Shore Excursion - Grand Cairo Overnight

[Misnco]

Hi All,

 

Has anyone "done" the Shore Excursion in Cairo, where you spend the night in Cairo, and go to the light show at the Pyramids then have a dinner cruise on the Nile? If so, can you tell me the following:

 

What was your cost (Princess does not yet have the cost posted on their site)?

 

Was it worth the cost? I am assuming this is very expensive.

 

Would you recommend it?

 

Any information would be helpful.

 

Thanks!

[Denverite]

We did the overnight last year. Is it worth it? Yes. Would we have gone with a private excursion if we had not already booked this one? Yes. Once you book the excursion you cannot cancel. The tour company used is Abercrombie & Kent (a first-class tour company). The busses were escorted from the port to Cairo (3 hr drive) by armed escorts the entire way, plus an armed escort on each bus.

The Highlights: The pyramids and the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. Would have liked to have had more time for the museum--amazing! The hotel (Conrad Hilton) was first class.

The mosque and sound and light show were okay but in my opinion overrated. Once you see the mosque in Istanbul, this one pales in comparison. Also, if the tour person onboard tells you that you need a skirt and head covering, don't believe that. You only need to cover your legs and arms, and if you don't have proper covering, the mosque provides it. We had a breakfast cruise on the Nile, not dinner cruise. Interesting but again not a highlight.

Don't get me wrong--I loved the tour and don't plan on returning to Cairo, so we did see a lot. We rode a camel and climbed inside a pyramid. If you are into shopping, this tour did not provide much time for that--one stop at the "approved" place. If you are thinking of buying a cartouche, look online first for prices so you can compare. If you want the complete itinerary, I have a copy of it from the November 2006 cruise. Email me at FSusman at comcast dot net. I think the price was $799pp--yes it was expensive but it was for 2 days and included all meals and hotel,

[whale-watcher]

Wow...we are considering a Holy Land cruise for our family of 5, and this would be one expensive excursion...but it sounds like the best option to pack the most into 2 days in Egypt. Do you recall if it sold out quickly, and if it was necessary to reserve this excursion well in advance?

Thanks!

[Casshew]

I'm booked on the Star Princess Aegean/Egyptian in November, our Roll Call group has put together an independant overnight/tour in Cairo, very similar to the one Princess offers - but better :)

 

We have 20 people booked so far and the cost is 210.00pp. (based on double)

 

Here are the details of the excursion

[whale-watcher]

I'm booked on the Star Princess Aegean/Egyptian in November, our Roll Call group has put together an independant overnight/tour in Cairo, very similar to the one Princess offers - but better :)

 

We have 20 people booked so far and the cost is 210.00pp. (based on double)

 

Here are the details of the excursion

now that sounds a LOT more reasonable!

[Casshew]

You said it, 210.00pp compared to 800.00pp on Princess :eek:

 

A member of our Roll Call, Andiamo! (Vicki) was on the cruise last year and used Blue Nile and everything was great, this year we made some changes to the itinerary picking a 5 star hotel in Giza with a view of the pyramids - instead of staying right in Cairo, and we switched the dinner cruise to a lunch cruise, and we skipped the mosque because we are going to Turkey and can visit the blue mosque there.

 

The bus holds up to 40, we are at around 24 now, we would probably go as high as 32 to make it comfortable for travelling with a less than full bus. :)

[whale-watcher]

Thanks for all the info...I will save it for next year, and try and get a similar tour going if we end up taking this cruise. I like the idea of staying right in Giza...it would be amazing to stay in a hotel where you could view the pyramids (and probably get some nice pics in the early am)

[Misnco]

Thanks everyone for your reply. This is exactly the information that I needed.

[Casshew]

I like the idea of staying right in Giza...it would be amazing to stay in a hotel where you could view the pyramids

 

Yes, I'm pretty excited about that too

 

Here is the website for the hotel Le Meridien Pyramids

[MercedMike]

Thanks for all the info...I will save it for next year, and try and get a similar tour going if we end up taking this cruise. I like the idea of staying right in Giza...it would be amazing to stay in a hotel where you could view the pyramids (and probably get some nice pics in the early am)

 

It is absolutely amazing!!

 

We did a land trip to Egypt last year, and stayed at the Oberoi Mena House. We checked in after dark, and when we got to the room the bellman opened the curtains, pointed and said, "pyramid" and there was the light show going on!! It stunned us.

 

So next morning I got up early and sat on the balcony as the dawn slowly broke and the pyramid loomed up out of the darkness. It is almost a mystical experience. Don't miss it! Be sure to pay the supplement for a pyramid view room.

 

Check out our pics at

The Halls trip to Egypt

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[whale-watcher]

It is absolutely amazing!!

 

We did a land trip to Egypt last year, and stayed at the Oberoi Mena House. We checked in after dark, and when we got to the room the bellman opened the curtains, pointed and said, "pyramid" and there was the light show going on!! It stunned us.

 

So next morning I got up early and sat on the balcony as the dawn slowly broke and the pyramid loomed up out of the darkness. It is almost a mystical experience. Don't miss it! Be sure to pay the supplement for a pyramid view room.

 

Check out our pics at

The Halls trip to Egypt

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

wow...this really is a must-do experience!!!

 

Here is the website for the hotel Le Meridien Pyramids

looks nice...great idea to stay in Giza instead of in Cairo.

[CruisenOne]

It is absolutely amazing!!

 

We are doing a land tour of Israel and Egypt late this month.

 

We can't wait until we get to Egypt !!!

 

Sounds amazing !!!

[Anubi]

It is absolutely amazing!!

 

We did a land trip to Egypt last year, and stayed at the Oberoi Mena House. We checked in after dark, and when we got to the room the bellman opened the curtains, pointed and said, "pyramid" and there was the light show going on!! It stunned us.

 

So next morning I got up early and sat on the balcony as the dawn slowly broke and the pyramid loomed up out of the darkness. It is almost a mystical experience. Don't miss it! Be sure to pay the supplement for a pyramid view room.

 

Check out our pics at

The Halls trip to Egypt

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

 

Thanks for posting your pictures. My DH and I are headed for Egypt this fall on the Star and your pictures really brought home the excitment we are feeling for this trip. The idea of getting up to watch the sun rise over the pyramids...well as they say, priceless!!

[cruisemom42]

I was on the cruise with Vicki (Andiamo) last year. From what I heard, I'd definitely go with an independent company. Not that the Princess tour wasn't terrific. It was, in every way. It's just bloody expensive. My mom wanted the reassurance of being with the ship tour, so we did it.

 

Brilliant idea to stay at Giza. While the Conrad was a lovely hotel, it was not close enough to walk to anything in Cairo (in the short amount of time after our buses dropped us off after 10:00 pm!!). I would have loved the view of the pyramids.

 

Two places I would've liked more time were the bazaar and the Egyptian museum. BTW, seeing the mummies is not included in the "basic" museum ticket, so if you want to do that, be sure to talk to your guide about getting the proper ticket.

 

Enjoy -- it's a fabulous trip.