I am planning a honeymoon to jordan and egypt... there is a lot that we want to do in 2 weeks and i was wondering if this trip looked OK or if we are trying to cram too much in. trying to keep a relaxed pace

1/30/2009 - bos to amm via nyc
1/31/2009 - arrive in amm stay in amm marriott
2/1/2009 - drive to dead sea and stay at dead sea marriott
2/2/2009 - dead sea
2/3/2009 - drive dead sea to petra stay at petra marriott
2/4/2009 - petra
2/5/2009 - wadi rum & drive to aqaba - stay in aqaba
2/6/2009 - ferry to sharm al sheikh - stay at marriott rennaisance in sharm
2/7/2009 - sharm
2/8/2009 - sharm
2/9/2009 - sharm
2/10/2009 - sharm to cairo - stay at marriott in cairo (either downtown or jw)
2/11/2009 - cairo
2/12/2009 - cairo
2/13/2009 - cairo
2/14/2009 - cairo
2/15/2009 - cai to bos via nyc

would it be worth staying a day in aqaba and take away a day from cairo? or maybe an extra day at the dead sea marriott to take some time to recover from the flight/acclimate?

Are we missing anything big? will the water in sharm be swimmable this time of year? (note that we are from boston -- so swimmable can be pretty cold)

Travel from aqaba to sharm - i was thinking the ferry would be good and a taxy from the ferry terminal to sharm but i have heard that it is difficult to get the the fast ferry. can i get these tickets in advance to guaruntee a seat? or is this a first-come-first-serve kind of thing. would my hotel in aqaba be able to help out with this? if not the ferry - any direct flights from aqaba to sharm?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have not been before (going next year) but my son lives in Cairo. You may have a few too many days in Cairo. He thinks 3 days in Cairo should suffice. Also, the Aswan to Luxor (or vice versa) 3-4 days cruises are very popular. You may want to consider replacing a few Cairo or Sharm days with that.

i was thinking about luxor and aswan but maybe taking the trains back and forth as i do not think ill have time for a 4 day cruise

I think that you have to decide between Sharm-el-Sheik and Luxor/Aswan, because you don't have the time for all three. I would not encourage you to take a Nile cruise. You need two days in Luxor and Aswan each. You can hire a fallukah from your hotel. The sunset in Aswan is one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. I don't know about the train; we flew. I really enjoyed Cairo and have been there a few times, but you don't need more than three days. I am not sure why you would want to spend more than a few hours at the Dead Sea. Just some of my thoughts, but I would rework this itinerary if I were you.

thanks georgemma --
i appreciate the insight ... your point about choosing is why i left luxor/aswan out initially.

the only reason for the time at the dead sea was to relax a little bit before we started driving and walking and hiking etc... my fiance does not recover from long flights as quickly as i do...

but to your point i might be able to carve a day out of sharm and out of cairo to make it to luxor for a little bit... i am hearing consistantly that i have too much time in cairo.

Hi, coffeeguzzler -- I like that name! I was afraid that the extra time at the Dead Sea was for jet lag recovery. It sounds like a wonderful honeymoon, you just need to tweak the itinerary a little. Mr. georgemma is really good at knowing how many days to spend in which locations, so I'll be sure to ask him tomorrow. I'll get back to you.

What about doing Petra as a day trip from Amman, forgetting the Dead Sea, and then flying down to Sharm? Then you could see more things in Egypt. I guess that you want to spend more time than that in Jordan. What tickets have you already booked? Where are you staying in Cairo?

nothing booked yet.
trying to stay at all marriott properties on this one ... i have many many points to burn. i am always mixed about traveling abroad and staying in american hotels ... but when they are free i dont feel so badly

i am trying to decide between the JW and the downtown marriott in cairo ... leaning towards the downtown marriott at this point.

thanks again for the help

Hi, again -- I am not familiar with either Marriott property, because I have only stayed at the Mena House, in a room with a balcony overlooking the Giza pyramids. I would have suggested that for you, but I understand the allure of using points and staying for free. I have just looked at the Marriott site and think that if it were my trip I would prefer to stay in Cairo. I like the look of the pool with a view of the Nile. Cairo has been cleaned up considerably and there is a lot of local color, albeit with a lot of traffic (what else is new?). Heliopolis is a suburb, the choice for expat executives. The Archeological Museum in Cairo, btw, is fascinating, and nearly everything from the Luxor tombs is found there. You should definitely book a guide.

