River Tosca

NOVEMBER

This was a bucket list cruise for us, and it was well worth it! We took the 12-day trip. Initial impressions: Our cruise was definitely in the luxury category, and I felt it. Set your expectations for Egypt - it's dirty - filthy, actually - and trash is everywhere. Cairo is loud, congested, and hard to navigate on your own. The people are quite friendly. The poverty is astounding. Nothing is for free; they'll want a tip for everything from handing you toilet paper in the bathrooms to answering a question. The exchange rate was 16 Egyptian pounds to 1 US$. We exchanged $500 US dollars and didn't need that much. Get small bills for tips. We could have used US$ nearly everything. If I had a big roll of $1 bills, I would have been fine. The passengers were all older; I'm 59, and I think I was among the youngest. All passengers I chatted with were veteran travelers. The excursions were not easily handicap accessible. You have to navigate long-ish walks and steps and ramps and duck your head in many of the tombs and temples. There was a passenger in a wheelchair and another in a walker. The staff is very accommodating, but they were not able to go everywhere. Shout out to Uniworld - one of the passengers fell and broke her wrist. Uniworld took her/facilitated her trip to the hospital immediately. Greased the skids for her at the hospital, and she was treated, got a cast/meds to hold her until her return to the States, and rejoined the excursion in less than 1/2 day! The ship was clearly an older one, but it was very clean and well maintained. This was our first river cruise. The ship was smaller and more intimate. You could get to know the crew and the other passengers. Or, if you prefer, you still have space to maintain privacy. Our room was 215. One large sliding glass window/door (no balcony), and one smaller window. Two comfy chairs in which we spent time watching Egypt go by while sailing the Nile. Plenty of room in the closets and drawers. Bed was comfy - although we had two doubles pushed together into a king. Other river cruise veterans told us that the room was larger than most river cruise ships they'd been on. One sink in the bathroom; tub that was unusually narrow. Toilet and separate bidet. Separate shower with a rainforest shower head that was bolted directly into the ceiling. Barely enough room to turn around plus the lack of ability to redirect the shower head made for a difficult experience during showers. Lounge/bar area was where we gathered to get our instructions for the next day, talks on modern Egypt from our Egyptologist, and where the on-board entertainment occurred. There were local dancers/singers on two of the nights. They were very similar to each other, and somewhat entertaining. The staff performed a cute skit on our last day. The observation/sun deck was delightful. Tables under shade, if you want, lounge chairs in the sun, if you'd prefer. Pool looked very clean. Excellent place to lounge while watching the Nile go by. Dining room was nearly all open seating. There were a few tables with 2 or 4 seats, but nearly all were large round tables. Breakfast and lunch are buffet, dinner is plated with several starter, salad, entree, and dessert options. They're very accommodating and can get/make you just about anything. They offer you a mix of local and more generic foods. Food wasn't my favorite thing about the trip, but it was good. There are many river boats on the Nile, and just a few cities in which they dock for the night. They will dock next to each other, so your windows may be directly facing another ship just feet away. Our ship was never in the middle, but I saw some that were. The cruise line provided outstanding service! Uniworld reps met us/dropped us off at the airport at ungodly hours (4 am and 1 am), and literally walked us through the check in process, including helping us fill forms. I came down with a sinus infection after the first few days on the ship. One of the front desk staff went on shore for me to buy some OTC meds (out of his own pocket, I learned later). They also made me hot lemon with honey and proactively brought it to me at meals until I started to look/sound healthier. :) My hubby forgot his swim trunks, and they found him some on shore. The Egyptologist (Sameh!) was outstanding. He provided us with just the right information - it was a lot, and we were subject to info overload - at just the fight time. He could answer all kinds of questions, and when he couldn't, he'd find out and get back to us. He was available to bargain for us with vendors, if we needed, and would tell us how much we should pay for things. The excursions were all the ones that you would expect, plus a few more that I didn't expect. Early starts avoid the heat and crowds. Definitely go to Abu Simbel - it takes a 4:30 am departure, and an extra plane ride - but, it's worth it! We signed up for the pre- and post-activities in Cairo. We skipped the night light shows at Karnack and the Pyramids; read that they were a little hokey. Other passengers confirmed that when they returned. I would haven't felt comfortable wandering around Cairo without a guide. Never felt threatened; always safe. But, it's confusing, and the street vendors and shop owners can be extremely aggressive. We had armed guards with us, and sometimes police escorts for the bus rides. We were told that the police escorts were required by the US government; whatever the reason, it all contributed to much lower anxiety level on my part. In one unusual case, I was being crowded by some vendors. The armed guard was at my elbow the whole time. Mostly, if you say, "no, thank you," the vendors will back off. Loved this trip! So glad we did it, and would highly recommend the trip on the Tosca with Uniworld!

APRIL

Overall a great trip.

