Independent Tour in Egypt

[slgjhg]

Hi ALL,

 

This is a follow - up to our Roll Call and cross-over ports of call postings. A rather large group of CC's arranged independent tours in Egypt for our 30 day cruise from Rome to Bangkok 9/16/04. You can read all about the process at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=61733.

 

The bottom line is that we (two groups of us) used DeCastroTours of Egypt. For my husband and I who (this was our second trip) did a more exotic trip I cannot recommend them more highly. We did Alexandria, overnight in Ciaro, early flight to Aswan, flight to Abu Simbal, and flight to Luxor with overnight in order to meet the ship in Safaga. We spent four nights off the ship and it was just about perfect. They really spoiled us, if anyone is going to Egypt or stopping in ports in Egypt, I recommend that you contact them. I got their name from searching the archives of these boards, when they still existed.

 

If you have questions, I'll be happy to respond.

 

Regards,

 

Shannon

[haras]

Hi Shannon,

 

I'm still in the planning process of my cruise, but the ship that I'm leaning towards has a stop in alexandria (cairo) at 6 am to 10 pm. Is that enough time to see the sphinx? It's a Costa cruise of egypt, turkey and greece, and only stops off in cairo for the one day. This is my first cruise to Europe, so I like the itinerary b/c it enables us to see a lot of the ports we're interested in, but my main concern is that we're able to see the sphinx.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Tripmaven]

I saw your question regarding a visit to the sphinx in a day. I know Shannon is able to answer this question very well, but I will offer my opinion.

 

You should be able to get into Cairo from Alexandria if the ship docks at the time you say. The next question is clearance times. You will most likely need to be off the ship by 7:00a.m. You will also need to caravan to Cairo which is standard for everyone being met by tour groups. Once off the ship and on the road, it is approximately a 3 hour drive. You will need to make the same trip back the same day. It is a long day, but if you are up for it, it is worth it. Since your ship leaves at 10 p.m., you should have time to see the sights of Giza and a bit of Cairo.

 

You definitely need a guide and driver to insure that you see everything. The ship will probably provide a ships tour, but like, Shannon, I like making arrangements myself because it gives you a bit more flexibility during your tour.

 

Hope this helps.

[slgjhg]

Tripmaven, hi there! She is exactly right. It will be a very long day for you due to the distances between Alexandria and Cairo, it is doable though. I imagine your ship will offer such a tour or you could do it independently. It will be a very long day, but well worth the time. Maybe you can sleep during the return to the ship.

 

Obviously, I hadn't checked this board in a while. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

Regards,

 

Shannon

[Dbedros]

Hi Shannon,

 

I was the old post about DeCastro Tours. I very seldom post, but I was so pleased with this company I had to let others know about it.

 

It was good to check back and find that someone else used them and was very satisfied.

 

Happy Travels,

Dbedros

[haras]

I saw your question regarding a visit to the sphinx in a day. I know Shannon is able to answer this question very well, but I will offer my opinion.

 

You should be able to get into Cairo from Alexandria if the ship docks at the time you say. The next question is clearance times. You will most likely need to be off the ship by 7:00a.m. You will also need to caravan to Cairo which is standard for everyone being met by tour groups. Once off the ship and on the road, it is approximately a 3 hour drive. You will need to make the same trip back the same day. It is a long day, but if you are up for it, it is worth it. Since your ship leaves at 10 p.m., you should have time to see the sights of Giza and a bit of Cairo.

 

You definitely need a guide and driver to insure that you see everything. The ship will probably provide a ships tour, but like, Shannon, I like making arrangements myself because it gives you a bit more flexibility during your tour.

 

Hope this helps.

 

It definitely helps, thanks! I'm still deciding if this is the itinerary that I want to do, but the high point, for me, is seeing Eygpt and the pyramids.

[Saga Ruby]

Bump to July 2006

[slgjhg]

Hi Ruby,

 

I have also posted this on the other thread where you inquired.

 

 

 

Yes both groups from our ship booked everything over the internet. I believe in one of Barbara's posts she cut and pasted much of Moustafa's, the man we worked with, itinerary for their group of 4 or 5 couples.

