ktraveler_7

We were on a Mediterranean cruise during the holidays and one of the stops was Alexandria. The cruise ship offered several tours to the sites around Cairo, but we decided we would prefer a private car and a bit of flexibility. (the price was actually cheaper than to use the cruiseline) Because of the many positive reviews we found here, we chose to book a tour with Memphis. Other than some confusing/conflicting information regarding visas, the booking process was very straightforward. (our cruiseline told us they would only issue a visa to those who had booked a tour with them -- our Memphis rep told us not to worry, we could get a 'quick-trip' stamp at passport control -- and he was correct. it is however, a little scary to have this unknown bit of info hanging over your head until the 11th hour!) Our guide was Rania Y. and she was awesome -- very knowledgeable and easy to work with. She maximized our visit to the pyramid sites at both Giza and Sakkarra, because she knew just what we would want to know and what we would want to see at each site. Memphis had also arranged a lunch for us at a nearby cafe and the food was delicious! We chose not to visit a papyrus institute, which is an option on just about EVERY tour we saw -- and from what we heard from others, we didn't miss much. It was our goal to visit the pyramids and sphinx, so we were happy to head back to our ship once this was accomplished. This was just one of the benefits to taking a private tour rather than one from the cruise line. Our ONLY negative comment is in regards to the drive from Alexandria to Cairo. It is a 3 hour trip each way and frankly, was a harrowing experience. Our driver was certainly competent and we felt as safe with him as we could ... but ... Egyptian highways are frightening for those of us used to US and European driving. The day after we were there, a tour bus accident took the lives of 10 Americans - and we could only say 'there but by the grace of God'! This is no reflection on Memphis - I would not have felt any safer being on a tour bus or in any other type of vehicle, but i did think it was worth mentioning. The people from our cruise who went with the cruiseline tours complained bitterly about the way they were accosted by vendors at the various attractions -- and they were disappointed in the short time they had to see the pyramids. We were NOT targeted by vendors to nearly the degree the larger tour groups were -- not because we didn't look like tourists, but simply because we were not hopping of a bus with 50 other people. I also believe that Rania was a familiar face to many of the vendors and they knew not to bother her 'charges.' We were also able to spend as much time as we wanted at the things that were important to us and did not feel that frantic rush that we needed to get 'back on the bus.' All in all, we had a great visit to Egypt, mostly because of Rania and the professionalism we experienced on our Memphis tour.