Having travelled to Egypt many times, I would suggest travelling between November and the end of March, After that it becomes very hot. However even then excursions start very early. All reputable companies only employ guides who are graduates in Egyptology, it has been that way for as long as I can remember and I have been visiting Egypt since the 1980's. If you are planning to sail down the Nile plan for a 7 day trip, It gives you the best experience. Remember , the nile river boats are not huge and do not have the facilities that cruise liners have. They are comfortable and clean and have limited entertainment on an evening. However the best entertainment is sat on top deck in a cool breeze looking at a cloudless starlit sky. Egypt is a country that I truly love!
Or, you could do what I did back in 1980. Hire a small sailing falucca with a few other tourists. We traveled down the Nile from Aswan to Luxor, sleeping on the deck under the stars. There were few frills or conveniences, just a mattress on the deck. But it allows you to feel the rythms of the past without the distractions of a modern cruise ship. It took us six days to make the trip including a stopover to fix the rudder. I believe I paid about $40.00 at the time. You will need to haggle and fix the price before hand. I will never forget my trip!
We had a fantastic time in Egypt 15 days. The key to a succesful trip is to hire the right company and tour guide. We have no complaints whatsoever, but we paid twice or thrice as much as you did. I think one gets what one pays for ! All of our guides were licensed guides and Egyptologists university trained, we challenged them and they responded correctly. It was a different guide in each city, except the one asigned to us by the cruise line, and he was also an Egyptologist. We had all expenses included and no extra expenses, it was a private tour so no strangers either to wait for. I took Movenpick but there is a new Viking line ship. If I have any complain or comment is I did not care about the food in general anywhere in Egypt, but thats just me. I would go back again for sure, in winter. Also do not miss a visit to Alexandria (including the new library), the Christian monasteries, there is a lot of history in Egypt ! - Two weeks was barely enough to scratch the surface.
I like your honest thoughts about what you see. This really helps in setting expectations and (I hope) helping plan a trip to these destinations. I visited Egypt a long time ago… and am sad to say that my memories match your experiences here: magnificent ruins, terrible hustling and always trying to scam you or force you into shopping… wish me luck! Heading back in a couple of months!
Thank you Eileen! We are planning to go in November and the cruise tour that we looked at online was way more expensive. So this was very helpful. Thank you for sharing your experience.
I can only speak for the one I booked through Civitatis, especially if you’re don’t want to pay $$$. My video shows exactly what you get and you can set your exceptions. Just make sure your guide (or any guide in Egypt) doesn’t try to steal from or trick you!
Awesome video. We're taking a similar, if not same, Nile cruise next month. Booked it through Exoticca. Your comments are exactly how I think to myself so I trust your impressions. This has really helped me set my expectations. Egypt has always been high on my bucket list so I'm excited to see it, but it's also sort of depressing to worry about being hassled and badgered by everyone. Part of the charm I suppose. We had a guy in India do the "throw it to them and they can't refuse" sales routine on us but we were on top of an elephant, not a ship. This is the first video of yours I've seen. I will definitely watch others. Great job and thanks for sharing your experiences.
Going to Egypt is ALL about setting your expectations. Despite my experience, I do not regret the trip one trip and still encourage everyone to visit Egypt. The temples and pyramids will blow your mind! I watched plenty of videos prior to my visit, because I know my experience was NOT unique, and I still got bamboozled. Enjoy your trip to on the Nile, trust no one haha, and I would love to hear your experience.
This is the second Egypt video that I've seen of from you and I appreciate your honestly. I think you were way more patient than I would have been with the tour guide disappearing with your luggage. I will be going in Nov 2023 and I'm paying for myself and my mother, so I'm not looking to break the bank. I think what you showed was good fairly good accommodations (3... maybe 4 star) but what makes it worth it is you had room, board and tours included; which is nearly the same as the person paying $1000 per person. I travel extensively for work and leisure all over the world and I always have to remind myself that I'm here for the sites and not to break the bank on expensive hotels and eating out and yet I end up finding amazing hotels and finding crazy good food on the cheap in places where the locals frequent. This has allowed me to take about 5-6 major international vacations per year not including those closer closer to the Americans and the Caribbean. So keep trekking on girl!! Love your honesty!
@@eileensworld No. I only purchased the plane tickets so far. I've been focused on organizing my trip in Aug to Turkey, so I haven't done too much yet for Egypt. I wanted to at least purchase or reserve my Nile cruise but I wasn't' sure if i should sail from Luxor or from Aswan and I wasn't sure what time they typically expect guests to arrive. I wasn't sure if I should fly in the morning of the first day of the cruise or the night before. Any suggestions/guidance would be appreciated. Much Thanks
From my experience with the company I used (maybe it differs from cruise to cruise) but the one we took (Aswan to Luxor) is for 3 nights option and Luxor to Aswan is 4 nights. Regarding arrival, we chose to arrive into Aswan a full day early and booked a hotel ourselves to relax. The cruise officially started the next day and we were picked up from our hotel in the morning. However if your flight arrives in the morning they can pick you up and your cruise will start that day. When we landed, most of the people at the airport were getting picked up from the different cruise companies.
