Cairo/Egypt worth it or too much for a day?

[chipmaster]

I'm torn on selecting a Cruise this summer :confused:

 

I was all set to take one of the many 12 day Cruises that hit any of the numerious ports in Italy, Greece, Spain, etc. I'll be traveling with family ( parents/inlaws) and kids ( 7, 11, 13). Given the large group I've been planning and expecting a slower pace due to the slowest common demominator, and for most cities if I miss a site or two I could live with it and still have a grand time. It is really about a family reunion and quality time visiting places with family

 

But then I stumbled onto the RCL Legend of the Seas itinerary that included a stop in Cairo. The thought of getting the Pyramids too sounded once in a lifetime with the family. As I research more and found out about the long bus trip and the image of thousand of us trying to get off the boat onto hundreds of busses and vans for the 5 hour round trip just gave me nightmare schenario pictures at port, on the road, at the site, etc. THen I read one humerous post about one chaps wild ride on the road made me think twice.

 

So here is the question, I gotta believe they got a reasonable system to get thousands off the boat into vans and busses then into the caravan to the sites. Then the sites I expect like any other will have reasonable amenities for the older and younger folks ( food/water ). Reasonable expectation or am I in for a wild adventure with my 70+ dad/mom that would be better to be avoided? I'm planning on securing a couple private vans for our party of 13-16 people, most likely with DaCoast or NileBlue, or is it better given my large and diverse group to go with the vanilla ship tour?

 

In the end I don't want to turn a memorable cruise exprience into a never to be forgetten memory of our "adventure" in Cairo :eek: Just because I wanted a group photo of the great pyramids and the camels:D

 

 

Thanks in advance and for any tips too!

[bellagirl]

Hi-You will not be sorry you decided to stop in Cairo. It is a once in a lifetime experience and you will probably remember it for the rest of your life. Having said that, it is a culture shock to see the dirt and pollution and crowded streets that will be on both sides of the bus. There are no lanes and no traffic lights and more than once, I thought for sure we were going to crash.

We did our tour with Nile Blue-I think next time we would go with someone else. In my opinion, they were not professional and while I understand that they have to make a commission somewhere, spending time in a papryrus store and jewellery store we didn't bargain on,was no fun.

But, I digress, DO go to Cairo-plan your tour as carefully as you can and enjoy all that this fabulous city has to offer you. You will not regret it. If you have any more questions, you can e-mail me at missvanna@hotmail.com.

Good luck and have fun! Shelly

[paul929207]

If you have the opportunity, go to Cairo. The pyramids are truely amazing. You cannot appreciate the size of them until you stand there and look up at them. The second thing to see is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. You will not have enough time to see it all. That would take weeks, but you can see a lot in a few hours.

 

A tour to Cairo will be a long day. I don't know when your ship will dock and depart. I would spend every moment I could in Cairo & Giza.

[kdowneymd]

Seeing the pyramids is a once in a life time opportunity. If you are taking a private tour it will be more do-able with older adults. Using the bathroom is a major ordeal so make sure they take advantage of any opportunity. I would not miss this.

[kdowneymd]

Seeing the pyramids is a once in a life time opportunity. If you are taking a private tour it will be more do-able with older adults. Using the bathroom is a major ordeal so make sure they take advantage of any opportunity. I would not miss this.

[whale-watcher]

Hi-You will not be sorry you decided to stop in Cairo. It is a once in a lifetime experience and you will probably remember it for the rest of your life. Having said that, it is a culture shock to see the dirt and pollution and crowded streets that will be on both sides of the bus. There are no lanes and no traffic lights and more than once, I thought for sure we were going to crash.

We did our tour with Nile Blue-I think next time we would go with someone else. In my opinion, they were not professional and while I understand that they have to make a commission somewhere, spending time in a papryrus store and jewellery store we didn't bargain on,was no fun.

But, I digress, DO go to Cairo-plan your tour as carefully as you can and enjoy all that this fabulous city has to offer you. You will not regret it. If you have any more questions, you can e-mail me at missvanna@hotmail.com.

Good luck and have fun! Shelly

sorry to hear about your nile blue experience...we were planning on booking with them for our Egypt overnight. Do you have any other companies that you would suggest as alternatives? (I have heard good things about the official princess excursions with Abercrombie and Kent, but the prices are unreal, and we are a family of 6).

