15 Day trip to Egypt - the travel notes, by Seafun

[tnsauerkraut]

AnJ, can't wait to hear about your trip since it's the exact one we'll be doing in Feb. I am also concerend about the hotel and cruise ship changes I keep reading about....I called GCT yesterday to voice mny concerns and they told me that we are booked on the Anuket.

 

On their own website, under their traveler reviews, you will see why I am so concerned.

[AnJ]

tns, I'm not quite shure I understand what you mean, I checked the site and everyone seems to have stayed at the Marriott and went on the Anuket... I have read some very bad reviews of the Ramses Hilton on Trip Advisor and have noticed that on the GCT site it now states Marriott or similar... I don't think the Hilton is similar, but who knows... I guess I'll see in a week..

[tnsauerkraut]

ANJ,

 

If you go to the GCT website and click on the Ancinet Egypt tour, you will see a link for traveler reviews. That is where I read that GCT has sometimes, at the last minute, put people in the HIlton and.or the M/S Liberty, which are inferior to what they promise. But because in all their literature, they say "Cairo Marriott OR similar", they are well within their rights.

 

I'm not telling you this to scare you, but just to make you aware. Caveat Emptor. Go to the GCT website and check out the reviews. There are over 30 of them. Some are great reviews, some are not. They talk a lot about the Mummy's Tummy and how one gentleman, a doctor, even died on board ship from it.

 

No matter what, it will still be a fantastic journey!!! Can't wait to hear from you when you get back! We leave Feb 28.

[AnJ]

TNS, I'll let you know, we leave one week from today, actually by this time next week we should be in the air heading to Cario!!

[seafun]

I hope your trip is spectacular. Go into it with an open mind, and I'm sure you'll have a great time.

:)

[AnJ]

Seafun, Thank you and Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all.. Will write when I return.

[tnsauerkraut]

Well, I am a happy camper this morning..... Calle Egypt Air yesterday on the offchance that they had gotten a passenger list already from GCT and they had! The lady at Egypt Air was so nice! I explained that my mom had diabetes and had to get up a lot and that I was concerned about disturbing other passengers and she gave us seat assignments in the 2 seat section!

 

This is always a worry for me when I travel with my mom and we don't have pre-assigned seating. With her diabetes, she normally gets up and walks around once an hour. If they stick her in a window seat, that gets other passengers very irate if they're trying to sleep.

 

I tried to explain our predicament to Grand Circle and they couldn't have cared less. Why am I not surprised? But I was pleassantly surprised at how nice the lady was at Egypt Air. I haven't flown with them yet, but so far, their customer service exceeds what I get from American Airlines!

[seafun]

I had good luck with Egypt Air as well, giving me the window seat I wanted -- and on my flight the seat next to me, like a third of the flight, was empty But a reminder -- they are long, long flights to and from Egypt (I took a sleeping pill). :)

 

I will hope for similar good things to keep happening for you. But remember, there will be things that go wrong, as in life itself.

 

The important thing is that you will be seeing all those great sights in Egypt that you've dreamt about. The hotels and flights and busses and boats are just a means to see the sights. Try your best to ignore the small problems and inconveniences as they occur, and I'm sure you'll come home dazzled by all you've seen.

Have a wonderful trip! :D

Edited December 23, 2008 by seafun

[tnsauerkraut]

Believe me, I have my sleeping pill lined up... that's how I survived a 15 hour flight to China :)

 

You kind of hit my motto there...I expect the worst and hope for the best so I am pleasantly surprised. Besides, once i get to Egypt I will have forgotten any inconveniences. I am such a big student if egyptian HIstory, that to be able to see everything I've studied about for so long....well, I'm speechless :)

 

But the wonderful customer courtesy at Egypt Air was a pleassant surprise in today's airline world.

 

Speaking of which, we will fly in to JFK about 11 am that morning and of course won't leave until that evening. Do you know which concourse we fly out of? I'd like to get daypasses to a First Class Lounge for my mom and it would help if I knew which terminal we were in.

 

Thanks SeaFun!

