pethicta

Being new to the world of cruises, I am confused by all the info and different prices, such as some people listing the cost per night, even though they know the minimum number of nights is 3!!

So anyway, I am looking way in advance for a 4days/3nights cruise, but I found under Sakkara Nile cruises on roadtoegypt.com the Sonesta Nile Goddess--a 5 star deluxe boat. It says $510 for the total cruise per single traveller (me) including full board--at least thats what it says. It does not include getting from Cairo to Luxor and back.
Is this a good deal or could I do better? remeber its only 4 days, not including travel there, but it includes food.

Im 21 years old, so pretty much anything will impress me. I dont need a fancy schmancy luxury cruise, just a simple cruise that's clean and nice. I read that I shouldnt settle for less than 5-star boats due to health concerns and cleanliness. True?

So far I have come up with the cruise mentioned above, and one at nubiannilecruises.com for $570.

ANY suggestions on ANYthing mentioned above? Am I reading these prices correctly?

sandi

Are you planning to book the cruise on your own? If so, then arranging transport between Cairo and your cruise departure city; from Aswan and return; onto Sharm, etc. can be tricky... you'd be better having an in-country tour outfitter taking care of all this for you. Many on this board use Egypt(ian) Highlights with lots of satisfactory hurrahs! EH can coordinate train or plane, have someone meet you to handle your transfers, get you to your hotels, check-in, etc.

A number of threads have indicated that even if the traveler has booked their own air... say from Cairo to Luxor... that the airport was a zoo, that those with Egyptian reps got faster service, while those on their own were practically ignored.

Do a search on this board for specific information regarding Egypt(ian) Highlights and see what they can do in arranging your itinerary. This company should be able to get you on the boat of your... at least you have an idea of the price ahead of time.

FYI - most cruises are 4-days/3-nights and having picked 5* boats this averages a bit over $125/day which includes your meals, touring each day along the Nile - in Luxor and Aswan, and the cruise... not a bad deal.

I believe using an outfitter to coordinate all will save the confusion you are likely to encounter if doing it on your own.

pethicta

Thanks.

The thing is I will be studying in Cairo for 4 months, so Ill be there already, I wont need them to get me at the airport or any of that mess which may cost extra. Ill look at the place you suggested.

sandi

If you'll be studying in school you may be eligible for student rates or resident alien rates*. This might very well include touring around the country. And, I believe, you'd do better once you're in-country when you learn the ins and outs of "how things work/are done."

*When we visited and paid our USD$100/per ticket for the performance of AIDA at the Pyramids, Egyptians were paying EL30, while resident aliens paid USD$30. So savings are possible; whether you can get a 5* cruise boat, though, may be a problem, but give it a shot.

tisi

I went to Egypt last summer with a companion and we took the overnight train from Cairo to Aswan. We did not have a cruise booked at the time so when we got to Aswan we booked a hotel and went out looking for a cruiseboat. When we got to the harbor there were many many boats to select from and we simply boarded four we liked and asked for a rate. We finally settled on a very nice 5 star delux cruise, the Emilio, for the two of us. This included a fabulous room and food. When we docked at the different sites we had to pay our own entrance fees which we no more than 5USD at each stop. We are somewhat brave so we were not worried about having the cruised booked when we headed to Aswan. There were many boats to choose from and I am sure if you did the same you would have no problem finding a good deal. There were some boats that even offered us a rate of 50.00 per cabin. Note that is you start your trip from Luxor this may not be possible because the boats dock at scattered locations that are somewhat removed from the city center.

Casual_Cairo

Just a couple of points to tell you from what I've read here.

First, you've chosen one of the better, more expensive boats on the Nile. The Sonesta boats are good and more expensive than many others, but actually the rate you have for a single isn't too bad. The boat I use has a 50% single supplement, so it would cost closer to $600 for you to go on it.

If you are going to be here in Cairo studying, why not wait and see if you make friends here that might want to join you on the cruise. That way you wouldn't need to do a single room. That would save you quite a bit.

Also, you are only 21....are you 100% sure you aren't going to be wanting to do the Nile on a falouka instead of a cruise boat? It's so much cheaper and once you've met some other kids to do it with, I can well imagine the experience on the falouka would be a lot of fun.

Partially I say that because the problem with doing a Nile cruise by yourself is you are pretty much by yourself unless you are very outgoing. The boats don't do anything to intergrate you into a group, and what is worse is that without knowing more about the boat you choose, the majority of other passengers might very likely not even speak English. Do you know other languages? Some boats may sell mainly to Italians, some to Chinese, some to Germans.... in otherwords you won't know what the majority of passengers are going to be like until you get on the boat. Unfortunately, I find most of the boats are very interested to sell rooms, so they will tell you what you want to hear when asked questions about the passenger list. For myself, I'd never get on a boat by myself without a good book and planning to spend the next 4 days alone, unless of course they were giving me a room for free.
The couple that just choose a boat at the dock ran the risk of not having any groups on board that they could talk to, but as a couple, they probably didn't mind.

I vote that you wait and see what discount you might be able to get with your student card (you aren't likely to get resident rates, but your student status might give you something) or wait and see if you make friends to go with or think about the falouka trip.

Just for giggles too - go to sonesta.com and see if you can get a different price direct from them.

Lastly, don't worry about transport to Aswan or Luxor. The trains run every night and they are not expensive.