Jump to content

Private Tours for Casablanca and Agadir


Traveling D's

Recommended Posts

Hello Dee and Marsha, are you also traveling in Costa Europa? We are trying to find private excursions to Casablanca and Agadir. The CC excursions are too long and expensive. I hope someone can recommend a good one. Please keep me posted should you find one. Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're on Oceania in March. Have been searching for private guide for Casablanca to Rabat excursion because we don't want to travel with busloads of people for a 7-hour trip including lunch for several hundred!!! Been there, done that. Found one company, authentic-morocco, but have not e-mailed them yet. Marsha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be very interested to hear what you find out as I'm going to be in both ports at the end of October. Normally I wander about on my own as I loathe ship's excursions but dont think Africa is the place for a lone female to be wandering about on her own - so a smaller tour/private guide may be a good compromise for me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

We are on the Jade in February, so still have time to research, but looking for any and all help on the excursions. We prefer not to use the ship excursion if we can find something else that is reliable.

 

Thanks.

Dee

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I found a company called authentic-morocco which offers day trips from Casablanca for cruise passengers. However, they want a 25% deposit and full payment 4 weeks in advance!! We've booked private guides in Russia, Costa Rica and Madiera and never had to pay until the tour was completed, so we're still looking. Please post any other finds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

I was able to get hold of a reliable tour guide who will take a group of 6 pax to Casablanca / Rebat for 250 Euro. This tour fee would include a minivan that can seat 6 pax, a driver, a tour guide and gas. Admission fees and lunch would be extra.

 

My family group used Omar Chouiyakh (octours@gmail.com) on Oct 28, 2008 when he was our local tour guide in Marrakech. His English is excellent and he has been guiding for over 12 years. My sister wrote a trip report - see link below:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=869108

 

I am currently trying to form a group of 6 pax for a Dec 4, 2009 Casablanca/Rebat tour (we are sailing with Royal Princess Nov 28, 2009) as 250 Euro for 2 people is kind of expensive. I have asked Omar to provide me with a detailed tour itinerary, which I will post when provided, although I would trust him to do an excellent job.

 

Thanks

Mary

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

I was able to get hold of a reliable tour guide who will take a group of 6 pax to Casablanca / Rebat for 250 Euro. This tour fee would include a minivan that can seat 6 pax, a driver, a tour guide and gas. Admission fees and lunch would be extra.

 

My family group used Omar Chouiyakh (octours@gmail.com) on Oct 28, 2008 when he was our local tour guide in Marrakech. His English is excellent and he has been guiding for over 12 years. My sister wrote a trip report - see link below:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=869108

 

I am currently trying to form a group of 6 pax for a Dec 4, 2009 Casablanca/Rebat tour (we are sailing with Royal Princess Nov 28, 2009) as 250 Euro for 2 people is kind of expensive. I have asked Omar to provide me with a detailed tour itinerary, which I will post when provided, although I would trust him to do an excellent job.

 

Thanks

Mary

 

 

Mary: Please let us know Omar's response re: suggested itinerary for a day trip Casablanca/Rabat. Thanks, Marsha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is the email I received:

 

I hope you received my response, please check below.

 

I'm in Fes now leading a couple from Hong kong, we were driving all day, that's why I was not able to e-mail today.

My phone number is 00 212 661 242290 , I think it did not work because you were doing 011 instead of 00 for Morocco.

 

The itinerary is:

 

7 AM, Meeting at Casa port.

visit Mohamed 5 square and drive through the beautiful residential area of anfa. Drive along the corniche .

8.30 AM , walk on the esplanade of Hassan 2 mosque to be ready for the 9 AM guided tour inside the mosque.

 

10.30 am leave casablanca and drive to Rabat .

12 am arrive to Rabat and stop for lunch at leisure.

1 pm start the tour of Rabat including oudaya kasba, Hassan tour and Mohamed v mausoleum, drive around the medina ramparts and optional tour of the archeological meuseum.

