Adventures by Disney: Egypt Inquiry

[calypso726]

We have a trip with ABD booked for January in Egypt. No intentions of cancelling anything on our end and will go if ABD goes. Last I checked our trip was sold out. All that said, we understand that things can change from moment to moment. Since those dates are the PTO time I have, I went ahead and booked a back up trip on our own that would be easy to cancel last minute with no issues. I hope things de-escalate sooner rather than later and wish peace and safety for all those affected.

 

[abdgeek]

Just got my box for my ABD Egypt trip in mid December, but still cautious about whether trip will be cancelled—I know the trip isn‘t near the Gaza Strip. Called ABD and they are monitoring the situation, but no decisions have been made to cancel the trip even though there is a Level 3 state department advisory. Given that the Oct. 24th trip is still going, I wouldn’t anticipate ABD canceling later ones. Only time will tell.

 

[sayhello]

Just got my box for my ABD Egypt trip in mid December, but still cautious about whether trip will be cancelled—I know the trip isn‘t near the Gaza Strip. Called ABD and they are monitoring the situation, but no decisions have been made to cancel the trip even though there is a Level 3 state department advisory. Given that the Oct. 24th trip is still going, I wouldn’t anticipate ABD canceling later ones. Only time will tell.

I have a friend who is currently in Jordan, and the Egypt part of her trip is still going. So I'd say unless things get worse, you're probably OK for now.

Sayhello

 

[first time 2023]

We have not scheduled our trip to Egypt yet and plan on waiting to see how things are in a few months. We were hoping to go next October but are being cautious.

 

[DisneyDarling216]

My Family and I are scheduled for the December 2nd departure. It is my understanding that the November 7th trip is still going, even though we heard there are about 10 people total on the trip. Does anyone know at what point they would cancel a trip for low numbers? In reality, while everyone is saying Egypt is not currently effected by what is happening. The reality is this should be a trip of a life time, not a trip of worry.

 

[DisneyDarling216]

My Family and I are scheduled for the December 2nd departure. It is my understanding that the November 7th trip is still going, even though we heard there are about 10 people total on the trip. Does anyone know at what point they would cancel a trip for low numbers? In reality, while everyone is saying Egypt is not currently effected by what is happening. The reality is this should be a trip of a life time, not a trip of worry.

 

[sayhello]

My Family and I are scheduled for the December 2nd departure. It is my understanding that the November 7th trip is still going, even though we heard there are about 10 people total on the trip. Does anyone know at what point they would cancel a trip for low numbers? In reality, while everyone is saying Egypt is not currently effected by what is happening. The reality is this should be a trip of a life time, not a trip of worry.

You're only a month out, so I would be very shocked if they canceled it at this point due to low numbers. You might only have one Adventure Guide instead of two (I've heard of that happening). Now, if things get dangerous in Egypt, that's a whole different story, but right now, the parts of Egypt that you will be visiting are pretty isolated from anything going on in Israel or Gaza.

You can call ABD and ask how many folks are on your departure.

Sayhello

 

[Ky Cruisin]

We are on the Dec.5th trip, but are traveling to Dubai for a few days before heading to Cairo. Our group is down to 19 from 26. They assured me that the trip will not be cancelled for low numbers, only for security reasons. If you do not feel comfortable, you can move to another trip, but any air or pre or post hotel stays will not be refunded. We have friends and colleagues in Egypt (military related) and said they would contact us up to our departure (Nov.30) if they felt we should change. I am very much looking forward to this trip

 

[abdgeek]

My family and I are doing the ABD Egypt tour in February, and I have a question about the itinerary on Day 2. The "Old Cairo Tour" says that it covers the Saladin Citadel of Cairo and the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali amongst other "iconic and historic monuments in the city." Does anyone who has done this ABD trip have a list of what those other "iconic and historic monuments in the city" includes? My family and I are particularly interested in the Coptic section of Cairo and intend to take a tour of it the day before the ABD tour actually begins, and I want to ensure that the tour has as little overlap as possible with what we will see during the "Old Cairo Tour."

