HI
We did get egyptian currency from Luxor airport and were going to get some more from an ATM but din't in the end. Presume ther would be some in Luxor. We used quite a lot of Engish money, they were quite happy toaccept English £1coins but preffered notes..They gave prices in which ever currency you wanted(If you were brave enough to ask!) I had read about taking dollar bills for tips which I think would have been a good idea.. We did not take any money on our balloon flight thinking we did not need any! oops forgot about the tipping! Had to give some 20p coins as that is all we had!!.
You have to pay for the tipping on the boat in cash, it has to be put in the envelopes and they do state that they want foreign currency. My husband as just e-mailed First Choice to say it would have been good to be advised about this! Also £7 cash each for the coach drivers, they ask for this at the begininning of the week and nore down your room number!! Quite a few people on our trip did not agree with this so I don't know what they did if you didn't pay up!! I think you just have to be prepared to tip for everything. There was a man standing outside a tomb handing our pieces of cardboard to use as fan as it was so hot, did not think until we came out that a tip would be required!
I am sure you will really enjoy the tip. The little niggles with tipping etc really did not spoil our enjoyment of the holiday. We met some lovely people ,there are only about 100 on the boat and some only did the 4 day cruise so you did get to know quite a few people.
Please ask if I have missed anything out.
Julie
Sorry just re-read your post. There is s fridge in the cabin but no kettle. Ha dto get up for your cup of tea!
We used the bank counters at Luxor airport to change the money. People also queued up there for the visa, this was a bit confusing as we already had ours and didn't realise it was the same queue for exchange.
julie.
ps if you would like a phot of the Orchid I cxould e-maill one to you.
We used the bank counters at Luxor airport to change the money. People also queued up there for the visa, this was a bit confusing as we already had ours and didn't realise it was the same queue for exchange.
julie.
ps if you would like a phot of the Orchid I cxould e-maill one to you.
hi julie,
i talked to you on the trip adviser about the orchid,you say that there is no kettle? it does say in the book that there is tea and coffee making fac in the room,would you advise taking a travel one or is it easy enough to get one in the mornings,i cant function without my morning cuppa!!!
also you say that you have pics of the boat,i would really like to see some of the pics,if you dont mind. im just getting really excited now,only 6 weeks on monday
thank you for all your help
hazel & john
i talked to you on the trip adviser about the orchid,you say that there is no kettle? it does say in the book that there is tea and coffee making fac in the room,would you advise taking a travel one or is it easy enough to get one in the mornings,i cant function without my morning cuppa!!!
also you say that you have pics of the boat,i would really like to see some of the pics,if you dont mind. im just getting really excited now,only 6 weeks on monday
thank you for all your help
hazel & john
sorry i forgot to add my e mail addy, 
hazel.field@ntlworld.com
once again thank you
hazel & john
hazel.field@ntlworld.com
once again thank you
hazel & john
hi julie,
i talked to you on the trip adviser about the orchid,you say that there is no kettle? it does say in the book that there is tea and coffee making fac in the room,would you advise taking a travel one or is it easy enough to get one in the mornings,i cant function without my morning cuppa!!!
also you say that you have pics of the boat,i would really like to see some of the pics,if you dont mind. im just getting really excited now,only 6 weeks on monday
thank you for all your help
hazel & john
i talked to you on the trip adviser about the orchid,you say that there is no kettle? it does say in the book that there is tea and coffee making fac in the room,would you advise taking a travel one or is it easy enough to get one in the mornings,i cant function without my morning cuppa!!!
also you say that you have pics of the boat,i would really like to see some of the pics,if you dont mind. im just getting really excited now,only 6 weeks on monday
thank you for all your help
hazel & john
Hi - I am new to Holiday Truths and was wondering if anybody would be able to help me.
I have been looking at prices for a Nile Cruise and I have been given a price for 7 nights on the MS Miss Sara in August 2006 to do the Wonders of the Nile Itinery.
I was wondering if anybody had been on this boat and if so what is it like and what is the cruise itself like ?
