DeCastro or ship tour

[potteran]

OK, I think I joined my self and roommates. Sounds like fun!

By the way, Dolores, I meant to say Rome not room on my previous response.

[Deloresgardella]

We will be staying one night before our cruise and one night after our cruise in Rome. We have been to Rome before so won't be staying longer.

Delores

[potteran]

rdhnd

Cool Cruiser

Could you please tell me how much they are charging? I'm also looking into this type of excursion and want to shop around.

 

thanks

[Aideen]

I've just returned from sailing on the Legend OTS (which included a stop in Egypt). We ued De Castro for the trip from Alexandria to Cairo. We personalised our itinerary and saw everything we wanted. Most ship tours for example only spent 30 mins at the pyramids and we got to spend as long as we wanted, got to go into and see the Solar Boat museum beside the pyramids and also got to go inside the second pyramid. We also went to the Sphinx and the Egyptiann Museum.

 

The cost for 4 adults and 2 children (private tour, us only) including a four course lunch at the Mena House Oberoi Hotel right beside (with a spectacular view of !) the pyramids was USD 800.

 

I cannot recommend them highly enough.

 

Aideen

[Deloresgardella]

Hi Aideen, did you take a camel ride? We will be going with DeCastro in October. Your tour sounds just like the one we are going on. But we will be riding an camel. That cost a little extra.

Delores

[Aideen]

Hi Delores,

 

No we didn't take a camel ride but there were certainly plenty of them around on the Giza plateau.

[thuyronald]

Hi Aideen,

 

I will be using Decastro for the Alexandria to Cairo tour as well.

Did you find the Solar Museum worthwhile? Also, did you enjoy going into the pyramids and how long did that take?

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Thuy

[Aideen]

Hi Aideen,

 

I will be using Decastro for the Alexandria to Cairo tour as well.

Did you find the Solar Museum worthwhile? Also, did you enjoy going into the pyramids and how long did that take?

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Thuy

 

Hi Thuy,

 

We had been to the pyramids 17 years ago and missed the solar boat museum then so I was determined to see it this time. It was very good and mmuch larger than I had imagined. The pit that they dug it out of is also visible inside the museum. They make you wear cloth covers over your shoes inside the museum (which is amusing as everyone starts to pretend to skate across the wooden floor!). It is not a very large museum but very interesting none the less and a great respite from the heat of the plateau as it is nicely air conditioned.

 

We had been inside the great pyramid 17 year ago (and that is really impressive), this time we couldn't get into the great pyramid (they only allow around 300 people inside each day) and so we went inside the second pyramid (the only that still has the capstones on it). This was very interesting too but not quite as impressive. It takes about 15-20 mins to get fully inside and the same to get back out. It takes a good bit of stamina as it is hot, humid and a little short on oxygen inside. The access tunnels are not large enough to stand up in (you need to crouch over) and the tunnels are incline (both down and up) at around 30%. You do get a chance to stand upright half way in (which is a relief!).

 

Slightly claustrophobic inside but well worth seeing.

[thuyronald]

Thanks for the info Aideen.

 

Thuy

[kdowneymd]

