Just back from the Pyramids...

[JRJARS]

Will be happy to answer your questions about our excursion to the Pryamids from Alexandria. Overall it was an amazing trip and not to be missed.

[JRJARS]

Decided to give you a quick rundown of our excursion rather than wait for questions. Excursions from Alexandria are approximately 12 hours long and our cost was $175.00 each. We started at 7:30 am. A short walk from the ship to the buses and we were on our way. Traffic on this day and time was very light. You travel on a well paved highway the entire way. Along the 2.5 hour drive to Cairo our guide was very informative about her country and spoke beautiful english. Shopping is limited on this excursion so while on board she made available for purchase, DVD's, Shirts, and the Cartouche pendant. There was zero pressure to buy anything. To purchase a Cartouche she passed around the catalog and took your order. She then phoned in the orders where we would later stop and pick them up and pay for them. Very easy! She also explained what we could expect at the Pryamids as far as the locals and how they hover around you trying to sell you their goods. Yes it's true - they do at first. You must ignore them, don't speak to them, don't look at them, if you must simply say NO firmly and they will move on to next victim. They will try to hand you something...do NOT take it...let it fall on the ground and keep walking. I know it seems mean but you will quickly get over that. You also have the chance to ride a camel..our guide says that they too are devious and have been known to agree on one price and then refuse to let you off unless you pay more. The tour company has pre-arranged a set price of $10.00 for camel rides with specific vendors. For those interested we paid our guide and she led us to the one person amongst the others for the camel ride - smooth and easy...no problems. You are also able to enter into a burial chamber inside one of the Pyramids. $10.00 paid to our guide and tickets provided for entry while on the bus. Not for the faint of heart, or chlostrophobic! This is a 3ft. tall tunnel down hill into the bowels of the Pyramid. Unless you are 3ft. tall you will be hunched over in a kneeling position for a couple minutes as you make your way down to the chamber. Making it worse is the fact the you enter the same way you exit so you are battling persons coming the opposite direction..tight fit! Once inside the chamber you can stand up only to see a dark room with a hole in the ground. You should do it if you can handle the cramped conditions...not everyone can say they have been inside a Pyramid. The Sphinx is a 2 minute ride down the road and is amazing as well. Next stop...The Nile river boat lunch cruise. It was okay, nothing great. The Nile runs through downtown Cairo so you are surrounded by buildings and hotels..you are not in the remote desert like many people probably think. Boat was okay, dancers?, food was plentiful, I opted not to really eat as don't always trust the food. Everyone else pigged out and no one to my knowledge got sick. Next stop was the Alabaster Church...by now the traffic was in full frenzy and became annoying at times. The church was beautiful but I could have skipped that hour. Final stop was at local store to pick up our Cartouches that we had ordered earlier and to shop and see demonstration on how they turn the plant leaf into paper...crowded, loud and stupid. Shopping was about the same, our Cartouches were ready and went off without a hitch. Again we are now into hour # 10 of excursion and I was ready to be done. Trip home seemed long, it was dark so many slept. Back to ship and that was the best shower ever! Was it worth it...of course, once in a lifetime opportunity. I would have preferred a 7 hour trip just to the Pyramids and back. One final thing I would like to clear up...What to wear! I, like many worried about the no shorts rule. I had purchased those pants that you can unzip the legs and turn into shorts. I started off the day in the shorts for the long bus ride and figured I'd play the rest of the day by ear based on what other I saw were wearing. Keep in mind it is the end of August in the desert...at the Pyramids I quickly noticed the norm to be in shorts, women with sleeveless shirts and shorts as well. The Nile lunch...shorts. I asked our guide to give me a headsup when we would arrive at the church so I could zip on my pants...she quickly informed me that I was fine with my shorts. Again the church was filled with shorts. The women were however given coverups at the door for their shoulders. Never once did I feel out of place, no stares, no whispers, nothing. I realize that a lot has to do with respecting their culture, however, you are on vacation, you are there for a few short hours, and you are pumping money into their economy. The places we went believe me they care more about your $$ than they do your knees and shoulders. Be comfortable and enjoy.

[hightownCO]

Thanks for your review!

 

Do you know the name of the tour company? If it was Nile Blue, who was your guide? (Will be doing an overnight with them in November)

 

Thanks again!

[JRJARS]

It was NASCO Tours through Celebrity Cruise Lines. Our guide was Dina.

