Pharaohs & Pyramids Cruise- excursions

[EnjoyingLife2014]

We just booked for Feb 3rd 2020 with the Jordan Extension. We were looking at the optional excursions and wondered what the cost for them were ( assuming that the cost would remain relatively unchanged in 1.5 years from now) and if they were worth doing. There is( as far as I can tell...)

1. Visit to Khan el-Khalili and a traditional dinner at a local restaurant in Cairo

2. Hot air balloon ride in Luxor

3. The temples @ Abu Simbel

4. Temples of Philadelphia Sound & Light show

 

This is our first Viking cruise. I understand that it is a busy itinerary. We are both in our late 50’s and relatively fit. We want to see all we can while in Egypt and Jordan without exhausting ourselves and breaking the bank.

 

 

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[eylarson]

Lived in Cairo for two years. Would not pay for dinner and Khan tour. You can do on your own with taxi service unless dinner is something special with some sort of show. Abu Simbel and the Philadelphia light show are not to be missed. An on ground tour in Luxor and side trip to Valley of the Kings would be of much more value to me, vs hot air balloon ride. The area either side of the Nile is green for about 15 miles, the rest is desert. Weather should be great 74F low 49F in Luxor. In the desert that can be chilling.

[G. GIRL]

As an Egyptology geek I had the amazing experience of going down the Nile in the mid 90’s. In my opinion all ‘the good stuff’ is beyond Cairo. Unless you have an idea of what you are going to see you may be disappointed in the tomb of Tutankhamen in the valley of the kings, his burial was a rushed affair so there was no time for an elaborate tomb. The site however has many other tombs that are bigger and have more artwork. The temple at Abu Simbel is fascinating on many levels, the skill of the ancients and the skill of modern man who rebuilt it to save it from being buried under the lake, well worth a visit. If you don’t know much about Egyptology I would read up a bit before you go it will enhance your appreciation and enjoyment.

[Eaches]

We just booked for Feb 3rd 2020 with the Jordan Extension. We were looking at the optional excursions and wondered what the cost for them were ( assuming that the cost would remain relatively unchanged in 1.5 years from now) and if they were worth doing. There is( as far as I can tell...)

1. Visit to Khan el-Khalili and a traditional dinner at a local restaurant in Cairo

2. Hot air balloon ride in Luxor

3. The temples @ Abu Simbel

4. Temples of Philadelphia Sound & Light show

 

This is our first Viking cruise. I understand that it is a busy itinerary. We are both in our late 50’s and relatively fit. We want to see all we can while in Egypt and Jordan without exhausting ourselves and breaking the bank.

 

 

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We did a 2 night 3 day off the ship (Viking Sun WC) and we loved every minute we spent in Egypt. Viking’s Egypt tour guides where Great . We decided to do the overnights because of the travel times on the daily tours and I’m SO glad we did. Viking used TOP Hotels ( 4 Seasons Cairo ) as their base and it was just perfect.

 

 

 

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[Heidi13]

Eaches

 

We are considering the same overland tour on the 2020 WC, any chance of providing some details on what the tour included. Thanks.

[Jim Avery]

Hi Eaches. Again great pictures! Wish you were here in Alaska to document this like you did the World Cruise. I am having to take my own pictures, imagine that.😳🍸

[cormike1]

We did a 2-week trip in Nov. 2017 and loved it. It was way beyond my expectations! My #1 bucket list item and I was not disappointed. I hot air-ballooned over Valley of the Kings, and around the area....saw the sunrise....absolutely breathtaking. We then toured Valley of the Kings once back on the ground so that was really neat to do. I would also say to you not to miss Abu Simbel but as someone else said, read up on your Egyptian history as the moving of that temple is amazing to read about and then go see. The people of Egypt are so nice and they just want to make a living and have the tourists back again. Cairo is a fascinating city with lots to see and experience. You will have a fantastic trip and see lots of "wonders"!

[JohnKen3]

4. Temples of Philadelphia Sound & Light show

Made me laugh!

I suspect this is the Temple at Philae near Aswan !

