Nile Blue Tours - Egypt?

[worldly wanderer]

We're considering using Nile Blue for an overnight. Which hotel did any of you stay at? They gave us two prices, one for a Five Star, and one for a Four Star hotel This is the only question they haven't answered yet. We're trying to decide between Nile Blue and Ramses. Thanks.

 

We have just returned from Egypt and Israel and used Nile Blue in both countries. We stayed at the Mena House Hotel which was excellent and if you are going to the Sound and Light show it is very conveniently placed. Nile Blue also arranged our private tour in Haifa and Ashdod which an excellent tour guide. We thoroughly recommend Nile Blue especially as they do not require payment until the end of the tour which is a plus.

[mzredhead]

We have just returned from Egypt and Israel and used Nile Blue in both countries. We stayed at the Mena House Hotel which was excellent and if you are going to the Sound and Light show it is very conveniently placed. Nile Blue also arranged our private tour in Haifa and Ashdod which an excellent tour guide. We thoroughly recommend Nile Blue especially as they do not require payment until the end of the tour which is a plus.

 

Were you on a cruise? Could you describe the tours you took on Israel?

[manoftheworld]

i know that Cairo is overcrowded and one of the most polluted cities. did anyone have to cancel some of his plans because of the crowd? sometimes we have to be in touch with reality.

[WeBeGone]

i know that Cairo is overcrowded and one of the most polluted cities. did anyone have to cancel some of his plans because of the crowd? sometimes we have to be in touch with reality.

 

We never cancelled anything since Nile Blue allowed for traffic in their schedule. As for crowds, Hazem always got us through entrance gates with lightening speed as he had pre-purchased all tickets we needed for everything. He even knew when the best time for the museum was so we avoided the crowds there too.

[manoftheworld]

Nile blue had offered me a dinner cruise on board Nile maxim , what do you think , is it better to go to the dinner cruise or the sound and light ?

Edited November 29, 2010 by manoftheworld
make it bigger

[WeBeGone]

Nile blue had offered me a dinner cruise on board Nile maxim , what do you think , is it better to go to the dinner cruise or the sound and light ?

 

Since we have been there twice, we have done both things. If you can only choose one, I'd pick the Sound and Light Show. It's only about an hour and uses lights and a narration to tell you about the 3 pyramids and the pharohs who built them. Afterward there is still time to do something else (but not the dinner cruise as Giza is a long way from the Nile).

 

Here are photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021960&id=1012625648&l=ce99b1a231

 

 

We thought the dinner cruise was extremely touristy, with not very good food, and really cheesy entertainment.

 

And photos of the dinner cruise are here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021976&id=1012625648&l=c687b4d40b

Edited November 29, 2010 by WeBeGone

[WeBeGone]

We have finalized the booking with Nile blue and they were great in customizing the tour we have asked for and the price is according to our budget too

 

Tell Hazem that Rita and Lou say hi.

[dileep]

Since we have been there twice, we have done both things. If you can only choose one, I'd pick the Sound and Light Show. It's only about an hour and uses lights and a narration to tell you about the 3 pyramids and the pharohs who built them.

And photos of the dinner cruise are here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021976&id=1012625648&l=c687b4d40b

 

The narration is by Omar Sharif. Here is my video

 

We stayed at the Mena House too! Very convenient for Giza sights.

[Sumiko]

I will be booking an overnight tour for March but was wondering if it was Nile Blue Tours or Nile Blue Excursions? :confused:

 

BTW, thanks for all the wonderful info and photos!!! I'm so excited :)

[Toto2Kansas]

I will be booking an overnight tour for March but was wondering if it was Nile Blue Tours or Nile Blue Excursions? :confused:

 

BTW, thanks for all the wonderful info and photos!!! I'm so excited :)

 

Nile Blue Tours is the one we used, Hazem and his wife were the best!

[cccruisin]

Just returned from tuor with Nile Blue. They were ok. The owners were very busy on a large group from our sailing and private groups became third class citizens. The tour guide and driver were good but appeared to have not followed the itinerary order I was given. The first day we seemed to see less then expected and the second day traffic became an issue. Ghada (the owners wife)upon communicating with our guide became curt and unprofessional. It appeared it was her guides errors that caused the issues. I would consider checking with other companies before booking Nile Blue....

