Has anyone been on the MS Neptune on the Nile?

[slimsloany]

Peru is fabulous, spent about 2 weeks plus there. Visited Machu Picchu and stayed in Lima. I was on a mission but spent a lot of time visiting the city. MP was magical as was Cuzco. I highly recommend Peru and the Inca trail. Just remember to take your altitude sickness seriously.

India sounds like a great place to visit also. If Thailand doesn't work out, we may look into india. But really want to do Thailand as well. Jo Ann if you go let me know how the elephant ride goes. Did that in Cambodia and had a ball.

Cheers all, hope to hear something soon about alternative travel.

Suzie

[texancruzer]

Just checked my facebook....... there was a short post from our guide in Egypt !!

 

He asked for our prayers for Egypt...... he and family are ok but shocked.

 

I was so happy to hear. Even tho we met and spent 14 days together - we quickly became friends. That is how the Egyptian people are. I only hope the best for them.

[simpjo]

Hi Everyone,

 

Tex, its awesome that your guide is keeping in touch, it's truly amazing how friendly people everywhere can be.

 

If I were scheduled in November, I'd hold off and see what happens too, but I was scheduled for May and 3 months just doesn't seem like enough time for them to settle this.

 

In the mean time I have worked up renewed excitement on India, I just mailed off my application for the visa. They say it takes about 7-9 days and don't book unrefundable tickets until you get your visa in hand. I am going to book the April 13th 11 day that includes the triangle and Cochin and Mumbai through Gate 1, plan to book that tonight since the final payment won't be due until 2/27 and hopefully I will have the visa in my hands!

 

Suzie I will let you know about the elephant ride which is included in Agra, it should be interesting but fun; however, I'm afraid of horses so we will see how I feel about elephants but I'm going to give it a try if I don't chicken out LOL,

 

As everyone can tell I love this board and its amazing that we keep posting. I wonder how Cruisecritic would feel if we just made a Gate 1 roll call regardless if it's a cruise or land trip?

 

Happy and Safe Travels,

Jo Ann

[slimsloany]

Jo Ann,

My friend and I are booked for Thailand Feb 22-Mar8 with Gate 1. Thailand and River Kwai. Gate 1 was fabulous and very, very helpful! They lived up to their promises and got us booked quickly and completely even though the hotels and airlines had already taken back part of the blocks of reservations that Gate 1 makes. They couldn't get us out of Bangkok with the others so they are putting us up in a hotel in Bangkok and transporting us to the airport the next day.

I'll come home and let you know how it all worked out.

Blessings to all!

Suzie

I haven't been to Egypt but I am praying for peace there.

Peace out.............Suz

[texancruzer]

Sounds like both of you have taken this all in stride and found an alternative that have both of you excited !!!! Awesome.

 

Thailand is definately on my short list...... in fact it is a tie with Tahiti for first place......... India is on there too tho. Hopefully you will come back and let us know how it was. Glad to hear Gate 1 took such good care of you. We will use them again, I'm sure.

 

Yes, was glad to hear from our guide. He was so awesome and shared pictures and stories of his family with us. Has 8 year old twin girls and a 3 yr old son. I know it is a hardship on them just from the standpoint of "no tourists = no pay" I hope and pray it all ends soon and things can change for the better for Egypt. As my dh said " they only want things to change so they can be hungry 3 days a week instead of 7". Sad.

[Lotus96]

Hello Slimsloany, Simpjo, Texancruzer,

 

I am not new to cruising, but new to the message boards. This is my first post. I have been following you guys, as we were scheduled to go March 3 on the Gate1-15 day tour with Nile Cruise on the Neptune. We have been so excited to go on this trip. We have waited and put it off in favor of other things, then finally scheduled. Of course, now cancelled. :mad: Cannot believe how sad for the people of Egypt! We are trying to figure out where to go next. It is not simple for us because we have already seen much of Gate1's tours either on cruises or because we lived near the places. We lived in Tokyo, Bangkok and Singapore for a total of 13 years until my husband retired. We now live near Daytona Beach.

