Hi Eilean
Luxor museum is about 5 mins down the road from the Old Winter Palace, you certainly don't need to pay for a trip to it if you are staying in Luxor and it's not really big enough to need a guide.

Hi Steve
That is perfect we are staying at Jollie Villi for 5 nights and we can either get a taxi or I think the curtesy bus drops off outside the Winter Palace or somewhere around there.
Eilean

Hi Eilean

As Steve has mentioned there is no need for an organised trip to the Luxor Museum it is so close to your drop off point, your curtesy bus might even go as far as there anyway.

Remember if getting a taxi ALWAYS agree the total price in advance, make sure that it is the price for all your group and is in Egyptian pounds, otherwise you may find that the driver tries to charge you the agreed price per person or in £ sterling

One of the excursions offered on board your cruise boat will be a visit to Luxor Temple, to be honest you will be better doing that yourself when staying in Luxor, sunset is a good time to visit, however the excursion to Karnak Temple is informative and you might wish to do that, but once again it is very easy to visit it yourself when staying in Luxor should you not wish to take that excursion from the boat.

Graham

Hi Graham
Can you do Luxor Temple without a guide and is that where they do the light & sound show if it is it worth just going at night when its all lit up. Is there any more sights you can do yourself rather than doing on the boat.
Eilean

Hi Eilean

The Luxor temple is really quite small and very easy to do on your own, it gets lit up at night and is best seen in the evening when the sun is setting.

Karnak Temple is where the sound and light show is, it is not the best sound and light show to be honest.

The excursions to the Valley of the Kings / Queens etc can also be booked throught agents such as Jolleys and is again cheaper than FC for the same thing or in some cases a better tour.

Hi Eilean
Just to add to what Graham has said, there are a lot of other trips that you can do in Luxor which you can book from places like Jollies. I can recommend the camel ride through local villages, a trip to the valley of the nobles and a trip to Cairo to see the pyramids. There are a lot of other places to visit and they can arrange pretty much anything you want to do. If you want a trustworthy taxi driver I can recommend Mr Fish (real name Sayed and his brothers) tel 0102060871, he can be found parked opposite the Kings Head Pub. He can also arrange trips, is reliable and will fix a price up front. he can also show you the best places to get cheap water, cans of drink etc. Like all taxi drivers in Luxor though, he will try to persuade you to go to the local tourist bazaar where you can shop without hassle (remember though they all get a cut so the more they persuade you to spend the better for them).
As Graham has said the Light & Sound show is not very good, the same is true of the Philae Temple show in Aswan, it is much better to do it at sunset yourself and a lot cheaper!
Steve

Hi Steve and Graham
We are going to Cairo for 2 nights straight after the cruise, If we did the camel ride how long would it be for and are they big camels because I'm quite a heavy person maybe I would,nt be able to climb on one.The local bazaar is it like a market or rows of shops with stuff outside, If we did hire a taxi does the driver stay with you.
Eilean

Eilean
Glad to hear that you are going to Cairo as it is an experience not to be missed but will be a shock at how different it is to the rest of Egypt.
The camel ride around Luxor can last a couple of hours and they are not the easiest of animals to get on and off from but they can certainly be big. If you are not sure you can always try a quick go in Cairo at the pyramids rather than a long trip around Luxor.
The tourist bazaar is like a store with a large papyrus shop downstairs and different sellers upstairs, do not accept their prices if you are prepared to haggle hard and long you can get some decent bargains.
The taxi driver will always come with you in the bazaar because he will want to make sure he gets his cut so will try to persuade you to buy more. As long as you tell the taxi driver what you want including if you want him to wait for you etc he will do it but make sure you agree a price for the whole trip and for your whole party. Mr Fish is very good though and will be very fair with you if you are fair with him and will tell you anything you want to know, let him know that he was recommended.
Steve

Has any one been on the nile style cruise boat recently and what was it like? I go on oct 22nd

Hi to all!
Wonder whether someone can give me some advice. Is it possible for someone to go on a nile cruise who is mobility impaired. My mother can walk for short distances with a stick as she has a prosthetic leg, but does get tired and needs to use her wheelchair occasionally, so if we go away, I need to know that we can take it with us just in case she needs a rest now and again. I have had so many conflicting opinions I just dont know what to do. She really does want to go on this trip.....
Thanks so much for any help!

