Amazing 3 Nights cruise Aswan to Luxor including Hot Air Ballon,Abu simbel

Posted By : Iris_B
We made this cruise from the 22th to the 25th of May of 2024, and we had problems in this cruise due to tipping. On the morning we were greeted by the first cruise guide, we were given an explanation with a written document explaining the cruise program, as well as the recommendations regarding tips to be given to the people who would be providing us the various services included on the program, for example the boat drivers, and drivers of other vehicles. Tips to the guides were optional, according to our perception of the service. We agreed with the guide that we would hand over the tips to him later when we would meet again. In that morning we were still with a second guide, who charged us for the tips, and since we had not yet given the tips to the other guide, we tipped the driver, the boat driver, and the guide himself when the tour ended. This guide took us to an essential oils store, where we spent more time than at the Philae temple, and where we felt led to buy an expensive essential oil that we had no intention of buying. Next, he insisted on taking us to a spice shop even though we insisted that we did not want to go. We didn't like this, because not only were the visits to the shops not included in the program, but we were forced to go even though we had clearly stated that we didn't want to go. We felt that our wishes as customers were not being respected. And we also ended up being tricked by the shop owner into buying a quantity of product that we hadn't asked for. In the afternoon, when we met again the first guide, we gave him the amount that was on the paper with the total tips so that he could distribute them among the people, according to the paper he showed us in the morning. He said that it was too much and kept only the amount that was indicated for the tips of the staff outside the boat, and returned the amount of the tips that we would have to give to the staff on the boat at the check-out, on the last day of the cruise. This guide kept 600 Egyptian pounds to distribute among the drivers and other designated staff of the monument visit services. Later, we discovered that the Chinese couple who were with us on the same tour operator had also left $16 with the same guide, with the intention that the same guide would distribute this amount in tips to whoever was due to. So we are certain that there was no misunderstanding between us and the guide regarding this matter. If the tips were not delivered, it was an internal matter of the operation that should have been resolved internally and we, the clients, should not have been bothered with it. What happened later was that on the second day, both we and the Chinese couple refused to give any more tips at the end of each scheduled visit to the monuments. This created a horrible atmosphere between us and the subsequent guides, as well as the other service providers, who said they did not know that we had already given this money and, as customers, were interpreted as if we did not want to recognize and reward the services that were being provided to us, when in fact we were being charged a third time for a service that we had already paid for twice. Also, frequently appeared more staff to tip that it was predicted in the written document presented by the first guide. All this matter and the way it was handled was very unprofessional, not trustworthy and deeply unpleasant. We were left with a horrible impression of the tour operator and the staff who were providing us with the services. Our last day started with a female guide asking us about the issue of tips, to whom we made it clear and clarified what had happened, so she spent the rest of the day finding a way to extort money from us. She started by telling us that the drop-off service included in the cruise program did not include hotels located on the west bank of Luxor. So, since the hotel where we wanted to be dropped off at the end of the tours, was located on the west bank, we would not be provided drop-off unless we paid 25 Dollars to the tour operator. None of this was written in the cruise program that we purchased, the only thing written on the cruise program was the guarantee of a drop-off service included, so we refused to pay the 25 dollars. Up until that day we were never asked by the tour operator were the drop-off was. But we ended up agreeing to pay 500 Egyptian pounds for a boat service to take us to the hotel that was on the west bank of the Nile, and we think they drop-off the Chinese couple at the airport without any more charges. If there had been better planning, perhaps the tours would have been done the other way around and we would have actually been dropped off at the hotel at no additional cost. But we felt that we were paying for a service that had already been guaranteed in the program we had purchased and that she was extorting extra money from us. She also took us to an alabaster shop that was not included in the program, so that we could buy products and ended up convincing us not to visit the Luxor Temple, which was one of the attractions included in the program. She also took us to lunch at a place where we paid 12 dollars per person for a regular lunch, which we paid directly to her, instead of paying the restaurant, knowing that the amount she paid for the lunch was not even close to the amount we paid to her. The explanation she gave us about the monuments was super quick so only I, who have very fluent English, was able to enjoy the service she provided as a guide. She also tried to extort me a good review for her, but as we were not successful, it did not happened.
For all these reasons, both we and the Chinese couple felt so extorted, that by the end of the day we could no longer see her.
A final comment is to the cruise boat, where we would have to pay 6 dollars to access the Internet. Internet is already a free service in hotels in general. And we also had to pay for water, which is an essential drink for life, especially in a country where not being properly hydrated is a high health risk.
Before we bought this cruise we asked the viator assistant, via chat, if it was a trustworthy product and the person guaranteed us it was a reliable tour operator. We recommend that this tour operator seriously review the staff and watch out the staff behaviour as it is definitely not professional and trustworthy. They were more worried about ways to extort us money, than to provide us a service that was already paid in the first place, and was paid twice, considering the tips we gave to the first guide. If they feel they do not earn enough money, it’s an internal matter of the tour operator. If it is cultural thing and they feel that they are making clients a favour for providing a service that was already paid in the first place, we suggest those attitudes should be reviewed. It’s very unprofessional to treat clients this way, and it leaves a terrible remark of the tourism services and of the country. We classify the guides to Philae Temple, The Nubian Village and Luxor utterly unprofessional, for the reasons described above. The best, most professional guide, with the best service was Edfu guide.
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Posted On : 2024-06-08 09:42:12