One day private excursions - security and being back on time

[maryann ns]

I have been in contact with two private excursion companies concerning a possible one day excursion from Alexandria to Giza and Cairo. I wrote to them yesterday asking about my two main concerns about going private: getting back to the ship on time, and safety. They both have answered already as follows:

 

Moustafa from Moustafaegypttours:

Thank you for your e mail well of course we understand your fears very much and that why we made our internel insurance program

 

As for the security issue please note that tourism business is one of the main income of the Egyptians economy and that why the goverment protect the tourism and we all the ship tours and private tour are under one umbralla which is the Egyptian authorities " Police " and the convey system is not exisit any more since 2 years but all the road to Cairo have special forces to secure the road and every time we have over 8 guest the goverment provide an armed security with the group

 

But moreover you will feel secure in Egypt as the nomal people like the forgneirs and you will feel always safe

Note that the insurance mentioned costs $25 and provides a quarantee that you will get back to the ship on time or you will be flown to the next port and other expenses paid.

From Ramses tours:

Greetings from Ramses Travel Company of Egypt

 

YOU WILL RETURN TO YOUR SHIP 2 HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE TIME

LETS IMAGINE YOU MISS TEH SHIP ALTHOUGH IT NEVER HAPPEND, IT WONT HAPPEN AS WE CARE SO MUCH, MAKE ALL CLIENTS RETURN 2 HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE TIME

 

BUT IF IT HAPPEND WE WILL BOOK FOR YOU FLIGHT FOR THE NEXT PORT DESTINATION WITH HOTEL ACCOMODATION TO JOIN YOUR CRUISE ..BUT I REPEAT IT NEVER HAPPEND , IT WONT HAPPEN

 

ABOUT SECURITY IN EGYPT EGYPT IS VERY SAFE PLACE

IWANA TO CLEAR SOME THING..THE ARMED POLICE MEN THAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT ARE TRAFFIC POLICE ..TRAFFIC POLICE WHY??

AS AROUND 60 BUSES GOES SAME TIME TO CAIRO, SHOULD RETURN SAME TIME TO ALEXANDRIA SO TRAFIC POLICE ALWAYS ESCORT US TO FACILITATE THE TRAFFIC

 

ANY WAY WE WILL BE PART OF THE CONVOY NOT JUST US BUT ALL BUSES, VANS, SMALL CARS GOES IN THE CONVOY

I have written back to Ramses to ask about the armed guard if there are more than eight people.

[smeyer418]

 

 

this is from November 2007....2 of us got 4 police/army escort to go to Fayum from Cairo....

[rustyztwo]

I have a group of 8-10 people going on two day tours with Ramses Tour in Egypt. Everything I've read and heard leads me to believe armed guards are not needed with each group. We selected Ramses Tours because of the many positive reviews on the CruiseCritic boards and not a single complaint that I could find about their services. I have confidence in having them shows us Cairo and Alexandria.

[maryann ns]

I thought I'd post two further emails I recieved from Ramses Tours. There seem to be some contradictions here, but I think I am convinced to take a private tour.

 

it is not amust or sure that police send an armed guard to groups (buses or van)this decision is teh decision of the tourism police so not me or any other travel agent can tell u if there will be armed guard or not..but any way theer is convoy , all buses , vans go together

 

but egypt is very safe ..you have wrong image of egypt,,people her are soo friendly...iwish you dont worry at all , you will understand what i mean when you come by your self

 

Ofcourse we still have convoy from Alexandria to cairo..WHO TOLD YOU TEHER IS NO CONVOY?? IF SOME ONE TOLD YOU THERE IS NO CONVOY SO IT MEANS THAT HIS INFORMATION IS NOT UPDATED

 

yesterday one of our cruise ships that we handel was in Alexandria and there was convoy for all buses from Alexandria to cairo

 

I wish that Egyptian toursism police stop this convoy soon as Egypt is very safe place , i visited many countrries in the world i never met very friendly people as Egyptian people ...

[roscoe39]

I thought I'd post two further emails I recieved from Ramses Tours. There seem to be some contradictions here, but I think I am convinced to take a private tour.

 

 

Can i add that you WILL feel very safe in Egypt, the people are very friendly and the government is very concerned about their reputation around the world and are very conscious of the worlds perception of their security.

 

My experience of the police convoys are that they are a bit of a rought, bought about originally by the Terroists attack in the Valley of the Queens in 1997. The police were paid seperately to protect tourists and to show the world that Egypt was concerned about the safety of its visitors.

 

Of course, even though they are not needed now they bring in big dollars to the police, paid for by the cruise lines and has become intrenched in the way things are done there.

 

In fact the convoys are very disruptive to everyday life in rural areas. Life comes to a complete standstill for up to four or six times a day as these huge convoyrs of up to 200 buses pass through small villages and towns and roads are closed as they pass, and the locals are unable to move about their own areas.

 

Understandably there is quite a bit of resentment towards the police and tourist because of this, but they will not let you know it. Their culture is such that it is there duty to make visitors welcome.

