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Anyone Recently Used Ramses Tours?


CRUISERTN
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Hi

Teeniewahine,

We are also going with Ramses in Nov..can you tell me what you ate in this Egyptian fast food restaurant? Just curious what their fast food is like.

Thank you

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The food at Abou Tarek consisted of a mixture of small pasta noodles,rice,lentils and spice in a bowl. They brought small bowls of chickpeas, crispy fried onions and a yummy tomato sauce to add to the dish - really good. The place was clean and air conditioned. And I agree that Anthony Bourdain can be a bit too adventuresome for my tastes - but this place he suggested was great. The restaurant is also only about one block from the museum - don't know it I had mentioned that earlier.

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Rosie,

 

Why not write an email to George at Ramses Travel and discuss that with him?

I have found out early in the booking process with Egyptian agencies that everything is negotiable... so you should negotiate!

 

And if you don't come to an agreement that is suitable to you, you always have the option of using another company!

 

But I would definitely contact George who has proven to be very flexible with many requests!

 

Good luck,

MC

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MC,

I did with no results. I will try again and also look into another tour. It is a good thing I don't have to negotiate for a living. I would be unemployed.

Thanks

Rosie,

 

Make sure you are comparing apples to apples...

Sometimes people want to add stops, or a camel ride, or a felucca tour etc. and expect to pay the same price.

 

If you are comparing the same itineraries with same stops, for the sames services (same amount of people), I'm sure any tour operators would match the prices - Ramses included, as they have been more than collaborative in price negotiation!

 

Good luck!!

MC

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From what I have read the base price is the same. Some groups have been offered free options and upgrades. It is true that I do not know details to all of the extras offered that I have read about. I do know of some because I was involved in the group when it started. I have taken everyone’s advice and I am waiting to hear back. I feel responsible for my group and I want them to get the best deal.

Edited by rosie#1
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  • 2 weeks later...

We have been confirmed with Ramses for an overnight tour in November and the original confirmation said LeMeredian Pyramids hotel....he is now saying he "will do his best to book us at the best hotel" and wondering what is going on......we are hoping we do not end up at a lower grade hotel once we get there. Has anyone else had a similar experience? If someone has recently returned from an overnight with Ramses, did he confirm your hotel beforehand and did you stay at the same hotel as originally confirmed? Getting a bit nervous...........:confused:

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I see some of you are considering using Ramses for your upcoming tour. I want to share the wonderful experience I had with them. My husband and I just got back from a Celebrity Equinox cruise. We did a two day stop in Egypt. We wanted a half day tour of Alexandria the second day so hired a private tour with Ramses. They were great! A lot of people were too nervous to leave the ship the second day, as were we because we have never traveled in this part of the world and didn't know what to expect. We are so glad we did not cancel because it turned out to be one of our favorite days of the cruise. We felt very safe. Rasha, our tour guide from Ramses, was there on time, had an air-conditioned van waiting for us, and was extremely knowledgeable. We started our tour by going to Qait Bey Fort. This was one of our highlights. The children and teenagers were very excited to see Americans. They were trying to sneak photos of us on there camera phone and follow us. Our tour guide offered to make them leave us alone but we were equally curious. We asked her to ask them if we could take a photo with them and they were so happy. Wanting to blend in (a joke with light blond hair) I had brought a head scarf. The girls helped me tie it in Egyptian fashion (the photos of that are great!) and we took photos with them and the boys next wanted their turn. We went to five countries on this cruise and the Egyptian people were by far the warmest we encountered. We asked our tour guide if she would mind stopping at the library just for a photo and she was very accommodating. I also suggest visiting the palace and gardens, which were beautiful. Since it is a Muslim country we thought we'd better not be too affectionate in public and as I said I brought a head scarf. But Rasha laughed and said it wasn't necessary, Egypt is not strict like that with tourists. We hope to go back to Egypt again in a few years as there is so much to see and we loved the people. And we definitely would use Ramses tours again.

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:pI got a prompt response from Ramses with reconfirmation of the hotel and everything is OK. :p Apparently just a miscommunication. They were very concerned that I thought something was wrong, and wanted to reassure that all is OK with the reservation and hotel confirmations. They are extremely concerned about wanting to make sure everyone gets the very best tour from their company. I know I have read some great reviews about how their guides are very accomodating and took care of everyone during the entire time. We continue to look forward to our upcoming tour with Ramses.

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Anyone ever use Ramses for a longer tour? I'm considering taking my daughter (she'll be 16) next year, and are considering Ramses after reading reviews here.

 

Also- anyone ever do a tour with them that included a Nile cruise? If so, how was it?

 

Thanks.

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Check the Ramses web site and you will see lots of land tours available for longer periods of time. Check them out at www.ramsestours.com and I bet you will find something for a longer land tour. If not, I am sure they can customize it to cover sights that you want to see for the number of days that you want, since they will customize it for an overnight tour.

