Lindblad Expeditions - MS Triton

[christine222]

Greetings All!

 

My mother and I are scheduled for an Experience Egypt tour with Lindblad in Dec., 2008. We'll be doing a Nile River cruise on the MS Triton. Anyone ever been on this ship? or have any info?

 

Thanks so much,

Christine

[baskis]

My husband and I were on the same trip last November. Lindblad charters the Triton, so there will be no other people aboard. It is a beautiful ship, small, intimate. The food is superb and so is the service. The cabins are spatious. You will have a wonderful time. We had a very nice guide too, who was with us the whole trip and took care of us on the ship too.

[christine222]

Hi SiriAnn,

 

Thanks so much for the info. I'd love to hear more about the ship, excursions, etc. if you have the time. Are there themed nights? Can you think of anything specifically you would recommend to bring that one might not otherwise think of? How are the pools? Did you need insect repellant in Nov?? Did you also stay at the Mena House & the Four Seasons in Cairo, if so what were your thoughts? My mom and I are arriving a day early, so just wondering if there's anything around the Four Seasons, or in Cairo, that you might recommend we see/do.

 

 

Thanks so much for your help.

 

Christine

[baskis]

We arrived a day early and Lindblad had an optional tour that we took, visiting Old Cairo. We had a very knowledgable guide who had worked with Lindblads many years(Sonia El Masri). Sonia stayed with us the whole trip and we got to know her and appreciate her very much. We stayed at the Four Seasons which is a situated by one of the rivers(part of the Nile). Not much to see if you want to take a walk around the hotel, so stay with Lindblads offerings. At the end of the tour we also stayed at the Mena House. We enjoyed this hotel much more since it has the history. We got to see the Lord Mountbatten suite and Churchills' suite just by chance. Very interesting!The hotel has beautiful views of the Pyramids. It was a bit chilly when we were there so we didn't do any swimming. Not at any hotel and not on the boat.The Triton has one pool. Yes we sat in the sun(very nice deck where one also sees the surroundings) but did not long to go into the water. Since the tours start fairly early in the morning, it is good to have a light jacket(wind-) or sweater because it can be chilly; also in the evenings. We did not need any repelant. One thing that cannot be said enough concerning travelling to Egypt is beware of what you eat!! Even if everything is very safe on Lindblads we are not use to the bacterias is Egypt. Americans tend to eat salads(I'm from Sweden!) however I would avoid salads! Some of the guests hade stomach problems on the trip and I think these problems came from not being careful enough. Egypt will always be Egypt. Never to forget.

If I can be of more help do not hesitate to ask. We enjoyed the trip very much.

[christine222]

Hi Sirianne!

 

Thank you very much for the information on Lindblad's expedition. Did you do the 10 day Exploring Egypt tour? That's the tour my mother and I are taking. I'm so very excited.

 

We will be spending 6 days in Jordan before our Egypt trip. Then after the 10 day tour, I will continue on to Sharm el Sheikh to go scuba diving in the Red Sea for a week.

 

I hate to bother you with so many questions. But one more, if I may, how was Lindblad in dealing with luggage? The reason I ask is that I'm thinking of bringing my own scuba gear with me. This would entail bringing an extra big bag, along w/my other piece of luggage. Do you think this would present a problem? We will be flying to Abu Simbel, and I just wasn't sure with weight restrictions.

 

Thank you for the advice on salads and fresh veggies. Did you find the same w/fresh squeezed juices?? I'm just wondering if there is any supplement that I might be able to take before the trip that would prepare my stomach. I probably should bring some antibiotics just in case.

 

Thanks so much,

Christine

[baskis]

Hi!

Yes we did the 10 day Exploring Egypt too. You will certainly need the rest in Sharm, because it is quite a strenious tour. Not physically however. One gets so much information and so many impressions that in the end it is difficult to "take in" everything. But soooooo interesting!

