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What I Wish I'd Know BEFORE Doing My Nile River Cruise!
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Jan 28, 2025
Seven out of ten travellers told me they really want to do a Nile River cruise. But almost all said they were unlikely to do it, because they had too many questions and concerns. Having done one, I have discovered the answers to those questions, and a few they should be asking but aren’t. For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: --------------------------------------------------- * T-Shirts: http://bit.ly/TFTStore * Mugs, notebooks, hoodies etc: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/tipsfortravellers?ref_id=22354 My social media: --------------------------------------------------- * Blog: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com * Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge * Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers * Instagram: http://www.instgram.com/garybembridge * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bembridge
View Video Transcript
0:00
7 out of 10 Travelers told me in this
0:02
poll they want to do in our river cruise
0:04
but almost all said they were unlikely
0:07
to do it because they have too many
0:09
questions and concerns now having done
0:11
one I've discovered the answers to those
0:13
questions and a few more that I think
0:16
people considering going should be
0:18
asking but aren't as you will find out
0:20
I'm Gary bember and while I will get
0:22
into safety security and health in a bit
0:24
I realized I should have first before
0:26
worrying about that been asking a few
0:29
more things about what a Nar River
0:30
Cruise experience was like to see if it
0:33
suited how I like to travel
0:36
I'd focused on all the sites I was going
0:39
to see but hadn't asked enough about how
0:41
it would actually play out on the trip
0:44
the trip packs in lots and lots of
0:47
sightseeing there were long and
0:48
intensive days both in Cairo and on the
0:51
two-way Cruise between lakso and Aswan I
0:54
was surprised how limited downtime there
0:56
was actually sailing and because I found
0:59
this just 140 miles about 225 kilometers
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between Luxor and Aswan so you don't do
1:03
very much sailing we spent multiple days
1:06
I discovered docked in Luxor and Aswan
1:09
and on the plus side though the sites
1:11
were not too far from the docking areas
1:13
probably the longest time I spent on a
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bus was about 45 minute drive out to the
1:17
Valley of the queens and the Valley of
1:19
the Kings though they were incredible
1:21
sights to see and I dive into each of
1:24
them more in this particular video where
1:26
I talk about the best ones to see and I
1:28
must rest seven night Crews is an
1:31
absolute must to see everything and not
1:33
be too rushed so check if you're going
1:35
that you're not on one with a three or
1:36
fortnite itemi must be seven nights now
1:39
did I get templed out by the end of the
1:41
trip I was feeling a little betrayed and
1:43
it struck me when I was touring the
1:44
Luxor Temple at the end of the trip that
1:46
I was almost dismissing it as rather an
1:49
impressive which was insane because it
1:51
is incredible we were in small groups of
1:53
24 with one egyptologist per group for
1:57
the entire trip no mean it was mine was
2:00
incredibly knowledgeable and she made
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the trip so fascinating the other key
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thing of note when off ship is the
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lenders they are Relentless and all the
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sites make visitors go through the
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stores on the way in and out of any site
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there is no way to escape them and they
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are very pushy ask your guide how to
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handle them I found don't let them hand
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me anything put anything on me look
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ahead ignore them and go no no no
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which means no the stuff being sold by
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the way seemed pretty touristy and
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mass-produced I wasn't that impressed
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with it to be honest found found though
2:37
the public toilets grubby you have to
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pay to go into all of them not very much
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just one US dollar or a couple of
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Egyptian pounds I took toilet paper and
2:45
wipes out with me every day there were
2:48
armed police military checkpoints and at
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every site we went through metal
2:52
detector screening with bags going
2:54
through screening too one thing I had
2:56
not asked but found I should have was
2:59
around taking photographs and video Once
3:01
in Egypt our cruise manager Walla warned
3:04
us all to be really cautious of taking
3:06
photographs and never take anything of
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say the screening areas the checkpoints
3:11
the police or any other authorities or
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anything that could vaguely be construed
3:17
as suspicious like given at airports
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where there are military aircraft too
3:20
also I found I should have asked about
3:23
packing people on the trip with
3:26
binoculars for example where they were
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told do not take them out I hadn't taken
3:30
my drone but just as well because they
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are totally banned in the country even
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some of my camera tripods I was advised
3:36
to not take out because they could raise
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attention from authorities also I am
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really pleased I checked the weather and
3:43
came prepared I went in April which was
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between 30 to 35 degrees Celsius that's
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86 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and I found
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with good sunscreen a hat drinking lots
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of water wearing cool clothing it was
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fine flies and bugs were something I had
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not asked about and I did get bitten
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quite a lot because I'd forgotten to
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take bug spray with me also I had just
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taken US Dollars which worked fine
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everywhere though I had not taken lots
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of small notes like one dollars and five
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dollars which is what I needed most so
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remember that moving on from the off
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ship experience I found the onboard
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experience was not one that I'd asked
4:19
enough about either
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I chosen to go on Emerald trees because
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I knew and I loved it from my experience
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in Europe and I thought that familiarity
4:28
would be really really reassuring
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however
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what I didn't ask is if they were really
4:34
running the show I discovered they were
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not by law they must be Egyptian owned
4:41
operated and only use Egyptian crew and
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that's true of all of the river cruise
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boats Emma waterways like other
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well-known cruise lines are just
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Partnerships with Egyptian companies my
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cruise was much more a wing screws which
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is their partner in Egypt running under
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the kind of ammo waterways Banner of
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course Amber waterways I could see they
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had set certain standards they had some
