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The wonders of the Mediterranean to the treasures of the Red Sea via the Suez Canal
Preferred
Overview
Highlights (Bullets)
Cruise highlights
- UNIQUE ITINERARY
- PASSAGE THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL
- ALL EXCURSIONS INCLUDED:
- East meets West in Alexandria
- Cairo, walking in the footsteps of the Pharaohs
- The Red Sea floor and Naama Bay
- Saint-Catherine's Eastern Orthodox Monastery, a significant Christian site(1)
Short Description
This cruise takes you across the timeless Mediterranean and the Suez Canal, the strategic passageway between Europe and the Middle East, to the Red Sea. Discover Alexandria and its rich, diverse cultural heritage. Visit the new library and the Fort of Qaitbay built on the ruins of the city's wondrous lighthouse. Our ship will bring you across the Nile Delta, through the famous fertile lands, to fascinating, bustling Cairo. It goes without saying we'll visit the Giza Plateau and its sites—the pyramids and Sphinx—as well as the Necropolis of Memphis. A truly exciting moment will be a glass-bottom boat trip on the Red Sea. We'll also visit Saint Catherine, home to the oldest Greek Orthodox monastery in the world.
Destinations
NetherlandsAttractions & Cities Visited
AmsterdamActivities & Interests
River cruiseItinerary
Day 1 LARNACA
You'll board our ship at 5:00 p.m. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we'll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail. We'll enjoy dinner on board. Our ship will begin to cruise.
Day 2 At sea
We'll spend the day cruising on the Mediterranean Sea. Take advantage of the wide range of onboard activities proposed during our full-day cruise today. Join us for a lecture in the lounge: Is Egypt Still a Gift of the Nile?
Day 3 ALEXANDRIA
Alexandria was founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great. At its prime, it rivaled Rome and was home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria. This morning, we'll visit the Alexandria National Museum, a fantastic place to learn about the city's diverse past. The museum collection includes artifacts from the pharaohs, the Greco-Roman era, and the Byzantine, Islamic, and modern periods. Our next stop will be the Roman amphitheater, the only one of its kind in Egypt. Uncovered by accident in 1960, the structure dates back to the 2nd century AD. The semi-circular, open-air theater had a 600-spectator capacity, with an audience section of 13 white-marble rows and red granite columns imported from the city of Aswan.In the afternoon, we'll have a guided tour of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Fort of Qaitbay. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina commemorates the Great Library of Alexandria and aims to be a center of cultural and scientific excellence in the Mediterranean Region. The Fort of Qaitbay was built in the 15th century on the site of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria. The fort's medieval edifice and the view of the sea from its top make it one of the most important sites in Alexandria.Our ship will begin to cruise towards Port Said.
Day 4 PORT SAID
We'll spend the day cruising to Port Said. We'll cruise aside the Nile Delta, a rich agricultural region. Egyptians have farmed this abundantly fertile area intensively for over 5,000 years. It is also home to a large concentration of wildlife. Join us for a lecture in the lounge: The Suez Canal: From the Route to India to the Shipping of Oil.
Day 5 PORT SAID - Crossing the Suez Canal - SUEZ
Our ship will cast off to cross the Suez Canal early this morning. Measuring 120 miles long (193 km) and only 673 feet wide (205 m), this canal allows for strategic passage from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea without having to make the long journey around the southern tip of Africa. The incredible structure was achieved between 1859 and 1869 under the guidance of Ferdinand de Lesseps—well after Darius, the Persian conqueror of Egypt, had completed an initial version of the canal.
Day 6 SUEZ - Cairo
Join us for an optional excursion to Cairo (including lunch) and a tour walking in the footsteps of the Pharaohs. The Giza pyramid complex is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The "Great Pyramid of Giza." At its sides sit the Pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, as well as the Great Sphinx of Giza. We'll continue on to the royal necropolis of Dahshur, which contains some of the oldest and best-preserved pyramids in the country. The Bent, Red, and Black Pyramids all vary in design and demonstrate how the grand scope of pyramid building changed throughout the ages. Our next stop will be Saqqara, a huge area that served as the burial ground for Egypt's ancient capital, Memphis. This archaeological site contains several royal tombs, including well-known monuments such as the Step Pyramid in Zoser's funerary complex.Tonight is our festive gala evening.
