**Overnight in Venice and Egypt**

[nunuc2000]

We're booked on B2B Venice to Rome, then Rome back to Venice. The start of our cruise in Venice shows this:

 

Day 1 Venice, Italy

Day 2 Venice, Italy 1:00 PM

Day 3 Dubrovnik, Croatia 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

and so on...

 

How does that work exactly? Same thing for our return back to Venice on the second leg. If the cruise starts on Oct 15th in Venice, when do we board? Is it basically get on board, unpack, then we can get off the ship again as though it's a port stop? If so, what time do we have to get back on board that night? Do we then do the actual sail away the next day at 1pm?

 

Same thing for the second leg when we get to Egypt: we arrive at 7am on Oct 30th and depart at 8pm on Oct 31... can we go into Cairo and get back to the ship at midnight on the 30th if we want? Is there a set "curfew"?

 

Sorry for the confused sounding questions... but I'm confused. :o

 

Thanks for the help, folks!

 

Celine

[cruisemom42]

In Venice, you can board whenever you like (as soon as they are ready for you) on Day 1, then you are free to come and go as you please to see Venice.

 

In Egypt, the overnight is to give folks a chance to spend the night in Cairo. Since Cairo is about 3 hours from either Alexandria or Port Said, many people (on ship tours AND private tours) opt to stay overnight rather than spend 6 hours driving to and fro in a single day.

 

To my knowledge there is no curfew at either port in terms of boarding the ship; however, I've not ever tried it late at night so maybe someone else can answer more definitively.

 

Be aware, though, that at times in Egypt during the past few months there have been curfews established by the government. I'm sure any tour guide would be well aware of these.

[Pam in CA]

One thing to be aware of if you go to Cairo from the ship is that even if you are on an independent tour, all of the buses and vehicles go in a very large caravan with military and police (in Alexandria) escort. Same thing returning to the ship. This is for your safety and has been the case for many years, not just since the recent problems in Egypt. Unless you rent a car and drive yourself, which I would not recommend, your timing is somewhat proscribed. The independent tour company frequently used by cruise passengers for either a day trip to Cairo or an overnight, is "Nile Blue." They are highly recommended and a lot less expensive than ship's tours for essentially the same thing.

[cruisemom42]

One thing to be aware of if you go to Cairo from the ship is that even if you are on an independent tour, all of the buses and vehicles go in a very large caravan with military and police (in Alexandria) escort. Same thing returning to the ship. This is for your safety and has been the case for many years, not just since the recent problems in Egypt. Unless you rent a car and drive yourself, which I would not recommend, your timing is somewhat proscribed. The independent tour company frequently used by cruise passengers for either a day trip to Cairo or an overnight, is "Nile Blue." They are highly recommended and a lot less expensive than ship's tours for essentially the same thing.

 

Actually, for the last couple of years (prior to the fall of Mubarak's regime), the convoys were no longer mandatory for all passengers. However, it's anyone's guess right now how it will be handled for tours.

 

For the OP: Also, there are many other great private companies that have been extensively reviewed on the Africa and Middle East ports of call boards. I took two private tours with Egypt Private Excursions last year and have nothing but praise for them.

[nunuc2000]

Thanks for the info... this will be a VERY different itinerary for us and I want to be certain we've got all our bases covered.

 

Which reminds me... how does the Egypt Visa thing work? I've been reading conflicting info... some say we must have it advance of the cruise, others say you can get it when you arrive in Egypt. Any advice on that?

[cruisemom42]

Thanks for the info... this will be a VERY different itinerary for us and I want to be certain we've got all our bases covered.

 

Which reminds me... how does the Egypt Visa thing work? I've been reading conflicting info... some say we must have it advance of the cruise, others say you can get it when you arrive in Egypt. Any advice on that?

 

 

If you are arriving to Egypt on a cruise ship, every passenger will get the Egyptian "quick stay" visa -- whether or not you take a ship tour. There's a lot of misinformation about this, as you said. Often TAs and even Princess reps will tell you the wrong thing if you ask.

 

Basically what happens is that at some point on your cruise (it may even be at boarding) the ship will collect all passports. They will be returned to you (the method varies by ship but as I recall Princess asks passengers to pick them up at the Main desk) with the quick stay visa stamp.

[FolksOfMeans - ByNoMeans]

 

Same thing for the second leg when we get to Egypt: we arrive at 7am on Oct 30th and depart at 8pm on Oct 31... can we go into Cairo and get back to the ship at midnight on the 30th if we want? Is there a set "curfew"?

