Looking for a Liveaboard, Hurghada October 2017, recommendations sought please

[tmassey]

Hi, thanks for your reply. My dive buddy and I have just sent the booking through for the MV Emperor Superior Famous Five trip, in the name of Joseph Scott. Just waiting for confirmation. Looking forward to diving with you, cheers Jim

I’m looking at this same boat. Would you be able to share your thoughts?

 

[gcarter]

I would be happy to hear feedback as well. Currently looking at the Echo in November, the Famous Five route.

 

[Tippytoes12]

We have done two Emperor LOBs in the Maldives and loved them. Blue O2 are our favorite for the Red Sea as they have flights from Manchester or Gatwick included. Flights to Hurgada ,from Gatwick, whenever we looked , were really really expensive.

 

[tmassey]

I have found that flights are the limiting factor for me. Getting from Detroit to Hurghada will likely cost more than the rest of the trip combined. And will take something like two *full* days to get there, and three full days to get home. Turning a seven day scuba trip into nearly a two week trip, half of it spent in airports around the world. Not my idea of pleasant.

I have spent a tremendous amount of effort between Google and flight-searching websites to very little benefit. Does anyone have any tips for travel from North America to Egypt? It seems unless you are fortunate enough to be flying directly out of a major airport like New York or London, it is an extremely arduous process.

 

[KathyV]

I have found that flights are the limiting factor for me. Getting from Detroit to Hurghada will likely cost more than the rest of the trip combined. And will take something like two *full* days to get there, and three full days to get home. Turning a seven day scuba trip into nearly a two week trip, half of it spent in airports around the world. Not my idea of pleasant.

I have spent a tremendous amount of effort between Google and flight-searching websites to very little benefit. Does anyone have any tips for travel from North America to Egypt? It seems unless you are fortunate enough to be flying directly out of a major airport like New York or London, it is an extremely arduous process.

Which liveaboards are you considering? We did a Red Sea Aggressor trip out of Sharm and the Aggressor travel department found the best flights and options for us. They gave us the options and we made our choice.

We flew Alitalia from Chicago to Milan and then Milan to Cairo and then we took Egypt Air to Sharm. It wasn't easy and it wasn't cheap. We spent a couple of days in Sharm before getting on the LOB. On the return trip we spent some time in Cairo before flying home, so that made it a little easier.

I wouldn't consider a one-week trip to Egypt from the Midwest, the travel would be too onerous. Besides, while you are there you might as well take a look around on land and on the Nile - it is an amazing place to visit - and you might not get back anytime soon!

 

[outofofficebrb]

I have found that flights are the limiting factor for me. Getting from Detroit to Hurghada will likely cost more than the rest of the trip combined. And will take something like two *full* days to get there, and three full days to get home. Turning a seven day scuba trip into nearly a two week trip, half of it spent in airports around the world. Not my idea of pleasant.

I have spent a tremendous amount of effort between Google and flight-searching websites to very little benefit. Does anyone have any tips for travel from North America to Egypt? It seems unless you are fortunate enough to be flying directly out of a major airport like New York or London, it is an extremely arduous process.

I’m flying from SFO which makes it a bit easier. But it’s SFO to Munich to Cairo. Then you can take a flight to whatever domestic destination you need. Layovers in Munich are about 3-4 hours. It’s a good cushion for international connections and thankfully I have lounge access. If I depart on Friday evening around 7PM from SFO, I would arrive Sunday wee hours at 3AM-ish including the time change. There’s another 3-4 hour layover to connect to a domestic Egypt flight which is also a good cushion for delays and issues. On average, the flight is 50% more expensive than flying to Southeast Asia for me. But I have to do it because I want to check out the Red Sea.

Do check out Egypt topside and then head to Jordan as well.

 

[tmassey]

I wouldn't consider a one-week trip to Egypt from the Midwest, the travel would be too onerous. Besides, while you are there you might as well take a look around on land - it is an amazing place to visit - and you might not get back anytime soon!

I wholeheartedly agree. I can't fathom traveling halfway around the world and the only local people and things I saw were a few crew members and things under the water... But the length of the trip gets to be a problem. I'd like to keep to to 2 weeks or so (I have a family at home). That's why the travel is such a big deal: financial and time costs are making this a tough pill to swallow. I just posted a different thread (Help me choose a once-in-a-lifetime SCUBA trip!) but my initial research seems to show that the Red Sea might be perfect -- if I can get there in a reasonable manner!

As a first guess, I was looking at the Emperor Superior. The combination of cost, facilities (Nitox and doubles are a requirement for me), way they present themselves and reviews I'd read seemed a very nice balance. I prefer Nitrox to be free for everyone: @Wookie has a great reason why that's important (NITROX for any and all dives?). Their fares seem to be pretty much all-inclusive with no nickel-and-dime fees like other vendors; they have a full list of rentable extras they have available clearly listing doubles, etc.

Having said that, I've got nothing even *approaching* anything definite -- even the location! (See my other thread!)

 

[Sunn]

I’m flying from SFO which makes it a bit easier. But it’s SFO to Munich to Cairo. Then you can take a flight to whatever domestic destination you need. Layovers in Munich are about 3-4 hours. It’s a good cushion for international connections and thankfully I have lounge access. If I depart on Friday evening around 7PM from SFO, I would arrive Sunday wee hours at 3AM-ish including the time change. There’s another 3-4 hour layover to connect to a domestic Egypt flight which is also a good cushion for delays and issues. On average, the flight is 50% more expensive than flying to Southeast Asia for me. But I have to do it because I want to check out the Red Sea.

Do check out Egypt topside and then head to Jordan as well.

Note that you have 2 companies flying from Munich to Hurghada (direct)

Condor Book & Plan

TUI fly

In fact, from nearl any european main airport, you have direct flights to Hurghada and Sharm el Cheik

 

[KathyV]

I’m flying from SFO which makes it a bit easier. But it’s SFO to Munich to Cairo. Then you can take a flight to whatever domestic destination you need. Layovers in Munich are about 3-4 hours. It’s a good cushion for international connections and thankfully I have lounge access. If I depart on Friday evening around 7PM from SFO, I would arrive Sunday wee hours at 3AM-ish including the time change. There’s another 3-4 hour layover to connect to a domestic Egypt flight which is also a good cushion for delays and issues. On average, the flight is 50% more expensive than flying to Southeast Asia for me. But I have to do it because I want to check out the Red Sea.
Do check out Egypt topside and then head to Jordan as well.

I don't understand? How is flying to Egypt from San Francisco easier than from Chicago? San Fran is a half a continent further away! The OP is traveling from Detroit so he will have fewer international flights but it should still be possible to go directly from Detroit to a European capital and then on to Cairo.

 

[Schwob]

I have found that flights are the limiting factor for me. Getting from Detroit to Hurghada will likely cost more than the rest of the trip combined. And will take something like two *full* days to get there, and three full days to get home. Turning a seven day scuba trip into nearly a two week trip, half of it spent in airports around the world. Not my idea of pleasant.

I have spent a tremendous amount of effort between Google and flight-searching websites to very little benefit. Does anyone have any tips for travel from North America to Egypt? It seems unless you are fortunate enough to be flying directly out of a major airport like New York or London, it is an extremely arduous process.

Is flying out of a neighboring airport, e.g. Toronto an option? May not be the cheapest, but not bad and takes 16 or so hours from there to Hurghada with a 3-4 h layover in Cairo. Maybe on the way back a longer layover could be finnagled.