Anyone Recently Used Ramses Tours?

[Turtles06]

Can you tell us the name of your driver and guide?

thanks

 

Our guide was Usama. (Per the pic on Ramses's web site, his last name is Osman.)

 

I'm sorry that I can't recall our driver's name. He did a truly fantastic job of negotiating the incredible, insane traffic (not to mention giving us a little extra "thrill" by driving right over a flaming trail of gasoline in the middle of the road in Giza that had been set on fire by folks celebrating a huge win for Egypt in a preliminary World Cup soccer match. Seriously, it was quite an evening to be in Cairo; everyone was in the streets, people were galloping around on horses and camels waving Egyptian flags. And yes, pouring gasoline in the road and lighting it up. :eek:)

Edited January 7, 2011 by Turtles06

[Georgia Buckeye]

We are sailing on the Pacific Princess in Mid May and currently have a group of 7 it appears. We were considering the Albaraa Group but they want payment up front when they pick you up and am a little concerned to pay and then have them not show up for day 2 and being high and dry in Cairo. Another thing is that a driver apparently picks you up and the guide joins in Cairo. Is that the way it works with Ramses too or is the guide there to visit and share on the drive from Port Said?

[lucille&mike]

The guide from Ramses is there at the port. I am not aware of any other company that has their guide meet you elsewhere.

I'd be a little leery of the paying upfront uless it was with a credit card. You might want to look real closely at their reviews before deciding. Enjoy.

[Turtles06]

I didn't have access to this photo earlier today when I posted comment no. 276 above, but thought folks might get a kick out of it. As I noted in that comment, our Ramses driver (who really was fantastic) drove us right thru flaming gasoline; the fires had been set in the streets of Giza after the World Cup soccer victory. My partner and I were totally expecting the gas tank in our van to explode; it was, shall we say, a bit more adventure than we were expecting. :)

 

 

 

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[cruisemom42]

I didn't have access to this photo earlier today when I posted comment no. 276 above, but thought folks might get a kick out of it. As I noted in that comment, our Ramses driver (who really was fantastic) drove us right thru flaming gasoline; the fires had been set in the streets of Giza after the World Cup soccer victory. My partner and I were totally expecting the gas tank in our van to explode; it was, shall we say, a bit more adventure than we were expecting. :)

 

 

 

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

 

Wow!

 

At least they weren't shooting their pistols into the sky as the Bedouins are apt to do..... Or were they? :D

[lucille&mike]

And this is what you call thrilling?

 

I'd have had to go to the back of the bus for my overnight bag.

 

In all seriousness, be glad they didn't lose.

[Zukini]

And this is what you call thrilling?

 

I'd have had to go to the back of the bus for my overnight bag.

 

In all seriousness, be glad they didn't lose.

 

Mike, I'm starting to think you and I don't really share the same perspective and expectations about traveling to a country like Egypt.

 

It's regrettable that you got a tour that wasn't up to the standards that you expected, but I'm beginning to feel that the events that added up to a near catastrophe for you would hardly have made an impression on us.

 

I'm not minimizing your displeasure or any sense of peril you experienced. I just don't think your experiences necessarily have any relevance to me and my wife. I certainly DO appreciate your sharing your concerns with the rest of us, though.

 

In retrospect, it seems that you would have been better off taking the cruise-line sponsored version of this tour. Although it would have cost double what you paid, at least then, you would have had a large corporation to go back to with your complaints, and might have gotten more satisfaction, if indeed any problems had even occurred.

 

We live and learn for the future.

Edited January 8, 2011 by Zukini

[Turtles06]

And this is what you call thrilling?

 

I'd have had to go to the back of the bus for my overnight bag.

 

In all seriousness, be glad they didn't lose.

 

You know, you had to be there. It was a very exciting evening. How many times have you seen cheering throngs of people riding horses and camels down your street? :)

[onthebalcony]

I had a Ramses tour scheduled for Dec. but had to cancel out. Friends did go on MSC Magnifica and took ship's tour because day at port was changed and were not happy with limited time in port rather than the 12 hr stay previously planned and tour operator.