We are planning to go to Egypt in Feb 2024, and this was very helpful. We had a very similar experience like yours during our Morocco trip. I think these tour guides operate in similar ways. Thanks for the tips.
I went to Morocco first before Egypt, feeling really prepared to be “tricked” and our experience in Marrakech and on the Sahara Desert camping trip to be the opposite! Of course in Marrakech, you have the guys trying to get you into their shops or telling you a certain place is close or trying to give you directions (we ignored them all). But our guide for the Sahara Desert trip was fantastic. Never pressured us for extra tips or any money. Well of course as you can see from my video, the Nile Cruise was a much different experience. I hope you have a wonderful trip to Egypt in 2024!
I spend a lot of time in Egypt, Will do a cruise next time, I noticed, not included Tip $21 per person? that is crazy, I tell them I am not your ATM, glad you wised up to your con man LOL, liked your video
Tourist = ATM Machine! While the cruise company I used wasn’t the best and I was set up with a con man for a tour guide, I still 100% recommend the experience
I hope you and your family enjoy the Nile Cruise and your time in Egypt! I think any kid growing up in the US and learning about Egyptian history will really love seeing it all in person.
Amazing video, Eileen! Excellent narrative!! I just came back from Egypt and I took the exact same itinerary! It was a trip of a life time! Do you have one on Machu Pichu??
@@eileensworldMy wife and I had a blast! We spent two days in Cairo; the pyramids were amazing! Flew to Aswan; took three night cruise to Luxor; spent one more day at Luxor. Cruise was exactly the same as yours. We worked with a small tour company based in Luxor (worked directly with owner via whatsapp and wire transfer :-) ; they did an amazing job; drivers and guides were very professional; were on time. Expectation of bakseesh/tips was rather excessive. You nailed on cruise food...same boring. Your video is so through ...one does not have to visit Egypt, just watch your video and save some money! I will now check out your Machu Picchu video and post any questions I may have. Nice work Eileen!!
Thank you for this informative and helpful review of your tour. I’m hesitant to go to Egypt as I know there’s a lot of scammers and people taking advantage of you 😞but anyways, good to see the type of food and tours offered during your cruise.
I would say not so much scammers, but people trying to sell you souvenirs. Egypt is a poor country and reliant on income from tourism. Most trying to sell you something are only trying to make a living. Yes, people may try sell you a papyrus, it may well be banana leaf. Easy way to check, if it is banana leaf, it will tear, if it is papyrus, it won't. So go to those reputable places that show you how papyrus is made and you will have the opportunity to buy there knowing you have something authentic. Don't be put off by Egypt, it is one of the most beautiful countries I have visited, As Eileen says, do go, but go with your eyes open.
This is a great honest review. I kind of knew about all the tips/bribes and the conning tourists for extra money in Egypt as it’s famous for it. However , you’ve highlighted some specific scams etc that are really useful to know before going. Such a shame though and I think your operators need to at least sort that out when it comes to the tour guides that they hire by maybe paying them better and vetting them and having tight contracts that don’t allow the kind of behaviour your guide showed. Other than that, I’m glad you got to enjoy the historic sites of Egypt, it looks even more amazing than I thought.😊
Great information and entertaining .. kept me glued. Did you pay the crazy $21 per guide as requested? Also, is this typical practice or just random w the sneaky guide? Finally, did they allow enough time to see the temples in Luxor? I was planning a 5/6 day Nile cruise but don’t want to be rushed w these temple visits. Also traveling solo… not really into cruise crowds in general. Hmmm… thinking now to maybe just skip the cruise and book cheap hotels and book individual tours. May cost a bit more but..🤔
Hi there - when we booked the trip, it does note that $20 will be required as tip for the tour guide. Aside from that, our guide was shady shady shady. I don’t necessarily feel like we were rushed, the morning were just VERY early. The convenience of the cruise is nice because everything is already planned for you.
And if it’s in your budget, stay in a well known chain or at least 4 stars! Egypt is very hectic and you will want a nice place to relax and rest at the end of the day.,
Hi, we are planning for 8 days Egypt tour with 2 daughters (7 and 5). Is it recommended to tour Egypt considering all the places to visit and quite a bit of walking kids will have to do. Also, do all the activities from Nile River Cruise start very early in the morning? Your video was a big help. Thanks.
Hi there! I would say the heat and the early hours will the be hardest part for the kids. There aren’t any long walks since you will be driven from place to place.
Most cruises I know don't accept kids under the age of ten. Nile cruises are not geared up for entertaining kids. All tours whether you are on a cruise or touring as part of another package , start early to avoid the heat. I did take a nephew of mine when he was 6. We did 4 days in Luxor and 3 in Aswan staying in good hotels. He coped with the heat and enjoyed being able to use the hotel pools on an afternoon. On the whole I think he was too young to really appreciate what he saw, but he has very fond memories of our holiday. For young kids Morocco is a fabulous destination.
Hey , thanks for putting out all the important things we need to know ! We are planning a trip to egypt next month in the first week of april . We have booked the nile cruise . 4 days 3 nights . Do you think we should not miss out on abu simble ? Or we can let it go . Also is tipping necessary on all the days , as we are told that tipping is compulsory for all three days and per person . If u could elaborate on that ! Thanks .
