Anyone Recently Used Ramses Tours?

[dog]

Quote:"Disappointments:

· Bottled water on our bus/van was not free. The driver charged $1 per bottle, resulting in only one or two people purchasing it. Based on the details of our itinerary, we were expecting the water to be complimentary.

 

· The 3-hour travel trip to/from Cairo was not in a convoy with security as promised. We only had our driver and tour guide, no armed guard accompanied us. We also traveled on the highway unescorted. To the driver’s credit, he got us there and back safely although the traffic was hair raising! "end quote

 

Thanks so much for the review. Really appreciate it.:)

 

What did the driver/guide say when you showed them the agreed upon correspondence about the mineral water while on tour being included and the convoy with armed guards traveling to Cairo?

 

Like you, I would expect to get what is promised. It sounds like you had a good tour and I thank you again for sharing.

 

dog:)

 

[tiyana4]

It's so exciting planning this cruise!:)

 

Can you tell me, which tour number did you take?

 

It was Tour Option 1 - Overnight

 

Quote:"Disappointments:

· Bottled water on our bus/van was not free. The driver charged $1 per bottle, resulting in only one or two people purchasing it. Based on the details of our itinerary, we were expecting the water to be complimentary.

 

· The 3-hour travel trip to/from Cairo was not in a convoy with security as promised. We only had our driver and tour guide, no armed guard accompanied us. We also traveled on the highway unescorted. To the driver’s credit, he got us there and back safely although the traffic was hair raising! "end quote

 

Thanks so much for the review. Really appreciate it.:)

 

What did the driver/guide say when you showed them the agreed upon correspondence about the mineral water while on tour being included and the convoy with armed guards traveling to Cairo?

 

Like you, I would expect to get what is promised. It sounds like you had a good tour and I thank you again for sharing.

 

dog:)

 

 

 

Hi Dog,

 

We did enjoy our tour. When asked about the water our guide just shrugged his shoulders. Our itinerary stated the following:

"Mineral water on board the vehicle during the tour"

 

I guess this could be read two ways: We will provide water on the vehicle (but it's not free), or water will be provided on the vehicle (at no cost). We took it to mean the latter. There was a section of exclusions at the end of our quoted itinerary, but water was not excluded. Perhaps I should have asked for clarity, but it was misleading to say the least. Rather than argue the point, our group made a bigger statement by simply not purchasing water.

 

With regard to security, this is from Ramses' website:

 

Security is provided by the Egyptian Government to ALL tours. This can be in the form of a security officer accompanying the group, or a police car preceeding the van. It depends on the Egyptian Police arrangment. Tourism is one of the major incomes to Egypt. So, the government always makes sure that passengers feel safe and are well protected whether with the cruise line tours or any other agency.

 

Here's the link: http://www.ramsestours.com/egypt-shore-excursions/shore-faq/

 

Now we did see quite a few vehicles on the highway that were transporting cruise passengers, but they were not in succession, and weren't being led by a police escort. Still a great tour.

[Turtles06]

Here is our review of Ramses' Overnight Tour:

 

 

* * * *

Disappointments:

· Bottled water on our bus/van was not free. The driver charged $1 per bottle, resulting in only one or two people purchasing it. Based on the details of our itinerary, we were expecting the water to be complimentary.

 

· The 3-hour travel trip to/from Cairo was not in a convoy with security as promised. We only had our driver and tour guide, no armed guard accompanied us. We also traveled on the highway unescorted. To the driver’s credit, he got us there and back safely although the traffic was hair raising!

 

 

You were supposed to have free water in your vehicle. We certainly did, and that is clearly the meaning of the Ramses statement about water being available in your vehicle. As you point out in a later comment, the "extras" for which you have to pay are listed by Ramses, and water in the vehicle is NOT one of them. I think the driver was trying to supplement his income.

 

As for the armed guards thing, this is a really misleading part of Ramses' web site. During one of my emails setting up a tour with them earlier this year, I asked about this, and they said the guards only accompany the big bus tours, not their small vans. Frankly, Ramses ought to take this down or change it to something that's more accurate. (We felt perfectly safe, by the way.)