[cruisemom42]

One final thing I would like to clear up...What to wear! I, like many worried about the no shorts rule. I had purchased those pants that you can unzip the legs and turn into shorts. I started off the day in the shorts for the long bus ride and figured I'd play the rest of the day by ear based on what other I saw were wearing. Keep in mind it is the end of August in the desert...at the Pyramids I quickly noticed the norm to be in shorts, women with sleeveless shirts and shorts as well. The Nile lunch...shorts. I asked our guide to give me a headsup when we would arrive at the church so I could zip on my pants...she quickly informed me that I was fine with my shorts. Again the church was filled with shorts. The women were however given coverups at the door for their shoulders. Never once did I feel out of place, no stares, no whispers, nothing. I realize that a lot has to do with respecting their culture, however, you are on vacation, you are there for a few short hours, and you are pumping money into their economy. The places we went believe me they care more about your $$ than they do your knees and shoulders. Be comfortable and enjoy.

 

 

I'm sorry, but I do have to take exception to this part of your post. And perhaps this should be directed more to your guide than to you, since you were prepared to do the right thing and not wear shorts into the mosque. I'm not sure why your guide told you it was okay, as it is really a major faux pas. Perhaps she was thinking of her tip....:rolleyes:

 

The Alabaster mosque (not church) is one of the more touristy mosques, but even so, it really is not acceptable to wear shorts inside, for men or women. Perhaps no one stared or whispered (maybe they were more polite than to do so). But for future travelers, please do have a look at this link, from Tripadvisor, written by LOCAL experts to help travelers with clothing questions. Note particularly the last, italicized paragraph:

 

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294201-c74912/Cairo:Egypt:What.To.Wear.When.Visiting.Egypt.html

 

As my mom always said, "just because 'everyone' is doing something, doesn't make it right."

 

And finally, I'm not sure you really thought about what you were writing, but to say that they care more about our $$ than our cultural sensitivity is well...... :mad:

 

Imagine if 50 years from now our country has been eclipsed by other world economies, and visitors from some other, wealthier, country whose cultural norms include not wearing any clothing and spitting on floors come to visit your town. They descend in droves on your favorite restaurants and bars, even your churches, and sit there -- talking loudly in their language, ordering the wait staff around (in their language because they don't know yours -- not even a word of it), and spitting everywhere. Would it be okay, because we need their money? Maybe.... Would we resent it? You bet.

 

Sorry -- as I said, I'm not attacking you. I think your guide was wrong. And I don't think you really thought through what you were suggesting.... At least, I hope not.

[JRJARS]

You know there always has to be someone on these boards that gets offended and has to add their two cents. More people than not had shorts on and it was perfectly fine. Like I said I don't think anyone was offended. If you want to wear long sleeves and pants then do so. geez quit being so uptight! and yes i meant every word i said in my review.

[sizzle_sisters]

Thanks for posting your review. It was straight forward and to the point. The way I like it. No need to smooth things for me, I understand exactly what you meant. $$ is very important to the peoples in these ports, of course for varying different reasons. I didn't think you insensitive, you spoke frankly.

I find it interesting that you would have preferred the shorter tour, why? And also your thoughts on an overnight tour.

[Limey1]

Will be happy to answer your questions about our excursion to the Pryamids from Alexandria. Overall it was an amazing trip and not to be missed.

 

Thank you very much for a great candid review. Your offer to answer questions is very much appreciated. We will be there in October. What was the name of the store from which the Cartouches were purchased? Did people think they were a good value for the

quality they received? Thanks for any input on this subject. Several of us ladies plan on wearing a longer skirt, a coverup blouse, and bringing a shawl - that sounds like it would work for us as far as being appropriate, but would slacks be better because of the dust? Lastly, was there a restroom accomodation on the bus? We've read elsewhere that they can be rather rustic and should only be used in an emergency.

[BigGuy25]

You know there always has to be someone on these boards that gets offended and has to add their two cents. More people than not had shorts on and it was perfectly fine. Like I said I don't think anyone was offended. If you want to wear long sleeves and pants then do so. geez quit being so uptight! and yes i meant every word i said in my review.

 

You are correct ... there is always someone who feels the need to "rain on someone else's parade." I believe that your guide, who is a local and does this tour every day, has a better handle on local customs than some on this board.

 

Thanks for the great review. We'll be visiting the Pyramids next July and I'm debating whether to the take the ship's tour or book a private tour. There are four of us so it always helps make the private tour a bit more economical.