 

Four years ago, we spent two weeks in Egypt.

 

On all of our Tour Buses, we had armed guards.

We also had armed guards on our Nile River Cruise.

Also, on the train between Cairo and Alexandria

 

Do not know what the situation is now since the governmental over throw;

but guess that it is the same.

 

A caution about Egypt -- The National Flag is an outstreached palm;)

Every body wants a tip.

 

Carry TP with you; the sell it for $1.00.:mad:

 

Do not drink the water, bottled water only.

[Bravesloop]

Is it safe to stay overnight in Egypt and Jeruslum if you are a woman traveling by yourself, I booked this for next year.

Anita

[cruisemom42]

Is it safe to stay overnight in Egypt and Jeruslum if you are a woman traveling by yourself, I booked this for next year.

Anita

 

Yes of course. Assuming it's safe for everyone, it's safe for you. I've been to Egypt 4 times; 3 times I've stayed in hotels by myself.

 

And I just returned from a trip to Israel; part of the time I was with a small group, but I had my own room; at the end of the tour I stayed an extra couple of days on my own. Again, no problem.

 

Now as to the overall safety of tourists, it's still a bit unsettled, but I'm sure cruise lines will err on the side of caution if there is any reason to suppose the situation is at all dangerous.

[nunuc2000]

If you are arriving to Egypt on a cruise ship, every passenger will get the Egyptian "quick stay" visa -- whether or not you take a ship tour. There's a lot of misinformation about this, as you said. Often TAs and even Princess reps will tell you the wrong thing if you ask.

 

Basically what happens is that at some point on your cruise (it may even be at boarding) the ship will collect all passports. They will be returned to you (the method varies by ship but as I recall Princess asks passengers to pick them up at the Main desk) with the quick stay visa stamp.

 

Sooooo... we don't need to get it in advance? Is there a charge for it on the ship?

[Cymro1953]

Sooooo... we don't need to get it in advance? Is there a charge for it on the ship?

 

 

Hi,

Only just back from a cruise stopping at ports in Egypt this last week.

 

Visas, they collect your passports on board and return them to you before docking. No charge.

They must like stamping passports as we have loads of new ones in and from our experience you could theoretically get off the ship with anyone's passport as long as it's got a stamp in it, they only look at the page with the stamp.

 

Excursions

They are more strict now about sticking to the convoy system and the convoy travelling together as much as possible. We had the usual armed guard on the coach as well as a truck with armed police in front of the convoy and behind.

 

The Egyptian army are still on high alert and do not be frightened by the sight of armoured vehicles with what look like heavy machine guns manned by troops in town centres and near port entrances as you travel along your route.

They are there as a deterrent just to maintain a visible presence to stop trouble starting.

 

Apart from the troops Egypt did not seem to have changed at all from when we were there 2 years ago with Royal Caribbean. And travelling through Cairo there was no sign of the recent troubles in Tahrir Square near the museum.

 

Berwyn

 

PS Who's taken all my countdown clocks off? :-(

[nunuc2000]

Hi,

Only just back from a cruise stopping at ports in Egypt this last week.

 

Visas, they collect your passports on board and return them to you before docking. No charge.

They must like stamping passports as we have loads of new ones in and from our experience you could theoretically get off the ship with anyone's passport as long as it's got a stamp in it, they only look at the page with the stamp.

 

Excursions

They are more strict now about sticking to the convoy system and the convoy travelling together as much as possible. We had the usual armed guard on the coach as well as a truck with armed police in front of the convoy and behind.

 

The Egyptian army are still on high alert and do not be frightened by the sight of armoured vehicles with what look like heavy machine guns manned by troops in town centres and near port entrances as you travel along your route.

They are there as a deterrent just to maintain a visible presence to stop trouble starting.

 

Apart from the troops Egypt did not seem to have changed at all from when we were there 2 years ago with Royal Caribbean. And travelling through Cairo there was no sign of the recent troubles in Tahrir Square near the museum.

