RCCL Egypt vs X Istanbul for Summer Cruise

[SelectSys]

I am leaning towards booking a X cruise on Equinox for late June 2011 - 6/27 departure. This cruise departs from Rome and spends 11 days heading out to Istanbul and back. The alternative that works is a 13 day trip on Mariner of the Seas where a multi-day stop in Alexandria is the highlight - 6/28 departure. It is a family trip with teen kids aged 18 and 16.

 

I am thinking X as the heat in Egypt during July must be fairly oppressive to see the pyramids and others sites around Cairo. Both ships also visit several ports in the Greek Islands although I actually like the ports on the RCCL trip better. The last factor is that we have Diamond status on RCCL which probably makes the cost a wash and we probably would get a few extra perks on RCCL.

 

What do you all think? Thanks for any input.

[wwinfl91]

IMHO go see the pyramids. Istanbul is great and has lots to see but there are lots of beautiful churches and mosques and only one set of great pyramids. It will be hot in both places but it will probably be hotter in Egypt but go anyway so you and your kids can say they have seen them.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[cruisingaddict10]

Hello! I just got back in May from sailing on the Equinox out of Rome. This was an amazing cruise and each stop has so much to see and do. I highly recommend it. If you have any questions about it let me know.

*However, I am sure that Egypt would be great to see... and it is on our to do list as well.

[MissRabbit]

i haven't been to Istanbul but i spend 6 days in Egypt. I was 17 at the time and it was my dream to go there. Hated it.

 

Sure, the pyramids were fantastic as well as the Valley of the Kings, the collosses of memnon, Temple of Karnak and other things. A once in a lifetime thing.

 

However, being a female in Egypt was horrific. We were warned by our tour director to not make eye contact. I was with another 17 yo girl. We tried ditching our tour group as 17 yos are want to do. At the time i hated their watchful eyes but now i'm glad they did watch us like a hawk. If you are female and breathing, you will get hit on, groped, fondled and stalked the entire time you are there. There was not a single female in our tour group that wasn't felt up at some point in the few days we were there.

 

So my advice, if you don't mind being leered at, groped and hit on, then go to Egypt as the pyramids and other statues/temples are incredible.

[Keith1010]

I am sure they are both great cruises.

 

In terms of seeing the Pyramids keep in mind that the bus drive to see them will be three hours each way. It is a very long day. You know yourselves and your kids the best so the length of that drive is something to think about.

 

You didn't give all the details on both cruises. Think though the ports of embarkation and disemabarkaton for each one in terms of the ease of flights to and from your home city.

 

Also, whatever you do arrive a few days before the cruise so you get over the jet lag, so that if there are any delays/cancellations with the flight that you do not miss the cruise and so you can tour the city that you will begin the cruise.

 

Keith

[cruisemom42]

This would be a tough choice. I love Istanbul -- it is probably my second favorite city after Rome and it is very easy to get around and do on your own if you're so inclined (with two kids, you might be ;)). However, Egypt is also wonderful. I'm not sure when the other poster went there (a long time ago?), but I have visited Egypt both on a cruise ship overnight and then went back on a 2-week land trip; loved Egypt both times. And for the record, I was traveling on the land trip as a solo female and was on my own in Cairo for a day before the tour started and two days after. I never had ANY issues with the Egyptians (well, other than trying to get me to buy things I didn't need, but what do you expect in the bazaar?)

 

In the end, I think it maybe should come down to a family decision as to which one everyone is more excited about.

[Alrana Eris]

Have a great time wish I were going..:)

 

Turkey& Egypt never been there(on bucket list) but I do have a friend who visit both countries often and is a TA specializing in those countries.

Travel tips which most people forget-she says when visiting and most TA's or cruise lines won't tell you.

Haggle its an art form and is expected and kind of fun getting a good price for item you want in the Bazaars. They are more aggressive in haggling than in Caribbean-be warned. Egypt & Turkey have cute silk headscarves for about $5-10 USD.

Women: head(headscarf), legs and shoulder covered(also no tight or revealing clothing-tank tops and mini skirts and shorts) when visiting religious sights and protect hair from windy sand, wear real comfy shoes the terrain on most temples, tombs and pyramids are not smooth an even surfaces. And if you are disabled or have mobility issues they cannot accommodate in some temples & tombs.

