Welcome Dwarf28,
will let some of the Laydeez assist you with your wife's clothing queries, other than to recommend linen/natural fibre.

No she will not be obliged to cover up for the majority of the sites, although I think (and someone I'm sure will confirm) that there may be some discretion required if you do the optional Aswan city tour as part of the tour visits a mosque. Despite the excellent organisation and timing of the other tours which will take place early morning to avoid both crowds and excessive heat it will still be VERY warm so light clothing (and good strong comfy footwear) will be the order of the day.

A cocktail dress is not essential although why not dress up if you feel like it. Most nights in our experience were smart/casual, but most people did make the effort for the nights when the sit down meals were served (but again one of these was the 'fancydress' night (won't even attempt the proper spelling!) - and believe me this is a must ! My wife and I were very dubious about this part of the programme, but go with it, you won't regret it!)

Yes there is a hair-dryer available in the cabins.

Only did a day visit to Cairo (from Sharm) so I'll leave that for others.

While we were onboard (Sept 2004) there was an almost 50-50 split between Brits and Germans

Optional trips that we did were:-
Balloon flight over Luxor West Bank. A fabulous experience (and I'm sorry but as anyone who's ever paid any attention to any posts I've made in the past knows I'm going to say.........WEAR A HAT!!!)
Abu Simbel. Flew to Abu Simbel from Aswan. Leaves boat at 02:30 and you're back in time for breakfast. Expensive, but if you miss the floodlit Abu Simbel at 05:30 in the morning, believe you me you'll regret it forever!
A Light & Sound Show: Whilst not exactly 'state of the art' they are well worth a visit. We chose the one at Philae Temple over Karnak because of it's site. With your stay at Cairo you'll also have the choice of the one at the Pyramids so it's up to you really.
The only thing that failed to impress was part of the included excursions and was the trip to see the Aswan Dam. I didn't want to be unimpressed by this as the Egyptians are very proud of the dam - their contribution to the wonders of the modern world - a sort of 'see we're not just ancient monuments we can do modern stuff as well' statement. Unfortunately it's just a different type of dam to what you expect to see and isn't very visually impressive. Sorry!

We had no problems with mosquitos in September but then again our sun tan lotion included insect repellent, our after sun contained insect repellent, we wore anti-mosquito wristbands, plugged in our electric anti-mosquito doodahs religiously every night......you get the picture. A walking disaster area for anything vaguely insect like! Better to be safe than sorry!

Good grief, I do go on a bit don't I.......think I've outstayed my welcome Hope you'll find something of some use.

Hi Boothers
Many thanks for all your really informative posts which I have been reading avidly
As I have mentioned before (probably to the point of driving everyone mad ) We are going down the Nile on the Domina Prestige Emilio in March (cant wait!!) and have had lots of fabulous reports about the boat etc. My only potential problem is a bit of a nasty allergy to mossie bites Now I am stocked up with jungle strength super-duper repellent and plug in thingys but I noticed you mentioned anti-mossie wristbands Is it possible you can tell me more about these? Where did you get them? Did they work? Do you just need one for a whole week?
Look forward to hearing from you
Only Nine more weeks!!!!!
Bobbie

Hello Bobbie,
we've had two different types of wristbands. The first which we took to Egypt were bought in Boots but I can't for the life of me remember the name (something daft I think like Mozzi-Go). These were two square plastic cases into which you stuck small square pads containing the repellent. The plastic cases could then be placed onto brightly coloured adjustable velcro strips for wearing around the wrist and/or ankle. The cases would also fit seperately over shirt buttons etc so could be used without the garish bands. As the repellent pads themselves were also self adhesive on 1 side they could be stuck to bedheads etc. To 'activate' the repellent you merely pressed down on the pad (the front of the plastic cases was bevelled to allow you to do this). If ever you felt the need to 'refresh' the repellent you just pushed on the pad again. Pads lasted for 24 hours and you just stuck a new pad in the case the next day. Refill packs of the pads were available but did find at the end of our fortnight in Egypt that the velcro straps got a bit tatty (they ended up wrapped around our suitcase handles to enable speedy spotting !) We were impressed enough to look for more last year but Boots had stopped stocking them.