 

Glad you enjoyed your tour.

[tiyana4]

You were supposed to have free water in your vehicle. We certainly did, and that is clearly the meaning of the Ramses statement about water being available in your vehicle. As you point out in a later comment, the "extras" for which you have to pay are listed by Ramses, and water in the vehicle is NOT one of them. I think the driver was trying to supplement his income.

 

As for the armed guards thing, this is a really misleading part of Ramses' web site. During one of my emails setting up a tour with them earlier this year, I asked about this, and they said the guards only accompany the big bus tours, not their small vans. Frankly, Ramses ought to take this down or change it to something that's more accurate. (We felt perfectly safe, by the way.)

 

Glad you enjoyed your tour.

 

Thanks for chiming in. I thought that was the case with the water. That's why these boards are so informative. Hopefully, it will help someone on a future trip. I've heard conflicting stories about the water since we returned. One group was only allowed one bottle per person and after that were charged a fee. In our case none were free; whereas yours were. So I guess it just depends. Now others know to challenge it if it happens to them.

 

BTW, I figured as much with the security. There was only one motorcycle escort at the port and I never saw him once we left the port. You're right, the security information on the website is a big misconception and should be updated to reflect the correct info. I hope you enjoyed your tour with Ramses.

[Gordo]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. We are in the beginning stages of our planning and have found the information in this thread very useful.

 

We really like the idea of a tour for two so that we can personalize the experience. Ramses tours sounds like they will provide great service and we will make sure that we are very specific with what we want.

 

It appears that the costs associated with the Oberoi Mena House have gone up for 2011. They are charging a $50 supplement per person for the hotel and a $70 supplement per person for a pyramid view. We don't know that this hotel with view is worth the $240 total upcharge as we won't have a lot of time at the hotel based on our plans.

 

Thanks again for the great information.

[Turtles06]

 

It appears that the costs associated with the Oberoi Mena House have gone up for 2011. They are charging a $50 supplement per person for the hotel and a $70 supplement per person for a pyramid view. We don't know that this hotel with view is worth the $240 total upcharge as we won't have a lot of time at the hotel based on our plans.

 

 

If you are doing anything in the evening, like the Sound and Light Show or a Nile dinner cruise, you are right, you'll have very little time at the hotel, and very little time in daylight to enjoy your Pyramid view room. We stayed at the Mena House earlier this year on an overnight Cairo tour with Ramses, and had very little time. It seemed like an incredible place, and I wish we'd had more time there. It does seem hard to justify the upcharge you are talking about. You might want to consider staying there and skipping the Pyramid view room.

[snapshot33]

I've been reading most of these reviews and as a majority they are the overnight stays. Has anyone had trouble with Ramses during a one-day stop? Our schedule is to be in port by 0830 and leave by 2300. Any tips for one day sight-seeing? What can be left out?

 

Thank you!

[Turtles06]

I've been reading most of these reviews and as a majority they are the overnight stays. Has anyone had trouble with Ramses during a one-day stop? Our schedule is to be in port by 0830 and leave by 2300. Any tips for one day sight-seeing? What can be left out?

 

Thank you!

 

Where are you thinking about spending your one day -- Alexandria? Cairo/Giza? If the latter, please keep in mind that it's about three hours EACH way from Alexandria to Cairo, and a private tour operator is going to be sure you are back to your ship a couple of hours before departure. Also, your ship may not be cleared immediately upon arrival, and things like fog along the highway between Alexandria and Cairo could hold you up as well. I say these things not to be a downer, but just so you are prepared for the many things that can happen in Egypt.

 

If you are going to Cairo, obviously the "tip" for one day is to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx. :) What else you try to fit in should depend on your own interests and how much time you actually have that day. Keep in mind that Giza is outside Cairo, but that the traffic in Cairo itself is insane and it can take forever to get around in the city.

