Cruising down a part of the longest river in the world sounded really exciting to me. However, I didn’t really know what to expect at all. I have been on a sea cruise before but not a river cruise. What would the rooms be like? Will there be a lot of space? Is there a pool? These were all questions I had before my trip to Egypt. This post attempts at answering all the question you may have (like me) on what it is like on a Nile River Cruise in Egypt.
A Nile river cruise is a common element of a trip to Egypt. Most Nile cruises either start in Aswan and end in Luxor or vise versa. Most also last about 4-5 nights. While all the below details pertain to the Nile River Cruise that I went on, I think it is fair to assume that most cruises are alike given that most tours to Egypt are also alike.
The Ship
Naturally, the ship itself was smaller than a sea ship but had most of the common elements you would find on a sea ship. Our river boat had a grand entry foyer, dining room, bar and lounge, shops, a spa and a deck.
Rooms
The rooms on our ship were quite large. In fact, much larger than I was expecting them to be. They all had a sitting area, double beds and a nice big bathroom with a shower and bath tub. There was plenty of closet space as well. My favorite part was the balcony that looked out to the Nile river and the river banks. It was my favorite part because I saw so much of rural everyday life along the river banks from this balcony.
Food
Most Nile cruises are full board where breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. All 3 meals are usually buffets style with main entrees, breads, fruits, and desserts. Ours even had an action station which was awesome.
Drinks
One thing that was not included in our cruise were drinks including water. Given that tap water is not safe to drink in Egypt, this kind of added up.
Deck
I wanted to address the deck specifically. The deck on our boat essentially covered the entire length of the ship. It had a relatively large pool and a covered bar area where we could lounge. The deck was also another great space to watch activities along the Nile river banks
Entertainment
The cruise provided us with some sort of live nigh time entertainment. In addition, there was always music in the bar/lounge area.
Excursions
Given that lots of monuments were built along the Nile, A Nile River Cruise is a great way to see the sites of ancient Egypt. You may be taken out on excursions either early morning or at night. This is to beat the heat and crowds. At night, many of the temples and monuments are illuminated. There is something really beautiful about vising a temple at night.
You will get plenty of time in between visits to eat, rest, swim and/or just relax.
There were days when we missed out on breakfast because we had to on our way early in the morning. On these days the cruise staff packed us boxed breakfasts which was a nice touch.
Overall I was glad I booked a trip with a Nile River Cruise as part of the itinerary!
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Click HERE or below to read my detailed post on the must visit sites and places in Egypt
Click HERE or below to read about things to know about visiting Egypt
HERE is a packing list for the summer!