 

Can you give me a sense of the price range of the cartouches. I'm guessing they range from "not too expensive" all the way up to solid gold??

[JRJARS]

Morning everyone..let me see if I can answer some of your questions...but first I would to say something about our guide. Her name was Dina and probably in her early 40's. She received her education and masters degree in the states and chose to return to her native Egypt because she wanted to teach and show the world what a great country she is from. She never stopped talking on our 2.5 hour drive to Cairo - you could hear it in her voice the passion she has for her country. That being said I don't believe she was trying to get a bigger tip out of me. Anyway.....

 

Sizzle Sisters...Although the Mosque was beautiful once inside, it was late in the day, traffic was a complete nightmare and we were only there for maybe an hour. With the exception of purchasing our Cartouches at the store, the place was loud, and crowded. Shopping not so great and the paper demonstration uneventful. Bless her heart the woman doing the demonstration was shy and soft spoken and unfortunately the crowds overpowered her...you really couldn't hear a word she was saying. With that being said a 12 hour bus tour obviously makes for a long day, when you are over 6ft tall a cramped bus seat can make it feel longer...in hindsight I could have skipped the Mosque and shaved a couple hours off the tour. I realize though that when you travel that far for a short period of time you need to cram as much as you can into your day. Would I had prefered to break things up into an overnight stay...probably not.

 

Limey....you ladies will be perfectly fine in your choice of wardrobe. I didn't find the dust to be much of an issue. Walking around the Pyramids obviously was dusty but there was no breeze that day and other than our shoes we didn't feel that dirty - although after the 12 hour day the shower that night was about the best thing ever! We had a restroom on our bus...if you could call it that. The bathroom is located under the seats in the middle of the bus. Picture how you board a bus through the side doors...you step onto the bus to a landing and then up a couple more steps to get to your seats. At that first landing there is a door to the bathroom and you must go down a step or two to get into the smaller than airline bathroom. Ours was not pretty - men definitely have the advantage here. I would suggest that you carry along some wipes and kleenex or something as you may want to tidy up the area first. There were no pit stops along the way. I didn't see any facilities at the Pyramids but I did at the Sphinx which is 2 minutes down the road. Not sure if they charged for the restrooms or not. Again though they take American currency. I will have to check at home to see if I can find the name of the store they took us to. I would imagine if you are doing a ship excursion that takes you to a shopping area it could be this place.

 

Big Guy...I believe I paid $25.00 US for my one sided sterling silver cartouche. there were various sizes, one sided, two sided, silver and gold combination, 18k gold etc. knew i wanted silver so didn't pay attention to the other prices. not an expert on cartouche quality but I am pleased with mine. once at the store you can charge your purchases...i attempted to use my AX card and they "claimed" their authorization system for AX was down. Used Visa with no problem I think since AX charges more sometimes they just don't want to take AX but it wasn't an issue.

 

I found the Eqyptian people to be extremely friendly, along our route through the city of Cairo the children would smile and wave to us - made you want to get off the bus and give them big hugs.

[Limey1]

Morning everyone..let me see if I can answer some of your questions...but first I would to say something about our guide. Her name was Dina and probably in her early 40's. She received her education and masters degree in the states and chose to return to her native Egypt because she wanted to teach and show the world what a great country she is from. She never stopped talking on our 2.5 hour drive to Cairo - you could hear it in her voice the passion she has for her country. That being said I don't believe she was trying to get a bigger tip out of me. Anyway.....

 

Sizzle Sisters...Although the Mosque was beautiful once inside, it was late in the day, traffic was a complete nightmare and we were only there for maybe an hour. With the exception of purchasing our Cartouches at the store, the place was loud, and crowded. Shopping not so great and the paper demonstration uneventful. Bless her heart the woman doing the demonstration was shy and soft spoken and unfortunately the crowds overpowered her...you really couldn't hear a word she was saying. With that being said a 12 hour bus tour obviously makes for a long day, when you are over 6ft tall a cramped bus seat can make it feel longer...in hindsight I could have skipped the Mosque and shaved a couple hours off the tour. I realize though that when you travel that far for a short period of time you need to cram as much as you can into your day. Would I had prefered to break things up into an overnight stay...probably not.