Hi Anubhav, definitely go to Abu Simbel. It’s an early morning trip and a long drive but you can sleep on the bus and you’ll get back with the entire day left. It was my favorite place that we went to on the entire trip. Tipping compulsory for us and stated on our booking with the company we used ($20 usd) and our guide collected the money on the first day. If you have any other questions please let me know!
On top of the $20/per person of that is required by the tour company, we tipped him another $50 at the end. Honestly, if I could go back in time I would tip him $0.
Look, aside from my shady/thief tour guide…the price we paid matched what we got and I mean that in the best way possible. Food was fine and clean rooms, and most importantly we got to experience the must see sites in Egypt!
Hi! I was planning to do the exact same cruise on the nile this Christmas… could you just tell me whether the entry fees of the temples and the hot air balloon over Luxor are included in this price or not? We are planning to go for the 5 star premium with Abu Simbel, and it’s charging us $475 per person…
Our family of 4 is planning same 3 night/ 4day Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor in Jan . How much tip are you excepted to pay ? $20 per person for all 4 days ? Do youa gain have to tip while driving to Abu Simbel etc. How much extra is it for all site fees like (Abu simbel/ Luxor Temple / Edfu/Luxi temple etc) ? Should we buy own site tickets or cruise operator will ?
If you are referring to tipping your guide for this couple of days…we tipped ours $25 per person for the entire trip ($50 total). Looking back he deserved $0. I think $20 per person is fair but also consider of course the quality of the services being provided. For our package, all the tickets were included with the price we paid when we booked the cruise.
@@eileensworld I was told the tour company that manages the 4 days stay on the cruise collects tip in advance for all 4 days . Another question, can we skip some tours and stay on the boat. Trip to Abu Simbel is very early in morning and kids many not wake up.
Ahh yes! They remind me, our tour guide did collect tip money from us, on the FIRST day. I forget the amount ($20 or $25 per person) but the amount is stated by the tour company. The tip I mentioned to you in my first comment was ADDITIONAL tip that we gave our tour guide at the end of
I’m considering this trip. What would you say your total cost for the cruise was? I thought about just taking a taxi to each of the destinations in Luxor and Aswan. Do you think that’s possible? Thank you!
I paid $460 for the cruises (minus tips). I’m sure a hiring a driver is possible to get from Aswan to Luxor but why not do so while on the Nile River :)
@@eileensworld I just booked my flight today 🙃. 22 hour layover in London, get to visit there… May 6 to 22. I looked at the cruise but there are more sites that I would like to see. Maybe plan them separate. So confusing…
You have plenty of time to plan! I would suggest seeing if you can hire 1 driver who can take you from Luxor to Aswan, along with all the stops you want to make. That will probably be easier than trying to find a taxi to take you from place to place. It may be the more “expensive” option but could be worth the hassle. And let me tell you from my experience in Egypt, its worth it to pay a little more to avoid all the hassle
Your hotel reception could organise that for you. But a cruise is a fabulous way of seeing rural Egypt as well as some of the temples that are along the Nile, Edfu, Kom Ombo etc. There are some times, if you are travelling by car between Luxor and Aswan that you have to leave as part of a convoy. It depends on what the security level is at the time, I know I have done that twice. Being on a fully guided tour keeps you safe.
Our tour guide accepted US dollars and Euros but we tipped with Egyptian currency since we had it. For small vendors, I’m not sure if they will accept USD, but I would recommend tipping with local currency so the vendors don’t need to exchange the money.
One of the best things about Egypt is that you can exchange currency from an ATM with the government set rate. You can find these ATM’s all around Cairo, but not EVERY ATM will have this feature to exchange money. Look for the ATM with 2 opening for cash. Check out my Cairo video, I explain how to do this.
😂😂😂 omg the hustlers on the boats hustling and finding you. I agree it's not a good feeling to be stressed about getting conned and the driver keep leaving with the valuables. That is not bad $100 a day for room board and food! Wow. The Nile river is sooo prettty!!!! For a country with so much tourism why is it so poor like they really need to update everything.
Damn I really wanted to go, but man from your reactions on the camera it doesn’t look too good tbh. I might just pick other destination. Thanks for info!
I hope you reported the guide and driver to the tour company. Because employing such shady people reflects badly on them, even if they’re a big international company.
I did, to Civitatis and to the person who passed him on to us on the first day of the tour. Aside from the fact that he was a thief, he wasn’t a good tour guide.
i had such a similar experience w a tour guide in india just very shady and bringing us to place where he clearly had deals to get a percent of whatever we bought from certain stores and restaurants...its def put me off booking tours in the future but i understand theyre a necessary evil in certain countries that might have a language and cultural barrier or are had for tourists to navigate in general
Totally. I’ve been on enough tours now where I’m used to them bringing us to different shops and whatnot, or try to get us to add on additional experiences. Of course, it’s always up to us if we want to buy anything. My experience in Egypt is they they are definitely the pushiest. And the worst part of my experience wasn’t even the that, it was our own guide who literally stole from us
@@eileensworld love ur really honest review i think it helps adjust expectations and be prepared for the hustle they have going on in egypt as a tourist going in thank you for the vlog
Yes! 100%. Of all the countries I’ve been to, Egypt is one place where I would definitely advise people to adjust their expectations. I watched a couple videos before visiting and THOUGHT I was prepared 😅. Marrakech was another place I was a bit anxious to visit and after visiting, I can say my experience there was much better and less stressful than expected. Thank you again for watching and sharing your views!
