****Live From the Golden Princess****

[T&J]

Tony,

 

Here's to a safe journey home. Soon enough you'll be posting live from the Tahitian;)

Another huge thank-you for your posts.

 

Take Care

Cathy

 

Cathy no problem it was my pleasure doing this one especially there was only one run to Egypt this year by Princess and I knew a lot of people would be counting on me to provide as much info as possible.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[T&J]

8 More Days, one week @ Dry Dock & a Goood Scrub Down for the Noro, I hope:eek: It seems everytime Tony goes home I get on a Ship & When I get off Tony is back on:D I get off the Golden in N.O. Dec 16th & Tony gets on the Tahitian on the 17th;) How's that for coverage /timing:cool: !

 

My Best!

Bill(8 Days till live From the Golden "Bill's Style":D, fly to Rome on Thurs)

 

Thats too funny for consecutive coverage!

 

Tony

[T&J]

Well last night there was terrible satelite reception and tried several times to get on here but couldnt.

 

So went to dinner with the two dealers from the casino last night at 7:00pm and we had escargot, Jumbo Shrimp cocktails from Sabatinis and 10 ounce filet mignons and also grilled shrimps with bernaise sauce, mushrroms and creamed spinash.

 

The dessert was the Bome Diplomatic (Baked Alaska) and coffee and a bottle of Jack London as well.

 

The girls were happy as they had never been invited to the Dinning Room before by a pax and they ate well last night. I also got them some Frangiapani Oil from the Lotus spa as a small gift for each of them.

 

At 9:00pm I went back into the Office and played until midnight and doing horribly. They had to close the Casino early as it was staker count which means all slot machines, tables cash cages have to be completely emptied and secured as the ship is going into DryDock.

 

I went to my cabin and hadnt finished to pack...so pack I did and flopped on my bed and passed out until my alarm woke me up at 3:30am.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[T&J]

Mama Mia what a dister this morning from the Golden Princess.

As some know I got off the ship on Sept 1st with Javier and Sharon in Civitavecchia and the ship was cleared at 5:00am and we were on the 6:00am train to Fiumicino Airport.

 

 

Was NOT the case this morning. I got up at 3:30pm as I had to settle my Casino accounst etc with the SAP Accounts person Leonardo at 4:00am. When I noticed that we were still at sea I knkew we had a problem.

 

I was informed only at 4:00am that our pilot was late to embark and that they had switched our pier location at the last minute which caused a delay.

 

Claudio on the desk quickly had a back up plan to get the port Agent involved to get me to the train station or arrnage for a taxi to come and get me since my flight was at 9:40am.

 

I ran into another blackjack player on Deck 4 waiting to disembark as well early as me and they had a private driver and they offered me a lift to the Airport. The ship was cleared only at 6:20am and I would have certianly missed the last possible train at 6:26am at the Train Station. These people saved my life this morning or I would be scrambling to get a flight on an award seat in Business back home on Thanksgiving week.

 

We got to the Airport in lightning speed at 7:00am exactly...only 40 minutes which shold take 1 hour and 20 minutes....but hey at 140 KM an hour we almost flew here.

 

I am currently waiting for my flight to Zurich which departs in 55 minutes time and connect to a flight Zurich to Montreal nonstop to arrive into Montreal at 3:15pm and Javier will be picking me up.

 

I am sad to leave the ship because there are so many people I know on that ship and new connections I have made as well that will last for a lifetime and also the we are coming back in January.

 

I will post more when I get home today about my thoughts on the entire itinerary, food, entertainment and ship venues and condition.

 

 

So moderators keep it thsi thread here and open please as Andiamo! (Vicki) will aslo be posting on here her version of her tour in Cairo as an Overnight.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[billisd]

Thanks, Tony, from another grateful reader. It is such fun to vicariously share your travels. Hope you have a safe trip home, and am looking forward to going to Tahiti with you --

[arlenemilt]

Thats too funny for consecutive coverage!

 

Tony

 

Don't forget me. We'll be boarding the Sun on Dec. 10th for 10 days, so I'll try an "Live From" also. There's no way I can compete with either you or Bill who are way more prolific than I am.

Arlene

[Druke I]

Have a safe smooth flight.

 

See you on a future cruise, or chat on a future thread.

