Egypt Tours/Private vs. HAL sponsored

[Off We Go]

We will be on the HAL grand world cruise beginning Jan. 5, 2015. Wondering if anyone has booked pyramids etc. tours with private companies such as Ramses and if so, what was your experience/recommendation? Only going to be here once and don't want shopping or museum time. Thanks!

[sammiedawg]

We used Ramses several years ago for an overnight stay in Cairo from a Princess cruise. The vehicle, tour guide, driver and accommodations were first class. Ramses had about 50 passengers at our pyramid hotel and more were staying at the Four Seasons downtown. We were the first cruise passengers after the civil war and our Egyptian port had been scheduled, then canceled, then rescheduled when things calmed down a bit. We paid nothing upfront, payment is at the end of the tour.

Ramses also had groups on day trips to Cairo and day trips in Alexandria. I heard no complaints.

The streets of Cairo were creepy and dirty but the actual tour stops were quiet and mostly devoid of tourists. Our guide never left our side and we did no walking anywhere. Our driver dropped us off at all entry points and picked us up immediately at the end of each attraction.

Since we were there the political situation has deteriorated. You won't know for quite a while whether you will actually make the port or not. I'm glad I saw it once, not sure if we would do it again. I'm sure there will be many passengers staying on board. You will read and hear lots of debate on whether Cairo is safe. There is no yes or no answer.

We originally planned to attend the light show at the Pyramids but we canceled the day of the tour because we were tired. Many attended this event and some went to an Egyptian dinner cruise to see the dancing.

We visited the Famous Egyptian museum with the king Tut exhibits. Are you sure you want to skip museums? We had no shopping stops.

There were a few other private companies with groups out but I do not remember the names.

Edited September 28, 2014 by sammiedawg

[Hlitner]

DW went to Egypt on our own (about 6 years ago) and spent 2 weeks exploring the country from Alexandria in the north to Abu Simbal in the south. We are adventurous travelers (but also seniors) and did not want to be bogged down with a tour group. But even being confirmed (and very experienced) independent travelers we did use a private travel company for a lot of what we did in Egypt..and were glad to have the expertise. When it comes to private companies versus cruise line excursions we would generally recommend the private companies because they have smaller groups then the large multi-bus cruise excursions. But one needs to carefully choose their tour provider as Egypt has some excellent companies and many not so excellent. You want government licensed tour guides (their education and training are quite extensive) who are true professionals and a respected class in Egypt.

 

I should add that DW and I loved every minute of our two weeks in Egypt and found the Egyptians to be warm, friendly, and sometimes quite charming. In two weeks of running all over the country (including 4 days in Cairo) we did not have a single instance of rudeness. Our trip can best be summed up with what happened our first day just walking around Cairo. DW and I were crossing a wide avenue with lots of traffic and had to stop on a small island in the middle of the street. An Egyptian man, seeing us waiting for a break in the heavy traffic walked over to us and said, "where are you from?" I responded "America." He gave me (and DW) a long look and then put out his hand (to shake) and said, "welcome to my country." And that is pretty much what we heard no mater where we went over the following weeks.

 

We were back in Alexandria 2 years ago (after Mubarak) and were shocked at how the infra structure of the city was crumbling and how dirty the place had become. But the people were still friendly although we think some were embarrassed by what had happened to their city/country.

 

Now that the country is back under Military control we suspect it again will become a place worth visiting. It is an amazing country...but cruisers will have to settle for a quick look-see.

 

Hank

[Tiffany's mom]

WE have done 2 cruises to Egypt. We used Alex City Tours. The best tours we have ever had in 25 years of cruising. The owner of the agency is Hany we had him on both trips. Wonderful knowledge and very good English. We did a overnight in Cairo (Geza). Stayed at the same hotel that Princess used. We joined a another couple who happen to be travel agents that put tours together and they used Hany. We had a driver and Hany (guide) and a armed guard. We felt very safe. The next trip we did not go to Ciaro as it is 3 hours away. But did booked all day tour of Alexandria. We had a mini van for the six of us.

 

Hany's prices were a lot less than Princess and we saw so much more than any ship tour. He was flexiable with what we wanted to do, but also gave us a time sheet for the Cairo tour.

 

If we ever go back to Eygpt we will use Alex City tours.

 

Pam

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

We have also been to Egypt -- on Cunard -- and did the ship's excursion.

You may be interested in joining your Roll Call at this link to see what others are doing:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1844310

[take us away]

We have had the pleasure of stopping at Egyptian ports in spring 2013 and taking excellent excursions. For peace of mind we chose ship's tours as we knew they would get us back to the ship and make every effort to keep us safe. In Port Said, there were more security people around than tourists. We did the 2-3 bus caravan with guards front and back in Alexandria to and from the pyramids. The traffic was typical big cities / huge port but also with multiple check points on the highway so several times we were at a crawl or a full stop. The tours and guides were excellent and worth the money.

[cruisemom42]

We have had the pleasure of stopping at Egyptian ports in spring 2013 and taking excellent excursions. For peace of mind we chose ship's tours as we knew they would get us back to the ship and make every effort to keep us safe. In Port Said, there were more security people around than tourists. We did the 2-3 bus caravan with guards front and back in Alexandria to and from the pyramids. The traffic was typical big cities / huge port but also with multiple check points on the highway so several times we were at a crawl or a full stop. The tours and guides were excellent and worth the money.

 

I did not have such a pleasant experience as you did on the ship's tour that I took (Cairo overnight) on Princess back in 2005. I found it extremely overpriced and unsatisfying.

 

There was a huge convoy of buses and nearly everyone did the same tour. Every site we went to was wall-to-wall people because the buses would all arrive at the same time. We were consistently behind schedule all day and our guides were constantly hurrying us along at the sites (but they let everyone shop for an unconscionably long time at the "official" tourist store...:rolleyes:). Also, the hotel chosen, while nice, was off the beaten track in Cairo, making it not worth your while to go out and walk around on your own -- there was nowhere you could easily reach on foot.

 

On subsequent visits (including one visit to Alexandria on Westerdam) I took private tours and had a much better experience. Unfortunately, the agency I used is no longer in operation in Egypt, or I'd be happy to recommend them.

[3418ahl]

We used Ramses in Cairo a few years ago and they were wonderful...so wonderful that we are using them again for Luxor next month!

[yukongold]

We have always used private tours in Egypt. Found them to be a little less expensive and a little bit more flexible.