No way was this a 5 star cruise. No more than 3 stars. I was surprised at the price, which I'm presuming didn't include flights. But even without flights, it was still very cheap.
food was mediocre, tour guide was terrible at explaining everything and was a thief to top it off, and the service from the staff on board was just ok.
I find as soon as your guide goes in to ask for you, your about to get ripped off, same as the at the pyramids, I knew the photo scam so I let them take my photo, then he ask for money LOL, I told him why didn't you tell me first? I told him I can get another tourist to do it for free! I also told him if you were upfront from the start instead of your pathetic scam, I would have given you a couple of bucks! so I deleted the picture Then the guys who say they work there LOL I asked How much you make and hour, how much you get paid LOL, He was trying to be my guide, I told him several times, go away! finally he did, and said tip hahaha , you can't help to get pissed in the end. first Arabic I learned was, no, go away, Enough go away! any way, I just travel by myself and find deals when I get there, make some real friends who don't see you as a ATM lol. Love your videos. I just spent 28 days traveling and getting ready to go again, 35 countries so far, Love the Pyramids and Tokyo, so clean and cheap in Tokyo Be safe,,,,,,, CWO Ian M. Garland
Having travelled to Egypt many times, I would suggest travelling between November and the end of March, After that it becomes very hot. However even then excursions start very early. All reputable companies only employ guides who are graduates in Egyptology, it has been that way for as long as I can remember and I have been visiting Egypt since the 1980's. If you are planning to sail down the Nile plan for a 7 day trip, It gives you the best experience. Remember , the nile river boats are not huge and do not have the facilities that cruise liners have. They are comfortable and clean and have limited entertainment on an evening. However the best entertainment is sat on top deck in a cool breeze looking at a cloudless starlit sky. Egypt is a country that I truly love!
Or, you could do what I did back in 1980. Hire a small sailing falucca with a few other tourists. We traveled down the Nile from Aswan to Luxor, sleeping on the deck under the stars.
There were few frills or conveniences, just a mattress on the deck. But it allows you to feel the rythms of the past without the distractions of a modern cruise ship.
It took us six days to make the trip including a stopover to fix the rudder. I believe I paid about $40.00 at the time. You will need to haggle and fix the price before hand.
I will never forget my trip!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Love the way you handled all the caveats of your trip with your smile 😊 and blissful sarcasm ❤🎉
Thats how I handle life in general…with blissful sarcasm 😉
We had a fantastic time in Egypt 15 days. The key to a succesful trip is to hire the right company and tour guide. We have no complaints whatsoever, but we paid twice or thrice as much as you did. I think one gets what one pays for ! All of our guides were licensed guides and Egyptologists university trained, we challenged them and they responded correctly. It was a different guide in each city, except the one asigned to us by the cruise line, and he was also an Egyptologist. We had all expenses included and no extra expenses, it was a private tour so no strangers either to wait for. I took Movenpick but there is a new Viking line ship. If I have any complain or comment is I did not care about the food in general anywhere in Egypt, but thats just me. I would go back again for sure, in winter. Also do not miss a visit to Alexandria (including the new library), the Christian monasteries, there is a lot of history in Egypt ! - Two weeks was barely enough to scratch the surface.
Thank you for sharing this! I’m so happy to hear that you have a BETTER experience!
can i ask which company you hired for the guides?
What was the name of the company?
What is the name of the company and tour guide that you hired?
@@NiaEsto North is going downhill. South is uphill. That’s why it’s called upper Egypt. The Nile flows from south to north.
Your video made me laugh so hard! I will sure remember not to follow your footsteps when I plan my Nile River trip😅 Thank you 😊
Glad you were entertained 😎
I like your honest thoughts about what you see. This really helps in setting expectations and (I hope) helping plan a trip to these destinations. I visited Egypt a long time ago… and am sad to say that my memories match your experiences here: magnificent ruins, terrible hustling and always trying to scam you or force you into shopping… wish me luck! Heading back in a couple of months!
I hear the same feedback no matter if someone just went or went YEARS ago. Not much has changed 😒. Enjoy your next trip, you’re wiser and smarter now!
Thank you Eileen! We are planning to go in November and the cruise tour that we looked at online was way more expensive. So this was very helpful. Thank you for sharing your experience.
I’m happy you found my video helpful! Did you find a company yet?
@@eileensworld not yet. I was looking at the one you used. I would appreciate if you have any other recommendations. Thank you!
I can only speak for the one I booked through Civitatis, especially if you’re don’t want to pay $$$. My video shows exactly what you get and you can set your exceptions. Just make sure your guide (or any guide in Egypt) doesn’t try to steal from or trick you!