I have a question about whether or not I need to get Egyptian pounds for my trip next week. I planned to order them from my bank, but just discovered that they don’t offer that currency for order. All the videos I’ve watched say that you can tip in USD, Egyptian Pounds, or Euros. I realize that 1 USD is a lot more than 1 Egyptian Pound and that ABD handles the tips while you’re on the tour. The videos say to just get Egyptian Pounds from an ATM, but I don’t like using them here or abroad. I’m doing a couple of pre-days, so want to make sure I’m prepared to be in a country where tipping for most services is expected. Below are questions I have:

• Did you get Egyptian Pounds for your ABD? If so, where did you get them?
• If not, did you tip in USD when not with the ABD? How well was that received?
• Did you tip the ABD guides in USD or one in USD and the local one in Egyptian Pounds?
• The videos say you have to tip the bathroom attendant. Did you find that ABD used bathrooms where a tip was expected? Did they provide the tip like they used to do for European ABDs when you had to pay to use the bathroom?
  
  
  

 

[abdgeek]

My family and I are doing the ABD Egypt tour in February, and I have a question about the itinerary on Day 2. The "Old Cairo Tour" says that it covers the Saladin Citadel of Cairo and the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali amongst other "iconic and historic monuments in the city." Does anyone who has done this ABD trip have a list of what those other "iconic and historic monuments in the city" includes? My family and I are particularly interested in the Coptic section of Cairo and intend to take a tour of it the day before the ABD tour actually begins, and I want to ensure that the tour has as little overlap as possible with what we will see during the "Old Cairo Tour."

Did ABD provide an opportunity for people who wanted to ride a camel or is that something we will have to book ourselves?

 

[mathgeek]

My Family and I are scheduled for the December 2nd departure. It is my understanding that the November 7th trip is still going, even though we heard there are about 10 people total on the trip. Does anyone know at what point they would cancel a trip for low numbers? In reality, while everyone is saying Egypt is not currently effected by what is happening. The reality is this should be a trip of a life time, not a trip of worry.

I'm assuming you're already traveling. But I did ABD Egypt summer 2022, and there were 6 total in our group with one guide. It was pretty nice.

I have a question about whether or not I need to get Egyptian pounds for my trip next week. I planned to order them from my bank, but just discovered that they don’t offer that currency for order. All the videos I’ve watched say that you can tip in USD, Egyptian Pounds, or Euros. I realize that 1 USD is a lot more than 1 Egyptian Pound and that ABD handles the tips while you’re on the tour. The videos say to just get Egyptian Pounds from an ATM, but I don’t like using them here or abroad. I’m doing a couple of pre-days, so want to make sure I’m prepared to be in a country where tipping for most services is expected. Below are questions I have:

• Did you get Egyptian Pounds for your ABD? If so, where did you get them?
• If not, did you tip in USD when not with the ABD? How well was that received?
• Did you tip the ABD guides in USD or one in USD and the local one in Egyptian Pounds?
• The videos say you have to tip the bathroom attendant. Did you find that ABD used bathrooms where a tip was expected? Did they provide the tip like they used to do for European ABDs when you had to pay to use the bathroom?
  
  

I went summer 2022. I did not get any Egyptian pounds. I was never without the ABD group other than first night dinner that I ate at the hotel (using credit card), so I didn't tip cash anywhere. I tipped the guide in USD b/c that's what I had planned on doing and had the cash with me. Any restrooms that expected a tip, the guide paid for. Also, on the felucca sailing they had hand carved little souvenirs and accepted USD for those ($2 for my little wooden camel). My other souvenir I paid for using credit card on the ship (I didn't buy much).

 

[abdgeek]

I went summer 2022. I did not get any Egyptian pounds. I was never without the ABD group other than first night dinner that I ate at the hotel (using credit card), so I didn't tip cash anywhere. I tipped the guide in USD b/c that's what I had planned on doing and had the cash with me. Any restrooms that expected a tip, the guide paid for. Also, on the felucca sailing they had hand carved little souvenirs and accepted USD for those ($2 for my little wooden camel). My other souvenir I paid for using credit card on the ship (I didn't buy much).

Thanks for your response. That makes me feel better.

When you went, did ABD provide an opportunity for people who wanted to ride a camel or is that something we will have to book ourselves?

 

[mathgeek]

Thanks for your response. That makes me feel better.

When you went, did ABD provide an opportunity for people who wanted to ride a camel or is that something we will have to book ourselves?

