Who's Sailed to Egypt?

[Lovincruisin1321]

I have combed these boards on the NCL thread to find posts on cruisers who have sailed to Egypt. Specifically in December/January. I'm looking to sail during Christmas in 2012 and wanted to see comments on the weather and what they encountered.

 

Anyone out there?

[4774Papa]

I did not cruise to Egypt, but I flew to Egypt in December (before Christmas-did Israel during Christmas). The weather was very nice and rather warm while we were there. Temps ranging from 70s to 90s during the day.

This was not the case in Israel. We went to Bethlehem Christmas Eve, and were unprepared for the chilly weather. It was very chilly.

[Fishbait17]

We did 14 days Egypt and Med over this past Christmas. Weather was mostly sunny, rained in Rome, was VERY foggy before noon in Egypt, but sunny the rest of the trip. Temps ranged from the 50's in Barcelona to the 70's in Egypt and we had one very warm day of about 80 in Crete. We also had some bad (windy, cloudy) weather in Rhodes, where the seas were too rough to dock, so we missed that port.

 

Robin

[Turtles06]

We did the Jade's 12-night Med cruise this past January/February, putting us in Egypt the first week of Feb. The weather was perfect for touring. Sunny, blue skies, comfortable temps (high 70s, maybe a little warmer).

 

You'll find more info re Egypt on the Ports of Call (Africa) portion of CC .....

[Lovincruisin1321]

We did 14 days Egypt and Med over this past Christmas. Weather was mostly sunny, rained in Rome, was VERY foggy before noon in Egypt, but sunny the rest of the trip. Temps ranged from the 50's in Barcelona to the 70's in Egypt and we had one very warm day of about 80 in Crete. We also had some bad (windy, cloudy) weather in Rhodes, where the seas were too rough to dock, so we missed that port.

 

Robin

 

Did you write a review on your cruise? I would love to read it. This is exactly the itinerary I am looking at.:D

[Lovincruisin1321]

We did the Jade's 12-night Med cruise this past January/February, putting us in Egypt the first week of Feb. The weather was perfect for touring. Sunny, blue skies, comfortable temps (high 70s, maybe a little warmer).

 

You'll find more info re Egypt on the Ports of Call (Africa) portion of CC .....

 

 

Sounds great. I wanted to also ask if you wrote a review. Can't wait to book this cruise!

[garycarla]

There have been lost of mini reviews about visits there. And I would expect if you looked at the full reviews in the review section for the Jade, you would find some comments as well. Maybe using ALEXANDRIA as a search term will help.

 

We did the Jade there. Worth the visit, but a nasty dirty country.

[lambs2]

We did a 21 day B2B on the Jade in January/Feb 2009 that had a 2 day stop in Egypt. I aranged a 2 day day private tour for 10 of us from our roll call. FABULOUS trip!! Here is my review on Cruise Critic: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=53361

The weather was beautiful. Surprisingly it was a bit cold at night in Egypt when we were sitting outside watching the Sound & Light Show or out on deck on our Nile dinner cruise, but we were prepared.

[Lovincruisin1321]

We did a 21 day B2B on the Jade in January/Feb 2009 that had a 2 day stop in Egypt. I aranged a 2 day day private tour for 10 of us from our roll call. FABULOUS trip!! Here is my review on Cruise Critic: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=53361

The weather was beautiful. Surprisingly it was a bit cold at night in Egypt when we were sitting outside watching the Sound & Light Show or out on deck on our Nile dinner cruise, but we were prepared.

 

 

Thanks! Looking forward to reading it!

[guyver]

There have been lost of mini reviews about visits there. And I would expect if you looked at the full reviews in the review section for the Jade, you would find some comments as well. Maybe using ALEXANDRIA as a search term will help.

 

We did the Jade there. Worth the visit, but a nasty dirty country.

 

Could you please expand on this?

[Fishbait17]

Could you please expand on this?

 

Just so you know, I disagree with the "dirt, nasty" statement. Sure, it's dirtier than the USand much of Europe, but as clean as many other places I have been to ( third world countries). And it found it not nasty in the least - every person we met and every food I tasted, every stall we visited in the bazaar, our hotel, our private guided tour, the museums, the pyramids - they were all great. It's not the USA, so if you want immaculate, Disney-like conditions, I would advise you not to go. You can get a lot more information on this from the Africa Ports of Call board.

 

Robin

[Lovincruisin1321]

Just so you know, I disagree with the "dirt, nasty" statement. Sure, it's dirtier than the USand much of Europe, but as clean as many other places I have been to ( third world countries). And it found it not nasty in the least - every person we met and every food I tasted, every stall we visited in the bazaar, our hotel, our private guided tour, the museums, the pyramids - they were all great. It's not the USA, so if you want immaculate, Disney-like conditions, I would advise you not to go. You can get a lot more information on this from the Africa Ports of Call board.

 

Robin

 

I have to agree with Robin. I traveled to Cairo, Geeza and all down the Nile two years ago in July. 114 degrees!

 

My first impressions were how nice the locals treated us. The flat bread from the vendors was outstanding! All hotels were very clean.

To your defense because I think you just chose the wrong wording, Cairo for example is very congested and there are poor sections of the city. Every city has them. Also, it's located next to a desert! :rolleyes:

 

I would never say "nasty". You visit a culture knowing it is not home but it is their home. They work very hard and project a very humble people. Times are hard all over the world. I can show you some pretty rough places right here in the USA.

 

Please visit again with a different eye, learn about their customs and talk with the locals. You'll return fulfilled.

 

For everyone on this thread: Read "Down the Nile" by Rosemary Mahoney

[sottovoce]

We've been to Egypt three times in the December-February time frame and the weather has always been in the mid-70s. And it never rains.

[Turtles06]

Sounds great. I wanted to also ask if you wrote a review. Can't wait to book this cruise!

 

No, sorry, just bits and pieces here on there on the Ports of Call boards. But it was a fantastic adventure and a great time of year to go. Except for Malta, which was DIY for us, and pre-cruise in Barcelona (where we spent several days touring on our own), we linked up with very small groups from our Roll Call and booked private shore excursions, including for an overnight in Cairo. It really was one of those "trips of a lifetime." Happy to answer specific questions if you have them.

[Ms belp]

My sister and her husband went. One thing she warned me about was if you go to the pyramids they aren't the way they were pictured in our history books. Civilization has encroached. She also warned me about not getting up on one of the camels or giving any one of the locals your camera to take a picture of you. You have to pay to get off the camel and/or to get your camera back.

[new salt]

If you go to Cairo take some warm clothes, the evenings can be very cold, perhaps because of the contrast with the hot day. If you go to the Pyramid son et lumiere show you can rent blankets and would be well advised to do so during January through March.

[billie5]

Of course you have to pay to climb on the back of a camel. Would anyone really think that the camel's owner brought them to the site so tourists could sit on them and be photographed on them for free? Actually, you can tour the whole (rather large) site by camel, although I chose a horse.

 

The pyramids and the sphinx are on a plateau overlooking the city of Giza. The entire site is an archeological zone, and while you can see the high rise buildings of the city below from the edge of the zone, my impression was that the area of the pyramids is very much as I pictured it.

 

Bill