De Castro Tours in Egypt

[kdowneymd]

Saga Ruby, thank-you for your response, it was very helpful.

[cruisinkathleen]

Hi-- We will be on the Jewel next May and are thinking of doing the same tour you did through De Castro. Can you give us an idea of what your costs were and did you take the vanilla tour or did you customize it. Anything we should'nt miss? John and Jo Wiltse

Hello John and Jo- When in May will you be on the NCL Jewel? Gordon and I are on the May 7th departure. I have just started to look into what to do for tours on this cruise. Could you please give me a brief description of the tour in Egypt and price. Thanks Kathleen

[sammyjo882]

On most tours, the driver & guide are together the entire time. I think I read that with DeCastro, the driver picks you up in Alexandria & you don't actually meet your guide until you arrive in Cairo. What % do you tip each one?

 

They've asked for the balance of the tour to be paid in US $, is that okay for the tip also?

 

Our ship leaves at 10pm - what time would you recommend leaving Cairo by? Are the vans fairly new & well air conditioned?

 

Thanks.

[Saga Ruby]

On most tours, the driver & guide are together the entire time. I think I read that with DeCastro, the driver picks you up in Alexandria & you don't actually meet your guide until you arrive in Cairo. What % do you tip each one? They've asked for the balance of the tour to be paid in US $, is that okay for the tip also? Our ship leaves at 10pm - what time would you recommend leaving Cairo by? Are the vans fairly new & well air conditioned? Thanks.

 

I was an independent traveler to Cairo out of Port Said and Luxor out of Safaga. When I got off the Nautica gangway, I saw a bunch of well-dressed men in suits standing around. I walked up and asked, "DeCastro Tours?" and one gentleman shook my hand, walking me over to a long line of vans.

 

I thought he was my driver but he was the DeCastro rep. He showed me to my driver and van, I got in, we waited for the convoy to form with vans in the front, tour buses in the back. The drivers speak a little English but not much. As to air conditioning, last December it was in the 40s in Luxor until the sun warmed us up, so I can't speak to the a/c but, as previously stated, DeCastro is a fine tour operator.

 

Since I started out in Istanbul, it was too complicated to have foreign currency for each country so I tipped in US dollars everywhere, to guide and driver, and they were happy to get it. Since the drive into Cairo was almost 3 hours, we are dropped at the Mena Hotel for a rest stop for 5-10 minutes, then we drove up onto the Giza Plateau and, at the foot of the Pyramids, I was introduced to my guide.

 

Don't worry about time - the convoys into Cairo and Luxor start exactly on time as stated to you by DeCastro when you book your tour. In Luxor, there was a "van" convoy back to the ship while tour buses had their own convoy. There is no leeway in the schedule and your driver and guides are very responsible about making make sure you get back to Alexandria, unless you completely mess up by oversleeping or whatever. The convoys wait for no one.

 

As far as tips, I always overtip so don't ask me. When we left Luxor, my van driver pointed over to a small group of buildings out in the fields by a canal and said that was his house. These men work 14-15 hour days to leave their homes, get to the port, drive us around the tourist sites, then drive us back, then drive back home. You should decide what that is worth to you.

 

By the bye, if you spend the night in Luxor, the van convoy left Luxor on the stroke of 8:00am; the bus convoys left Luxor in the afternoon after more tours of the Valley of the Kings and didn't get back to the ship until 8:00pm.

 

Ruby

[Andiamo!]

My experience was very similar to Ruby's, but I chose to go with Nile Blue Tours who were also very professional. The convoys and the entire general experience was just as Ruby stated, and I too tended to overtip with dollars, and for the same reasons. The only difference, though probably not worth mentioning, was that we were met by our tour guide(who wore jeans) and he accompanied us from beginning to end.

[Andiamo!]

If all of the vans and buses are in this one big convoy, do the crowds get large at the sites?

 

Karen

 

Yes, unfortunately they do, even though everyone goes to different places at different times. Even the official cruise ship excursions arrange to have the buses go to the sites in different orders. When we were there in November our tour guide told us that there were 93 buses in the convoy that day because we were not the only ship that had arrived in port. It slows things down a bit certainly, but Cairo is a huge city used to big crowds of tourists.

 

 

 

I needed to edit this post because I forgot to remove my signature (It refers to the roll call for the Star Princess). Sorry.

[Andiamo!]

Sorry, duplicate post.

[Saga Ruby]

I was surprised at how quiet it was in December at the Pyramids and Sphinx. Very few people. Then we started down off the plateau (by the Sphinx) to find hundreds and hundreds of Egyptian school children getting off their buses. Boy, am I glad my tour started at the opposite end of the plateau!

 

In the streets at the foot of the Sphinx area are the "parking spaces" for the camels and horses that you see up around the tourist sites. It was like peeking behind the curtain of a stage play.

 

Ruby

[dcdee]

If any of you who have used DeCastro check back in this thread, I'm curious how you handled getting a visa (or if you needed one).

