I'm off to Paphos in July with First Choice. I have been told that to go on the two day cruise to Egypt we will need a visa and that I need to apply for it from the Egyptian Embassy myself at least six weeks before I travel to Cyprus and that I will need extra insurance cover. Is this information correct about the visa.

When we went to Egypt by sea from Cyprus we booked it through the rep locally, Thomson's I think, and we didn't need to arrange a visa.

I may be worth checking your travel insurace to make sure Egypt is covered as some policies class it as Europe while others don't.

luci

They issue a visa on arrival in Egypt bu simply stamping your passport with a 'short stay' visa

Dave

HI Folks... love this website - absolute goldmine of information.

I know this may have been covered before but I can't seem to find an answer so any advice would be appreciated

I'm off to Pernera near Protarus in October staying at Anastsia Beach and would love to go on a mincruise to Holyland-Israel (assuming its still saefe).

I've found a couple of independent websites (louistours and varianostravel) based in Limassol from which I can prebook a 2day cruise over the net but would mean getting there independently and getting there on time!

I just wondered if this is a trip that's bookable in resort from the holiday rep (I'm going with Thomas Cook). I'd prefer this really as I know i could trust them to pick me up from my hotel and then forget about all the hassles just enjoying the trip until i get dropped off back at the hotel.

Can't find any specific info about excursions except a few vague refernces to trips in the general holiday brochure

Any idea folks?
Thanks & best regards, PAUL

For anyone thinking of going to Egypt by air FORGET it my wife and I signed up for the day trip.
we stayed in Protaras so we needed to be up early
started of 4.30am in the morning almost 3.30 hours travelling around many hotels picking up other guests that was before we even got to the airport
The day was spent travelling site seeing Pyramids
Cairo museum etc the cruise down the Nile is a joke the food served on the ship was basic biscuits light meats cheese tomatoes I thought they were having a laugh. The place is a total rip off almost 22 hours in total travelling it was that bad that I over heard a German tourist thanking god once they had arrived back at there hotel oh and to add insult to injury the price for this experience was five hundred and fifty pounds for a daytrip
Many thanks Thomas cook never again

I would never have considered a trip like that in one day in the first place, it must have been a nightmare for you.
I would have thought though, if you want to go to Eygpt, go there for a holiday and give yourself time to see it all, £550 would have probably bought you a week there!
Still i'm sure you will have help many HT members save a bit of money.

J.

Thanks for that advice - i was considering going but was dubious as I heard it was an awfully long day of travel. You have confirmed that for me so many many thanks. You are right! You can get 7 days all inclusive in Egypt for not much more!
Best regards, PAUL

We did the one day trip by air a couple of years ago from Paphos. I wouldn't consider it from the east of the island as this would add about 6 hours travelling to the day. We had a super day and I would go again if I had the chance. How many countries can you visit and be offered the chance of visiting the pyramids and the Cairo museum for a day? I accept that the trip is expensive ( we paid about GBP 480 for the 2 of us) but quite honestly I don't think I could have handled Cairo for any longer than that. A week in Egypt wouldn't be everyones cup of tea, and if, like me, you're one of those people, it may be the only chance you get.
Also check the itineraries with the different tour operators, they are not all the same. We had a lovely lunch at the hotel Le Meridien and an evening nile cruise with another meal that was perfectly acceptable. We used Sea Island through Airtours.
As for the general hassle round the pyramids and bazaar, just team up with another couple so you don't feel so vulnerable, and don't let anyone else have your camera,including security guards and camel owners at the pyramids, as they will want money to give it back.
All in all a long day but worth it and an experience that you will never forget.

Thanks for that advice - i was considering going but was dubious as I heard it was an awfully long day of travel. You have confirmed that for me so many many thanks. You are right! You can get 7 days all inclusive in Egypt for not much more!
Best regards, PAUL

That's very true Paul,
but you're unlikely to find a weeks AI deal in Cairo to see the Pyramids, King Tut's treasures at the Cairo Museum and a sail on the Nile, which is the general idea of the day trip or the cruise option from Cyprus... You should look at the trip as a "taste of Egypt" rather than a holiday.

For anyone considering taking just a week in Egypt and wanting to see as much as possible, I would advise making your base in Luxor, which will allow you take the train (overnight) to Cairo to see the Pyramids - returning again on the overnight train to Luxor. If you want to visit the beach and the red sea, you can get to Hurghada fairly easily from Luxor too. A busy week, but how else can you experience thousands of years of history and remember how you listened in awe about these things as a child in school.

I remember a new boy starting in my school year when I was about 13yrs old and he had just come back from living in Cairo after 4yrs. I was fascinated with his tales of life there....

When we finally got there after the Gulf war in 1992, I was so pleased to finally get to see all the stuff I'd read about. We took a 5 night City Break, flying from Heathrow with Thomson and it cost us more to do those 5 nights than a 2 week holiday in Luxor 2yrs later. But, it was worth it just for the experience alone of seeing Cairo (one of my favourite cities - it never sleeps and the traffic is horrendous). We've had many holidays in Egypt since and we love it. Now we live in Cyprus, it's so much closer to us (less than an hours flight to Cairo and similar again to reach any of the other resorts). We plan to be visiting more often...