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requirements but it was not the usual
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ammo waterways kind of experience that I
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was used to and that was a bit of a
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surprise to me the second aspect of the
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cruise experience I should have asked
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probably more about was about the ship
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and the experience itself having been on
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river cruises in Europe and Asia whilst
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a lot of it wasn't as much as a surprise
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to me as it was to others here's some of
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the things that stood out ships on the
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Nile are all pretty much the same as the
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height is fixed to go into Bridges and
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the width to get through the asthma
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locks between Luxor and Aswan which you
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sell between this limited size means of
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course limited facilities the Abu Dahlia
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for example had one main restaurant for
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breakfast lunch and dinner they had an
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Alfresco chef's table dining area open
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only on certain nights when we were
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sailing a lounge with bar for the
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briefings the entertainment afternoon
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tea relaxing a small Reception Area a
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small Library a shop packed with jewelry
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and souvenirs a fitness room a spa room
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for hairdressing a massage a great Sun
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Deck with a plunge pool and a bar there
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was of course no Casino no medical
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center and those kind of things I also
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realized I'm not asked enough about the
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food and beverage offerings on board
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before going on amadalia breakfast was
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largely a buffet with some items ordered
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from a menu lunch was a buffet service
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and dinner was totally a la carte the
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menus were relatively tight with some
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choice of start his main courses and
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desserts the food was kind of a mixture
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of international and Egyptian food it
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was pretty good but not amazing but good
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as I don't drink alcohol I not asked
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about what was included and a found
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drink has had a kind of a mixed view
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around that Egyptian wines and beers
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were included at lunch and dinner
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there was the Emma waterways signature
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Sip and sail hour every evening before
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dinner at a pretty decent menu of
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included drinks but only drinks and
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Cocktails using Egyptian sourced Spirits
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so if you wanted a kind of a more
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International Spirits beers or wines you
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would pay for those entertainment was
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limited it was I thought
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I felt touristy there was a belly dancer
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one evening a tanura whirling dervish
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dancer uh galabaya party where we're all
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dressed up in traditional garb one thing
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I did ask is what is and is not included
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in the onboard experiences while build
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as all-inclusive I always know that the
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definition on any River Cruise Line
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differs slightly line by line now on my
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trip which included a land portion in
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Cairo it included all the transfers
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hotel stays in Cairo flights to and from
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Luxor entry fees into all the sites
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listed in the program the crews of
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course food and drink that I've already
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mentioned Wi-Fi and the services of a
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cruise manager Walla and egyptologist
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guides mine was called namim the extra
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cost on my trip with the optional
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excursions to abbison Bell an optional
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afternoon tea at the old cataract hotel
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and as one camera rides at Giza Pyramids
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gratuities now gratuities are quite high
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it's about 250 per person then of course
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you know services like laundry and
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spartnership would be next though I wish
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that I had asked and checked much more
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about the best cabin and location on the
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ship this is a really really big one now
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there are like all River Cruises a
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limited range of cabin types the least
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costly on the lowest deck most under the
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wartime with a window about three
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quarters of the way up the others on the
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higher decks they have floor-to-ceiling
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Windows and some of them had little
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small kind of balconies however
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location is what I found the most
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important factor of all of these not the
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cabin itself the nine is really busy
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with at least 250 ships selling that
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short distance between Luxo and Aswan
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they talk almost every single night we
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adopt six of the seven nights the ship
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adopt side by side and also then in rows
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along the bank so often there will be a
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ship docked literally a few feet away
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from your window blocking any of you and
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I found off tonight to walk through