3.30 pm drive back to casablanca

5 pm arrive to Casablanca and free time near the port erea before driving or walking back to the port.

 

End of services.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I too am looking for tour/excursion from Casa to Rabat or possibly Fes on Jan 21 as the cost of Costa excursions are prohibitively expensive. Any further info would be greatly appreciated and if I discover anything I will let you all know. Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is the email I received:

 

I hope you received my response, please check below.

 

I'm in Fes now leading a couple from Hong kong, we were driving all day, that's why I was not able to e-mail today.

My phone number is 00 212 661 242290 , I think it did not work because you were doing 011 instead of 00 for Morocco.

 

The itinerary is:

 

7 AM, Meeting at Casa port.

visit Mohamed 5 square and drive through the beautiful residential area of anfa. Drive along the corniche .

8.30 AM , walk on the esplanade of Hassan 2 mosque to be ready for the 9 AM guided tour inside the mosque.

 

10.30 am leave casablanca and drive to Rabat .

12 am arrive to Rabat and stop for lunch at leisure.

1 pm start the tour of Rabat including oudaya kasba, Hassan tour and Mohamed v mausoleum, drive around the medina ramparts and optional tour of the archeological meuseum.

3.30 pm drive back to casablanca

5 pm arrive to Casablanca and free time near the port erea before driving or walking back to the port.

 

End of services.

 

 

I got my group of 8 pax reserved with Omar for Dec 4, 2009 to tour Casablanca and Rabat. I will report back when I return from our cruise.

 

We are touring on Friday and Omar said that there is only one English tour available on Friday and that is at 9:30 AM.

 

I asked Omar regarding visiting the souks and shopping and he said we can do all that in Casa after we return back from Rabat.

 

It is 250 Euro minimum for 2 to 6 pax for a vehicle, driver and a tour guide (Omar). For our group of 8 pax, it is 40 Euro pp. Gratuities, admission fees and lunch are not included. I asked what size of vehicle, Omar said he'll give us a vehicle that can seat up to 12 pax (but price would still be 40 Euro pp. even if > 8 pax). The vehicle has a p/a system so everyone including those seated at the very back should be able to hear him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mary-

 

We're cruising in February. We planned to do ship excursions BUT if you have a really good experience please come back and let us know... we would consider forming a group of 6-8 with our roll call for the same tour in Casa/Rabat!

 

Thank you!!! Have a great time.

 

Pink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Mary -- hope you enjoyed your cruise on Royal Princess. Please post some info on your tour from Casablanca to Rabat with Omar. Thanks, Marsha

 

I just got home last night. I would definitely recommend Omar Chouiyakh for the Casablanca/Rabat tour. His email address is octours@gmail.com

 

Omar was at the Casablanca dock as promised. He could not get into the secured port area so our group of 8 pax had to walk a bit to get to the outside of the No. 1 Gate where Omar met us with a fairly new model Mercedez minivan which was so comfortable and spacious. We commented to Omar about the walk and he said that for next time, he will ask his travel agent friend to arrange some paper work in order to get inside the secured port area. So, if you plan to use Omar, please ask him if he can arrange this for you.

 

We started our tour at 8:00 am which I thought was a perfect time to start the tour of Casablanca. The Hassan II Mosque did not open until 9:30 am, so we had a quick tour of Casablanca before going to the mosque. We drove from the port to Mohamed V square, the Arab league gardens and Moulay youssef avenue and all along the corniche of Casablanca having a short stop and a brief walk there. Then we drove by the hill of Anfa known as the fancy residential area with a lot of history.

 

9:15 am - arrived at Hassan II Mosque. We took the guided tour of the mosque from 9:30 to 10:30 am which I thought was quite good. After that, we left Casablanca for Rabat (1.5 hr drive).

 

12:00 noon - arrived at Rabat and started the tour of Hassan tower-Mohamed V mausoleum. We also visited Kasbah Shellah.