Awesome video. We're taking a similar, if not same, Nile cruise next month. Booked it through Exoticca. Your comments are exactly how I think to myself so I trust your impressions. This has really helped me set my expectations. Egypt has always been high on my bucket list so I'm excited to see it, but it's also sort of depressing to worry about being hassled and badgered by everyone. Part of the charm I suppose. We had a guy in India do the "throw it to them and they can't refuse" sales routine on us but we were on top of an elephant, not a ship. This is the first video of yours I've seen. I will definitely watch others. Great job and thanks for sharing your experiences.
Going to Egypt is ALL about setting your expectations. Despite my experience, I do not regret the trip one trip and still encourage everyone to visit Egypt. The temples and pyramids will blow your mind! I watched plenty of videos prior to my visit, because I know my experience was NOT unique, and I still got bamboozled. Enjoy your trip to on the Nile, trust no one haha, and I would love to hear your experience.
This is the second Egypt video that I've seen of from you and I appreciate your honestly. I think you were way more patient than I would have been with the tour guide disappearing with your luggage. I will be going in Nov 2023 and I'm paying for myself and my mother, so I'm not looking to break the bank. I think what you showed was good fairly good accommodations (3... maybe 4 star) but what makes it worth it is you had room, board and tours included; which is nearly the same as the person paying $1000 per person. I travel extensively for work and leisure all over the world and I always have to remind myself that I'm here for the sites and not to break the bank on expensive hotels and eating out and yet I end up finding amazing hotels and finding crazy good food on the cheap in places where the locals frequent. This has allowed me to take about 5-6 major international vacations per year not including those closer closer to the Americans and the Caribbean. So keep trekking on girl!! Love your honesty!
Thanks for taking the time to share you insight Ri! Do you have everything planned for the trip already?
@@eileensworld No. I only purchased the plane tickets so far. I've been focused on organizing my trip in Aug to Turkey, so I haven't done too much yet for Egypt. I wanted to at least purchase or reserve my Nile cruise but I wasn't' sure if i should sail from Luxor or from Aswan and I wasn't sure what time they typically expect guests to arrive. I wasn't sure if I should fly in the morning of the first day of the cruise or the night before. Any suggestions/guidance would be appreciated. Much Thanks
From my experience with the company I used (maybe it differs from cruise to cruise) but the one we took (Aswan to Luxor) is for 3 nights option and Luxor to Aswan is 4 nights.
Regarding arrival, we chose to arrive into Aswan a full day early and booked a hotel ourselves to relax. The cruise officially started the next day and we were picked up from our hotel in the morning. However if your flight arrives in the morning they can pick you up and your cruise will start that day. When we landed, most of the people at the airport were getting picked up from the different cruise companies.
@@eileensworld Thank you. This was incredibly helpful.
Your assessments kept making me chuckle
🫣🫣🫣
We are planning to go to Egypt in Feb 2024, and this was very helpful. We had a very similar experience like yours during our Morocco trip. I think these tour guides operate in similar ways. Thanks for the tips.
I went to Morocco first before Egypt, feeling really prepared to be “tricked” and our experience in Marrakech and on the Sahara Desert camping trip to be the opposite! Of course in Marrakech, you have the guys trying to get you into their shops or telling you a certain place is close or trying to give you directions (we ignored them all). But our guide for the Sahara Desert trip was fantastic. Never pressured us for extra tips or any money. Well of course as you can see from my video, the Nile Cruise was a much different experience. I hope you have a wonderful trip to Egypt in 2024!
Thank you, Eileen!! Will look forward to more tips from you. Happy Holidays!!
@@eileensworld
Happy Holidays 🎄
I spend a lot of time in Egypt, Will do a cruise next time, I noticed, not included Tip $21 per person? that is crazy, I tell them I am not your ATM, glad you wised up to your con man LOL, liked your video
Tourist = ATM Machine! While the cruise company I used wasn’t the best and I was set up with a con man for a tour guide, I still 100% recommend the experience
My Family and I will be going in June, we plan to do the Nile Cruise also. Thanks for your feedback I really hope my boys will like it
I hope you and your family enjoy the Nile Cruise and your time in Egypt! I think any kid growing up in the US and learning about Egyptian history will really love seeing it all in person.
Hello, my family of four and I are going late June (two 8-year-old boys). I'm a little nervous (for my lads) about the heat.
Give yourself lot of breaks and rest. Try to sightsee as early as possible to avoid the mid day heat
Very hot in June.
@@browncontessa6249 Wear a hat. It's dangerous said my father who was from Egypt. Take water too.
Amazing video, Eileen! Excellent narrative!! I just came back from Egypt and I took the exact same itinerary! It was a trip of a life time! Do you have one on Machu Pichu??
Thank you for watching! and what did you think of the cruise and of Egypt? Here’s my video for Machu Pichu ruclips.net/video/OfOZjQwoE3o/видео.html
@@eileensworldMy wife and I had a blast! We spent two days in Cairo; the pyramids were amazing! Flew to Aswan; took three night cruise to Luxor; spent one more day at Luxor. Cruise was exactly the same as yours. We worked with a small tour company based in Luxor (worked directly with owner via whatsapp and wire transfer :-) ; they did an amazing job; drivers and guides were very professional; were on time. Expectation of bakseesh/tips was rather excessive. You nailed on cruise food...same boring. Your video is so through ...one does not have to visit Egypt, just watch your video and save some money! I will now check out your Machu Picchu video and post any questions I may have. Nice work Eileen!!