[WeBeGone]

Merry Christmas to all my fellow Egypt lovers! Let's hope Santa brings us another trip to Egypt this year!

Edited December 24, 2008 by WeBeGone

[cruisemom42]

Merry Christmas to all my fellow Egypt lovers! Let's hope Santa brings us another trip to Egypt this year!

 

 

Yes, Happy Holidays to everyone and continued safe and happy travels to all!!

[seafun]

I tore open the presents placed under the tree,

A free trip to Egypt, hoping to see,

My hopes were dashed, I felt like a jerk,

I guess I must earn it, and go back to work. :D

Now you know why I are not a poet! :rolleyes: Wishing us all happy trips to wonderful new places...

Edited December 27, 2008 by seafun

[tnsauerkraut]

WeBeGone, I noticed that you did the Med Cruise on a Princess Ship. We did the same cruise on the Emerald Princess in Sep 07, after her inauguration in May. We had such a great time! It was our 20th anniversary, so we did the Balcony dining and we did all private shore excursions with wonderful people we met her in CC in the roll call. We met so many wonderful people and loved the ship!

 

I fell in love with Italy and Greece and could happily move to either country! We did a tour to the Amalfi coast and had lunch at a little family restaurant high up in the hills, where they had mozarrella rolled in lemon leaves and smoked. It was pure heaven!!

 

And the tomato and cucmber salads in Greece drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, followed by yogurt and honey! You just can't recreate that here.

 

Oh, I miss it!

 

Did you enjoy yours? What was your favorite part?

[WeBeGone]

We did a B2B with a TA after the Med cruise. Our favorite parts of the 22 day adventure (besides all of it) were the week we spent in Rome prior to the cruise, and our overnight to Cairo arranged by cc Vicki where we met Hazem (and lead to our second trip just 2 months later). We also loved the shopping. Since we were returning to FL via ship, I bought large items I could have never brought home on a plane. We loved Turkey and Spain and are ready to go back any time.

[cruisemom42]

We did a B2B with a TA after the Med cruise. Our favorite parts of the 22 day adventure (besides all of it) were the week we spent in Rome prior to the cruise, and our overnight to Cairo arranged by cc Vicki where we met Hazem (and lead to our second trip just 2 months later). We also loved the shopping. Since we were returning to FL via ship, I bought large items I could have never brought home on a plane. We loved Turkey and Spain and are ready to go back any time.

 

I did that same Princess cruise in 2006 -- it's still my favorite and I'm thinking of booking it again this year! Wish I could get enough days off to do the TA portion also!

[tnsauerkraut]

We also spent 5 days in Rome first and finished with 2 days in Venice. I've always loved Venice, but I did fall in love with Rome. We stayed at the Albergo de Senato, which was right next door to the Pantheon! We had a lovely balcony view of the Piazza, and the hotel had a roof top bar with the most incredible views of Rome at night! Truly a trip I'll never forget.

 

The only bad part of our trip was in Ephesus. I had arranged a private tour, along with an elderly couple (my husband decided not to go at the last minute). Our driver, insisted on taking us to the requisite rug factory afterwards, despite our objections, and LEFT US THERE! We were at the mercy of these dealers who just did not want us to leave unless we bought a rug. Thank goodness I had a cell phone and threatened to call the police. They finally called us a cab. THat kind of stuff happening is inevitable, but it was a little scary for the elderly couple. I was more worried about their health than anything. BUt this is why I always carry a cell phone and preprogram in emergency numbers for wherever I'm going to be.

 

Still, that was not enough to mar any part of the trip for me. I will never forget it - as a matter of fact, I can't forget it because I'm still paying for it, LOL!

[cruisemom42]

We also spent 5 days in Rome first and finished with 2 days in Venice. I've always loved Venice, but I did fall in love with Rome. We stayed at the Albergo de Senato, which was right next door to the Pantheon! We had a lovely balcony view of the Piazza, and the hotel had a roof top bar with the most incredible views of Rome at night! Truly a trip I'll never forget.