I know that it is all inclusive from 10.30am to 11.30pm apart from a couple of excursions (Abu Simbel, Karnak Sound & Light Show and entrance to Tutankhamun's Tomb). According to the brochure the price for the Karnak Sound & Light Show is approx £16 each but there is no price for the others and wondered if anybody could shed any light on approx costs for the other two.
Any help is much appreciated
Thanks
Emma
I have been looking at prices for a Nile Cruise and I have been given a price for 7 nights on the MS Miss Sara in August 2006 to do the Wonders of the Nile Itinery.
I was wondering if anybody had been on this boat and if so what is it like and what is the cruise itself like ?
I know that it is all inclusive from 10.30am to 11.30pm apart from a couple of excursions (Abu Simbel, Karnak Sound & Light Show and entrance to Tutankhamun's Tomb). According to the brochure the price for the Karnak Sound & Light Show is approx £16 each but there is no price for the others and wondered if anybody could shed any light on approx costs for the other two.
Any help is much appreciated
Thanks
Emma
Hi Emma
All tours that are booked through the tour operator tend to be more expensive than if you had booked them yourself. Having said that, if you have not been to Egypt before it may be better to book through your agent to ensure that you get to do the trips that you want. This applies particularly to the Abu Simbel excursion, as it requires either a short plane or longer coach journey in order to get there. Sometimes availability can be restricted during busy times due to the popularity of this excursion. As you will be on the cruise it is easier and usually cheaper to do this trip when you arrive in Aswan rather than from Luxor. A typical tour operator, say Thomson will ask around £150.00 sterling per person for the Abu Simbel excursion by air & around £90.00 each by coach. These prices can vary greatly and I am sure that plenty of people on this forum will tell you of better prices that they have had, but these prices are generally a good guide. The price for the Karnak sound & light show is about right for a tour operator but if you are in Luxor for a second weeks stay you can do it cheaper yourself. The extra cost of visiting the tomb of Tutankhamen is about £7.00 sterling, your normal entrance ticket to the valley will allow you to visit three tombs but if you wish to visit Tut's it will cost you the extra £7.00. You do not need to book this with your TA as you can buy this extra admission ticket when you are in the valley itself. Your TA will probably ask around £33.00 each for a tour of the 'West Bank' and this will include a visit to the Valley of the Kings and of course the tomb of Tutankhamen. Hope this helps.
Tez
All tours that are booked through the tour operator tend to be more expensive than if you had booked them yourself. Having said that, if you have not been to Egypt before it may be better to book through your agent to ensure that you get to do the trips that you want. This applies particularly to the Abu Simbel excursion, as it requires either a short plane or longer coach journey in order to get there. Sometimes availability can be restricted during busy times due to the popularity of this excursion. As you will be on the cruise it is easier and usually cheaper to do this trip when you arrive in Aswan rather than from Luxor. A typical tour operator, say Thomson will ask around £150.00 sterling per person for the Abu Simbel excursion by air & around £90.00 each by coach. These prices can vary greatly and I am sure that plenty of people on this forum will tell you of better prices that they have had, but these prices are generally a good guide. The price for the Karnak sound & light show is about right for a tour operator but if you are in Luxor for a second weeks stay you can do it cheaper yourself. The extra cost of visiting the tomb of Tutankhamen is about £7.00 sterling, your normal entrance ticket to the valley will allow you to visit three tombs but if you wish to visit Tut's it will cost you the extra £7.00. You do not need to book this with your TA as you can buy this extra admission ticket when you are in the valley itself. Your TA will probably ask around £33.00 each for a tour of the 'West Bank' and this will include a visit to the Valley of the Kings and of course the tomb of Tutankhamen. Hope this helps.
Tez
Thanks for that information Tez it is much appreciated and is a great help to me
All I need to know now is information on the MS Miss Sara boat. I have read brochures and looked at pictures on the boat, you can look at as many brochures and pictures as you like but in my opinion word of mouth is the best advertisement.