 

1:30 pm - stopped for lunch at a small nice restaurant, where everyone had a typical Moroccan tangine. The Tangine was piping hot and it was soooo yummy.

 

2:30 pm - Half of my group wanted to spend at least an hour shopping for souvenirs so Omar took us to the government controlled handicraft center where we enjoyed looking at the big variety of national handicrafts and buying small souvenirs. If your group would like to skip this, there are other historical sites in Rabat that Omar can take you.

 

3:30 pm - drove back to the the old section of Rabat and had a good walk and visit of the kasbah Oudaya, one of the oldest Kasbahs of Morocco, with Gardens, old cafe and narrow steets. Some of the beautiful old homes even have a nice view of the Atlantic Coast.

 

5:00 pm - it was getting late and dark, so we left Rabat for Casablanca and returned to our ship at 6:30 pm.

 

We had an enjoyable and memorable day of Casablanca/Rabat, thanks to Omar.

 

Each pax paid 40 Euro + tips + lunch and admission fees. I asked Omar what the price is if the group is bigger than 8 pax. He said 35 Euro pp for a group of 12 pax.

 

Omar can do Casablanca/Marrackech too which we did in Nov 2008. Our Casablanca port stop then was 7:00 am to 10:00 pm so we had ample of time even with the 6 hours of drive to/from Marrakech.

 

If you have any questions, please ask away. I will start work later today (nurse shift work) but will try to check the thread for any questions whenever I can.

 

Mary

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just found this thst looks quite profesional at £71.20 per person with a minimum of 3 adults http://www.city-discovery.com/casablanca/tour.php?id=1818. Anyone used this company before?

 

I thought that was still a bit pricey untill I discovered this from

 

www.authentic-morocco.com;

ITINERARY:

Pick-Up: Casablanca Ferry Port – arriving <ship>

21.Jan.10 – 08:30 greet by your guide for day tour of Casablanca and Rabat with the following options:

- Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

- Jewish Museum, Casablanca

- Chellah Necropolis, a park and archaeological site on the ancient Roman town of Sala, Rabat

- Kings Palace, Rabat constructed on the site of an 18th century palace

- Kasbah of Oudayas, old kasbah named after the tribe sent here to defend the city against the Andalusians

- Tour Hassan and Mohammed V Mausoleum

- Souks, Rabat

Drop-Off: Casablanca Ferry Port by 21:00

Private tour based family of 4: 4800DH (invoiced in £GB) (£377.10)

PRICE to INCLUDE

Private vehicle or mini-bus with driver and fuel

English-speaking walking guide to accompany you

Motorway tolls

PRICE to EXCLUDE

Lunch in a traditional Moroccan restaurant

Beverages

Entrance fees e.g. museums, medersa and historical sites!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mary: Thanks for that wonderfully detailed report on your tour in Casablanca/Rabat. I'm not sure we would be able to disembark quite that early and don't have as many hours in port as you did, so if we want to visit Rabat, will probably have to forego any sightseeing in Casablanca. I will e-mail Omar and discuss another proposed itinerary that would work within the time frame we have.

 

Questions: Did you visit the Royal Palace in Rabat? Were you able to pay in US $ or did you need euros? What was the lunch menu like? Did you need local currency for shopping and food?

 

Once again, thanks for your input. Looking forward to hearing from you. Best wishes for a happy holiday season! Marsha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Marsha,

 

Sightseeing at Casablanca would definitely cut your time in Rabat.

 

We spent some time at the Chellah Necropolis, an archeological site where we saw the graves of the ancient rulers.

 

No, we didn't get a chance to visit the Royal Palace in Rabat because our group opted to shop for souvenirs (1 hour). Lunch also took an hour but the food was really good and different so I thought it was worth it. I wish we had more time at Rabat.

 

We used USD to pay for our lunch & tips. Admission fees were in Euros. For shopping, they prefer Euros but will also accept USD.