 

If you only have one day, and you want to go to Cairo/Giza, you might want to look into a ship-sponsored tour, which will eliminate any worry about a late return to the ship, and might well maximize what you get to see in a single day because you won't have a private tour operator concerned about getting you back well in advance of departure. Did I mention that the traffic is insane? :)

[Capricruiser]

If I wanted to go to Cairo again I would go on the ship's excursion. With all the possible glitches that can occur in Egypt PLUS the distance from Alexandria, I'd feel safer with the cruise line's local operator. I'd dread the worry of seeing my ship sailing off while I'm in a private bus or van speeding into the port. And yes, I've been to Egypt many times and always enjoyed it.

[lucille&mike]

My wife and I were on a Ramses overnight excursion last month. I am not posting a review as of yet other than on our roll call site since I am attempting to work through some issues we had with Ramses. I only feel it is fair to allow them to reply to my quirey.

 

However, and this is something very important for any and all who are considering using Ramsies Tours (and possibly others in Egypt as well), even though they represent themselves as a TOUR COMPANY, they are NOT. They are a clearing house for other independent tour guides & companies. Keep that in mind if you are looking to book an excursion at what very well may be an item quite high up on your 'bucket list'.

Until I post my review, if anyone has any specific questions or concerns, please feel free to send me an e-mail: mwc1229@hotmail.com

[Zukini]

My wife and I were on a Ramses overnight excursion last month. I am not posting a review as of yet other than on our roll call site since I am attempting to work through some issues we had with Ramses. I only feel it is fair to allow them to reply to my quirey.

 

Please keep us posted on how Ramses responds.

[stuttgart]

We were just on the 11/23 sailing on Brilliance of the Seas and did the 2 day Ramses Tour to Cairo from Alexandria. Ask for "Mimmo" to be your tour guide - he was excellent! We had one other couple with us and for the 4 of us, it was the perfect amount of people in the van and cut the cost a little bit. We tipped both the driver and the guide separately. The cost of the tour was US $260 pp so we tipped the guide $55 and tipped the driver $20 - he really earned it - the traffic was horrendous. We tipped the bellman at the hotel $5.00. US dollars or Euros are OK - no need for Egyptian money. We ALWAYS had to tip the restroom people (take your own toilet paper) - they will be in your face for a tip - 1 euro each time was sufficient. No problem - I'm sure they need the money - the poverty there is mind boggling. Enjoy your trip - it truly was an amazing place.

 

Thank you very much for your suggestions. We are looking forward to this tour. We wish you, your family and all your friends HAPPY NEW YEAR and all the best years to come:)

 

Thank you

[dog]

It was Tour Option 1 - Overnight

 

 

 

Hi Dog,

 

We did enjoy our tour. When asked about the water our guide just shrugged his shoulders. Our itinerary stated the following:

 

"Mineral water on board the vehicle during the tour"

 

I guess this could be read two ways: We will provide water on the vehicle (but it's not free), or water will be provided on the vehicle (at no cost). We took it to mean the latter. There was a section of exclusions at the end of our quoted itinerary, but water was not excluded. Perhaps I should have asked for clarity, but it was misleading to say the least. Rather than argue the point, our group made a bigger statement by simply not purchasing water.

 

With regard to security, this is from Ramses' website:

 

Security is provided by the Egyptian Government to ALL tours. This can be in the form of a security officer accompanying the group, or a police car preceeding the van. It depends on the Egyptian Police arrangment. Tourism is one of the major incomes to Egypt. So, the government always makes sure that passengers feel safe and are well protected whether with the cruise line tours or any other agency.

 

Here's the link: http://www.ramsestours.com/egypt-shore-excursions/shore-faq/

 

Now we did see quite a few vehicles on the highway that were transporting cruise passengers, but they were not in succession, and weren't being led by a police escort. Still a great tour.

 

Thanks so much for your posts. Very helpful.

I checked my correspondence and it shows Included and Not Included as you say.

 

ie:

Include:

 

>  Mineral water on board the vehicle during the tour

>

>

> Exclude:

>  Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary

>  Tipping Kitty

 

I'm booked withe Ramsestours.com and I am wondering if some others reporting on this thread are talking about the other Ramses company.

