Which tour company should we book in Egypt??????

[Toto2Kansas]

To add to my previous post. We also never felt threatened or unsafe in Egypt on our overnite. But before we left, many of us had just a little twinge of insecurity with the world situation the way it is today. Especially as most of us had never been to Egypt before and we watch the news a LOT. ;)

Traveling in the caravan with a security guard really helped that pre-tour anguish.

But again, safety in numbers, and I loved the idea of the caravan to Cairo.

[ULuv2Travel2]

We are on a eastern mediterranean cruise this fall and for some reason I feel that we should book directly with the cruise for the Alexandria port. For the other ports I have no problem going on my own or booking with a private tour company. I am concerned about the traffic and the distance we are traveling from the port, general safety, plus if we stay overnight in Cairo, it just seems like there is more room for something to go wrong and potentially miss the ship. Am I just being overly paranoid? I certainly like the prices of the private tour companies.

[neicie]

This distinction between De Castro and Nile Blue may seem small to some of you, but it wasn't for us. De Castro does not wait for the caravan to form. They will always try to leave as soon as possible. Knowing the right people at the port, and possibly a little token, goes a long way in Egypt.

 

It makes a huge difference to the total touring time available to you if your vehicle goes out first, or if it goes out last.

 

If this is the case Im glad we chose DeCastros as we were well ahead of the crowd. Felt safe at all times as we had our armed escort. Our first night we didnt get back to the hotel until after 1.30am( and definately no caravan.) Couldnt imagine going all that way and not eating at one of the local places, just be careful with choices. I agree if you arent staying overnight it would be a good idea but otherwise you should take that hour out. We also returned to the ship with only our other mini bus. Not a hint of any trouble at all. If you are in a group of 10 or 12 its just a safe as in group of 100.

[mountainmare]

About the "convoy" and DeCastro. NOBODY bribes the police to avoid the convoy--we did leave before the busses and beat the crowds--but followed the required route and were part of the "convoy". As we passed certain points along the way the tourist police did look us over and Dalia did explain that this was because we were required to travel as part of a convoy.

Americans think of convoy like that really old song--and in busses I'm sure it does look like our idea of a convoy. BTW we were not the first van to leave because one of our group had a passport problem, but it seemed that everyone followed the same route where tourist police were in evidence.

We also felt safe and well cared for--and I am now in the dreaming and planning stages of returning to Egypt and doing a land/Nile River trip. I hope to use DeCastro again to help with the planning since we tend to be independant travelers and have some plans that don't exactly fit into the tour group mold.

 

Everyone has their own comfort level. We have never taken a ship tour in Europe (only one in the Caribbean). We generally go on our own using public transportation. For both Turkey (Izmir to Ephesus) and Egypt we used private guides. For our return to Egypt I plan on picking my own hotels and river boat and using a combination of private guides and DIY--depending on the advice I get from DeCastro. I already have two private stables that I'm considering for a bit of horsin around. So our personal comfort level may be a bit different from yours. Our traveling companions were used to always doing the ship tours and they fely safe with DeCastro.

[EASYTRAVEL777]

Wow, more reasons for not choosing Nile Blue Tours.

I was surprised Vicki that you mentioned bandits after you had already been on your tour with Nile Blue Tours. Is that what they told you? Is Nile Blue Tours telling their clients that they are being whisked away in a convoy for fear of bandits? I do not know where Nile Blue Tours took you on your tour to feel this way, but I assure you that all we saw were very friendly and gracious people in Egypt. Yeah there were some rather aggressive people offering to sell us some tourist trinkets, but they were really harmless! We found that everywhere we went was very safe. I guess that depends upon the situations that your tour company puts you in.

I did not say that De Castro was not in the convoy. What I said was that they did not wait for the convoy to form. Can you imagine 2500 passengers wanting to getting off the ship at the same time? How long do you think that would take? I have never waited to find out! I have waited in line to get back on the ship. At some ports, with only 100 passengers in front of you in can take over an hour.

Then once the 2500 passengers are off the ship they must locate and board their vehicle. There must have been over 100 vehicles waiting at the port for passengers. Did Nile Blue actually wait until all 2500 passengers got off the ship and boarded all 100 vehicles? Wow, that could take hours for the convoy to form! What a waste of precious time.:(

No, the convoy is formed when the first bus leaves the port. De Castro thoughtful about the use of its clients very short time in Egypt does two very important things. First the De Castro team is in Alexandria the night before the ship arrives. The next morning the De Castro team arrives at the port, refreshed, rested and alert (especially important for the driver) Secondly the De Castro driver positions his bus to be at the head of the convoy. This may require a tip or bribe or as it is called in Egypt, a baksheesh. Egypt appears to run on baksheesh and the protocol of the practice becomes evident quite quickly once in the country. With De Castro’s organization we are now leading the convoy, not waiting to be the 100th bus out of the port.:o

This practice of baksheesh can be very comical to us. As I was the one who paid, I was acutely aware when this occurred. If in the museum you wanted a locked door to mysteriously open. Or a light to be turned on in an exhibit. Do you want the best seats at the light show? Do you want the entire upper deck of the Nile dinner cruise reserved for you? It was all a provided for very small sum. That was the added service that De Castro provides. And they do it without being asked.