 

I went back through my files and found this email address for him. He can probably put together anything you want. He is based in Cairo, but had a driver and guide for us in Alexandria, Assistant in Cairo to escort us to the airport for our flight to Aswan, Assistant to meet us in Aswan with guide for tours there. This same person and driver met us to take us to the airport for our flight to Abu Simbal, met us at the airport upon return and took us back to the airport the next morning for our flight to Luxor. Another Assistant met us with a driver in Luxor to take us to our hotel, picked us up the next morning to join the police escort to cross the desert and rejoin the ship.

 

The email address I used was moustafamouradus@yahoo.com. Good luck with your planning and I hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Shannon

[Saga Ruby]

Thanks for posting Moustafa's email address. I'm in the painful stages of putting together a private tour for Cairo right now. The "Road to Egypt" folks are talking astronomical prices, then when I wanted a better quality hotel, they had the gall to say it would be a USD220 supplement. I checked directly with the hotel (Sonesta St. George in Luxor) and the entire one-night stay in a front view Nile room is only $215.

 

It frosts my pumpkin to think that I am being aggressively overcharged. I know third-world countries look at Americans as a walking wallet, but enough is enough. I've decided to take a walk on the wild side and stay at the brand-new Al Moudira Hotel out in the desert, 4k from Luxor. It'll be my own little oasis in the midst of the madness that is Egypt.

 

I hope Moustafa can help me with tours and rates that are at least in the ballpark for Cairo and perhaps Luxor. Again, thanks for putting me in touch with him.

 

Ruby

[slgjhg]

Ruby,

 

Noticed further down on the board you had posted a thread for Mombai and Cochin. We also did these ports on our cruise and I used lapassagetoindia.com.

 

There is a thread which contains all the details, however, someone said they got no response. I find that hard to believe, given the level of service we received.

 

All the suggestions you have received are very good. However, be aware that Mombai is a very dirty, busy city and being met at the pier by someone with your name is quite reassuring and I highly recommend it. We were wisked away to a wonderful museum and on for all the other adventures which have been recommended.

 

In Cochin, our group kept growing from our departure in Rome. We originally started with 6 people. Through the ships internet I communicated with lapassage and by the time we reached Cochin, we were at least 20. Our air conditioned bus, the ship could not guarantee this, was at the port with our name, the cost was far less than the ships tours and we saw everything they did. Everyone was so gratful and we had a terrific day.

 

By the way, in Mumbai, it was just my husband and I and our driver and guide. Cash payment to the lepassagetoindia contact person upon exiting the port gate. Well worth it.

 

I found them on the trip advisor and fodors boards. You should check them out.

 

I am posting this here because I know you have visited recently. I will cut and paste on your other thread.

 

Regards,

 

Shannon

[Saga Ruby]

Howdy from Texas. I am diligently pursuing leads for the trips discussed by you and me. I'm waiting to hear from Moustafa at DeCastro but, in the interim, sent an "all points" email to travel agencies regarding this part of my trip. Most of it was junk that paid no attention to the details I sent, but Champion Tours briskly sent back an excellent reply with price and correct information as to dates. And the prices were certainly acceptable as opposed to the "pie in the sky" I was originally seeing. One has to wonder if prices are just made up on the spot.

 

I noticed that Champion was discussed on your thread. Did anyone on your cruise use their services? I'll wait to hear from Moustafa and a British ex-pat named Janet Foy onsite in Luxor, but just wondered if you or other pax had used Champion and had input from their personal experiences. The misinformation in emails to me by Egyptian tour agencies is remarkable.

 

Ruby

[slgjhg]

Ruby,

 

I'm not sure, but Tripmaven may have used them. If you go back to our Egypt India thread your question may be answered.

 

Good luck and keep me posted.

 

Regards,

 

Shannon

[Saga Ruby]

Shannon, I've decided to use Champion Tours. If the tours are half as efficient and good as Maha Adawy at their office, I'm in good shape!