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multiple ships on up to four to get to
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the bank but the mistake I made was not
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asking past Travelers about locations to
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avoid my seemingly on paper anyway
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perfect cabin close to the front of the
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ship was a disaster later I found people
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that said so on the ammo World trays fan
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Facebook group so if I'd asked I would
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have known that now Nile River Cruise
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engines run 24 hours a day seven days a
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week and they don't get plugged into
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shoreside power when docked these are
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noisy and fume pumping engines now as
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the ships are docked in rows along the
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bank it means the loud rear engines make
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Caverns at the front of any ship dock
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behind them like mine unbearable it
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really was awful now what about the
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safety side which so many people ask
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about
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I did find traveling in the bubble that
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Emma waterways effectively created for
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the trip meant I felt secure and safe it
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started as soon as I arrived at the
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airport because even before going
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through immigration I was met like
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everybody else by one of the team who
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explained the whole process of going
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through immigration and then onwards
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there was always always always somewhere
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with us in fact right up until I went
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through final security at the airport to
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fly home there was someone with us I
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always was in a group there was always
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the Emma waterways team there guiding
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explaining smoothing the way watching
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out for us and they also seemed to be
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some additional security at places we
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visited too because some familiar faces
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kept sort of popping up as we traveled
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around we were always by the way briefed
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about what to do and what not to do and
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how things would be and how they would
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work and now groups egyptologist Namine
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would even step in if the vendors got a
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little bit too aggressive now this
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bubble was also a real Plus for
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travelers like for example a solo women
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travel on the group and an LGBT couple
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on the Strip because Egypt has a
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reputation of some intolerance and
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hassling of LGBT people and it insulated
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everybody from you know any hassles from
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the outside there was also a lot of
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Egyptian security everywhere which was
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reassuring armed and tourist police at
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every site checkpoints and guards are
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bounded we did have police escorts from
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the airport in Luxor and in Kina north
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of Luxor but nowhere else other people
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have said they've had it more often
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Egypt did feel although politics is way
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more settled a little bit on edge and
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you know kind of a little bit worried
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about safety security and assume a risk
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of things getting more intense really
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quickly so being in that bubble with
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local knowledge and guidance was I felt
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key it definitely kind of made me feel
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much more comfortable now this leads me
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to the other question I get asked a lot
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before going and while there I was a bit
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obsessed
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how do I make sure I don't get an upset
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stomach that could ruin things quite a
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few people on the trip by the way did
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get an upset stomach but I did not
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because I was constantly focusing on it
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I used hand gel all the time including
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after handing banknotes which I was
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warned was a potential risk I drank
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bottled water both on and off the ship
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even using it to rinse my mouth and my
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toothbrush when brushing my teeth I
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didn't eat salad because that was
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another risk I you know I heard that was
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a risk I never had ice for example I
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only had fruit that was peeled or
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vegetables that were cooked another
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question I found I should have been
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asking was
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if I did get an upset stomach what was
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the best way of dealing with it and the
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answer is ask for the local remedy
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Imodium which is what I'd taken with me
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according to people on the trip that had
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upset stomach didn't really work I
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wasn't that effective but a local remedy
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offered by the ship at reception was and
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worked a dream
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so knowing these questions to ask one
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I've learned more about the best and
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worse things about cruising now about
12:59
watching this video starting with the
13:03
sites you need to absolutely ensure are
13:05
on your itinerary because they will make
13:07
or break your trip see you over there
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