14 days/12 nights
Background on Creating This Trip:
WOW!! What a fabulous trip for our members! The Red Sea is just being really discovered and we've found an expert guide who will ensure the most incredible trip for the money both above and below the water!
This trip will also be structured for our European members who have been asking to join us on a trip and the Red Sea is easy for them to join in!
So in addition to seeing an entirely different culture...you'll be able to meet members of SingleDivers.com from the other side of the pond as we prepare the ultimate in Southern Red Sea Liveaboard diving and Egypt sightseeing!
NOTE: This trip has a lot of extras like FREE NITROX that you don't really realize until you've done it and then realized how cool it would have been to do it right. Also we have a rare opportunity to have part of our tour done by part of the educational society in Egypt and this is truly unique...making this a one of kind trip.
And finally...we are going a very long way to DIVE in the Red Sea BUT we are also going to have a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the tombs, the pyramids and the 'must see' elements of the region as well as dive on the best liveabaord while there!
Here is the schedule that we've planned. (We have shorten this as much as we can without cutting too much of the sightseeing down and those who've been there say we still need more days as it is.) This itinerary
is designed to keep the price as reasonable as possible and to keep the number of days as reasonble while maximizing our diving in the most pristine area of the region...I think this is a good compromise. But don't wait too long...we only have 15 spots for this incredible trip!
Who's Going?
1. Kamala aka Wreck Wench - TX - (pd/via DFW/NY/CAR/NY/DFW) - air via agent - waiver/survey - H20 Sign Class $175 INFO REC'D Taxes pd $215
2. Victoria aka Texas Starfish (pd/via Frankfurt?) - air direct - Waiver/Survey INFO REC'D Taxes pd $215
3. Amy aka Barracuda Babe (dep/1st via SLC/NY?/LON/SLC) - air via agent - waiver/survey INFO REC'D Taxes pd
4. Bruce aka scubashafer (dep/1st/2nd/3rd) /via DCA/NY/CAR/NY/DCA) - air via agent - waiver/survey - H20 Sign Class $175 INFO REC'D Taxes pd $215
5. Hazel aka LadyLikeCrab - FL - (pd/air add-on rec'd...via PBI/NY/CAI/NY/PBI) - air via agent Waiver & Survey INFO REC'D Taxes pd $215
6. Mike aka ASDMike - TX - (dep/via Europe) - air via agent waiver/survey/boatINFO REC'D - (pd taxes)
7. Vanessa aka Vanessa - TX - (pd) - air direct - (pd taxes) - waiver[
8. Jeff aka JHeyNow (dep/1st/2nd/3rd via DTW/NY/CAI/NY/DTW) - air via agent survey/waiverINFO REC'D Taxes pd $215
9. Patty aka pattycol - FL - (pd)) - air via agentsurvey/waiver INFO REC'D
10. Kimberly aka kcdiving - WA (pd) - air? Waiver & Survey INFO REC'D Taxes pd $215
11. Bob aka pir8 -PA - (pd) waiver/survey INFO REC'D
12. Joan aka MetriRN - CA - (pd) (taxes pd) (nitrox class pd) Waiver/survey INFO REC'D
13.
14.
15.
Check's In The Mail:
1.tgnjim-aka Jim-colorado-arrangements made with kamala
2.
3.
Trip Instructor: Bruce aka ScubaShafer - Nitrox, Advanced, Deep, etc.
Special Instructor: Bob aka pir8 - Underwater Sign Language
ANCIENT EGYPT & THE RED SEA
14 days/12 nights
B=Breakfast
L=Lunch
D=Dinner
Pricing:
• New York/Cairo/New York plus full 14 day/12 night pkg below $3886 USD
• London/Cairo/London plus full 14 day/12 night pkg below $3228 USD
• London/Cairo/Frankfurt plus full 14 day/12 night pkg below $3328 USD
• London/Cairo/London with Liveaboard Diving ONLY $2942 USD (NOTE: Verifying this pricing)
• Frankfurt/Cairo/Frankfurt plus extra night hotel/transfers plus air in Egypt plus full pkg 14day/12 night below $3450 USD
• LAND PKG ONLY (No air in Egypt or International) $3227 USD (if you need air in Egypt add $385 USD) or $3612 with air in Egypt.
• Live aborad ONLY $1975.00 USD per person. No transfers, air, hotel accommodations.
PRIMARY FLIGHT SCHEDULE
DATE FROM/TO FLIGHT # DEPART/ARRIVE
5-17-07: MS 986 JFK -> CAI Leaves 6:30PM(18:30) arrives at 12:25PM
5-31-07: MS 985 CAI -> JFK Leaves 10:10AM arrives 3:15PM(15:15)
Optional:
Single Room Upgrade of $800 for the trip for both NY or London full land pkg options
Single Room Upgrade of $370 for UK Liveaboard only option
Day 1 – Thursday – May 17 – Departure
Depart New York this evening for Cairo, Egypt.
