Would you go to Egypt in November?

We have a Holy Land cruise booked for November. No flights, no pre- or post- hotels yet. This cruise has stops in Israel and Egypt.

With current events in mind, I'm a little leery of this one. Would you go?

Would I go? Nope, sorry, it just would not be on my list of to do's for awhile. I still think there will be an uproar over there before this is all said and done. I am not planning any trips to anywhere in Europe right now. Doing the Chicken Dance on this end I guess. lol

I have to agree with Toto. I would not go with all the unrest going on. Put it off for another time.

Carol

No.

Not only is it a scary place at the moment but I was there in December 08 and hated it, felt hated and would never give them a dime of my money again. And I would not/did not feel safe as an American(woman) there.

BTW I am not a wimpy traveller - did a 2 week Tanzanian safari this past December and was in China in June 1989(left when our embassy asked us to...) - and I would love to return to that country.

I'd keep it booked but would wait and see what develops in the next few months. Not sure if you booked travel insurance but when you do, make sure it covers terrorism and other unexpected events.

No. Not only is it a scary place at the moment but I was there in December 08 and hated it, felt hated and would never give them a dime of my money again. And I would not/did not feel safe as an American(woman) there.

I agree completely. My aunt had the very same reaction to Egypt - said it was hot, dirty, and she felt very unsafe and unwanted.

I would like to visit Israel someday, but there is always something going on that makes me wait a little longer. :(

We are leaving in 11 days for the Holy land and Egypt cruise on the Pacific Princess. We have a overnight tour booked in Egypt. Egypt has lost a lot of tourist money and they are really taking care of the tourist right now. Also read that it is not as crowded.

The ship is not full. The upgrade fairy was busy yesterday. We were upgrade from a E to BB balcony. The price for this cruise was very discounted on Princess own site.

Looking forward to this special cruise.

Israel I would do and stay on the ship for Egypt(and stay *inside* since Alexandria smells dreadful :rolleyes:)

I would wait another year or so before going to Egypt. Who knows what will happen there with their scheduled election in September.

Sure, I would book the cruise in a heart beat, knowing full well that if there were serious issues, the cruise line would cancel those port stops, just like they are doing now on the Ocean as she heads for that region.

I wouldn't go yet.

for all those people who didn't like Egypt. I did a 3 week land tour there 2 years ago and loved every minute. we were treated very well.

I would go...with some caution

We are scheduled on the Pacific Princess Holy Land Cruise October 22. Since the time we have booked it, the cost of balcony has fallen below what we booked an inside for. A balcony BF category is now $1,999 for a 12 day cruise that includes Athens, Patmos, Ephesus, Isreal, Egypt, Croatia, Raveena Italy and Venice. Because of the No's you are reading in this thread we are now able to cruise in style for less money then we originally budgeted for an inside!! We are still on and looking forward to our cruise.

I'd keep it booked but would wait and see what develops in the next few months. Not sure if you booked travel insurance but when you do, make sure it covers terrorism and other unexpected events.

Insurance do not cover war or undeclared war, etc. Just went through with a land tour company and good insurance. You might get future credit, but no refund. So beware.

for all those people who didn't like Egypt. I did a 3 week land tour there 2 years ago and loved every minute. we were treated very well.

 

I would go...with some caution

We sailed with Princess a few years ago and did the overnite in Cairo with a private tour operator (over 100 in our CC group). One of the best and most interesting ports we have ever visited. If things were in better shape over there, we definitely would return in a split second. What a great and historic country.:D

We did two ports in Egypt on the 2009 World Cruise and LOVED it!! So facinating being up close and personal to the Giza Pyramids/Sphnix, Valley of the Kings, etc. History come to life.

I would certainly watch the news and upcoming events and make your decision before final payment based on the politics....but I would travel to Egypt again in a heartbeat - one of our favorite ports.

Good luck with your decision....I see you on CC often, so know you are a very experienced cruiser. Also, the cruise lines won't go into a port with active political unrest, so the decision may be made for you by Princess.

Like other posters above, we're booked to go in September on the Pacific Princess. We also were upgraded a week or so ago from a BA balcony to an AA mini.

Are we leery? A little. We have the cancel for any reason insurance and are listening to government travel alerts with some degree of consternation. We do feel that Princess will not allow us to go anywhere if there is a chance of danger due to the unrest.

To do Egypt properly, book a tour which includes at least 3 days in Cairo and 7 days on the Nile.

Our trip in November 2009 was one of the best vacations we have ever taken. Cairo and Giza are fascinating and the temples along the Nile are amazing. The highlight was the temple at Abu Simbel which we visited as the sun came up.

Security at all the sites and on the river boat was excellent. I would wait until next year to take the tour that I have described but recommend that you put it on your bucket list.

Don

No.

 

Not only is it a scary place at the moment but I was there in December 08 and hated it, felt hated and would never give them a dime of my money again. And I would not/did not feel safe as an American(woman) there.

 

BTW I am not a wimpy traveller - did a 2 week Tanzanian safari this past December and was in China in June 1989(left when our embassy asked us to...) - and I would love to return to that country.

I've visited Egypt four times now, 3 of them as a solo. I have never felt unsafe -- except perhaps when trying to cross the street in Cairo traffic. I really have enjoyed all my visits there, but Egypt is not an "easy" country. You may have to put up with some inconveniences and some unpleasant sights in order to experience some history and some beautiful sites that are out of this world. Every time I return from a trip there, I think I'm finished with Egypt, then after a while I get a longing to return....