[Anubi]

Yes, they refunded 20% of the tour or approx. $220.00 off....:rolleyes:

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

 

Does that mean that next year's Egyptian shore excursion will be less expensive? :confused:

[Anubi]

Sorry about that. Now I sound cheap twice...

[Host Caroline]

So moderators keep it thsi thread here and open please as Andiamo! (Vicki) will aslo be posting on here her version of her tour in Cairo as an Overnight.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

 

As long as the thread relates to tours taken while on board the ship and esp. the Egypt saga and the cruise experience itself, it will remain open.. however if it becomes a "chat room" so that those who are looking for substantive information have to wade through a bunch of personal messsages, the thread will be closed since no one will be "live from..." and again ask that you move to Floataway to chat for the next couple of weeks! Another thread can open when you board ship in December.

This way the information regarding the Golden Princess cruise will remain available for everyone.

[Andiamo!]

 

So moderators keep it thsi thread here and open please as Andiamo! (Vicki) will aslo be posting on here her version of her tour in Cairo as an Overnight.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

 

 

Tony, it was delightful meeting you and let me take this opportunity to join the others and thank you for all the valuable information you have provided.

 

Here is the rundown on the private Cairo tour I organized (as promised!)

 

For those of you who don't know, I organized a private tour of Cairo because my husband and I were not happy spending $750 per person to do the overnight, and having been to Egypt once before, I was sure it could be done for much less. After communicating with about 30 state licensed tour operators I quickly eliminated about 25 of them and within a few days I felt more than comfortable choosing Nile Blue Tours for two main reasons: They were always extremely quick to respond and they were obviously genuinely interested in providing us with a truly personalized tour. Their prices were not the cheapest, but on the lower end and I just followed my instincts and chose them, feeling very comfortable with my decision. Our group started out with 7 people, grew to 20 by the time we boarded the Golden Princess and by the time we disembarked in Port Said there were 32 of us.

 

We disembarked in Port Said late on Saturday morning, as did the Princess group. I don't know why everything was so chaotic, but it definitely was. The last four members of our group left the ship around 9am and we then left with the convoy for Cairo. I did not originally know that we would be accompanied by an armed guard (provided by the government) during our entire excursion, but we were -- all the way back to Alexandria on Sunday afternoon. Apparently this is the law for people coming in on cruise ships. There was no extra charge for this service.

 

We were provided with water and Coke as promised. It could have been a bit cooler, but it was certainly appreciated.

 

Our guide, Hazem, told us that there were 92 buses travelling from Port Said to Cairo that day, 78 of which were for the Princess organized shore excursions. Our coach was large and comfortable and had a toilet. It was clean but showed a bit of wear and tear on the upholstery and the bathroom door was a bit broken, but nobody complained about it.

 

We began our sightseeing at the Citadel and Mohammed Ali mosque where covering was available for the women if they needed it. Hazem explained to us about the Muslim religion while we were in the mosque after he invited us to have a seat on the carpeted floor. We were asked to hold our shoes in our laps or to place them on their sides, with the soles facing each other. One person in our group just placed their shoes down next to them and a man came and scolded her for it!

I saw Tony in the mosque and we quickly said hello.

 

Then we went to a restaurant in the Cairo market called Naguib Mafouz which I had read very good things about and had personally requested. Because it is a popular tourist destination we had to walk through a metal detector prior to entering the restaurant. The food was very good by some reports, too exotic by others. I personally enjoyed the appetizers and the lentil soup which were delicious, but I didn't care for the kebabs (never have!)

 

We had to walk through part of the market to get to and from the restaurant, but we didn't have time to stop because we had left Port Said so late. The merchants were much less aggressive than the ones in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

 

Next we went to the Cairo Archeological Museum which everyone seemed to find absolutely fascinating. Hazem has a passion for Egyptian history and it showed as he brought us to the main attractions. We ran into the Princess tour again (said hello to Tony again as well), and then we left to quickly check into our hotel before the Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids. We had a change of plans, however, because Hazem was very worried about the traffic, well actually the extra traffic caused by the Princess buses, and he advised us to just quickly freshen up in the public restrooms of our hotel and quickly get back on the road to hopefully beat the Princess tours. The traffic was horrendous and we arrived a couple of minutes after the show had started. Some people said they loved the Sound and Light Show and others found it a bit dull, but they still said they enjoyed their first glimpse of the pyramids and the sphinx, which just made them more excited about their return there scheduled for the following morning. Most of us sat at the cafe and had a drink while we watched the show.