Day 7 SHARM EL-SHEIKH
We'll spend the morning cruising. Take advantage of the warm weather on the Sun Deck as we pass alongside the Sinai Peninsula, a sacred area for many religions. The land takes its name from Mount Sinai, assumed to be where God delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses. Join us for a lecture in the lounge: The History of the Sinai Peninsula.In the afternoon, set out on a tour of the seafloor in Naama Bay. A glass-bottom boat tour will introduce you to the colorful riches found within the Red Sea. You'll then explore Sharm El-Sheikh and its traditional souk.Tonight's festivities will have an Egyptian flair!
Day 8 SHARM EL-SHEIKH
We'll leave in the morning for an excursion to Saint Catherine's Eastern Orthodox Monastery (lunch included – 5-hour round-trip travel time).(1) We'll cross the colorful Sinai Peninsula. Although the location of the Biblical Mount Sinai remains in dispute, the current Mount Sinai sits above the city of Saint Catherine, home to the oldest Greek Orthodox monastery in the world. You'll discover the basilica and the Chapel of the Holy Bush with your tour guide.
Day 9 SHARM EL-SHEIKH
Enjoy breakfast on board this morning before disembarking at 9:00 a.m.
Availability
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128 CroisiEurope Travel Reviews & Ratings
The wonders of the Mediterranean to the treasures of the Red Sea via the Suez Canal
Company Reviews
Great tours and food! Exceptional customer service
I am non-EU national, and very much enjoyed the international clientele .
My flight arrived later than the prescribed boarding time, the crew had my cabin ready, and held dinner. Both land side New York office and the onboard crew were very welcoming, and most attention to detail. Special recognition to Charina, my reservation agent, and Daniel the ship's purser.
The vessel's decor is very discreet, comfortable, and relaxing -- no neon, casino, etc. The elegance one would expect from a French company.
The land tours were very comprehensive, in comfortable coaches, with sufficient rest stops. Lunches ashore were included, as appropriate. As advertised, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages were included. In-town shopping was available, but not forced.
In all, a delightful experience. I look forward to another voyage with CroisiEurope. The company offers so many unique intineraries, it may be difficult to select.
A memorable four nights on the Seine - Le Havre to Paris
The Seine scenery was gorgeous and the boat was extremely comfortable—we loved that we could stay in our cabin, relax on various decks, or attend onboard activities, including a lively dance performance by a Normandy folk troupe. Even though we were the only English speakers on the cruise, the bilingual staff were always on hand to help us, and the other passengers (mostly French with a few Belgians/Swiss) were friendly and tolerant of our basic French. After our final night sleeping aboard the boat on Quai de Grenelle in Paris, we were rather sad to depart the beautiful Renoir.
The food, tours and service on the Miguel Torga exceeded our expectations, and we felt very safe with the Covid precautions being taken on board.
We had such a wonderful time on our cruise and absolutely intend to travel with CroisiEurope again. I was especially pleased with the attention to detail regarding food preferences and requests. I have a shellfish allergy, and our kids didn’t always like what was on the menu. The chef and staff always made every effort to accommodate and please us.
Our guide Deborah on the excursions was so informative and made great suggestions for sightseeing and shopping. I liked the way the excursions were managed by touring in the morning with lunch and sailing in the afternoon. We were the only Americans on board with mostly French speakers, but everyone was friendly, and we had no communication issues with the crew. Entertainment was simple but fun with games or local talent coming aboard for flamenco or folk singing and dancing. There were only 62 passengers and no young children. Our kids were 12 & 17, and they were happy with the pool on board, which was small, but ideal for cooling off after a morning in port. They surprised our 17-year-old with a special dessert on her birthday.
We’ve been on several other riverboat cruises (Viking, Peter Dielmann, Vodohod), and they did not match the value and service provided by CroisiEurope.
This barge hotel cruise on and along the Marne river was absolutely fantastic!
The crew were very attentive and hospitable. One of the biggest, if not THE biggest, highlight of the trip was the food. Breakfast was a typical French style buffet with all the trimmings. Lunch and dinner were menus, in the French style, prepared by our Chef and paired with a variety of wines and cheeses from around France. Each meal was unique and full of variety culminating at the end of the week with our Gala Dinner.
One of the excursion highlights, and a major reason why we chose this particular cruise, was the falconry demonstration at Chateau Thierry. It was very well done and quite a moving presentation, which included an American Bald Eagle and, even more surprisingly, Storks.
If you are looking for a more intimate way to cruise, Passenger to Crew ratio was 17 - 6, consider barge hotel cruises. We are most definitely looking forward to our next barge hotel cruise experience.
It’s affordable, the atmosphere on board is unique, the routes can be very interesting.
As seasoned cruisers, knowing well all aspects of cruising on seas and rivers, we had no experience about traveling on a barge in a canal. It was also time to overcome this lack.