I researched tours in Egpyt and found that most tour operators want a payment for tours before the tour. We don't do that because you never know what may happen (weather, port cancelation, etc) and if operator will even meet with the group as scheduled. (We have heard about this!)

I plan to rebook with Ramses in Oct. with a group from our cruise and hope we get a good tour operator. They were the most reasonable and payment was after the tour. They also take US dollars.

I have read both pros and cons regarding Ramses. I guess we will take our chances because we won't preppay.

[cruisemom42]

I had a Ramses tour scheduled for Dec. but had to cancel out. Friends did go on MSC Magnifica and took ship's tour because day at port was changed and were not happy with limited time in port rather than the 12 hr stay previously planned and tour operator.

I researched tours in Egpyt and found that most tour operators want a payment for tours before the tour. We don't do that because you never know what may happen (weather, port cancelation, etc) and if operator will even meet with the group as scheduled. (We have heard about this!)

I plan to rebook with Ramses in Oct. with a group from our cruise and hope we get a good tour operator. They were the most reasonable and payment was after the tour. They also take US dollars.

I have read both pros and cons regarding Ramses. I guess we will take our chances because we won't preppay.

 

Before my recent trip, I contacted at least 4 different Egyptian tour companies frequently mentioned here. Not one of them required pre-payment. Perhaps you could advise which companies you talked to that asked you to pay in advance? :confused:

[onthebalcony]

Could you send me the links/names for those companies who do not require a prepayment?

That is good news to have other options.

Thanks!

[cruisemom42]

Could you send me the links/names for those companies who do not require a prepayment?

That is good news to have other options.

Thanks!

 

Since we are only supposed to recommend tours that we actually took, I will give you the name of Egypt Private Excursions. They do not require prepayment. I used them for a day tour in Alexandria in September and was so satisfied that I used them again when I was in Cairo in November.

 

I did not do the popular Cairo overnight as I've been in Cairo several times already; however, Egypt Private Excursions offers that option to cruise ship passengers.

 

They are very easy to work with and are great about customizing/personalizing your tour.

 

http://www.egyptprivateexcursions.com/

[onthebalcony]

Thanks for the recommended tour group. I have checked them out and they are definitely a possibility. We are overnight so would be interested in Cairo and Alexandria trous.

[celyvabeach]

Since we are only supposed to recommend tours that we actually took, I will give you the name of Egypt Private Excursions. They do not require prepayment. I used them for a day tour in Alexandria in September and was so satisfied that I used them again when I was in Cairo in November.

 

I did not do the popular Cairo overnight as I've been in Cairo several times already; however, Egypt Private Excursions offers that option to cruiseship passengers.

 

They are very easy to work with and are great about customizing/personalizing your tour.

 

http://www.egyptprivateexcursions.com/

 

 

We are booked with Egypt Private Excursions based on your recommendation a while back and are very satisfied with the booking process. We are doing a Holy Land cruise in November that includes an overnight in Alexandria. You pay after the tour and I noticed they are cheaper than Ramses. I was previously booked with Ramses but had to cancel. I was not happy with the way they handled my booking after we changed cruiseship and ports.

Edited January 9, 2011 by celyvabeach

[cruisemom42]

We are booked with Egypt Private Excursions based on your recommendation a while back and are very satisfied with the booking process. We are doing a Holy Land cruise in November that includes an overnight in Alexandria. You pay after the tour and I noticed they are cheaper than Ramses. I was previously booked with Ramses but had to cancel. I was not happy with the way they handled my booking after we changed cruiseship and ports.

 

That's good to know. In my experience they try very hard to provide a great experience. :) I hope you'll enjoy visiting Egypt as much as I have. (In fact, I can't seem to stay away...;))

[cruisemom42]

In looking back over some recent responses, I would just ask posters to remember that sometimes (through no fault of the tour agency involved), things don't run smoothly in Egypt. Sometimes ships have to wait for clearance to enter the port and are late. Sometimes officials take longer than anticipated to clear the ship. Sometimes weather conditions (fog, sandstorms) make the long drive to Cairo even longer.

