Need Opinions on Egypt - Been There?

[lszu]

My husband and I are looking at an 11-day Holy Land cruise in October '09. Itinerary is Cyprus; Haifa, Israel; Ashdod, Israel; Port Said, Egypt; Alexandria, Egypt; Rhodes, Greece; Kusadasi, Turkey; and Istanbul.

 

Whenever we tell people that we have two ports in Egypt they proceed to tell us that it's not safe and how they hate Americans there. If it wasn't safe, I don't think Royal Caribbean would go there, but really, how "bad" is it?

 

I've always wanted to go to Israel, Egypt, and Turkey. I'd hate to miss out on this cruise because of bad information.

[WeBeGone]

It is not "bad" at all - it's totally amazing, wonderful, fascinating, and not to be missed !! If you read through the postings on this site, you'll quickly see that we all LOVED Egypt, we all felt safe, we all want to go back, and we all thought it was a trip of a lifetime whether we were there for 24 hours or 2 weeks. People who say "that it's not safe and how they hate Americans there" haven't been there ! Pay no attention to them. Hopefully you can take a Cairo overnight, meaning that you leave the ship in Port Said and go to Cairo while the ship moves to Alexandria. We did this through Nile Blue Tours but as you will see, there are many wonderful companies that offer similar programs at half the cost of booking through RCCL. Just spend time reading the pages of posts here and you'll see what good company you'll be in. :cool:

[paul929207]

We spent two weeks in Egypt two years ago. We never felt we were in any danger.

[lszu]

Thanks, Paul. I've been doing some reading here. That was exactly what I wanted - to hear from some one who has actually been there.

 

I've always wanted to go there (and to Israel as well) and when I saw this itinerary I nearly fell over.

[cruisemom42]

I spent two weeks in Egypt just 3 months ago. It is very, very safe and as others have said it is a fantastic place not to be missed.

 

In contrast to a number of other Arab countries, Egyptians do not, in general, hate Americans.

[smeyer418]

Probably from People who have never been there. Egypt was perfectly safe except for the traffic. They love Americans(we are very generous compared to others)....

[ger_77]

Whenever we tell people that we have two ports in Egypt they proceed to tell us that it's not safe and how they hate Americans there. If it wasn't safe, I don't think Royal Caribbean would go there, but really, how "bad" is it?

 

Have the people who told you it isn't safe and the Egyptians hate Americans actually been to Egypt? I don't think so. We travelled with our American friends and took tours together to Cairo and no one felt that we were treated badly or hated by Egyptians. Quite the opposite - they loved our tourist dollars and were more than happy to sell to all ofus.

 

If there ever is a danger in a port you will find the cruise lines making alternate plans for that day, either at sea or with a port substitution.

 

Go to Egypt and enjoy yourselves - it's one of the most amazing places on earth. How many people can honestly say they've touched the pyramids? You'll have bragging rights and awesome photos!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[smeyer418]

Let me say a little more. I am Jewish my wife isn't. We were in Egypt for almost three weeks. We took a tour to the Suez canal from Cairo(something I always wanted to do). We had a young early twentish guide. I was amazed at his misconceptions about us. But while we had fairly long and charged political discussions I always felt he respected the fact that I was older and enjoyed the discussion. They - the Egyptians- are very proud of the fact that they recrossed the Canal and took part of it back. They took us to one of the Israeli camps they captured during the Yom Kipper war(1973). Most of the captured Israeli equipment looked like world war II surplus store. Mortars, machine guns etc. they were clearly American made(I had used and could identify most of them-better than they were described) He had many misconceptions. He talked about the US trying to take back the canal when it was nationalized in 1958. in fact the Brits the French taciticaly helped by the Israelis tried to and Eisenhower told them to leave or else. They left. He talked about the US personal manning the Mirage Israeli planes that Israel had used to knock out all the Mideastern air forces in 1967(its not true the US did not fly the planes and we wouldn't have flown Mirages anyway). It doesn't give Israel enough credit to what they did do. The 1967 war was instigated at least in Part by the Soviets telling the Egyptians that the Israel intended to attack first(they ultimately told Egypt they had made a mistake but by then the Israel thought they were going to be attacked first and the Egyptians demanding that the UN peace force be removed and the UN President telling them to withdraw without checking with any one). The UN commander went to the Egyptian and said do you really want us to leave and the Egyptian general telling him don't worry we will be Tel Aviv in a week. When Israel attacked pre-emptively that general was in the Sinai and was lucky he wasn't caught.

