Adventures by Disney: Egypt Inquiry

[soniam]

The GEM is not open to the public yet. If it is still closed when you are looking at going you will go to the Cairo Museum instead. It is a fantastic museum that still houses some incredibly famous artifacts including (but not limited to) almost all of the items from King Tut's tomb.

I did not have any issues bringing both a small carry on and a backpack for Egypt Air. They never weighed my carry on as far as I can remember. I believe the permitted carry on items are about the same as the TSA allows. One person did bring protein powder in their carry on, and one airport made them throw it out. Be forewarned, all Egyptian airports have two security checks. One right before or right after where you check in your luggage, and one when you get to your gate, so I recommend packing somewhat light in your carry ons.

The Ritz did have laundry services I believe, I don't remember if the Coral Sea Sensatori Resort did or not. You can't do it yourself however, unless you wash clothes in the sink. The members of my party that wanted to have laundry done did it on the boat.

Were there any liquid restrictions at the final check at the gate?

I ask, because we did not realize that there would be an additional security check in Chile and that US liquid rules applied. We had just bought a big water and had to chug what we could in the boarding line, once we found out. We had to throw out the rest. The plane didn’t provide any water until an hour into the flight. Just want to make sure I’m hydrated and not wasting water.

 

[calypso726]

Were there any liquid restrictions at the final check at the gate?

I ask, because we did not realize that there would be an additional security check in Chile and that US liquid rules applied. We had just bought a big water and had to chug what we could in the boarding line, once we found out. We had to throw out the rest. The plane didn’t provide any water until an hour into the flight. Just want to make sure I’m hydrated and not wasting water.

We were told it was hit or miss whether or not they'd make us dispose of liquids. We got through all flights with a bottle or bottles of water. The exception being the very last flight out back home.

 

[SirDuff]

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

Turkish can be really hit-or-miss. Not one of my personal favourites, but generally okay.

 

[antoniobernardopelomundo]

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.

Hi! What was the young kid's age range? Thank you

 

[Grifdog22]

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 believe someone else has posted that they visited the Coptic section of Cairo and that it did not overlap. On our February trip, this was primarily a walking tour which included lunch and the markets, and then a drive to the Great Mosque. Much to our surprise, as shown by our local Egyptianologist guide, you may find a Muslim Mosque practically beside a Coptic Christian Church, placed close to a Jewish Synagogue.

There is SO much to see and do on this trip. Be well rested, open-minded, and try everything. This one, unless they change it up, is one of the best ABD trips out there. Enjoy!

 

[abdgeek]

Hi! What was the young kid's age range? Thank you

The younger kids were elementary and middle school age. Kids on the ABDs seem to bond well regardless of their age. If you call ABD, they will tell you the age of kids who are on the trip.

 

[Kathy W]

Appreciate all the information you are sharing. Did you bring electrical converters for your trip? How was the layover in Istanbul? Anything you wish you had known ahead of time?

 

[Grifdog22]

Appreciate all the information you are sharing. Did you bring electrical converters for your trip? How was the layover in Istanbul? Anything you wish you had known ahead of time?

Yes we brought the converters - very necessary. If our flights were not so late at night, we would have enjoyed taking a day to explore Istanbul -the airport was fine, but nothing exciting or overwhelming.

I wish I had checked how volatile and good the exchange rate was - would have brought a small duffle for stuff...the gallibaya cotton outfits in the Egyptian markets were very good quality and with some serious haggling very good prices, as were things made from copper and stone. Obviously a lot of cheap chinese trinkets that were crap, but some legit stuff in the markets and the museums we visited.

I also wish we had booked earlier - we were in a cabin on the river cruise that was over the engines and it was very difficult to sleep while we were underway - the noise and vibration were not good. We booked last minute - I presume you could pick cabins if you booked well in advance - I don't know. While the Sony noise cancelling headphones cut through the noise, it didn't help with the vibrations.

If you like snorkeling, press them not to shortchange the amount of time you have in the water. It was excellent snorkeling - but not enough time in the water.

I had not been looking forward to the food in Egypt - I tried several dishes here that were supposedly similar. This was SO wrong - the food in Egypt was terrific, with a wide variety of dishes. My mistake in hindsight (we were often a bit rushed to finish meals) was not to get the recipes of some of the dishes. At the Cataract hotel we had so many amazing side dishes...and one of the simplest may have been very complex - as we haven't been able to reproduce it. I wish I had asked! It was a stewed okra and tomato with a delicious blend of spices that were not strong, but soooo tasty. In days of old, ABD often would volunteer recipes from favorite dishes - before we asked. It's been a long time since that happened, and my expectations and perhaps bias from field tasting here left that concept by the wayside until it was too late.

Have a great trip!