A number of companies offer this kind of cruising on barge with 8 to 16 passengers, however very often at exorbitant prices. Luckily, we discovered that the company CroisiEurope offers one week cruise on various canals in Europe, at very decent price, especially considering that all is inclusive (full board, all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and all excursions) on modern barges with a maximum of 22 passengers.
We opted for the barge Ms Deborah, which cruises on the canal de la Loire, with the Briare to Nevers’ route. We were looking forward to this itinerary because the proposed excursions particularly suited us. Unfortunately, only a few days before departure, we were informed that due of a lack of water in the Loire canal the Ms Deborah was switched over to the Haute Seine and Yonne for a new itinerary from Paris to Sens. Despites the fact that this new itinerary didn’t really meet our desires, especially the excursions, we decided to accept the change.
Our group of 6 persons from Switzerland was very warmly greeted by all members of the crew when arriving on the quai de Grenelle in Paris where we see the MS DEBORAH for the first time, our floating home for the week. With its two dominating colours blue and white, it is difficult not to fall in love with this beautiful small ship.
We were invited immediately for the welcome cocktail during which we met officially the crew and the other six individual passengers originating from New Zealand, England and the USA. With less time than it needs to tell, the relation between us was created, so that everyone felt part of a bunch of friends knowing each other for long time.
There is no need to present here the MS Deborah itself, as this is already thoroughly done on the Cruise Critic page.
The crew of 6 persons is composed of a captain, a sailor, a cruise director, a chef, a waitress and a cabin hostess who put all their efforts to satisfy the passengers and offer them the best possible service. The captain as well as the sailor are always trying to make passengers at ease, answer questions or even bring a drink. The lady cruise director is omnipresent, taking care of the passengers better than a mother hen would do. The talented young French chef aims to produce dishes which please everybody. His outstanding sauces and excellent desserts should be particularly praised. However, referring to comments we made during a cruise on the Seine Princess two years ago, we cannot understand that why today it is not possible to offer the choice of a light buffet at lunch instead a three or even four course menu! The always smiling and friendly Hungarian waitress was very caring and attentive, without forgetting the cabin hostess doing a great job in the cabins, the public spaces and even the kitchen. It wouldn’t be fair to name a single person as all members of the crew, without any exception, do all they can to make the cruise unforgettable.
Our one-week cruise on the barge Ms Deborah enables us today to make the following comments:
~ a cruise on a barge cannot be compared to any other kind of cruise
~ despite all the comfort offered on modern barge, one must be very aware that life on board happens at a restraint space, requiring therefore much flexibility and understanding in all aspects from all passengers
~ in our case, being only 12 passengers, we had the opportunity to take our meals on the terrace. We also never had the feeling that the boat was overcrowded. This can be different when the ship is full, especially by bad weather
~ the state of mind between the passengers who are mostly of foreign nationalities, who don’t know each other and don’t speak French, must function well right from the beginning
~ if the interrelation works, it is difficult to find a more relaxing and enjoyable way of travelling
~ the success on a barge is mainly due on the quality of its crew. Ms Deborah’s crew members have quickly created a family spirit on board, showing also that they genuinely like what they do
~ excursions can play a major role in choosing an itinerary. Not speaking French or English can be a handicap
Do we recommend to do a cruise on a barge? Yes, definitively! It’s affordable, the atmosphere on board is unique, the routes can be very interesting. In our case, this second try with CroisiEurope gives them a better note.
We are still waiting for a refund
Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
All internal transport included (including local flights)
Group Size
Standard Group - 25 + people
Additional Information
THE CROISIEUROPE DIFFERENCE
- All meals included - DRINKS INCLUDED with meals and at the bar
- Refined French cuisine - Gala dinner and evening - Welcome cocktail
- Free Wi-Fi onboard
- Headsets are included for excursions
- Official welcome from the captain and crew
- Onboard activities
- Travel assistance and repatriation insurance
- All port fees included
Rules & Other Requirements
You will need an Egyptian visa in your passport, which must be valid for 6 months beyond your return date. For non-EU residents: Please consult the embassies or consulates of the countries to be visited.
Egyptian visa information: You must apply for your Egyptian e-visa before you arrive in the country. You can do this yourself directly through the government website: https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/
Nevertheless, CroisiEurope can take care of your application for you for a fee (70€ (2)). Please note that the application would need to be processed well before your departure date. Please contact us for more information.
Trip ID#:
croisieurope-LKS_AIPP
What's excluded
Drinks from our special wine list or drinks ordered during excursions or transfers - cancellation and baggage insurance - transfers/travel to and from departure/arrival points - personal expenses.
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