We just returned from the 6/12 sailing of Legend. We used DeCastro Tours for our day in Alexandria, the sights wre phenomenal the tour guide not)There were 7 of us and we booked the the tour including the pyramids, the cairo museum and I added on for $10 per person for each, a camel ride and a visit to the El Kahlili Bazaar fro a total of $575 fro all of us. I pre-paid for the entire trip using wire transfers and Soliman was very responsive until I had sent the final transfer and I needed to email him to make sure he had received the transfer (I had notified him the day of the transfer) 7 days later. We were greeted as soon as we were off the boat and were actually one of the first to leave the port whihc was helpful as we arrived at the pyramids our first stop before the rest of the groups Shortly after we left the port she reviewed our itinerary adn sstated that if there was time at the end of the day we could visit a papyrus and/or perfume institute and if time the Bazaar. I briefly mentioned we were supposed to visit the bazaar.Our guide, spoke to us during the 2 hour drive to Saqqara. We stopped the Mena hotel (literally right next to the pyramids)to use the bathroom and she had us change money to Egyptian pounds to buy tickets to the pyramids. Several minutes later she went to the ticket booth and returned with our tickets. We paid as a group of 3 adults and 3 adults and 1 child. She handed us the change and had my brothe-in-law not counted we would not have realized she had not given us the correct amount. An honest mistake perhaps except that it took us a least 5 tries to get her to return the correct amount, she kept just giving a partial amount. At the pyramids, we were asked if we wanted to ride a camel. I indicated that I had already paid for this and she stated she had no knowledge adn we proceeded to wait approximately 1q5 minutes while she called DeCastro to confirm this.After the pyramids and the Sphinx, she suggested that we stop at a "bazaar/papyrus" stop to see if we wanted something to buy or watch a demonstartion prior to lunch (a so/so restaurant where our sole choice was chicken or beef) and then on to the museum. We indicated we did not want to stop there. She answered that we could just look and if we didn't want anything we would leave. I stated no thank-you. Nonetheless we pulled up to the "International Bazaar" with a number of tour buses parked in front. It was quite uncomfortable when I had to tell her, we did not want to go in and please continue. From that point on, she never picked up the microphone and gave us any information about what we were seeing until we were inside the Cairo Museum, she did explain a number of things about what we were seeing. After the museum,I had to insist to go to the El Khalili bazaar (which I had also paid for). I understand that athe tour agency and guides receive commissions on sales but we specifically stated we did not want to spend our time in that way.On our way to the museum, she announced that I owed $375, again a phone call to confirm I owed nothing which I finally had to have her tell me she had confirmed this. This could certainly have just been an off day and not one of their better guides but my advice would be to absolutely confirm everything prior to setting out, carry printed out receipts with you (my mistake not to have done so) and consider other tour groups

[lindaann]

Who was your tour guide? We used De Castro Tours for a 2 day tour of Cairo and the Pyramids in early June on the Royal Princess. Our experience was absolutely first rate and I would highly recommend them. It's a large well organized company, with 50 years of touring experience behind them. We had a great two days. We too went to the Papyrus "institute" for a few minutes. Of course its just a large retail jewellry and curio store but we knew that. I'm very surprised you were taken there against your wishes. And I would guess that the guides would get some kind of remuneration for taking you there. I have one possible explanation for why you this happened. This is a guess only. We found out during the course of our two day tour that the tour business in Egypt is highly regulated by the government and supervised every inch of the way by something called the "Tourist Police". When we wanted to change our itinerary "on the fly" our lovely and charming guide Dalia told us its very hard to change an itinerary because you need permission from the tourist police (who have your itinerary in advance and who have police at every stop making sure you actually show up). This is for our own safety and security. Our tour guide did manage to get our itinerary changed but only after several phone calls to head office and the police. So maybe there was a language issue or misunderstanding with your tour guide and she "had" to take you to the Papyrus shop because it was on your written itinerary.

 

Having said that I still think its a very good idea to take with you copies of your proof of bank transfer for your deposit and a copy of your itinerary as sent to you by De Castro because, as with any company, there can be miscommunications with the front office.

[Rosslyn]

My husband and I also used de Castro tours recently for a two day stopover in Alexandria. They were courteous and professional at all times. Our guide was Dalia and she was excellent and friendly as well as being a very informative guide. Mr Soliman escorted us to the Sound and Light show at night and was also extremely polite and helpful. On another note, I had no trouble at all explaining that we weren't interested in going to look/buy any souvenirs, however, we did ask to be taken to purchase a cartouche and ended up also buying a papyrus, but this was at our instigation. We thoroughly enjoyed our 2 days with de Castro tours, I only wished we had allowed more time for the Egyptian Museum - Dalia was so knowledgable I could have spent all day there. We had opted instead to go back early to Alexandria and see the catacombs (which she also knew all about). I can't fault de Castro!

[kdowneymd]

Our guide was a woman named Marwa. She did appear to have a large fund of knowledge but as I said after we declined visiting the shopping stop everything changed and she never was the same. There was definitely not a language or communication problem as she stated before we left port that at the end of the day if we wanted or there was time, a papyrus institute stop could be arranged. The issue with the tourist police is a possibility as they definitely checked and recorded that our tour was coming and going from several sites. But as we never requested the shopping stop, and it was not on our itinerary (except perhaps on their interpretation) I don't believe it was the cause. As I said our guide was poor and I am glad to hear that others using their service had good experiences. But nonetheless, the receipt she had available to her was dated June 6 when it was June 19 and all payments and itinerary add ons occurred prior to June 8, and it was not up to date with recent payments nor requests which wasted our time and caused uncomfortable situations. That is solely a reflection of the organization of DeCastro and cannot be blamed upon the fact that she wasn't a terrific guide.

