5-Day Nile Cruise of Egyptian Treasures from Luxor to Aswan

Firstly the boat 'Grand Sun' was by far the worst vessel we saw - well past it's use by date. Our cabin was dark, with poor lighting, stuffy with a damp smell. The toilet leaked constantly, lights didn't work, curtains hanging by a few hooks, bed linen and towels grey and very old and stained carpet both in the cabin and hallway. The staff and crew friendly, helpful and fun with good food. However 2 stars would be a stretch. AVOID THIS VESSEL. Secondly the tour was very poorly organised. Having spend two days in Luxor prior to the cruise we avoided visiting Luxor Temple and Karnak as it was on the itinerary of the tour. This was to be our highlight of our cruise. After being picked up on day one late from our hotel and rushed through sites we wasted time at an unscheduled Alabaster factory visit and arrived at the boat too early to check-in. We were then told there wasn't enough time to visit either site. The boat was moored opposite the Luxor Temple. We will be seeking financial compensation. After 20 years of world travel, mostly in third world countries, this was by far the most poorly organised ever. With no idea when we were to leave each morning we were rushed through sites by guides of a poor standard. Best part of the disorganised tour was getting off the boat. It certainly does not live up to the hype on the website. AVOID THIS TOUR.

Recently we thought it would be fun to do a Nile cruise on our trip to Egypt. We decided to pick one of viator Nile cruises, 5 days/4 nights from Luxor to Aswan. The local tours that Viator contracted were very frustrating to work with. We weren't given an itinerary the whole time we were on the boat, leaving us constantly wondering what time we are leaving or where we're going. The tour person (not a guide) was left to babysit us the whole time on this cruise and never gave us any clear information about what time we should meet. I met another couple who booked the same tour with us and had the same problem. The only reason why I gave two stars is because the crew on the boat is very friendly, hard workers, and professional; the food is good. But also lots of these cruise boats are very old. So don't expect it to be a five star hotel in any standard, it's more like a 2 star hotel, definitely not luxury. I'm very disappointed by booking this trip.

A very disappointing cruise. Firstly, we were promised an English speaking guide but all we got is Arabic guides all along. We didn't understand one word what the guides said and they pretty much didn't understand anything we said. On day 2 at Luxor, when our guide dropped us at the boarding point, our ship Grand Times had already left the pier and we saw the ship anchored in mid river with no direction left for us. We had hire a private boat to reach the ship. After sometimes we were told that the ship has a breakdown and we will be driven by bus to Esna port to catch an alternate ship called Grand Sun. Upon reaching Esna, we were told we should proceed to M/S Royal Ruby and no one knew about M/S Grand Sun. At Royal Ruby, we were advised that they will allot our rooms shortly. After waiting for two hours we still didn't get any room. All our fellow Arabic passengers from Grand Times already had their cabins. Upon further follow up, we were told that they don't have any cabin for us. We were then shunted off to another vessel, The Grand Rose. This was the poorest and oldest looking ship. The tour operators stopped communicating with us completely. This ship never stopped at Edfu which was included in our itinerary We kept calling the no. given to us by our Tour Manager Yasser. No one answered the phone or returned our call. Finally, I found an alternative no. and called the Tour operator following morning. He did not explain why we getting treated this way. And simply said someone will come to pick us up at 2 pm. We were forced to book another private tour that morning since that was our last day at Aswan. Also, Abu Simbel was included in our package but that was never covered. No one showed up at 2 pm. We kept calling and were given a time of 2:20 pm but finally someone showed up at 3 PM and we had chase the tour bus halfway across the town. Again no English guide. This tour was to cover several points of interest in Aswan but we were taken to only one point, the temple of Philae. I expressed my disappointment to Yasser who promised to meet me in the evening but never showed up. We felt cheated since the tour did not deliver most of the things that we paid for and caused so much inconvenience and stress. This operator deserves black listing.

Our tour guide in Luxor (John - Luxor and Karnak temples, Valley of Kings, Hepshatsut) was friendly and knowledgeable, he seemed to enjoy his jobs and teaching people, as opposed to the guide for Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan which was very mediocre and didn’t speak english very well. We got the MS Renaissance cruise, which is very comfortable (don’t expect a modern ship like Norwegian Cruises or Royal Caribbean, they are on the older and smaller size but still great), good service and great food. Something we overlooked was the entry fees for most destinations which averaged around US$100 per person in total + any tips (which seem to be expected and they will give you the bad eye if you don’t tip if they as much as breathe for you). A great experienced overall, if you get the 5 nights you will likely have a full free day in Aswan.

Everything about this went well and I highly recommend this company for this trip and any other tours you might be considering. The company communicated well. Everything was properly organised and went like clockwork. The price includes an excellent private guide and transport for tours to the Temples and Monuments in Luxor, Aswan and enroute. The boat itself, Renaissance, was getting a bit dated but was spotlessly clean. The crew were excellent, friendly and attentive. Our waiter Mohammed is a lovely man who just could not do enough for us. He always had a smile and though his English is not great he always made time to make conversation. The food wasn't really to my taste though I didn't go hungry. The choice wasn't great and it tended to be overcooked and much the same each day. However, for the price paid this was excellent value for money and I have no hesitation in recommending this company.