I am so happy to hear you and your wife has a great time and not too much trouble! Thank you for sharing your experience with me
I liked your sarcasm a lot.😂 Poor guide you rip him off and thrown him out of deck each time. Good for you.
Thanks really Informative. I am going to egypt and want to go Cairo luxor and sharm el sheikh. Your video saved me
Thank you for watching! Are you going on a Nile River Cruise?
Super helpful video. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this informative and helpful review of your tour. I’m hesitant to go to Egypt as I know there’s a lot of scammers and people taking advantage of you 😞but anyways, good to see the type of food and tours offered during your cruise.
I get it, and as someone who just experienced it, I still encourage everyone to go…but just be aware and smart and you will have a great time.
I would say not so much scammers, but people trying to sell you souvenirs. Egypt is a poor country and reliant on income from tourism. Most trying to sell you something are only trying to make a living. Yes, people may try sell you a papyrus, it may well be banana leaf. Easy way to check, if it is banana leaf, it will tear, if it is papyrus, it won't. So go to those reputable places that show you how papyrus is made and you will have the opportunity to buy there knowing you have something authentic. Don't be put off by Egypt, it is one of the most beautiful countries I have visited, As Eileen says, do go, but go with your eyes open.
I will be taking a Nile Cruise with a group called Portal to Ascension which includes 2 renown scholars in archaeology and mysticism.
That sounds very interesting 💫
Could you share the company’s website? I can’t seem to Google it
how was your experience?
This is a great honest review. I kind of knew about all the tips/bribes and the conning tourists for extra money in Egypt as it’s famous for it. However , you’ve highlighted some specific scams etc that are really useful to know before going. Such a shame though and I think your operators need to at least sort that out when it comes to the tour guides that they hire by maybe paying them better and vetting them and having tight contracts that don’t allow the kind of behaviour your guide showed. Other than that, I’m glad you got to enjoy the historic sites of Egypt, it looks even more amazing than I thought.😊
VERY IMFORMATIVE GREAT VIDEO LOTS OF GREAT INFO , JOB WELL DONE
Good video. Thank you.
LOVED IT GIRL ;-)
Thanks!
Hello, nice video? When did you travel? Was it in July, Egypt's summer? I heard tours start very early to avoid the hot weather. Thanks!
Thank you! We went in late September
I believe just the beginning of peak season
Great information and entertaining .. kept me glued. Did you pay the crazy $21 per guide as requested? Also, is this typical practice or just random w the sneaky guide? Finally, did they allow enough time to see the temples in Luxor? I was planning a 5/6 day Nile cruise but don’t want to be rushed w these temple visits. Also traveling solo… not really into cruise crowds in general. Hmmm… thinking now to maybe just skip the cruise and book cheap hotels and book individual tours. May cost a bit more but..🤔
Hi there - when we booked the trip, it does note that $20 will be required as tip for the tour guide. Aside from that, our guide was shady shady shady. I don’t necessarily feel like we were rushed, the morning were just VERY early. The convenience of the cruise is nice because everything is already planned for you.
May I ask 3 Night Nile Cruise wedsite you pick Standard or Premium ? The price was so different.....
We picked the Premium with Abu Simbel, which should we be highest package available on Civitatis
Contemplating between hotel stay or Nile cruise. This made me decide to keep the money and stay in a hotel. lol
And if it’s in your budget, stay in a well known chain or at least 4 stars! Egypt is very hectic and you will want a nice place to relax and rest at the end of the day.,
The gifts got better I see, we got a poxy bookmark from tour guide yet he expected generous tip at end of cruise, the shyster!
How did you like the cruise? And yes- even someone who does the bare minimum in Egypt expects a tip 🤔
Hi, we are planning for 8 days Egypt tour with 2 daughters (7 and 5). Is it recommended to tour Egypt considering all the places to visit and quite a bit of walking kids will have to do. Also, do all the activities from Nile River Cruise start very early in the morning?
Your video was a big help. Thanks.
Hi there! I would say the heat and the early hours will the be hardest part for the kids. There aren’t any long walks since you will be driven from place to place.
Most cruises I know don't accept kids under the age of ten. Nile cruises are not geared up for entertaining kids. All tours whether you are on a cruise or touring as part of another package , start early to avoid the heat. I did take a nephew of mine when he was 6. We did 4 days in Luxor and 3 in Aswan staying in good hotels. He coped with the heat and enjoyed being able to use the hotel pools on an afternoon. On the whole I think he was too young to really appreciate what he saw, but he has very fond memories of our holiday. For young kids Morocco is a fabulous destination.
Hello dear where did you put your bag after checking out? Ican we keep it in the car?
We kept our luggage in the car that was driving us around for the last day
Do you know if it's possible at all to do a cruise with better times? Not having to wake up at 1:30am?