That was something people booked on their own. There really wasn't time once we started touring to fit it in, but some people arrived early and did it the day before.

 

[abdgeek]

I just finished the Dec. 19th Egypt ABD and all I can say is WOW!!! I‘m not doing a trip report, but figured I’d write some of my observations and tips before I forgot them.

Pre-Nights

• The local representative who picked me up at the airport said that most people were coming in a day or two early or on Day 1 of the ABD. I came in four days early and booked tours on Viator to see parts of Egypt that ABD wasn’t going to.
• If you take tours on your own, make sure you have kleenex/toilet paper and wipes to use in the toilets. All toilets I used while on my tours had a western toilet, but most didn’t have toilet paper or soap. Some didn’t have water for washing hands. You will find women sitting at the toilet door or inside the bathroom handing out tissue. If you take some, be prepared to leave a tip in Egyptian pounds. If you have your own toilet paper, you don’t tip.
• Hotels provide bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth.
• You really don’t need to exchange much money for EgyptIan pounds. All of the tour operators took USD and preferred to be tipped using USD. Even the vendors wanted USD. When I arrived, the local representative recommended I exchange $100 USD for EgyptIan dollars. I’m glad I didn’t and instead only exchanged $30. Even that was too much and I never wound up being able to use it for anything because everybody wanted USD. In the end, I wound up using part of it to tip the ABD Egyptian guide.

ABD

• The pick up service at the airport was excellent. Once I deplaned, someone was waiting with a sign with my name on it and whisked me in a golf cart to a lounge where they took my passport and got my visa and luggage. Then it was off to the Ritz Carlton and the representative checked me in.
• We had over 50 people on our trip, so two ABD groups were run with two guides each. The first day of the tour, we received a letter with helpful hints which I wish I’d had when I arrived early. In it, we were told not to exchange more than $5-10 USD at a time. There are machines in the hotel where you can put in USD and get out Egyptian pounds. Unfortunately, we were also told that you couldn’t exchange any leftover Egyptian pounds for USD.
• While we did everything on the itinerary, it was sometimes done in a different order. The flights on Egypt Air and Air Cairo often didn’t take off on time and that affected the sites we were to visit once we landed.
• Dinner outfits—We often did not have time to change for dinner and went straight from the last activity of the day to dinner. Given this, you probably won’t need more than 2-3 dinner outfits. I don’t know if this was the time of year we went, but I’m sure someone else will chime in if their experience was different.
• Food— You will have lots of opportunities to eat Egyptian food and will be told by the guides when it is safe to eat certain foods such as juices and have ice in drinks. The only issues I had with the food was in relation to my lactose intolerance. ABD did a great job of ensuring that my meals didn’t have lactose. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until I did a food tour before the ABD started that I realized that most egyptian food is cooked using ghee, which is essentially clarified butter which I have to take a pill to eat. Once I realized that, I started taking lactaid whenever I ate something that was cooked using ghee and was fine. Even though I can eat chocolate at home, I couldn’t eat it in Egypt without taking lactaid because it contained milk solids and whey.
• Toilets—Go when you can…ABD always told us when and where we should use the bathroom. They also paid for us to do so at the sites that had a charge for using the toilet. There was also a bathroom on the bus that we were able to use.
• Nile River Cruise—Awesome!! Unfortunately, the WiFi sucked and usually didn’t work unless the boat was docked. The cruise did a great job with dietary restrictions, even if it limited what you could eat at each meal.
• Cell phone reception—Cell reception was great in Cairo and I was able to make calls home. However, I was never very successful making calls in the other areas we visited. I have Verizon, so I used Travel Pass. If you have family with iPhones, FaceTime audio seemed to work when cell service didn’t.
• Sharm El-Sheik—This was an opportunity to snorkel the Red Sea and relax. I’ve snorkeled in many countries and I don’t think I‘ve ever seen clearer water or a healthier reef. I saw fish there that I’ve never seen before and a guide is in the water with you to show and explain everything you’re seeing.

Let me know what questions you have and I’ll try to answer them.

 

[Grifdog22]

I just finished the Dec. 19th Egypt ABD and all I can say is WOW!!! I‘m not doing a trip report, but figured I’d write some of my observations and tips before I forgot them.