Edited December 29, 2010 by dog

[dog]

My wife and I were on a Ramses overnight excursion last month. I am not posting a review as of yet other than on our roll call site since I am attempting to work through some issues we had with Ramses. I only feel it is fair to allow them to reply to my quirey.

 

However, and this is something very important for any and all who are considering using Ramsies Tours (and possibly others in Egypt as well), even though they represent themselves as a TOUR COMPANY, they are NOT. They are a clearing house for other independent tour guides & companies. Keep that in mind if you are looking to book an excursion at what very well may be an item quite high up on your 'bucket list'.

Until I post my review, if anyone has any specific questions or concerns, please feel free to send me an e-mail: mwc1229@hotmail.com

 

Thanks so much for posting about your tour experience. Very helpful.

I have a couple of questions:

 

What hotel did you stay for the overnight in Cairo and what did you think of it?

 

Was the company Ramsestours.com or the other one called ramses?

I am booked with the ramsestours.com and in touch with Mr. George. (see link in above posts).

 

Hope you had a good trip otherwise.

[Turtles06]

Please keep us posted on how Ramses responds.

 

Based on my own experience and my reading on here, a not uncommon response from Mr. George seems to be an offer of a free tour next time you're in Egypt. I wonder how many have been able to take him up on this. :rolleyes:

[lucille&mike]

Thanks so much for posting about your tour experience. Very helpful.

I have a couple of questions:

 

What hotel did you stay for the overnight in Cairo and what did you think of it?

 

Was the company Ramsestours.com or the other one called ramses?

I am booked with the ramsestours.com and in touch with Mr. George. (see link in above posts).

 

Hope you had a good trip otherwise.

 

 

Dog;

 

We were indeed booked with the same company. Ramses Tours Egypt wesite of www.ramsestours.com & are communicationg with a 'Mr. George'. Although if you look at your e-mails closely you are probably speaking with someone on behalf of George. We stayed at the Oberoi Mena House in Cairo. If this is the hotel you choose, a couple of things. Do not expect much of anything as far as a pyramid view room as noted above with our experience. Another of the group had a palm tree literally right in front of their balcony. Do not expect to get off site for dinner unless you'd like to take your life into your own hands with the Cairo traffic. And lastly, if you plan on ordering room service bring a nice fat wallet. While the food and drinks were good, they were extremely expensive. And this is coming from someone that is familiar with NYC prices!

[lucille&mike]

Based on my own experience and my reading on here, a not uncommon response from Mr. George seems to be an offer of a free tour next time you're in Egypt. I wonder how many have been able to take him up on this. :rolleyes:

 

 

Good point, and I have told Mr. George I am not interested in returning to his country. The pyramids have been taken off of the 'bucket list' if you will. We'll see where it goes from here.

[dog]

Thanks again for your response.

I always appreciate hearing all experiences.

 

dog:)

[tiyana4]

Thanks so much for your posts. Very helpful.

I checked my correspondence and it shows Included and Not Included as you say.

 

ie:

Include:

 

>  Mineral water on board the vehicle during the tour

>

>

> Exclude:

>  Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary

>  Tipping Kitty

 

I'm booked withe Ramsestours.com and I am wondering if some others reporting on this thread are talking about the other Ramses company.

 

You are welcome.

 

I didn't realize there was a second company (.com vs. .net) until I read reviews on Trip Advisor. I wonder how many people give good/bad reviews to the wrong company. If I were Ramses, I would definitely want to distinguish myself from a tour operator with the exact same name, unless they are one and the same. Hmmm. :confused:

[lucille&mike]

Time for another Ramses update. Their website mentions that if you do not like the tour you do not have to pay. This is incorrect. Since all tours are operated by Independent Contractors, you must pay at the end. Since we had such a disasterous trip, I have been trying to work with 'Mr. George' on obtaining a refund. Today he said he will be sending me a $50 refund. What a joke. $50 for a disaterous trip that cost just under $500 for the two of us AND almost got us killed on top of it all!