 

I never heard back from Moustafa nor the DeCastro home office. I finally figured out the email address for sales at DeCastro but never got a reply. I'm sure they are excellent but Maha shines for Champion and is quite specific about prices and itineraries. She never turned a hair when I said I wanted to stay at Al Moudira out in the Luxor desert.

 

Her prices were 33% less than the Road To Egypt woman who was totally negative to deal with. RTE threw down requirements and prices, didn't pay attention to my personal wants and wishes, so I'm happy to give my business to Champion Tours.

 

Thanks so much for your advice which proved to be so important as a base from which to plan my own trip. :)

 

Happy sails!

Ruby

[saulsberry]

Ruby, we are taking a cruise in Sept. 2007 which will allow us to spend two days in Cairo. I would be interested to hear about your on-the-ground experience with Champion Tours which have also been very responsive to my inquiries.

[Saga Ruby]

I will indeed report back on this thread when I get back from Cairo. It'll be January before I can get back to you - I don't get home from Singapore until Christmas.

 

It has been a learning experience to deal with the Egyptian tour agencies. Most of them never paid any attention to what I wanted - they throw out prices for the usual tourist spots and see if it sticks.

 

The Road to Egypt woman was totally frustrating to deal with and quite snippy which is surprising in a tourist industry. Her price was $1,253 for me traveling alone and Champion is $853 which includes a 5-star hotel in the Luxor desert. The Road to Egypt woman stated there would be a supplement of $220 just for that hotel! Really insulting. It makes me ponder the veracity of the "customer comments" section on their Website.

 

I'll track down this thread when I get back and give your what information I can.

 

Ruby

[saulsberry]

I'll look forward to your report. I hope you have a great trip.

[cadreamer]

Does anyone have contact info for Champion Tours? Thanks.

[Saga Ruby]

I am booked with Champion Tours in November for 3 days. I do not recommend them. Due to Moustafa of DeCastro being on vacation, I was not able to contact DeCastro Tours, so went with Champion. I wish I were booked with DeCastro which is decastrotours@link.net.

 

The original price with Champion, including one overnight at a hotel, was $853 for one person. I asked for a car, not a van, in Cairo and Luxor since I am traveling alone, and the price jumped to $1,840 which was preposterous and insulting. I was told that my hotel choice in Luxor was not available so I emailed the hotel (Al Moudira) directly and had a wide choice of rooms and rates. I handled the booking at the Al Moudira.

 

I have received several follow-up emails from DeCastro which seemed efficient and pleasant, but kept the booking with Champion because my credit card has been charged. After an exchange of some 20 emails with Champion, I didn't want to start all over again with DeCastro.

 

Ruby

[cadreamer]

Saga Ruby - Thank you SO MUCH for your response regarding Champion Tours. Based on your comments I have contacted DeCastro and a company called Museum Tours which friends used in April. I really appreciate your candid remarks. It is my impression that the two companies I mentioned above request cash paid when you arrive.

If anyone else has recent experience with an Egypt tour company I would like to hear your experience. Thanks.

[cadreamer]

I hope you get your money back form Champion. Perhaps you can dispute it on yur credit card if they try to charge. They do not sound good. I think you are right to make the switch to DeCastro. Champion just sounds like trouble and I think you would not be happy touring with them in Egypt.

[almitra]

Man, all this information is terrific cuz I am planning a cruise to Egypt in 2008 and need to organize tours other than the ship's (to save $$). I am checking out DeCastro tours right now. :)

[Saga Ruby]

Duplicate post.

[Saga Ruby]

I did get the $515 credit refund on my card from Champion Tours. It took a month. I sent inquiry emails each week with a "cc" to the Champion Financial Mgr who told me that my "specialist" was on holiday and would refund the money when she returned.

 

When "Nefertiti" came back to the office, she took another two weeks to make the credit. As I protested, she claimed it had been "only one week" since my request when she knew I had an email posted a month earlier.

 

I understand the occasional mix-up between client and agency, but I have a very large problem with prevaricators, especially when I have the dated emails to prove otherwise.

 

I look forward to my tours with DeCastro and will report back after the first of the year when I return home.

 

Happy sails!

Ruby