Forgot to add that all flights within Egypt are most likely included plus transportation to and from airports. Although I did not traveled with A&K or Tauck, the tour I just took included 4 flights.

Oops - meant travel not traveled.

Louise:You don't seem to be grasping that my comparison is totalling ALL DOLLARS SPENT door-door including stretch limo to and from the airport.Trying to spin that you are getting something that we are not is nonsense, the facts are that we are getting a more luxurious vacation for less money!!!

Sorry, I guess I misread your post "when you get to your hotel see the concierge and arrange for private car and guide".

mgmargate, FYI I haven't inherited any money, I own my own business, know how to spell "through up" properly, and never wasted money traveling to exotic places on 7 and 9 years olds that won't appreciate or remember the trip! I have one consulation, I will never be on a trip with you and your condescending attitude. It was not my intention to insult or be insulted by anyone's choice of travel, only my opinion of mine and mine only travels. In the USA we are free to travel when, where and how we please.

Louise:It's starting to get ridiculous,this process with the concierge is about as hard as finding out where the best restaurants really are not the ones A&K has special deals with.

MM: I don't concern myself with grammar and spelling,after all i'm only a high school graduate C average who owns 2 businesses,that I started from scratch with no help from anyone.I make enough money to do almost anything I please including "waste exotic vacations on the kids I love"My kids (both honor students are better people for their travels and if you don't see the value in that then I can't help it.If you really believe taking kids on these trips is a waste then that reinforces my previous thoughts about you.

Well, I for one appreciated MauiMaui's trip report. I have never heard one bad thing from anyone who has actually taken an A&K tour. And, by the way, you can do any of the A&K tours with only your own group (or family)for a very slight increase in price. I think, however, that for people with kids, doing their own tour is best. Most of the people on an A&K type tour don't really want to deal with someone else's seven year old, no matter how well behaved. So, to each their own!!

My point is that yes A&K provides a first class service,but many have discovered that you can get more for less.And speaking for my kids only they are better behaved than most adults I know.

MY kids are also smarter than most adults I know! Terra Nova score 99. That's as good as it gets folks.

mgmargate: I too prefer to book my own arrangements. I discovered long ago on Fodors that there are two groups of people who enjoy travel. I don't like any sort of tours, but have come to understand that not everyone feels the same way.

Having said that, MauiMaui: What on earth were you thinking when you said: "I never wasted money traveling to exotic places on 7 and 9 years olds"?

I do hope you will reconsider if you ever have children. My own daughter has been all over the world with me. Her 3rd grade teacher actually said to me once "she is wise beyond her years" I acredit this to her travel experiences. Not only that, but my daughter at 18 has many "cultural skills" that most adults I know do not.

As for remembering: Children remember things differently. Our first trip to Zimbabwe my daughter was 7 and remembers how big the bathtubs were (they also are used to do the family laundry), the morning tea and bicuits brought to us on silver trays, the prehistoric cave paintings, seeing giraffes without cages and the lizards on the wall of "Gramma Doti's" hut while we drank tea from china cups sitting on a straw mat. Simple things to you and I? Yes! But worth every penny to have enjoyed them with the person I love more than anyone else in the world.

Hello lilylace: I to was astounded by Maui"s position. My kids travel everywhere with us,Egypt&jordan,dubai, and 5 week European excursion 2 summers ago along with several other European and south american trips.They talk about these trips a lot and also do show and tells at school where they are a hit with other kids and more importantly their teachers. Maui's position in the discussion was untenable so she attacked with obvious nonsense.

mgmargate,
I've convinced my husband that Egypt is a must do! Please give me some advice on planning our own tour! I've planned lots of trips myself, but am always happy for advice and tips, especially for somewhere we've not been before. We will plan for next year, the heat doesn't scare us as much as the crowds of tourists do! When is best to go?

Lilylace: I went on line and found a boat that was cruising in our time frame Oberoi boats are very nice, then determine flight availability,then book hotels. You can have any good T/a help you.We flew ewr- cairo(egypt air),3 nighte 4 seasons cairo, flew E/a to Aswan 4 night Nile cruise, then stayed 2 nights Luxor (Old winter palace. Flew to Amman via cairo had Petra Movenpick send car to pick us up 3 hour drive 2 or 3 days in Petra and Wadi Rum area,Flew E/a Amman -ewr via Cairo. My wife and I and at the time 5&7 year olds went on this trip. We arranged meet and assist at airport from hotel with transport and in minutes arranged driver/private guide with the conceirge.

Sounds great! Thanks mgmargate, I can hardly wait to get my Europe trip out of the way next month and then I'll concentrate on Egypt! I really love the thrill of planning all this!

LL: We went in April and it was starting to get pretty hot 85-90, I don't think I would go in May or the summer.In a perfect world I would go in March.

March has a tendency to have sand storms.
We traveled end-October/beg-November and it was wonderful. The weather in Cairo was delightful, with cool to chilly evenings.
At Abu Simbel it was hot, but we were only there for the morning, so it as tolerable - the further South you go the hotter it gets. Then along the cruise, the days were warm, maybe in the 80s, with cool nights. But once we arrived in Luxor, the morning we went over to the Valley of the Kings/Queens - this was an early start 6am, because by 9am it was close to 90 degrees if not higher and the evenings did not cool down much.
May will be hot!

I forgot about the sand storms.While we were waiting for our bags at JFK on our return I spoke to a couple who had gone to pyramids a few days after us and a sandstorm ruined the only day they had set aside for the pyramids.