Uniworld's River Tosca?

[next trip?]

Hello to all--regarding dress:

I took capris in khaki, black and white for the day ( all were cotton since I worried about the heat. We were lucky and it was delightful weather so I could have worn jeans or slacks. I took short sleeved tops to coordiante with the capris and several light weight jackets for the early mornings and evenings. If you are familiar with Chico's ( my favorite store) the jackets, capris or slacks that I bought were the brand called Zenergy. They were the perfect weight and easy to pack. just roll them up and they hardly took any room.

For the evenings: I took one pair of black, kind of, silky capris ( or you could take slacks) and wore different tops. Not beaded or anything like that but lightweight gauzy ( sp?) tops ( also from Chico's) with a silky tee to underneath. We had two nights that were Egyptians nights so I wore the outfits I bought in the floating market and at the bazaar. Each of those cost $10.00. You really only need outfits for 5 nights then. No one dressed really dressy on our cruise, just smart casual.

Be sure you bring a scarf or shawl for the Mosques ( or a light weight jacket). You can buy pretty silky shawls for about $3.00 each if you bargain hard. The Pashiminas are about $5.00, also with hard bargaining!

You actually can pack very little and get by. I wore my capris several times each and just had different tops for each day.

if you have any other questions just ask.

next trip?

[King Dodo]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all on this thread. Thanks again for all the useful information that is being shared.

I did finally speak to my TA last week and she confirmed that Uniworld were offering compensation. I am still waiting to get the details in writing and am willing to share them with the other folks adversely affected by the removal of the River Tosca in Feb / March 2010 if they are interested.

Geddyupgo - looking forward to meeting you as we will be on the Feb 13th 7 nights Egypt tour.

All the Best for the holidays.

King Dodo :)

[BobBook]

Has anyone sailed The Nile on The Miriam? Can you give a review? I spoke to Uniworld and they said they are taking all the furniture from the Tosca (including beds) and putting them on the Miriam. One thing we won't have is Wifi.

 

49er are you still sailing on 2/26?

 

Carol

 

I called Uniworld today and was told that the Miriam will/does have WiFi available in the Lounge and at Reception for 45 EGP for 30 minutes -- about $8.30, same as was charged on the River Tosca.

[Dakotabear34]

Has anyone sailed The Nile on The Miriam? Can you give a review? I spoke to Uniworld and they said they are taking all the furniture from the Tosca (including beds) and putting them on the Miriam. One thing we won't have is Wifi.

 

49er are you still sailing on 2/26?

 

Carol

Hello Carol,

 

Wifi did not work all that well on the Tosca. It cost $9.00/30 minutes card and the highest transmission I got was 1 bar. Needless to say I was disconnected many times and that used up a lot of the 30 minutes you had paid for. I ended up buying two cards. One gave me enough time to email my children that I was OK and the second gave me enough time to email to advise my travel agent about the terrible condition of the Tosca and to advise her that they had not delivered the sailing gift she had ordered for us.

 

Enjoy your trip, because Egypt is spectacular.

[bobby1119]

We were all set for the November 20, 2009, tour package of the River Tosca; however, we canceled a week before we were to fly to Cairo when my partner's father in the Philippines became seriously ill.

 

When we returned from the Philippines three weeks later, we re-booked for the April 10, 2010, sailing of River Tosca, which is supposed to be back from drydock by then.

 

Uniworld was so classy and professional in the way they handled our situation.

[49er]

Anyone hear directly from UniWorld yet about the Tosca/Miriam swap? We are still on for the Feb 26 tour and awaiting word from UniWorld. I realize the internet (and CC) is a nice way to communicate with their customers but getting something in writing, even a e-mail, would be customary one would think. No credit yet to our account either:-(

 

49er

[opal21]

49er, same here, only through my TA and in talking to a Uniworld agent did I get the info. No credit to our account yet either.:( You know when you pay with your charge, you see it immediately, but when it comes to credit it takes a while.:rolleyes:

It would be nice to get something in writing and to know what our cabins are. What about the people that don't go on cruise critic? Are they completely in the dark about the situation?:confused:

Hopefully this will all turn out wonderful. It's less then two months away now.

