Above everything, when we got to Egypt everything was great and we regard it as one of the best holidays we've been on. The local tour manager and guide were absolutely brilliant and very knowledgable, and really made our tour the best it could be. Our holiday was highly memorable and we would thoroughly recommend it. I have given it 5 stars for this reason. Sylvia tours, the local company in Egypt who took us everywhere were very good indeed and we couldn't fault anything about the excursions and activities whilst we were there.
There were, however, 2 things worth mentioning as negative:
1. There was hardly any information ahead of the holiday. Nobody from Titan contacted us nor met us at Heathrow and the first Titan rep we encountered was at Cairo airport on arrival. Talking to other people in the group, it was apparent that there were inconsistencies in advice on Visas, where some, like us, had obtained them in advance and some had to collect them on arrival.
2. There were a lot of hidden costs. More than half the excursions were optional and at not insignificant additional amounts. There was also an expectation that we "tip" the tour manager, who was supposedly an employee of Titan (he wore a badge to say so), and the guide as well, and the suggested amount came to over £200 for a couple. These people should be paid appropriately and tipping them should not be necessary. I would not object if the cost was included in the tour price, if this is genuinely something not covered in the price, but to demand money while on the tour is awkward and embarrassing. Tipping should always be discretionary and not expected.
In addition to this, there were quite a few "shopping" stops where we were hounded by people selling various things at quite high prices. It may be local custom to sell this way but it is extremely uncomfortable to travellers.
Our feeling, having thought about it, is that Titan as a company does very little towards the organisation of their holidays and outsources virtually everything at the cheapest price, where the guides and local tour managers have to recoup the difference between what they get from Titan and what would be a reasonable income from their services. We have been on Titan holidays before, which have been great too, but it does seem that some cost cutting has taken place. I would welcome comments from Titan on this point.