Good idea to bring the antibiotica. We also took an oral vaccin against colera before we left. This vaccin is also known to protect against intestinal infections. You see Egypt is one of the absolutely most popular countries for swedes to visit. It is so cheap for us. And many do get upset stomachs. That is why we took precautions. Freshly squeezed juice should'nt cause any problems though. Mostly lettuce etc, washed in water perhaps

Regarding the luggage I cannot answere. We had no problems whatsoever. But we just had our suitcase and the carry-on. The plane for Abu Simbel is not big. It is actually rather small, but is chartered by Lindblads. Perhaps best to ask them.

In Cairo we had one evening eating out(welcome dinner), everyone together. Very nice. We got to know several of our fellow travellers. Then on the boat there is one night with a belly dancer(!!)And then there is a Farewell Dinner at Mena House. Also nice. We were pretty tired in the evenings.

All for now. Anything else I'll try to answere.

[christine222]

Hi Siriann!

 

Thanks so much for the info. I really do appreciate it. I can only imagine the amount of information and the grandeur of everything will just be overwhelming. I've also been working on learning a bit of Arabic, so we'll see how that goes.

 

Do you tour sites as a group? Or do they assign tour guides individually/families?? How did you find the bartering process? Did the guides help you w/ bartering and finding great deals??

 

Thank you so very much!

 

Christine

[baskis]

Christine,

sorry for the delay in my reply, however I am 6 hours ahead of you and was about to go to bed when your question arrived yesterday!!

There are 2 guides and the group(there were only 25 of us in total) is divided in two.(that is 12 in each group) This is OK however you have to be alert and be quick to follow the guide. There are so many people at all the sights and the Linblad guides do a fantastic job at avoiding the worst crowds. The bartering is terrible. One gets "attacked" everywhere. We would have shopped for many more things if we had been left alone. And they do not leave a tourist alone!! It really is bad. But that's the way it is. We were taken to a market indoors(right now I can't remember where) and here it was nice and one could brows around. So I'm sure you will have some time to find some nice memories.

[christine222]

Hi Siriann!

 

Thank you for the heads up. I've heard the bartering can get pretty crazy. The ratio of 1 guide for 12 people sounds kinda high. I'm sure we're going to be flooded with information, so we'll just be prepared to go with the flow.

 

Thank you for all your wonderful insight. I really do appreciate it!

 

Best Wishes,

Christine

[baskis]

Christine,

I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip and it will be soooo interesting. And you will have not only Egypt but Jordan too AND Sharm! It would be nice to hear from you after your trip, if possible. When will you be back home?

Keep well! If by any chance your guide is Sonya please say hello to her from the 2 couples from Sweden. She'll remember!!!

 

All the best

Siriann(my name is Siri actually)

[christine222]

My mom and I leave for Jordan on Dec. 5. Our Exploring Egypt with Lindblad begins on Dec. 12, and I'll be in Sharm from Dec. 20-27.

 

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks once again for all your helpful tips. I really do appreciate it.

 

Best Wishes,

Christine

[deelite77]

Hello,

My husband and I just returned from the Egypt tour with Lindblad. We were there from October 13-22nd. Sonia was our primary guide during the tour. We had 2 guides (sonia and salwa) but the group was divided into 2 and we were with Sonia most of the week. She is fantastic. We absolutely loved her. She is spunky and fun and knowledgable and a pleasure to be around. She can tell you everything about the country and the people. And....she is sure to tell you what the merchandise is worth. If you need help haggling with the vendors she will help you and get you the best price possible. I loved the trip and would love to tell anyone about it. Please let me know if you would like any specific information. I am jealous that your journey is about to begin.....when mine just ended.

Britt

[christine222]

Hi Britt,

 

I'm so happy you had a wonderful time. I've been planning this trip for about a year and a half, and I can't believe it's less than 2 months away.

 

Please tell me more. How did you like the Four Seasons in Cairo and the Mena House? Any advice on getting a room w/a view at the Mena House? How was the Triton?? I saw that the staff to passenger ratio is about 1 to 1. How is the service? Food? How about tipping? Especially the tour guides, like Sonia? Would you recommend bringing small trinket gifts to exchange (pens, candy for the kids)? Would it be appropriate to bring a nicer gift for the tour guide, in lieu of or in addition to, giving them a monetary tip?