[RIcruiser5]

While I agree a service can't be all things to all people, and perhaps security checkpoints are vital to the tourism industry, I believe Mr. Mourad did not speak to the real issue of the complaint. I can't be sure, as it was difficult to follow the writing.

 

I believe the issue was related more to the guide's temperment with the group after a couple issues came up (the change, the shop, the payment due). This may be related solely to perception as Mr. Mourad tried to explain, but in the service industries, perception is critical.

 

I haven't heard anyone else report back an incident similar to this one with DeCastro, so I am going to go ahead and assume this is an isolated incident and use them during my trip in November; however, I will be very cautioned to have all of my documentation with me regarding payment, and I'll be sure to post how our experience is upon return.

[Deloresgardella]

I will be using DeCastro in October. There has been more positive comments on this board than negative about them. So I am not worried. Really looking forward to our stop in Egypt.

[lindaann]

Hello Everyone,

 

As we have stated before we always use independent tours when we cruise. The cruise on the Royal Princess was our sixth in the Mediterranean so you can see that we are experienced in hiring private tour guides. If you click on my name you will see an extensive review of our cruise.

 

I feel sorry that kdowneymd did not have the most satisfactory experience with DeCastro Tours.

 

I can honestly say that from our emails to Moustafa, to the driver handing me roses when we got off the ship in Port Said, to our exceptional guide that our experience was very positive. Our guide was very knowledgeable about Egyptian history and culture and on the second day of the tour she brought us traditional baked goods from a bakery near her home.

 

For every deviation that we requested our guide was on the phone to head office to see if they could get permission from the tourist police to change our itinerary. We were lucky that they were able to accomodate us. Yes we did spend five minutes in the Papyrus Institute and the jewellery store for cartouches. There was no hard sell in those place. We also spent a few hours in the Khan el Khalili market which was a real experience and for those who don't like to bargain possibly a little intimidating, but we had a great time.

 

This was not only the best tour we have ever had in our travels but the two days we spent in Egypt were probably two of the most amazing days of our lives. They will be etched into our memory.

 

Linda and Stan

[kdowneymd]

I have to agree that his answer did not really address the issues and perception is very much a part of individual experiences. Hopefully Mr. Mourad will use our experience to review with his employees our concerns. Every business has an off day but it never hurts to regroup, listen and try to make sure issues have been addressed and looking for ways to improve

[ram42953]

I booked with DeCastro for October. I told him what I wanted and he customized it for me. Here is the itinerary he put together for me. I thought it was very reasonable. He has been highly recommended on this board.

 

Kindly note that you can add and remove any of the itinerary items .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trip itinerary Ref DCT 22

 

Queen Nefertari Trip

 

“Private Tour”

 

 

 

Day 01 19Oct 2007

 

Early Morning “07:00am” Meet Decastro Tours Representative

and the Tour Guide at Alexandria port Holding the signboard

With your name and Decastro Tours name

Escort to Cairo by A/C Deluxe Van 12 Seats

The Bus will Join the Convoy From Alexandria to Cairo

Driving about 2hours and 30Min

Arrival to Cairo .around 09:30am

Start the visit to The Pyramids ,Sphinx and the Valley temple

Leisure time to have Camel Ride ”Optional” ,Or Visit Inside the Great Pyramids “Optional”

After the visit escort to Cairo .

Lunch at a restaurant

After Lunch escort by A/C Bus to the Egyptian Museum and start the tour to visit the sections

That contain the most important masterpieces dated back to the royal Pharaonic families

Ruled Egypt

Optional to visit the Royal Mummies Room

Finishing the tour then escort to the Old Khan El Khalili Bazaars

Tour will end in Cairo around 05:30pm

Escort back to Alexandria by A/C Bus

Arrival to Alexandria around 08:30pm

 

 

 

 

Package includes

 

·All the transfers mentioned per itinerary will be by A/C Deluxe Van

·All the Guided Excursions mentioned per itinerary will be by A/C Deluxe Van

·Egyptologist “Tour Guide” Licensed English Speaking

·Decastro Tours Representative “

·All the sightseeing entrance fees mentioned per itinerary

·One Lunch at Cairo

·One small bottle of water per person per day

·Taxes

We are going to be Docking in Alexandria in October of 2008 and I am looking for a similar itinerary that you describe in yours. There is going to be 6 of us, how many people are in your party? I noticed that it said the Van had 12 seats, does that include the seats for the guide, driver and escort or do me need to have 12 people to fill the van? If you don't mind I was wondering how much you are paying for this. Is the price the same no matter if you have 6 people or you fill up the van? We have always done our own thing instead of using the Ship sponsered excursions because of the flexibilty. I would like to hear from you after you get back. How long in advance did you book?

