Quest Athens - Singapore shore excursions

[nevernever]

We are thinking about booking the Athens - Singapore cruise in November. Any suggestions from those who have already done this voyage regarding good ship or private shore excursions in Alexandria, Dubai and Cochin?

 

Thanks,

 

Nevernever

[BillC]

We took this cruise last November. The best thing about Alexandria is the Library. The balance of the place is "not ready for prime time" (actually it's past its prime) so you can take a taxi to the library on your own. Be aware that the traffic is horrendous. Some people took the all day excursion to Cairo, but you'll spend most of your day on the bus, and you can't experience Cairo in just one day. In Dubai we took the 4 wheel drive in the sand dunes. It was fantastic! They use Toyota SUV's and let quite a bit of air out of the tires when you reach the desert. It was a blast. In Cochin we took the harbor cruise, and it was OK.If you can afford it, take the shore excursion to Siem Reap and Angkor. You fly in from Bangkok, visit the 3 major temple complexes, and stay in the 5 star LeMeridian Hotel. It is worth every penny and will go down as a trip of your lifetime.

[Susan-M]

We did a private excursion from Alexandria to Cairo in October, just DH and I with a private driver and a guide (at less than the cost of the shore-ex with Azamara) ... it took about 2.5 hours to get there and 3 back, but well worth it to spend a few hours at the pyramids and Sphynx, a couple of hours at the Egyptian Museum, and to see Cairo. Our original plan was to include a stop at the Citadel and Mohammad Ali Mosque but we decided that day to spend more time at the Pyramids and skip the Citadel/Mosque (a decision made while at the Pyramids). A very interesting and memorable day! I would recommend looking at the African ports of call section to get more ideas and recommendations, and if you like, I'll be glad to post the website of the guide who we used.

[MVPinBoynton]

I enjoyed Alexandria and saw some interesting sights while there. You can see what we did on our website at www.thepreismans.com. Obviously, the sights in Cairo and at the Pyramids are much more satisfying; but you have to do the long drive. You have to decide if it is worth it to you. Since we were on a river cruise we had plenty of time in both Alexandria and Cairo, so it wasn't an issue. Although we did have to take the same road between Alexandria and Cairo, which was not pleasant. If I were only going to be doing a port stop in Alexandria, I would take the long drive. There is no way I could miss seeing the pyramids.