Review of Viking "Pathways of the Pharohs" October 2009

I wasn’t sure where to put this review as there is no category for the Viking Tours of Egypt. Perhaps because they do not use their own ships in Egypt? We were on their “Pathways of the Pharaohs” Tour, October 15 – 26, 2009. The itinerary for 2010 is slightly different with no time in Alexandria. We would have been fine with the chance to spend more time in Luxor. (More on Alexandria at end of this review.) I’m not including any photos, just info I hope will be helpful. We found very little on CC when we were planning our trip too:)

Went 2 days early to get over jet lag – good idea! Really enjoyed stay at Mena House in modern wing with view of pyramids; greeted with hibiscus juice and front desk manager walked us personally across the lawn to our rooms. (We had watered down versions later in trip, but this first taste was delicious!) Wonderful meal that evening in the Moghul Room, their Indian restaurant. Spent next morning with excellent guide, Fatma Adel. We felt very safe with her driver who dodged camels and donkey carts in rural villages as we drove for tour of Memphis with statue of Ramses II. Drive was fascinating intro to EgyptJ Climb inside Red Pyramid at Dashour was well worth my hurting legs the next few days. This was our only opportunity to actually go inside one of these ancient wonders. Relaxed by pool in afternoon. Next day we spent time with Fatma in several mosques as she gave insight into her life as a woman in the Muslim world. That afternoon, ventured with her into the Cairo market and Tentmakers St., but we were so overwhelmed by the vendors it was impossible to “just look.” Our luggage remained safely in van with driver until they delivered us early afternoon to the Hyatt where we met our Viking tour director, Amr Shahin.

We can’t say enough about Amr who did so much to make sure we each had the best possible experience. An Egyptologist with a wealth of knowledge, his explanations of the history of Egypt and details he provided as we toured the tombs and temples were always fascinating. Very well organized, he avoided tour ship crowds throughout our trip, e.g. we arrived at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo very early in the a.m. and were able to spend time alone with the treasures of King Tut. When we left the museum, the lines were out the door! Amr had a contact in every area we visited to handle our luggage and expedite our trips through airports, onto ships, and even on the train from Alexandria. I'm sure it helped that we had a small group of 15 that were always ready to go, but it seemed there wasn’t anything he hadn’t planned for. When the wind died on our felucca sail to the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in Aswan, the motor boat Amr had following us towed us and we didn’t miss a beat. He is a guide for National Geographic and other tours too, so you will want to be sure he is scheduled for your Viking trip. We can’t imagine anyone better.

Our ships were fine, but our friends who were traveling with us had been on the Viking River Cruise in China and said they weren’t quite up to what they had expected. (We heard Viking plans to have their own ship on the Nile sometime in the future.) This tour used Movenpick ships -

Royal Lotus on the Nile: Room size not too big and didn’t have balcony, but large picture window, well decorated and spacious bathroom with tub. Swan and crocodile towel sculptures on bedJ Really fun floor show with an amazing whirling dervish. (If you are offered the chance to see the larger show in Cairo, be sure to go.) Excellent service including nice job with our laundry. Nile cruise was relaxing opportunity to see everyday life in villages and farms along river. Also visit from vendors in small boats as we got close to dam. Amr had taught us how to bargain by thenJ We were all yelling at each other and laughing. On Lake Nasser, we were on the Prince Abbas – Not as upscale as Royal Lotus, though quite large room and good bed. Could definitely tell you were on a ship in the small bath with tiny shower in corner. Felt more Agatha Christie style - room entered from outside walkway rather than hallway in center of ship. I’d definitely recommend spending the 3 days on Lake Nasser though - the approach to Abu Simbel by boat was an amazing experience.

We didn’t get to truly enjoy the food on either of the ships as we couldn’t eat any fresh fruit or veggies that we didn’t peel ourselves, etc. Had to stick to cooked foods. All but 2 in our group still experienced a bout of “mummy tummy”. Not sure exactly what caused it.

An armed guard accompanied us “off and on” but was very unobtrusive and I never felt threatened. Dick later told me the “extra passenger” who sometimes rode with us had an uzi under his jacket, but I never noticed it. The only time I actually was a little scared was on the camel ride at the pyramidsJ You are really high up when they stand, but have big brown eyes with lacy eyelashes and huge soft, billowy feet – truly “ships of the desert.” Really glad Amr encouraged me to do it.

