oforparis

My husband and I are planning to go with Abercrombie and Kent on their 14 day Pyramid and Pharaohs tour next October. Has anyone been on one of their tours recently and can you give me some impressions? How was the 4 Seasons, how was the food, boat, etc?
Many thanks for any help.

Hanuman

Just came back from and A&K Egypt tour.

Four Seasons Cairo - nice typical Four Seasons hotel. Try to get a superior or deluxe room instead of the standard room(higher floor - less noise).

Sun Boat 4 - OK not great. Crew were nice but the boat, in my opinion, was a bit small(cabins, bathrooms etc). Food on the boat was good but not great with exception for the new year's eve dinner which was good.

If you need to know more let me know.

pewang

Hanuman,

Aside from the Sun Boat 4, did you enjoy the A & K trip? Thanks,

Pete

Hanuman

Pete,

The A&K tour in Egypt that my family and I was on was very well planned and executed. Reps were always there on time, neatly dressed ,polite and know what they were doing. I saw some other guides or reps(from other companies) who were late and left their clients waiting several time. The A&K people took very good care of us and they even sent us flowers and champagne to help us celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Also, once on the Sun Boat, we join others and had 13 guests per group or guide. Again I noticed at the various stops along the Nile that the other boats had about 20 - 25 guests per group.

Over all I would say that the quality of the Reps and Guides from A&K made my trip a success. One night in Cairo I lost the voucher for the Maxim Nile dinner cruise which we had booked and prepaid. A man standing behind me in the elevator of our hotel said that I looked worried and what was the problem? I turn around and the man introduced himself as Geoffrey Kent(one of the owner of A&K). He then escorted me and call one of his staff to assist us. He told the rep about my problem and call the Nile Maxim to make sure that I will not be charge again. The rep then escorted us to the boat and wait for us until we finish to escort us back again.

I could had arrange the trip with another tour company at 30% less than what I paid A&K but after experiencing the services that they provided I think it was worth it.

pewang

Thanks Hanuman,

Was this their 12 day trip?

Pete

Hanuman

This was the 11 days trip - I booked the "Reflection of the Nile" tour from A&K Australia(they handle customers from all Asian countries). Here's a link to the tour that I was on: http://www.abercrombiekent.com.au/pa...ypt/eg_ron.htm

DavePitt

If you're OK with the price, A&K is terrific and you will never have any problems. In spite of the previous post, their river cruisers are superior to others on the Nile. It's all relative. If you have any discomfort, just remember, it would be worse on any other ship.

sandi

Dave - the Nile Cruisers are "boats" not "ships"

oforparis - Definitely, if you're ok with the A&K prices, but even Hanuman indicated that he wasn't impressed with the Nile Cruise boat - size of cabins and even food. So with the exception that Hanuman happened to have bumped into Geoffrey Kent who assisted with misplaced tickets - most itineraries are the same.

We've been on the Movenpick Nile Cruiser and friends were on the Sonesta Nile Cruisers and the cabins were more than ample and comfortable (our friends could compare to other cruise ships). The boats were clean, food was fine (not haute cuisine) and more than filling and plenty of it. The crews were great, speaking various languages and for us, English, quite well.

The guide for English speaking passengers during our cruise was excellent and at max maybe we were 15 in the group.

As to the time we spent in Cairo, we had a guide with an excellent handle on the English language and was more than willing to take us to places not on our initial itinerary. He did get an great tip. And when arriving by air from Jordan (our first stop) and then heading to Aswan and return from Luxor, there was always the same smiling face to take us or waiting for us. He also got a good tip.