So last year (in Crete) we ended up with a packet of two wristbands which are impregnated with microcapsules of repellent. Pull them on over your wrists, stretch them to break open the capsules and hey presto! Simple to use, are supposed to last a full fortnight. Quite powerful 'repellent' type aroma for the first day but not noticeable after a time. Come is all sorts of colours (but you can pretend to be on an all-inclusive holiday). Are available in lots of places (i.e. Superdrug) under various names (Mosiband etc) see for example http://www.mosiband.com at a cost of between £2 - £4 a pair. Throw 'em away at the end of the holidays.

Can't guarantee that either of them work but we had no mosquito problems the last 2 years (but as I said we use repellent sun cream and aftersun and plug-ins on a night too - you can't be too careful)

There's also a lengthy Mosquito thread in the General Holiday Enquiries Forum which is quite interesting (all 14 pages of it) see here http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=240 (see Briar I'm learning !!)

Have a wonderful time in March, and don't forget to let us know how it went on your return

Thanks for a brilliantly detailed and quick reply I will go and have a look at the mossie thread in a minute.
Will be in touch again either before or after the holiday

just a thankyou to all who helped me on this subject ,also for the pm's

i have now decided to go on a red sea cruise,but i will defetenly do the nile one day.

thanks again

irene

Hi
Anyone tell me what are the best ways to complain about anything that may not be to your liking on a cruise boat on the nile. Who to see and how to go about it apart from your holl, rep, that is. Am on a package tour 7 days Luxor to Aswan and back. Thanks TB.

Hi,

excellent advice on the nile cruises!

My query is that of being pestered and the fancy dress night;

I have heard rumours of people being pestered to buy things and was told to basically ignore them, being an introvert type of person I tend to get annoyed very quickly when confronted in an un-respectful manner. Any advice here would definately help.

We are going on a 7 night cruise on feb 8th from Luxor - aswan - Luxor on a 4* inclusive from Thompson holidays, I understand that there is also a fancy dress night and must confess that I am pretty nervous as I do not mix well with others.
Basically its a sad story of being locked in my bedroom as a child and battered from pillar to post etc I am getting help but have got a long way to go yet! I suffer anxiety attacks ( it feels as though everyone is looking at me and jeering at me, I tend to get violent) not a nice feeling I can tell you. As a plasterer my job is hard (physically) and so all I want is a relaxing holiday (not had one for 4 years as it was that long ago we lost our child).

Now we have the money and no children we are wanting to get away and enjoy a relaxing river cruise, however if I am not mistaken and reading some of these posts it now seems quite lively, early morning excursions!

All we need is a quiet, relaxing holiday and the woman in the thompson holiday shop told us this would be ideal, not sure now.

Any thoughts, advice would be greatly apreciated.

Welcome Mad Prof,
My sympathies on your 'unfortunate' upbringing and I am struggling to be able to allay your fears completely. You WILL NOT get hassled whilst onboard your cruise boat other than the enquiries by attentive waiters that one would normally expect, however you WILL attract attention (I've taken great care with that choice of phrase, don't like to say hassle all the time) whenever you go ashore, especially if you venture out alone but even when part of the guided tours, whether this be from a single person asking if you want a ride in his boat/taxi/caleche on the Corniche to quite large crowds at jetties/coach drop off points all clamouring to sell you their wares in an enthusiastic and exuberant manner, however that is all that it is. None of our party ever experienced anything even remotely approaching physical intimidation (although we did see the occasional upsetting 'trick', will always remember the woman 'topping' up the blood on her babies bandages in the bazaar in Cairo).

Your cruise guide (who will be with you on all included tours) will explain about this at your 'welcome' meeting and give you tips on how to handle it. Our Guide, Ahmed, told us that 'You English people are too polite, you think you must apologise to people for not buying anything or give explanations. No! 'No thank you' to an Egyptian trader means 'I'll take 6' and he'll work from there. If you want to buy something by all means enter into the spirit, but if you are worried or at all concerned just wear your sunglasses, pull your hat down and ignore everyone. They will not be offended or upset by you, they will just try someone else'. Good advice.

