Full-Day Boat Trip in Hurghada with Snorkeling and Lunch

Posted By : lukem496
I was skeptical of how good of a trip it could be for the affordable price and the number of activities packed into one day but it was the best day trip we did during our two weeks in Egypt.

I don’t know if I remember the name of our tour leader (possibly Sebastian — he spoke good English and German) but he immediately made everyone on the boat feel welcome. He said there would be no pressure selling on the trip and that everything was inclusive (which was 99% true except for perhaps the photographer but even that was a simple “no thanks” and then not bothered again).

Orange Island was a very cool place to visit and explore. They took us there first thing while the island was empty so it was quite an interesting experience. Although I would suggest people don’t see this as a day trip to the island as you’re only there for around an hour or so before moving on.

The first snorkeling trip was great, however the equipment needs updating. I was told this was due to lending out some snorkels to another boat who hadn’t given them back yet, so they were short. Hopefully this is resolved now.

I expected lunch to be a throwaway add-on with some basic ambient options but it was a fully cooked lunch with salads, meats, side dishes, and was actually one of the best meals we had in Egypt!

A lot of people wanted to relax for the afternoon, including my partner, who sunbathed on the front deck of the boat. I went back for the second snorkeling session and a general swim. The afternoon in general was very relaxing and great.

Finally on the way back to shore we stopped for some quick watersports on a banana boat and a ‘sofa boat’ type thing. Really fun but there was only time for a couple of runs each. Although we were tired out from a great day anyway, so this was more of a bonus than anything.

The guy doing non-stop massages for the group was a MACHINE! He started at 7am and gave massages non-stop until we finished at about 5pm. We tipped extra at the end just for the great job he did.

Highly, highly recommended trip. The price is more than worth it and was easily the best value activity we did in Egypt.
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Posted On : 2024-05-18 09:49:14

Posted By : sabrina9150
I booked a Full-Day Boat Trip in Hurghada with Snorkeling and Lunch. It was supposed to be on the 10th of May. We have a guideline to be at the meeting place at 07:30 am. We were there some minutes before. There was no one welcoming us there and no one knew about our boat trip. We called the 24/7 hotline given, but no one answered. We asked several different people at the meeting venue, and eventually one person knew about this and told us that we need to wait until 09:30, because this is when the trip actually starts. Just before 10 someone told us that there is no boat trip on the 10th. The person claimed that he works close to the boats and knows that there are no boats for that day. At 10:15 I recieved a Whatsapp message from an agent that said: "Dear Guest,
My name is Jaser and I am the owner of Royal Cruise Hurghada.
You have booked a boat trip with us for tomorrow.

Please send a copy of all passports so I can issue the boat permission for each one of you , please be so kind and send them as soon as possible so I can finalize the boat permission and issue the permission.
Please send us your room number so that our driver can use it to pick you up.
Please wait in front of the reception from outside and our driver will pick you up at the agreed time with the room number.
Your pick-up time is at 07:10

You can order breakfast boxes free of charge at your reception today and receive them to take away at reception tomorrow morning if the restaurant is closed in the morning.
Please don't forget to bring towels.

Also, bring some cash with you as only cash is accepted on the island and on the boat

We look forward to receiving a short confirmation and thank you in advance for choosing to book an excursion with us."

I told the person that the boat trip was supposed to be today (the 10th, and not tomorrow the 11th). After telling what happened, Jaser responded me that this mistake was at their end, something wrong with the bookings.
I told him that we have only 6 days at Hurghada and had dedicated this full day for this trip. Jaser was very rude, did not have any patience and gave me some minutes to respond to the options - I either get a refund or I join the next day. I told him that this does not go this way that, because of a silly mistake I lose one full day and I am only given the option to retrieve the sum I had paid. At the end he was very rude and did not want to cooperate at all. We asked for a refund and compensation for our lost day. He did not reply anything and just sent me a screenshot that the refund was done. This is not the way you treat people and I will be giving bad reviews about this experience in all media.
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Posted On : 2024-05-15 15:33:05

