MS Antares Cruise Reviews

I was very nervous about going to the Middle East given the war in Israel. I was pleasantly surprised at the high level of security that we encountered on this trip. There was a tourist police escort for the bus and a police officer on board with us. I felt safe on the trip. The Egyptologists that Viking has for the entire river tour was so beneficial. The level of knowledge they have and want to share about the sites was wonderful. The other benefit is you got to know the guide and vice versa. It was a real benefit to have the continuity of an educated specialist in Egypt history. This way you always got new information and not repetitive due to changing tour guides.

We are a couple in our early 50s and we wondered if we would be the youngest people there. Luckily there were 2-3 other couples around our age. This is NOT a tour for people with limited mobility, walkers or wheelchairs -- there are lots of stairs and steps, and lots of cobblestones and uneven pavement. We did have a couple of older folks on our trip that ended up skipping a port or two to give themselves a break. A couple of people used canes, and they did just fine. You also might check the weather and typical temperatures not just for Cairo, but for Luxor, which is some distance to the south. We knew Cairo would be in the mid-90s, but we didn't think to check the weather further south were we had three days in a row that were 114 degrees. Traveling a few weeks later would have been a little cooler. A word about dress.... don't both bringing nice/formal clothing. It's not needed at all. While Viking says you can wear whatever you want to go ashore, this is a conservative country. NONE of the local women wore shorts, sundresses, halter tops, short dresses and skirts, etc. So if you don't want to stick out like a "dumb tourist' plan to cover shoulders, legs, and cleavage. Men can wear shorts, though it is less common. A head scarf for ladies isn't required, but I liked having one -- it helped with the heat and dust, and made me feel more respectful at religious sites.

Everyone/everything was awesome: the ship, the staff