Once again thanks for your help
Emma
All I need to know now is information on the MS Miss Sara boat. I have read brochures and looked at pictures on the boat, you can look at as many brochures and pictures as you like but in my opinion word of mouth is the best advertisement.
Once again thanks for your help
Emma
Hi Emma,
I did the Wonders Of The Nile cruise last May/June - see my postings on p.6 & p.17 of this thread for some info. I was scheduled to go on the MS Miss Sara, but it was out of service for refurbishment when we arrived, so was upgraded to the flagship boat, Lady Mary
So can't give you any first-hand info on the Sara but assume it'll be pretty nice if it's recently re-furbed! The Mary was fine, very comfortable (it was good enough for two twentysomethings, at any rate 
)
Is this itinerary with Archers Direct or Cosmos by any chance?? - I was with Archers, can't praise them enough.
Regarding optional excursion prices, Tez is right (as usual
) to say that Tutankhamun's tomb is about £7 (it was LE70 last June); Archers charged around £110-120 for the 'Abu Simbel by air' excursion.
As for what the cruise itself was like - for an Egypt first-timer, it was amazing!! V highly recommended!
I did the Wonders Of The Nile cruise last May/June - see my postings on p.6 & p.17 of this thread for some info. I was scheduled to go on the MS Miss Sara, but it was out of service for refurbishment when we arrived, so was upgraded to the flagship boat, Lady Mary
So can't give you any first-hand info on the Sara but assume it'll be pretty nice if it's recently re-furbed! The Mary was fine, very comfortable (it was good enough for two twentysomethings, at any rate )Is this itinerary with Archers Direct or Cosmos by any chance?? - I was with Archers, can't praise them enough.
Regarding optional excursion prices, Tez is right (as usual
) to say that Tutankhamun's tomb is about £7 (it was LE70 last June); Archers charged around £110-120 for the 'Abu Simbel by air' excursion.As for what the cruise itself was like - for an Egypt first-timer, it was amazing!! V highly recommended!
Hi Bebop,
If you are still asking about ATMs in Egypt other than in Luxor airport, I can tell you that I used one in Aswan - where our boat was moored at the quayside (well, about 6 boats out, but near enough ), there was a branch of the National Bank of Egypt just across the road (it's a busy, 'main-road' type), which had an ATM 'hole-in-the-wall' just as you find in the UK next to the entrance. I withdrew using my Switch/Maestro debit card, and got a better exchange rate than pre-buying back in the UK.
The ATM was a little slow to process my card, but I put that down to it being a 'foreign' card. The scariest part of the whole enterprise was crossing the road from the boat and back, and dodging the cars 'n' caleches
If you are still asking about ATMs in Egypt other than in Luxor airport, I can tell you that I used one in Aswan - where our boat was moored at the quayside (well, about 6 boats out, but near enough
), there was a branch of the National Bank of Egypt just across the road (it's a busy, 'main-road' type), which had an ATM 'hole-in-the-wall' just as you find in the UK next to the entrance. I withdrew using my Switch/Maestro debit card, and got a better exchange rate than pre-buying back in the UK.The ATM was a little slow to process my card, but I put that down to it being a 'foreign' card. The scariest part of the whole enterprise was crossing the road from the boat and back, and dodging the cars 'n' caleches
Hi Everyone!
We returned from a two week trip with First Choice on 20th March. First 7 days on The Orchid and 7 at The Sofitel Karnak Hotel.
The Orchid is a very nice boat but the decor was a little dated especially in the bar area but everywhere was very clean. The rooms were quite spacious (we had a 'superior' room) with twin beds, armchair and coffee table, dressing table with drawers and a wardrobe with enough hanging and drawers for two people. The is a fridge but no kettle but we always take a travel kettle with us wherever we go as I can't function in the mornings without a couple of cups of rosy (lovingly made by my husband!) There is tea and coffee available during the day either in the bar or on the rear deck though. The bathroom had a half-sized bath with shower over but we couldn't both be in there together (the bathroom that is, not the bath!)
The rooms were cleaned daily and towels changed and 'arranged' daily! There was also a safe-deposit in the wardrobe free of charge and a TV with a few satelite stations.
