Cruise4Sunshine Posted July 9, 2013 #476 Share Posted July 9, 2013 I had my qualms about going into Egypt after the spring uprising, we went in October 2012. Ramses took care of everything for our Alexandria-Port Said overnight, staying at Le Meredien Giza. Tourists were staying away in droves, so it was quiet and peaceful (and cool) at the pyramids in the morning. Each bathroom break, meal, hotel, bus and our tour guide Mohamed was wonderful. Egypt is part third world, and part modern country on the verge of becoming the most important country on the African continent. We saw burnt out buildings in Tahrir square, and the completely amazing Museum of Antiquities next door, which was saved from destruction by the tour guides. I will go back and take a Nile Tour as soon as I feel safe, which won't be long. If they had just written "impeachment" into their constitution they wouldn't have had to start all over. It is the cradle of civilization, and everyone should see this amazing place. Ramses was great from start to finish and didn't charge me until the tour was complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullseye19 Posted July 10, 2013 #477 Share Posted July 10, 2013 We just got back from the Holy Land cruise last week. We departed Egypt the day prior to the start of the protests. It's likely no cruise ships will return to Egypt for a while. Ramses is excellent! We used them for 2 days with 7 of us. We had a van that was comfortable enough although in 100+ temps, A/C is always a small problem. But it was ok. We did 2 day trips from Alexandria (Port Said was skipped). Our guide Eslam, was excellent; well educated, spoke very good English. Driving on Egyptian roads? Life threatening at best. As Eslam said, "we have a system here." They may get it, but I sure didn't. I will never coplain about traffic anywhere and I have lived in New York, L.A., Dallas, & Tokyo. This was unique! The cruise lines take care of visas into Egypt. You pick up your passport on your ship somewhere and boogie off to your tour. By the way, Ramses tours were a hell of a lot cheaper than Princess tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twojays Posted August 3, 2013 #478 Share Posted August 3, 2013 We actually booked two tours - a half day in Alexandria, and full day from Port Said to Pyramids, choosing the option to pay in cash at the end of each tour. We had the same Guide and driver each day. Our guide Karim was excellent, as was our driver Samir. Karim was extremely knowledgeable, professional, reliable, helpful & friendly. He was constantly checking with us that we were happy and satisfied at all times. We felt totally safe with him and Samir, who was a brilliant driver. We fully trusted them both. Karim made our trip very interesting, telling us many facts about the places we were visiting. We booked with Egypt Last Minute ( a sister company to Ramses) because it provided very good value in comparison with the Ship's tours, and was more flexible. We liked being able to have a private tour for our own group of 8 friends, and being able to pay at the end of the day. (Our Visas were provided on board our Ship at no extra charge - which was a stamp on an empty page) I would certainly recommended "Egypt Last Minute" to anyone looking for a Tour in Egypt.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdbmariah Posted August 4, 2013 #479 Share Posted August 4, 2013 We have experienced many tours and come from a major tourist destination. We chose a full day tour of Alexandria and a full day tour of the Pyramids of Giza / Egyptian Museum in Cairo instead of the shore excursions offered by the ship Pacific Princess. These tours were outstanding. Our guide Ahmed El.Rify was exceptional. Thank you Ramasside Private Tours through Ramses Tours for delivering such an excellent tour and experience. These tours were the best tour value for the money and we are recommending this tour company to our travel agent back in Canada. The tour was in June 2013. Robert & Donna Brooker Niagara Falls Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownEast+1 Posted September 16, 2013 #480 Share Posted September 16, 2013 My husband and I quite enjoyed our Ramasside tour to Luxor. The bus trip was long, but that could not be avoided. Moustafa was just great. Spoke and understood English extremely well, was very pleasant and personable and looked after us VERY well. He is obviously very knowledgeable about Egyptian history and enjoys sharing it with others. Also told some pretty good jokes. Our hotel in Luxor (the Steigenberger Nile Palace) was very nice and, truthfully, much nicer than what we were expecting. Their buffet breakfast was excellent and so was the coffee (a nice change from the dreadful stuff on our ship (my opinion anyway)). The sound and light show in the evening was excellent and our transportation was on time at both ends. Our regular driver was also excellent. Driving in the Middle East (and Europe in general) is not for the faint of heart. I quickly learned to just look out the window, enjoy the new sights and leave the traffic to the driver. We would not hesitate to recommend Ramasside Tours to anyone intending to visit