20250314-20250315 Friday and Saturday March 14-15, 2025 Alexandria to Seattle
This Alexandria extension seems to have been primarily designed around a half-day city tour, and days to arrive and depart Alexandria. There was some grumbling among some of the other couples in the extension group that Viking could have planned more activities and sites for us to see on both the first arrival afternoon, and on the departure day morning. An Australian couple did have to leave around 2 p.m. to be driven back to Cairo for their departure flight, but the rest of us all had a 9:55 p.m. departure flight from Alexandria to Dubai, with onward flights to the US from there. The hotel check-out time was 12 noon, but Viking had assured us they would do what they could to grant us a late check-out without additional charge. Robert, our Alexandria Viking Host, was a little tentative about what he could do about that, but after we got back from our tour Thursday afternoon, we had to have our room cards reprogrammed so that they would work beyond the noon checkout time and he said we could stay in our rooms until 2 p.m., and then continue to use the hotel’s public facilities until our airport transport at 6:30-7 p.m.
We repacked our suitcases and had a leisurely breakfast Friday morning. We walked to the Royal Jewelry Museum, taking a shortcut through the shopping mall attached to the hotel. It was a little after 10am and most of the shops were just opening their doors. The Alexandria tram system has a set of tracks that run parallel to the waterfront just behind the hotel, and it was a simple matter of following that for about 20 minutes to get to the Museum. Traffic on the streets was light, perhaps because Friday’s during Ramadan are generally a holiday. It was certainly a whole lot less noisy and busy than walking the Corniche was. Some of the couples who had visited the Royal Jewelry Museum on Wednesday had said it was an easy walk, and one of the couples had actually been adventurous enough to take the tram back to the hotel. When they first got on the tram next to the museum, there was a bit of a kerfuffle because they had gotten into the first car, which happened to be a segregated women-only car, so the husband got kicked out and had to scramble onto one of the following cars.
They had tried to pay the ticket taker, but the ticket taker on the tram just waved away their money. It was never clear what the cost was for a ride or how the payments worked, but another couple had taken an Uber from the hotel to the Museum and said it amounted to less than a dollar US. They had some trouble getting the Uber app to work on the way back, so they hopped one of the yellow and black Russian-made Lada cabs and got back without hassles for a 100EGP note.
The back street was mostly lined with residential high-rises, although there were often shops on the ground floors of these buildings. We walked past a bakery that wasn’t yet open, and a toy store, as well as an all-girls school surrounded by a high wall decorated with ceramic mosaics.
When we arrived at the museum, it wasn’t busy. We did have to go through security and could not use cameras except for cell phone cameras, and no video was allowed. The building itself was used as a summer royal residence until 1986 when it became a museum. There is a lot of European influence in the architecture, which features imported Italian tiles in the bathrooms and stained glass. The chief architect was a famous Italian, Antoine Lashiak. The floors are parquet of many different woods and designs in different rooms. The centerpiece is an upstairs bathroom with tiled murals on the walls and gold-trimmed tiles on the floor.
The jewelry and furniture include collections dating from Muhammad Ali Pasha through King Farouk. There is plenty of gold, silver, and platinum, along with all the usual gemstone suspects. One item that caught Ben’s eye was a tiny scarab watch that was worn as a ring. There was also a music box with a mechanical tiny bird reminiscent of the Faberge eggs we saw in St. Petersburg.
While we were touring the museum, a large group of young people arrived. These were mostly girls of high school age and all were wearing a red and white striped kerchief around their necks. It turns out they are Egyptian Girl Scouts on an educational outing. There was a smaller group of boys of similar age who seemed loosely affiliated with the girls but kept distinctly separated.
After touring the museum, we still had time to kill, so Janet wandered around the shopping mall and watched some streaming video in the hotel room while Ben had gone to take advantage of the hotel’s indoor pool. This was nearly impossible to find without guidance by hotel staff because you had to enter through the hotel’s spa through an unmarked door, which leads to a very long corridor that takes a few twists and turns before coming to another unmarked door. This opens into a small lobby with an elevator that only goes between the 4th floor and an isolated 5th floor, which is not accessible from anywhere else in the hotel’s otherwise residential 5th floor.
