Help with Alexandria/Egypt tours needed.

I have recently booked a cruise which calls at Alexandria.

We will only have one day, & as we want to get the most out of it, & also are not good with keeping up with crowds (wonky knees!), I've been looking at private tours.

In particular I am interested in any comments from people who have experienced tours with DeCastro, Nile Blue or Memphis tours.

I'd also be grateful for suggestions about the 'must sees', along with the pyramids of course.

Thank you.:)

I am part of a large group of cruisers currently in the process of planning private excursions in Cairo for our 2009 cruise. DeCastro and Nile Blue are among the operators we are considering.

I would be VERY grateful for any detailed reviews of experiences with either of those tour ops. Thanks!

Here is my review on De Castro.

So, I have been planning this trip for over nine months. Went through exhaustive research, going through reviews, details on each company and the itinerary itself. I decided on De Castro since it is a large company, had some good reviews online, and Soliman ( the tour operator) was very responsive and was very patient answering all my questions - and I will tell you I had a lot of questions since I wanted to make sure this trip was perfect and we were going with the right agency.

To give you some examples - I was very clear with my specifications on the type of trip. We wanted the trip to be exclusive, and wanted to stay in specific hotels and take a specific cruise. I had chosen these places based on the research I had gathered from here, Soliman and I had clear talk about this - he had recommended the Le Meridien, Giza however I had heard nothing but great things about Mena House, so I had asked him to book us into that. Similarly, he had tried to put us into another hotel in Aswan, however I had told him we needed the Old Cataract. So, I was very specific with him each step of the way, letting him know where we wanted to stay and he was great in acknowledging that and confirming it.

Eventually towards the latter part of the planning, we went ahead and booked the Mena House ourselves since I wanted to put the deposits on our credit cards. Accordingly, the trip itinerary through DeCastro included everything else.

Things went smoothly the first day, they were there to receive us, get our visas, take us to the Hotel, collected us the next day toured Cairo and then came the next day morning to pick us up to go to Alexandria.

On the way there, Soliman tells us there was a change in the itinerary - They could not book us into the sleeper trains to Aswan and the return from Luxor to Cairo, so we will be flying there ( we were ok with that even though that meant spending an extra day at Aswan and Luxor). Then he said, the reservations department screwed up and even though they had reserved rooms for us at the Old Cataract they did not send the deposit on time, so our reservations are cancelled and we are now booked into the Pyramisa. Also, the same thing happened with the Nile cruise - we are now booked into the cruise ship Medea instead of Mojito. He assured us repeatedly how Mojito and Medea are similar - five star deluxe, we will not see the difference, everything is still five star deluxe category.

We were disappointed but believed him...and then we went to the Alexandria Library where we got online and checked out Medea - and saw the difference in pictures. Medea looked like a cheap motel compared to the Mojito. It was not a deluxe category, and again, thanks to all the information I had received online, there is a big difference between the two categories. Besides, based on the rates we had paid De Castro - they were five star deluxe rates all the way through, so this was not acceptable.

So, on the way back to Cairo, we had a conversation with Soliman, and that is where the true colors came out. He had known about this schedule change since the 2nd of April, but did not bother to tell us when we got there 6th morning, when he met us at the airport and took the money from us. He basically lied when he said the Mojito and Medea was the same, and Pyramisa is an ok hotel, but not the same category as the Old Cataract. At this point, they can do nothing, we will just have to accept it. However, we were very insistent and stressed on this being bad service, and it took a lot of discussion ( heated at times) before he finally agreed to make some calls. Finally we were told that we would be given $200 per couple to book ourselves into the Cataract and they would cancel the Pyramisa booking. So we booked ourselves into the Cataract and paid an extra $200 to stay there since De Castro messed up. The stay there was amazing ( will post separately on that). Then he said he would let us know about the cruise.

Next day, he kept us hanging - telling us we will know soon whether he could get us into the Mojito. Meanwhile, we went and took a look at the Medea - and it was scary. Very shabby, peeling carpets, the room they showed us was dirty, peeling bright orange carpets, half windows which was dirty - and then we saw the Mojito - and it was a big difference. Waited the whole day to hear back from Soliman, he told us we would know by 5pm latest, then disappeared and showed up at 7:30p to let us know that we would have to go with Medea. At that point, we were livid. Nine months of planning, detailed instructions, countless emails, confirmed itinerary and everything was pointless because he was basically telling us that he could not put us into the Mojito. He then admits to the fact that Medea is not as good as the Mojito...we can go and book ourselves in there independently but it would be like the Cataract. We would have to pay the money out of own pockets. They would refund us some of the money but we would get it back in 20 to 25 business days. At that point, we were not trusting him anymore - since everything he was saying were lies and were out of a great experience. We said we would complain to the Tourism Police, we would make sure EVERYONE knew this and he basically said he does not believe in online reviews, De Castro is owned by the same guy who owns Harrods in London, and if I post a negative review, he will post 10 good review online, and they will still get customers. After arguing with him till about 11pm ( we missed the Phila light and show), he finally made a call to the Senior Manager who then called us back at midnight to say that he was putting us on the Mojito.