Other tips –

Would go November or later. Still very hot in October. Amr was very careful to arrange most of our tours in the morning and encouraged us to pace ourselves but the heat was very draining. (Despite that we’re only in our early 60s and physically fit.) We were all sweating buckets by the time we returned to the ship and I was constantly washing or using the ships laundry. (For us, this was a real adventure, unlike anything we’d ever experienced and the amazing sights were well worth the extra physicial exertion.)

I really didn’t pack well for this trip – I should have left Dick’s sports coat and most of my more dressy “cruise” outfits at home. My ¾ length light weight culottes from Tilley were perfect and could be washed and dried overnight. I didn’t wear my ¾ length sleeve tops at all – just too hot. Tops with cap sleeves were perfect and I took along a sheer long sleeve top to cover up from the sun or in mosques when needed. Tennis/closed toe/walking shoes with low socks essential but sandals nice for a change in evenings.

I was really glad I took -

Hats with wide brims

Little battery powered fans; I bought a souvenir paper fan and used it too.

Tons of sun tan lotion and sun umbrella for those times when shade just wasn’t there.

“Buckets” of hand sanitizer – plus extra bottles for guides who really liked our Purell.

(Cold bottled water was available to purchase at a small charge on bus.)

Also - Alexandria on the Med was a breath of fresh air after the heat of Aswan. I’m a librarian so was delighted to have chance to see the “new” library. Roman ruins and catacombs were fascinating and we had an excellent seafood meal at Fish Market restaurant overlooking harbor. The Maritim Jolie Ville Alexandria where we spent the one night was the least favorite of our hotels though. We could see the Med from our balcony, but had to cross through speeding traffic and risk your life to get to it. (We didn’t.)

We would definitely go to Egypt with Viking again if we could be sure Amr is our guide. Also glad we chose them for their 3 days on Lake Nasser. Overall, we were very well taken care of, felt quite safe, and got excellent value for our travel dollar. (We took advantage of their 2 for 1 offer, booking almost a year out.) We’re now considering a China trip with Viking next year.

THANK YOU!!!

What would we ever do without all the great people on Cruise Critic????

So glad I could help! Like you, I didn't find much to help on CC. Most of those touring Egypt were from the big cruise ships in the Med on day trips to Cairo. I had to piece together my info from all over CC and TripAdvisor and didn't do too well with packing, etc.:)

We haven't been on enough cruises to list yet, but are planning a March cruise on the Oceania Regatta to the Caribbean. We were on the Regatta several years ago for a Med cruise and loved it. We "matched up" with Oceania through CC and are are big fans of both now. I'd love to hear about your China Cruise with Viking when you return.

Fran

My hubby and I decided that if we really wanted to see Egypt the big cruise lines were NOT the way to go. This sounds like it would be perfect for us.

What a pleasant surprise to read your review as we want to go on the Viking Egypt trip in 2011 (we have been on 3 previous Viking trips), and then to see you mentioned Amr. He was our guide in December 1994 when we went through Ambercrombie Fitch. Loved him, met his wife at end. Sounds like we had the same trip. As to Alexandria, we were both sick when there and didn't see anything but others said we had already seen the best. We think this trip along with India was in our top two. Thanks!

Like you we could find nowhere on the Boards to post a review of our recent Nile Cruise on Viking Princess which was arranged through Discover Egypt so have had to use the Other Cruise Lines Forum. Found searching for somewhere to post quite frustrating.

We too had a fantastic holiday and will have memories of our trip for years to come. If you want to compare notes then look for my review entitled Nile Cruise on Viking Princess on the Other Cruise Lines Forum. I have also posted cross-references on River Cruises and Africa and Middle East so hopefully people will find the review somehow.

Really think Cruise Critic needs to expand their sections for taking into account the cruises which are not covered by the major shipping companies.

Glad you had a great time. Your report indicates you enjoyed yourselves as we did on our trip.