 

Berwyn

 

PS Who's taken all my countdown clocks off? :-(

 

That's great info, thanks! We're comfortable doing some ports on our own, but when it comes to Egypt, we'll stick to the Princess excursions... that is one place I REALLY don't want to be left behind in should something go wrong! :eek:

 

My countdown clocks were msising a few minutes ago, but seem to be back on now... CruiseCritic gremlins playing around, I think :p

 

Celine

[Cymro1953]

That's great info, thanks! We're comfortable doing some ports on our own, but when it comes to Egypt, we'll stick to the Princess excursions... that is one place I REALLY don't want to be left behind in should something go wrong! :eek:

 

My countdown clocks were msising a few minutes ago, but seem to be back on now... CruiseCritic gremlins playing around, I think :p

 

Celine

 

Hi Celine,

Apart from the troops, Egypt seems unchanged. Cairo is as dirty as ever. The shopkeepers and stall holders near the sites seem more persistent though. Trying to make up for lost income during the recent troubles.

 

Berwyn

 

The new countdown clock I just made is showing but not the old ones, or my list of past cruises. Ah Well!!

[Pia1913]

Hi,

Only just back from a cruise stopping at ports in Egypt this last week.

 

Visas, they collect your passports on board and return them to you before docking. No charge.

They must like stamping passports as we have loads of new ones in and from our experience you could theoretically get off the ship with anyone's passport as long as it's got a stamp in it, they only look at the page with the stamp.

 

Excursions

They are more strict now about sticking to the convoy system and the convoy travelling together as much as possible. We had the usual armed guard on the coach as well as a truck with armed police in front of the convoy and behind.

 

The Egyptian army are still on high alert and do not be frightened by the sight of armoured vehicles with what look like heavy machine guns manned by troops in town centres and near port entrances as you travel along your route.

They are there as a deterrent just to maintain a visible presence to stop trouble starting.

 

Apart from the troops Egypt did not seem to have changed at all from when we were there 2 years ago with Royal Caribbean. And travelling through Cairo there was no sign of the recent troubles in Tahrir Square near the museum.

 

Berwyn

 

PS Who's taken all my countdown clocks off? :-(

 

Interested in knowing with whom you travelled to Egypt. Tour company or cruise line? I know exactly what you're talking about, since we spent 2 weeks in Egypt in 2009.

[mizLORInj]

I thought the Egyptian Museum was AWESOME! It's the terracotta colored building you noticed in the Square where all the action was a few months ago.

 

Some of the downtown hotels I recall are Sheraton, Four Seasons Nile Plaza, and Hilton. These 3 are along the Nile. I'm sure there are more.

 

ENJOY! I found Cairo to be a fascinating place

 

[Cymro1953]

Interested in knowing with whom you travelled to Egypt. Tour company or cruise line? I know exactly what you're talking about, since we spent 2 weeks in Egypt in 2009.

 

Hi Pia,

We went with Thomson's Cruises, a small British line. They have small older ships.

Thomson's belongs now to the large TUI travel group since a take over a couple of years ago. Passengers are about 99% British. Thomson's also have their own airlineso You can either do a Fly- cruise as a package or cruise only and arrange your own flights.

 

The cruise was one called Red Sea Magic, Thomson's have been doing this itinerary for years. It's especially designed to get you to Petra in Jordan and then Cairo and the Pyramids and Luxor and Valley of the Kings. Here's a link for your information

http://www.thomson.co.uk/cruise/itineraries/red-sea-magic-itinerary-56.html

 

You fly to Sharm el Sheik in the Sinai in Egypt to board, Then cruise up to Aqaba for Petra (you can alternatively do an excursion to the Dead Sea from here instead).

Then Port Sokhna in the Gulf Of Suez to go to Cairo and finally Safaga of the Red Sea for Luxor and VOK.

Ports are not pretty, industrial ones with nothing there mainly.

 

Berwyn

 

P.S. Pia, as you can see from our clock we are on Star in June. Thanks for your fascinating Live From from her recently.

[Pia1913]

Hi Pia,

We went with Thomson's Cruises, a small British line. They have small older ships.

Thomson's belongs now to the large TUI travel group since a take over a couple of years ago. Passengers are about 99% British. Thomson's also have their own airlineso You can either do a Fly- cruise as a package or cruise only and arrange your own flights.

 

The cruise was one called Red Sea Magic, Thomson's have been doing this itinerary for years. It's especially designed to get you to Petra in Jordan and then Cairo and the Pyramids and Luxor and Valley of the Kings. Here's a link for your information

http://www.thomson.co.uk/cruise/itineraries/red-sea-magic-itinerary-56.html

 

You fly to Sharm el Sheik in the Sinai in Egypt to board, Then cruise up to Aqaba for Petra (you can alternatively do an excursion to the Dead Sea from here instead).

Then Port Sokhna in the Gulf Of Suez to go to Cairo and finally Safaga of the Red Sea for Luxor and VOK.

