Uniworld: The Finest In Luxury Travel
Kiwi Agents’ Nile Adventure Begins
It was a day of both bucket list moments and recreating past memories for the 30-plus members of the Kiwi delegation on Uniworld’s 50th anniversary mega famil to Egypt.
The itinerary officially began with a trip to Egypt’s famed Giza pyramids followed up by a visit to the world’s biggest museum dedicated to a single civilisation. And despite the hype, and a repeat visit for some, many of the Kiwi agents were still in awe. The agents are not alone. Alice Ager Uniworld md ANZ says Egypt and the Nile ‘is having a moment with Kiwi travellers’. Uniworld’s Egypt sales are up 300% on last year for New Zealand alone.
“It’s been amazing to see it come back to life in such a short period of time.” And given that growth, Ager says it’s incredible to be able to host the Kiwi agents, and their plus ones, ‘to experience the Uniworld difference on the Nile first hand’.
The regional Uniworld boss says Kiwis tend to be intrepid travellers keen to explore, to taste local flavours, and learn about the culture. “This itinerary is going to share the wonder of Egypt’s ancient history with them in style and luxury…they are in for a wonderful experience! We love investing in our Kiwi agents; we want them to feel, live and breathe what we offer and how Uniworld is different.”
. . . Starting Strong
Uniworld’s Egypt itinerary starts and ends with two nights in Cairo and includes a half-day at the new Grand Egyptian Museum.
“It’s a whopping museum full of things that have rarely been seen before,” says Ager. “Many of the pieces have been moved from the Original Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but there are also thousands of pieces that have been kept in archive for decades. It’s a great day as the museum brings together all the stories and history of ancient Egypt that you learn through the voyage.”
Five Star Luxury
Clients on Uniworld’s Egypt itinerary stay at the five-star Ritz Carlton or the Four Seasons Nile Plaza.
Suggest those staying at the Ritz Carlton hotel visit the nearby old Egyptian Museum. “While the [Grand Egyptian Museum] is modern, clean, air conditioned, the old museum is like stepping back in time and a sight to behold in itself,” says Alice Ager.
“There are some gaps where key pieces have been moved, but they have a replica of the original Rosetta Stone which unlocked the code of language. Without that tablet, we wouldn’t be able to translate many of the ancient languages including hieroglyphics, which blows my mind!”
When To Visit
Depending on how clients handle the heat, the ideal times of year to visit Egypt are during autumn to spring, says Uniworld md ANZ Alice Ager. “Summer is too hot and dry and we don’t operate during the hottest months of Jul and Aug. I once visited in Dec and didn’t pack a jumper so spent the week on the Nile wearing my husband’s sweatshirt.”
Ager says the winter months are a dry 25 degrees in the day time, but notes that temperatures drop when the sun goes down, with a cool overnight and early morning. Pro tip: Christmas really is the best time if you want to avoid the high temperatures, she adds.