The indoor pool is very nice, situated on the back side of the hotel, apparently atop the shopping mall complex. When Ben got there, the pool itself was closed for maintenance as workers were vacuuming and skimming the pool. The workers said it would be closed until 1 p.m., but ultimately, they opened it for use at 12:30 p.m. In the meantime, Ben went to check out the hot tub, where he ran into one of the other Viking couples also taking advantage of the pool facilities. Because the pool facilities were all enclosed in a conservatory-like greenhouse, it was too warm to spend too much time in the hot tub, but we were soon able to use the main pool, which was very pleasant and comfortable to swim in. A second Viking couple wandered in and napped on the loungers while Ben swam.
Ben headed back up to the room at 1:00 p.m. to make our 2 p.m. check out. Ben made a run to the mall’s food court and got Whopper Jr. Meal combos for less than $4 US each. We could eat like kings (Burger King, that is) in Egypt. We had a very pleasant lunch on our balcony. The contrast between the noise and traffic below on the Corniche could not have been more astounding between earlier in the week and this Ramadan Friday. Some of the other couples walked a little of the Corniche to have ice cream on a nice pier full of restaurants and shops. This is where we said the Krispy Kreme’s and were so rudely treated by the security man over Ben’s camera bag.
While putting away his swimsuit in a plastic bag in our suitcases, Ben got a telephone call from Robert saying our late check out was extended to 3 p.m. We ended up putting our luggage out and heading downstairs at 2:30 p.m. All of the Viking couples who were going to the Alexandria airport ended up in the same registration area where we were initially greeted on our first day.
We were comfortable enough in the hotel registration lobby. They had good WiFi service and plush chairs. Ben made one last run to the mall’s food court to pick up KFC for dinner. KFC is very popular in Egypt.
Our airport bus arrived and we started loading up at 6:45 p.m. We were asked to identify our luggage at the back of the bus, but it was all stacked in a pile obscured by the last row of seats in the mid-sized bus. It was not our usual Viking tour coach, but a much smaller bus that probably seated about 20 passengers. We didn’t realize until after we got to the Alexandria airport, which is nearly an hour’s drive away, that the bus driver and Robert had to load ALL of our luggage through a WINDOW towards the back of the bus. There was no access door on the back of the bus to the luggage area. Robert was drenched with sweat after unloading all those bags through the window along with the bus driver. Fortunately, everyone’s bags were accounted for.
One alarming thing on the drive from Alexandria to the airport was that the sun set about 6 p.m. and it was quite dark outside. There are very few, if any, street lights illuminating the streets, and yet, at least 10% of all vehicles— cars, taxis, minivans, trucks, and even motorcycles— were blasting by in the dark WITH NO HEADLIGHTS or even marker lights. It was a bit like Mad Max after dark. You would have to be clinically insane and suicidal to rent a car and attempt to drive within any of Egypt’s major cities. There was a lot of roadway construction around the airport with our bus and traffic swerving across sections of broken pavement and dirt in the dark.
Alexandria’s airport was similar to Luxor’s and Aswan’s, with the double and triple security checks being required to get to the ticketing counter. Once we finally got to the terminal building, we were entitled to use the airport lounge since we were booked business class, but the Pearl Lounge at Alexandria’s airport was really shabby. It was very tiny, crowded, and looked more like the break room for an old office building than a business class airport lounge. They did have a few tiny, cramped, and dirty tables and chairs. There was a buffet with pastries, rolls, and a hot counter with some really sad-looking potatoes, a tureen of chicken broth with orzo at the bottom, beef and chicken kabobs, and a selection of bottled water, juice, and soda. No beer or wine. They did have a dedicated bathroom, but it had no hand dryers or paper towels. St. Janet did sneak cookies and sodas out to our fellow Viking travelers at the nearby gate, who were all flying on regular economy tickets.
We weren’t sure we would be flying out on time because there were no agents or staff at the gate until about 10 minutes after the stated boarding time. Then they required us to all open our passports to the page with the Egypt immigration exit stamp on it. This was a nondescript gray stamp in Arabic which was hard to hunt down if you had a lot of stamps in your passport like we do.