Day 2 – Friday – May 18 - Cairo
Welcome to Egypt, Land of the Pharaohs! On arrival at Cairo International, you will be met and assisted with visa formalities and escorted to your hotel. After check-in and sometime, to freshen up meet with Afifi (your personal group guide) to discuss the exciting days ahead. A welcome dinner will introduce you to Egyptian cuisine.
ACCOMMODATIONS: CAIRO SHERATON OR MARRIOTT PALACE HOTEL (D)
Day 3 – Saturday – May 19 - Cairo
This morning you will be introduced to the masterpieces of ancient art in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, including the Mummies Room. The museum is home to the vast findings of King Tutankahmun's tomb and other important pieces of Egypt's history. Continue with your visits including the Ben Ezra Synagogue, St. Serguis Church, the citadel of Salah El Din built by the famous Arab Sultan, Salah El Din (Saladin), in the 12th century and the Mohammed Ali Mosque situated inside the citadel known for its alabaster wall. You will have sometime to shop at the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, known for its narrow alleys and hundreds of shops selling all types of Egyptian handicrafts, silver and gold jewelry, cottons, copperware and perfumes.
ACCOMMODATIONS: CAIRO SHERATON OR MARRIOTT PALACE HOTEL (B, L)
Day 4 – Sunday – May 20 - Cairo
After breakfast meet with a member of the Egyptian Antiquities Department to hear about the newest discoveries in Egypt in a rare educational opportunity. Then it is off to visit the Giza Plateau where stands three Pyramids, the greatest being that of Cheops. It took 100,000 workers more than 20 years to construct. Entrance into one of the pyramids will be included. Southeast of the Great Pyramids is the Sphinx, carved out of solid natural rock in about 2650 BC, a magnificent monument with the head of the Pharaoh and the body of a lion. Continue to visit the first Pyramid ever built, the Step Pyramid of Zoser, in the Sakkara Complex. When Memphis was the capital of Egypt, during the Old Kingdom period, Sakkara was its necropolis. Spread over seven kilometers of desert, Sakkara is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Before returning to the hotel a stop will be made at the remains in Memphis, the first capital of united Upper and Lower Egypt.
ACCOMMODATIONS: CAIRO SHERATON OR MARRIOTT PALACE HOTEL (B, L)
Day 5 – Monday – May 21 – Cairo/Luxor
Early this morning you will be transferred to the airport for a flight to Luxor. Welcome to Luxor, Ancient Thebes. This afternoon you will explore the East Bank of the Nile including the Temple of Luxor. Here, the Avenue of Sphinxes, famous for its artistic degree of uniformity, leads to the entrance of the temple where a seated colossus of Ramses II and a towering Obelisk sit. Continue to the Karnak Temple, one of the most impressive monuments of ancient art and architecture in the world. The carvings, which adorn all of the walls, depict the history and conquests of many of Egypt's Pharaohs. This evening you may join an optional excursion to the Karnak Temple for a spectacular Sound and Light Show.
ACCOMMODATIONS: ST. GEORGE SONESTA HOTEL (B,D)
Day 6 – Tuesday – May 22 - Luxor
This morning cross the West Bank to explore the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings houses 62 tombs belonging to the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom, including the famous tomb of King Tutankhamen. Found intact and excavated in 1922 many of the tombs, carved out of the bedrock, still retain their original bright colors and fine relief’s and scenes, thought to guarantee the safe passage of the Ka to the after life. Next, it is on to Deir El Bahri to visit the mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, considered being one of the finest buildings in Egypt. This afternoon visit the Luxor Museum and enjoy sometime exploring the Luxor Bazaar.