We saw the De Castro team while we were still on the ship from the Promenade deck and we waved at each other. We were in the stairways waiting for the ship to be cleared. We were among the first groups that left the ship. As we stepped off of the gangway, we were greeted by our guide and escorted to our bus. With De Castro’s high level of organization, gleamed from countless of other satisfied passengers on tours from the cruise ship, we were first in the convoy.:o

We did not spend our precious time waiting in the back of the convoy looking for bandits. We were introduced to some very friendly and charming people in Egypt. And we felt completely safe at all times while we experienced this wonderful tour.

By the way, if Nile Blue teaches you that the convoy is about bandits, where did this convoy form up on the way back to port…at NIGHT!:eek:

[Radioactive]

Thanks everyone for your response in skipping lunch. We will be in the Alexandria port for 1 day and so time is limited. Didn't even think about having problems with our tummy or saving any money. We want to see as much as we can in a short amount of time. That's why we scheduled with a private tour guide. Joan

[sea-explorer]

We are on a eastern mediterranean cruise this fall and for some reason I feel that we should book directly with the cruise for the Alexandria port. For the other ports I have no problem going on my own or booking with a private tour company. I am concerned about the traffic and the distance we are traveling from the port, general safety, plus if we stay overnight in Cairo, it just seems like there is more room for something to go wrong and potentially miss the ship. Am I just being overly paranoid? I certainly like the prices of the private tour companies.

 

We took this 'risk' for the first time last year in St Petersburg. We were off the ship & on our way whilst the passengers for the ship's excursions were still gathering in the lounges. (Visas are required here if not on a ship's excursion, although this is waived if you are with a registered tour company & they deal with the paperwork..so here it was a ship tour, private tour or nothing.)

 

We must have had at least an hours start on the ship tours, saw much more, were dropped off & picked up directly at entrances/exits, no lines, no walks from coach parks, no waiting for other passengers to return, skip through things you wanted, stay longer if needed, stop off at unsheduled points that caught our interest etc etc.

 

The tour was planned such that plenty of time was allowed to return to port. If you use one of the major tour companies that have been recommended on these boards you will be fine. I would be very unlikely to book a ship's excursion in the future, I would either explore the ports on our own or use a private company without hesitation. :)

 

On another note, has anyone here heard from Moustafa recently. I did send an email enquiry last week but have not heard back. (It was the right address as I have received a reply from him before.) I just wondered if my email was playing up or if he is away at the moment. Thanks. :)

[Andiamo!]

Wow, more reasons for not choosing Nile Blue Tours.

 

??? What were the other ones? I haver never even heard or read ONE reason not to choose Nile Blue Tours... My post was meant to be general, expressing my personal opinion after having traveled to Egypt four times over the last 30 years. Only going back over my post did I realize that I mentioned Nile Blue (in parenthesis) at the end of the post. Why do you have such a problem with them? I have found them to be an excellent company that always goes the extra mile, just as others on these boards have found other companies to be. I have read reviews about DeCastro that were great as well most of the time.

 

I was surprised Vicki that you mentioned bandits after you had already been on your tour with Nile Blue Tours. Is that what they told you?

 

No, not at all. What made you think they said that? I have organized shopping trips to the north of Italy for US embassy staff here, and since we always carry a lot of cash, I have thought about that in the past here in Italy.

 

 

Is Nile Blue Tours telling their clients that they are being whisked away in a convoy for fear of bandits?

 

Never! They have only reassured us about how safe Egypt is.

 

 

I do not know where Nile Blue Tours took you on your tour to feel this way, but I assure you that all we saw were very friendly and gracious people in Egypt.

 

That's all we saw as well. I have posted that a number of times on CC!

 

 

Yeah there were some rather aggressive people offering to sell us some tourist trinkets, but they were really harmless! We found that everywhere we went was very safe.

 

We did too! ROFL

 

 

I guess that depends upon the situations that your tour company puts you in.

 

I can speak for the whole group and say we always felt extremely safe. (See above!:D )

 

 

I did not say that De Castro was not in the convoy. What I said was that they did not wait for the convoy to form.

 

Sorry, but to me, that sounded like the same thing. :confused: What's the difference?