 

Best of luck to everyone with your choices in Egypt.

[Gerricann]

We recently were on Brillance of the Seas in November and used Ramses Tours for a day trip to the pyramids. Islam was our tour guide and he was a very pleasant individual with an excellent command of English. His knowledge and sharing of information with our group was most impressive. His driver, Farid, was very capable in navigating the challenging road system.

 

Unfortunately, due to fog, we were not able to depart from the port on time. All tours faced this same problem. Then construction on the highway added to a longer drive than originally stated. I'm sure this construction has been going on for awhile and probably will continue for quite some time. As a result we were on a very tight schedule so that we could see as many of the sites as originally planned. Islam was very good in moving the group through all the sites and ensuring we got to see everything of significance. His explanations and details were so good, that tourists from other groups began to join our group and listen to Islam's detailed and competent explanations.

 

Our one disappointment was that due to time we did not get to the bazaar that we had originally planned to go to. Again, this was a day trip so we needed to get back to the ship, which we did by 9:00 p.m.

[dog]

We just arrived back from Celebrity Equinox and did a one day tour with 4 people with Ramses. We were disappointed with the guide after all the good reports on this site. Her english was poor, she hardly spoke the whole way to Cairo and not at all on the way back. She never pointed out any sights at all. She did explain things briefly at the museum and the pyramids but we kept asking her to repeat it as we couldn't understand. We only had 2 minutes to take a photo from the road of the sphynx because she had forgotten it closed early that day. We had requested to do a Felucca ride but they hadn't booked this and they were all completely full. All in all a bit of a disaster. I'm sure this was an isolated case as other people on the cruise had excellent trips with Ramses.

 

Can you tell us the name of your guide and driver?

thanks

[dog]

Not isolated. It really comes down to the guide. Four of us did an overnight tour with Ramses in Feb. We booked with them based on all the raves here on CC. As I reported when we got back, I too was disappointed with our guide. While there were a number of good things he did, and I do credit him for that and did when I first wrote about this, he did have some difficulties with English. (I am sure that, for an Egyptian, his English was great, but for a licensed English tour guide, should have been better.) And, like your guide, he barely talked to us during the entire three hour trip from Alexandria to Cairo; we pretty much had to cross examine him to learn things. Very different from the experience so many others have reported. Again, he did a lot well, it wasn't all bad and we had an incredible experience. I just think it could have been even better based on what I've read on here.

 

It all comes down to the individual guide.

 

Can you tell us the name of your driver and guide?

thanks

[cc65]

Yes I used them in November and was very disappointed with our trip. Here was a review I tried to post on CC

 

I just returned from a cruise with a port excursion done by Ramses company. I re-read their Tour 1 and have determined that our tour was in no way up to the standards that was portrayed on their web site. We paid $560 US (2 people) for our tour and we have never been this disappointed with a shore excursion. Please see below (in italics) all of the contradictions of the tour versus our experience.

 

Day01:

Upon arrival you will find our guide waiting you with sign of your name start your tour to visit Sakkara then you will be transferred to Memphis then drive to the famous Giza Plateau, home of Egypt’s signature attractions to visit the Great Pyramids and mysterious Sphinx the tour includes visit to the valley temple facing the great sphinx with shopping tour at the traditional bazaars and from there you will be transferred to your hotel for check in and having settled in and overnight stay. Day 1 did not take place until day 2. When we requested to go to the traditional bazaar our tour guide took us to an expensive cotton factory. We did not get to our hotel until 7:30 at night; we never had a stop for lunch.

 

Optional Evening tour you will be accompanied to attend the fabulous sound and light show at the Pyramids or and you will be accompanied to board your luxurious Nile cruise ship for dinner, belly dance and oriental show for 2 hours then you will be transferred back to your hotel for overnight stay. Note – Our tour guide had no information about who was going to the sound and light or the Nile river cruise – when asked how we would be taken to the events he was very unclear and said “no worry we will get you there” First he told us the River cruise was at 5:30 – there was no way to make that and the sound and light was at 9:30 then he changed it to 6:30 – no way we could make that. So we just gave in and cancelled everything telling him to just take us to the hotel.