The food was very nice, quite english but plentiful and varied. We saw the chef checking the temperature of the food which was reassuring as we were worried about 'Pharoah's Revenge' but we didn't have any trouble at all, although we did hear of a few people having a rough 24 hours. Best to pack the Imodium just in case! Seriously though, if you make sure you drink plenty of bottled water, clean teeth in that too, wash hands frequently (everyone will shake you hand!) you should be ok. If you like a drop of wine we can recommend the red 'Obelisk' served on board!
There is a shop on board with very friendly staff who don't hassle you and let you browse, unlike the bazzars in Luxor, and their prices were good. There is an Egyptian evening where you are encouraged to wear the traditional gabballah. We bought these on board but you can buy them a little cheaper from the boys who throw them up to the boat when you stop at Esna lock! It was a fun evening and I would recommend that you do dress up as its a good ice breaker for the table. We sat at the same table for all meals with two other couples and made good friends and had a great time.
The sun deck was very nice with complementary towels for the loungers, a small pool and jacuzzi. Because the diesel engines are running most of the time the deck becomes quite dirty so wear flip-flops/sandals whilst up there or you will be scrubbing feet every night!
The piped music was very repetative though - there is only so much Kenny G you can listen too!
Normal beach attire is ok for up there but no swimwear in the restaurant lunchtime. Smart/ casual clothes for the evening.
Our First Choice rep was JB. What a lovely man and so funny too! He was very knowledgable and helpful and absolutely loved people. He will collect any unwanted toiletries at the end of the week and take them to a local orphanage. We took cheap packs of pencils with us as well.
The two Egyptologists on board were great also. They would accompany two groups on all the trips and both were very knowledgable too.
We chose to do all the trips but spread them out over the two weeks which worked well for us as there is a lot of early starts for one week. Our dining friends were only there for the week and were quite worn out by the time they went home! Even on their last day they were up at five to take the balloon trip and were still out at two oclock that afternoon, being due to leave for the airport at 5 oclock!
The cost for the trips was £120 per person to visit The Valley of The Kings and Queens, Karnak and Luxor Temples, Deir al Bahari Temple, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo Temple, Aswan High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple. Abu Simbel was an extra £40 ish and the balloon flight £70.
You will be left two unmarked envelopes in your cabin on the Saturday, one for the crew and staff and another for the guides.We paid £25 per couple for the crew and staff and £15 per couple for the Equiptologists for the whole week. Also £14 per couple for the drivers tips for the whole week. We would recommend that you take a lot of small denomination Egyptian pounds L.E.10 (approx £1) for extra tips as we found it was difficult to get change of anything smaller than £5 !
Also take sterling travellers cheques.
Hope I haven't rambled on too much !- please feel free to ask me anything else and i'll be happy to give more info.
Now onto the Sofitel Karnak!!:-
This was a lovely clean and modern hotel (3 years old I think) Rooms quite spacious with TV, mini bar, plenty of storage, en-suite bath with shower over but no tea of coffee making facilities - treat yourself to a travel kettle - highly recommended!!
The hotel is situated right on the banks of the Nile but it is a quieter part of the river where we saw only a few boats passing. The gardens are beautifully kept with sunbeds and hammocks dotted around. Beach towels are provided free of charge. Pool is very nice and very warm! but for anyone under 5ft, as i am, only a small section was shallow enough for me to stand up in but that was near the bar so it wasn't all bad! There is a childrens pool as well.
This hotel only offers half board and we found the drink prices a bit expensive, ie. a 1 1/2 litre of water was 80p on the boat and £1.50 here. A bottle of lager approx £2.50, glass of wine approx £3.80. Food at lunchtimes was resonable, approx £3.50 for a club sandwich or a 9'' pizza ( enough to share!)
We found that staff to be a bit aloof and unfriendly but this maybe because of the transient nature of the hotel with a lot of people staying only one or a few nights eg. flight crews. Service was quite slow too but i think we had been spoilt on the boat the week before!