I believe all the activities are super early to avoid the heat
Hey , thanks for putting out all the important things we need to know ! We are planning a trip to egypt next month in the first week of april . We have booked the nile cruise . 4 days 3 nights . Do you think we should not miss out on abu simble ? Or we can let it go . Also is tipping necessary on all the days , as we are told that tipping is compulsory for all three days and per person .
If u could elaborate on that ! Thanks .
Hi Anubhav, definitely go to Abu Simbel. It’s an early morning trip and a long drive but you can sleep on the bus and you’ll get back with the entire day left. It was my favorite place that we went to on the entire trip. Tipping compulsory for us and stated on our booking with the company we used ($20 usd) and our guide collected the money on the first day. If you have any other questions please let me know!
❤🎉 Wow, what a great video ! How much is the tip for the cruise crew? ❤
On top of the $20/per person of that is required by the tour company, we tipped him another $50 at the end. Honestly, if I could go back in time I would tip him $0.
Oh and I forgot we also tipped the cleaning crew in our room since they “reminded” us
❤️ Awesome. Thanks for the info. Heading to Egypt in Oct
Great video. I’ll be doing this in 2 weeks. You’re pretty.
Have fun!
The guys on the boat trying to sell 😂😂😂 I can't
The trick is, if you don’t want to buy anything, don’t make eye contact!!
Wow!! Some cruises are $4,000 which is insane.
Look, aside from my shady/thief tour guide…the price we paid matched what we got and I mean that in the best way possible. Food was fine and clean rooms, and most importantly we got to experience the must see sites in Egypt!
Was there some entertainment events after dinner on the cruise?
There was a dance party one evening where people dress up
Thank you very much.
You are welcome in Egypt
Shukran
Hi! I was planning to do the exact same cruise on the nile this Christmas… could you just tell me whether the entry fees of the temples and the hot air balloon over Luxor are included in this price or not? We are planning to go for the 5 star premium with Abu Simbel, and it’s charging us $475 per person…
Hello there! Entry fees are already covered but a hot air balloon is additional
Our family of 4 is planning same 3 night/ 4day Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor in Jan . How much tip are you excepted to pay ?
$20 per person for all 4 days ? Do youa gain have to tip while driving to Abu Simbel etc. How much extra is it for all site fees like (Abu simbel/ Luxor Temple / Edfu/Luxi temple etc) ? Should we buy own site tickets or cruise operator will ?
If you are referring to tipping your guide for this couple of days…we tipped ours $25 per person for the entire trip ($50 total). Looking back he deserved $0. I think $20 per person is fair but also consider of course the quality of the services being provided. For our package, all the tickets were included with the price we paid when we booked the cruise.
@@eileensworld I was told the tour company that manages the 4 days stay on the cruise collects tip in advance for all 4 days . Another question, can we skip some tours and stay on the boat. Trip to Abu Simbel is very early in morning and kids many not wake up.
@@eileensworld Thank You Eileen, can we stay on the boat if we are unable to wake up early for sites like Abu Simbel
Ahh yes! They remind me, our tour guide did collect tip money from us, on the FIRST day. I forget the amount ($20 or $25 per person) but the amount is stated by the tour company. The tip I mentioned to you in my first comment was ADDITIONAL tip that we gave our tour guide at the end of
Yes, that won’t be an issue. As far as I know
I’m considering this trip. What would you say your total cost for the cruise was? I thought about just taking a taxi to each of the destinations in Luxor and Aswan. Do you think that’s possible? Thank you!
I paid $460 for the cruises (minus tips). I’m sure a hiring a driver is possible to get from Aswan to Luxor but why not do so while on the Nile River :)
@@eileensworld I just booked my flight today 🙃. 22 hour layover in London, get to visit there… May 6 to 22. I looked at the cruise but there are more sites that I would like to see. Maybe plan them separate. So confusing…
You have plenty of time to plan! I would suggest seeing if you can hire 1 driver who can take you from Luxor to Aswan, along with all the stops you want to make. That will probably be easier than trying to find a taxi to take you from place to place. It may be the more “expensive” option but could be worth the hassle. And let me tell you from my experience in Egypt, its worth it to pay a little more to avoid all the hassle
Your hotel reception could organise that for you. But a cruise is a fabulous way of seeing rural Egypt as well as some of the temples that are along the Nile, Edfu, Kom Ombo etc. There are some times, if you are travelling by car between Luxor and Aswan that you have to leave as part of a convoy. It depends on what the security level is at the time, I know I have done that twice. Being on a fully guided tour keeps you safe.
The most honest-to-goodness RUclips travel video ever. thanks
The only thing I can share is what I personally experience and sometime it ain’t pretty!
Do you need Egyptian money or can you use American dollars for tips and small purchases from vendors?
Our tour guide accepted US dollars and Euros but we tipped with Egyptian currency since we had it. For small vendors, I’m not sure if they will accept USD, but I would recommend tipping with local currency so the vendors don’t need to exchange the money.
@@eileensworld thank you for the advice. Did you exchange for Egyptian currency at the airport or near the hotel in Cairo?
One of the best things about Egypt is that you can exchange currency from an ATM with the government set rate. You can find these ATM’s all around Cairo, but not EVERY ATM will have this feature to exchange money. Look for the ATM with 2 opening for cash. Check out my Cairo video, I explain how to do this.
which month do you go?