Regarding the 'party nights' and early morning excursions and a relaxing holiday (...and this is all a strictly personal opinion). A Nile cruise will be exactly the holiday you decide to make it. No excursion or 'party night' is compulsory. If you do not wish to be involved you do not have to take part - it's as simple as that.
Firstly regarding the excursions: As the majority of the excursions will have been included in the price you have already paid and considering that some of the places you will be going to are amongst the most remarkable sights it is possible to see then I would recommend making the effort. The early starts are for practical reasons only, the places you go to are not too crowded very early (we had a glorious first 45 minutes at Philae Temple where we were the ONLY party there which made an already incredible experience into something extra, extra special) and you will be returned to the boat for your lunch thereby 1) avoiding sightseeing during the hottest part of the day (hate to think what the Valley of the Kings would be like at 1 in the afternoon!) & 2) giving you the afternoon free to relax on deck with a good book and a cool drink.
If you do not want to take part in the included excursions though, please do inform your guide of this so that he is aware that you won't be travelling.

Secondly the organised parties: There will only be a couple of organised parties and a couple of evenings with entertainment, again they are NOT compulsary and will take place after the evening meal and in a different room (although many people that 'do' the fancy dress night will eat that evening in costume). Do not feel awkward if you do not want to take part and rest assured again that you won't be pressurized to do so. Apart from the Dining Room and Lounge Bar on the boat there will be a 'Deck' Bar also open at night (the 'Pool' bar during the day) where you can sit under the stars and be as relaxed as you wish. While we were there only approximately 60-70% of the guests who attended the fancy dress night were actually in costume, others were in 'plain clothes' and yet others either went upstairs for a quiet drink or had an early night.

My wife and I had been unsure about the cruise part of the holiday (for similar, though not so extreme reasons as yourself) and had originally booked a 3 centre holiday which only included a 4 day cruise and 3 days in Luxor, but 3 months before we were due to leave the 4 day cruises were cancelled. We lost our 3 days in Luxor and were given the option of a 7 day cruise or cancellation. We thought long and hard for a week about what to do, and came very close to cancellation but in the end went ahead and boy are we glad we did! I would say it was the holiday of a lifetime but as we are considering doing it again that phrase doesn't seem to fit.

Better be off now before people think I'm monopolising this thread !
I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you that you won't get attention but hope I've given some impression of what it's like - it's NOT scary, but it is a bit of a culture shock and you should be able to put it to the back of your mind.
I hope that you find yourself amongst a nice bunch of people and can find it in yourself to relax and enjoy yourself and if possible take part in what can be a fun, exhilirating, mind expanding experience. The glories that are Egypt are well worth making the extra effort for !

Please have fun in February and get back to us with your experiences. Whether good or bad they will be of benefit to others in similar positions.

From what you say it does not seem that bad, although I shy to thought of dressing up in egyptian gear! Not that I am ignorant its just the way in which I was brought up I suppose. What really disses me is the fact that I DO apologise too much in life and have been told to hold back under certain conditions although it is hard. I am a real softy at heart but have got some major defences to deal with, it does not take me long to lose my temper and being 16 stone I suppose I can be a handful.

We went to Turkey a few years ago (6 I think) and we were always getting hassled in the street there, my wife was a little upset and I even threatened a couple of them, a holiday to us means relaxation, peace and time to heal. Of course if you do not do a physical job like plastering then a holiday might be more of a sporting affair, with jet boats and the like i.e. you have more energy to do them!

I was thinking of taking my camcorder, I have a digital camera as well but taking real live footage and putting it onto DVD to watch a few weeks later with a good bottle of wine is no competition, however, a joiner told me that he had to register it or something, unfortunately I do not work on that site anymore and do not have his number to ask him what he meant.

Do I need a permit or registration for a camcorder?

I am a new visitor to this site, so can anyone advise me about tipping on board the boats?. I am going on the Radamis 1 in March 06 and am not sure if you tip for each event or if you give a combined tip at the end of the journey?