I don't want to rant on anymore in case i'm boring anyone!
but again, please ask me any specific questions and i'll do my best to answer them!
Hope you all have as good a time as us!
Very best wishes
Sandra
We returned from a two week trip with First Choice on 20th March. First 7 days on The Orchid and 7 at The Sofitel Karnak Hotel.
The Orchid is a very nice boat but the decor was a little dated especially in the bar area but everywhere was very clean. The rooms were quite spacious (we had a 'superior' room) with twin beds, armchair and coffee table, dressing table with drawers and a wardrobe with enough hanging and drawers for two people. The is a fridge but no kettle but we always take a travel kettle with us wherever we go as I can't function in the mornings without a couple of cups of rosy (lovingly made by my husband!) There is tea and coffee available during the day either in the bar or on the rear deck though. The bathroom had a half-sized bath with shower over but we couldn't both be in there together (the bathroom that is, not the bath!)
The rooms were cleaned daily and towels changed and 'arranged' daily! There was also a safe-deposit in the wardrobe free of charge and a TV with a few satelite stations.
The food was very nice, quite english but plentiful and varied. We saw the chef checking the temperature of the food which was reassuring as we were worried about 'Pharoah's Revenge' but we didn't have any trouble at all, although we did hear of a few people having a rough 24 hours. Best to pack the Imodium just in case! Seriously though, if you make sure you drink plenty of bottled water, clean teeth in that too, wash hands frequently (everyone will shake you hand!) you should be ok. If you like a drop of wine we can recommend the red 'Obelisk' served on board!
There is a shop on board with very friendly staff who don't hassle you and let you browse, unlike the bazzars in Luxor, and their prices were good. There is an Egyptian evening where you are encouraged to wear the traditional gabballah. We bought these on board but you can buy them a little cheaper from the boys who throw them up to the boat when you stop at Esna lock! It was a fun evening and I would recommend that you do dress up as its a good ice breaker for the table. We sat at the same table for all meals with two other couples and made good friends and had a great time.
The sun deck was very nice with complementary towels for the loungers, a small pool and jacuzzi. Because the diesel engines are running most of the time the deck becomes quite dirty so wear flip-flops/sandals whilst up there or you will be scrubbing feet every night!
The piped music was very repetative though - there is only so much Kenny G you can listen too!
Normal beach attire is ok for up there but no swimwear in the restaurant lunchtime. Smart/ casual clothes for the evening.
Our First Choice rep was JB. What a lovely man and so funny too! He was very knowledgable and helpful and absolutely loved people. He will collect any unwanted toiletries at the end of the week and take them to a local orphanage. We took cheap packs of pencils with us as well.
The two Egyptologists on board were great also. They would accompany two groups on all the trips and both were very knowledgable too.
We chose to do all the trips but spread them out over the two weeks which worked well for us as there is a lot of early starts for one week. Our dining friends were only there for the week and were quite worn out by the time they went home! Even on their last day they were up at five to take the balloon trip and were still out at two oclock that afternoon, being due to leave for the airport at 5 oclock!
The cost for the trips was £120 per person to visit The Valley of The Kings and Queens, Karnak and Luxor Temples, Deir al Bahari Temple, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo Temple, Aswan High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple. Abu Simbel was an extra £40 ish and the balloon flight £70.
You will be left two unmarked envelopes in your cabin on the Saturday, one for the crew and staff and another for the guides.We paid £25 per couple for the crew and staff and £15 per couple for the Equiptologists for the whole week. Also £14 per couple for the drivers tips for the whole week. We would recommend that you take a lot of small denomination Egyptian pounds L.E.10 (approx £1) for extra tips as we found it was difficult to get change of anything smaller than £5 !
Also take sterling travellers cheques.
Hope I haven't rambled on too much !- please feel free to ask me anything else and i'll be happy to give more info.
Now onto the Sofitel Karnak!!:-
This was a lovely clean and modern hotel (3 years old I think) Rooms quite spacious with TV, mini bar, plenty of storage, en-suite bath with shower over but no tea of coffee making facilities - treat yourself to a travel kettle - highly recommended!!