 

I assumed DeCastro would know if one is needed and, if so, help us get them. However, the representative of DeCastro I'm dealing with (Soliman) says we'll need to arrange visas ourselves with our travel agent for our overnight from Alexandria to Cairo. I've read somewhere that cruise passengers don't need a visa if they're in Egypt for 3 days or less but I would have expected Soliman to be aware of it and tell me.

 

How did you handle this?

[Saga Ruby]

dcdee - These are my opinions and personal experiences for what they're worth. I do not recommend it, but used a visa service to get the 3 visas I needed, including Egypt. I was in Egypt 2.7 days on a cruise on Oceania which told me I would need a visa in November 2006. They were correct.

 

I would trust what Soliman is telling you. However, if you have a concern that just won't go away, call the Egyptian Embassy in Washington DC. I called them to ask about the pronunciation of Safaga and they were all quite cordial, so I'm sure they can help you. Personally I would listen to Soliman because DeCastro deals with, and hear stories from, tourists on a daily basis and they want their clients to be comfortable.

 

If you want to use a visa service, DO NOT USE CIBT. They do expedited visas only and their prices are astronomical. Travisa is a service that several people used and liked but I have no personal knowledge about them. My Egyptian visa required 2 photos and my original passport so the authorities at the Houston consulate could stamp it. I haven't a clue why someone would say none were needed for cruise pax. That is true for other countries, but not Egypt.

 

Check the Egyptian Embassy website and get your own information, then make an informed choice. You'll then have a comfort level about your decision.

 

Ruby

[Andiamo!]

If any of you who have used DeCastro check back in this thread, I'm curious how you handled getting a visa (or if you needed one).

 

I assumed DeCastro would know if one is needed and, if so, help us get them. However, the representative of DeCastro I'm dealing with (Soliman) says we'll need to arrange visas ourselves with our travel agent for our overnight from Alexandria to Cairo. I've read somewhere that cruise passengers don't need a visa if they're in Egypt for 3 days or less but I would have expected Soliman to be aware of it and tell me.

 

How did you handle this?

 

Though I used Nile Blue Tours, I thought you might appreciate it if I share'd my experience.

 

Princess arranged our visas (not only for those who booked the Princess shore excursions, but everyone leaving the ship). I just had a look at my passport, and in addition to the writing in Arabic, in English it says "Egypt", "Quick Trip" and "Port Said" which is where we disembarked. There was no charge on my Princess bill for the visa.

 

I agree that De Castro should have known this, but to avoid any nasty surprises, maybe it is their policy to make sure that the individual customer is sure to arrange it themselves. Prior to our trip, I checked online with the Egyptian Embassy and saw that cruise line passengers staying in Egypt for less than 72 hours did not need an actual visa.

 

This was a big issue on our roll call prior to the cruise, but it truly was an issue that became a non-issue. You may want to call your cruise line just to confirm.

 

It is going to be great!!! Enjoy!

 

Vicki

[Andiamo!]

If you would like to read the complete information regarding visas yourself, check out:

 

http://touregypt.net/visa.htm

 

The information for cruiseline passengers is under "Special Services" at the bottom of the page.

 

The "tour egypt" site is packed with great information about Egypt. It is the best I have found. You may want to have a look at it before your trip.

 

Vicki

[dcdee]

Vicki and Ruby-- thanks for your information.

[MercedMike]

OK, I know it is not wise to quote exact prices on this board, because each trip is different and prices change. But -- can some of you share the range that DeCastro charged for the Cairo overnight?

 

I have just received an email from Moustafa, and he is quoting a price under $300 per person for this trip overnight, including hotel. This is less than half what the ship charges, and considerably under other quotes we have had. Does this sound like the right price range for DeCastro? I don't want to be lowballed by cutting corners.

[Saga Ruby]

I have just received an email from Moustafa, and he is quoting a price under $300 per person for this trip overnight, including hotel. This is less than half what the ship charges, and considerably under other quotes we have had. Does this sound like the right price range for DeCastro? I don't want to be lowballed by cutting corners.

 

After my ugly encounter with Champion Tours before I ever left the States, I solicited several bids for Egyptian tours as discussed here. DeCastro was completely in line with all the other quotes and I was getting excellent input from other posters about reliability of the tour company. As you can see earlier in this thread, having shared a ride into Luxor with Moustafa confirmed that DeCastro was a dependable, quality choice and my 3 days in Egypt simply confirmed that.

 

Your price is well in line with mine of last November and you have the added advantage of knowing DeCastro's reliability. Cruise lines have no need to compete with local tour operators as pax trust the cruise line and like the "guarantee" that the ship will not sail without them. Therefore the ship's shore excursions are quite pricey.

 

For that kind of money, I'll plan my own shore excursions. I can go where I want and see what I want without waiting for 42 other people to get back on the bus.

 

Ruby

[Andiamo!]