The FlyDubai plane from Alexandria to Dubai was a 737Max. Business class had 4 across seating with seats that had plenty of leg room, but the seats only reclined to about 15 degrees. This was certainly more comfortable than economy, but it was a good thing it was only a 3-1/2 hour flight.
We crossed over a time zone or two on the way from Alexandria east to Dubai. Arriving at 4 a.m. local and with very little sleep, everyone was a bit dazed. We were surprised that we had to deplane down a mobile staircase onto the tarmac. Even. More surprising, they had a dedicated bus for business and first class passengers that had individual seats with arm rests. There were only 6 of us on that bus from the plane to the terminal building. There were two other elderly women in business class that chose to wait until the plane was completely unloaded so that they could be taken off the plane because they were both wheelchair dependent.
Once we got to the terminal building, we were directed to go to another gate area to await another bus to transfer us to a different terminal building. None of the electronic displays listing flights had our flight information displayed because our flight wouldn’t be leaving for another 4 hours. It wasn’t too assuring not having our Viking baby sitters guide us through the airport, especially since some of the signage said one thing (all flights to these listed destinations (no US destinations) go to Gates A-C, All Emirates Flights-our US flights were on Emirates, go to Gate F) but the very nice people at the transfer desk said you need to take the bus to terminal 3 for your connecting flight, at the door that says Gates A-C. Nowhere was there a sign saying this way to terminal 3. Eventually, the other Viking couples showed up, except for one couple who needed wheelchair assistance because the husband has advancing Parkinson’s. We all boarded the bus, which then drove for what seemed like an eternity through a maze of huge buildings surrounded by chain-link fencing, by massive trains of trailers hauling cargo and logistics containers, and literally hundreds to thousands of employees lining up and boarding other buses in every which direction along with other strange-looking specialized vehicles for towing and servicing aircraft. The buses and these other logistical trailers were also unusually wide— over 10’, and driving on dedicated roadbeds around the airport complex like trains. At one point, it felt like we were being driven by bus back to Alexandria, but we eventually arrived at a huge and thoroughly modern terminal building. We had to go through security once again and then up an escalator to what looked more like a modern mega airport complex.
The terminal building was HUGE and had all manner of stores, duty-free shops, restaurants, and bars just like a mega shopping mall. Some passengers were pushing actual shopping cars instead of luggage trolleys. There were some moving walkways, but they could certainly have used more because there were so many gates and the terminal was so huge.
We discovered that in the second level above the main terminal floor was dedicated to hotels and a huge Emirates business class lounge. There were several different food counters along the length, including places with wine, beer, and even an ice cream cart. There was an area along the back that was very quiet and had about 16 reclined loungers where people were actually sleeping. Unfortunately, they were all occupied. We ended up finding a pair of chairs with a coffee table at the right height that we could slouch in and be able to sleep relatively comfortably for an hour or two so we could feel more human. The bathrooms were very first class and included banks of shower stalls, although we didn’t see what it would take to be able to use the showers. They had an attendant in the shower area, but there were no annoying attendants in the bathrooms like in Egypt.
The breakfast selection was quite extensive, pretty much like what you’d expect at a business class hotel buffet. They had automated espresso drink dispensers in addition to a selection of juices, teas, soft drinks, wine, and beer.
The furniture and décor were strictly first class throughout the Emirates lounge. It was quite impressive and certainly put United Airlines’ and Delta Airlines’ lounges in their places as inferior products. Yet we were surprised by how many people were using the lounge. There were even a few families with toddlers in the buffet line. The clientele was certainly very international.
Another surprise was the prevalence of Filipinos both on the FlyDubai flight attendant staff and throughout the Dubai airport operations. These Filipinos seem to speak Arabic and English fluently.