[v-dude]

Four of us are sailing July 08 with RCCL, what do people do about a visa if taking a private tour? I know if taking a ship tour they will arrange the visa for you.

 

Thanks

[Deloresgardella]

We are going to get an visa before we go. You can get it at the port but it also means you are held up until it is processed.

Delores

[T-sip]

We had a two day stop in June of this year during our cruise on Royal Princess. We hired DeCastro based on the comments on this board. Initially we were nervous about wiring half the payment in advance, but we took the "leap of faith" and did go through with the wire transfer.

 

On arrival, we were met by our guide and brought to a nice air-conditioned van, and joined the convoy to Cairo. All the vans and buses travel together in a high-speed dash across the desert, with the guide narrating pretty much the whole time. Very informative talk about the history of ancient Egypt, what we would be seeing, life in Egypt, etc.

 

We had a similar itinerary to those described above, but on arrival we said that we wanted to spend more time in the Museum, and the archaeological sites, and less in the shopping district--they were totally flexible, and completely eliminated the stops at the carpet weaving school, the perfume workshop, and the cartouch factory. We did go to the papyrus factory--we actually wanted to go there, and did get a nice souvenir there--but it was very low pressure and we could have elimnated the stop had we wanted to do so.

 

Our guide bargained for the camel ride for us (in Arabic) to prevent us being taken advantage of, and actually paid for it herself--we paid her back once safely in the van.

 

We liked the restaurant we visited for lunch--and although we were leery of eating food of unknown provenance in Egypt, we had a delightful meal there and, most notably, did NOT get sick.

 

We decided to stay overnight at the Le Meridien Pyramids, and found it to be a wonderful hotel, with a sparkling and huge (!) pool that positively called out to us after a hot day touring. It was the ideal way to end the day. There are several restarants in the hotel, including one that had a large dinner buffet for a good price--lots to choose from, hot and cold dishes, salads (which we did not eat), and various deserts. Again, we did not get sick. There were bottles of water in the bathroom in our room along with a small sign reminding us not to use the tap water for tooth brushing.

 

The following morning, the guide and driver were waiting for us in the lobby a few minutes earlier than the appointed time. Our guide had some suggestions for things to see on the second day, but after a few minutes discussion, again we had a totally customized itinerary for the day.

 

The whole time, whenever we wanted a break to take pictures, get a snack, take a bathroom break, or buy bottles of water, the response was always the same: "Certainly, sir".

 

In summary, we had a wonderful time, were well informed, used our time very efficiently and, most importantly, completely according to our preferences, energy level, and interests. If we were to return to Egypt, we would definitely use DeCastro--and in an effort to thank those on Cruise Critic who provided our family with so much information, we pass on this review hoping that it will be useful to those who follow us to Egypt.

[FWFrog]

Can anyone confirm contact info for Moustafa at De Castro Tours? I found one on another post but the e-mail bounced back. Also, I looked at the website www.decastrotours.com . It appears outdated - does anyone know?

[T-sip]

Moustafa (General Manager of De Castro Tours) email address is: moustafamouradus@yahoo.com

 

This email is active currently.

[Larry2lar]

Decastro Tours email is Cairo@decastrotours.com . you can contact .Mr Solomon .he is a tour operator .

 

good luck

Larry.

[alsas]

My wife and I used De Castro in april, The guide was not at the port, but we picked her up at the hotel next to the pyramids. She was BRILLIANT, her knowledge and personality amazing. The driver and his companion were also very nice. The driver spoke reasonable english his companion (pal) almost none. We were so happy with the treatment we received that I tried to book a Nile cruise with them for april 2008. We did not send $ as requested the $30 cost was to large a %. I explained to Moustaffa and he agreed. Said no problem pay when you arrive. We also were first out of port and had a fabulous day. Lunch was good, and I would not hesitate to recommend this company.I believe the value to be outstanding. Happy sailing ALSAS