My experience was very similar to Ruby's and you can rest assured that you can have a fantastic overnight in Cairo for under $300.

 

For the sake of comparison, you can check out the itinerary we worked out with Nile Blue Tours for next November which costs just $210. It's post number 435 on page 22 of the roll-call thread "Egyptian and Aegean Cruise - November 21, 2007" (Princess). Last November Nile Blue Tours organized a bus tour and a private car tour for people on the roll-call for that cruise and everyone was extremely pleased.

 

There is certainly no need to use the cruise lines for an overnight excursion. In fact, last November there was a "Live From the Golden" for the same Egyptian and Aegean Cruise and we compared notes, so to speak, between our private excursion and the official one. There were no advantages to the official excursion and some of the people were very disatisfied because they didn't feel they had gotten their money's worth. It was the opposite for those on the private excursion because they felt they had gotten a bargain and had a great time.

 

Vicki :)

[MercedMike]

Thanks, Ruby and Vicki!

 

I thought the quote from DeCastro was wonderful. I was concerned that it was TOO wonderful. I appreciate the reassurance.

[Saga Ruby]

Your query got me back on the ole Memory Trail about my visit to the Giza plateau.

 

As I said, my guide met me at the foot of the Great Pyramid and she started explaining the history of the area, the construction techniques of the pyramids, etc.

 

We were walking and talking, down the side of the Chefre pyramid. I was having trouble walking in the deep sand which is full of chunks of ancient, and not so ancient, rock. As we walked around the second side of the pyramid, I stopped and asked her if we were going somewhere. She replied, "No, we're walking around the pyramid." I gently told her that two sides was enough and we could go back to the van. Bus tours can't do that.

 

As we were walking around the area, a group of about 15 school boys and girls came up to us with clipboards. They were in the 12 years-old range and very well dressed in school uniforms. They zeroed in on me and asked in flawless English if they could do a tourist survey with me. They asked "origin" questions which I answered while sitting on a large chunk of Egyptian limestone. It was amazing to see their complete grasp of the English language with flawless American accents. I enjoyed talking to them.

 

Back aboard Nautica, as we sailed thru the Suez Canal the next day, a pax was asking if I had noticed the enormous amount of trash in the Cairo area where plastic bags festooned every tree, rock and farmland. She said she was going to write to Oceania and tell them they must clean up that area - the Cairo metropolitan area.

 

Happy sails!

Ruby

[gaurav806]

I have heard alot of DeCastro tours, has anyone heard of Memphis tours and any experience with them?

[COOL CORDI]

:cool: Would someone please tell me what the web address is for DeCastro...We will be on the ROYAL PRINCESS and would to book a two day, one night tour..

 

thanks for your help...

ED and ELSIE:cool: :cool:

[Deloresgardella]

Here is the web site for DeCastro tours. We have them booked for one day tour in October.

Happy sailing

Delores

 

 

http://www.decastrotours.com/index.asp

[Deloresgardella]

I was wondering if we should get some Egypt Pound notes before our cruise or if just USD would be okay.:confused: I know for our tour with DeCastro they wants American dollars, but am not sure about the bizarre or other things we may want to buy. Thank you.

Delores

[MercedMike]

When we went to Egypt we did get a bunch of Egyptian pounds in advance -- but to be honest everybody involved with tourists would rather have US$! When I had my picture taken on the camel at Sakkara I offered the guy ten pounds, about $2. After I got off the camel I handed him the ten pounds but he said, "No No, US!" So I handed him $10 instead! I guess the guy made out, but the picture is worth a whole lot more than that to me! You can see my $10 camel picture at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/egyptmain.html

 

When I bought my galabia, my DW did the haggling. At one point I took it off and threw it on the floor and we walked out of the shop -- but the guy caught us and hauled us back and she haggled with him some more. Finally she struck a deal for the galabia and five scarves in Egyptian pounds and US $ that was so complicated I still don't know what we paid!! Then the guy claimed not to have change for a twenty and I think he got an extra $4 that way ... but my wife had so much fun haggling that she still talks about it so that was certainly worth $4!!

 

But if you worry about poor Egyptians getting more than they deserve, get a stack of five pound notes ($1)in advance and hand them out everytime somebody says "baksheesh" which is their word for tip (or bribe).

 

Have a GREAT cruise!;)

[Deloresgardella]

Mike, thank you so much for your information. I may get a few EGT just for extra tips, like you suggested. I will try to make sure I also have some small bills in dollars too. What is a galabia?:confused: Is that the head gear. I want to get one for my son since he collects different type of hats. I am so looking forward to this cruise only about 5 months to go. I really appreciate all the help that you have given me.

Delores

[Sandy R]

For those of you that did an overnight with De Castro tours, did you get your own Visas, did De Castro arrange for Visas, or did the ship provide them even though you were doing a private tour? BTW, we'll be on Princess.

 

Thanks, Sandy