Excursions on September cruise stopping Alexandria

[hobgoblin]

Going on the Ancient mysteries cruise stopping in Egypt in September on New Statendam  .

Having never sailed with HAL before Im wondering if anyone has previously taken the ships excursions to El Alamein or Alexandria ?

Im curious  about the Best Of Alexandria trip as the reviews on the HAL webpage were very old and didn't give a very good impression all ! .

My husband was keen on the El Alamein tour but there were no reviews for that trip available on the excursions page .

Would be most helpful to hear of anyones  experience of these tours .

We have already done Cairo before so these excursions were the two most interesting for us .

 

 

[cruisemom42]

I have been to Egypt on three different cruises (three different cruise lines as well). 

 

I know I docked in Alexandria when I was on HAL Westerdam and I'm pretty sure I didn't go into Cairo. However I might have done a private tour rather than a ship tour.

 

If you can list what the tour covers, I can give you my impressions of the included sites. 

 

El-Alamein is, I think, of less interest to US passengers than perhaps to UK and other countries that were more heavily involved. I don't know that a lot of cruise lines offer tours. I believe when I was there on the (small) Aegean Odyssey, which had a majority of passengers from the UK, a tour may have been scheduled. I wouldn't count on it with HAL. You could look into private tours.

 

 

[hobgoblin]

21 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I have been to Egypt on three different cruises (three different cruise lines as well). 

 

I know I docked in Alexandria when I was on HAL Westerdam and I'm pretty sure I didn't go into Cairo. However I might have done a private tour rather than a ship tour.

 

If you can list what the tour covers, I can give you my impressions of the included sites. 

 

El-Alamein is, I think, of less interest to US passengers than perhaps to UK and other countries that were more heavily involved. I don't know that a lot of cruise lines offer tours. I believe when I was there on the (small) Aegean Odyssey, which had a majority of passengers from the UK, a tour may have been scheduled. I wouldn't count on it with HAL. You could look into private tours.

 

 

Thanks so much for your kind reply.

The tour Im looking for feed back on is called Best Of Alexandria .

It visits the following places 

Catatcombs ,Pompeys Pillar,Roman Amphitheatre,National Museum ,Library and the Fort of Quait Bay .

There is no reviews I can see on the HAL website .

[cruisemom42]

39 minutes ago, hobgoblin said:

Thanks so much for your kind reply.

The tour Im looking for feed back on is called Best Of Alexandria .

It visits the following places 

Catatcombs ,Pompeys Pillar,Roman Amphitheatre,National Museum ,Library and the Fort of Quait Bay .

There is no reviews I can see on the HAL website .

 

That tour would definitely cover most of the highlights of Alexandria, although it would be a shame if they don't at least have a photo stop at one of the beautiful mosques.

 

I really enjoyed the catacombs, but access is via a lot of steps up and down to visit the different levels, just FYI.

 

The pillar of Pompey (which is a total misnomer, it was erected for Diocletian) is not in itself remarkable other than for its size. However, it is located very near what was considered a "branch" of the ancient Alexandrian library and also an Egyptian temple -- a Serapeum (for the god Serapis). I hope they give you time to investigate these and not just have a photo stop of the pillar. I've talked to a lot of people who didn't even realize those other things were right there as well. Here's an article:  https://www.globetrove.com/pompeys-pillar-in-alexandria-egypt/

 

The Quait Bey fort is worth a quick visit. It is located on a promontory that may have been close to the spot where the original Lighthouse of Alexandria was located...and it was definitely constructed with some of the ruins of that monument. (It's widely believed that the lighthouse collapsed into the bay during an earthquake in the late antique period).

 

It's pretty much a requirement to see the new Alexandrian library although to me it wasn't that interesting. However, they do have a museum on the ground floor with some interesting ancient finds.

 

I loved the National Museum -- it's small and not overwhelming. There is a great collection of Egyptian-Roman painted mummy masks that I enjoyed very much. Each one is quite individual -- not like a lot of Egyptian art.

 

The monument refered to as the Roman "amphitheatre" is not, in fact an amphitheatre at all. It's a small theatre or (more likely) an odeon as it probably was roofed. It was probably used either for musical performances or lectures. The area where it's located, Kom el-Dekka, is the largest archaeological site in Alexandria. It was a civic center in the Roman period. Well worth visiting. A number of pieces of sculpture that have been recovered from the sea have been installed there. There is also a fascinating Roman villa (with bird mosaics) located somewhat behind the theatre/odeon -- try to find it if you can.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kom_El_Deka

 

After the sites you posted jogged my memory, I recall that I did take a private tour, as I particularly wanted to spend time at Kom el-Dikka and at Pompey's Pillar site. I had a fabulous day. We also stopped for lunch at an excellent fresh fish restaurant right on the waterfront (with views of the habor and Qait Bey.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 19 by cruisemom42

[hobgoblin]

Thats great all sounds very interesting!

Did you by chance go to Olympia on the Katakolon stop?

Are there taxis from the harbour can take you there? unfortunately it looks like all the ship trips are booked up for Olympia .

I could ask so many questions about this cruise !

[cruisemom42]

12 minutes ago, hobgoblin said:

Thats great all sounds very interesting!

Did you by chance go to Olympia on the Katakolon stop?

Are there taxis from the harbour can take you there? unfortunately it looks like all the ship trips are booked up for Olympia .

I could ask so many questions about this cruise !

 

I post often on the Ports of Call forum (along with some other really knowledgeable people) -- you might try looking under the Mediterranean ports sections for answers to some of your questions, no doubt. Or ask them there.

 

I have been to Olympia from Katakolon three times. Once on a ship tour, once on the little local train (which unfortunately has a rather unpredictable schedule) and once via taxi. Yes, there are definitely taxis and even a bus I think to take you to Olympia. It's not a long drive, about 20 minutes. There aren't an unlimited supply of taxis though, so if you want one I would suggest not dallying on the ship too long.

 

The site is great and it does have some English signage but it would be a better experience if you bring some written descriptions with you, e.g., a guidebook or something online. Don't miss the nice little museum onsite. It has one of the only remaining statues in the world said to be sculpted by the Greek master, Praxiteles.

 

[hobgoblin]

Thanks you so much for all your information ,Im going to look at the ports of call section as you advised ,hopefully there will be more tips I can read there .

You are obviously well travelled and informed about these places and I cant thank you enough for taking the time to reply ,its much appreciated .

[sailawaybellaluna]

On 3/19/2024 at 10:33 AM, hobgoblin said:

Thats great all sounds very interesting!

Did you by chance go to Olympia on the Katakolon stop?

Are there taxis from the harbour can take you there? unfortunately it looks like all the ship trips are booked up for Olympia .

I could ask so many questions about this cruise !

Not sure if you're still looking for options on the Katakolon stop, but we had an amazing day there. We booked a private driver recommended through Rick Steves (and here on CruiseCritic) and we stopped at the ancient ruins, a winery for a tasting and lunch, and a beach club before heading back to the ship. We had six hours and 8 passengers in a Mercedes Vito Van, and the guides were so helpful and professional! Their website is Taxi Katakolon best tours to Ancient Olympia Greece - taxikatakolon.gr

 

Their email communication was very detailed, and I mainly worked with Takis is arranging it.