 

After the show we walked back to the bus and headed for the Nile Crystal for our Nile Dinner Cruise. We arrived a couple of minutes late again because of the traffic, but Hazem had called them and they waited for us. I chose for the group to do a dinner cruise, not for the cruising so much as for the entertainment on board. First we watched the Twirling Dervish dancer (Turning Dervish?, Spinning Dervish? I can't remember what they're called, but I'm sure you get the idea. I can't even explain what they do, except turn, so you'll just have to go see for yourself!) They also had a belly dancer who offered belly dancing lessons to some of the girls in our group who ended up going home with some great photos. There were also singers, some of whom sang Egyptian songs, and others who sang popular American music. The dinner was buffet style and drinks were extra. My husband and I ordered an Egyptian white wine. The dinner cruise lasted from 8 until about 10 pm and went back and forth up and down the part of the Nile where the big hotels are found. Many of us very absolutely exhausted by this point, but the under-35 crowd seemed to really enjoy it. I did as well -- probably because I really enjoy discovering a country's culture this way -- and I really enjoyed the music. The Nile Dinner Cruises are very popular in Cairo and there are several boats that offer meals and entertainment. You will find many tourists, but the Egyptians enjoy them as well, especially for special occasions.

 

On the way back to the hotel, Hazem and his assistant (his wife), gave us our room assignments and our room keys while we were on the bus. We stayed at the Marriott Towers and Omar K. Casino. The public areas of the hotel were once a palace and the hotel is absolutely gorgeous. The rooms are in the towers that have been added at each end. I had specifically requested the recently renovated rooms and they were extremely nice and they had the new Marriott Dream beds with 6 pillows on them. My husband went right to sleep, but I was still wound up so I went to have a Coke in the beautiful gardens outside which were all lit up with fairy lights. They wouldn't accept dollars, but said I could bill to the room so I did. The next morning I found out that my Coke had cost $14!!! I think that must have included a cover charge because there was a belly dancer about to give a show.

 

Hazem put in a wake up call for everyone at 6am and told us to just leave our bags inside the door while we went to breakfast and that our luggage would be brought down to the bus, which it was. The breakfast buffet was fantastic. Not only did it have all of the usual breakfast items, but it also included couscous and sushi!

 

We left the hotel a little after 7 am and went to Sakkara to see the step pyramid. There were few people there and Hazem made the visit very interesting. We had originally planned to go to Memphis as well, but after discussing it with Hazem, we decided to skip Memphis which only has one statue worth visiting left, and visited a tomb with hieroglyphics and had the opportunity to go inside a pyramid in Sakkara.

 

We then went on to Giza to visit the pyramids and the sphinx, and while we were there a large number of our group did a mini-safari (20 minutes) by camel from the upper area to the lower area by the pyramids. This was actually a lot of fun and we got some great pictures. The charge for this was $12 per person (or $20 for two people on one camel).

 

I forgot to mention that Hazem's wife had passed around a catalogue with Cartouches in silver and gold that people could order with their name on it in hieroglyphics and it would be delivered to our restaurant at noon. Almost half of the people on the bus ordered one. The prices went from $18 in silver to $100+ in 18-karat gold.

 

Hazem then took us to a government-approved store in Giza built on three levels. In the basement you could buy papyrus, on the ground level high quality jewelry (gold and gems) and upstairs was a kind of bazaar where you could buy kaftans, water pipes, mother-of-pearl boxes, jewelry, etc.etc. I ended up buying a nice embroidered light-cotton kaftan for $18 and 2 beautiful amber necklaces and a bracelet for $35 each. Then I went down to the gold section and bought an 18 kt gold ankh symbol for each of my daughters. They cost $60 each.

 

We then went to a restaurant nearby (still in Giza) called Caviar. It was very nice and we could choose between fish, chicken or beef (the fish included fried calamari). They also served french fries and a white and brown rice dish. The meal was $8, beverages extra. People were very happy with this restaurant and Hazem said it was one of his favorites.