The next three days were great - Mojito was wonderful. Then we arrive at Luxor where again we meet DeCastro's tour operator who brings along Bob, a tour guide. He then starts bargaining with us...we want to see the Karnak Light and Show, we need to pay then 35 pounds per person for it. When we pause at that, he says ok let's bring that down to 20 pounds per person, but if we pay him directly, then it will be only 15 pounds. At that point, we decide to do that ourselves. So we get a taxi from the cruise ship to the Temple ( 15 LE each way) and then 75 LE pp for the tickets - you can see the difference.

We go on the sightseeing to Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatchesput Temple with Bob where we see him blatantly buy one ticket and get all of us through, give some separate money to the gate wardens, and then charge us the full price.

I know this is a long review, but at this point, I want everyone to be aware of this tour agency. I realize mistakes can be made, but the way they handled it was terrible. Soliman turned out to be this immensely bitter person, who made it clear he did not enjoy his job and clearly did not like to be contradicted. He was lying every step of the way to cover up the mistakes. What scared me was his talk about the company not caring about reviews - I have traveled extensively and ALL my traveling decisions have been made by what is posted in various travel websites - so if a company is of that philosophy, then they are basically there to take your money and that is it...who cares about travel experiences? I am sure people had great experiences, but what do they do when they mess up like it did in our case? This review could have been different if Soliman had behaved professionally and had worked constructively at fixing the mistakes made, instead of trying to mkae us believe that Medea was the same as Mojito, the Pyramisa was the same as Old Cataract, the tour guide at Luxor was not bargaining with us like he did. Another thing I want to add - De Castro provided us with several tour guides - all of them with the exception of one were very average, their English was heaviliy accented ( which is understandable), however at times they were quite hard to understand.

Mostafa, the GM, did do a good job of putting us on the Mojito, but the day and a half of battles with Soliman and putting up with his attitude before we could speak to Mostafa really made the whole thing very bitter and messy. It was clear that other travelers probably got the same thing happen to them, and Soliman was sure he could get away with making the changes in the itinerary and when he told us he was calling his manager to see what could be done, he wasn't.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions, I will try my best to answer any questions. But, I strong recommend thinking twice before going with this tour agency.

Thanks Des1rees, that was really helpful.:)

Once again, sorry for your experience, but so glad you were able to share it.

It can be tricky finding information on the boards. I have searched but if I try Nile Blue, I get all the posts that mention Nile or Blue, the same with Memphis. It would also be useful to know of any other companies out there who I may not have heard of too.

I think I might come & lurk on your roll call LeeAnne to help me in my planning.;)

Thanks Des1rees, that was really helpful.:)

 

Once again, sorry for your experience, but so glad you were able to share it.

 

It can be tricky finding information on the boards. I have searched but if I try Nile Blue, I get all the posts that mention Nile or Blue, the same with Memphis. It would also be useful to know of any other companies out there who I may not have heard of too.

 

I think I might come & lurk on your roll call LeeAnne to help me in my planning.;)

Sparky or anyone out there,

If anyone needs a review on Mojito Nile Cruise please post...I will be able to give some feedback on that.

Thanks,

Last Nov, 100 of us left the Star Princess in Port Said for a Cairo overnight, rejoining the ship in Alexandria. We used Nile BlueTours and it was great. Hazem had everything planned to a T. This Feb, DH and I went back to Cairo, again with Nile Blue, for 10 days of cruising the Nile and Cairo. Again, no problems of any kind. Hazem does do one day trips from Alexandria. Just email him the date and he'll email you right back.

info@nilebluetours.com. Tell him Rita sent you. :cool:

des1rees thank you for posting your review. It serves as a reminder to bring phone numbers and email correspondence in case anything goes wrong on a private tour (not that it would have helped much here). I'm really sorry you had to do battle for things you were promised initially; that would have really upset me.

I have posted our experience here on the thread about Dalia who was our guide for the Alexandria port stop who we had for our DeCastro tour on March 8, 2008. This was a wonderful tour.

Mountainmare thank you. I have found your reports invaluable, particularly as I will be sailing the same itinerary on the same ship as you.

I'm still researching, I have plenty of time and remain open minded at the moment. Things can & do go wrong, & the advice being given here on these boards is very helpful. I must admit on my last cruise when I took my first & only private tour so far, I went off trustingly leaving everything in the hands of the operator. Fortunately all was good, but my naivety could have cost us dear if there had been a problem.