 

The reason I am writing is to tell you all who are interested in Thailand....GO FOR IT. It is our favorite place on earth. :D We lived there for four years! Our son graduated HS from the International School in Bangkok. After retiring, we have made several visits back, including one to Phuket a year after the tsunami. We were saddened over the political situation of the last couple of years. However, it appears stable now. The Thai people are the most lovely people on earth,:) in our opinion. The food is simply the best there is. I hope you all get to enjoy if you go.

 

Slimsloany, you are going at a good time. If you had waited until April/May it is about 100 degrees...and NOT a dry heat. It will probably be 80's to 90's. If you can, be sure to walk across the Bridge on the River Kwai, a little scary, very great experience. Wonderful restaurant floating at the bottom. Don't drink any water but bottled, even Thais don't. Most ice is safe. Avoid most street food. We ate it, but only after living there a while.

 

Anyone interested in India, fascinating. We did the Dehli, Agra, Jaipur triangle in 2000 for our 26th wedding anniversary. We have never been anywhere like it. Fantastic, but unbelievable poverty, culturally.

 

Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples should be very high on anyone's list who wants to go to Asia. We went there in 2000 also, before some of them were fully excavated. OUTSTANDING!

 

Kathy

 

Most recent sailings:

 

Brilliance of the Seas, Dubai, Feb 2010

Jewel of the Seas, Panama, April 2010

Celebrity Mercury, 14 day Alaska, May 2010

[slimsloany]

Kathy,

You have lived a life of travel. I envy that. Egypt will come back stronger and better and I will go there when it does. As for now, Thailand is on the list. I have actually been to Angkor Wat. Went to Cambodia a few years ago and fell in love with SE Asia. What a treat to go back.

Anyone who is interested in SE Asia should not miss Siem Reap. It was fascintating and magical. Ta Prahm, where Angelina Jolie filmed Tomb Raider was unbelievable. I went at 3:30am to watch the sunrise. It, and the trip to Machu Picchu were two of the most spirtual trips I've been on. Hope you find an alternative trip as Jo Ann and I did. India is on my list also.

Hey, Jo Ann, I'm doin' the Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai, ridin' another elephant. I rode one in Phnom Pehn also. It is fun, easier, I think, than a camel.

Suzie

[texancruzer]

I don't know Suzie, I have rode both and the camel was easier :D

 

I might be getting a late start......but I plan to make up for it and travel alot as long as I can........ dh and I definately have the "travel bug" but we don't always 100% agree on our next adventure........ but it is usually something great ! Hope you find something else to replace Egypt. When things calm down I would reschedule as it is amazing.

[simpjo]

Thanks Kathy for the information. There are so many wonderful places to see in the world. Egypt is still on my list and I know it will come again. I didn't get to do as much research on India as I normally do when planning a trip, I'm just glad to be traveling in a tour group. Much of what I read is not very friendly to women traveling alone (I'm going solo, my DH is not a travel bug).

 

I've been to Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Korea but not southeast asia, now that is on my list. I didn't spend as much time in Beijing - saw the wall, forbidden city but would like to go back. I'd prefer to see the rural areas, I have no desire to see the big cities anymore. The river cruise sounds wonderful. I also would like to do the Amazon river cruise too - so many places.

 

I bumped into Gate 1 on facebook and they have a discussion page that appears to be used as a roll call - check it out. It's not as easy to navigate but it's a start.

 

I'm book for India on 4/13; however, I may pay the change fee to an earlier date if I get my visa back in time. I didn't want to have to pay the full payment until I had the visa in hand. I check the temps and it's already 80's and 90's so if I can bump it up a bit maybe it won't be unbearable.

 

Love chatting with everyone,

Jo Ann

[Lotus96]

Suzie and Jo Ann,

 

I am happy that you both saw my post and replied. :) After following you for a while, I feel like a friend. I am not on Facebook, (I would spend waaayyyyy too much time on the computer if I was) but do email.

 

Glad you girls found other things to go to. We are going to make our new reservations tomorrow. Think that we are going to go to Eastern Europe, Prague and Budapest, have not done that. Also, may take the 6 day to Scotland (a lot of jetlag for a few days, but what else is new?)