End of September
Did you use Egyptian money for all the tipping? Going in Sept. 2023.
Yes we used Egyptian money to for all our tipping
How is experience on cruise ?is it worthy to travel egypt?
Yes - as long as you have a decent guide who 1. Doesn’t steal from you 2. Actually knows Egyptian history
Iam wondering if a day trip to Luxor would be worth the time and money if i have a week holiday in Hurghada?
To see Luxor and Karnak temple, yes! It can be done in a day
Yes you can do that while you’re in hurgada, it’s one day trip.
It’s worth it to go.
All the best.
Where did you get your camera?
It’s a DJI osmo pocket 2
Which boat?
MS OPERA
😂😂😂 omg the hustlers on the boats hustling and finding you. I agree it's not a good feeling to be stressed about getting conned and the driver keep leaving with the valuables. That is not bad $100 a day for room board and food! Wow. The Nile river is sooo prettty!!!! For a country with so much tourism why is it so poor like they really need to update everything.
Girl it’s ghetto
@@eileensworld 😂😂😂 omg, I forgot to ask how was the Pastries?!
Bad. Quantity over quality.
Thank you
👍🏻
Damn I think I went to same alabaster store..got nothing
same! our guide actually gave us a little gift 😅
Damn I really wanted to go, but man from your reactions on the camera it doesn’t look too good tbh. I might just pick other destination. Thanks for info!
Welllll I’m just one person 😅 I still think it’s a great way to explore Egypt. As long as you have a good and honest tour guide!
I hope you reported the guide and driver to the tour company. Because employing such shady people reflects badly on them, even if they’re a big international company.
I did, to Civitatis and to the person who passed him on to us on the first day of the tour. Aside from the fact that he was a thief, he wasn’t a good tour guide.
luxor is beautiful 🇪🇬🤍
How bad are the insects? I know...They are all bad. LOL
i had such a similar experience w a tour guide in india just very shady and bringing us to place where he clearly had deals to get a percent of whatever we bought from certain stores and restaurants...its def put me off booking tours in the future but i understand theyre a necessary evil in certain countries that might have a language and cultural barrier or are had for tourists to navigate in general
Totally. I’ve been on enough tours now where I’m used to them bringing us to different shops and whatnot, or try to get us to add on additional experiences. Of course, it’s always up to us if we want to buy anything. My experience in Egypt is they they are definitely the pushiest. And the worst part of my experience wasn’t even the that, it was our own guide who literally stole from us
@@eileensworld love ur really honest review i think it helps adjust expectations and be prepared for the hustle they have going on in egypt as a tourist going in thank you for the vlog
Yes! 100%. Of all the countries I’ve been to, Egypt is one place where I would definitely advise people to adjust their expectations. I watched a couple videos before visiting and THOUGHT I was prepared 😅. Marrakech was another place I was a bit anxious to visit and after visiting, I can say my experience there was much better and less stressful than expected. Thank you again for watching and sharing your views!
No way was this a 5 star cruise. No more than 3 stars. I was surprised at the price, which I'm presuming didn't include flights. But even without flights, it was still very cheap.
Well according to the company this was considered “5 Stars” 😂. I agree the price is reasonable
very little footage of cruise
Sorry my video didn’t meet your expectations 🤷🏻♀️
We are going the opposite way
Enjoy your trip down the Nile!
Oh man. That cruise boat is a bit Sketch.
Facts
You seem so depressed throughout the video. Never heard anything positive about the food, service or the spots you visited. Gosh, really.?
food was mediocre, tour guide was terrible at explaining everything and was a thief to top it off, and the service from the staff on board was just ok.
I learned don't get there money.. just bring lots of us $$$ small bills
Looks like your cruise ship was horrible
definitely not 5 star
A bunch of goons these tour operators and tour guides are!
Don’t remind me 😤
as Egyptian I saw only negativity on your video .... if you need more typical style I recommend to you to visit Switzerland .
Blimey you are so sarcastic and cynical 🙂
Egypt had that effect on me
I find as soon as your guide goes in to ask for you, your about to get ripped off, same as the at the pyramids, I knew the photo scam so I let them take my photo, then he ask for money LOL, I told him why didn't you tell me first? I told him I can get another tourist to do it for free! I also told him if you were upfront from the start instead of your pathetic scam, I would have given you a couple of bucks! so I deleted the picture Then the guys who say they work there LOL I asked How much you make and hour, how much you get paid LOL, He was trying to be my guide, I told him several times, go away! finally he did, and said tip hahaha , you can't help to get pissed in the end. first Arabic I learned was, no, go away, Enough go away! any way, I just travel by myself and find deals when I get there, make some real friends who don't see you as a ATM lol. Love your videos. I just spent 28 days traveling and getting ready to go again, 35 countries so far, Love the Pyramids and Tokyo, so clean and cheap in Tokyo Be safe,,,,,,, CWO Ian M. Garland
Where to next?
And yes Tokyo is amazing. People always assume that Japan will be expensive but I find it very reasonable for the quality that you get!