ACCOMMODATIONS: ST. GEORGE SONESTA HOTEL (B,D)
Day 7 – 13 - Wednesday - Tuesday – May 23 – 29 - Luxor/Hurghada
Today you will leave Luxor and drive to Marsa Alam where you will board your live aboard, your home for the next week. Dives this next week includes the best 3 sites in the area: Big and Little Brothers, Daedalus Reef and Elephantone. The Brother Islands are the pinnacles of two undersea mountains rising from the depths of the abyss and are located about 60 miles offshore. Part of the Marine Park Islands National Park, these islands offer stunning wall diving, with the walls being covered in soft corals and forest of gorgonians, creating a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors. They attract a diverse array of marine species and large pelagic. Large tuna, Jacks and Snappers cruise in the blue, accompanied by occasional Hammerheads, Silvertips, Silky, and Oceanic White tip Sharks and Mantas; even the rare Thresher Shark can be found here. Sightings of the Grey Reef Shark are almost guaranteed on the North and South Plateau of Small Brother. For the wreck diver, the wrecks of the Aida ll, an Egyptian supply vessel, and the Numidia, a cargo ship, lie on the walls of the Big Brother. Both are covered in a rich growth of soft and hard corals. Marine life includes a family of Napoleon Wrasse and Grey Reef Sharks. Daedalus Reef, also part of the Marine Park, is a large, oval reef with a lighthouse and is the furthest offshore reef in the Egyptian Red Sea. Its deep walls and drop-offs offer some of the most spectacular diving to be found. Daedalus has mountainous, pristine, hard coral formations. There is also a strong chance of spotting schooling Hammerheads, and Grey reef sharks. Elphinstone, with its shear walls covered in soft corals, offers a likely encounter with Oceanic White Tip Sharks. Note: FREE NITROX on all GOLD Fleet and FREE NITROX CLASSES!
ACCOMMODATIONS: EMPEROR BOAT LIVE ABOARD (B, L, D)
Day 14 – Wednesday – May 30 - Hurghada/Cairo
Today you will leave Hurghada for Cairo. Arrive in Cairo this afternoon where you will have the day at leisure or we can arrange to take you to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar for some last minute souvenir shopping. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner and show.
ACCOMMODATIONS: CITY STARS INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL (B, D)
Day 15 – Thursday – May 31 - Departure
Farewell to Egypt as you transfer to the airport for your return flight to New York. (B)
About the Boat...
EMPEROR MAJESTY measures 36m or approx 100 ft and offers ten twin-berth cabins comfortably
accommodating 20 people. The live aboard is rated gold. Check-out their website and look for the M/Y Majesty.
All cabins have air-conditioning and ensuite bathrooms (WC/shower). For added
comfort, and lighter luggage, each guest receives two towels and a bathrobe!
The spacious dining and salon areas offer air-con, DVD/TV and stereo.
Outstanding menus are offered on board. There are two sundecks and a dive
deck with platform.
As with all the Emperor Fleet, all safety equipment meets International standards. She is also equipped with NITROX, offers technical diving and is guaranteed to carry a minimum of two dive guides.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
• International Air New York/Cairo/New York or
• International Air London/Cairo/London
• Egypt Domestic Air Cairo/Luxor - Hurghada/Cairo
• 3 nights accommodation in Cairo at the Cairo Sheraton or Marriott Palace Hotel
• 1 night accommodation in Cairo at the City Stars Intercontinental Hotel
• 2 nights accommodation in Luxor at the St. George Sonesta Hotel or similar
• 7 nights live aboard on board an Emperor Dive Boat including National Park Entrance fees
• FREE NITROX or FREE NITROX CLASS
• Full day tour: Pyramids/Sphinx-Memphis/Sakkara
• Full day tour: Egyptian Museum of Antiquities/Old Cairo-Citadel/Mosque & Bazaar
• Half day visit to the East Bank of Luxor including the Karnak & Luxor Temples
• Half day visit to the West Bank including entrance into the Tomb of Tutankhamun
• 13 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 11 dinners
• All dive excursions and National Park entrance fees
• All transfers: Cairo/Luxor/Hurghada
• Egyptologist-guide in Cairo & Luxor
• Hotel taxes and service charges
• Porterage
NOT INCLUDED:
• U.S. Departure Taxes & Airport Security
• Egypt Visa
• Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, inter-net services, dive services not included, soft drinks, coffee, tea (except at breakfast), mineral water, alcoholic beverages, passport fees, tips to drivers, guides, transfer people, travel insurance, etc.
Local/Domestic Flights to NY:
Our air consolidator has teamed up with our tour operator to ensure that all local flight arrangements to NY are visible to our International Operator. What does this mean? It means that your ticket will be booked as a complete ticket rather than 2 separate tickets. The VALUE of this is that the international carrier will have full visibility of your domestic inbound flight and will be responsible for you each segment of your trip. This will not cost you anymore money but it will save you in peace of mind and ease of travel especially if you encounter any travel difficulties. It is also important that you consider getting trip insurance for this trip.
Let us know where you will be flying from and we'll get you a quote for the domestic air upon your request.
ABQ $510.00
ATL $290.00
BOS or BTV (Burlington) Add-On $180.00.
BWI $180.00
CHS $290.00
DAY/CVG/CME/TOL $290.00
DEN $510.00
DSM $510.00
DTW add-on is $290.00
FLL/MIA/MCO/TPA/PBI $290.00
LAS $500.00
MSY $350.00
ORF $180.00
STL $370.00
SLC $510.00
SAV $290.00
SEA $490.00
• Houston $450.00
• Dallas Fort Worth $450.00
• Washington D.C. $185.00
• Chicago $370.00
• LAX/SFO/SAN $450.00
• PBI (ANY FL GATEWAY) $290.00
Note to all passengers routing via any other routing than NY/CAI/NY...