[CruisingBum]

We just returned from participating in a group tour with Nile Blue. I have to say that I was very impressed with the company, especially considering we had three large buses in our group. Ghada and Hazem were wonderful in trying to make sure we saw as much as possible, and kept on schedule. There were a few minor inconveniences (lunch on the second day) that were not in the control of Nile Blue, but were corrected to the best of their ability.

 

I will admit, I have no one to compare them to in Egypt, but I will say that they would be my first consideration when returning to the region!

[WeBeGone]

Just returned from tuor with Nile Blue. They were ok. The owners were very busy on a large group from our sailing and private groups became third class citizens. The tour guide and driver were good but appeared to have not followed the itinerary order I was given. The first day we seemed to see less then expected and the second day traffic became an issue. Ghada (the owners wife)upon communicating with our guide became curt and unprofessional. It appeared it was her guides errors that caused the issues. I would consider checking with other companies before booking Nile Blue....

 

 

Sometimes the itinerary has to be modified due to traffic or other things taking place. And if Ghada was cute and unprofessional with her guide that messed up, that's great. Ghada has very high standards for her guides/drivers and if one of them messed up, she's sure to give them a piece of her mind and probably their walking papers too. She expects nothing less than the best for her guests.

[manoftheworld]

I finally came back from my cruise in the Middle East on the NCL Norwegian jade. But I want to contribute with my experience and share some of my memories especially in Alexandria and Cairo. I was also lucky and fortunate to pick hazem of Nile blue excursions for organizing my private tours.

The first day: the pyramids at Giza and Sakkara

As soon as we left the ship, and made all our security checks which was swift and not annoying, we were welcomed by Ossama , our guide . He led us to the van (clean and comfortable). Inside the van, we were served bottled water, for free. Our first stop was in Sakkara (the step pyramid) sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base. We arrived at Sakkara about 11.30 pm. We had some pictures and information from the Egyptologist. Ossama brought the tickets in no time so it didn’t take us much to save our time for taking pictures and enjoying the informative ability of our guide. Who is full of fascinating historical information, and tells it all with a passionate excitement that holds everyone's attention. He also gave us the time to ask questions.

Afterwards we headed for the restaurant for lunch (I was hungry) I was given the menu to choose. I wanted to try Egyptian food so I choose among several authentic Egyptian dishes which all turned out to be quite excellent.

We left the restaurant and headed our way back to the pyramids. Needless to say, the sheer size of the pyramids is impressive. And we rode the camel. It was fun and much excitement, 15 dollars per person for the ride. We made our way to the sphinx. Wow, it was really big and you always try to compare between what you see and what you have seen on TV.

We finished our tour at the pyramids at 4.30. We headed to a store that sells Egyptian papyrus. I bought 10 papyruses. Ossama gave us enough time for shopping then we went to the hotel le meridian. We had a room that faces the pyramids and the hotel was really amazing and welcoming. I had a shower and rest for a while to get ready for the light show at pyramids. We enjoyed the light show at the pyramids. It was amazing.

We went back to the hotel at 7.45 and had a long deep sleep.

The second day the Egyptian museum:

We wake up 7.00 and headed to the restaurant to have breakfast. There were variety of cheese, bread and much more but I had cereals with milk and fruits. We had a good cup of coffee with a piece of cake. After that Ossama came to take us to the museum at 8.30. It didn’t take long bearing in mind the traffic of Cairo compared to any other city in the world. The second most frequently visited and certainly one of the most important attractions in Cairo. You will find fabulous collection of tutankhamun and monuments from all periods of Egyptian history from pre historic era to the Greco-roman period. The mummies room is another highlight of the Egyptian museum and it is a must-see.

 

We were really hungry and our lunch was waiting for us in the “Nile Lily” it’s a boat on the Nile. As usual, assorted variety of oriental food that captures your heart and mind, I love food and it was really tasty. We finished our lunch and 1:30 and it was time to leave and travel back to Alexandria,

I was really stunned by hazem organization with the trip and I appreciate the efforts done by everybody. And I am thinking of doing it again next year.

 

 

I would recommend Nile blue excursions to anyone for their professional support and difficulties they had bearing in mind the traffic of Cairo which makes it difficult for anyone to plan something ahead.