Carol

[49er]

It would be nice to get something in writing and to know what our cabins are. What about the people that don't go on cruise critic? Are they completely in the dark about the situation?:confused:

Hopefully this will all turn out wonderful. It's less then two months away now.

Carol

My sentiments exactly! I am sure some folks who are not internet savvy will be in for a big surprise. We too are still are very much looking forward to this trip. After all, Egypt is the "Main Event".

 

Ed

[Sgt. Pepper]

I am scheduled to sail on the Tosca January 15th. I recently received a $300 credit from Uniworld to be used towards any future cruise, This can be used in conjunction with any promotion or discount they run. Also, there is no expiration on the credit. I don't forsee Uniworld giving back any cash refunds.

[opal21]

Sgt. Pepper you will be sailing on the Tosca as it goes to drydock 2/10.

Unfortunately those of us sailing between Feb. and mid March will be on The Miriam which is an older boat.:( We were all very much looking forward to The Tosca.

Carol

[Uniworld]

For those who are currently booked on one of Uniworld's Egypt cruise/tour programs departing before March 19, 2010, our records show that we have made contact with all our guests or their travel agents about the situation with the River Tosca.

 

If you are booked on a Uniworld Egypt cruise/tour program departing before March 19, 2010 and you have not been contacted, then please call your travel agent or Uniworld at 1-800-733-7820 or contact us via email at customerservice@uniworld.com for information.

 

Thank you very much, and we look forward to being of service to you.

 

Best regards,

 

The Uniworld Team

[49er]

We received our written confirmation of the changes and compensation package from UniWorld today. We are good to go for the Feb 27 cruise:-)

As I have said in a previous post, it really looks like UniWorld is trying to do the right thing for the folks that got bumped off the Tosca.

 

49er

[jperkin1]

We have heard from our travel agent, but that's about it. We are on the Feb. 5th trip, so am guessing we should hear any time soon... It's a month from today!!! Hard to believe that it's so close. Sure hope that's enough time to drop all those troublesome Christmas pounds:(

[49er]

We Sure hope that's enough time to drop all those troublesome Christmas pounds:(

Ain't that the truth! The old treadmill is just humming away. Bread and water for the next 50 days:-)

 

Have a great trip. Would be anxious to hear how things went on the Miriam but not sure if you will be back by the time we leave bright and early on the 25th.

 

49er

[jperkin1]

Bread???? Wow you're lucky... I'm just doing carrots and celery:)

 

We return to Houston on the 18th, so I'll be sure to let you know. I know it will be fabulous though, and we are so looking forward to it!!

[opal21]

We also got a statement from our TA and were very pleased. ;) We were so pleased that we booked another cruise with Uniworld (Eastern Europe Explorer) for Sept.

Now we're just looking forward to Egypt (in 51 days):D and hope it's warmer then it is here in North Texas. I've been watching the weather and it looks like the temperature is dropping a little. It should be really nice when we go.

Carol

[next trip?]

I would like to wish all of you future travelers to Egypt a wonderful time. I know you will really enjoy the trip, no matter which ship you are on. The people are so friendly, seeing the pyramids for the first time. Abu Simbel, the temples, etc. etc. is utterly amazing!

We are leaving for a Caribbean Cruise on Feb. 12th and then onto Florida for the month of March. Anything is better than our freezing cold weather with snow coming down as I write.

Enjoy,Enjoy!!

next trip?

[49er]

Hello Next Trip?

Thanks for the well wishes and, like you a few months ago, we are so looking forward to our trip to Egypt.

Have a great cruise and enjoy your stay in Florida. Hope things warm up a bit for you down there as I have been watching the reports of record cold for the state. It has been unseasonably cold for us this year too and in early December, we had 7" of snow which broke all the records. We might get a "dusting" every other year so this was really quite an event for us. We lost power for 24 hours but some of the folks in the surrounding area were off for nearly a week. Not Fun.

