Potteran

We will be in Alexandria in October and the ship is charging $159.00 for the excursion whaich is way too much for us. Any ideas on who to contact?

I've been reading the travel boards on the Visa requirements and it's very confusing. Does RCI takes care of the Visa or do we have to obtain one before we go? Do we even need one?

Please advise
Thanks

joybelles

yes have some really good prices from tour operators in this area if you want to email me [email protected] we are doing a trip with royal princess in september and if you go to cruise critic register and log in go to the boards and you will probably find other folk who are looking for extra people to share a mini bus tour this way the cost is shared we are doing an overnighter in israel for 285$ against 1050$ with the ship and seeing a lot more but only doing day tours in port said and alexandria which work out per person under half of the ships tour cost

doug_stallings

If you go on a ship-sponsored shore excursion you don't usually need a visa. You're required to stay with your ship group. If you go on your own, you would probably need to buy a visa, and I don't know what the set-up is at the cruise terminal in Alexandria. It's easy at the airport.

You could probably do this trip by train from Alexandria to Cairo and back with taxis in Cairo as needed for less than $159 per person, but you'll have less hassle with the ship tour. It's up to you and how comfortable you feel going your own way in Egypt (and whether or not you're actually allowed to purchase a visa at the cruise-ship dock and go your own way). The trip to Cairo by train takes less than 2 hours.

Percy

I agree with Doug

You do not need a Visa IF you are doing the ship tour....otherwise you need a visa.
At the Cairo airport the Visa is $ 30.00 so it should be about the same in Alexandria.

Get some information from the ship about the Visa situation.

If you take the train from Alexandria to Cairo you are on your own once you get there.
You really need a guide to show you around to various places and to take you to the Pyramids,
The Cairo Museum to see King Tuts Golden Mask,
The Khan al Khaili Bazaar
The Citadel
The Mohammed Ali Mosque ( within the Citadel)
The Coptic Museum and Church
The Hanging Church of the Gardens of Babylon..
The Nile River runs right through Cairo ,so you want to make sure you get to see this and walk along it a bit.
You cannot do this on your own in the limited time you have.

I took the train from Cairo to Alexandria ,it is about 2 hours.
However I had a private tour guide meet me at the train station.

I think by the time you pay for your visa, pay for the train ride, pay for admission to various places and then taxi over to the Pyramids and back again then pay for your train ride back to Alexandria....
the price of
$159.00 sounds pretty good.

Remember that traffic in Cairo is "hell", so you make sure you get your train ride back to Alexandria in time to board the cruise ship.

I do not usually take ship tours but this is one time I think I would bite the bullet and do the tour BECAUSE , the ship is responsible in getting you back to the ship on time.

Percy

Donsuz

We are doing the eastern Med. cruise with Royal Car. in August. I, too, found the visa situation for Egypt confusing, so I called Royal Car. The young man checked on it and said that as long as we take the ship's excusion, we don't need a visa. But you must stay with the group. But from what I have read about Cairo traffic and the language, I would agree with Percy, "Bite the bullet and buy a ship excursion." When I am faced with such a decision, I think, "Well, will I ever be here again?" My answer was to purchase the ship's excursion to see the Pyramids, the Sphinx, etc. I personally don't like being in a limited time situation and not being able to handle a language. In most of Europe, I can handle the situation; but we were in St. Petersburg last year (on a cruise), and I was really glad that we had not chosen to head out on our own. The money we spent was well worth it.