APRIL

<div>The River Tosca is a beautiful ship. 40 staterooms which are very large each with a huge bathroom with a tub and separate shower. The bar is beautifully appointed, deep hardwood trim and floors. The dining room is very comfortable and there is a library with two computer stations and gift shop. The fitness center, however, is pretty worthless one tread machine and one bike. But we had ample exercise walking each exhibit. The sun deck is very nice, lots of very comfortable chairs, lounge chairs a pool (but not heated), bar and card tables. Ample shade is provided. Wifi on the ship was always available albeit a bit slow.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>One of the realities of Egypt is that Sugar is a significant export crop. Unfortunately, in January the crop is harvested by &ldquo;burning&rdquo; the plants. The result is that the air smelled like a &ldquo;campfire&rdquo; the entire time. This was definitely a drawback and might be a health hazard to those with asthma. You just need to be aware and prepare yourself accordingly.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>I think Uniworld &ldquo;owns&rdquo; the river as we had prime docking location at each port and never had to &ldquo;walk through&rdquo; another ship to reach the dock!</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The crew members are some of the finest I have encountered. Friendly, service oriented genuinely considerate to ensure you are comfortable. I would rank the service consistent with the staff on the Paul Gaughan in Tahiti. By the end of the first day they knew your name, your preferred cocktail and food.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On our tour, we had 61 guests. We were divided into two groups, each assigned a tour guide. Our tour guide, Hani Kamona, was absolutely fantastic! He holds a PhD in Egypt history and really made the exhibits fascinating! He was the best tour guide I have experienced. He was knowledgeable, caring and a genuine person. Our group thought he was the best ever!! Our guides had the tickets for each and every exhibit reserved and purchased in advance so we NEVER had to wait in a line!! Further, they had a lot of &ldquo;tip money&rdquo; so we could use the rest rooms at each site as they require a few Egyptian pounds for their use.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Each group had their own Mercedes class coach bus. The driver was excellent. He always had ample cold water and snacks on the bus. He was our driver for the entire trip. He drove the bus from Cairo to Luxor to join us when we embarked on the ship and followed us all the way to Aswan! The bus was very comfortable which is a necessity since every exhibit except one (Temple of Kom Obo), is accessible only by bus from each port. The WiFi on the bus worked very well!</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Security was very tight on the bus and each exhibit. We had an armed guard on each bus and he accompanied us on every tour! So, Uniworld means business when it comes to security. The same on the ship. Several security personnel and local security personnel stationed on the ship and on the dock to ensure only authorized personnel approached the ship. After a while you get use to the security presence which is everywhere!! I never felt unsafe while on the ship, bus or tours.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Itinerary: There are so many sites and exhibits to see in Egypt it is mind-boggling! However, the selection of sites on this cruise was excellent! My favorite site was the Valley of the Kings. Simply amazing! The preservation of the tombs and the colors on the walls were incredible! My least favorite was the Citadel and Mohammad Ali Mosque on the first day.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>There are four additional excursions which require an additional fee. These are: 1. A flight to Abu Simbel to visit Ramses II temple which was relocated due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 70s. Amazing and definitely worth getting up at 3:00 am to catch a plane to Abu Simbel!! 2. A dinner cruise (my return flight precluded my ability to select this tour). 3. Sound and light show at Karnak Temple 4. Coptic Christian church tour.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>I only opted for the Abu Simbel excursion. Don&rsquo;t miss it! It is worth the extra fare!! The airfare arrangements from Cairo to Luxor (and Luxor to Abu Simbel if you take that excursion) were handled very well. While security is tight (two separate security screenings to get to the gate), the line moved fine and there were no issues. Again, Uniworld did a great job handling these transfers!</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Egypt is a very poor country and the relatively new democracy is trying to reinvigorate the tourism industry, battle terrorist elements and improve the quality of life for its citizens. These are huge goals and a lot of time and money are required to achieve these goals. They really need tourists to help them explore additional sites and discover new tombs to maintain an edge in tourism. While we were there, we saw numerous digs being conducted and leaned of new toms being discovered. One of the discoveries may lead to the identification of the tomb of Queen Neferari, Ramses II favorite wife. Also, the new Cairo Museum is scheduled to open in 2020. We could see the museum from the Great Pyramid. The museum is huge and looks absolutely stunning, even from a distance. Worth a trip back just to experience the new museum!</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>I would rate the experience as follows (out of 10): Hotel 9 River Tosca ship 9 River Tosca Crew 10 River Tosca food 8 Exhibits 10 Egyptologist 10 Overall experience 9.5 out of 10</div>

MARCH

Beautiful ship, great staff, fun parties, good food & large rooms. No crowds, felt safe. Large variety of activities including tours & lectures by Ramadan an Egyptologist who is the best guide I have ever had. He is informative, funny, efficient and sensitive to the people in the group. I can imagine cruising Egypt without him. The sites were great. Some we walked to from the ship. Security was with us but has been routinely for years. We felt safe. The people said Welcome and Glad you are here and waved to us. I went on a hot air balloon & held an alligator which I have never done. Went to a Papyrus factory where the make it like they have for thousands of years, high tea at fancy old hotel and so much more. Four Seasons was great!