[havcamwiltravel]

Just a quick post, here, to give an alternative point of view for those thinking about staying at the Oberoi Mena House but worried about not having much time to enjoy its opulent amenities. After reading hundreds of posts about the Nile Cruise and the Sound & Light show (and the videos online) my wife and I decided that we would not care for a Nile Cruise in the middle of Cairo and we would rather save a few hours and view the lighted Pyramids from a luxurious room at the Mena House. The sound part of the S&L show sounds pretty cheesy and we're lifelong students of Egyptian history.

 

We figure that we may only be here once so why not spring for a Pyramid view room in the Old Palace section and spend our evening having a great meal, enjoying authentic Egyptian entertainment and hospitality and walking around this amazing hotel and grounds. It may not suit everyone's tastes but we are looking forward to this as a way of highlighting our stay in the land of the Pyramids.

[old sole]

We were in the same large group as CruisingBum who posted above. We also were very impressed with Nile Blue. Ghada was on top of everything, had pre-arranged tickets to all attractions and had them ready for us as we exited the bus at each stop, had our room keys ready when we arrived at Mena House for the overnight stay, and was constantly checking with us throughout the trip to make sure we had everything we needed. The tour guide for our bus was Dalia, and she was a delight. Like Ghada, she was constantly making sure we were getting what we needed, and she was very thorough in explaining what we were about to see as well as giving a wealth of information at the sites. She also had very helpful tips on dealing with the "vendors" who approached at each stop, and she graciously took group photos whenever asked, found the best vantage points for photos, and in general made the 2 days very easy on us and very enjoyable.

 

The one thing that didn't go exactly as planned was a lunch on the second day, where the restaurant in Giza wasn't prepared for our three busloads because they had suffered a power outage for several hours just before we arrived. Even at that, with Ghada's help everyone got seated and served, and even though lunch took longer than planned we still made it back to the ship in Alexandria with about an hour to spare.

 

A few nice touches were the opportunity to pre-order Cartouche jewelry before we arrived in Alexandria, which Ghada had waiting for us on the bus; and a dinner at the sound and light show at the Pyramids catered by Mena House for our group. This last one was only possible because we had a minimum of 70 people, but it made for a very nice evening indeed.

 

I especially appreciated Ghada's willingness to work in multiple currencies to fit what I happened to have. We used a credit card for the tour itself, Dollars for the jewelry, and Egyptian Pounds for the Sound and Light Show/Dinner. Ghada and Hazzem made it all very easy.

[GoHuskies!]

Precisely our feeling, Old Sole. We were on your bus too and experienced a wonderful tour through the efforts of Nile Blue Excursions. Someone earlier asked whether this was Nile Blue Tours or Nile Blue Excursions, and as I understand it a month or so ago they changed the name to better fit what they do, but it is the same company.

 

Here I was, all loaded with good things to say about Nile Blue, and you said all the right things first! Norita and I thought that Nile Blue, and Dalia, our tour guide, were superb. I do not know how they could have exceeded what they did for us--we saw sites that we did not expect to see plus those we did; the expertise of our guide was very high; and to top it off, the price was, as said before, only half what the ship was offering. We were never rushed, we had great security, and we felt welcome. We had a plainclothes policeman with us, with an obvious machine pistol under his jacket, making himself clear to anyone approaching our group and even fending off some of the cloud of vultures--I mean street vendors--that swarmed us. Dalia made sure that our meals in each restaurant were ready for us, and were first class. She flew into action when she discovered the one glitch where lunch was delayed because of the power outage. And concluding the payment for the tour was easy, clear and friendly. Ghada, part owner and executive manager, spoke English like a native American and set us all at ease during the whole tour.

 

I absolutely recommend Nile Blue for any excursions you wish to take.

 

Jim & Norita

huskidawgs@msn.com

[LMHC]

We just returned from our cruise and we did our Egypt excursion with Nile Blue. It was a very full 2 days since we chose the overnight excursion, but due to good organization of the people with Nile Blue we were able to see all promised. Dahlia was our guide and she was very informative and after 2 days with her we all felt very familiar with Egyptian history. The buses were in good working order with all the free water we could drink. The restaurants used served tasty food that none of us got sick after eating. We spent the night at the Mena House and this was a very good hotel and a great location. During the tour we always felt safe and were shown both the good and bad of Egypt. Also the price was certainly right this company, especially compared to the ship tour which was twice as much.