 

 

Can you imagine 2500 passengers wanting to getting off the ship at the same time? How long do you think that would take? I have never waited to find out! I have waited in line to get back on the ship. At some ports, with only 100 passengers in front of you in can take over an hour.

 

Then once the 2500 passengers are off the ship they must locate and board their vehicle.

 

Why would anyone have to wait to board their vehicles? They can do that as soon as they get off the ship.

 

 

There must have been over 100 vehicles waiting at the port for passengers.

 

Wasn't your vehicle waiting for you, too?:confused:

 

 

Did Nile Blue actually wait until all 2500 passengers got off the ship and boarded all 100 vehicles?

 

We boarded once we got off the ship, and we left very soon thereafter (10 minutes or so).

 

 

Wow, that could take hours for the convoy to form! What a waste of precious time.

 

No, the convoy is formed when the first bus leaves the port.

 

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you there. The convoy leaves when the security police says it can.

 

 

De Castro thoughtful about the use of its clients very short time in Egypt does two very important things. First the De Castro team is in Alexandria the night before the ship arrives. The next morning the De Castro team arrives at the port, refreshed, rested and alert (especially important for the driver)

 

When I said the ship was due in at 7, Nile Blue Tours told me they would be there and waiting by 6. And they all looked "refreshed, rested and alert" to me!

 

 

Secondly the De Castro driver positions his bus to be at the head of the convoy. This may require a tip or bribe or as it is called in Egypt, a baksheesh. Egypt appears to run on baksheesh and the protocol of the practice becomes evident quite quickly once in the country. With De Castro’s organization we are now leading the convoy, not waiting to be the 100th bus out of the port.

 

Are you sure they're at the head of the convoy every time? How long does it even take 100 vehicles to depart? Ten or fifteen minutes maybe? I have been in three convoys in Egypt, and once it leaves, everyone is on the highway very quickly.

 

This practice of baksheesh can be very comical to us. As I was the one who paid, I was acutely aware when this occurred. If in the museum you wanted a locked door to mysteriously open. Or a light to be turned on in an exhibit. Do you want the best seats at the light show? Do you want the entire upper deck of the Nile dinner cruise reserved for you? It was all a provided for very small sum. That was the added service that De Castro provides. And they do it without being asked.

 

Now I'm curious... What was behind the locked door that "mysteriously opened"? Which exhibit wasn't lighted? We definitely felt pampered as well, since we had an entire Nile Lunch Cruise for our group alone at 12 noon since the regular lunch cruise would have had us back to the ship too late and Nile Blue Tours didn't want to risk it.

 

We saw the De Castro team while we were still on the ship from the Promenade deck and we waved at each other. We were in the stairways waiting for the ship to be cleared. We were among the first groups that left the ship. As we stepped off of the gangway, we were greeted by our guide and escorted to our bus. With De Castro’s high level of organization, gleamed from countless of other satisfied passengers on tours from the cruise ship, we were first in the convoy.

 

So you WERE in the convoy? :confused:

 

 

We did not spend our precious time waiting in the back of the convoy looking for bandits.

 

I'm certainly glad to hear that!

 

We were introduced to some very friendly and charming people in Egypt. And we felt completely safe at all times while we experienced this wonderful tour.

 

It sounds like our experiences were similar, as I'm sure that other people's are as well.

 

 

By the way, if Nile Blue teaches you that the convoy is about bandits,

 

but they don't, and I certainly never said they did.

 

 

where did this convoy form up on the way back to port…at NIGHT!:eek:

The convoy on the way back to the port is not required by law. The Egyptian Government does however provide armed guards to all cruise ship passengers in groups of three or more during the entire excursion.

 

 

I am so sorry that my post obviously upset you so much. That was not my intention!:) I was surprised when you said that, "DeCastro does not wait for the convoy to form," that's all. I felt I needed to give my opinion because I believe it's important for us cruisers to follow the law, particularly when we're abroad, whether in Egypt, the Caribbean, or England. After all, laws are intended for our safety. If DeCastro actually is part of the convoy from the port, then this is not an issue.

[Andiamo!]

We are on a eastern mediterranean cruise this fall and for some reason I feel that we should book directly with the cruise for the Alexandria port. For the other ports I have no problem going on my own or booking with a private tour company. I am concerned about the traffic and the distance we are traveling from the port, general safety, plus if we stay overnight in Cairo, it just seems like there is more room for something to go wrong and potentially miss the ship. Am I just being overly paranoid? I certainly like the prices of the private tour companies.

 

If you choose one of the companies that comes highly recommended on CC, I am sure you will be happy with your choice to skip the ship's tour. For much less money you can have a much better, and definitely less crowded tour (they really fill those buses!). In Egypt you can usually personalize your tour any way you want which means you can choose your hotel, restaurants, sites to see, etc. That takes some time though, so you may just prefer to do what the company recommends with the amount of time you have.