Thank you too, WeBeGone. I have read some of your reports too, & again they were very helpful.:)

We booked our excursion through the ship (Legend of the Seas) and were very glad we did so. The tour was well managed and we felt safe the whole time. Plenty of time at the Pyramids and Sphinx plus a lovely cruise on the Nile for lunch. Photos and review of our cruise in the links below.

Kathy:)

For those looking for additional recommendations for guides in Cairo/Alexandria, the Tripadvisor Cairo Forum has a sticky with recommended guides, compiled by a Tripadvisor Destination Expert, based on member feedback...some guides are just for Cairo, and a couple are for Cairo & Alexandria.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294201-c85398/Cairo:Egypt:Tourist.Guides.Recommendations..html

There is also a thread where people post their experiences with guides:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294201-i9404-k1732507-o80-Tourist_Guides_Recommended_by_TA_Members_2008-Cairo.html

Thanks Susan-M! I use Trip Adviser all the time, but somehow I'd never come across that forum. Great resource!

For those looking for additional recommendations for guides in Cairo/Alexandria, the Tripadvisor Cairo Forum has a sticky with recommended guides, compiled by a Tripadvisor Destination Expert, based on member feedback...some guides are just for Cairo, and a couple are for Cairo & Alexandria.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294201-c85398/Cairo:Egypt:Tourist.Guides.Recommendations..html

 

There is also a thread where people post their experiences with guides:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294201-i9404-k1732507-o80-Tourist_Guides_Recommended_by_TA_Members_2008-Cairo.html

Wow Susan, that is a brilliant resource, thankyou.:) It will certainly keep me busy for a while.

Like LeeAnne, I use tripadvisor regularly for hotels and also main sightseeing tips, but had not found that.

Kathy, thank you too. We have not ruled anything out yet. Off to explore your llink. :)

As a group of 4 we tend to pay about the same price for private as oppossed to a ship's tour, so financially it doesn't make much difference to us. My only other issue with the ship's tour, apart from me being able to keep up, :D is that we will be sailing Costa for the itinerary and the fact it was the only one we could find where the dates fitted our needs. Last year we were with MSC and the only ship's tour I booked was cancelled as there were not enough English speaking passengers to warrant an extra coach. My other fear is that we will be on a tour with a language we don't speak, so will 'lose' a lot of the information.

Hi LeeAnne & Sparky... you're welcome.:) I had posted this in a separate thread a while ago but it's on page 2 now. I've booked Rasha for our upcoming trip (October) ... looking forward to it!

Hi Susan,

I was just thinking about you as I noticed from the tripadvisor forums you appear to have booked Rasha. I was wondering if you had been yet, but you have just answered my question.

I have just been looking at Rasha's website & am interested. I will email her shortly.

I have also heard back from Nazem at Nile Blue..what was I saying about breaking even on ship's tours?, here (in Egypt) at least it appears to be cheaper.:)

What's more, no deposit is required and I've been quoted in $ which is a big bonus. Although I'm British, the Euro isn't too good for us here either, $$$ are much better.:D

We used Egyptian Express and loved it. It was first class all the way!

It is a bit more expensive than De Castro or Nile Blue but is worth it. Our guide was a graduate Egyptologist and extremely knowledgable and professional.

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html

Thanks Mike.:)

I had come across this before when I was searching. Your review & pics are wonderful, thanks for sharing.

I was a bit confused though. Their website seems to indicate longer tours for those staying in & around Cairo. I have since found a shore excursions website, but that seems geared to tour operators. I noticed your TA booked for you & wasn't sure they dealt with individuals & small groups. I can always ask the question though.

Now I don't know how I'm going to decide, I seem spoilt for choice.

Oh, & a quick correction to my above post. It is Hazem at Nile Blue, not Nazem. I'm just glad the misspelling was on here & not on the email I sent.

Hi Susan,

I was just thinking about you as I noticed from the tripadvisor forums you appear to have booked Rasha. I was wondering if you had been yet, but you have just answered my question.

 

I have just been looking at Rasha's website & am interested. I will email her shortly.

 

I have also heard back from Nazem at Nile Blue..what was I saying about breaking even on ship's tours?, here (in Egypt) at least it appears to be cheaper.:)

What's more, no deposit is required and I've been quoted in $ which is a big bonus. Although I'm British, the Euro isn't too good for us here either, $$$ are much better.:D

Hi Sparky,

I was amazed at how reasonable tour prices are in Egypt ... Rasha was the only person I contacted as she was my top pick from the TA list. When she said that she was available and provided pricing and details, I was sold, esp. when she said that she doesn't do the shopping stops that some other guides do (for commission sales). Also, no deposit and quoted in U.S. $.