 

Please don't blame the tour providers for these circumstances that are beyond their control. Often they do the best they can (again, in my opinion) to make up for lost time, but in an itinerary that is intensive to start with, sometimes a compromise must be made in order to ensure that you get back to the ship on time -- something that's very important to all concerned.

 

I've said this on other boards and it bears repeating: if you book a private tour, you are more or less responsible to ensure that your needs are met. Take a copy of whatever correspondence you have with you, and go over it with your guide at the beginning of the tour. It's worth the couple of minutes that this will take and can usually be done while you are enroute. Also, if your time has been shortened for other reasons, talk to the guide about what things are MOST important to you and what things could be omitted if absolutely necessary.

 

On the flip side, do take into consideration your guide's experience and suggestions. Don't try to do more in a day than is humanly possible (especially given the traffic and crowds in Egypt). For example: While to you it might seem possible to make a "brief" stop at the Egyptian museum, for example, you have to keep in mind a) the traffic you'll encounter just getting there b) the wait time to purchase tickets and get through security, and c) the crowds in the museum itself, which means you often have to move at a slower pace.

 

Also, I've found on private tours that often YOU must speak up about lunch. If you're hungry or need a break, say something. Guides may otherwise assume that you'd rather keep going in order to see more -- and in some cases, that's true -- rather than make a lunch stop that will eat up time.

 

I hope this won't be taken the wrong way, but I just felt it might be useful to share this, based on my own experiences with private tours -- not just in Egypt but in many different countries.

Edited January 9, 2011 by cruisemom42

[onthebalcony]

Very good points and suggestions Cruisemom42. Our friends on a recent cruise to Egypt were delayed getting off the ship and then had to cut their tour short.

[lucille&mike]

Cruisemom42.....

 

I believe that I have stated several times that the experiences were on our tour. There were also many other tours to Cairo on this trip. Several were from Ramses. None that we had spoken to had the issues that we had. When a tour is booked through a company (Ramses) that guarantees satisfaction, then they are indeed responsible for not only the good tours, but the bad. Ramses is very, very quick to take credit for all of their wonderful tours they provide. Unfortunately they are also just as quick to first state that the issues were with the other Rameses (false) tour company. The purpose of boads such as Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor are to point our the good as wella s the bad. Decisions can then be based on all the information available.

We have not taken a ship sponsored tour in over 20 years. Most if not all of the decisions on who to book in the various places we have been lucky enough to visit have been based on the information found on these sites. Its up to the reader to make their own decisions.

Our decison to go with Rameses was based on the belief that the company was responsible and stood by its product. Not so.

Same cruise, Ephus;Turkey. Booked an excursion not thru the ship and had probably the most memorable shore tour ever.

[lucille&mike]

Mike, I'm starting to think you and I don't really share the same perspective and expectations about traveling to a country like Egypt.

 

It's regrettable that you got a tour that wasn't up to the standards that you expected, but I'm beginning to feel that the events that added up to a near catastrophe for you would hardly have made an impression on us.

 

I'm not minimizing your displeasure or any sense of peril you experienced. I just don't think your experiences necessarily have any relevance to me and my wife. I certainly DO appreciate your sharing your concerns with the rest of us, though.

 

In retrospect, it seems that you would have been better off taking the cruise-line sponsored version of this tour. Although it would have cost double what you paid, at least then, you would have had a large corporation to go back to with your complaints, and might have gotten more satisfaction, if indeed any problems had even occurred.

 

We live and learn for the future.

 

Zuke;

 

Guess I should have put a smiley next to the back of the bus comment......

We don't do ship tours. Don't have a problem having a bit of excitement on shore excursions. My thinking was/is that there have been people killed in friendly happy soccer riots in many different countries. Different strokes for different folks.

This being a Ramses thread, the comments pertain to Rameses. Not to the excellent tour provided in Ephus. Cannot comment on Athens due to cancellation of port.