 

The choices on the menu was not large. Our group all wanted to try the typical Moroccan tangine (Fish, Chicken or Lamb). We paid USD$14 pp for the tangine which was really yummy. 6 pax paid for their lunch using a charge card.

 

Omar did mention to me that the price he gave my group was a discounted price because our family had used him as our guide in Marrakech in Nov 2008.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Mary

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just found this thst looks quite profesional at £71.20 per person with a minimum of 3 adults http://www.city-discovery.com/casablanca/tour.php?id=1818. Anyone used this company before?

 

I thought that was still a bit pricey untill I discovered this from

 

www.authentic-morocco.com;

 

ITINERARY:

 

Pick-Up: Casablanca Ferry Port – arriving <ship>

 

21.Jan.10 – 08:30 greet by your guide for day tour of Casablanca and Rabat with the following options:

 

- Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

- Jewish Museum, Casablanca

- Chellah Necropolis, a park and archaeological site on the ancient Roman town of Sala, Rabat

- Kings Palace, Rabat constructed on the site of an 18th century palace

- Kasbah of Oudayas, old kasbah named after the tribe sent here to defend the city against the Andalusians

- Tour Hassan and Mohammed V Mausoleum

- Souks, Rabat

 

Drop-Off: Casablanca Ferry Port by 21:00

 

Private tour based family of 4: 4800DH (invoiced in £GB) (£377.10)

PRICE to INCLUDE

Private vehicle or mini-bus with driver and fuel

English-speaking walking guide to accompany you

Motorway tolls

 

PRICE to EXCLUDE

Lunch in a traditional Moroccan restaurant

Beverages

Entrance fees e.g. museums, medersa and historical sites!

 

Hi

 

We used City Discovery early this year for a tour to Suzhou from Shanghai. From what I could work out they just sell someone else's tours as we had people on our small group tour who had booked through Gray Line.

 

Late 2007 I booked a day tour of Casablanca with Tangier Tour for our CC group. We didn't end up taking the tour as our port time was extended and we took the ship's tour to Marrakech, another story entirely.

 

The van was waiting on the dock as we headed off to board our tour bus. Was a complaint that people couldn't hear what was being said as I think there was an issue with the PA system (or it wasn't used?).

 

We eventually ended up having a large van as group went from four to ten. They were happy to keep changing van as group grew although might have been better if only 6?

 

Below is email received from them. Email was cleardot.giftangiertour@private-guides.org

 

Thank you for You attention and interest in our Private-Tours in Morocco.

 

just to let you know that we are still able to arrange a tour for you

from Casablanca when you visit in November.

 

In Casablanca: a tour Cost 45 Euro Per Person (minium 4people)

 

Morocco 's Modern Seaport with a Strong French accent, recalling scenes

from the film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman . Sightseeing

focuses on the Marché CENTRAL SOUKS and HABBOUS QUARTER( Markets for

Shopping) and the ROYAL PALACE . ANFA's residential quarters and the

CORNICHE of AIN DIAB .

 

The ARAB LEAGUE PARK and both the magnificent MOHAMMED 5 TH and UNITED

NATIONS squares. We will have the opportunity to visit the CHURCH OF Our

LADIES OF LOURDES, the SYNAGOGUE, and to top it off, the imposing HASSAN

2ND MOSQUE , built in a breathtaking setting on the shores of the

Atlantic Ocean .

 

All this without Missing a Short Walk through the KASBAH of Casablanca

and a Visit to the RICK 'S CAFE.

 

I n R a b a t : Cost 85Euro PP(minimum 4 People)

 

City Tour of the Political Capital of the Kingdom Including a visit to

the Old Town (Walking), a Drive to the Mechouar of the Royal Palace, the

Ruins of Chellah, the Mohammed V Mausoleum and the Hassan Tower -an

historic Minaret which is the City's Landmark.

 

(from Casablanca to Rabat is one hour & 15 Min each way approx.

you'll be et in Casablanca port with a Sign with your name on it and be

with you fro the Moment you arrive ubtill we Put you back on your ferry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...