When we finally did get to board our Emirates flight from Dubai to Seattle, there was a bit of a mad rush at the gate. There were a bunch of wheelchairs at the head of the line, but there was no calling out boarding group numbers or designated boarding lanes for the different boarding groups. To make matters even more confusing, the boarding ramp for the 777ER bifurcated into separate ramps for first and business cabins to the left, and economy to the right, but a big group led by a wheelchair ended up going down the wrong ramp, clogging things a bit. However, once we got aboard, things were looking up. This Emirates 777ER actually has First Class Suites, Business Class pods, and then Economy. Our Business class pods were very comfortable and nicely appointed with wood trim and nice soft leather on the seats. The seats recline to fully flat for sleeping and make a reasonably comfortable, although narrow, bed. We didn’t look too closely at the First Class suites, but they did appear at least 50% larger than the Business Class pods.
In addition to the pods, Emirates provides noise-canceling headsets, a nice quilted blanket, decent slippers and eye mask, and even pajamas. There were also separate male and female personal care kits with dental care, hairbrush, shaving kit, lotions, lip balm, and earplugs.
The meal service was really first-rate with tasty and appealing foods served with linen napkins and real tableware.
Our flight plan took us over parts of the planet we wouldn’t have ever imagined we would be, like over Iran, several of the “Stans” (Afghanistan, Uzbekistan), and Russia because we were flying circumpolar right over the North Pole.
It was nice to get at least some sleep during the flight, but we still felt like zombies after getting off the flight in Seattle. We got all our luggage back, although Janet’s large suitcase was missing a set of wheels. We tried to file a claim with Emirates, but their agent was not going to be at least a 20-minute wait to see, so we skipped it and headed to customs and immigration.
This is where our Nexus pass membership really paid off. After collecting our bags, we rolled up to the Global Entry Kiosks. All we had to do was look into the camera, and within a few seconds, we were cleared to pass through customs and immigration right out onto the arrivals hall.
The 3 p.m. shuttle from the airport to home was uneventful. It was nice to get home during daylight hours.
This trip to Egypt to see the Great Pyramids and cruise the Nile was certainly a whirlwind trip. Cairo was so busy and chaotic, foreign, and exotic. Viking Cruises certainly lives up to their tagline “See the world in comfort”. Their oversight and guidance from meeting us at the baggage claim on arrival to Cairo through to seeing us off after the final security check on our way to our departure gates on our return flights certainly took a lot of stress and worries out of the complexities of traveling to places where English is not the primary language and where procedures and customs are different from the US. They even provided coaching and assistance in dealing with aggressive vendors to be able to negotiate good deals on what we wanted to buy, and provided a private security detail for our group, although at no point did we feel the least bit unsafe by our surroundings or the people we dealt with during this trip.
The Egyptologists that were contracted by Viking for our program directors were all excellent. We felt fortunate to have had Fatma for our program director for her kindness, attention to details, wealth of knowledge, and cultural experience, and her ability to share all that with us in a fun and easily digestible form.
The new class of Viking Nile River cruise ships are fabulous. Without a doubt, the best food we had in Egypt was what was served on the ship. Viking also made it possible to not have to worry about experiencing the Pharaoh’s revenge by always providing bottled water for tooth brushing and drinking both on the ship and on all excursions.
They were always handing out cool water bottles out of a cooler in the front of the bus. While Ben was wary at first, Janet had no hesitancy in eating salads, fruits, and drinks with ice on the ship. Although the ship does use municipal water hookups when tied up ashore and uses this municipal water for most plumbing purposes, water going to the galley undergoes further purification and treatment, and bottled water is used for ice making. Neither of us had any trouble at all.
Our ship had 82 passengers, and our tour groups were further divided up so that there were only 27 or 28 in each group. The Viking tour coaches each had capacities for 40 or more passengers, so we could spread out on the coaches and be more comfortable. Viking also uses Quiet Vox transmitters and receivers so that everyone can hear the group leaders, even in noisy and chaotic environments. Viking also seems to have been able to design their itineraries to avoid the busiest times and places. There were several times when our groups were the only ones at some of the sites, and we were never rushed through the sites.
The tour was full of activity and fast-paced. We really welcomed those few hours of cruising up and down the river between sites and appreciated that they did most of the cruising during daylight hours so we could enjoy the views from the ship.
We would wholeheartedly recommend this Viking Nile River cruise and tour to anyone looking to experience Egypt “in comfort”.