Ports are not pretty, industrial ones with nothing there mainly.

 

Berwyn

 

P.S. Pia, as you can see from our clock we are on Star in June. Thanks for your fascinating Live From from her recently.

 

Berwyn, thanks for the compliment.

 

I'm aware of Thomson; we were docked next to one of their ship in Civitavecchia last year.

 

The reason I asked, is because Princess has cancelled all Egypt ports for the remainder of 2011. We were supposed to stop there in October and they've eliminated it. Lots of folks have cancelled this cruise due to this and I was just wondering if they would reinstate since things have quieted down. Middle East is never going to be 100%.

[cruisemom42]

Berwyn, thanks for the compliment.

 

I'm aware of Thomson; we were docked next to one of their ship in Civitavecchia last year.

 

The reason I asked, is because Princess has cancelled all Egypt ports for the remainder of 2011. We were supposed to stop there in October and they've eliminated it. Lots of folks have cancelled this cruise due to this and I was just wondering if they would reinstate since things have quieted down. Middle East is never going to be 100%.

 

HAL has reinstated some (or most?) of their fall stops in Egypt; perhaps Princess will also.

[Cymro1953]

Berwyn, thanks for the compliment.

 

I'm aware of Thomson; we were docked next to one of their ship in Civitavecchia last year.

 

The reason I asked, is because Princess has cancelled all Egypt ports for the remainder of 2011. We were supposed to stop there in October and they've eliminated it. Lots of folks have cancelled this cruise due to this and I was just wondering if they would reinstate since things have quieted down. Middle East is never going to be 100%.

 

Hi Pia,

It was much quieter than when we were there 2 years ago in Cairo on an excursion from Alexandria. And the same in Petra, there seemed to us plenty of people about but the guide told us the numbers were down compared to normal.

As we left Petra a Costa Cruises excursion arrived. Their ship had arrived in the morning so they were getting the full heat of the afternoon. Ours had docked overnight so we could get an early start.

We did actually see a North American family in the Karnak Temple in Luxor. The only ones we saw all week.

 

Berwyn

[Pia1913]

HAL has reinstated some (or most?) of their fall stops in Egypt; perhaps Princess will also.

 

That would be nice. I'm sure somewhere internally they must be mulling over the situation. For us, having recentkly spent lots of time there, it makes little difference. For those who cancelled; a major difference.

[caribill]

Sooooo... we don't need to get it in advance? Is there a charge for it on the ship?

 

From Princess:

 

EGYPT VISA REQUIREMENTS

A "Quick Stamp" visa will be issued upon arrival in Egypt for all passengers*.

Therefore, you are not required to obtain a visa in advance of your voyage.

There is currently no charge for this service. Visa fees are subject to change.

 

*Israeli passport holders must obtain an Egyptian visa prior to sailing.

[nunuc2000]

From Princess:

 

EGYPT VISA REQUIREMENTS

A "Quick Stamp" visa will be issued upon arrival in Egypt for all passengers*.

Therefore, you are not required to obtain a visa in advance of your voyage.

There is currently no charge for this service. Visa fees are subject to change.

 

*Israeli passport holders must obtain an Egyptian visa prior to sailing.

 

Fantastic! Thanks for the confirmation on that. It's hard to get a straight answer from Princess about these types of things sometimes... but I always know I can count on CC to set things straight :)

[Pia1913]

Fantastic! Thanks for the confirmation on that. It's hard to get a straight answer from Princess about these types of things sometimes... but I always know I can count on CC to set things straight :)

 

If there are ever Visas needed, Princess always lists the requirements in your Personalizer. You need never call them; it's always there.

[Bob++]

If there are ever Visas needed, Princess always lists the requirements in your Personalizer. You need never call them; it's always there.

 

Personally I would never rely absolutely on that. If something went wrong they would point you to the small print where it says that visas are your responsibility.

 

Asking on here and getting answers from people who have actually done it is a very good idea.

[Seabreeze8]

Hi,

Only just back from a cruise stopping at ports in Egypt this last week.

 

Excursions

They are more strict now about sticking to the convoy system and the convoy travelling together as much as possible. We had the usual armed guard on the coach as well as a truck with armed police in front of the convoy and behind.

 

Berwyn

 

 

Hi Berwyn:

Regarding the convoy, is it only for your group/cruise? or was other cruise lines in the same convoy with you? Also was the convoy with you the whole time to and from places? Thanks in advance!