation in Egypt is resolved by May, and an atmosphere conducive to tourism returns, we will still be in a position to visit there as part of the cruise.

Sounds like a great plan! This is going to be our third time in Athens, Naples and Kusadasi. Sicily, Rhodes and Egypt will be new to us. We are just going to wait and see, I just checked our cabin category today and it was more expensive than yesterday:rolleyes:

[happy trailer]

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=206221

 

Jordan's king sacks entire Cabinet amid street protests

 

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

02/01/2011 15:15

 

King Adullah nominates ex-army general Marouf al-Bakhit as prime minister after thousands of Jordanians take to the streets and call for the current PM to resign, due to rise in food, fuel prices.

 

Talkbacks (1) Jordan's Royal Palace said the king has sacked his government on Tuesday, in the wake of street protests, He has asked an ex-army general to form a new Cabinet.

 

King Abdullah's move comes after thousands of Jordanians took to the streets — inspired by the regime ouster in Tunisia and the turmoil in Egypt — and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Samir Rifai who is blamed for a rise in fuel and food prices and slowed political reforms.

 

RELATED:

Opinion: What about Jordan?

Thousands in Jordan protest, demand PM step down

 

The Royal Palace said Rifai's entire Cabinet resigned on Tuesday.

 

Abdullah also nominated Marouf al-Bakhit as his prime minister-designate. No other details were immediately available.

 

Last week, thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated in Amman demanding the prime minister step down and venting their anger at rising prices, inflation and unemployment.

 

It was the third consecutive Friday of protests following Muslim prayers in Jordan, inspired by the unrest in Tunisia and rallies in Egypt demanding the downfall of the country's longtime president.

 

About 3,500 opposition activists from Jordan's main Islamist opposition group, trade unions and leftist organizations gathered in Amman's downtown, waving colorful banners reading: "Send the corrupt guys to court."

 

Members of the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and Jordan's largest opposition party, swelled the ranks of the demonstrators, massing outside the al-Husseini mosque in Amman and filling the downtown streets with their prayer lines.

[dileep]

Let's hope that Egypt does not turn into another "Iran"!