 

Jo Ann, I have ridden a camel and the elephant in India. The camel was in Morocco years ago. It was a disgusting animal and not really a pleasant experience, but I was always glad I did it. The elephant in India was fun. When we were in Agra, you had a choice of jeep one way, elephant the other. We took elephant down. It is the best choice as you are looking down at the whole parade of elephants ahead of you and the trail down from the fort. Enjoy!

One more thing, you are right about traveling in a group. You driver and guide will be your salvation. The beggars are overwhelming and a good driver/guide will shield you and pick you right up the minute you come out of anything.

 

Suzie, yes we have had a very great life of travel. Thanks to my wonderful husband, who worked unbelievable hard at his company, we got to travel a lot. Actually, we went to Thailand for our first out of the country big trip in 1978, before we had children. However, once we had kids, we traveled only to Florida to get out of New York's cold, until we moved overseas. I never went to Europe until 1997, when we took the kids to London and Paris for Christmas. They were in HS by then.

 

We want to go to Maccu Pichu, but not this year. We will probably go as part of a cruisetour we have seen. It goes in April, but the timing doesn't work for us as we would have to be gone for three weeks then, not a good time this year, probably next. We liked SA. In 2008, we took the Infinity from Santiago, around the Horn to Buenos Aires...fantastic!

 

Have a great Sunday. ;) Kathy

[slimsloany]

All,

It's all good, the bloggers on this site are the bomb!!! We all love travel and that is why one of my user names is Travljunkie. That describes me to a T.

I haven't done the camel thing yet, but from the videos I've seen of people getting on and off a camel, I don't know Tex, climbing up a scaffold and walking onto an elephant's head then sitting down on a seat, as opposed to the gyrations the camel makes as you get up and down............yipes!!! LOL

Jo Ann, can't wait to hear about India, Tex, keep travelin' and bloggin and the rest of you.............the world is our oyster. Slurp!

Suzie

[Quilting Queen]

We have put in for a refund of Uniworld cruise/tour in Egypt. We are now thinking of a Mediterranian Cruise instead with stop in Turkey. That will be much calmer than several transfers from hotel to boats to hotel.

 

Norine

[cormike1]

Hi Ladies,

 

I haven't posted on this thread since I found out that we are not going to Egypt either. Once our CDN gov't posted "no travel to Egypt" then we had no choice but to cancel. Our tour company has about 400 claims to reimburse so I think it will be awhile before we get all our money back. I was so disappointed as I have said earlier that this was my dream trip. We can only go on 1 large trip a year so we will just have to put this money away and book for next year. Originally we were going with good friends and they had to cancel way back because her Mom is very ill. They were happy that they can no go with us next year so some of this has a happy ending lol. I just booked a week away in the Dominican just as a pick-me-up cause I was very sad about Egypt. We had a tight time frame so another long trip elsewhere was not feasible right now. So we are just going to go an veggie in the sun and dream about next year. All of you that made new travel plans I wish you wonderful experiences exploring your new places of travel. Take care. I will be interested in hearing all about your trips.

Corinne

[Lotus96]

Hi All! :)

We have worked with Gate1 and rebooked from Egypt to a trip to Scotland in March...yes, I know, pretty cold, but it is not really ever warm there except summer when we have other things to do. We also booked a Budapest and Prague by rail in May. Both on our Bucket List and had planned to go Gate1 for them, so it worked out. Our guy Brian, at Gate1 is really great! :D

Suzie is right, this is the Bomb! Keep traveling! ;)

Kathy

[texancruzer]

 

Our guy Brian, at Gate1 is really great!

 

Suzie is right, this is the Bomb! Keep traveling!

Kathy

 

Hey, we used Brian also. He was really great at being so patient - especially when it came to our cabin/bed requests. The way the brochure read it appeared we would end up with two twins :eek: Not exactly the way I planned to spend an anniversary trip ;)

 

Glad you also found alternate plans that will help you cross off those bucket list items :D

[slimsloany]

All,

I cannot say enough about the responsiveness and professionalism of Gate 1! The day after our Egypt trip was cancelled, Brian was patient and, well, just plain wonderful. We have since worked with Patrick and he is......just plain wonderful. I have to say, that our trip to Thailand is less than two weeks away and I am ready with tickets, vouchers and great service. This is the best service that I have ever experienced, short of my TA who is the most awesome TA ever!