The 1973 war is another story Israel had grown over confident. Egypt had built up its air defenses and had made the first 20 miles over the Sinai pretty impregnable with very strong air defenses. The Israel loses during the first three days were horrific. If it wasn't for the air bridge of supplies that the US sent to Israel it would have been real trouble for Israel. the crossing of the Canal was a real victory of Egyptian ingenuity. The Russians again urged the Egyptians to continue and take back all the Sinai- big mistake once they were beyond the 20 miles, and resupplied, Egyptian forces were routed and a guy named Sharon crossed the Suez and was within 100 Kilometers(60 miles) of Cairo where a siese fire was declared and forces stopped in place. The Egyptian viewed this as a victory as they had bloodied badly the Israelis and it ultimately allowed Sadat and Israel to come to a peace agreement. I agreed with my guide that Egypt had won the opening of the war and it wasn't until the US intervened with supplies that Egpyt was stopped(I didn't have the heart to tell him that they had lost the end of the war) I seriously doubt the Israel really wanted to capture Cairo as they would then have to feed 19 million people more than in all of Israel. It was interesting hearing the wars from an Egyptian point of view....We parted with a better understanding of each other. I understood how important it was for their national pride to celebrate the victory of 1973 war and I think he better understood what and why they happened

[ger_77]

smeyer418: Wow, you sound like my husband, except he isn't Jewish. He's a history major retired from teaching elementary school, currently teaching at university. During the 31 years of our marriage I have learned so much from him that I sometimes think my brain's about to explode, yet he always has more to share. He'd love to have been on the tour with you! Egypt is a beautiful country and we are fortunate to have been there once, and are returning with our family again in Oct/09. We will also be able to go to Jerusalem, as that is one of our ports of call - we can't wait to get there.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[lszu]

So far as I know the people who were saying that had never been there. That's why I came here! I knew I'd find some firsthand experience.

[Rickey 88]

So far as I know the people who were saying that had never been there. That's why I came here! I knew I'd find some firsthand experience.

 

Sadly, it's often the case that those who have never been there, or those who have never sailed that cruise line, or those who .... etc. etc. - are always those who "know the most", who "never visited there" or who "don't like whatever" are always the one who say the most negative things. Just human nature, I guess.....

With the exception of Cyprus and Israel, we have visited all the countries you have mentioned and without an exception, we would be the first to tell you that you would find your visit enjoyable. Just go with an open mind and be willing to make exceptions for cultural differences. So often, we Americans have the reputation of being intolerant of different standards in other countries and are vocal about it. Please be respectful of their historical places, of their religious requirements and of the fact that many of these countries are very old and have many exciting stories to tell...

As for being "safe", simply be aware of your surroundings, and exercise good judgment.

Enjoy yourselves!! :)

[lszu]

Thanks, Rickey. DH and I have been quite a few places and I think we're pretty open minded.

 

I know what you mean, though. We've heard a lot of odd comments over the years. Personally, I want to learn about different cultures. I guess that's why I like to travel. If I wanted everything to be like it is here, I'd stay here.

[gdayhoff]

We returned from a 15 day tour/cruise last Oct.and totally agree with Rickey 88 comments.You will enjoy Egypt and it people.Wonderful experience

[JordanF]

We are a family of four, American and Jewish. We spent two weeks in Egypt and had the best time ever. We never felt in danger, except when crossing hte street!

 

As noted above, they have a lot of pride over the 1973 war. We also learned that Egypt had been occupied and controlled by other countries for thousands of years, and so, this war was a point of pride for them--not a total defeat, and with Egypt as a totally independent country. Having said that, I think that it was this ability to take national pride from this that led to them being able to make peace with Israel.

 

And let us point out also, that whatever their view of those wars, there are Egyptair flights every day between Cairo and Tel Aviv. Given the way of the Middle East these days, that says a lot.

[simonv]

As someone mentioned, the only danger in Cairo is traffic. It is scary!!!

 

Other than that, Egypt is perfectly safe. If you planned on walking around in super-mini skirt and revealing top, it might be a different story. Tourist dollar is a very important source of foreign exchange for them, so they take tourist safety seriously.

 

If you can find an itenerary that'll afford you to go to Luxor overnight, go by all means. Luxor is a trip of lifetime.

[paul929207]

While Cairo traffic is horrible. It is safe, the vehicles rarely get up to 20mph. So even if you are in an accident injuries are rare.

[smeyer418]

and its a heck of a lot safer than Rome

 

http://www.ktvu.com/news/16394669/detail.html

 

which has its traffic problems too...

 

But of course this is an isolated incident...

[lszu]

I've seen the traffic in Rome. You couldn't pay me to drive there.

 

Made a mental note to not try to cross the street in Egypt.

 

All kidding aside, you guys have helped me tremendously.

[simonv]

Made a mental note to not try to cross the street in Egypt.

 

 

It's no joke. We were afraid of crossing the street in Cairo. Roman traffic is tame in comparison. Other than that, Egypt is a fascinating place. I plan to go back there and stay longer someday.

[freddie]

Iszu - We've just returned from a 15-day cruise from Dubai to Athens, which included two stops in Egypt - two days in Luxor and a day at Sharm al Sheik. At no time did we feel in any danger whatever. The Egyptians we met were uniformly friendly and eager both for our tourist $$$ and for interaction with Americans. In fact, in our visits to the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, we never encountered even a hint of hostile sentiment against Americans, even though clearly many people in those places do not agree with current American foreign policy (just as many people in this country do not).

