Review of AmaDahlia - Egypt

[dcl999]

We were on this cruise over Christmas and New Year’s. This was our first experience with AmaWaterways. We have done quite a few river cruises with Viking and Scenic, including several that included land components. 
We are glad we went to Egypt. It was amazing seeing all the antiquities we have only read about. This was a good time to go to avoid the heat - between 70 and 80 every day. Staff and crew were all very helpful and friendly. 7 days on the ship was a good number of days-we had some time to enjoy the cruise-where else can you see camels grazing alongside cows along the riverbank. 
AmaDahlia is operated by Wings. They have a separate docking area for the various ships (4-6) they are operating. We were always on the outside but unfortunately we were in 408 and were always the side that was tied to another vessel. Frequently, there was a fairly strong diesel smell in the lower levels. We never noticed an odor in our room, the lounge or the restaurant. Beds were very comfortable and high quality sheets. There was little counter space in the bathroom but there were 4 storage shelves below the counter. 
Restaurant staff seated people at the same tables every meal unless you asked. I can’t eat bell peppers. They were very accommodating. Only once was I told one of the lunch salads was okay when it was not. Except for the French fries, food quality was disappointing. We thought the lunch buffets were the best meals. Dinner at the outdoor restaurant and the farewell dinner were the best dinners. Plenty of wait staff. 
Sip and sail drinks were too sweet for my taste. Best way to get a gin and tonic was to ask for the gin and then a can of tonic to mix yourself. We found the same in Morocco, so perhaps it is that drinking alcohol is not common in that part of the world. The Nubian show was very loud. The performers interacted with each cluster of people so the songs were very long by the time they got around the room. The show was very similar to what they did during the visit to the Nubian village. The other night of entertainment was considerably better. The whirling dervish performance was amazing.
Our Egyptologist was very well educated. She had several doctorate degree and knew a lot about the sites we saw. We felt that she had an approved script for the sightseeing and did not deviate from it. Several times we noticed that the other two guides were still with their groups long after ours had given us free time. We have had much better guides to say on other trips. If you do not go into the pyramid, there is a 45 minute standing around, waiting for the people that did go inside. We chose not to go on the optional excursion to Abu Simbel. The only other activity for the day was the optional tea which was quite nice. We had planned a lazy morning breakfast. There were juice (oj tasted like tang) and pastries available in the lounge and we were allowed to order off the breakfast menu. Coffee was either instant or the size of a double espresso from the machine. They moved the felucca ride to the next day. The breeze is usually in the afternoon and we watched the boats zipping around. Unfortunately the next day when we went the river was so calm that we only progressed a short distance and had to be towed. The trip to Qena was by bus. (4 hours bus, 2 hour tour) The river was too low for the ship to make the journey. I heard someone say that happens in December January, and February. One afternoon there was a very interesting lecture about women in Egypt then and now. It would have been nice to have a few other lectures to tie everything together. 

The Four Seasons was a lovely hotel. We had a Nile view both times. Unfortunately, there is not a good place to walk along the Nile. The attached shopping mall has a lot of designer stores. The pool is heated. The gym and spa facilities were very good. The buffet lunches at the other hotels were very good. The new Egyptian museum is supposed to open soon. It is huge. 
We were always provided with plenty of water. Toilets were cleaner than I expected but I was happy I brought some looREADY packs. Buses had toilets. The cruise director recommended changing about $10-20. He could break large bills. Several ATMs at the hotel. 
All the logistics were efficiently handled. 
 

[RobInMN]

Thank you for this! I would like to do this some day (my wife, let's just say, not as much as me😉).

[greydog]

THANKS DCL for all the details provided.

 

Did you encounter any increased safety/security measures during your trip related to the current violence in neighboring country?   Happy New Year too.

[dcl999]

There were several armed guards every block or so near the hotel. Since there are many embassies there I don’t think it was unusual. The security stops on the roads also seemed normal. In Cairo there was an unobtrusive guard - business suit and concealed weapon- on the bus and at some of the sites. We never felt unsafe. 

[dcl999]

I failed to mention that slow walkers are not accommodated. This was definitely not for anyone that has mobility issues. 

[skents]

Thanks for your great review. We are scheduled for April 2025.  We are doing the Jordan pre-cruise and Israel post-cruise tours.  Right now the Israel tour is listed as pending. 

[dcl999]

Hopefully Israel will be relatively safe by then. It might be wise to book air through AMA or have refundable air and be aware that last minute bookings can be expensive. 

[jklc123]

Reading your review, I enjoyed reliving our 2017 visit to Egypt with Uniworld. Itinerary was almost the same. It was such a fantastic journey. We also had lunch at the Mena House. I wish we would have stayed there while visiting the pyramid precinct, even though the Four Seasons is so luxurious. As I type this I can see one of the papyri from the Papyrus museum that we had framed to hang on the wall. Definitely a tricky time now to be traveling in the Middle East, though.

[CPT Trips]

On 1/9/2024 at 4:06 PM, dcl999 said:

There were several armed guards every block or so near the hotel. Since there are many embassies there I don’t think it was unusual. The security stops on the roads also seemed normal. In Cairo there was an unobtrusive guard - business suit and concealed weapon- on the bus and at some of the sites. We never felt unsafe. 

 

This is the tourism police officer we had as an escort during our several day stay in Cairo.  He was with us every time we left the hotel as a group.
His weapon was not exactly inconspicuous 😉. I think he just had an off the rack suit jacket as the weapon was pretty obvious from the side and the back.  
I got this as a shot from the hip as he was taking a group shot, the Pyramids are behind me. 

We also had similar tourism police escorts in Luxor and Aswan. 
 

 

 

[jklc123]

Armed guard on our ship on the Nile, relaxing with a crew member as we pass through the lock at Esna.