194 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

ALMOST DONE...

Well I leave in less than 2 hrs so will not get to finish posting the trip as I had planned BUT I do have some pricing for you and our working schedule(s). NOTE: I am working to reduce the trip by a few days and correspondingly a few bucks! I will know when I return from Galapagos if we can do this. In the meantime plan on 14 days.


IF WE DID IT FOR 2 WEEKS...this is what it would cost and look like....


I. LAND AND AIR FROM NEW YORK PER PERSON INCLUDING DIVING & NEARLY ALL INCLUSIVE for 14 nights and 15 days or May 28 to June 12th:

10 – 14 people
Double - $6488.00
Single - $6888.00

15 – 20 people
Double - $4985.00
Single - $5385.00

II. LAND ONLY INCLUDING DIVING AND DOMESTIC AIR WITHIN EGYPT

10 – 14 people
Double - $5988.00
Single - $6388.00

15 – 20 people
Double - $4485.00
Single - $4885.00

III. DIVE ONLY

10 – 14 people
Double - $3458.00
Single - $3808.00

15 - 20 people
Double - $2207.00
Single - $2607.00


OBVIOUSLY WE NEED 15 PEOPLE OR MORE!!!


WORKING ITINERARY:

Day 1 - Saturday – May 29 - Departure
Depart New York this evening on your overnight flight to Egypt.

Day 2 - Sunday – May 30 - Cairo
Welcome to Egypt, the Land of Pharaohs! Upon arrival at Cairo International, you will meet with your escort and they will assist you with visa formalities. As you drive through Cairo, you will see some interesting ancient monuments. Arrive in the Giza area where the Great Pyramids are located. After check-in and sometime, to freshen up meet with your Egyptologist-guide to discuss the exciting days ahead. This evening you will be introduced to Egyptian cuisine as you enjoy dinner on a floating restaurant.
ACCOMMODATIONS: LE MERIDIAN PYRAMIDS HOTELOR SIMILAR

Day 3 - Monday – May 31 – Cairo
This morning you will view 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. After lunch visit Old Cairo including 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: LE MERIDIAN PYRAMIDS HOTELOR SIMILAR HOTEL

Day 4 - Tuesday – June 1 – Cairo
Today you will 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. Entrance into one (1) pyramid will be included. 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, you will make a stop at the remains in Memphis, the first capital of united Upper and Lower Egypt.
ACCOMMODATIONS: LE MERIDIAN PYRAMIDS HOTELOR SIMILAR HOTEL


Day 5 – Wednesday – June 2 – Cairo/Luxor
Early this morning transfer to the airport for a flight to Luxor. Welcome to Luxor, the land of 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: SONESTA ST. GEORGE HOTEL OR SIMILAR

Day 6 - Thursday – June 3 – Luxor
Cross the West Bank to explore the Valley of the Kings that 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.
ACCOMMODATIONS: SONESTA ST. GEORGE HOTEL OR SIMILAR (B, D)

Day 7 – 13 - Friday – Thursday - June 4 – 10 - Luxor/Hurghada
This morning leave Luxor for Hurghada where you will board your live aboard boat 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 Elephantine. 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.
ACCOMMODATIONS: EMPEROR SUPERIOR OR SIMILAR LIVE ABOARD


Day 14 – Friday – June 11 – Hurghada/Cairo
Today you will leave Hurghada for Cairo 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: CONRAD HOTEL OR SIMILAR

Day 15 – Saturday – June 12 - Departure
Farewell to Egypt as you transfer to the airport for your return flight to New York.


TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
• International air New York/Cairo/New York on board EgyptAir
• Domestic air: Cairo/Luxor-Hurghada/Cairo
• 3 nights accommodation in Cairo at the Le Meridian Pyramids Hotel or similar
• 1 night accommodation in Cairo at the Conrad International Hotel or similar
• 2 nights accommodation in Luxor at the Sonesta St. George Hotel or similar
• 7 day live aboard private charter Emperor Divers Superior Boat or similar "Classic Cruise" route
• Full day sightseeing: Pyramids (including entrance into 1 pyramid)/Sphinx-Memphis/Sakkara
• Full day sightseeing: Egyptian Museum of Antiquities and Old Cairo
• Visits to the East and West Bank of Luxor including entrance into the Tomb of Tutankhamen
• 13 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 11 dinners
• Transfers Cairo, Luxor, Hurghada
• Transfer of dive equipment from Cairo to Hurghada
• Sightseeing and transfers by deluxe car or motor coach
• Hotel taxes and service charges
• Porterage

NOT INCLUDED
• U.S. Departure Taxes & Airport Security ($385.00 subject to change)
• Domestic air within the U.S.
• Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, inter-net services, dive equipment, National Park fees, soft drinks, coffee, tea (except at breakfast), mineral water, alcoholic beverages, passport fees, gratuities for drivers, guides, transfer personnel, travel insurance, etc……



NOTE: Once we finalize the itinerary and pricing...we will have some very generous pricing for early bookings! PLEASE NOTE THAT PREMIER MEMBERS WILL GET TO BOOK FOR THE FIRST WEEK BEFORE ANYONE ELSE!


Those SERIOUSLY interested and wanting Email Notification when trip is ready to Book:

1. Mike aka Going Postal
2. Sheena aka Weescot (diving only since she lived in Egypt)
3. Tammy aka Landlocked Dive Nut
4. Jeff aka sparky103
5. Pheniox
6. Tammie aka SeaSeeker
7. Matt aka Rumblebee
8. Margaret aka scubajunkie6
9. Barb aka Diverbabs
10. Liz aka Liz
11. Mike, aka Kuraman
12. Barbara, aka Texan in China
13. Nesher
14. Scott aka drifter
15. Carla aka rkymtwy
16. Ellen aka TCdamsel
17. Victoria aka Victoria
18. Brian, aka Dive Burro
19. Bill aka Grayfins
20. Deb aka Deb4diving
21. Pam aka pam_b
22. Rosa aka Divegirl412
23. Teresa aka Mermaid Lady
24. Charles aka Houston Squid
25. Ron aka wakemaker
26. Jim aka UP Diver
27. Margaret aka Margarita
28. Cass aka Hammered Head
29. Que aka Sea Urchin
30. Sanja aka Pisces1961
31. Ann aka seastar
32. Dan aka Dantheengineer
33. Maurice aka Canuck in Texas
34. Ari aka vettenorlando
35. Dan aka Captsaaz
36. Sandy aka Starfish Sandy
37. Carole aka dolphinswimmer
38. Grace, aka nobodyelsehasthis
39. Kathy, aka little mermaid

[Texan_in_China]

Hey WW - Any more thoughts on adding the Red Sea this year, since Wakatobi is now sold out and Galapagos is nearing sell out??? If you add it in - what time of year would you be looking at?
[/quote]

Everything is possible but I'm still a bit worried about Galapagos...4 spots is still a lot.

Would you be interested in doing just the diving or the sight seeing as well like we did before?
[/quote]

I would be interested in sight seeing and diving. What did you do last time and when? Is there a place I can look back to see what you did previously?

[Texan_in_China]

[quote name='Texan_in_China' date='Mar 2 2008, 11:13 PM' post='209677']
Hey WW - Any more thoughts on adding the Red Sea this year, since Wakatobi is now sold out and Galapagos is nearing sell out??? If you add it in - what time of year would you be looking at?
[/quote]

Everything is possible but I'm still a bit worried about Galapagos...4 spots is still a lot.

Would you be interested in doing just the diving or the sight seeing as well like we did before?
[/quote]

I just found the itinerary you did in May last year? Sounds like a great trip - all of it!