Posted By : Wahida S
We were picked up at 6.30 in the morning and taken to the boat. Andrew introduced himself and his team and we set sail at around 8.30. We had pictures and videos taken throughout the day, and were offered drinks throughout the day. The staff were friendly enough and were playful with the children.
Now onto my qualms. It is billed as a 6 in 1 trip which includes Orange Bay, snorkelling, optional scuba diving, lunch, massage and water sports. We were fearful it was too much for one day and we were proven right about this.
1) Orange bay, we were given one hour here which was far too short and we didn’t even get to start to enjoy it before having to leave.
2) Snorkelling - my son was not allowed to snorkel as the conditions were not great but I appreciate that is not the fault of the tour provider. However they left it until we were at the snorkelling site to sort out equipment which reduced the time spent snorkelling and they were quite restrictive about how and where to snorkel even though we are confident swimmers. It was not a great snorkelling site and there was not much to see.
3) We did not take up the additional scuba diving but other travellers said this was quite good. We did a second snorkel but again it was a very short session.
4) Lunch, I am not sure why this is counted as a separate activity but the food was nice and there was plenty to go around. This was served in a small dining room downstairs and was one of the better parts of the tour.
5) The massage was done in the middle of the boat with all other passengers sat around so it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
6) The water sports was 5 minutes on a banana boat or sofa and felt like forced fun at that point.
There was also some awkward dancing at the end.
In hindsight I wish I had just taken a speed boat and spent the day at the beach. We did a snorkelling tour the next day with a different provider and it was much better, lots to see and plenty of time given at each site.
With Royal it was too hectic trying to cram everything in and it just diluted the whole experience.
The reason I have lowered the score was because at the end of the tour Andrew came over with a paper form to ask for a review. When we said we would give the trip four stars (which was actually very generous) he got defensive and argued that it was actually a five star. He then said he needed to check something about my booking. He asked for me to go into my Getyourguide app and he was being very vague. I assumed this had something to do with getting us back to our hotel so agreed. He then proceeded to take my phone and submit a five star review from me on GetyourGuide. I found this incredibly pushy, invasive and a violation of my right as a paying customer. I saw him do this to other guests aswell and there are multiple 5 star reviews with no comments. This makes me question the validity of the reviews as he is obviously just submitting these himself.
In addition to this, the photos are hard sold to you, we got about 10 pictures overall for £35.
In summary there were some good elements to the trip, although it felt rushed and hectic overall.
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Posted On : 2024-05-15 09:05:53

Posted By : Katalin_F
The whole day was professionally organized. Punctual pickup from our hotel in an airconditioned minibus, which took us to the boat, where we had a great greetings with hibiscus tea/juice. Free massage for all the guests and the day was full of activities. Stop in orange bay, with nice photo place + beautiful beach. Snorkeling and/or scuba diving at 2 coral reefs. Delicious lunch + refreshments. Finally banana boat ride or inflatable canape ride. We were taken care the whole day and we were only 28 guests, instead of normal 48 (which might be a big busy...). Overall a great experience and highly recommended! Well done Andrew and team! :)
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Posted On : 2024-05-15 08:30:34

Posted By : louiw2024
This trip was absolutely amazing!
From start to finish the staff looked after us so much we had our 4 year old son doing all the activities and the guys helped him every step of the way to make sure he had a trip of a life time.
the mrs went diving and said it was the best experience ever!
Food excellent
Staff excellent
Snorkelling excellent we saw an octopus
Diving excellent
Water sports excellent
Massage excellent

Well done and thank you to everyone (royal)
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Posted On : 2024-05-10 10:31:32

Posted By : Sarah_N
The crew was very nice, interactive and such a hype team to everyone on every activity without being pushy. Also great guidance for people who have anxiety/panic but still want to participate. Thank you! They offer photos and videos for such a good price and quality. The communication is very good about the itinerary and extra options like free/scubadiving for beginners.
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Posted On : 2024-05-06 03:28:25

Posted By : jack_w
Great for beginner divers - very professional and friendly people - highly recommend!!
Take you to beautiful spots and ensure you will have the best time!
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Posted On : 2024-04-27 09:19:10

Posted By : luismI6139GC
The guide spoke great German and always created a great atmosphere. Since the tour starts so early, you are alone on the island.
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Posted On : 2024-04-23 19:02:21

Posted By : H1917CNalexandreb
Top crew, great atmosphere! Lunch was good. The introduction to diving was a
Incredible experience for the whole family. I recommend. Very good value for money!
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Posted On : 2024-04-17 09:03:48

Posted By : askin_2019
Super super super very clean food delicious crew very good and respectful don't bother anyone very clean I can only recommend it
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Posted On : 2024-04-16 09:23:39