 

We fervently intend to return to Egypt and Jordan to spend more time on a land trip (combined with a Nile cruise, of course). We want to spend more time at Luxor and the other wonderful Nile sites, as well as to have the leisure to spend several days around Petra in Jordan, rather than the few hours we spent there on our cruise tour. Hmm, seeing these wonders at dawn before the dozens of tour buses arrive - priceless...

[smeyer418]

Having crossed some of the busiest street in Egypt....hint cross with the light and sometimes the traffic police will stop the traffic for you. I drive every where(and in College I drove a cab in NY). NY State DMV spent money teaching me how to drive including a high speed/ low speed chase course at the Suffolk county airforce base. I have seen accidents in Rome(3 in one week),,,,many in Beijing including a women being run over by a bus there and have driven in the Dominican Republic and in almost every country in Western Europe. By far the worse traffic and most deaths(from accident and pollution) is in Egypt but its rarely Tourists(although some happened out side Cairo last week). Next worse was the DR followed by Beijing(our bus driver there drove on the sidewalk to get around- he didn't run over the old lady that was a mini bus....I tipped him extra). But Egypt's was the worst by far....

[sillysailor 1955]

:eek:By all means go... we were in Egypt on NCL Jade in December 2008. I felt safe (we did NCL's shore excursions to the pyramids and toured Alexandria the next day) But be advised that as exciting as Egypt is (and it is) it is also definitely the dirtiest place I have ever been - the smog is unbelievable. The vendors /peddlers can really be a pain in the neck.. they just won't leave you alone - just keep saying NO THANK YOU and finally just ignore them. However, I am very glad that we got to see the pyramids, sphinx etc. They really were awesome... but like I said it is definitely a third world country... Bring lots of wipes and tissues (for the bathroom) also I would skip the Nile cruise if possible - there is nothing to see - the River is really filthy. :eek: Spend more time at the pyramids if possible.

[Hydrokitty]

Just came back from Egypt and I agree with most everything SillySailor said. Egypt is wonderful but bring disposable face masks.....the pharoah's bronchitis is worse than the mummy tummy!!! So much fine sand and dust in the air. Only think I respectfully disagree with is the Nile cruise....it was wonderful...stopped at several temples and of course the Valley of the Kings....Never felt unsafe (we had armed tourist police with us every time we left the ship or hotel) and the people were very friendly and welcoming...Caution: DON'T LET "NATIVES" TAKE YOUR CAMERA!!! they will try to grab it to take your picture but once they have it it will cost you many EP to get it back!!! They don't steal it, they just charge you for every picture and keep putting stuff on you that you later have to buy!!! It's a fabulous place despite the traffic, smog, dirtiness and pit toilets.

[Sekhmet]

:eek:By all means go... we were in Egypt on NCL Jade in December 2008. I felt safe (we did NCL's shore excursions to the pyramids and toured Alexandria the next day) But be advised that as exciting as Egypt is (and it is) it is also definitely the dirtiest place I have ever been - the smog is unbelievable. The vendors /peddlers can really be a pain in the neck.. they just won't leave you alone - just keep saying NO THANK YOU and finally just ignore them. However, I am very glad that we got to see the pyramids, sphinx etc. They really were awesome... but like I said it is definitely a third world country... Bring lots of wipes and tissues (for the bathroom) also I would skip the Nile cruise if possible - there is nothing to see - the River is really filthy. :eek: Spend more time at the pyramids if possible.

 

For the benefit of anyone who might speed-read this and get a false impression, I'm sure you are referring to a trip on the Nile in Cairo, and not to a "proper" cruise in the South between Luxor and Aswan, where there is quite a bit to see :)

 

And to echo the posts of most, we have never felt unsafe in Egypt, and that covers eight one- and two-week vacations over the years.

[maadimom]

Ok, I know about all the people who say things like "it's not safe." My family was guilty at times.

 

My family of five lived in Egypt for 5 years...in Maadi (suburb of Cairo). We always felt safe. There are thousands of Americans living there as well as other nationalities. My kids went to the American school with about 1500 other kids. My point, lots and lots of Westerners there. If it weren't safe, I don't think all these people would be living there especially with their children.

 

Of course there are incidents. There are everywhere, probably even in the city where you live. When you are in Egypt, just be aware of your surroundings. Wear appropriate clothing. Be respectful of the culture and the people. Are there Egyptians that hate Americans? Yes, but it didn't feel like as many as the Swiss when I lived in Geneva. I've spent Sixteen years living in countries that "hated" Americans. I must say they were the best sixteen years of my life. The Egyptians you will encounter will be very happy to see you. They will do their best to please you, and you should have no problems whatsoever as long as you keep an open mind.

 

As far as the traffic....just imagine 22 million people, 5 million cars, and two stop lights...I kid you not. The first year we lived there, a report came out that 40,000 pedestrians had died in traffic accidents that year. Amazing.