First Egypt LOB, plus extra time. Recommendations?

[YYCLuke]

Special birthday gift for my mother, so my brother and I are taking her on the Emperor Asmaa out of Hurghada this winter to see the wrecks. This is our first time in Egypt, and we have a funky flight to get there but thats okay.
Milan -> Sharm, switch airlines, then Sharm -> Cairo -> Hurghada; was not originally supposed to go to Cairo but route changed likely due to trying to fill the plane. Only 1 hour in Cairo so if I'm not mistaken we are not deboarding, just picking up new passengers and luggage.

So we will hit immigration and passport control in Sharm, we have roughly 3 hours (landing at 12:15, leaving at 3:30pm).

First question: Is that enough time for VOA/immigration/customs/passport control and recheck in with luggage? I figure we will be rushing. Does it make sense to go through the eVisa or VOA?

We get to Hurghada that evening, and don't depart on the LOB until about 23 hours later so we have some time to explore. When we finish the LOB we chose to leave the boat and spend the last night at a hotel as well (so we can all have our own room), so we will have another night there as well.

Second question: Any restaurant recommendations? Staying both near the Golden Sun and the Palm Inn so we are in 2 different areas of Hurghada.

Third question: We have until 6pm for our LOB departure, and all day in Hurghada. Thinking about anything touristy that'll have us back in mid afternoon, or maybe just 2 local check out dives. What/where/who do you recommend?

Lastly, what are some must have things we should bring? I'll be having a hard suitcase with my dive gear ( I know, I've read they prefer soft cases...) but also bringing a few cameras and whatnot. Hooded rashguards, changes of swimwear, a spare towel, a water bottle.. anything else specifically a must have?

The day after our LOB we are all flying back to Milan, so no Cairo layover planned.

Thanks all! Looking forward to it, as most of my diving the past 6 months have been in cold Canadian lakes, and my past experience is generally Asia and Mexico.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

Yes, 3 hours should give you enough time. Immigration is not that lenghty and stressful process one may know from other countries.
You may try applying for eVisa if you are brave enough (or IT savvy enough...) to deal with the official site. It is a bit clumpsy and some find it difficult o navigate. All other sites selling eVisa will charge you more, for services you don't need.
The easy and smooth way is to go for Visa on Arrival, assuming your (Canadian?) passport has at least 6 more months from the day of arrival in Egypt. You will need 25 USD (or equivalent in GBP or EUR) in cash, credit cards are not accepted at every airport. The queues at the visa counter in SSH are usually quite short as most of the tourists will not leave the Sharm area and therefore do not need a visa, only a free "Sinai Only" stamp in their passport.

 

[Parlem]

Ditto what JustSurface says.

Unlike Sharm, which is just a massive tourist resort, Hurghada is an actual town with "regular" Egyptian residents. I spent a couple of hours walking around ahead of my departure last year and, to be honest, I should've just stayed in my hotel sitting by the pool with a drink in hand.

Egypt's economy is in a bad way and it's plain for everyone to see: children begging outside the fish market, roads in a state of disrepair, etc. While I didn't feel unsafe, it was pretty depressing. The Al Mina mosque is an impressive building, though. Of course, this is just my personal opinion and others might disagree.

After a long journey from Canada, I'd just relax in the hotel before boarding the Emperor boat. Bring strong clothes pegs to tie down your swimming costumes to the boat's railings for drying out.

Have a great trip!

 

[BoltSnap]

I should've just stayed in my hotel sitting by the pool with a drink in hand.

That's my sentiment about Hurghada, too. Hurghada isn't a touristy town. You go there for the sea and stay in the hotel.

 

[YYCLuke]

Thanks for the insight. I appreciate it! Maybe staying in the hotel is what we need.

And yes, we will bring USD exactly for that purpose.

Thanks for alleviating our concerns about immigration.

 

[BoltSnap]

Thanks for the insight. I appreciate it! Maybe staying in the hotel is what we need.

And yes, we will bring USD exactly for that purpose.

Thanks for alleviating our concerns about immigration.

Some hotels have water toys and pools. Make sure that you get an all-inclusive or full meal plan.

 

[YYCLuke]

Some hotels have water toys and pools. Make sure that you get an all-inclusive or full meal plan.

Hotels are already chosen, no pool in the first one that we are at for 24 hours and we are closer to the airport, hence why I was wondering about a local dive op for the first morning to do a check out dive, see a nearby reef and make sure our equipment is all good for the trip. Or figure out something else to see, such as that mosque or a camel ride or ATV in the desert or something to kill the day

 

[Parlem]

Hotels are already chosen, no pool in the first one that we are at for 24 hours and we are closer to the airport, hence why I was wondering about a local dive op for the first morning to do a check out dive, see a nearby reef and make sure our equipment is all good for the trip. Or figure out something else to see, such as that mosque or a camel ride or ATV in the desert or something to kill the day

I would advise staying away from the camel rides, if any are on offer. The poor beasts are often flea-ridden and the last thing you want is to board your boat with a few uninvited "friends" with you.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

[...] I was wondering about a local dive op for the first morning to do a check out dive, see a nearby reef and make sure our equipment is all good for the trip. [...]

As usual () i recommend James & Mac. You can browse their web site and pre-book a package.
And check directly with them when you have to show up in the morning.

 

[BoltSnap]

As usual () i recommend James & Mac. You can browse their web site and pre-book a package.
And check directly with them when you have to show up in the morning.

If I want to go to Hurghada for a dive vacation, are you recommending using these people there? Even for a non-German-speaking person?