Wear pants when riding a camel and climbing and exploring temples and tombs.-terrain is not smooth.

Always have small bills for Baksheesh(Egypt) tipping is expected if you want anything "extra".

July is real HOT but just make sure you wear SPF50 or better sunscreen-its desert not Caribbean- there is no shade. sunglasses and hat/headscarf you will burn if not careful

Nights are really cold in desert bring sweater/shawl when on deck.

 

Turkey is more Westernized- headscarf and shoulders leg covered when visiting the churches and mosques. And its bit cooler than Egypt

 

 

Alrana

[SelectSys]

Well, I asked my family and they seem to be leaning towards Egypt. The cruise takes us to more new ports and their is more interest in seeing the pyramids. Now I need to look at price and see what is the better deal.

 

Thanks to all for their input! I think either would be a great trip.

 

...

However, being a female in Egypt was horrific. We were warned by our tour director to not make eye contact. I was with another 17 yo girl... If you are female and breathing, you will get hit on, groped, fondled and stalked the entire time you are there...

So my advice, if you don't mind being leered at, groped and hit on, then go to Egypt as the pyramids and other statues/temples are incredible.

 

I'll let my wife and daughter now about this.

 

...

In terms of seeing the Pyramids keep in mind that the bus drive to see them will be three hours each way. It is a very long day. You know yourselves and your kids the best so the length of that drive is something to think about

 

At 16 and 18 I don't see the drive being too much of an issue. I did think about this as a negative. It is sort of like docking in Livorno and driving to Florence. However, I don't really see myself going to Egypt any other way at the current time.

 

...

However, being a female in Egypt was horrific. We were warned by our tour director to not make eye contact. I was with another 17 yo girl... If you are female and breathing, you will get hit on, groped, fondled and stalked the entire time you are there...

So my advice, if you don't mind being leered at, groped and hit on, then go to Egypt as the pyramids and other statues/temples are incredible.

 

I'll let my wife and daughter now about this.

 

...

You didn't give all the details on both cruises. Think though the ports of embarkation and disemabarkaton for each one in terms of the ease of flights to and from your home city.

 

Both cruises depart from Civitavecchia. We'll go a bit early to spend 4-5 days in Rome pre-cruise. We'll probably depart from LAX to get more options in terms of flights and opportunities to book with miles.

 

...

Haggle its an art form and is expected and kind of fun getting a good price for item you want in the Bazaars. They are more aggressive in haggling than in Caribbean-be warned. Egypt & Turkey have cute silk headscarves for about $5-10 USD.

 

I'm sure, one of the downsides of not going to Istanbul is to go to the Grand Bazaar. I can't even bargain well in Tijuana so I probably will not do so well in either location.

 

...

Always have small bills for Baksheesh(Egypt) tipping is expected if you want anything "extra".

 

Thanks, I assume that dollars or euros work well. I am not sure how many Egyptian pounds I would want to carry around.

 

...

July is real HOT but just make sure you wear SPF50 or better sunscreen-its desert not Caribbean- there is no shade. sunglasses and hat/headscarf you will burn if not careful

 

Yes, we all use SPF 50 at home. I would hope that the humidity in the desert wouldn't be as high. I looked at the temperatures and it seemed they are comparable with some of the inland areas east of LA - around 95 to105 as a day time average high.

[Bella cruiser]

i haven't been to Istanbul but i spend 6 days in Egypt. I was 17 at the time and it was my dream to go there. Hated it.

 

Sure, the pyramids were fantastic as well as the Valley of the Kings, the collosses of memnon, Temple of Karnak and other things. A once in a lifetime thing.

 

However, being a female in Egypt was horrific. We were warned by our tour director to not make eye contact. I was with another 17 yo girl. We tried ditching our tour group as 17 yos are want to do. At the time i hated their watchful eyes but now i'm glad they did watch us like a hawk. If you are female and breathing, you will get hit on, groped, fondled and stalked the entire time you are there. There was not a single female in our tour group that wasn't felt up at some point in the few days we were there.

 

So my advice, if you don't mind being leered at, groped and hit on, then go to Egypt as the pyramids and other statues/temples are incredible.

