yorkiemomjn

Very disappointed to learn that a "luxury lite" cruise line has lowered its' standards.

J, you know that term is going to start something on this board........just saying.

Isn't everybody sick of this of this dress code discussion already? I personally am not interested in "definitions" of certain kinds of dress or items of clothing. I consider myself a bright woman, who has the good fortune of going on about five cruises a year, and know very well how, when and where to dress and what is appropriate. We do not do formal nor does husband bring a jacket. Our mode of dress has never gotten us thrown out of nor refused admittance to any dining room or speciality restaurant on Oceania, Celebrity, Princess or HAL. Would we past muster on Cunard or Crystal - no, and that's why we do not choose to sail with them. Oceania is my line of choice if the itinerary is right. As I have said before, their culture and itineraries suit us to a tee, and I know they appreciate our business and as returning guests. Times they are a changing (as they always do), and there is no changing that. Sometimes we have to ease up on old ideas that are just no longer current. What a pleasure to be able to dress casual or dressed to the nines and both be welcome on Oceania. And guess what - our food will all taste the same.

You took the words right out of my mouth!!:D

Have now looked at Oceania. Looks lovely, but too expensive for us if we want to go on lots of cruises! :(

I understand, but we only cruise once a year. Probably best to NOT try O until you are ready to take fewer cruises because you will really have a hard time going back to the large cruise lines after having been on O. ;)

Have done two cruises on Azamara. Last was in 2010 and the mattress was very UNcomfortable. Can you comment on the quality of the bed compared with Oceania?

 

We have just booked our first cruise on O and are hoping the tranquility beds live up to their name! :)

I don't think you will be disappointed with the O beds! Comfortable beds are very important to us. We have a Tempurpedic at home (best purchase we ever made), but we also love the beds on O. :)

We love Oceania for the following reasons: Dress code-country club casual (no formal nights) DH rarely ever wears a sports coat- very few or no children- no photographers - very limited smoking - excellent service - excellent food

Oh my gosh just what I said to Stu after I said I wonder if we can take our dog..LOL

Jancruz1

Jan, If you ever find a cruise that does this, please let me know! :)

Reposado,

Thank you so much for these delicious postings!!! I can hardly wait until our May 2013 cruise! Until then-----I am dieting!!!!! :p

My husband and I did the overnight tour with Egypt Private Excursions two weeks ago, and have nothing but positive things to report. We are still raving about it. As we came off the ship we were met by our guide, Dalia, who was an absolutely amazing guide, and the driver, who gets top marks for his expertise in getting us to each destination in a safe and timely fashion. Egypt Private Excursions offers incredible value with top notch service and accommodation - staying at Mena House was a true delight! All correspondence with David was met with a prompt reply. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Egypt Private Excursions.

That is great to hear. We have a tour booked with EPE for next April. We had heard good things about Dalia here on CC and requested her. David confirmed that we will be able to have her. :) We are also staying at the Mena House!:D

sorry for being late to reply as I was busy working, Mena House is a good choice and Egypt private excursions gives good promotions with Mena House.I wish you a wonderful cruise

 

thanks

terry

Their promotion for 2011 included the Mena House, but not for 2012. It costs $30 extra pp. For 2012, their promotion is the camel ride in front of the pyramids. I really want to do that, because where else would I ever care about riding a camel!!! :eek:

thank you for reading the report. did you book one day or overnight tour?

thanks

 

terry

We are staying over night at the Mena House Hotel.

I finally came back from my cruise in the Middle East on the Pacific Princess, but I want to contribute with my experience and share some of my memories especially in Alexandria and Cairo. I was lucky and fortunate to pick Sami of Egypt private excursions for organizing my private tours.

 

The first day: the pyramids at Giza and Sakkara

As soon as we left the ship, and made all our security checks which was swift and not annoying, we were welcomed by Mohamed , our guide . He led us to the van (clean and comfortable). Inside the van, we were served bottled water, for free. Our first stop was in Sakkara (the step pyramid) sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base. We arrived at Sakkara about 11.30 pm. We had some pictures and information from the Egyptology. Mohamed brought the tickets in no time so it didn’t take us much to save our time for taking pictures and enjoying the informative ability of our guide. Who is full of fascinating historical information, and tells it all with a passionate excitement that holds everyone's attention. He also gave us the time to ask questions.

Afterwards we headed for the restaurant for lunch, Iwas hungry I was given the menu to choose. I wanted to try Egyptian food so I chose among several authentic Egyptian dishes which all turned out to be quite excellent.

We left the restaurant and headed our way back to the pyramids. Needless to say, the sheer size of the pyramids is impressive. And we rode the camel. It was fun and much excitement; it was a complementary from the company. We made our way to the sphinx. It was really big and you always try to compare between what you see and what you have seen on TV.

We finished our tour at the pyramids at 3.30. We headed to a store that sells Egyptian papyrus. I bought 2 papyrus. Mohamed gave us enough time for shopping then we went to the hotel Mena house oberoi. We had a room that faces the pyramids and the hotel was really amazing and welcoming. Having only stayed in the new wing, I can't tell you what the rooms are like in the original building, but our "pyramid view" room in the new wing was one of the nicest hotel rooms we have ever stayed in, anywhere. Incredibly comfortable and luxurious. I wish we could have enjoyed it and the hotel more, but we were only there overnight, and even then got in very late and left very early.