I have never been to Amman, unfortunately, so I can't help you out there. I do know the Sinai/Egypt/Israel quite well. I asked my husband for his thoughts, but he didn't have much to add. I am a French teacher and still have several weeks left before I return to work, so I will think about this some more and let you know if I have any other good ideas for you.

Hi, most of my suggestions are based on actual exprience..

- Go straight from AMM airport to Dead Sea hotel, skip the city. the hotel can collect you, it's a shorter drive than from the city anyway.

- Allow two days for Petra, it is a lot of walking, and you'll not want to have to dash around. Marriott is a 10 min minibus/taxi drive from the entrance to Petra, and is a bit light on decent dining options. Movenpick is far better if you can tear yourself away from the brand.

- Spend a night in a tent in Wadi Rum.. Lonely Planet has recommendations

- Skip Aqaba and the ferry.. I'd suggest you head back to AMM airport and take the RJ flight to Sharm from there.

- The Savoy resort in Sharm has some excellent villas with private pool, I can put you in touch with a great travel agent in egypt for this kind of booking.

- Three days in Cairo are plenty, Marriott is great, nice pool in garden, although in town it is an oasis of calm. I can recommend a driver to ferry you around the sights/shops.

Have fun.

I agree with these suggestions for the most part. Skip Amman; there's not much there (especially compared to Cairo), and it will likely be cold and snowy in January. Not much to do in Aqaba also.

I would say that one day is enough for Petra, unless you're a hard-core archaeology buff. I would say that one day is also enough for the Dead Sea, especially this time of year. It will be warmer than Amman, but not hot enough (in my opinion) to really lay out by the pool or sea, leaving little else to do. This is even more true given that you're going to Sharm, where you'll have plenty of opportunities for relaxation.

I was in AMM and Petra about this time (couple weeks later) this past winter. I spent one day wandering around Amman and that was more than enough. I personally enjoyed it from the perspective of experiencing new cities. If you're not into that then skip it.

I stayed at the Petra Marriott as well. Nice enough property - beautiful sunset view. You do have to drive to Petra (the attraction part) though it takes 5-10 minutes. I spent 1.5 days walking around in Petra. You could do it in 1 but I liked the extra time the first afternoon as it allowed me to doubletime it past the initial sights the next morning and thus avoid some of the people.

Agreed. Nothing in Amman is worth it.

1 day in Petra will not allow you to see more than one remote sight, and may make things pretty rushed. If the thought of hiking to see beautiful scenery and ruins appeals, make this two days; if all you want is a taste, 1 day is enough.

Keep in mind: Any trip that involves multiple transfers, one night here, one night there, is going to be less relaxing by definition. Lots can go wrong travel-wise in the ME -- missed connections, delays, etc. I'd take the R&R where you can.

This is a must do. Really, you'll be missing out if you skip this.

Absolutely forget the ferry. Agreed with idea to fly ex-AMM.

Never stayed there, but it does look nice!

Definitely stay at the Cairo Marriott, but be sure to ask for a Nile View. (See Marriott threads for lots on the pros and cons of these hotels.) Are three days in Cairo enough? Wow, hard to say, really depends on what you're looking to do. I generally recommend 1 day for the pyramids, 1 day for Islamic Cairo, 1 day for Egypt Museum/misc. It is a big city, though, so not sure how that fits into HM plans. (Be sure to do a felucca ride on the Nile!)

Seconded!

Sounds like a nice trip! I just was in Jordan a few months ago with my parents. If you pass thru Madaba on the King's Highway or between Amman and the Dead Sea, I'd really recommend stopping there for a meal at Haret Jdoudna. It's a nice courtyard/garden restaurant though may be too chilly for outdoor dining, but its the best meal I had in the Middle East. Excellent service and really fantastic mezze.

We did 2 nights and one full day at Petra and thought that was enough. Arrived in the early evening and signed up for the Petra By Night tour which I'm sure you read about in the guidebooks - was nice. Watch out for the donkey poop though.... And then spent the next full day wandering around, but damn its a LOT of walking. a LOT. But I thought we had a nice full experience with the one night tour and one full day.

Also, yeah, that seems a long time to be in Cairo...