Uniworld Egypt 2016

[sunsetme]

any downside to booking this now for next Feb? There are discounts available now for prepaying.

[Hydrokitty]

any downside to booking this now for next Feb? There are discounts available now for prepaying.

 

Other than the possibility of WW3...No. Seriously...we went to Egypt with Vantage in January, 2009, and it was amazing and fantastic and we loved it. Friend of ours was born and raised in Cairo and he said only time to go is Jan/Feb and he was right, weather was perfect. Happy to help with any questions on what to bring, etc. If you have opportunity to take pre or post trip to Jordan, I'd recommend it. We did Jordan post-trip and the sight of Petra as we rode through the Siq will NEVER leave my mind. :D

Edited January 8, 2015 by Hydrokitty

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You must be reading my mind! After reading about Uniworld going back to Egypt here on CC, we've been madly researching and scratching our heads.

 

Thinking about next October. I've got my TA on the case now, she's done Uniworld Nile, albeit on another boat. I'm talking to her tomorrow.

[jpalbny]

Do it. Egypt is so worth the visit. If there weren't so many other cool places to visit we'd go back with Uniworld.

 

Looks like a great itinerary, very similar to what we did 2y ago with A&K, and their ship looks even nicer. You won't know until the day before you leave whether it's "safe" to go, and even then, you won't know for sure until you have safely returned. So waiting to book isn't any more of a guarantee IMO.

 

If it's predictably unsafe/unstable, they will probably cancel. They don't want something to happen to tourists either. In that case you shouldn't lose money on the cruise. Just take appropriate precautions with regard to airline tickets.

[sunsetme]

not really talking about safety per se. Is there a down side to plunking down a huge sum of cash this far in advance with this company?

[jpalbny]

Let me try to rephrase... what I was trying to say was:

 

The downside is that Egypt becomes unsafe for tourists the day before you're going to leave and Uniworld cancels the sailing. They will in all likelihood refund your money, but you've plunked it down a year in advance. Maybe you could have doubled it in the stock market between now and 2016? Who knows.

 

But now is as good a time as any to take a shot at it. You won't know how things will be in February 2016 with any certainty until February 2016. Thus, waiting a few months won't clarify anything. It's still the same gamble buying it now vs. buying it in March or April.

 

The nightmare scenario (for some) would be that things get ugly in Egypt, but not so bad that Uniworld cancels. Some would be afraid to go, but would not get a refund if they cancel. If you're not afraid to trust Uniworld's assessment of your safety, then I see little downside.

 

If the potential savings for paying in advance are worth it to you, then go for it. I don't think Uniworld is a fly by night company that will pocket your cash and disappear.

 

Again, make sure you have an out vis-à-vis your airfare should the situation deteriorate and Uniworld cancels the sailing leaving you with a 2-week vacation in Cairo and no cruise...

Edited January 9, 2015 by jpalbny

[alexandra cruiser]

Did Uniworld Egypt before all the current mess,booked 1 yr.ahead.Almost necessary with most river cruises since boat so small to get what YOU want.Be on safe side and get "cancel for any reason ins."when you book.Then you can get money back either way,worth the extra expense in this area IMO.

 

Loved every minute of this cruise, even with armed guards,etc. Felt safe and very protected...sort of like royalty.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

....Be on safe side and get "cancel for any reason ins."when you book.Then you can get money back either way,worth the extra expense in this area IMO.

...

 

Does Uniworld offer this type of insurance? (Oh, I see that they do.)

 

Now I'm going to do research on the boat--apparently there were some issues pre-arab spring, hopefully it's improved. (I've found at least one good comment about the boat, that's good.)

 

Anyone who's been to Egypt care to comment on the itinerary? I've been told that the option tour to Abu Simbel should be considered a must (and it would be for us.)

Edited January 9, 2015 by Wendy The Wanderer

[Wendy The Wanderer]

any downside to booking this now for next Feb? There are discounts available now for prepaying.