 

I had a shower and rest for a while to get ready for the light show at pyramids. We enjoyed the light show at the pyramids. It was amazing.

 

We went back to the hotel at 9.45 and had a long deep sleep.

The second day the Egyptian museum and the citadel:

We wake up 7.00 and headed to the restaurant to have breakfast. There were variety of cheese, bread and much more but I had cereals with milk and fruits. We had a good cup of coffee with a piece of cake. After that Mohamed came to take us to the museum at 8.30. Mohamed said that there will be a good chance for us to visit El tahrir square as we will pass through it on our way . Many police men & army soldiers were spreading all over the square and the area around, together with many crowds. I started to be tense, held my husbands' arm as some of these crowds were heading towards our direction or I thought they were. Well, i could not hide being scared but Mohamed reminded us that people still celebrating the feast after Ramadan and it is normal to see crowds everywhere. We continued and people were waving their hands & greeting us all the way . All went well and the Egyptians were so kind especially kids. In spite of this little adventure, it was great to visit the most famous square wide world that has been the symbol of 25 January revolution" said by Mohamed " this is when we reached the museum ,the second most frequently visited and certainly one of the most important attractions in Cairo. You will find fabulous collection of tutankhamun and monuments from all periods of Egyptian history from pre historic era to the Greco-roman period. The mummy room is another highlight of the Egyptian museum and it is a must-see.

 

We were really hungry and our lunch was waiting for us in the “Nile Lily” it’s a boat on the Nile. As usual, assorted variety of oriental food that captures your heart and mind, I love food and it was really tasty. We finished our lunch and 1:30 and then headed to the citadel.

 

The fortress - and indeed, the Cairo skyline - is dominated by the Mosque of Mohammed Ali. Modeled along classic Turkish lines, it took 18 years to build (1830-48) although the domes later had to be rebuilt. Perhaps the most evocative description of it is in Olivia Manning's The Levant Trilogy: 'Above them Mohammed Ali's alabaster mosque, uniquely white in this sand-colored city, sat with minarets pricked, like a fat, white, watchful cat'.

 

 

Note the chintzy clock in the central courtyard, a gift from King Louis-Philippe of France in thanks for the Pharaonic obelisk that adorns the Place de la Concorde in Paris. It was damaged on delivery and has yet to be repaired.

 

 

That was our last attraction then we started driving back to Alexandria.

 

 

I was really stunned by Sami organization with the trip and I appreciate the efforts done by everybody. And I am thinking of doing it again next year.

 

 

I would recommend Egypt Private Excursions Company to anyone for their professional support and difficulties they had bearing in mind the traffic of Cairo which makes it difficult for anyone to plan something ahead.

 

The job they did for us was outstanding in every regard. I had selected this cruise because of the stop in Egypt. Our expectations were set very high and Egypt private excursions did not disappoint us. And the price was affordable compared to the Princess sponsored options.

 

 

thanks for reading and I am pleased to answer any questions you have

 

terry

Thank you for the wonderful report. We have EPE booked for our tour of Egypt on the MV of Oceania's Riviera next April. We have read lots of good reports about them here on CC and also on TA.

Here's the website: http://www.egyptprivateexcursions.com/

 

However, you're probably best off just emailing H. David directly at egyptprivateexcursions AT gmail.com

Thank you Zukini! That is the one I had, but I wanted to make sure.

tjcox9 - Thank you, too. I think it is okay for us to post links to tour companies, but we cannot post websites for TA's or even mention their names.

Would someone please post the website for Egypt Private Excursions? I want to make sure I get the

correct one.

Thank you!

Hi, Judy! You're young and approaching middle age. BUT, wise, in focusing, carefully, your energy and time.

 

THANKS! Enjoy your trip! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now at 41,130 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

You have me mixed up with someone else!!! I'm WAY past middle age and approaching OLD age!!:D

Not complaining though, have been very blessed!

Thanks for the compliment!

Al is very good in his knowledge and responses on Stockholm. That express is train is only 20 minutes, but here, as they say, is the "REST OF THE STORY". As I analyzed and did in getting from our hotel in the historic area to the airport for an early morning flight, there are "trade-offs". With a cab and our luggage, it would have taken time to get from the hotel to the train station and then wait for the departure time to catch the train. Then there is the time and effort getting from the train stop at the airport to our exact airline gate. By contrast, the cab picked up us and our luggage directly at our hotel and dropped us exactly at the airline check-in point for our airline. That saved time and hassle. The cab costs more than the train, but there are other logistical factors to consider. Much depends on your budget and amount of luggage, your travel style, etc. Just wanted to offer these other timing factors to consider. It is not a simple 40-50 minutes versus 20 minutes comparison in total, overall travel time.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now at 41,095 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

To Al & Terry,

Thank you so much for your answers to my post. I think at our age, we will opt for the easy way----taking a cab! :D

Thanks again!

Judy

We will be staying at the Stockholm Sheraton in June. How long is the taxi ride to the airport?

Thank you!