 

Limey....you ladies will be perfectly fine in your choice of wardrobe. I didn't find the dust to be much of an issue. Walking around the Pyramids obviously was dusty but there was no breeze that day and other than our shoes we didn't feel that dirty - although after the 12 hour day the shower that night was about the best thing ever! We had a restroom on our bus...if you could call it that. The bathroom is located under the seats in the middle of the bus. Picture how you board a bus through the side doors...you step onto the bus to a landing and then up a couple more steps to get to your seats. At that first landing there is a door to the bathroom and you must go down a step or two to get into the smaller than airline bathroom. Ours was not pretty - men definitely have the advantage here. I would suggest that you carry along some wipes and kleenex or something as you may want to tidy up the area first. There were no pit stops along the way. I didn't see any facilities at the Pyramids but I did at the Sphinx which is 2 minutes down the road. Not sure if they charged for the restrooms or not. Again though they take American currency. I will have to check at home to see if I can find the name of the store they took us to. I would imagine if you are doing a ship excursion that takes you to a shopping area it could be this place.

 

Big Guy...I believe I paid $25.00 US for my one sided sterling silver cartouche. there were various sizes, one sided, two sided, silver and gold combination, 18k gold etc. knew i wanted silver so didn't pay attention to the other prices. not an expert on cartouche quality but I am pleased with mine. once at the store you can charge your purchases...i attempted to use my AX card and they "claimed" their authorization system for AX was down. Used Visa with no problem I think since AX charges more sometimes they just don't want to take AX but it wasn't an issue.

 

I found the Eqyptian people to be extremely friendly, along our route through the city of Cairo the children would smile and wave to us - made you want to get off the bus and give them big hugs.

 

 

Thanks so much for your reply. Really appreciate the restroom info. We've heard about Gouzlan Jewelers for Cartouche purchases - does that name ring a bell? Or, was it at "the government approved store" we've read about. Also, good to know about the AX issue. So very glad that you had what sounds like a wonderful experience in Egypt with a great guide.

[cruisemom42]

You know there always has to be someone on these boards that gets offended and has to add their two cents. More people than not had shorts on and it was perfectly fine. Like I said I don't think anyone was offended. If you want to wear long sleeves and pants then do so. geez quit being so uptight! and yes i meant every word i said in my review.

 

Sorry, I did not mean to offend, merely to inform others who may read this and provide a counterpoint. I stand by what I said, but will say no more.

 

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Egypt. It is a wonderful country.

[dskdsk]

How long did it take for the cramping to leave your legs after climbing into the pyramids. My friend said it ruined the rest of his vacation because it hurt too much to even climb curbs for a few days.

[Salt & Pepper Jr.]

JRJARS,

 

Your trip report was awesome!!! Just reading it took me back to a time when I was a young man back in the early 80's while enlisted in the U.S. Navy on temporary duty in the Mediterranean for six months aboard the U.S.S. San Diego AFS-6, I had the chance to go exactly where you just took us with your trip report. It seems some things just don't change over there, or not much. Our bus ride, however, did not have restroom facilities nor air conditioning (HOT) and yes showers back on the ship were the first order of business. I did go inside The Great Pyramid of Giza (Pyramid of Cheops) and OMG are you so on point when you say that for a 6 foot person walking bent over in the short cramped / angled tunnel you travel to get to the King/Queen burial chambers is a killer on the back. Ironically once we reached the King's chamber, we sailors, a long way from home, met an American family from Pittsburgh, PA wearing their Steelers T-shirts. I hope those that do go on this excursion take the DSL camera with plenty of GB memory cards and take a ride on the wild side and ride the camel.

 

JRJARS, thank you so much for answering my questions before I even asked them about the very tour wifey and I are planning to take on our NCL Med Cruise in 2011 for her fiddi-th (50th) birthday.

 

Great trip report and Imma have to remember about those cargo pants with zippered legs. Great move on your behalf.

 

SNPJr.

[JRJARS]

Thanks for all the nice comments...I would love to be a travel reviewer, as you can tell I don't sugarcoat anything and tell it like it is. To answer a few more questions...

 

dskdsk....your friend is correct about the thigh muscles being stiff and sore. fortunately for me I had dusted off my treadmill about 8 months ago and believe that my daily routine on that really saved me a lot of pain. i could definitely feel it going up and down the stairs on the ship for the next day or so. would advise at least doing some stretching before you enter! Tylenol that nite helps too.

 

I believe we were at a government approved shopping center. The name of the shop is Meret Center and their website is http://www.meritbazar.com.