The hotel is situated right on the banks of the Nile but it is a quieter part of the river where we saw only a few boats passing. The gardens are beautifully kept with sunbeds and hammocks dotted around. Beach towels are provided free of charge. Pool is very nice and very warm! but for anyone under 5ft, as i am, only a small section was shallow enough for me to stand up in but that was near the bar so it wasn't all bad! There is a childrens pool as well.
This hotel only offers half board and we found the drink prices a bit expensive, ie. a 1 1/2 litre of water was 80p on the boat and £1.50 here. A bottle of lager approx £2.50, glass of wine approx £3.80. Food at lunchtimes was resonable, approx £3.50 for a club sandwich or a 9'' pizza ( enough to share!)
We found that staff to be a bit aloof and unfriendly but this maybe because of the transient nature of the hotel with a lot of people staying only one or a few nights eg. flight crews. Service was quite slow too but i think we had been spoilt on the boat the week before!
I don't want to rant on anymore in case i'm boring anyone!
but again, please ask me any specific questions and i'll do my best to answer them!Hope you all have as good a time as us!
Very best wishes
Sandra
Hi Chiopstick
You must have arrived on the Orchis as we left. ! We were only there for the week but really enjoyed it.would have liked a few days at the end to realax. I agrree with your comments about the boat. We ended up buying a lot from the shop on the boat as it was good just to be able to look around. I think I have just about caught up on my sleep. Like the people on your table we were up for tha balloon flight the day we came home. i don't think I have ever slept so well on a plane!!.Just taken the photos in to be developed! Quite a lot!
Julie
You must have arrived on the Orchis as we left. ! We were only there for the week but really enjoyed it.would have liked a few days at the end to realax. I agrree with your comments about the boat. We ended up buying a lot from the shop on the boat as it was good just to be able to look around. I think I have just about caught up on my sleep. Like the people on your table we were up for tha balloon flight the day we came home. i don't think I have ever slept so well on a plane!!.Just taken the photos in to be developed! Quite a lot!
Julie
Hi Julie
Glad you had a great time! Hope your pics are great - we took about 200!
Did you also have JB as your rep? and Islam as one of the guides?
Sandra
Glad you had a great time! Hope your pics are great - we took about 200!
Did you also have JB as your rep? and Islam as one of the guides?
Sandra
Hi Sandra
Excellent and informative review.
My thanks to both you and Julie for putting all the information up on the board.
My wife and I are really looking forward to going in September.
Grahm
Excellent and informative review.
My thanks to both you and Julie for putting all the information up on the board.
My wife and I are really looking forward to going in September.
Grahm
Booked a cruise on the RA II a while ago. We are going next week. Just had a call from the travel agent to say that the RA II has been overbooked and we have been offered a 'complimentary upgrade' to the Radamis II instead. Have found lots of good reviews for the RA II, but nothing for Radamis II. Haven't made a decision yet, but think we will stick with the RA II. Any advice?
Caz
Caz
New to this, but has anybody else had a bad experience from a cruise on the RAII?
Hi Chipstick. Sorry did not reply earlier, have only just noticed your last message.
Yes Pics are great, have £180 ! and that is not printing all of them!!
We had PJ on board for a few days, he was with people who were on a 4 day cruise I think. We had Claire for our cruise, she was very nice. Our guides were Tom, Yasser and Tarik, all very good. I managed to get some of Tom on video , it would not be the same without hearing his voice! They had such a wealth of information . I am scouring the cable channels for programmes about Egypt now! There were a few last week.
Julie
Yes Pics are great, have £180 ! and that is not printing all of them!!
We had PJ on board for a few days, he was with people who were on a 4 day cruise I think. We had Claire for our cruise, she was very nice. Our guides were Tom, Yasser and Tarik, all very good. I managed to get some of Tom on video , it would not be the same without hearing his voice! They had such a wealth of information . I am scouring the cable channels for programmes about Egypt now! There were a few last week.
Julie
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