 

Day02: This turned out to be Day 1 BUT we only did the Museum and the Mosque

Breakfast at hotel then start you visits today with The Museum of Egyptian antiquities. Then panoramic photo stop for Cairo and river Nile and Cairo city tour then you will be move on to the Citadel of Saladin and Mohammed Ali Alabaster Mosque. Finally you will be escorted by your guide back to the cruise when you arrive Alexandria “quick” stop by the new library in Alexandria as well as a quick stop to the Alexandria lighthouse for pictures We never saw anything in Alexandria.

 

Includes

Pick up services from Alexandria Port & return (by the cruise exit door)

All transfers by a private air-conditioned vehicle

Accommodation in 5 star Hotel

Breakfast at your Hotel

Private English Egyptologist guide

Entrance fees to all the mentioned sites

Mineral water on board the vehicle during the tour – we were told on day 2 water was limited to one bottle any additional bottles could be bought from the driver

Lunch meal in a pyramids view restaurant in the first day (drinks not included) Never happened – we were given a $5 credit Our guide never even knew that we were scheduled to stop for lunch!

Lunch meal at Nile view restaurant in Cairo in the second day (drinks not included) Never happened – we were asked on Day 1 did we want to do this or take a $5 credit because we had so much to do because we did not get to pyramids on Day 1 we would be short on time. We figured since we had such a bad experience Day 1 we better not plan on lunch on Day 2 so we got another $5 credit

 

Safety: Egypt is a safe destination. Crime in Egypt nearly does not exist. Security is good and there are specially trained Tourist Police

The buses move in convoys for protection. The Egyptian government takes so much care of the tourism as it is the national source of income in Egypt. the tourist in Egypt is VIP person So the Egyptian police (not the ship) provide police cars, security, guards around all the buses This service is not by the ship or Ramses tours its provided for all the tourists that arrive to Egypt, make organized tours We left the port and were not in any convoy, had no police cars or security guards. Our van did not seem to have much power and we did not arrive in Cairo until 2:30 in the afternoon, because of the late arrival many things had to be changed around.

 

Additional comments:

 

In the Museum several of us wanted to go to the mummy room – we did but our guide did not inform us that we also paid for an audio guide. We entered on our own – after a comment by our guide “If you want to go look at dead bodies – go ahead” How disrespectful of such antiquities can you be.

 

We had no time to spend at the Citadel – the only time there was spent touring the mosque.

 

We paid an additional $60 for a pyramid view room – our room had two palm trees view and because we got to the hotel so late and left so early the view of the pyramids was nonexistent!

 

We were not given any kind of a guided tour of Cairo – we just drove from one sight to another!

 

We saw nothing in Alexandria – except in the bus going to the highway to Cairo

 

And last but in no way the least of our experience was that we were almost killed on our way home. Our driver decided to pass a large truck on the right. We jumped the curb, the van rocked and we all saw our lives pass in front of us. Needless to say we were relieved when we pulled into the port alive.

 

 

 

 

We now know that there are issues with the highway and the “fog” but no other group that we spoke to got to Cairo as late as we did and had ample opportunity to do all of the events that were planned.

Tour date November 28-29

 

Ramses tour guide – Ayman Khalifa

 

Our only response from Ramses was that they would not use him again - who knows how they pick their guides.

[dog]

cc240,

thanks so much for posting your review. very helpful.

sorry that you ended up with this driver and guide in Egypt.

 

These recent posts show us future travelers to make it clear what we want our tour to be and to speak up when it is not happening.

 

I am taking a clear, concise copy of the tour I am asking for along with the list of inclusions Ramses has promised me. There will be one copy for me, one copy for the guide and one copy for the driver. And I will ask to contact Mr. George while on tour if my expectations are not being met.

 

Ramses site says you can request guides by name so I am making my list as I do my research.

 

Thanks again for your feedback