Basically, the itineraries are the same - it's a matter of a tour operator providing the hotels and cruise boat to your liking and budget. If one has the budget for A&K go for it, but for us it wasn't worth the extra money (when making our initial decision and when evaluating our services during and after). Most A&K itineraries are way more expensive for all their around the world.

oforparis

Thank you all for your help. I have heard from others that A&K service is more reliable than other travel companies. Hanuman seems to have noticed that also. We are generally independent travelers, so I also like the idea of small groups on the tour. That seems to be the norm with A&K and not always with other operators.
Dave Pitt- When and where did you travel with A&K? Do you have more specific reasons why you think they are terrific?
Has anyone traveled on the Sun Boat 3?

sandi

If I recall correctly, the Sun Boat 3 is one of A&Ks older boats (at least 10-15/yrs) and for a time it was being used by TWA for their packages to Egypt. Given that TWA has been out of business about 2-3/hrs. it's possible that A&K refurbished this boat.They might have broken thru cabins and expanded the size of individual cabins, maybe they made suites. I would definitely check with A&K directly re this boat.

MauiMaui

I just returned from A & K's Splendors of the Nile 12 day trip. We stayed at the Conrad which was good, went to the Four Seasons for dinner on A & K and it was great! The service nneds work, the hotel itself is like a Mausoleum, very huge and way off the beaten path. The sun Boat IV was very elegant, like a private yacht. I had a nice large room, much larger than on American cruise ships. The decor was very understated, not gaudy like Movenpick or Sonesta. A & K service was perfect! The food on the Sun Boat IV was excellent in my opinion. Our Egyptologist Hesham Abdullad was the best! I would highly recommend A & K just for their reputation, service and knowledge. This was my trip of a lifetime and they certainly did deliver!

sandi

Interesting the comments from both Hanuman and MauiMaui re the A&K itinerary.

One thought the cabins on the Sun Boat IV small, the other spacious (though the boat does look like a yacht rather than the other Nile cruise boats). One felt the food was ok, the other excellent. One thought you should get a larger room at the Four Seasons, the other thought it looked/felt like a mausoleum. Though the comment that the Four Seasons is off the beaten path is correct - not near many of the sights.

So it's all relative.

KathyA

Regarding sandi's comparison, MauiMaui was referring to the rooms at the Conrad Hotel, not the Four Seasons. As she said, she only went to dinner at the Four Seasons.

pgmargate

my wife and 2 children went egypt,petra april 04. we stayed in 4 seasons suite,3 nights,hired private guide and car.we then flew to aswan and cruised to luxor on sonesta nile princess?.we then flew to amman and had a car from the movenpick drive us 3 hours to petra. we hire car/guide to take us to wadi rum and bedouin guide in 4 wheel drive to go into desert. even upgrading to a better boat you will spend less $ booking privately while enjoying private guides etc. We have traveled all over and stayed in the same hotels or better than a&k and spent significantly less $ while having our own car and guide. why does anyone pay a&K prices.

pgmargate

sorry. we went in april 02

DavePitt

We travelled with an A&K group in 1995 to Kenya and Tanzania, and travelled back on a private tour in '98 to Kenya and Egypt. We've otherwise hired drivers and guides from other companies in Morocco, Greece, Thailand, Vietnam, China, etc. Comparing them, A&K is very good and extremely reliable and considered 'top-of-the-line'. They are also extremely expensive compared to many other companies that can provide comparable service. The only difference is that you know with some great certainty you aren't gonna get screwed and someone will be at the airport waiting for you and things will be, well, nicer. As far as their BOAT goes, it was a nicer BOAT. But that's not really the point. It's the quality of the fellow travellers on the BOAT that matters. I was once on a river BOAT with a French tour group whose teenage girls were compelled to sun-bathe topless. But then, everybody smoked all the time which kinda sucked. I was bumped once from a 5* Yangze River BOAT to a really nasty 2.5* job that turned out to be a blessing because all the other castaways that sat at our dining table were absolutely fascinating people with great stories, etc. Anyways, don't worry (not that you are)! Just don't lose sight of the fact that you are going to a third world country...

oforparis

Thanks again for all the feedback- I have a new question. Can anyone offer advice on flights from Rome to Cairo? We are spending a week in Rome before we go to Egypt. I have looked at Egypt air, Alitalia and Air France (we have to return to the U.S. from Paris). So far the flights are extremely expensive. Can anyone offer an alternative?

sandi

oforparis - check the consolidators for possible better airfares.