 

Another tip I just thought of...we also went to Naples...we chose to go to Sorrento and just walk around the quaint city and of course eat some pizza. To get to Sorrento from the pier in Naples is very easy. You get off the ship, head towards the street and go left. The ferries are about 20 yards away. I believe it was 22 euro for 1 roundtrip ticket. It takes approx 45 min to get over to Sorrento by high speed ferry. Sorrento sits atop the cliffs so you can either walk up to the town or we opted to take the city bus. Very cheap and convenient and 1 bus ticket was good for 2 people. There were only a few times to take the ferry..we took the 9am ferry over and early afternoon trip back to ship.

 

Hotel in Rome....we stayed at the Hotel Artorius. Very nice small hotel...10 rooms, family run, extemely clean and friendly, free breakfast in courtyard in the morning. Tripadvisor ranks the hotel very high and they are correct. You can walk to the Collessium, just a few blocks, in fact we walked to Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon as well. If you are adventurous you can from the airport take the train to termini station, then hop subway for 2 stops and then walk 3 blocks to hotel. our friends did it with no problem - we however contacted the hotel and hired a driver to meet us at the airport. 50 euros and he was waiting for us at the airport - worth every penny!

 

Time for dinner that's all for now.

[onlyparrotlets]

Jars,

 

I thought your review was straightforward enough, but would like to add my 2 cents worth since we did an overnite with a private tour operator.

 

We used Memphis Tours:

 

http://memphistours.com/

 

and were very happy with the service that we received. Our egyptologist was named Rehab and she was amazing. We were a family of 6 adults and our cost for the 2 days was about $350pp. It included 3 meals, bottled water, the Egyptian museum, the sound light show (I hated this), a felucca ride on the Nile and our upgraded hotel. Pick up and delivery from Alexandria.

 

We opted out of the le Meridian hotel and paid $60pp extra to stay at the Mena House Oberoi. It was well worth the extra money and included a huge breakfast buffet.

 

http://www.oberoimenahouse.com/Hotel/Hotel-Overview.aspx

 

We all wore shorts as well and never encountered any problems.

 

We bought our cartouches at Topaz Bazar in Giza and they are worth about what we paid for them $25. They are not the highest quality, but they aren't bad for the price.

 

Every restroom has its cost. We were taken (by our choice) to one of the Rug making schools and even though I was about to make an $800 purchase, the restroom clerk wanted money for a paper towel.

 

We did enjoy the papyrus place. It was an interesting demostration and there was no high sales pressure. We bought what we wanted if we wanted.

 

We thouroughly enjoyed our time at the museum which was about 1 hr 15 mins. That was enough-longer would have been too much for us. Don't take your camera in-they don't allow cameras in period.

 

We had a great time in Cairo at the pyramids-going down inside them. We also enjoyed the $20 camel ride at Giza. REally--we were going to pass on it, but it was fun.

 

You can email me directly if you have any questions. We were on the Celebrity Equinox with ports at Naples, Athens, Rhoades, Kudasi, Haifi, Ashdod, and Alexandria.

 

onlyparrotlets@hotmail.com

[banness]

How long did it take for the cramping to leave your legs after climbing into the pyramids. My friend said it ruined the rest of his vacation because it hurt too much to even climb curbs for a few days.

 

I turned 50 on my trip to Egypt, I am not in great shape but my friends are.We all walked ( I mean crouched over and bent, laughing all the way singing "walk like an egyptian" under our breaths!) All of our legs were a little sore for about a day! Like after walking up a bunch of stairs! Not bad!

[banness]

You are correct ... there is always someone who feels the need to "rain on someone else's parade." I believe that your guide, who is a local and does this tour every day, has a better handle on local customs than some on this board.

 

Thanks for the great review. We'll be visiting the Pyramids next July and I'm debating whether to the take the ship's tour or book a private tour. There are four of us so it always helps make the private tour a bit more economical.

 

Can you give me a sense of the price range of the cartouches. I'm guessing they range from "not too expensive" all the way up to solid gold??

 

I bought an 18kt gold cartouche this past February. It was about $150.00. It is beautiful, double sided with my name on 1 side and Cleopatra's on the other. This didn't include chain. I got some silver ones for about $15.00/piece.

[lovespositano]

I don't take offense at anything said previously on this thread by any poster. However, I do want to say that when you are in Rome you should do as the Romans do, and the same goes for any Moslem country - we should respect the dress codes. When we went to Cairo two years ago we were told by Princess that, for women, even pants were not acceptable in the mosque. I wore jeans and took an elastic-band skirt to pull on over my jeans while I was in the mosque. This would work for shorts, too, in the hotter months (we were there in November). We are going back in a couple of weeks on Celebrity and I plan to bring the elastic-band skirt with me again. This is no hardship and why wouldn't you want to honor another people's culture?