Egypt. We thought they were an excellent value. We had 15 people in our group and the van was more than sufficient for our needs. We did our overnight from Safaga to Luxor on May 9th and 10th of this year. We saw absolutely no guns, no signs of violence, disturbances or anti-Americanism. What it was like in other cities or what it is like now, I cannot say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafy1234 Posted November 1, 2013 #481 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Thinking of cruising Egypt and Turkey. Any infomation appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark55twin Posted December 3, 2013 #482 Share Posted December 3, 2013 We are arriving in Port Said & Safaga on the Dawn Princess on the 18/06/14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafy1234 Posted February 8, 2014 #483 Share Posted February 8, 2014 We are looking for a private tour (max 10 Pers.) on 25.march 2014 (AIDA DIVA) from Safaga to Luxor. Any information appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul6453 Posted April 24, 2014 #484 Share Posted April 24, 2014 My father and I had an overnight with Ramses Tour in November 2011 and we both book with them for Next October 25 in Alexandria arriving in Port Said on Holland America. any ideas out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasurfer42 Posted May 12, 2014 #485 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Paul, Port Said is a very small city and it's worthwhile taking a trip to Cairo. In a short time, you can visit old Cairo, Khan el khalili market or the museum. Much better use of a couple of hours than staying in the Port area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul6453 Posted June 29, 2014 #486 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Thank you for that info, this is really much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesssophie Posted August 3, 2014 #487 Share Posted August 3, 2014 :confused: I was wondering how to join an existing group for a trip in Cairo so that I may reduce my costs. I am travelling and will stop in Egypt in November - does anyone know of any groups that I may join? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul6453 Posted September 9, 2014 #488 Share Posted September 9, 2014 We booked our tour to Cairo, They are offering a group tour for up to 35 people at a price of $90 USD per person. :confused: I was wondering how to join an existing group for a trip in Cairo so that I may reduce my costs. I am travelling and will stop in Egypt in November - does anyone know of any groups that I may join? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise4Sunshine Posted September 20, 2014 #489 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Jessophie : Look at the Roll Call Section of these boards for your particular sailing date and ship. There should be fellow cruisers looking for pairings or groupings on shore excursions. Ramses let us all add our selves independently through their website, and if they didn't make the minimum the tour was canceled (we filled 2 mini buses and had a ball getting to know each other). We paid when we arrived (in cash, which I just put in an envelope before leaving and forgot about it until that day), so if the ship doesn't dock for any reason, no hassles with refunds. Sent from my H55H-3.8L using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucdream Posted September 22, 2014 #490 Share Posted September 22, 2014 fwiw I was very happy with the booking experience I recently had with E. AboGazia of Ramses Tours. The response, initiated from their website, was quick & efficient for my request for information on options for Giza Pyramids & Sphinx tour from Port Said with pickup from the Ryndam on October 24, 2014. Of course we are concerned with security, and Ramses Tours participate in the escorted convoys to the Pyramids, have extra vehicles in the convoy in case of breakdown, and do not expect payment until the tour is completed. We (a group of 4 Canadians) have room on our tour if anyone is interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadbeagle Posted September 22, 2014 #491 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Hi! We are thinking of booking this cruise today and are very interested in joining your tour group. Can you give me more info and the price? Thank you so much. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still traveling Posted October 23, 2014 #492 Share Posted October 23, 2014 [i have been emailing Ramses tours with many requests and questions They have been very helpful and prompt in answering QUOTE=CRUISERTN;20441084]Wondering if anyone has recenours for an overnight tour while in Egypt? Will be using them in a few months and was wondering if someone could give a review of how their recent tour was with them. I have read many posts from people who are booked with them for upcoming excursions, but not from anyone who has actually used them recently. Did you visit everything as planned? Any info will be most appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niltu Posted November 22, 2014 #493 Share Posted November 22, 2014 WE WERE COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH OUR TOUR out of Port Said from ms Ryndam. Islam is a wonderful guide and I hope that Egypt will continue in its efforts to make tourists feel welcome and secure. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBarb Posted November 22, 2014 #494 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Our tour on October 24, 2014, was exactly what you said it would be. The driver and guide were at the ship when we came ashore. The delay in starting the tour was caused by the convoy process and our guide filled the time with information about Egypt and the areas we were going to visit. Mohammad, our driver, was amazing. He handled the car very well and we did not feel unsafe at any time. Our guide, Hassan, was very knowledgeable and provided very good commentary. We are very happy with Ramses Tours and will recommend others use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andre50 Posted November 23, 2014 #495 Share Posted November 23, 2014 We were extremely happy with Ramses tours. We had half a daytrip in Alexandria, one fulle day in Port Said, visiting Cairo, the pyramids and the Archeological Museum, and one full day from Safaga visiting all the sites in Luxor. There was a accredited Egyptologist on all three legs as well as perfect drivers. We were two persons in a comfortable, well kept Toyota van. Mina and Hany were the two in Alexandria and Port Said, and all three parts were perfectly excecuted. Price reasonable for the top notch quality, and believe me they even checked if we had been listening to the explanation. Very good value for what you get, I can recommend it to everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tisinge Posted December 15, 2014 #496 Share Posted December 15, 2014 My wife and I recently (OCT 2014) did an overnight Cairo/Giza tour with Rames, our cruise stopped in Port Said & Alexandria. The tour was really wonderful. We can't imagine having a better guide and driver than Amir and Magdy. They we're the best guides we've ever had considering all the tours we've taken all over the world. Mena House was an amazing hotel, the only hotel to stay in if staying overnight. Our 2 day tour in Egypt is historically and culturally our favorite trip to date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillside Posted January 4, 2015 #497 Share Posted January 4, 2015 We had an excellent experience with Ramses. We did a shore excursion of the city of Alexandria. We were 10 people, had a very nice air conditioned van, and were greeted right at the gang plank. Our guide, KaReem Serry was extremely knowledgable. Our driver "Honey" was excellent. We felt totally safe and visited the high points of the city. The ancieent catacombs was especially interesting. We went down into them which was amazing. I would definately book with this company again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Vineyard View Posted January 15, 2015 #498 Share Posted January 15, 2015 We didn't have such a great experience - through no fault of Ramses. Guide, guard, driver were great. They had some problems getting is back - delayed due to tire concerns (leaving Cairo on our way back) and the General at the Port Entrance decided to delay us on the side of the road - for no reason. 12 of us in a small van. We barely made out ship in time. It felt like we were delayed intentionally for no good reasons(feeling was US Citizens). We did private tours throughout the cruise loved them - however - Pt Said/Egypt - wouldn't do it again. Would have paid extra and had the ship tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruiser Craig Posted January 15, 2015 #499 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Did those people delaying really you know that you were US citizens? I mean, had they actually checked your passports? That same sentiment might be felt towards Canadians, Australians, and after recent events, even towards the French and other Westerners. Sorry you had to deal with the stress of getting back with so little time to spare and glad you all made it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Vineyard View Posted January 15, 2015 #500 Share Posted January 15, 2015 We had to declare our nationality prior to the day. They had the declaration paperwork that they had to show the port authorities. So am I positive? No, I am not. This all occurred prior to the Canadian, Australian, and French tragedies. And yes, with the current political climate the opportunity expands. We used Ramses in Alexandria as well. While our guide was fantastic, and we did not experience any safety concerns, our itinerary was to have included the amazing library. Turned out the library was closed on that day of the week. However those on the cruise ship tour was able to go inside. Our full day was done in 4 hours, however we did have a fabulous lunch ( no drinks including water was included) that stretched it out to 5 1/2 hours. As I said, all throughout Turkey and Greece we experienced really great private tours when we didn't DIY. Egypt.....not so much so. And The Pt. said experience was not one I would ever want to repeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now