Pre-Cruise Tour and Hotels:
This cruise started with an included land stay and tours in Cairo and Luxor before boarding the Aegean Odyssey in Safaga. The hotel used in Cairo was great (Fairmont Nile City); most rooms have beautiful views over the Nile in downtown Cairo and the hotel is new and opulent. The Luxor hotel wasn't quite as stellar (Sonesta St. George) but was fine for the one night we spent there. A full day of touring in Cairo included the pyramids, sphinx, and Egyptian museum; I did not participate having done these several times already. Instead I arranged a private walking tour of al-Muizz li-din Allah street, a newly restored and pedestrianized street near the Khan el-Khalili bazaar with beautiful old Islamic mosques and other sights. I highly recommend it.
We flew to Luxor very early in the morning of the next day and toured Karnak temple, had the afternoon off, then returned to Karnak for the Sound and Light Show that evening. The next morning we visited the Valley of the Kings (3 open tombs plus the tomb of Tutankhamun), then Hatshepsut's Temple and the Colossi of Memnon before checking out of the hotel and boarding buses for a 3-hour drive to Safaga for embarkation. All meals and tours in Cairo and Luxor were included in the price of the cruise.