 

Here's how I see the discounts. There's a $1K savings if you pay in full before March 31st. Fine. But, there's also a $500 saving if you *book* before June 30th. So, you're only really saving $500 by paying up front when you book. For me, it's probably not worth the opportunity cost.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

BTW, we're going to book this, for October 2015.

[YoungDubFan]

I would definitely do Abu Simbel if you have the option. Make sure you fly in and out - don't get transportation via ground. Air is obviously much quicker and probably much safer. I was lucky to do Egypt in Feb. 2008 and absolutely loved it. The people were so nice and it is was a once in a lifetime trip.

[jpalbny]

BTW, we're going to book this, for October 2015.

 

Awesome! We went with A&K Nov 2012 and it was a fantastic trip. The itineraries look very similar at first glance. If you have specific questions about the itinerary I'd be happy to elaborate, and there is a link to our pictures in the signature below.

 

I agree that Abu Simbel was not to be missed. Only by seeing the site, can you appreciate the spectacular effort that went into saving it from the waters of Lake Nassar.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I would definitely do Abu Simbel if you have the option. Make sure you fly in and out - don't get transportation via ground. Air is obviously much quicker and probably much safer. I was lucky to do Egypt in Feb. 2008 and absolutely loved it. The people were so nice and it is was a once in a lifetime trip.

 

Do you mean fly from Aswan to Abu Simbel? I see that it's two hundred miles away, and Uniworld offers an optional excursion there. So you're saying we should fly there?

[jpalbny]

Do you mean fly from Aswan to Abu Simbel? I see that it's two hundred miles away, and Uniworld offers an optional excursion there. So you're saying we should fly there?

 

Yes, fly. From Aswan, it's a short hop. And the view of the desert, and the lake, is pretty nice. I would be shocked if Uniworld excursion isn't via airplane.

 

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[Hydrokitty]

Yes, fly. From Aswan, it's a short hop. And the view of the desert, and the lake, is pretty nice. I would be shocked if Uniworld excursion isn't via airplane.

 

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abu Simbel is definitely not to be missed. It was included in our itinerary, which is one of the reasons we chose Vantage. BUT we flew from Cairo to Aswan and then were bused to Abu Simbel where we boarded the Omar al Khayyam for a Lake Nasser cruise which was fantastic. It took us a couple of hours to cross the desert and we were part of a caravan of buses with armed guards front and back. It was an amazing adventure to cross the desert and see camel caravans coming from Sudan and I felt very safe and secure....of course this was 2009 and things were a lot different then.

[alexandra cruiser]

but do check and see if the STill do it.Much faster and safer.

 

Re.Cancel for any reason,,,can get it independently ,with TA s help.or online with any good co.Just have to buy when you book,and more expensive.But worth it,just in case.

[jpalbny]

Hydrokitty - that does sound pretty neat. But I strongly suspect Uniworld will fly rather than drive for this, as I would think that the distances would make for a really long day trip if you drove both ways. Google says that it's 10h+ of driving if you start in Aswan, go to Abu Simbel, and then return to Edfu - about 400 miles in total. Does that match what you experienced?

 

The way A&K did it was pretty good, though it was a killer of a long day. We visited Abu Simbel directly from Cairo, on the day that we embarked the river cruise in Aswan.

 

We woke up around 3 and packed; after pretending to have breakfast, we left the hotel early and flew from Cairo directly to Abu Simbel. The buses took us from the airport to the site, where we arrived just before 8AM. We had about 90 minutes then we returned to the airport and took the short hop to Aswan, where we visited the dam on our way to embark on the boat (around noon) - already a long day. But we weren't done yet...

 

We still had the whole afternoon to go! After a little down time on the boat we toured the Nubian museum that afternoon / evening, then dinner, then finally a chance to sleep...

 

The only downside I see to doing it Uniworld's way is that with them, Abu Simbel is an optional excursion. You have to wonder what you're missing while you're off at Abu Simbel. The cruise companion isn't out yet (which would give lots of detail) but the itinerary suggests you miss mostly just cruising from Aswan to Edfu that day. Probably OK, especially since Uniworld's itinerary cruises from Luxor to Aswan and then back to Luxor. We only went one-way.