All of the optional excursions for our trip to Thailand came to $264, do you believe that? That includes a dinner show, a river cruise, a folk show with dinner, a city tour, a trip to an elephant camp, a village tour with lunch, a trip to the River Kwai and railroad trip, a Thai massage........it goes on! I am so happy that disaster turned into bliss. That's the thing about us travelers, give us a destination, a ticket and we are set. Glass more than half full.......full!

I still want to go to Egypt, and when they are ready for us, I'm there.......with Gate 1!

Suzie

Will blog when I get home.

Blessings!

[Lotus96]

Hi Suzie!

Your package of excursions sounds wonderful! Thailand, while not as cheap as when we lived there, is the land of great value for a little money. :) Thailand is also called by the Thais "the Land of Smiles"...very true of the people. If you hear anyone say "mai pen lai" it basically means "don't worry be happy", even if something is going wrong, and it will be ok eventually.

We talked to Brian again today. We have added an old friend who occasionally travels with us to the Eastern Europe tour. It was no problem to add to our reservation. What a Rep! He accomplishes anything you want, and quickly! As with you, disappointment of Egypt cancellation turned to bliss at our new arrangements. :D

[Quilting Queen]

We are sorry we cant go to Egypt this year due to cancellations from Civil Unrest.

 

Our T/A was on the ball and called Uniworld and Delta and got our refunds in process immediately. Brother not so lucky. He had to bug his T/A and still no response from Lufthansa on air canceled and refun, but Uniworld will get refund out.

 

Our trip insurance will roll over to our next trip. We will be doing Seabourn Odyssey Istanbul, Turkey to Athens, Grece instead of Egypt. We will get to see antiquities and try new foods and Seabouorn is luxury. Probably never get to do that again. We will try for Egypt next year if still in good health.

 

Norine

[texancruzer]

Norine, we loved loved loved Istanbul !!! Athens was spectacular too as I had always wanted to go there ..... unfortunately I had a bad head cold (along with half the ship) so we cut our day a bit short. Acropolis and lunch was all we accomplished. But I know I will go back someday and see more.

[Phoenix cruiser]

Norine, if you want the name of our favorite guide in Istanbul, e-mail me at brah66@aol.com and I will give you the information. We hired her for 3 days and we got to see more than we ever imagined including sites not open to the general public.

[Quilting Queen]

We will be arriving in Istanbul 2 days in advance of the cruise. We figured we would just go it alone but any help we can get is appreciated.

 

We will also be looking for a decent hotel that does not cost an arm & leg.

 

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

Norine

[Phoenix cruiser]

We stayed at the Sari Konak, what a wonderful treat. Easy walk to Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque and Bazaar and great views. For a very small price they even picked us up at the airport.

 

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/hotels/districts/cankurtaran/SariKonakH.html

[simpjo]

I just can't let go :-), Suzie if you or anyone is checking - fill us in your alternative trips - how was it? I leave the end of the month for India.

Jo Ann

[Lotus96]

Jo Ann,

It was great to see someone on here again. ;) Miss all the exchanges.:( I hope that when Suzie gets back from Thailand, she will report. We leave for a Gate 1 six day to Scotland on the 26 of this month. I WILL put up a post after I return on the 31st. I think we are all curious about Gate 1. Want to hear how you liked your India trip. We loved ours 10 years ago.

 

Meanwhile I am now following another thread, have not posted, but all of us on that one are taking the new Carnival Magic in the Med on October 7. Our DD and her DH are going also. Can't wait. This will be the third Carnival Med on a new ship for us. We love them. :D

Kathy

[jkw99]

Kudos to Gate 1!!! We were really bummed when our Egypt trip was cancelled and could not decide what to do. We decided to take a cheap cruise to the Caribbean to get out of the cold and salve our wounded spirits. Got home this week to find a refund check for the full amount from Gate 1. That's what I call good customer service! We will definitely book with Gate 1 again. :):):)

 

Judy