Has anyone been to Cairo after theire cruise because I wanted to know what time theire flight was so that I had a rough idea. And on AI could you get a snack when you wanted or was it a slice of cake at certain times of the day, Could you go to the bar or the shop on board to get some crisps or snacks when you wanted.
Eilean

Hi Eilean
We did a day trip to Cairo from Luxor in our second week and our flight was at 7.45 in the moning with a return flight at 21.10pm all local times.
As for AI I am not sure about how your boat or tour operator works but on our boat there was no shop to get snacks but there was tea and cakes at 4pm. We took our own snacks just in case like pringles, pot noodles etc and you can buy snacks from local shops where you stop but they may be expensive. But to be honest we found that the set meals were so filling we didn't need anything else, even our always hungary 13year old never complained. Most boats though do have a bar menu which they don't tell you about but you normally will have to ask for where they will do you chips etc but whether you get this covered on AI would be something you need to take up with your operator.
Steve

Hi Annaluba
My wife is slightly impaired and has difficulty walking distances etc but not to the extent of having to use a wheelchair. In my opinion these boats are not very friendly when it comes to mobility. They have a lot of stairs and when you disembark for trips you will find yourself walking through other boats sometimes as many as 4 or 5 and having to go up and down different levels as each boat is not the same height. The gangplanks are also mainly crudely put together, somtimes just 2 planks of wood with a piece of rope.
There are no ramps at the temples, a lot of rough ground, sometimes just loose sand which I would think would be difficult to use a wheelchair at and there is a lot of walking and standing around.
However, saying all that the crew and the tour guides knew of my wifes condition and would always help her where possible but the guides do have a lot to cram into each visit and can get a little impatient if you keep lagging behind but you don't have to stay with the guide.
My wife knew it was going to be tough which is why we had a 2nd relaxation week booked and although she was exhausted after the 1st week she would not have missed it for the world.
I guess the decision at the end of the day is yours alone and if things get difficult your still doing a wonderful cruise which in my opinion you shouldn't miss but their again I am fully able bodied.
I hope this helps a little.
Steve

Hi Steve, thanks so much for your reply. My mother has now booked a nile cruise on MS Fleurette in November and I am a little anxious about it but hoping that it will all be OK. I'm sure some disabled people have been able to visit the temples etc., but obviously some areas are inaccessible. I am there to help and have to be prepared with "strong arms" I suppose. I dont think the boat will be a problem as she does do stairs, but concerned about the boarding planks you have told me about. The wheelchair is fully collapsable but of course I will be pushing that over the planks so will be unable to assist mum should she need it. I hope someone might be willing to lend an arm if necessary..... Well, its booked so will have to wait and see.. hope it wont be a disaster. Once again, thanks for your comments and would like to hear more if anyone has any tips for me!!!

Egypt = the best place in the world !!!

Hi Graham
Which is the best sound & light show in egypt
Eilean

Hi Steve
Do you know which sound & light show is the best maybe everyone has different answers.
Eilean

Hi All

First post here for a long time. I had forgotten just how good this forum is.

We have booked May 2009 to go on the Royal Viking 5* and wonder if anyone can point me to a review of this boat. The only small picture I can find is on the Discover Egypt site.

We have paid a suplement for a top deck cabin and have requested a double bed cabin, but they refuse to guarantee this request so I suspect they are all twin rooms.

Any information would be appreciated.

Hi Eilean
Regarding the Sound & Light Shows, we only went to the Philae Temple show in Aswan and after seeing that we decided not to bother with the Karnak Temple Show.
We decided to do the Philae show because you do a small trip on a boat to the temple which made it more worthwhile but the show itself and I believe it is the same at all the shows are very basic. They are a visual presentation through narrative and coloured lighting about the temple you are visiting while you move from one part to another. I have to say that after 10 mins it became quite boring and repetitive. I can not speak for the other shows but have heard they are all pretty much the same. However, if you don't expect lasers and stuff and want to know the story behind the temple it is like everything in Egypt, it's nice to be able to experience everything that there is.