[EnjoyingLife2014]

Lived in Cairo for two years. Would not pay for dinner and Khan tour. You can do on your own with taxi service unless dinner is something special with some sort of show. Abu Simbel and the Philadelphia light show are not to be missed. An on ground tour in Luxor and side trip to Valley of the Kings would be of much more value to me, vs hot air balloon ride. The area either side of the Nile is green for about 15 miles, the rest is desert. Weather should be great 74F low 49F in Luxor. In the desert that can be chilling.

 

 

 

Thank you for that pointer. I had wondered about that!

 

 

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[EnjoyingLife2014]

As an Egyptology geek I had the amazing experience of going down the Nile in the mid 90’s. In my opinion all ‘the good stuff’ is beyond Cairo. Unless you have an idea of what you are going to see you may be disappointed in the tomb of Tutankhamen in the valley of the kings, his burial was a rushed affair so there was no time for an elaborate tomb. The site however has many other tombs that are bigger and have more artwork. The temple at Abu Simbel is fascinating on many levels, the skill of the ancients and the skill of modern man who rebuilt it to save it from being buried under the lake, well worth a visit. If you don’t know much about Egyptology I would read up a bit before you go it will enhance your appreciation and enjoyment.

 

 

 

Thank you for the information! We will definitely do some reading about Egyptology prior to the cruise.

 

 

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[EnjoyingLife2014]

We did a 2-week trip in Nov. 2017 and loved it. It was way beyond my expectations! My #1 bucket list item and I was not disappointed. I hot air-ballooned over Valley of the Kings, and around the area....saw the sunrise....absolutely breathtaking. We then toured Valley of the Kings once back on the ground so that was really neat to do. I would also say to you not to miss Abu Simbel but as someone else said, read up on your Egyptian history as the moving of that temple is amazing to read about and then go see. The people of Egypt are so nice and they just want to make a living and have the tourists back again. Cairo is a fascinating city with lots to see and experience. You will have a fantastic trip and see lots of "wonders"!

 

 

 

Thank you for the information! We were contemplating doing the hot air balloon. And with all the positive comments on Abu Simbel we need to do this excursion too! And do our research! Do you remember approximately what the cost for those excursions were?

 

 

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[NanciEA]

We were in Egypt in January and I would definitely suggest Abu Simbel as a top priority. We went to the Temple at Philae during the day and it was my favorite temple. The one temple we toured at night was very crowded and not as nice. We did not have an option for the hot air ballon ride in Luxor, because our travel company did not offer them. They were concerned about safety, and not just because of last year's deadly accident. The tombs on the West Bank were my favorite tour on our entire trip. Not to be missed. I'd skip the dinner on the Nile. If you stay at the Four Seasons, you'll see the Nile from your balcony!

[cormike1]

Thank you for the information! We were contemplating doing the hot air balloon. And with all the positive comments on Abu Simbel we need to do this excursion too! And do our research! Do you remember approximately what the cost for those excursions were

 

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Our excursion to Abu Simbel was included in our tour but the hot air balloon was a surprise tour that was not planned ahead of time and our guide said there was a few spots left if we were interested. It just happened to fit into our time frame. It was $120 U.S. per person and was well worth it for about a 40 minute ride. At home here in Ontario we would pay about $300 CDN for that length of time. No matter the price of Abu Simble I would have paid had I needed to as it was one of the things I wanted to see in Egypt. You won't be disappointed!

[dolllover]

We were in Egypt in January and I would definitely suggest Abu Simbel as a top priority. We went to the Temple at Philae during the day and it was my favorite temple. The one temple we toured at night was very crowded and not as nice. We did not have an option for the hot air ballon ride in Luxor, because our travel company did not offer them. They were concerned about safety, and not just because of last year's deadly accident. The tombs on the West Bank were my favorite tour on our entire trip. Not to be missed. I'd skip the dinner on the Nile. If you stay at the Four Seasons, you'll see the Nile from your balcony!

 

We are booked for Dec 2020 and will be doing both the pre and post cruise overnights. I'm torn about doing the hot air balloon ride because my parents a few years ago almost lost their lives going on one in France. Their balloon caught on fire. May skip it.