Check back here in March and I will post some thoughts about our trip.

 

Bon Voyage

 

49er

[King Dodo]

Was it 'buggy' on the Nile cruise and did you need insect repellent?

 

Were there 'iHomes' available in the cabin to recharge Ipods etc?

 

Thanks!

 

Happy New Year!

 

Only 5 weeks to go now....:)

[next trip?]

Yes, there were IPod stations on the river Tosca. Not sure about Miriam.

I took insect repellant but never used it. Not buggy at all at the time of year we were there.(Nov.)

next trip?

[jperkin1]

Thanks for the well wishes next trip? Have another clothing question for you! Should my husband bring a jacket/tie? Was there ever a need for that? Also wondered what the transportation is to Abu Simbel? Thanks for all you help!

[next trip?]

Hi,

I know you are getting excited about your approaching trip!

We flew to Abu Simbel. It was about an hour flight. That is a very early wake up in order to get to the airport on time. It was good though because our group got there before it was very crowded. We were back on the ship in time for lunch!

The only time a jacket was "suggested" was for the Captains farewell dinner. My husband did not take one and no one else in our group wore one. My husband just wore collared polo shirts each night and for the Captains Farewell wore a short sleeved collared sport shirt. He took 2 pair of dress pants ( brown and black) and wore those each evening. During the day he wore shorts or khakis depending on the tour for that day.

Do be sure to take lightweight jackets ( or it may be a little colder now when you go). The morning and evenings were quite chilly since you have a few mornings where you are starting around 5 or 6.

I know you already know this, but just in case, bring sunscreen, a hat and sun glasses. The sun is intense! Bring toilet paper or handy wipes since they only hand you about 2 little squares of toilet paper for the restrooms.

If you have any other questions be sure to ask and I will try to help! have a wonderful time! It is fast approaching.

next trip?

[geddyupgo]

We are all set for the Feb 13th tour - Exciting to know it is so close: where did the time go?

 

Although we plan to take sandals for lounging on the sundeck do you seasoned pros recommend some serious walking shoes for scrambling around the ruins and monuments? Would walking shorts (not short shorts) be offensive on the cruise? We will also be taking Khaki pants. How dressy is dinner on the ship for women?

 

Secondly, will we need converters for the Miriam and/orthe Cario Marriot (got to keep those camera batteries charged and ready!)??

 

Also, although I like baseball caps for the local horse shoes, I really would like something with a wide brim and a mesh top for air circulation; going to check out LLBean and Land's end but if anyone has any other shopping suggestion, please let me know.

 

As always thanks for your help.

Geddyupgo

[49er]

We are all set for the Feb 13th tour - Exciting to know it is so close: where did the time go?

 

Secondly, will we need converters for the Miriam and/orthe Cario Marriot (got to keep those camera batteries charged and ready!)??

 

 

hello geddyupgo (great name BTW:-),

As far a converters for camera/cell phone batteries, you will probably just need a recepticle adapter since most all battery chargers are dual voltage (110V/220V). It is usually marked right on the charger.

Have a great trip. we will be right behind you on the Feb 27th cruise.

 

49er

[next trip?]

Yes, 49er is correct about the dual voltage, so just an adaptor.

Sandals are fine for the ship but IMO tennis shoes or comfortable walking shoes are better for the monuments, pyramids etc. It is very dusty and the walking surfaces are very uneven with lots of stones and rocks etc.

Dinner was a little dressier than what you would wear to tour. I took a pair of silky black capris and just wore a different top each night. Two of the nights you wear Egyptian gowns that you can purchase in the market or the "floating market" from the ship.

I wore a wide brimmed khaki colored hat with mesh on the sides. It rolled up in my suitcase. It also had SUV protection and worked out great. I am sure you will find some in the LLBean brochure or Lands End. I purchased mine on a trip to Baltimore last July but I can not remember the brand name. Even though I thought it was pricey 10% of the purchase price went to the Susan Kormen Foundaton for Breast Cancer so it was well worth it!

enjoy your trip.

next trip?