 

The only bad part of our trip was in Ephesus. I had arranged a private tour, along with an elderly couple (my husband decided not to go at the last minute). Our driver, insisted on taking us to the requisite rug factory afterwards, despite our objections, and LEFT US THERE! We were at the mercy of these dealers who just did not want us to leave unless we bought a rug. Thank goodness I had a cell phone and threatened to call the police. They finally called us a cab. THat kind of stuff happening is inevitable, but it was a little scary for the elderly couple. I was more worried about their health than anything. BUt this is why I always carry a cell phone and preprogram in emergency numbers for wherever I'm going to be.

 

Still, that was not enough to mar any part of the trip for me. I will never forget it - as a matter of fact, I can't forget it because I'm still paying for it, LOL!

 

 

We also stayed at Albergo del Senato -- what a treat! Nothing beats looking out over the Pantheon at night.

 

Would you mind sharing the name of the agency/guide for Ephesus, as I will probably do a private tour there next time around?

[WeBeGone]

Cruisemom42 -

 

Due to a shortened stay in Ephesus, we took the Princess Elite tour that included the Terrace Houses. That was the only Princess shore excursion we took on the whole trip. In Istanbul we had a WONDERFUL guide through Ekol. His name was Umit. We got a Holiday gretting from him:

 

Hi to all,

I wish you A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.I hope your dreams will come true in 2009:))

I also wish you A Happy Economic Year without any global crisis:))

Regards,

 

Umit OZIPEK

State Registered Tour Guide

http://www.mysticturkey.com

http://www.reservingturkey.com

 

 

Ekol also books in Ephesus.

Edited December 29, 2008 by WeBeGone

[cruisemom42]

Cruisemom42 -

 

Due to a shortened stay in Ephesus, we took the Princess Elite tour that included the Terrace Houses. That was the only Princess shore excursion we took on the whole trip. In Istanbul we had a WONDERFUL guide through Ekol. His name was Umit. We got a Holiday gretting from him:

 

Hi to all,

I wish you A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.I hope your dreams will come true in 2009:))

I also wish you A Happy Economic Year without any global crisis:))

Regards,

 

Umit OZIPEK

State Registered Tour Guide

www.mysticturkey.com

www.reservingturkey.com

 

 

Ekol also books in Ephesus.

 

Thanks; I haven't heard anything but good things about Ekol so they are at the top of my list! We also had a short day at Ephesus before and did the Elite tour -- the Terrace Houses were one of the absolute highlights (in a trip filled with highlights...)

[tnsauerkraut]

I'm sorry - I didn't keep the info on the Ephesus tour...that was the one I wanted to forget and would not recommend to anyone because of safety issues.

[cruisemom42]

I'm sorry - I didn't keep the info on the Ephesus tour...that was the one I wanted to forget and would not recommend to anyone because of safety issues.

 

Thanks; I just wanted to avoid them, not use them!

[tnsauerkraut]

I'm sorry I'm not much help, but a few little hints I would pass on....

 

Make sure you have more than 3 or 4 people in your party - there truly is safety in numbers.

 

Let the driver know before you get in the car and again when you leave Ephesus that you do not widh to be taken to a rug factory. That way, if he does, do not get out of the car, but insist on being taken back to town.

 

Hope that helps!

[seafun]

I've been looking on various sites, and I sure don't see any great deals for package tours this year. Most are many hundreds more than what I paid last year.

Anyone else having any luck? :confused:

[tnsauerkraut]

A friend of mine is thinking of trying this one...http://www.selectegypt.com

[cruisemom42]

I decided this week to book pretty much the same cruise that I took 3 years ago that got the whole Egypt ball rolling. It's Princess' Egypt/Aegean itinerary and it visits Alexandria and Port Said so that you can overnight in Cairo. I'll probably do one day in Cairo (from Port Said) and spend the other day in Alexandria as it wasn't included in my Egypt land trip.

 

The cruise goes roundtrip from Rome and also visits Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos, Naples, and Kusadasi in 12 days. It's a great cruise!

 

And SeaFun, I got a killer rate as a solo cruiser for their Nov. 18 sailing. You should look into it since I know you love both cruises AND Egypt!