CwB

Wanting to do cruise to egypt in june 09, phoned louis cruises today and they cant comfirm they will be sailing next year to egypt, can anyone help and tell me if anyone else sails to egypt for 2 days, looking for some date so i can book, as only going for a week.
Thanks
Debi

Hi

Salamis operate pretty much the same itineraries as Louis Cruise Lines: http://cruisecyprus.com/salamis.htm

Just checked Louis Cruise website and they only seem to be offering Egypt combined with the Holy Land at present http://www.louiscruises.com/destinations_map.html?FROM=CYPRUS but, it may be a bit advance to book right now.

I posted on another thread as we've just returned home to Cyprus from a mini-cruise to Lebanon & Syria this weekend with Louis Cruise Lines http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=127109

Louis do tend to put special offers up a few weeks before departure so probably best to keep an eye on their website. Anything with the dates marked in red have a special offer. We booked directly with the Louis office earlier in the year and they told us if a special offer was released closer to our travel date, they would honour it. True to their word, they did We saved around 15% on the original costings.

You can book in advance online or you can book at the Louis offices down on the seafront in Limassol. If you do it this way, you will get the reductions but if you book in advance through an agent prior to any special offers or reductions, it's unlikely they will pass the discount on as the agent should in effect, receive a commission for the reservation.

I would wait and contact them again around March or April when they have their full itinerary schedule.

CwB

We have just returned from a brilliant 10 day holiday in Cyprus, however there was one incident which could have totally ruined our holiday if we had let it. We have previously been on the Egypt cruise which we thoroughly enjoyed and this time intended to do the Israel trip, only by air this time.
We arrived in Cyprus on Thursday 1st October and booked the trip the following day through our rep for the following Tuesday. She confirmed our places by telephone with the travel company - Delta Wings Leisure - and we paid 350EUR each for the trip. On Monday afternoon (less than 12 hours before we were due to leave) we received an urgent call from her saying that Delta had 'bumped' us and had given our places to a Russian couple. To say I was absolutely steaming is an understatement. However, we really wanted to do the trip, and Delta had told our rep that there were places available for the following Saturday. We accepted this offer, although we were told that the main commentary would be in Russian, but there were 2 couriers with the party and one of them spoke English and would translate for us. We were quite happy with this and booked for Saturday (the day before we were coming home). On Thursday afternoon we were contacted again by our rep who was extremely embarrassed but had to tell us that the couriers running the trip had changed their minds and decided that the trip would be in Russian and Polish only. We could still go on trip but nobody would speak to us in anything other that Russian or Polish!!! And we were going to pay 700 EUR for this ???? This left us no time to find another company to book through.
So remember the name of the travel company who don't seem to want English speaking customers is Delta Wings Leisure. If anyone out there is thinking of going on this trip, make sure you know who your rep is booking with and that they will speak to you in a language you understand.

What a Laugh the travel companies are having
We are in resort of Pernera with First Choice

we went to their reps meeting where everything was "fabulous" especially the Cairo trip which the rep was pushing at over €300 each and at the same time rubbishing Sharm's trip to Cairo - BUT she had not been to either place and was generally rubbishing Egypt - bad thing to do in front of me especially as I had sent emails to First choice before the trip which are still unanswered but that's another topic

i have not visited there. But i want to go there at least one time in my life...


____________________________________

the best people to go with are the Louis travel group [purchase from almost any company selling trips]

yasus
wizard

We live in Cyprus having moved here permanently from the UK in 2004 and have travelled to Egypt a couple of times independently from any tour operator or local agent.

Flights go on more or less a daily basis from Larnaca airport to Cairo with Egyptair and you can book directly online with no problem. The flight departs around 7.30pm arriving in Cairo approx 90 minutes later.

I would recommend spending 2 nights bearing in mind your first night would be the evening of your arrival.

As an example, I just costed up return flights for 2 people on Mon 21 March and returning to Cyprus (LCA) on Wed 23 March and the cost came up at 248.06 Euros total for both passengers - not per person.

Remember, Cairo is a city and city accommodation costs are generally higher than in a holiday resort. The same applies here if you compare Nicosia hotels with something in Larnaca or Limassol but we've often found some good accommodation deals for Giza and surrounding areas on Travel Republic, Sunshine and Thomson websites.

We've also taken Salamis and Louis Cruises (2 and 3 day trips) from Limassol to Lebanon (Beirut) and Syria on a number of occasions. They are extremely well organised and you can pre-book excursions at the time of making your online reservation.

You can also book directly with Louis Cruise offices and there is an office in each of the main resorts of Limassol, Paphos and Ayia Napa.

If you book at last minute (within 48hrs) you will get any discounts or upgrades as available.

If you book with them directly in advance and a special offer becomes available closer to the date, they will either reduce the price or upgrade you.... You will not get that kind of offer if you book with a tour operator or agent.

If anyone wants any help or info, I'm happy to oblige. We generally book another flight onwards from Cairo to either Luxor or Aswan and internal flights are very cheap. We've done Cairo several times in the past and now tend to go to Egypt as a holiday destination. With flights being only around an hours' duration on each leg it's a simple and pleasant trip for us from Cyprus.

Cheers
Shell,
Limassol - Cyprus

Hi everyone do they still do the 3 day cruises from cyprus to cairo? we went a few years ago, and looking at doing it again next year with other members of family, was wondering with all the unrest still going on, has anyone been lately if so how much is the price now? thanks

I can't see anything listed on the Louis Cruise website for the Egypt cruises just now but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not doing them.

They're not always very good at putting the local offers up in advance but they do have all the other sailings from the Greek ports....

I will keep an eye on it.

Shell
Limassol, Cyprus