 

From reading these boards and from personal experience, I find that everyone is just so fascinated by Egypt that they always get back on the ship happy (exhausted, but happy!). I don't think I've ever read that anyone on CC has said that they regreted doing a private tour rather than the ship's. Go for it!

[neicie]

I still dont quite understand the convoy thing as there was definately only our 2 mini vans which both held about 12 people. We travelled along at quite a fast pace and there was no other buses other then one or two we passed along the way but left in our wake. The highway looked fairly clear well behind us too. There was another small yellow van that kept pace with us and several other cars. None of these vehicles were with us all the way or at all times. We had nothing that appeared like a convoy unless you consider 2-3 vans a convoy. The ships buses started arriving at the Pyramids well after we did. We didnt need to queue as there werent any queues when we arrived.:confused:

[EASYTRAVEL777]

I still dont quite understand the convoy thing as there was definately only our 2 mini vans which both held about 12 people. We travelled along at quite a fast pace and there was no other buses other then one or two we passed along the way but left in our wake. The highway looked fairly clear well behind us too. There was another small yellow van that kept pace with us and several other cars. None of these vehicles were with us all the way or at all times. We had nothing that appeared like a convoy unless you consider 2-3 vans a convoy. The ships buses started arriving at the Pyramids well after we did. We didnt need to queue as there werent any queues when we arrived.:confused:

 

Your experience is entirely correct. From the front of the pack you see no convoy. It seems if your tour compamy waits along with the ships tours, you will arrive along with the other crowds. Obviously if there is not a convoy back to the ship at night, the purpose of the convoy is not to protect us from bandits:D I just know that as soon as the port authorities cleared us, we were off. Traffic doesn't seem all that bad from the front.:D There is no lines when you arrive first. Each bus that is ahead of your bus means there will be that much more of a crowd when you get there.

[Andiamo!]

Your experience is entirely correct. From the front of the pack you see no convoy. It seems if your tour compamy waits along with the ships tours, you will arrive along with the other crowds. Obviously if there is not a convoy back to the ship at night, the purpose of the convoy is not to protect us from bandits:D

 

Though you are truly very humourous (at my expense, but that's ok! :)) I think most of the people here on CC are mainly looking for accurate and friendly information.

 

The reason that the Egyptian government requires the convoy from the port to Cairo is that there is such a big group that leaves all at the same time, that without the convoy, we become a large "soft target". On the return trip, on the other hand, the cars, vans, and buses leave on different schedules as they all straggle back to the port of departure, so there is no need for a convoy (besides the fact that it would be very impractical and time-consuming). Many of us who live overseas have had training in anti-terrorist safety measures, so for us it is easy to understand why things are done the way they are.

 

I just know that as soon as the port authorities cleared us, we were off. Traffic doesn't seem all that bad from the front.:D

 

Strange as it may seem, traffic isn't bad for any of those in the convoy either. Since they block all traffic from side roads, and allow everyone to proceed through intersections without stopping, we probably had an average speed of 50 to 60 miles per hour. The only time "lost" is waiting for the convoy to depart.

 

There is no lines when you arrive first. Each bus that is ahead of your bus means there will be that much more of a crowd when you get there.

 

By "there" I assume you mean the Pyramid area? For anyone considering doing a private tour, I would recommend doing what we did. We chose to begin our tour in Saqqara, which is the furthest point south, and most distant. It was incredible! With very few people there, we could really enjoy a leisurely tour around the Step Pyramid and enjoy the hieroglyphics in the smaller restricted tombs without any crowds. Many people said they felt that there was much more to see there, which comes as no surprise, since Saqqara is considered much more important by Egyptologists. We enjoyed the Pyramids after lunch when the crowds had subsided (and YES! They are FANTASTIC to see "up close and personal!"

 

I see that in your signature you link to your website that promotes 10+ tours. I thought I would point that out so that people would be aware of what you have to offer.

[neicie]

By "there" I assume you mean the Pyramid area? For anyone considering doing a private tour, I would recommend doing what we did. We chose to begin our tour in Saqqara, which is the furthest point south, and most distant. It was incredible! With very few people there, we could really enjoy a leisurely tour around the Step Pyramid and enjoy the hieroglyphics in the smaller restricted tombs without any crowds. Many people said they felt that there was much more to see there, which comes as no surprise, since Saqqara is considered much more important by Egyptologists. We enjoyed the Pyramids after lunch when the crowds had subsided (and YES! They are FANTASTIC to see "up close and personal!"

Saqqara was our first stop on the second day. Not so far to travel from Cairo and there were very few people there. It is a good option to see it this way as well.