[cccruisin]

Has anyone used Nile Blue Tours to tour the pyramids, etc. in Egypt? We are thinking about booking them for a private tout. Thanks for your input!

 

Heather

 

We used Nile Blue privately from the same sailing as the big 3 bus group. Our guide was good and our trip very enjoyable but the company gave all it's effort to the big group and the small private groups were more of a filler. We had NO security, the first day the guide had 3 water bottles for 3 persons from there on we were on our own, any attempt to alter a sight was an annoyance and unexpected traffic seemed to anger the Nile Blue owner, Ghada. It was definitely a good experience but I might look into other companies more experienced with private tours.

[2heartsare1]

Nile Blue Tours is the one we used, Hazem and his wife were the best!

 

We had a completely positive experience with our overnight Nile Blue Tour from the NCL ship in Alexandria to Cairo/Giza and back the next day. Our guide Mohammed and his "sidekick" Osama were great. Knowledgeable and interesting. Mohammed repeated many bits of info for humor to make sure we were "listening" and would remember what he was telling us. The traffic and adjustments in schedule are not their fault. The restaurants we ate were very acceptable--The Nile Lily was LOVELY and the other on the second day had electrical problems compromising the food a bit but NOT the fault of Nile Blue OR infact the restaurant. We had dinner on the Nile instead of the Light Show and that cruise and food were supurb as was the entertainment.

Staying at the Mena Oberoi was fabulous. The trip covered all we hoped to see. To say we got our money's worth would be a gross understatement.

A Cruise Critic member made the arrangements so we were just tag-a-longs. I hope, as I think, his experiences with the company were likewise very positive. Our thanks are given to all who were part of a wonderful experience in Egypt. Judy and Frank 2heartsare1

[CRUISIN2X2]

We loved our tour guide Rehab (sorry if I spelt her name wrong) She and Hussain? were terrific. We would ask for Rehab again she was so extremely pleasant,patient and knowledgeable. We did the two day, not overnight tour. They were very accommodating and spoke very good English. There were four tour buses, three overnight and one two day not overnight and our bus was clean and tourguides very pleasant. Thank you!

[jollyg]

We just got home from our NCL cruise a few days ago and I think we're almost re-adjusted to the 10 hour time difference between Idaho and Cairo. :D

 

We were also on the Nile Blue tour and had an amazing time! Nile Blue was awesome in taking care of our group and giving us a first class tour!

 

My whole heart felt thanks goes out to the owners Hazem & Ghada and their staff for making this an unforgettable memory for us.

 

Words simply can't describe how much we enjoyed this excursion!!

 

Greg

[MerryC]

We were on the 12/12 tour on NCL to the Med countries including Egypt. One of our cruisemates (Greg) arranged a tour for us to see all the sights we possibly could in the short 2 day stay in Egypt. I don't know how it was done for the price! We saw everything on the schedule, all meals included, (they were top of the line resturants and the food was great) the hotel was 5 star, (6 star if I could rate it) AND the Nile Blue bus and staff were the best. The driver was excellent and very professional, Muhammad was the best guide ever and the troubleshooter, Osama, went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. (he helped those of us who lost things and people, find them) They were all very patient and helpful. I highly reccomend them and I will use them again when I go back to Egypt to see Luxor and the Vally of the Kings.

[manoftheworld]

i made a private tour with nile blue. i want to know form those who went in a big group this fall about the price the paid and the service the had. what was their itinerary?

[manoftheworld]

We just returned from participating in a group tour with Nile Blue. I have to say that I was very impressed with the company, especially considering we had three large buses in our group. Ghada and Hazem were wonderful in trying to make sure we saw as much as possible, and kept on schedule. There were a few minor inconveniences (lunch on the second day) that were not in the control of Nile Blue, but were corrected to the best of their ability.

 

I will admit, I have no one to compare them to in Egypt, but I will say that they would be my first consideration when returning to the region!

 

my last excursion was private. can i know how much you pay in a group?

 

thanks