We were on a cruise and were in Alexandria for two days. At the very last minute, literally the day before we left for our cruise, I booked through Ramses. I was happy that they were able to accommodate my husband and me at such short notice. They corresponded with me very quickly and answered all my questions in advance. The quote for an entirely private tour for two people with a driver and guide and a stay in a five-star hotel was hundreds of dollars less than what the ship was charging for a similar tour on a large tour bus. (Having also done some ship sponsored tours on a bus, there is NO comparison.) We could have saved more money had additional people been on our tour, but we found a totally private tour to be the best way to travel and would highly recommend spending the additional money (not that much in the whole scheme of things) for a private tour.
Our driver was Kamel and our guide was Osama. Both were friendly and professional. Yassir was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. They must work crazy hours, but they were always alert and ready to go when we arrived in port at 7:00 a.m. Osama was great at explaining everything to us and taking us to the most important pieces in the Egyptian Museum, etc. and helping us prioritize our time. He would go into all the sites with us, buy the tickets, explain what we were looking at and why it was important, and give us a little time to look around on our own as well. It was all so worry-free for us. He knew a lot about Egyptian history and was a natural guide. osama also talked to us about life in Egypt today, etc., which was so informative.
The van that we had seated about 8 people but we were the only ones in it. It was a new van with TV screens and plenty of space. They even asked if we wanted to watch a movie in English. The van had sun roofs, air conditioning, etc. Bottled water was provided. I believe that the van also had a safe, though we didn?t use it. Kamel was always with the van when we were not in it, and we left our bags there.
The great thing about a private tour was that we could customize the itinerary ? we cut short some of the shopping. Also, we were scheduled to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe and didn?t want to eat there, so osama took us to an Egyptian restaurant.
The experience was like no other. It was truly wonderful and we are so grateful to Ramses for an unforgettable experience. I would highly recommend them ? so much better than a cruise line tour!