[tomko2]

The opportunity to see the Pyramids may never occur in your children's lifetime again...

We took the RCI sponsored excursion "Pyramids and Nile Cruise/Luncheon" and were very happy with our choice. The buses travel in a convoy and an armed guard (wearing a business suit) travels in one of the front seats; the bus does have a toilet (looked a little difficult to get into but at least it is there); we had ample comfort stops. There was water and sodas on the bus but we carried our own water from the ship. Yes, it is a very long hot day but it is incredible to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx as well as glimpse the huge metropolis of Cairo - over 18,000,000 people live there.

Our review and pictures are in the links below.

We received lots of good advice from other CCers from these threads which helped to make our day go smoothly and less intimidating.

So very happy we did it!

Kathy:)

[chipmaster]

Kathy,

 

Thanks for the tips, great pictures too! It sounds like you took the Cruise sponsored excursion. Do you recall the price and were there discounts for senior citizens and children.

 

Thanks

[Toto2Kansas]

We visited Cairo on an overnite In November with Nile Blue Tours from the Star Princess, private tour. Excellent adventure, no complaints at all from us.

 

Although the ship did offer day tours, and the overnite (at over twice the price), those we spoke with that took the long bus ride there and back in one day said it was quite exhausting. BUT.......when will you get the chance to see the pyramids again? It is worth the trip, even if you only get to see them briefly.

 

We were very glad we did the overnite, although it too was a whirlwind 36 hours. But the sites we visited were worth every mile. Nile Blue Tours and Hazem, our guide, were wonderful and so knowledgeable We had a restroom on the bus, water and soda provided as we wished, and we visited so many of the sites in Cairo it was just amazing.

 

Other ships/cruise lines offer more than just a few hours, but dock in Port Said and then continue on to Alexandria, where the overnite tours again rejoin the cruise. Not sure what itineary the ship you are looking at takes, but it is a thought if it does the same.

 

And the bus ride into Cairo was a breeze. After reading so many horror stories about it, we had no problems at all with crazy drivers, tons of traffic (as the caravan buses go together and have the right of way at all cross streets, they are blocked until the buses pass) or anything I have read about in the past. Quite painless, and our coaches were very comfortable, Air Conditioned and I would call them new in design.

 

Getting off the ship to join the bus I hear last year was an absolute nitemare, but they learned from their mistakes. This past November, it didn't take long at all and as soon as we boarded our bus, we were gone with the rest. Maybe 15 minutes standing in line to go through customs is all it took, so that wasn't a problem at all.

 

Egypt is wonderful, and well worth a visit, even if it must be breif. The pyramids and Spinx are something we will not soon forget.

[tomko2]

Chipmaster, the cost of the RCI Pyramids/Nile Lunch Cruise was $159.00 each; I don't recall if they had a children's price and I know it wasn't a senior's discount (I am over 55 and my DH over 60 so I watch for those discounts like a hawk... LOL).

 

Normally we do not spend much money on souvenirs but on this trip we did have a few things in mind and bought them: Cartouche charm - $50., two golf shirts with personalized cartouches (your name in symbols) which I think were $15 each and some postcards ($4). In Turkey - cloth bookmarks $3. and Turkish saffron $5; in Rhodes - little glass dishes to use for serving sorbet/palatte cleanser $12, nothing in Cyprus, Mykonos - cat eye bracelet & olive oil soap - $8.00; Athens - copper peppermill -$20. and Rome - dessert spoons $12. There are so many different things to buy so I was glad we had a basic idea of what we were going to spend money on.

 

During the bus ride to Cairo, your guide will provide lots of insight into the culture of Egypt and will also bring out a catalogue of products you can order with your name in symbols; the orders are taken before you reach the gates of the city and someone is waiting there to receive the order. While you are touring, the products are being personalized. At the end of the tour your bus will go to a little mall to see a demostration of ancient paper making and to pick up the orders (it can be a bit chaotic).

 

Sorry this is so long but hope it helps.

Kathy

[bellagirl]

Hi whale-watcher(loved your picture)-all I can tell you is that a couple that we hung around with on the ship chose DeCastro tours and they saw much more than we did and did not have to put up with the various stops at the institutes,jewellery stores,etc. Plus,they got back in plenty of time to enjoy a nice dinner.