 

This modesty when entering a mosque/church holds true for many religions, including the Christian religion. You can't go into St. Peter's or St. Mark's in Venice without a covering on your shoulders. Last year in August my husband and the other gentleman in our party had on shorts and we wanted to enter St. Peter's. The guide (who was Italian and Catholic) bought them some paper pants at a nearby kiosk. Did we see men inside St. Peter's in shorts? Yes, but this was our sense of propriety. And we certainly didn't see any women with bare shoulders - you absolutely could not go in without your shoulders being covered.

 

So it comes down to - are we willing to contribute to the "Ugly American" label, or do we want to sample the foreign culture, enjoy it, and honor it?

 

We found the people in Cairo loved Americans. Everywhere we went ordinary people came up to us (I am not talking about vendors trying to sell us something) and said "We love Americans." They were so sweet and sincere. It was very touching and the connection with these people brings me a lot of pleasure. Part of the cruise experience.

 

So do what you choose to do, but think about it in the light of how you would like to be treated by foreigners visiting this country, and politeness, if nothing else.

[redcruise]

We will be on a bus tour from our ship to see the pyramids etc. If we go to the papyrus factory, what would we do with our cameras ? I wouldn't think they would be safe left on the bus, and we will want pictures of the pyramids of course.....

Thanks!

[sizzle_sisters]

I wondered the same thing... how safe are those cameras left on buses or in private tour vans??

[Tucker in Texas]

Thank you so much for your insight. We are thinking about booking the Navigator of the Seas next year. How much a tour would be to the pyramids was a question we wanted answered.

 

Were you on the Navigator or another ship? While we generally book our tours independently, we won't when we have to go any distance from the ship so we are at their mercy as far as the tour prices go.

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Kerry's Girls]

I wondered the same thing... how safe are those cameras left on buses or in private tour vans??

 

I'm bringing portable DVD players for my girls for the long drive and will have no problem leaving them in our van - I've been told the driver stays with the vehicle the whole time and our belongings will be safe. I figure it there was a problem with items being stolen I'd be reading about it here at Cruise Critic. It wouldn't be good business for a tour company to allow items to be stolen from customers.

 

Bets,

Mia

[banness]

We will be on a bus tour from our ship to see the pyramids etc. If we go to the papyrus factory, what would we do with our cameras ? I wouldn't think they would be safe left on the bus, and we will want pictures of the pyramids of course.....

Thanks!

 

The papyrus factories are actually big stores that sell papyrus. They have a small area that the tour group goes and watches a very short papyrus making demonstration. They will show you how to distinguish a real papyrus from a cheap fake one. We brought our cameras in without any problems.It was a non issue!

[vw-fl]

Thanks for your review!

 

Do you know the name of the tour company? If it was Nile Blue, who was your guide? (Will be doing an overnight with them in November)

 

Thanks again!

 

Hi Sharon. We just got back today from our Equinox 13 night Ancient Empires cruise. While in Eqypt we used Nile Blue Tours for our independent overnight tour and absolutely loved them! Although we liked all of our independent tours we booked for this trip, Nile Blue was by far the best. They absolutely spoiled us, were extremely flexible with the schedule and catered to our every whim! We had Hazem, the owner, for our guide; Abram(sp?) for our driver and Islam, an assistant, to push DH's wheelchair - all three were great. We met Ghada, Hazem's wife, a few times as she too was the guide for another independent tour group. Another nice thing was that we did not have to pay until the end of the tour and could choose how we wanted to pay in US Dollars, Euro, or credit card. They paid for all of the optional fees as we choose to do them and then we reimbursed them at the end of the tour. Sometimes there are problems getting emails through to Egypt so please include your phone number just in case. Can't praise them enough and would book them again in a heartbeat!

 

We chose to dress to respect local culture and religions while in Egypt, Rome (Vatican), Turkey, and Israel as did the majority of our fellow cruisers - no shorts and arms covered for both men and women. In Athens and Santorini the majority of passengers wore shorts and sleeveless tops.

 

We did see people turned away at the Vatican, St. Peters Basilica, Mosques, Virgin Mary's House and other Churches who were not dressed appropriatly (wearing shorts, sleevless/tank tops with shoulders/arms exposed, etc.)

 

Hope you enjoy your trip!!