 

We then headed back to Alexandria. Hazem asked people to complete an evaluation sheet and while some people just wrote "great trip", one man who writes evaluations all the time, made a couple of helpful suggestions such as always telling us a meeting point before we got off the bus in case anyone straggled off on their own. I thought that was a great suggestion.

 

Arriving in Alexandria we drove past some of the main sites and then got back to the Golden Princess at about 6 pm. On the drive back I took pictures of the people on the bus. About two-thirds were asleep and thoroughly exhausted from this whirlwind tour of Egypt.

 

People seemed to be very happy with the tour. Some couples left our tour operator $50, and some less, but everyone was very generous. Many people wanted to personally give it to Hazem so that they could thank him at the same time. It is perhaps difficult to explain, but we felt that Hazem was trying extremely hard to build up his business and wants to please his customers at all costs. (I recall that he would always respond nearly immediately to the emails that I would send at 10 and 11 pm.)

 

I received a lot of thanks from people over and over for organizing the trip. One couple sent me a beautiful flower arrangement when we got back on the ship, and another small group sent me a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka. I also received this thank you when I got back last night:

 

"Dear Vicki, We just wanted to say how thankful we were that D. and A. told us about your tour. It was truly the highlight of our cruise. We were so satisfied with our guide, accommodation, and food. Everything on the trip was fantastic! R. even found (...) He definitely thought the pyramids were fantastic. Thanks again for all your hard work, we appreciate EVERYTHING you did to make the trip Super. Sincerely, R. + B.

PS. If you plan another trip, let us know.

 

I just included these comments to let you know that people really seemed quite pleased with Nile Blue Tours. I don't think it was much different from the Princess organized shore excursions, but people were more satisfied because they had paid only $210 ($260 single) for it and not $750 ($1075 single). At that point you are just grateful for what you have and don't need to worry whether you're getting your money's worth or not. So, if you plan on doing a shore excursion in Egypt I would not hesitate to contact Hazem at Nile Blue Tours (*****).

 

Oh, by the way... Even the young woman that almost didn't join us because she was afraid about staying in Cairo overnight told me that she felt perfectly safe and wasn't worried at all anymore by the beginning of the second day.

 

If you have any specific questions you can post them here (before they close the thread!) or email me at vaubert2 at aol.com.

 

Sorry if I sound overly enthusiastic, but I absolutely love Egypt and was so happy to return after 30 years. I find it absolutely fascinating.

[JotWorld]

 

Thank you again Tony & Safe Travels, you're the Best! :)

See You All Soon on "Live from the Golden Princess...Bill's Style" Starting Next Wednesday 11/29/06! :D

My Best to you All & Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Bill

[mississauga]

Tony, hope you had a safe and uneventful trip home. Many thanks for "taking" us on your cruise with you. Lucky for me, I have my own cruise to go on until Bill posts from the Golden again. Looking forward to "cruising" with you in December again!

Don't forget me. We'll be boarding the Sun on Dec. 10th for 10 days, so I'll try an "Live From" also. There's no way I can compete with either you or Bill who are way more prolific than I am.

 

Arlene

Arlene, thanks for your covert message about the Bahamas. Looking forward to your 'Live from" also....you are too modest. You will be Great!

[T&J]

Don't forget me. We'll be boarding the Sun on Dec. 10th for 10 days, so I'll try an "Live From" also. There's no way I can compete with either you or Bill who are way more prolific than I am.

 

Arlene

 

I can't wait to read yours...I got home at 4:45pm today....feels good to be home!

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[T&J]

Have a safe smooth flight.

 

See you on a future cruise, or chat on a future thread.

 

Enjoy your cruise to Egypt Michael...btw never got a confirmation on the Arcadia...will try again in 3 weeks time on the Tahitian Princess for you.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[T&J]

Does that mean that next year's Egyptian shore excursion will be less expensive? :confused:

 

No, it just means that I won't be doing another one thru Princess and instead organize an independant one like Andiamo! did...

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[T&J]

As long as the thread relates to tours taken while on board the ship and esp. the Egypt saga and the cruise experience itself, it will remain open.. however if it becomes a "chat room" so that those who are looking for substantive information have to wade through a bunch of personal messsages, the thread will be closed since no one will be "live from..." and again ask that you move to Floataway to chat for the next couple of weeks! Another thread can open when you board ship in December.