Hello Colin, welcome.

can I suggest reading my first two posts on this thread - both are on page 1. The second post deals with tipping particularly.

Thanks for your advice. Could tell me if it is possible to book a trip to Abu Simbel from Hurgarda? Just in case we don't make it from the Nile cruise.

Hi Colin
Glad you are going on a cruise on Radamis One , we had an excellent hol on her in September 2005 and it was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish . The boat was very comfortable and although not the last word in luxoury it was spacious and very clean and tidy . The food is very good and varied ,with several choices , mostly buffet style but two evenings it was table service with your order being taken at lunch . the staff are tremendously courtious and helpful to a fault . I have posted several reports in this thread so if you go to my Profile and click on "all my posts I'm sure that you will be suitably impressed . As for the trip to ABU-SIMBEL we booked it via our tour guide who aranged it for us privately and we had a guide all to ourselves . we went by air from Aswan as the boat spends Quite some time there ,and although it meant an early rise (2 am ) we were on site before sunrise and were the first two people there . the sight of the rising sun striking the magnificent statues of RAMSES 11 defies description and even pictures failto do it proper justice so please dont miss it .
as regards tipping -- you will be given an envelope at the end of your cruise and it is up to you what you give on a voluntary basis . these tips are shared among the whole crew including the guys that you will probably never see at all ( engineers greasers painters etc ).A few bob to the cabin boys on your first day will ensure service above and beyond . If you require any specific info just ask . P.S . If you are fortunate enough to get the same excellent guide as we had , his name is HAMODA , please give him our regards . IAN and JEANETTE from SCOTLAND .
regards wee-john

To the future Mrs T

I posted this on a previous page -

I am sure I am correct in saying that this is a new programme for FC in 2006 and there have been no actual cruises so far, I think the first cruise is departing within the next few weeks, so we may find out more info then.

The actual boat is the MS Orchid so somebody may be able to give some info on it.

This is why nobody including the travel agents (lack of training ) are up to speed on this.

The Nile Goddess is the name of FC's itinerary, the boat that FC are using is the MS Orchid, I have since found this link which I think is the boat we are on -
http://www.europeancampsites.co.uk/Cruise/cruise/en/cruises/orchid/index.html

I will get back if I find out anything further.

Graham

(Boothers)

Thanks for your good report on the ms grand star cabins understand a bit more now. As I am going it alone to see the sites and not the boat (ship) it does not need to be tooo, good I can live with it.
After all you only sleep / change / shower there in a cabin.
Again thanks
Thomas.

hi

my wife and i are going on a cruise on monday but i cannot find any mention or phtos of our cruise ship -ibis.has anyone been on this ship?

pasf[/list]

Hi Graham,

Tell me about it - I am starting to realise FC have no idea what they are doing. If you go on their website they don't even do cruises in egypt.

Thing tha confuses me is that in the brochure is shows the MS Orchid, but also found this through google http://www.egyptnilecruises.com/view_riverboat.cfm?shipid=387

Which is details about the Nile Goddess.

Also the Orchid site you gave seems to only doe 3/4 nights and we are doing 7, I am starting tho think I should have booked menorca.

Hi MrsT

FC don't have the cruise available via their website yet, you have to book it via a high st travel agent or phone them direct. If you phone direct they will book it a discount that would be comparable to a web booking.

It is definitely the Ms Orchid we are on and this has been confirmed by FC.

The confusion arises because this is a totally new venture for them and some of their agents aren't up to speed on it yet.

I am sure we will all have a great time when ever we all go, we don't go until September

Graham

Ok,

We are going on the 3rd July, so I will let you know how it goes. I booked over the phone with them, but they just seem so unhelpful. Going by everyone else's advice we will have to pay for all/some of the excursions in stirling, some/all ii le, food is inclusive but not drink, but so is the drink...

So I guess we will find out when we get there. By my understanding though the food and domestic ( I guess this means local) drink is included in the price.?? Is that your understanding too?

Stace.x