If you have ever wanted to go to Egypt, but, if like me, was apprehensive about safety concerns with unrest and terrorism, put aside your fears and go! Although anything can happen anywhere (vis-à-vis Las Vegas, Paris, Brussels, etc.), we felt completely safe at all times as the Egyptian government is committed to security for tourism.

If you go to Egypt, you definitely want to go "first class." Fortunately, that is easy to do as the prices there are very reasonable. For our trip we choose Uniworld's Splendors of Egypt & Nile River. You probably will want to arrive in Cairo a day or two early to recover from jet lag, and maybe see some sites in Cairo that are not part of the Uniworld tour. The first couple of nights were at the Four Seasons Hotel which is located in the downtown area on the Nile River. As you would expect at the Four Seasons, the rooms and service was unbeatable. They have a variety of excellent restaurants located in the hotel, including Chinese and Italian. They also have a "pool side" café for burgers, etc., which was very good.

From Cairo we flew to Luxor where we boarded the Riverboat Tosca for a week of cruising the Nile River. The Tosca is an older and smaller boat compared to most European cruise riverboats, but never the less, was perfectly adequate for the trip. The rooms were exceptionally large and well appointed. The lounge and dining area was quite satisfactory. The food was well prepared and good quality. I heard no complaints and not aware of anyone who got sick. Overall, both the room and dining services was very good. Being a small boat, the entertainment was limited, but I didn't go to Egypt for night clubs and dinner shows. The boat crew was outstanding being very friendly and eager to please. Read more