dana123

Hi all,

I am in the middle of putting a private tour together. So I have been e-mailing back and forth with the tour company. I was curious about what type of break down of cost I should ask for / expect. I have just been telling her what I want, and she gives me a total for the entire trip. I have been letting them book the hotel rooms, because in some instances, the rooms I would like are not available on line. But now I have this large cost, and I am not sure how it comes together.

Did you get a detailed breakdown, ie. separate for nile cruise, hotels, sight seeing, flights?
Or what is reasonable information for them to supply.

Thanks,

trvlinsider

Dana,
As a general rule , tour operators will not breakdown their costs. It is easy enough for you to get an idea of (RETAIL) hotel costs, and even airport transfers etc through the Internet, but it is more difficult to really determine what a day of touring in private vehicles with a private guide and driver, run. I'd suggest you requst quotes from seperate tour companies, making sure they are using similar or same hotls and room categories, comparable touring, etc. If there are huge disparities between the two quotes, then the (more expensive) operator should be able to point out what makes their tour superior, or start providing some breakdown.

As for your Nile Cruise, there are hundreds if not thousands of ships, from the truly "scary" to nearly private yachts. Make sure you get details and photos of the ship you book on. i'd personally suggest Sun Boat III or IV, operated by A&K Egypt..(dependent on your budget, because these ships are firmly in the luxury class. The Sonesta Ships are good for more budget minded).

Also, You mention you are working on a private tour. Do make note that in Egypt, touring while you cruise the Nile is typically done in small groups, with other guests on board, .even if you are enjoying private touring in Cairo. Make sure you check this point with the Tour Operator as well. Private guides can be arranged for the cruise portion, but expect to pay for it (including transportation to/from Cairo, and accommodations for the guide - typicaly on the ship, in crew or single cabin).

Just make sure you remember to consider all the "unseen" costs that go into your trip. The more established and "five star" operators are more expensive, but also have a lot of employess "in country' to ensure your trip is perfect, from arrival to departure. Small details like air conditioned , clean, non smoking vehicles for transfers and touring. These vehicles always being stocked with a cooler of water (or your preferred beverage) and cool towels. There are hundreds of small details like this..unfortunately they arent' all "free".

Happy planning..

dana123

Really ??????

The Sonesta ships are good for the more budget minded??

I appreciate alot of your comments, but I find this one to be perplexing.

Casual_Cairo

When I toured both the Sonesta and the A&K ships, I found the Sonesta to be nicer. The A&K ships were not to my liking. Things like only a prefab shower stall instead of a full bathtub were used by A&K. Things like that get my attention.

dana123

Thanks for the information. One thing trvlinsider mentioned that is baked into our costs that I had not thought about, is that we will have a private guide on the Nile cruise. I think our costs are reasonable, they are just high. And I am sure it is my selection of hotels/rooms that is partially responsible.

Casual - You mentioned you had toured the Sonesta boats, any thoughts between the Star Goddess and the St. George 1? I picked these boats because of schedule and they were rated highly.

Many thanks for the informaiton.

Casual_Cairo

sorry - I haven't seen them all. It's been a couple years since I took the time to go to Luxor. I'm thinking about going this summer sometime to get caught up on all that is new down there. I hear it is changing very quickly.

pirouette

Hi everyone,

I am going through the same process of booking a trip for next March. I have a quote (in progress) from Lady Egypt. We are three people and though the original package quoted a 5 * Nile cruise (3-4 days only) on the Semirius (sp?) The reviews for that boat were not very good so I requested another. I have been told that an "upgrade" to a Sonesta boat will be about $1500. This seems high given that the original quote supposedly contained a 5 star cruise. The rack rate on the Sonesta website is around $2500 for the three of us, triple occupancy. Does anyone else have any thoughts?