 

Sorry about your experiences in Egypt, I also went to Egypt in my 20's with two girlfriends and loved it. We were there for a month and did a number of tours but also travelled on our own. No probs of the type you refer to and I found the people friendly with a great sense of humor (if you take time to chat to some of the locals). Some stared at us, yes,:rolleyes: but this was mainly when we ventured into non tourist very poor areas.

 

I went there again in January this year with my husband and 7yo son, we all had a ball. Watch out for pickpockets in the Khan el khalili Bazaar, but do your bargaining in a friendly light hearted way and you'll find the positive attitude resiprocated.:) The Pyramids and the Egyptian museum are fantastic, but Alex to Cairo is quite a long way, about 3 1/2 hrs. So expect a very long day.

 

Jenny

[Alrana Eris]

Yes tips but small bills(1,5,10's), whether Euros or USD they accept them. BUt right now they rather have Euros than USD.

 

Alrana

[SelectSys]

Yes tips but small bills(1,5,10's), whether Euros or USD they accept them. BUt right now they rather have Euros than USD.

 

Alrana

 

With the exchange rate this makes sense. I would expect we are more likely to have Euros at this point.

 

How about for larger purchases in Egypt? Does anyone worry too much about credit card fraud? Capital One is pretty good about checking up on charges.

[cruisemom42]

With the exchange rate this makes sense. I would expect we are more likely to have Euros at this point.

 

How about for larger purchases in Egypt? Does anyone worry too much about credit card fraud? Capital One is pretty good about checking up on charges.

 

I used my credit card for many purchases in Egypt (land trip: was there for 2 weeks) and did not have any problems. Types of purchases: meals, extra hotel night, shopping (in reputable stores).

 

Edited to add: I also use Capital One

[SelectSys]

I used my credit card for many purchases in Egypt (land trip: was there for 2 weeks) and did not have any problems... I also use Capital One

 

Thanks, that is sort of what I thought.

[bayonnebubba]

My wife and I are on the Mariner June 28 Rome, Greek Isles, Turkey, Egypt for our 25th. We've have sat on the Taj Mahal, stood before the tomb of Alexander The Great's father, and stood on the Parthenon. See the wonders! You will regret it if you don't. How many times do you plan/know you will have the opportunity?

 

We were scheduled to take a train from New Delhi to Agra (Taj Mahal) but had to take a car instead. We are so glad we took the car. We got to see the true India. Probably Alexandria to Cairo is tourist traps, but we tour to see the world. Never has anybody in a group been groped. I'm not questioning one of the reviews since I have not been to Egypt. But the books about India said the same thing. We never experienced anything of the sort.

 

IMHO, go for the Pyramids.

[GEORGET]

Been to both but you have to see the pyramids and the museum.

Just to say you have been there.

Be warned this is one of the few trips i would reccommend you take from the ship, unless the ship is there for two days.

The reason is that first the coaches have a guard and if late because of the heavy traffic the ship will wait.

You will also have a meal in an American hotel.

Been three times to Alex and somebody has been left behind on each one.

You will be pestered at the pyramids and even the tourist police are on the take.

Good fake watches at the port gate though.

Istanbul, blue mosque was stunning and the grand bazzar worth seeing, and unlike every other arab country we were left alone.

If you cannot decide go for the cheapest. In july they will both be hot.

Take one dollar bills for odd tip

Barter in dollars as it is cheaper than euros

Enjoy

g

[SelectSys]

My wife and I are on the Mariner June 28 Rome, Greek Isles, Turkey, Egypt for our 25th.

Congratulations on your 25th! I think I am ready to make the reservation so perhaps we'll see you on board.

 

...See the wonders! You will regret it if you don't. How many times do you plan/know you will have the opportunity?

 

I agreee. One of the rationales behind this trip is that our oldest is going off to university in the fall of 2011. It will soon be tough to travel as a family which we have been doing for the last 15 years.

 

Been to both but you have to see the pyramids and the museum.

Just to say you have been there.

Be warned this is one of the few trips i would reccommend you take from the ship, unless the ship is there for two days...

 

This cruise is in port for two days. It reminds me a bit of St. Petersburg in this regard.

 

...Good fake watches at the port gate though...

....Barter in dollars as it is cheaper than euros

Enjoy

g

 

My daughter would like the watches. Good tip on the dollars versus euros.