 

How about the weather? Any tips on packing? Do I need to bring formal wear for the cruise or for evenings out?? Did you find you were utterly exhausted by having to get up so early every morning? What did you think of Abu Simbel? What was your favorite site?? Were you really jetlagged when you arrived in Egypt?

 

OK - I guess that's enough questions. Sorry for being so inquisitive, I'm just so very excited about our trip. I don't mean to take up a lot of your time, so whatever information you could give me, I will appreciate.

 

Take Care & thanks so much for your insight!

 

Christine

[Remm]

We were on the same tour with Britt. You have a lot of good information in prior posts so here are a couple of tips. Sonia is fabulous so hope she is on board. Take lots of one-dollar bills -- almost everything on the street is a dollar and US currency is welcome everywhere. Ask Sonia (or your tour guide) to help you with negotiated prices -- those who didn't paid several times more than necessary. This is especially true for the more expensive items but can apply to even books and small items of clothing. Water is always available on your bus, walking tours, etc. but stick with the bottled water and what is served with your meals.

 

The MS Triton is far the best boat on the Nile. It has more space per passenger and a higher staff-to-passenger ratio than any other. If you are lucky enough to have the Bridge suite, you have the single best cabin that sails the Nile. Preserve the recommended tip money; you will be so happy with the tour that you will want to be generous at the end.

 

No formal wear is necessary but a nice light skirt and top will be appropriate for the one or two special meals planned. Your packet of information from Lindblad is pretty complete regarding packing, gratuities and other information you ask about. The service on board is very good, food is varied and quite good, and you can have laundry service on board at any time up to the day before you disembark (no dry cleaning but washing and pressing within 24 hours). Finally, my favorite stop was Petra on the Jordan extension but within Egypt you will find each stop unique and special in some way.

[christine222]

Hi Remm,

 

Thanks so much for the information. I really do appreciate it. I can't believe I'll be leaving a week from today. I've been planning this trip for almost 2 yrs now.

 

I will take your advise about the $1. I was planning on taking about $500 in $1s. Just wondering if I should bring more??

 

My mother and I are actually going to spend 6 days on our own in Jordan b/f our Lindblad tour. So, I'm very excited to see Petra as well. We actually will be able to see Petra at night on Monday, then Tues., we'll spend all day there, as well.

 

If you think of anything else, please let me know.

 

Take Care,

Christine

[Remm]

You don't need that many ones (50 is plenty unless you want 500 small items, of course). Don't plan of vendors having change for 20s however).

 

If you are able, I suggest walking the canyon to Petra (about a mile) rather than taking the horse-drawn cart (very bumpy and too fast to enjoy the sights). Return by cart if you are exhausted at the end of the day but expect a bumpy ride.

 

We did enjoy taking the donkeys around inside the area with caves and temples. We had a donkey for most of the day for about US$75. The owner waited for us to eat, browse the museum, etc. You will find the Bedouins to be very calm and generally fair compared to the vendors outside Petra. You may find the son of the author of "Married to a Bedouin" selling autographed books near the Treasury monument -- a very nice and friendly young man.

 

Eat at the restaurant in Petra, it is set in a beautiful spot.

[christine222]

Hi Remm,

 

Thanks so much for the information. I'm really looking forward to this trip. We leave this Friday.

 

Just wondering if you recall, do you remember what time it was approximately that you arrived at the Mena House after departing the cruise ship and touring around? I have a friend that is flying in to join me for a week at the Red Sea, and she'll be arriving on the day we finish the cruise and move on to the Mena House.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Thank you,

Christine

[supatraveler]

Hi Remm (and anyone else who has been on this tour),

 

I am curious, on the tours when you go and see the actual pyramids and sites, did you feel like you had enough time to see everything and enjoy it, or did you feel like you were herded around etc? I'm thinking of booking this tour and was curious what you thought about the whole group dynamic of touring with lindblad?

 

Also, how did meals work on the ship, especially at dinner? Can you sit with our own group that you are traveling with, or do you have to sit at a group table?

 

Thanks in advance!

[mocsary]

Hi Christine (or anyone else who has been on this trip)

 

I would love to hear about how your trip was. I am thinking about going on the same trip you did in December and would love to hear how it was, if it was long enough, etc.

 

Thanks,

Peter