As soon as you have decided upon your add-on fare or if doing a special routing like Baracuda Babe or the Frankfurt routings etc. you should locking into your air NOW vs waiting. I have 10 spots reserved for the main NY/CAR/NY routing but that does not include the add-on's or European Flights. To book these fares I will need your legal name, passport number and the cost of the add'l fare over and above the trip price. SD is not adding anything onto the price of the ticket however we do need to start helping you to get these booked soon.
Additional Information About the Trip:
DRESS CODE: No special dress code for the women. The only thing asked is the day that you visit Old Cairo and the Museum that women do not wear shorts (men also) and a shirt that covers the shoulders. While in Luxor and of course on the dive boat shorts, tank tops, are acceptable.
VISAS: A visa is require and it is obtained upon arrival in Cairo at the airport. The cost is $20.00. It is easier to obtain the visa upon arrival in Cairo as no applications or pictures are necessary and no mailing of passport (so, no chance of passport getting lost).
SIDE TRIP UPDATE TO MT SINAI:
One of our trip participants asked about doing Mount Sinai as a side trip since we will be so close. YES it is doable but not as easy...
Can we add Mount Sinai to the trip?
Yes we can arrange however they will need more than 1 night added to the trip to make it work - this will be the program.
May 30 Ferry or flight from Hurghada to Sharm El Sheikh – overnight
May 31 Early morning drive to Mt. Sinai – climb and then visit St. Catherine’s Monastery. Late flight back to Cairo
Jun 01 Depart back to US
Additional cost for 1 pax is $456.00 USD. Please note that they have an additional:
• Ferry or flight to Sharm El Sheikh
• Excursion to Mt. Sinai & St. Catherine’s Monastery (great to see they do not want to miss)
• Flight from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo
• Private transfers in Cairo
• 1 night in single room in Sharm El Sheikh
Note: We will credit the 1 night that he/she would have had with the group in Cairo and ohly charge the difference between single and double occupancy (unless they have upgraded to the single supplement pkg already)
How to Book a Spot on this Trip:
1. Post in this thread that you plan to join us and your check or payment is in the mail or on it's way. We'll then put your name on the 'check's in the mail' list. (Please send your pymt asap as we'll only hold your spot for 7 days.)
2. Fill out the Trip Rooming & Diving Survey plus the SingleDivers.com Medical Liability Release which you'll find under "Stuff you need to know for ALL SingleDivers.com trips & activities!" or click here to link to it. (Send a PM or an email to fingrabber@singledivers.com for the password.)
3. Send your deposit for the trip and/or monies due based upon the payment schedule posted below and payment options. If you need to make special arrangements about payments with me please contact me and I'll gladly work with you. See below for our credit card authorization form.
4. If we need to know what time you are arriving, if you need rental gear, if driving or flying or how much lead you need, you MUST include this with your initial reservation.
Discounts:
$25 discount for SD premier membership and above
Price includes cash discount. Please add 3% if paying via paypal.
Payment Information:
Please add 3% if paying via paypal or credit card.
If paying via credit card (Visa, MC, Diners) download the SD Credit Card Authorization Form, complete and fax to 214-350-2558. Click here for the form.
If paying via paypal go to www.PayPal.com and send payment to kamala@singledivers.com Be sure to include your address, contact number, screen name and trip name in the details section.
If paying via check or money order made out to SingleDivers.com LLC, please send payment to:
Kamala Shadduck
SingleDivers.com
3957 Gaspar Ste#200
Dallas, TX 75220
214-350-7003
kamala@singledivers.com
We must have your name, address, screen name and trip name in the memo section of the check to be credited properly for this trip
Payment Terms & Schedule:
ASAP: $500 deposit required to reserve a spot on the trip.
Progress Payments based upon NY/Cairo/NY:
Immediately to Hold Spot: $500 Deposit
Feb 15, 2007: $1000
Mar 15, 2007: $1000
Apr 15, 2007: $1386 Balance of trip payment
Note: Trip Normally must be paid in full 60 days prior to departure but the boat & tour operator has given us some slack due to shortlead time. (If this is still a problem and this is your dream trip, let me know and I may be able to work with you!)
PLEASE obtain trip insurance ...it is VERY inexpensive and will protect your investment. You can purchase it right online as well as check quotes etc. It is very economical and averages about $ for this trip.
Click here for a free quote or to purchase online!
or
Click here for another provider that provides excellent rates and coverage!
Edited by WreckWench, 15 May 2007 - 12:11 PM.