I just found that NileBlue was not professional-they cut the time too short at the end and we drove like a bat out of you-know-where to get back to the ship on time. We made it by just minutes-they were pulling up the gangway when we pulled up. That's how close it was. It certainly did not make for a relaxing drive back!! Make of it what you will, Shelly:)

[bellagirl]

Hi whale-watcher(loved your picture)-all I can tell you is that a couple that we hung around with on the ship chose DeCastro tours and they saw much more than we did and did not have to put up with the various stops at the institutes,jewellery stores,etc. Plus,they got back in plenty of time to enjoy a nice dinner.

I just found that NileBlue was not professional-they cut the time too short at the end and we drove like a bat out of you-know-where to get back to the ship on time. We made it by just minutes-they were pulling up the gangway when we pulled up. That's how close it was. It certainly did not make for a relaxing drive back!! Make of it what you will, Shelly:)

[bellagirl]

Sorry-these boards are driving me crazy! Shelly

[tomko2]

Shelley, I too hate the duplicate posts but even worse I hate it when it eats my reply. :eek:

 

Because of the way driving is in Egypt -- utterly chaotic -- I would strongly recommend taking the RCI sponsored excursions so you don't have to worry about making the ship on time. My 2cents worth.

Kathy:)

[whale-watcher]

Hi whale-watcher(loved your picture)-all I can tell you is that a couple that we hung around with on the ship chose DeCastro tours and they saw much more than we did and did not have to put up with the various stops at the institutes,jewellery stores,etc. Plus,they got back in plenty of time to enjoy a nice dinner.

I just found that NileBlue was not professional-they cut the time too short at the end and we drove like a bat out of you-know-where to get back to the ship on time. We made it by just minutes-they were pulling up the gangway when we pulled up. That's how close it was. It certainly did not make for a relaxing drive back!! Make of it what you will, Shelly:)

Thanks Shelly...it is good to hear both the positive and the negative...I would not enjoy being stranded in Egypt!

[kruzin']

:) we too did the nile blue overnight tour with toto2kansas in port said last year and as she noted it was great..Hasem was always on top of everything and we got what we where were promised. there was 90 of us in 3buses that all met on cruise critic..maybe with your large crowd he could personalize your tour..the trip to the store gave you the option of watching a papyrus demo or shop..I shopped and we were only there for 45mins ..thank goodness he stopped because I would have missed some beautiful souveniers..dont forget get to order your cartouches if your tour with hazem they are truly lovely...to each their own but I would tour with him again if the opportunity ever arises..in fact he is putting together a tour with another group of cruise critic passengers for oct or nov 2008:)

[MercedMike]

Yes, the trip to Cairo is WAY TOO MUCH TO DO IN ONE DAY.

 

Yes, it is a NOT TO BE MISSED EXPERIENCE!

 

If one day is all you have, then make the best of it. But DO NOT miss the Pyramids.

 

However, I would really recommend one of the cruises that stops at Port Said and Alexandria, and thus allows you to do an overnight in Cairo. You get to see so much more.

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[chipmaster]

To all that responded, Thank You.

 

After some research and consultation with the folks it was decided we'll be doing the Emerald Princess. Big new ship, but more importantly the folks wanted to see Venice, Florence, Istanbul vs. Cairo. The last straw was the lack of any rooms left for three, but are available on the Emerald. The savings for 12 people added up. Time to do research on other ports of call and dream about next year and them Pyramids :(

[whale-watcher]

The Emerald itinerary (venice to barcelona) is great...we actually booked cabins on both the Emerald and the Pacific princess (Holy Land cruise), but in the end were intrigued by the idea of seeing the pyramids...I'm sure you will have a fantastic vacation, however, with Florence and Istanbul!

[camNaud]

Go see the pyramids they are awesome. Cairo is a city full of hussle and bussle and is also worth seeing, we also enjoyed the Cairo Museum, but it can get very busy. We also enjoyed a lunch cruise down the Nile, which was great - you have the opportunity to relax, eat, drink in a cool air conditioned theme boat, whilst watching Cairo go by.

[bfos]

We did the Legend cruise last summer and Cairo was sooooo worth it! We took the caravans in the sand excursion so that we could also ride the camels through the desert, and we will never forget the experience. Our 9 year old will never forget it!! It was a really long day but you can rest the next.