 

Having said that, Im sure you will benefit from doing a private tour, you will find it will be tailored to your small groups needs rather than that of the majority of a large group. I hope you have a fabulous time there....

 

regards roscoe

[maryann ns]

Thanks, Roscoe. I think we are going with Ramses. I have ten people interested already.

[roscoe39]

Thanks, Roscoe. I think we are going with Ramses. I have ten people interested already.

 

 

Good choice Maryann, we are planning to use them for an overnight next year as well, my 6th trip to Egypt and looking forward to it already!!

 

Looking forward to your review...

[shar4]

Which cruise will you be on? I am looking to find other people to get together for a private tour...

[maryann ns]

I have booked with Ramses and I'll be sure to post a review.

To get together for a private tour you need to go to the roll call for your cruise. Look for the roll call section on the main boards page for CC.

[Marie-Claude]

We are also booked with Ramses Tours for a day trip to Cairo from Alexandria.

 

If you contact Ramses and don't hear from them within 24 hours, check you Spam box as sometimes their reply ends up there! George, their manager is usually really prompt at responding, so if you don't hear from them it may be why!!

 

MC

[maryann ns]

Our tour was just fine. We did not have a guard or go in a convoy. There were police visible in places along the way. We never felt the least bit insecure. I honestly think that all this talk about security is causing needless worry.

 

Ramses were very professional. Our guide, Kalim, was excellent and gave us the tour we wanted. We told him we did not want any shopping and were able to have more time at the museum. We got back to Alexandria nearly three hours before our ship sailed.

[annaproblemma]

Join Date: Jan 2009

Posts: 5

 

 

Fantastic tour people in Egypt!

This was our experience while on a private tour. Our tour director was in feqruent contact with our ship to assure we would not be late. Interestly enough, we were back in plenty of time, but the ship's shore excursion got stuck in traffic and was late! Our ship was scheduled to leave at 10pm. Our tour had us back at 5pm. Plenty of time to rest, and get cleaned up and ready for dinner. So, I can't say enough how great Mustafa Tours is. Just read below!

 

Just wanted to make a report to recommend a tour company that was so fantastic! It is Moustafa Tours. They were so helpful, honest, informative, flexible, reasonably priced, I could go on and on!

We were on the Christmas sailing of Brilliance of the Seas 2009. We stopped in Alexandria for a 2 day stop with possibilities to go into Cairo and Giza. My husband and I decided to opt for a private tour vs using the ship's shore excursion. It was $305 per person vs their $595 per person. This included an airconditioned van, tour guide, and hotel stay next to the pyamids for the full 2 days. We paid for the admission fees ourselves. Arrangments beforehand were easy and smooth. We paid a 25% deposit, and we were good to go!

 

Oh so, so, much better, to go the private way! Our guide was waiting for us as we got off the boat, she greeted us with friendliness and it just got better from there. So nice not to have to wait for everyone to load on the bus. It was just us, and whatever we wanted to do. We had a plan in place before coming, we wanted to go to the Cairo Musuem, make sure we see the mummy room there, see the Pyramids, see Sakkara, Memphis, have a pyramid view hotel, go to the Sound and Light Show, the Nile Dinner cruise, and the bazaar.

 

Dalia was our guide. She was the best. Spoke excellent English. So informative and kind. The best thing of all was her flexibility. We changed our minds as we went along quite frequently and she went with the flow.

 

It is a long 2.5 hr drive to Cairo from Alexandria. Dalia gave us information on Egypt, its history and just a all around good synopsis. Nice freeway, but I must mention here that the driving and traffic is the most crazy I've seen in the whole world, and I have travelled extensively from Asian countries, Europe, Latin and South America. These people consider lanes to be by choice only, drive on each other tails, cut in and out, and are having loud verbal discussions with each other. This is where I need to mention our driver Osama. he was calm, careful, assertive where he needed to be, smooth, reliable. Never in this insane driving world did we ever feel unsafe or concerned. And that is amazing if you could only imagine how crazy the driving is there. My husband is a pretty confident go-for-it kind of guy, he has drivi\en in Rome, Paris, and many foreign cities and it has never fazed him. But he said he would never dare drive in Alexandria or Cairo. So that just gives you an idea. But, Osama was wonderful. So safe, calm, self-assured. Just the kind of driver you want. He later told us he had been a private driver (I think he meant like a Chauffer) for 20 years. He defiinitely was smooth. Would recommend highly!

 

We first went to the Cairo musuem, Dalia taking us through the musuem, giving us good and concise information as we went. She then allowed us some private time to go through the musuem on our own as we wanted. I chose to go to the mummy room, my husband didn't. For another $20 (100EP) he didn't want to spluge it. It ended up being so worth it. Of all the mummies there, I was most impressed with Ramses II. Just imagine, to be able to be looking at Ramses II. It's one thing to see the tomb or gravestone of someone so influential in the world, but to see the actual body -- unreal! And he looked awful darn good for someone who had been dead mileniums! Something I'm going to be able to laud over my husband for a long long time!