 

Given the choice between our itinerary and Uniworld's I prefer the way we did it. But it doesn't sound bad by any stretch of the imagination the way Uniworld has it set up. And, it may be more restful their way - no 3 AM wake-up call!

 

Nice to have such tough decisions!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yes, fly. From Aswan, it's a short hop. And the view of the desert, and the lake, is pretty nice. I would be shocked if Uniworld excursion isn't via airplane.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app

 

but do check and see if the STill do it.Much faster and safer.

...

 

Well, good, I hope it is. But the description that's available now online doesn't mention air, or have an airplane symbol beside it:

 

"Aswan, cruising the Nile River, Kom Ombo, Edfu

Spend the day at leisure, or take an optional excursion to see the magnificent temples of Abu Simbel, carved into the sandstone cliffs along the Nile about two hundred miles from Aswan.

The front of the main temple has four gargantuan statues of Ramses II on his throne, each measuring nearly 70 feet high and discovered half buried in sand in 1813. This UNESCO-designated site was the focus of a daunting four-year rescue operation in the early 1960s—a multi-million dollar effort that saved the 35-hundred-year-old temples from the rising waters of Lake Nasser."

 

Note that it says that this is a day of leisure, nothing planned.

[Hydrokitty]

Hydrokitty - that does sound pretty neat. But I strongly suspect Uniworld will fly rather than drive for this, as I would think that the distances would make for a really long day trip if you drove both ways. Google says that it's 10h+ of driving if you start in Aswan, go to Abu Simbel, and then return to Edfu - about 400 miles in total. Does that match what you experienced?

 

We woke up around 3 and packed; after pretending to have breakfast, we left the hotel early and flew from Cairo directly to Abu Simbel. The buses took us from the airport to the site, where we arrived just before 8AM.

 

Nice to have such tough decisions!

 

no, jpalbny, thank goodness it does not! we did get up at 3 a.m. for our pre-dawn flight to Aswan from Cairo, and it didn't take more than 3-4 hours on the bus to get there, but we spent the rest of the day at Abu Simbel because our Lake Nasser cruise (3 days on the Omar al Khayyam) was docked right outside the entrance!

 

IMHO no matter what your cruise is offering in place of Abu Simbel, it won't be worth it!!

 

And yes, it is nice to have such tough decisions! :D

[sunsetme]

If I have to pick a cabin which side of the river do I want to face?

[Hydrokitty]

If I have to pick a cabin which side of the river do I want to face?

 

It makes no difference because you're on the river and there's shore line visible on both sides. The Nile especially is very scenic but there's not a whole lot of development on the banks, unlike the Danube or Rhine, where you're passing towns and cities along the way.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Here's how I see the discounts. There's a $1K savings if you pay in full before March 31st. Fine. But, there's also a $500 saving if you *book* before June 30th. So, you're only really saving $500 by paying up front when you book. For me, it's probably not worth the opportunity cost.

 

I'm dickering with my TA right now, trying to get the right cabin and the best discount. He was quoted a lesser discount--just $500 off if you pay in full at booking (which we don't intend to do). Not the same as above, so I have queried this. We'll see what happens on Monday. Our TA does provide a kickback, so that may be the difference, different strokes for different travel consortiums.

[alexandra cruiser]

so I checked internet sites for best price(along with cruise site) and asked my TA to get THAT low price(he also inc. his cashback offer),but be friendly but persisitant. Seems to work MOST of time.

 

I travel every 6 mos.so feel I m a loyal customer and they re making money on my business.Pointed that out too.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Apparently the discounts offered on their website only apply to the Christmas Market cruise. Sigh. Still going to book, probably today or tomorrow.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh, and it looks like this boat is not all-inclusive for alcohol, unlike most of the Uniworld boats. My TA is confirming this. That's disappointing.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Wendy The Wanderer