[SeaSeeker]

Hi,
I just found the itinerary from the 2007 Red Sea trip - and I am so sad I missed it. I would love to do a similar trip - sightseeing and diving. If this were scheduled for early 2009 (something like March to May), I'd be in for sure.

ciao,
Tammie

[WreckWench]

Hi,
I just found the itinerary from the 2007 Red Sea trip - and I am so sad I missed it. I would love to do a similar trip - sightseeing and diving. If this were scheduled for early 2009 (something like March to May), I'd be in for sure.

ciao,
Tammie

That is a good time to do the Red Sea and 2009 would be a good time to repeat this trip if there is enough interest!

[weescot]

Hi,
I just found the itinerary from the 2007 Red Sea trip - and I am so sad I missed it. I would love to do a similar trip - sightseeing and diving. If this were scheduled for early 2009 (something like March to May), I'd be in for sure.

ciao,
Tammie

That is a good time to do the Red Sea and 2009 would be a good time to repeat this trip if there is enough interest!

March isn't so good for Viz - July/Aug/Sept are the best months - viz 30m plus marine life most prolific.... I'd be up for a Southern liveaboard then

[Texan_in_China]

Hi,
I just found the itinerary from the 2007 Red Sea trip - and I am so sad I missed it. I would love to do a similar trip - sightseeing and diving. If this were scheduled for early 2009 (something like March to May), I'd be in for sure.

ciao,
Tammie

That is a good time to do the Red Sea and 2009 would be a good time to repeat this trip if there is enough interest!

March isn't so good for Viz - July/Aug/Sept are the best months - viz 30m plus marine life most prolific.... I'd be up for a Southern liveaboard then

Is it too late to try for late Sept this year?

[SeaSeeker]

September 2008 would be impossible for me - actually September is generally not a good month any year for me. I have a mega-event to run every year that happens on the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend (first Monday of October), so September and early October are impossible. We work on the event all year round, but impossible to get away in September.

The 2007 Red Sea trip was May - right? How was it then? Would May of 2009 work as well?

[WreckWench]

September 2008 would be impossible for me - actually September is generally not a good month any year for me. I have a mega-event to run every year that happens on the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend (first Monday of October), so September and early October are impossible. We work on the event all year round, but impossible to get away in September.

The 2007 Red Sea trip was May - right? How was it then? Would May of 2009 work as well?

Yes it was in May and the temps were great in May/June.

[WreckWench]

Ok we've had enough input on this to break it out into its own discussion thread. Most likely it will be 2009 as we have a trip in Sept 2008 and the closer we get to winter here the hotter I think it gets in Egypt. (Not bad for me but not pleasant for others.)

[weescot]

Ok we've had enough input on this to break it out into its own discussion thread. Most likely it will be 2009 as we have a trip in Sept 2008 and the closer we get to winter here the hotter I think it gets in Egypt. (Not bad for me but not pleasant for others.)

Although you can see plenty all year round in the Red Sea, winter diving in Egypt is not worth your long journey. I have just checked my log and sea temps are around 21 - 22 centigrade Nov - Mar, air temps a couple of degrees more. Also, from my log, the marine life was at its most exciting and prolfic July/August, although air temps are obviously very high 35 - 40 centigrade. It will be even hotter in Luxor. Europeans regard peak diving season in the Red Sea June - Sept. Last year you arrived just at the begining of the "season" as I recall.

[grayfins]

I would like to go to the Red Sea in late May or June time frame. That will give me time between the Red Sea and Galapagos in Oct. As a note if you get into July of Aug the air temp gets real hot and the farther south you go the hotter it gets.
Bill aka grayfins

[ASDmike]

Hey Kamala,

Just a follow up -- I mentioned in the Bonaire planning thread that a "teacher" friend of mine was thinking of the Red Sea for '09. She is interested, but would not be able to leave the US till after June 15th or so. Yes, the land part gets freakin' hot over there, but in general for her vacations, she is pretty much interested in diving only...

[WreckWench]

Thanks everyone so far for your feedback. I will try to get the best date we can so EVERYONE will be happy. Right now its looking like May/June.

Fingers crossed the dates are perfect if YOU want to join us!

Please KEEP giving me input!

[deb4diving]

Would also love to dive the Red Sea. Is it planned for 2009??