 

This way the information regarding the Golden Princess cruise will remain available for everyone.

 

Okie Dokie Boss!

 

BTW, did you moderate the post that was in clear violations of the terms on here regardimng insulting practices etc? Would you go back several pages and check it out when you are also policing this Live from hard as well....

 

Thanks for your continued support.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[arlenemilt]

I can't wait to read yours...I got home at 4:45pm today....feels good to be home!

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

 

Hi .....glad to hear you're home safe and sound. We all (Milt. Ro and Murray too) just finished reading Vicki's review and we are ready to book it now. I am definitely going to contact Hazem in the very near future.

TTYS

Arlene

[Cruisin' Grandma]

Welcome home Tony.

 

Lola in Hamilton.......when do I start?

[arlenemilt]

Vicki......thank you so much, not only for your wonderful review but for the contact info. We will contact Hazem asap. BTW, you write beautifully.

Arlene

[T&J]

Welcome home Tony.

 

Lola in Hamilton.......when do I start?

 

There's no money in the budget for hiring a "new hire" at this time but thanks for your aplication and it will remain on file for six and you do not need to re-apply again.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[T&J]

Hi .....glad to hear you're home safe and sound. We all (Milt. Ro and Murray too) just finished reading Vicki's review and we are ready to book it now. I am definitely going to contact Hazem in the very near future.

 

TTYS

 

Arlene

 

I am a little tired and slept only a couple of hours on the plane from Zurich to Montreal...we had strong head winds so the flight lasted even longer 8 hours and 30 minutes...

 

Almost didn't make my connection as we had a ground stop in Rome for almost 1 hour because of heavy rain and airport congestion and landed at 12:15pm in Zurich and my connecting flight was at 12:50pm and another terminal....very lucky to be home today!

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[T&J]

Tony, it was delightful meeting you and let me take this opportunity to join the others and thank you for all the valuable information you have provided.

 

Here is the rundown on the private Cairo tour I organized (as promised!)

 

For those of you who don't know, I organized a private tour of Cairo because my husband and I were not happy spending $750 per person to do the overnight, and having been to Egypt once before, I was sure it could be done for much less. After communicating with about 30 state licensed tour operators I quickly eliminated about 25 of them and within a few days I felt more than comfortable choosing Nile Blue Tours for two main reasons: They were always extremely quick to respond and they were obviously genuinely interested in providing us with a truly personalized tour. Their prices were not the cheapest, but on the lower end and I just followed my instincts and chose them, feeling very comfortable with my decision. Our group started out with 7 people, grew to 20 by the time we boarded the Golden Princess and by the time we disembarked in Port Said there were 32 of us.

 

We disembarked in Port Said late on Saturday morning, as did the Princess group. I don't know why everything was so chaotic, but it definitely was. The last four members of our group left the ship around 9am and we then left with the convoy for Cairo. I did not originally know that we would be accompanied by an armed guard (provided by the government) during our entire excursion, but we were -- all the way back to Alexandria on Sunday afternoon. Apparently this is the law for people coming in on cruise ships. There was no extra charge for this service.

 

We were provided with water and Coke as promised. It could have been a bit cooler, but it was certainly appreciated.

 

Our guide, Hazem, told us that there were 92 buses travelling from Port Said to Cairo that day, 78 of which were for the Princess organized shore excursions. Our coach was large and comfortable and had a toilet. It was clean but showed a bit of wear and tear on the upholstery and the bathroom door was a bit broken, but nobody complained about it.

 

We began our sightseeing at the Citadel and Mohammed Ali mosque where covering was available for the women if they needed it. Hazem explained to us about the Muslim religion while we were in the mosque after he invited us to have a seat on the carpeted floor. We were asked to hold our shoes in our laps or to place them on their sides, with the soles facing each other. One person in our group just placed their shoes down next to them and a man came and scolded her for it!

I saw Tony in the mosque and we quickly said hello.