 

Also check Trip Advisor for the reviews on Ramses Tours. Very favorable reviews have been posted on Trip Advisor.

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Thanks CRUISERTN. I've been to the site and am waiting for a reply to an email sent tonight. I like the idea of an overnight train trip, and the options they offer.

 

I'll definitely check out trip advisor as well.

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Hi,

My family of 5 just returned from a RCI cruise that stopped at Alexandria.

We had booked our tour with Ramses months prior to departure. George, the tour operator was always very quick to answer my many questions and always made me feel that we would be taken very well care of. I even ...."

 

We are thinking of booking with Ramses, and have a couple of questions:

1) Did you negotiate the price for the day trip prior to booking? Meaning once he quoted you a price did you counter with a lower offer? I am led to believe that `bargaining`is the norm in Egypt.

2) What is an appropriate tip, for both driver and guide? Different for each?

 

Thanks.

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To cruisers wanting to book with Ramses,

I had some concerns about 'what if the car breaks down...'. George from Ramses wrote me to say that they now have back up vehicles in case of a break-down, another coach would be available in minutes.

 

We'll be in Egypt in less than a month and I can't wait!! I'm sure we'll have such a great time in Cairo!!!

 

MC

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I have appreciated all of this information on Ramses, but I don't see much discussion about the COST. I realize there are options, but can someone give me a ballpark figure for the overnight stay so I can compare it with what the ship (NCL Jade) offers?

Also, someone asked about the comfort of the vans. We had a van in Canada last week that was MARVELOUS, but I have been in some vans where the backseat passengers were not comfortable and could not hear the driver or ask questions easily. Any comment on this?

Would appreciate some idea of the appropriate tip amounts for drivers/guides.

I am setting this up for a group, so I really want to understand a bit more before contacting George. Thanks.

Kathy

P.S. The size of our tour group can be very flexible since we are part of a large group of about 100.

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Hi Kathy,

 

I can't tell you about overnight stays as we are only in Alexandria for one night.

But for the one-day tours, Azamara is typically charging 199$ for most tours per person on a large bus.

 

For a tour for just 2 of us, with a French speaking guide (which Az could not offer) I am paying half of that i.e. 100$. So you can imagine the savings if you have a larger group!!

 

If you are concerned about the vehicle, request a picture from the companies you will contact - I have done this for a larger group I have out of Bodrum. With the picture of the vehicle, I was able to decide that even if the vehicle holds 12 that we would limit our group size to 6 so that everyone had a comfy seat and a window!

 

As for tips, I understand that 10% for the driver and 15-20% for the guide seems to be the going rate. Of course, this is entirely dependent of your appreciation and quality of services!!

 

Hope this helps!

MC

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Hi,

I just got back from a 13 day Mediteranian tour and one of the stops was Alexandria. I was traveling with my two daughters, and my neighbors. We were on Celebrity Equinox. The tours were expensive. My daughter hooked us up with Rames Tours. The email is ramsestours@hotmail.com They were better then fabulous. Most people we talked to on the cruise after the trip to Cairo from Alexandra, had horror stories. We just had the most fabulous time. We had the most wonderful driver and tour guide. Our tour guide's name was Islam. Mr. George from Ramses Tours set the personalized tour up for us and it couldn't have been better. All six of us have decided that Cairo was our most favorate excursion. We saw everything, including the pyramids and a cruise on the Nile. Our tour lasted from 8:30a.m. until 2:30a.m. the next day. We did not stay overnight in Cairo. We returned to our ship in Alexandria

 

Could you please tell me if the walking portions of the tour were part of the Horror stories that you heard. We are a group of seniors (very mobile) but have seen notations of 2 1/2 mile walks on very uneven surfaces!

Where did you eat? Any favs? Did you request certain things on your tour when booking or just ask when you joined your driver?

Thanks

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  • 3 weeks later...

We, along with 4 other couples from our neighborhood, just used Ramses tours for our 2-day visit to Egypt on the Celebrity Equinox. We had two different guides, but both were very friendly and knowledgeable. Although we did not travel in a caravan or with police escort directly on our bus, we did follow the same route to Cairo, and we all felt quite safe.

 

Ramses was by far the most economical choice, and they provided very complete tours. I can't imagine that any other tour company would have provided more. I would certainly use them again and am recommending them to friends who plan a similar trip in a few months.

 

On day 1, although greeted right outside the terminal, we did have to walk a fair distance to meet the van and return to the terminal. {A straight shot over the bridge to town.) A couple of people traveling with us found that difficult. The rest of us found it refreshing. However, we asked to be met at the terminal the next day, and Ramses was able to make the arrangements.

 

The itinerary followed was the one we requested. We suggest skipping the palace and gardens in Alexandria and spending a bit more time at the library. There are many exhibits we would have found interesting, but it was the last stop, and we were ready to get back to the ship. Ramses did NOT hurry us; it was our choice. There is also free internet at the library.

 

In summary, we would recommend this company to anyone touring on a cruise or independently.

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