Israel I would do and stay on the ship for Egypt(and stay *inside* since Alexandria smells dreadful :rolleyes:)

I spent a full day in Alexandria (much of it outside) last September and never once noticed any smell......:confused:

I had a terrific day, just me and a wonderful private guide. You can read my review here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1297722&highlight=alexandria

To answer the OP's question, I'm not sure that I would plan travel to Egypt right now; I'd probably wait a year and see. Odds are, there will/would be no problem with going there. However, I'd want to see what happens after their elections and would keep an eye on planned demonstrations and the like.

The best thing you can do is just keep an eye on the news and when the time comes that you either need make your plans complete or cancel, you can judge how you feel then.

We have a Holy Land cruise booked for November. No flights, no pre- or post- hotels yet. This cruise has stops in Israel and Egypt.

 

With current events in mind, I'm a little leery of this one. Would you go?

BE careful not to get too excited - if you are going and the Captain or corporate feel it's unsafe they will cancel those ports and you will be very disappointed.

In my opinion Egypt is wonderful. We were there in December '10 and had a wonderful time. We had a private tour with Ramses.It was a trip of a life time, and we wanted more.

We are booked on Celebrity's November 6th. Holy Land cruise. We booked because we were scheduled to spend two days in Egypt and three in Israel. When Celebrity dropped Egypt, many people decided to postpone their trip. We had already booked our flight. We decided to stay.

I would wait and see what happens before deciding what to do; however, if you are really uncomfortable about going there, don't.

As the previous poster, we also booked our Holy Land cruise on Celebrity because of the overnight in Egypt. (Oct. 10). We had hotels, traveling companions' plans, and air booked already so have decided to stay with the cruise. We were in Egypt for 1 day in 2006 and loved it -- we would go back in a heartbeat.

As others have said, it may not be up to you. The cruiselines won't go if it's unsafe. If there are other parts of the itinerary you really are excited about, I'd keep the reservation. Since you don't have your air booked yet, you have the luxury of a choice.

November is still 6 months away and the political situation may change. I would not want to go to Egypt right now.

Knowing that, we are booked on a Holy Land NCL out of Rome going to Turkey, Cypres, Israel and Egypt. If NCL decides to cancel the Egypt stop, they will probably divert to Istanbul, which is not a problem.

I have been to Egypt twice, and done a Nile cruise in Southern Egypt. It was fantastic. I love ancient history, and much of Egypt's historical temples, tombs and monuments are preserved because of the desert climate. It is amazing how much has not been destroyed like in Greece and Italy. If you love history Egypt is a must.

Egypt is a poor third world country, and its culture is based on Islam, which is far different from Western culture. I lived in Saudi Arabia for five years, and appreciate the cultural differences, but for you have to know that Egypt is nothing like Europe. Most of the people are poor, many have dwellings with mud floors.

Still, I had several Egyptian friends and found the people generally to be friendly. However, there will be hawkers that are trying to sell you something. They are very persistent. Just ignore them. Don't buy from people on the street.

Also, only eat at very nice restaurants and avoid salads. However, if you are in the Ramasees Hilton, you can eat whatever they serve you.

In summary, going to Egypt is wonderful. The fact that it is a poor country does not diminish the magnitude of the historical sites there.

The cruise lines will make the decision on the safety of docking there. If they go, we are going, again.

The big problem with the possibility that they might cancel the stop in Egypt is that Egypt is the main reason we booked the cruise. What a horrible disappointment it would be to spend around $10K on a cruise and miss the stop you wanted the most.

What I would really like to do is the Viking Cruise that is Egypt only. We've been to almost all the other ports on the Princess cruise we booked. Only Israel and Egypt would be new.

I've decided to tell my husband I don't want to do the cruise we booked. He thinks this might be our last chance to go there because "we aren't getting any younger."

The big problem with the possibility that they might cancel the stop in Egypt is that Egypt is the main reason we booked the cruise. What a horrible disappointment it would be to spend around $10K on a cruise and miss the stop you wanted the most.

 

What I would really like to do is the Viking Cruise that is Egypt only. We've been to almost all the other ports on the Princess cruise we booked. Only Israel and Egypt would be new.

 

I've decided to tell my husband I don't want to do the cruise we booked. He thinks this might be our last chance to go there because "we aren't getting any younger."

I know exactly how you feel Gooch47, I had booked a 12 day cruise that stopped in Egypt back in October and the port call in Alexandria was replaced after the White Revolution in Jan-Feb.

Having already locked in some flights, I was pretty well committed to going. Then I found a shorter cruise with the same itinerary, minus Alexandria, and changed my plans. Our trip in early June will now include the cruise and a five day overland tour in Egypt.

Egypt is a country that I have always wanted to visit. My wife spent many years there, as a young lady, and she can't wait to get back and show it off to me. But even with such intimate knowledge of the country, she is very nervous about traveling there right now.

So, it probably takes quite a bit of objectivity to respond to your original post and I'm not so sure that I, or many others, can be anything but subjective in our responses.

You've seen that some have said they hated Egypt ... and I can't understand that. Some have said don't go right now and my wife fully understands that. Others have said go with a plan and book your flights at the last minute, that seems like a good idea, unless either you can't then get a deal or, worse, a flight.

For what it's worth, my humble opinion is that Egypt is probably the safest of the Middle-East countries right now, and has been for years. It can be argued that it's not as safe as it was six months ago, but "the proof of the pudding ..." There hasn't been a report of tourists in Egypt hurt by violence in years, and there have been hundreds (if not thousands) of tourists who have visited Egypt since February with no incidents.

I think the chances are excellent that you will have a trip of a lifetime if you plan things well and book with an accredited tour company.

Best of luck, and remember, as others have said, the cruise lines will not stop in Egypt if they think it is dangerous.