 

Then we went to a restaurant in the Cairo market called Naguib Mafouz which I had read very good things about and had personally requested. Because it is a popular tourist destination we had to walk through a metal detector prior to entering the restaurant. The food was very good by some reports, too exotic by others. I personally enjoyed the appetizers and the lentil soup which were delicious, but I didn't care for the kebabs (never have!)

 

We had to walk through part of the market to get to and from the restaurant, but we didn't have time to stop because we had left Port Said so late. The merchants were much less aggressive than the ones in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

 

Next we went to the Cairo Archeological Museum which everyone seemed to find absolutely fascinating. Hazem has a passion for Egyptian history and it showed as he brought us to the main attractions. We ran into the Princess tour again (said hello to Tony again as well), and then we left to quickly check into our hotel before the Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids. We had a change of plans, however, because Hazem was very worried about the traffic, well actually the extra traffic caused by the Princess buses, and he advised us to just quickly freshen up in the public restrooms of our hotel and quickly get back on the road to hopefully beat the Princess tours. The traffic was horrendous and we arrived a couple of minutes after the show had started. Some people said they loved the Sound and Light Show and others found it a bit dull, but they still said they enjoyed their first glimpse of the pyramids and the sphinx, which just made them more excited about their return there scheduled for the following morning. Most of us sat at the cafe and had a drink while we watched the show.

 

After the show we walked back to the bus and headed for the Nile Crystal for our Nile Dinner Cruise. We arrived a couple of minutes late again because of the traffic, but Hazem had called them and they waited for us. I chose for the group to do a dinner cruise, not for the cruising so much as for the entertainment on board. First we watched the Twirling Dervish dancer (Turning Dervish?, Spinning Dervish? I can't remember what they're called, but I'm sure you get the idea. I can't even explain what they do, except turn, so you'll just have to go see for yourself!) They also had a belly dancer who offered belly dancing lessons to some of the girls in our group who ended up going home with some great photos. There were also singers, some of whom sang Egyptian songs, and others who sang popular American music. The dinner was buffet style and drinks were extra. My husband and I ordered an Egyptian white wine. The dinner cruise lasted from 8 until about 10 pm and went back and forth up and down the part of the Nile where the big hotels are found. Many of us very absolutely exhausted by this point, but the under-35 crowd seemed to really enjoy it. I did as well -- probably because I really enjoy discovering a country's culture this way -- and I really enjoyed the music. The Nile Dinner Cruises are very popular in Cairo and there are several boats that offer meals and entertainment. You will find many tourists, but the Egyptians enjoy them as well, especially for special occasions.

 

On the way back to the hotel, Hazem and his assistant (his wife), gave us our room assignments and our room keys while we were on the bus. We stayed at the Marriott Towers and Omar K. Casino. The public areas of the hotel were once a palace and the hotel is absolutely gorgeous. The rooms are in the towers that have been added at each end. I had specifically requested the recently renovated rooms and they were extremely nice and they had the new Marriott Dream beds with 6 pillows on them. My husband went right to sleep, but I was still wound up so I went to have a Coke in the beautiful gardens outside which were all lit up with fairy lights. They wouldn't accept dollars, but said I could bill to the room so I did. The next morning I found out that my Coke had cost $14!!! I think that must have included a cover charge because there was a belly dancer about to give a show.

 

Hazem put in a wake up call for everyone at 6am and told us to just leave our bags inside the door while we went to breakfast and that our luggage would be brought down to the bus, which it was. The breakfast buffet was fantastic. Not only did it have all of the usual breakfast items, but it also included couscous and sushi!

 

We left the hotel a little after 7 am and went to Sakkara to see the step pyramid. There were few people there and Hazem made the visit very interesting. We had originally planned to go to Memphis as well, but after discussing it with Hazem, we decided to skip Memphis which only has one statue worth visiting left, and visited a tomb with hieroglyphics and had the opportunity to go inside a pyramid in Sakkara.

 

We then went on to Giza to visit the pyramids and the sphinx, and while we were there a large number of our group did a mini-safari (20 minutes) by camel from the upper area to the lower area by the pyramids. This was actually a lot of fun and we got some great pictures. The charge for this was $12 per person (or $20 for two people on one camel).

 

I forgot to mention that Hazem's wife had passed around a catalogue with Cartouches in silver and gold that people could order with their name on it in hieroglyphics and it would be delivered to our restaurant at noon. Almost half of the people on the bus ordered one. The prices went from $18 in silver to $100+ in 18-karat gold.