THANK YOU very much for this! We violated all our norms and principles and booked this trip last Friday as a last minute gift to ourselves for the February 27 2024 trek (It was a "special" on sale date). They wouldn't take a deposit, just to pay in full on Tuesday of this week. I had already used up most of my leave for a fabulous trip through South America with Tauck in the Spring and an "okay" ABD trip to Sicily in October, so we are not doing pre or post days, and with the airline timing, we will leave for the airport about 3-4 hours after the closing dinner. Airline fares through Disney on Turkish airlines was great - Jeanine in air is amazing - about $1100 pp R/T with only one stop each way.

We originally booked Egypt when it was re-released and then cancelled x2 due to COVID so I am really happy to be able to do this. Please share any additional thoughts and tips! This has been my bucket list trip since I was a little kid, and never thought it would happen. Fingers crossed it still will.

And Say Hello - thank you for your comments on safety with this trip. I felt this way but was having second thoughts before booking, but my daughter, who is in law enforcement, says she thinks Egypt is likely safer than places like South Carolina (we left South Carolina years ago and recently sold off the rest of the family's properties there).

I am as excited about this trip as I was about New Zealand. Thanks to the board for sharing their expertise. There is adventure out there.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

So glad you had a great trip! But wow on the # of adventurers. I'm glad to hear that they split the group and essentially created two tours. Did this impact the itinerary as well and how were meals handled? (i.e. were you one big group or two separate?). Just wondering how much was 50 of you and how much was 25.

 

[KathyTN]

Thanks so much abdgeek. These are great details to know! Just to clarify - you were able to tip the ABD local guide in USD, right? We will be there in Feb, so this is very helpful.

 

[abdgeek]

So glad you had a great trip! But wow on the # of adventurers. I'm glad to hear that they split the group and essentially created two tours. Did this impact the itinerary as well and how were meals handled? (i.e. were you one big group or two separate?). Just wondering how much was 50 of you and how much was 25.

I think our group had 30 people in it. We had the group with the older kids (college age +) and the other group had the younger kids. Each group did the same itinerary. Although we traveled together (on different buses) to each site, we were always split into our color groups to tour the sites. Each group had an Egyptologist and security person that traveled with them. Sometimes the site visits were staggered and the guides decided which group would do certain things first. We really didn’t interact with the other group until we got on the Nile River Cruise. The groups were kept pretty separate.

 

[abdgeek]

Thanks so much abdgeek. These are great details to know! Just to clarify - you were able to tip the ABD local guide in USD, right? We will be there in Feb, so this is very helpful.

Yes, you can tip the local ABD guide in USD. They would probably prefer it. I wound up tipping ours in a combination of USD and Egyptian pounds so that I could get rid of what I had exchanged, but not used.

 

[sayhello]

THANK YOU very much for this! We violated all our norms and principles and booked this trip last Friday as a last minute gift to ourselves for the February 27 2024 trek (It was a "special" on sale date). They wouldn't take a deposit, just to pay in full on Tuesday of this week. I had already used up most of my leave for a fabulous trip through South America with Tauck in the Spring and an "okay" ABD trip to Sicily in October, so we are not doing pre or post days, and with the airline timing, we will leave for the airport about 3-4 hours after the closing dinner. Airline fares through Disney on Turkish airlines was great - Jeanine in air is amazing - about $1100 pp R/T with only one stop each way.

We originally booked Egypt when it was re-released and then cancelled x2 due to COVID so I am really happy to be able to do this. Please share any additional thoughts and tips! This has been my bucket list trip since I was a little kid, and never thought it would happen. Fingers crossed it still will.

And Say Hello - thank you for your comments on safety with this trip. I felt this way but was having second thoughts before booking, but my daughter, who is in law enforcement, says she thinks Egypt is likely safer than places like South Carolina (we left South Carolina years ago and recently sold off the rest of the family's properties there).

I am as excited about this trip as I was about New Zealand. Thanks to the board for sharing their expertise. There is adventure out there.

I am so glad you're finally getting to take this trip! I've actually heard good things about Turkish airlines, so yay! And I'm also glad what I said put your mind at ease! I hope you have a SPECTACULAR time!

Sayhello