 

We then went to our hotel after a quick buffet lunch (included), it was the Meridien Hotel. We stopped for a small rest, about 30 minutes. The hotel was right across the street from the Pyramids, and wow! The view from our corner room was the best. Mr. Moustafa had upgraded us to a suite, and it was large and comfortable, and views from both the bedroom and the kitchen. The hotel also very nice. But the best thing of all was driving in to Giza and getting our first view of the Pyramids. Nothing you read, and no matter how much you psyche yourself up can prepare you for them. You have to see them for yourselves! I can't say anything to match what its like, so won't even try.

 

Dalia and Osama then came back and picked us up as it was time to go to visit the bazaar, then go to dinner at the Nile River Dinner cruise. It was possible to do the Sound & Light show after the dinner, but it didn't start until 10 something, and as we had to be at the Pyramids at 8am, and were still suffering quite a bit from jetlag, decided we could forego the show. We have seen Sound and Light shows from Athen to Chichen Itza, and decided it wasn't necessary.

 

So, that was the first switch in plans for Dalia. She said, "no problem" As we got closer to the bazaar, I saw my husband's excitement getting higher and higher. Now bazaars and markets are my husband's thing. He actually was just going on the Dinner cruise to be nice to me. As we would only have an hour at the Bazaar before the dinner cruise, I knew that was killing him, but he was being good about it and suffering in silence. I made a quick decision as we were driving along and asked Dalia if it would be possible to cancel the dinner cruise and just spend the night at the bazaar. She, without so much as a grimace, smiled and said "Let me check", she whipped out her handy little cell phone, made a call, and said, "no problem!" So flexible and pleasant about it! And another nice thing about doing our tour private. We could do exactly what we wanted!

 

We went on to have the best night of all! The Bazaar is the most incredible experience. If you want to see the real Cairo, soak it up, and feel just like you are Indiana Jones before you take off on Safari, this is it. Around the edges it is pretty much touristy junk, but as you get inside! Phew! I don't know how to describe it! Narrow winding alleys, with goods piled sky high, people milling thickly, incredible smells, sounds, I could go on and on. The women are all pretty much covered, the children running all over, the men carrying bundles that would defy Schwazzeneger , donkey carts, the whole shebang! You could be back 6 centuries and it wouldn't be any different!

 

And the merchandise! Wow! Again, I could go on. What I do regret not buying more of are the scarves and shawls. So cheap and beautiful. Now, you do have to bargain, usually you'll get the item for about 1/3 of the starting asking price. But that's part of the fun. But, I did buy quite a few lovely scarves at about $6 each. And they are gorgeous. I brought many home for gifts. I wore one today to church, and I'm not exaggerating, I received at least 15 compliments on it. Darn, I should have got more!

 

But the whole atmosphere! OOOh, I loved it. The night was pleasant, the moon was out. We went by a mosque just as prayer was being called. The loudspeaker was chanting the prayer, we were there, and I just had to pinch myself! So much the real Egypt than being on a boat eating boring food and watching belly dancing. My husband loved it, I loved it. It pays to be nice every now and then.

 

Osama picked us up on schedule, we went back to the hotel for a late dinner then sank into bed to get up early for our next day.

 

This has already gone on so much longer than I intended so won't go on about our second day much. We did the pyramids (do go inside!) Sakkara, Memphis. All great and wonderful. And Dalia and Osama as great as ever.

 

I just want to end with again recommending Moustafa Tours. They delivered above and beyond what they advertised. I would recommend them with all heart. And Dalia, the best ever, and Osama! We went back to the boat in the afternoon. After visiting with many others on the cruise who also did Cairo, but with the ship's excursion, although they all had good experiences, my husband and I would just exchange glances and smile at each other. We had the best!

[smilesback]

HI all, I appreciate the safety concerns and don't expect any problems on our Cairo or Alexandria tours. We have been living in Italy and traveling in Europe on our own for the past five months including Rome, Naples, Venice, Milan, some of the most highly populated tourist areas. We were told to practice personal safety to avoid becoming a target for pickpockets. So we did that, like pay attention to our surroundings, dress down, no expensive jewelry, use a money belt, that sort of thing. I forgot my purse on a late night train once and it was never found (So I should have paid attention to what I was doing esp because I was so sleepy!)

 

There are honest people making a living in the tourist industry, who are working hard to ensure our safety and enjoyment while sightseeing. From talking with M. youself with Ramses tours via emails, I am re-assured that visiting Cairo/Alexandria will be a very pleasant experience. I found him to be very professional and understanding of my needs.

 

Also, I did not read any Travel Warnings from the State Department for any of our ports so I am very excited about our cruise! For more information you can check out the official American traveling abroad website http://travel.state.gov.

 

See you at the M&G 11am Le Bistro on our first day at sea.

Ciao! Sandra and George