Regards

Suron in Bristol

Hi OBX Cruisers,

We were at the Mena House a week after you on a 14 day Tauck tour/cruise to Egypt and Jordan. I think we had the same woman guide as you did. We had an awesome time and I'm sorry that you didn't know that you wouldn't need dressy clothes for this trip. I, also, had trouble researching for our trip. Using the search mode on Cruise Critic usually brings up a lot of info. We are looking into either AMA or Viking's river cruise in Russia next year. I had to go to Frommers.com to find out any info from prior cruisers. By the way, I took pro-biotics (available at health food store) for two weeks with every meal before we left and on the tour as well as chewing pepto-bismo with every meal. My hubby and I did NOT have any stomach distress, but the rest of the people did!!!

Loved your review!!

Sheila

to Suron,

I'm a member of Trip Advisor's board also and I couldn't find your review. Could you post the link again here? Thanks!

Sheila

to Suron,

 

I'm a member of Trip Advisor's board also and I couldn't find your review. Could you post the link again here? Thanks!

Sheila

I think you may now have found my review but in case not you will find it under the Other Cruise Lines Forum entitled Nile Cruise on Viking Princess with Discover Egypt (written on 6th March?).

There was a problem getting the review posted on the Trip Advisor site but I think it can be viewed now.

Regards

Suron

Hi Suron,

Thanks. I did find it on Cruise Critic. Enjoyed reading it!!

Sheila

I'm so glad I found this string of messages! We are booked on the "Pathways of the Pharohs" tour for November 1, 2011. We are so looking forward to this trip, but had never heard of Viking Tours before. Glad to hear that you had a good experience. Any other tips that may be useful would be greatly appreciated!

Krista

We are thinking of booking this tour with two grandsons (age 12). Were there any young ones on the trip?

Viking is telling us that if we use their air we have to go on the day specified in the brochure. For those who have gone to Egypt a day or so before the official sart of the vacation package, did you book your own air or use the air provided by the cruise company?

Viking is telling us that if we use their air we have to go on the day specified in the brochure. For those who have gone to Egypt a day or so before the official sart of the vacation package, did you book your own air or use the air provided by the cruise company?

I would double check with your travel agent, or if you booked direct with Viking with them. Viking does have a custom air service, called Air Plus, that allows you to specify the airlines used, dates of travel, class of service, etc. There is a charge for this service in addition to increased airfare if the flights you chose are more expensive than the ones Viking would book. Another consideration (and this may be what they tried to explain) if you arrive or leave on days other than the standard air, you would not be eligible for the transfers that are included with standard air.

I did check back and you are right, we could use their airfare if we paid extra fees and didn't get their contract prices. I found we could get as good a deal on our own so we will book our own flights to go in early. I understand there is an airport door to door shuttle bus that is reasonable.

We have booked with friends for an early 2011 of this river cruise. Thanks for the tips. :) they will be handy when we go. I am concerned though when you said:

Climb inside Red Pyramid at Dashour was well worth my hurting legs the next few days. This was our only opportunity to actually go inside one of these ancient wonders.

I have been trying to get more information on just what the excursions entail, but haven't been getting much. Are you saying that the excursions are just get to the site and see it from the outside? Or were there opportunities where there was time to enter on your own?

Secondly, I know that there are no cameras allowed in the Valley of the Kings anymore, but what of the other sites? I'd hate to go and not have any memories of our trip. :confused:

This is from an e-mail my friend sent of her trip to Egypt:

There are like 63 tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Seti and Ramses of course, are also must sees. They are all open to view. I think Tutankahmen's was the only one with an extra charge. Most of them are empty.

Thanks Phoenix. We have been doing a great deal of research as to which tombs in the Valley of the Kings would be interesting and I found that though there are 62 only 20+ something are open. I understand that only 8 are open at any given time on rotation so I have been prioritizing them from what may be the best experience from the documentation that I can find.

Hi and a big "Thank You" for your informative review. I will be doing an Egypt-Jordan trip in November of this year with Voyages of Antiquity. As I will have a day or two on my own in Giza, do you have any contact information for the guides you used in the Cairo area?

Thank you in advance.

Cheers,

Lorna

My family is planning this cruise for Jan 2013. Has anyone got an update?