 

Hazem then took us to a government-approved store in Giza built on three levels. In the basement you could buy papyrus, on the ground level high quality jewelry (gold and gems) and upstairs was a kind of bazaar where you could buy kaftans, water pipes, mother-of-pearl boxes, jewelry, etc.etc. I ended up buying a nice embroidered light-cotton kaftan for $18 and 2 beautiful amber necklaces and a bracelet for $35 each. Then I went down to the gold section and bought an 18 kt gold ankh symbol for each of my daughters. They cost $60 each.

 

We then went to a restaurant nearby (still in Giza) called Caviar. It was very nice and we could choose between fish, chicken or beef (the fish included fried calamari). They also served french fries and a white and brown rice dish. The meal was $8, beverages extra. People were very happy with this restaurant and Hazem said it was one of his favorites.

 

We then headed back to Alexandria. Hazem asked people to complete an evaluation sheet and while some people just wrote "great trip", one man who writes evaluations all the time, made a couple of helpful suggestions such as always telling us a meeting point before we got off the bus in case anyone straggled off on their own. I thought that was a great suggestion.

 

Arriving in Alexandria we drove past some of the main sites and then got back to the Golden Princess at about 6 pm. On the drive back I took pictures of the people on the bus. About two-thirds were asleep and thoroughly exhausted from this whirlwind tour of Egypt.

 

People seemed to be very happy with the tour. Some couples left our tour operator $50, and some less, but everyone was very generous. Many people wanted to personally give it to Hazem so that they could thank him at the same time. It is perhaps difficult to explain, but we felt that Hazem was trying extremely hard to build up his business and wants to please his customers at all costs. (I recall that he would always respond nearly immediately to the emails that I would send at 10 and 11 pm.)

 

I received a lot of thanks from people over and over for organizing the trip. One couple sent me a beautiful flower arrangement when we got back on the ship, and another small group sent me a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka. I also received this thank you when I got back last night:

 

"Dear Vicki, We just wanted to say how thankful we were that D. and A. told us about your tour. It was truly the highlight of our cruise. We were so satisfied with our guide, accommodation, and food. Everything on the trip was fantastic! R. even found (...) He definitely thought the pyramids were fantastic. Thanks again for all your hard work, we appreciate EVERYTHING you did to make the trip Super. Sincerely, R. + B.

PS. If you plan another trip, let us know.

 

I just included these comments to let you know that people really seemed quite pleased with Nile Blue Tours. I don't think it was much different from the Princess organized shore excursions, but people were more satisfied because they had paid only $210 ($260 single) for it and not $750 ($1075 single). At that point you are just grateful for what you have and don't need to worry whether you're getting your money's worth or not. So, if you plan on doing a shore excursion in Egypt I would not hesitate to contact Hazem at Nile Blue Tours (*****).

 

Oh, by the way... Even the young woman that almost didn't join us because she was afraid about staying in Cairo overnight told me that she felt perfectly safe and wasn't worried at all anymore by the beginning of the second day.

 

If you have any specific questions you can post them here (before they close the thread!) or email me at vaubert2 at aol.com.

 

Sorry if I sound overly enthusiastic, but I absolutely love Egypt and was so happy to return after 30 years. I find it absolutely fascinating.

 

Vicki, glad to see you made it home safely today and a big thanks for the great detailed posting! I am sure a lot of people will make good of the information you provided.

 

Also, it was nice meeting Jean-Luc and yourself and having dinner together a bunch of times...

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[sunprincess]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Welcome Home Tony, Glad you made it home. Bet you cannot wait to sleep in your own bed tonight. How did Javier like his present??

Vicki, Awesome review. Thanks so much for taking the time to share it with us.

Happy Turkey :)

Cathy

[cactusrose]

Actually I have learned over the years on a ship and especially since the big break out this summer on the Pacific Princess I no longer shake hands or very rarely....the outbreak was contained and no worries for your cruise.

 

Tony

 

Tony. . .I'll remember that when we meet in January. How about bumping knuckles:D . Actually, I'll be the one with the Purell attached to whatever I'm carrying. Use it all the time.