Good luck with your decision ... it will be an interesting day!

Having read some good reviews, we have booked a one day private tour with De Castro for Alexandria to Cairo during our Azamara Cruise in June. Now, having read the review at the start of this thread.... should we be nervous?

--Leo & Myra in AZ

No--we had a wonderful day.

If you are nervous you could make them aware that you have read the report on cc and would feel better with a very detailed summary of what you will see and exactly what is included and not included in the tour (even though I am sure that this has already been covered in your e-mails). Also ask for a contact number in case anything goes wrong.

Remember that the report here not for a shore tour but a combination land and Nile River Cruise package.

I probably drove Moustafa crazy with all of my--"I know you already told me..but I am just double checking" e-mails, but it made me feel better.

Having read some good reviews, we have booked a one day private tour with De Castro for Alexandria to Cairo during our Azamara Cruise in June. Now, having read the review at the start of this thread.... should we be nervous?

 

--Leo & Myra in AZ

I think the important take-aways from this poor review are 1) to recognize that the potential for this to happen exists with ANY tour op...and that it DID happen with this operator on this particular tour, and 2) knowing that it has happened, come with the expectation that it WILL happen, so you will not be caught off-guard in case it does; and 3) come prepared with full documentation of all correspondence, phone numbers, etc. so that if it DOES happen, you'll have everything at your fingertips to deal with it.

And for me, 4) ask specifically not to have Soliman on your tour. That fourth one is something that I would do, but others may not feel it necessary. I found his behavior as described to be reprehensible, and an indication of how he might behave if something were to go wrong on MY tour; I wouldn't want to take that chance.

One bad review does not mean that they are a bad operator; and certainly there have been many great reviews of their tours, so we know they can do a good job. But it DOES mean that someone had a bad experience with them, so it CAN happen to you. Hopefully it won't, but it's best to go in prepared in case it does.

rubinstein2r, I agree with the above. There is a risk element in anyone we choose & it is being fully prepared that is the lesson here. I think too, that there shouldn't be any problems with a standard shore excursion as in general they will have given you the itinerary, have chosen the restaurant etc etc & will be working well within their comfort zones. I'm sure all will be well, don't worry.

Susan, just for your interest I've heard back from Rasha already, I only emailed this afternoon. Her quote was actually lower than Nile Blue for the same itinerary. Price isn't my main priority though as of course we've paid a lot of money for the cruise so we can visit Egypt I'm certainly not going to skimp for the sake of it. Even so, it's good to know I'm not being 'ripped off'.

At the end of all these quotes, I really don't know how I am going to decide!!

Last summer I posted an extensive review of our experience with DeCastro and if you follow the many discussions of DeloresDelGArda you will see their ultimate experience with them as well. Many had good experiences but many did not (including us and DelGarda's group who were enthusiatic supporters0. Personally I would not want to take the chance with other tours to choose from. Why take a chance, it was the only time we have not had a good experience with a cruise critic mentioned tour as they say, Let the buyer beware

I think the important take-aways from this poor review are 1) to recognize that the potential for this to happen exists with ANY tour op...and that it DID happen with this operator on this particular tour, and 2) knowing that it has happened, come with the expectation that it WILL happen, so you will not be caught off-guard in case it does; and 3) come prepared with full documentation of all correspondence, phone numbers, etc. so that if it DOES happen, you'll have everything at your fingertips to deal with it.

 

And for me, 4) ask specifically not to have Soliman on your tour. That fourth one is something that I would do, but others may not feel it necessary. I found his behavior as described to be reprehensible, and an indication of how he might behave if something were to go wrong on MY tour; I wouldn't want to take that chance.

 

One bad review does not mean that they are a bad operator; and certainly there have been many great reviews of their tours, so we know they can do a good job. But it DOES mean that someone had a bad experience with them, so it CAN happen to you. Hopefully it won't, but it's best to go in prepared in case it does.

Exactly. And as another poster said, one-day shore excursion does not have the potential of being bad like the longer ones do.

The main thing, is to be prepared...AND to know how the company will deal with the mistakes or messes that happen. Noone is perfect - but how are the mistakes fixed. There are SO SO many tour operators for Egypt, if I was planning a trip there, I would make this a very important factor for deciding on ir against it.

When I was researching Port Said, Cairo, Safaga, and Luxor for my 3-day visit a year ago, I was told by the Egyptian tourist board that I could put my info on a website and wait for replies. I did so and was inundated with responses - to this day, I still get emails from Egypt.

If I had to do it again, I would have simply worked my way thru individual websites instead of the mass email system.

Ruby