MS Giselle Nile River

[ackertar]

Is this ship great, good, not so good? We have an opportunity to sail on it. Just checking.

Thanks:)

[CONVERT94]

Is this ship great, good, not so good? We have an opportunity to sail on it. Just checking.

Thanks:)

 

Same question here. It's the boat Trafalgar uses on its 7 night nile cruise and am wondering the same but don't think we're gonna get any answers here.

[letteanne]

Did You Take The Uniworld Nile Cruise?

If So Would You, Pass On Some Info?

[MercedMike]

Go for the Nile Cruise! You will love it!

 

Trafalgar is a reputable company and I am sure they have a great boat selected. We went with Golbus on the Oberoi Shehrayer and really loved it.

 

Check out our report and pics here

 

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/egyptmain.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[pacmom]

We were just on the Giselle with Uniworld. Uniworld, Insight and Trafalfer shared the boat. Each group had it's own guide and daily itinerary. The boat is not new, but very clean. The cabin is spacious. In addition to the bed, there were 2 chairs and a table by the window. The food was good--all meals served buffet style. The crew, all male, was great. The dinig room staff was so pleasant. The only wine served was Egyptian--very raw tasting. The Egyptian beer was sooo good.

The bathroom is very small, but has a full sized tub with a shower. Happy to try to answer any other questions. Pat

[travel egypt 2007]

We're departing in early Nov.2007 on Wonders of Ancient Egypt tour which includes 7 day Nile Cruise on MS Giselle. Never left North America before or been on a cruise. Trying to pull together the budget. Can anyone provide info as to what the tipping protocol is or additional cost on board ship would be? Thx much.

[missannb]

We leave on Monday October 15 for this tour. Check the community board on Trafalgars website You have to register just as here. There is an extensove review of this trip on the bullletin board.

 

I'll post some info when we return.

 

Ann

[letteanne]

Ann,

Will be on the MS Giselle in December, wondering how

your trip ? Any info youwant to share?

Letteanne

[Amaranthine33]

Same question here. It's the boat Trafalgar uses on its 7 night nile cruise and am wondering the same but don't think we're gonna get any answers here.

 

I went to Egypt with Trafalgar Tours last May. TT is an excellent tour company. In fact, I liked them so much that I booked myself on their Spain & Portugal tour in November.

 

We were suppose to be on MS Giselle, but ended up on MS Medena. The riverboat is clean and the staff are very helpful and courteous and friendly. There is nightly entertainment onboard (and a costume night!) and they serve tea on the top deck every afternoon.

[travel egypt 2007]

Amaranthine33 do you have any information based on your trip in May which would help me budget for our trip in 2 weeks. What's the custom for tipping etc. Also how formal is the attire on board for evening wear. I don't really want to pack a suit for my husband when we only get 1 suitcase each.

[Songman]

Ann,

Will be on the MS Giselle in December, wondering how

your trip ? Any info youwant to share?

Letteanne

 

We'll be on the Giselle in December as well. We are on the tour that starts on Christmas day. Everything I have read about the Giselle is positive. We're really looking forward to this trip.

[Amaranthine33]

Amaranthine33 do you have any information based on your trip in May which would help me budget for our trip in 2 weeks. What's the custom for tipping etc. Also how formal is the attire on board for evening wear. I don't really want to pack a suit for my husband when we only get 1 suitcase each.

 

I don't remember how much I paid for the tour and flight. Probably around $2500 for that.

 

As for tipping, it's your discretion. Don't be compelled to tip EVERYBODY and, believe me, everyone will be asking for tips (they'll say "baksheesh"). I tipped the bellhops, taxi drivers, waiters, and camel handlers. Bellhops got $1/bag (8 Egyptian pounds), a couple dollars for the camel handler (especially if he took really good pictures of me on the camel with the pyramids behind me), and 10-15% for waiters, taxi drivers, and tour guides. You can get away with tipping less, but it's everything is so cheap there that I stuck with 10-15%.