[Mexfolkart]

Cruise Mom...we recently booked the same tour that you took in November in Cairo..we wanted something a little different and that sounded great. This is what makes this board so nice..we never would have known about that otherwise. Thank you, Sherry

[cruisemom42]

Cruisemom42.....

 

I believe that I have stated several times that the experiences were on our tour. There were also many other tours to Cairo on this trip. Several were from Ramses. None that we had spoken to had the issues that we had. When a tour is booked through a company (Ramses) that guarantees satisfaction, then they are indeed responsible for not only the good tours, but the bad. Ramses is very, very quick to take credit for all of their wonderful tours they provide. Unfortunately they are also just as quick to first state that the issues were with the other Rameses (false) tour company. The purpose of boads such as Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor are to point our the good as wella s the bad. Decisions can then be based on all the information available.

We have not taken a ship sponsored tour in over 20 years. Most if not all of the decisions on who to book in the various places we have been lucky enough to visit have been based on the information found on these sites. Its up to the reader to make their own decisions.

Our decison to go with Rameses was based on the belief that the company was responsible and stood by its product. Not so.

Same cruise, Ephus;Turkey. Booked an excursion not thru the ship and had probably the most memorable shore tour ever.

 

I wasn't responding solely to your post. Issues come up all the time with private tours, especially for those, unlike you, who don't have that much experience with them. I just thought it might be a good idea to post some suggestions and some thoughts about a realistic experience.

 

Unfortunately, Egypt is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for many people. I do understand the disappointment when things go wrong and I do agree there are things in the experience you, in particular, posted that the agency could and should have done better.

[cruisemom42]

Cruise Mom...we recently booked the same tour that you took in November in Cairo..we wanted something a little different and that sounded great. This is what makes this board so nice..we never would have known about that otherwise. Thank you, Sherry

 

I'm glad my experience was helpful and I think you will really enjoy it. It's a part of Cairo that many tourists don't see, and that's a shame because a lot has been done to restore it. You can see that some of the work is still ongoing there.

 

Cairo itself is much more about the Islamic history of Egypt rather than the ancient history, so it's nice to see this little part of the city and get a different perspective.

 

Some photos from el Muizz street:

 

 

 

 

 

[Zukini]

Since we are only supposed to recommend tours that we actually took, I will give you the name of Egypt Private Excursions. They do not require prepayment. I used them for a day tour in Alexandria in September and was so satisfied that I used them again when I was in Cairo in November.

 

 

Cynthia, thanks for your input. After some communication misfires with Ramses this week, I decided to drop an email to H. David at Egypt Private Excursions. He responded almost immediately, and after a quick flurry of back and forth emails we ironed out a custom itinerary and I've switched my booking to his company.

 

I'll certainly post back after our trip to let everyone know how it works out, but the relief in having good lines of communication already makes me feel good about it.

[cruisemom42]

Cynthia, thanks for your input. After some communication misfires with Ramses this week, I decided to drop an email to H. David at Egypt Private Excursions. He responded almost immediately, and after a quick flurry of back and forth emails we ironed out a custom itinerary and I've switched my booking to his company.

 

I'll certainly post back after our trip to let everyone know how it works out, but the relief in having good lines of communication already makes me feel good about it.

 

I know you've put in a lot of time planning your trip; I'm sure you will have a wonderful experience in Egypt -- I look forward to hearing about it! I really think you'll feel comfortable with this agency.

[CalliGirl]

Just returned from a cruise with MSC where we used Ramses for our tour out of Alexandria. There were 4 of us in a private van and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I am reposting my note to Ramses.

 

Our tour was great and we really enjoyed seeing Cairo and the Pyramids. Our guide was great and was very informative and really handled the stress well at the end of the day when it appeared that we might not make it back to our cruise ship in time. We were stuck in traffic due to an accident and he was able to determine by calling other drivers that the cruise line buses were delayed as well. That put our mind at ease......though the experience was very stressful.

 

We will definitely recommend you to anyone that we know who will be traveling in Egypt in the future.

 

Thank you very much for the great tour.

 

I would definitely recommend Ramses over a cruise line tour when traveling to Egypt.

 

Happy travels.......