NILE CRUISES

Nile cruises can best be described as a slice of heaven on earth; sailing down the blue waters of the river while viewing the sun rise and set over ancient ruins and magnificent sand dunes. Both my journeys to Egypt have included a Nile cruise and there was nothing I enjoyed more than sitting on the top deck watching the sun set over the dunes and farm lands.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Most tourists visiting Egypt go through a travel company and the majority of these companies incorporate a Nile cruise into the itineraries. The standard cruises are those that sail between Luxor and Aswan lasting 3 to 7 days; however, there are some cruises that last well over a week with those ships sailing from Cairo towards Aswan. And not all cruises sail the Nile, there are some ships that travel around Lake Nasser in Southern Egypt providing the opportunity to view and visit Nubian sites. My two trips to Egypt have been with travel companies that contract with Spring Tours and said company mainly utilizes the M/S line of ships. Spring Tours does have two specialty ships - the only operating steamboat on the Nile and a Dahabiyya (sailboat) - but those are generally not used on the routine trips scheduled via tour companies. In 2010, I sailed on the M/S Norma, which appears to be out of service, and my recent Nile cruise was on board the M/S Medea. My trip on the M/S Norma lasted three days as we sailed from Aswan to Luxor while my journey on the M/S Medea was 7 days, completing a round trip that started and ended in Luxor.

Tour companies list on their website the ship(s) that they use for the Nile cruise portion of the trip. This gives people the opportunity to do research to ensure that the rooms, amenities, and dining options on board the ship are in line with their tastes.

ROOMS

The rooms on the cruise ships can range from a simple cabin for one to a large suite built to accommodate a family. On my recent trip, I noticed that the M/S Medea had two of those suites with each having a door and staircase leading to the upper deck. My cabin was a decent size for one person and contained a queen sized bed, small table with two chairs, a writing desk with chair, luggage rack, TV, and a safe inside the closet. Interestingly, my married tour mates winded up in rooms with two twin sized beds. Since I was traveling solo and was not interested in a roommate, I did request ‘single accommodations’ which seemed to get me the big bed in the hotels and cruise. When doing research on Nile cruises, I notice that the more expensive tours use luxury ships which contain more suites, larger rooms and bathrooms, and balconies. Neither the M/S Norma nor M/S Medea had balconies but both had large windows that one could open.

My travel buddy Albert the Gator enjoying the comfy bed.

AMENITIES

In term of amenities, most ships have a lounge, gift stores, and a bar and pool on the top deck while the fancier boats also have gyms, spas, salons, etc. The M/S Medea had a small gym - one treadmill, one bike, some resistance bands - and a library, a few books one could borrow to read throughout the cruise. On the other hand, the M/S Norma just had the standard amenities. The lounge on the ships have a bar on one end and a dance floor in the middle for the evening shows and the Egyptian dance party, an event where guests dress in belly dancing outfits and galabayas, traditional robes worn by Egyptian men. This dance party is optional in terms of attendance and dressing-up. The two standard evening shows are the Whirling Dervish¸ a Turkish style performance that involves a man spinning while balancing and twirling colorful fabrics, and a belly dancing demonstration. I greatly enjoyed the two Whirling Dervish presentations I attended; however, I was not impressed with the belly dancing shows. In my most recent trip, the belly dancer went around the room selecting guests, of which I was one, to join her on the dance floor.

Lounge (M/S Medea)

Whirling Dervish (M/S Norma) (Photo by tour mate Jon)

DINING

The M/S Norma and M/S Medea served meals in an all-you-can-eat buffet style which provided the opportunity to sample a variety of cheeses, breads, salads, soups, sides, meats, and desserts. The 7 day cruises on the M/S Medea have one special evening where dinner is served via candlelight and there is a fixed menu. In my research of Nile cruises, I have noticed that many of the 'higher-end' ships do not offer buffets for lunch and dinner, just breakfast. Cruise meals are generally included in the trip cost except for beverages, sodas and alcoholic drinks, which are an extra charge. I never ordered beverages but my tour mates who did shared that the prices were very reasonable. I just enjoyed the unlimited free coffee and tea that was provided during meals and at tea time, of which I must have drank at least 30 cups during my 7 days on the M/S Medea.

Bread display on board the M/S Norma

Salads and cheeses, M/S Medea

Soups and entrees along with some of the amazing crew

Plenty of delicious desserts! 

NOTE While most ships provide Wi-Fi, the coverage area is very limited and not all tour companies pay for the service. On my last trip, when we were on board the M/S Medea, the cost of Wi-Fi was covered by Trafalgar, my tour company, but others on the ship had to pay a daily fee. Also, the Wi-Fi service was only available in the sitting areas on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors of the ship.

NOTE Based on my two trips to Egypt and what I have come across in my research, most Nile cruise ships do not have elevators. One must be able climb stairs in order to access the dining area and gift shops (usually located in the bottom deck), cabins, and upper deck. Also, the walkway used to enter and exit the ship is rather narrow so that may pose a problem to some who have a mobility issue.

M/S MEDEA

Alicia, my tour mate, and I were very impressed with the M/S Medea; ship was impeccably clean, food was amazingly delicious, and service was top-notch. The boat has only 59 cabins (per the Spring Tours website) with a passenger capacity of approximately 118. The first three days on the M/S Medea were especially nice since there were only three very small tour groups on board the boat. On the fourth day, we had more folks join us and unfortunately, there were two rowdy boys that drove most crazy. Fortunately, Mohammed, the ship manager, did a wonderful job in handling the situation and by the second day, the boys were behaving a bit better. Another two outstanding staff members were Sayed, the dining manager, and Mahmoud, our waiter. These two gentlemen went out of their way to make the cruise feel like home and in the process, completely spoiled us. The rest of the cruise staff was also exceptional and extremely professional. Alicia and I greatly miss all of them and the 7 days on board the M/S Medea will always be a special memory we cherish and treasure.