 

Dinner onboard isn't formal at all. It's very casual, nothing like "Formal Nights" on cruise ships. Most people show up in jeans, khakis, and t-shirts. On my four night cruise, we had one "Costume Night" where everyone dressed up in (what they think) is Egyptian wear. It's pretty funny. There is a small boutique/store onboard where you can buy or rent a costume or you can buy it when you're in town.

 

There is nighttime activity in the main hall everynight after dinner. One night we had a belly dancer and whirling Dervish. On costume nights, we played games. It was so fun!

[travel egypt 2007]

Amaranthine33: Thanks for the details. We're at 11 days and counting before we leave. The info provided is very helpful and greatly assists in our final preparations. Your reference to the casual attire is also most appreciated as we're limited to one suitcase each and I'm not willing to use up space for formal wear for one night.

[Amaranthine33]

Amaranthine33: Thanks for the details. We're at 11 days and counting before we leave. The info provided is very helpful and greatly assists in our final preparations. Your reference to the casual attire is also most appreciated as we're limited to one suitcase each and I'm not willing to use up space for formal wear for one night.

 

You're welcome!!!

 

I'm jealous that you're going to Egypt! Are you going on a cruise or is it a land tour with a Nile Cruise?

 

Egypt is a spectacular country. The temples and pyramids are mind boggling, as are the heiroglyphics. The food is tasty (but remember...do not drink the tap water, no ice cubes, no salads, and no juice - they dilute it with tap water - and make sure that bottled water caps are sealed before you open it for the first time) and the people are super friendly. EVERYWHERE we went, I heard people shouting to us "Welcome to Egypt!" It was very heartwarming.

 

Here are my pictures: http://www.pickle.com/stbk1998/104

 

Have a great trip!

[travel egypt 2007]

Unfoturnately I can't gain access via link provided to your pictures. As to your question we're part of a "Wonders of Egypt tour" which is 2 days in Cairo, 7 day Nile cruise and 2 more days in Cairo before returning home. We've VERY excited. The MS Giselle is the ship we're sailing on and I've checked the pictures out online. Looks great!

[aussies down under]

Unfoturnately I can't gain access via link provided to your pictures. As to your question we're part of a "Wonders of Egypt tour" which is 2 days in Cairo, 7 day Nile cruise and 2 more days in Cairo before returning home. We've VERY excited. The MS Giselle is the ship we're sailing on and I've checked the pictures out online. Looks great!

 

Just found this site trying to out some info on the cruise that you have just done. Can you help us? We are doing the tour just after Xmas and are keen to find out what to wear, what the boat was like, the food. Basically just about everything you can tell us!!! We are really excited and the next 3 weeks will seem like 3 months before we go!

Hope to hear from you soon

[smeyer418]

FYI we just returned from Egypt last week and it was cold at night. Bring a couple of sweaters. No one wore more than a sportscoat the whole trip- at most its resort casual for everyone except business people. Remember that going into a Mosquewomen's knees and shoulders must be covered(they will give you something to cover if you don't have anything on these) and you must take your shoes off- so wear socks....We were on one of the fancier ships but its the same on the Nile. The suggested tip for the cruise is $5.00 per person per day which in my opinion was a small amount so I left that in the communal box and gave some extra to those who I felt deserved it. Finally Baksheesh is a way of life down there. Their salaries are very low including the Tourist police. If you take their picture the custom is to baksheesh them( a US dollar is more than enough)...if you get into the humor of it and not overtip when they ask and laugh it you will have a better time. The expression Fil Mis mis..is the Egyptian equivalent of in your dreams. It is the best response to someone who asks you 100 LE for something that is worth 20 and the price will rapidily come down they will smile and you will have a good time. If you go insisting you won't baksheesh...you won't enjoy yourself and they will know you are a cheap so and so...

 

and finally NO COINS they can't change them into LE's. I know this is hard on the Europeans as they don't have one euro notes only euro coins but they are useless to the natives....use US one dollar bills. Small denominations LE's are hard to come by- they don't have coins. For a bathroom attendant the suggested Baksheesk is between 50 paisters and 1 LE 10 to 20 cents! get them at a bank or supermarket if they will part with them....

 

sorry if you think this is preachy or peachy...