Marianna

We are just starting to do some research on a trip to Egypt in early March. Our general plan is to fly into Cairo and spend a few days there (gives us time to adjust as well as visit Cairo) and then fly to Luxor to begin the cruise. At Aswan, we will fly to Abu Simbel to see the Temples (this was highly recommended to us) and then return to Aswan to fly back to Cairo for our flight home. We are planning on a 10 or 12 day trip.

This is a one time trip for us so we want it to be special and are not looking for bargain rates.
Do you have any recommendations for luxury tour companies and/or luxury boats for the cruise?

Thanks for your help.

Marianna

Elizabeth_S

Are you planning to travel independently or with a group?

We did the former and had a great time with a very similar itinerary to yours- here's a link to our blog with info

Cairo portion

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...8_adv/b_cairo/

Abu Simbel/Nile Cruise portion

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...c_nile_cruise/

We were on the Oberoi Philae which is a Five Star Deluxe boat - one of its selling points for me is it rarely is rafted to other boats. I highly recommend it (lots of pics above)

We also went on to Jordan which we loved - if you have a few extra days I recommend you consider it as well - blog link

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l..._adv/d_jordan/

Marianna

We are traveling independently, Elizabeth_S. I took a quick look at your photos and it looks just amazing! My husband and I will sit down later in the day and take a closer look and read through everything.

Grcxx3 suggested that same boat to me on MissGreen's thread. Tell me what "rafted to other boats" means, please. I assume it means that many boats travel together on the cruise. Is that correct?

Thanks for all the information. I appreciate it.

galactus

For a luxury Nile cruise, I'd recommend the Oberoi cruisers. The Oberoi Philae is pretty nice and very well reviewed.

If you have a little more dough to spend, you can try the Oberoi Zahra. Another excellent choice.

If you want an alternative to the above two, I'd recommend picking one of the Sonesta Nile cruisers.

sandi

The Oberoi or Sonesta boats are about the best. Each has a few boats, some better/newer/more recently refurbished, then others in their fleet.

The Zahra as mentioned is probably the most lux of all, which is suite cabins only.

No, the boats don't travel in "convoy" but there are many heading in the same direction, north or south. The difference with the Oberoi, Sonesta (and the Movenpick, as I recall) boats, is that they have separate/private docking facilities in Luxor, Aswan and other stops along the Nile.

cheapiano

we're totally splurging on our cruise (our trip is in january), and chose the SS Sudan, which was first in use at the turn of the century, when the likes of agatha christy sailed her (and thus inspiration for "death on the nile"). we're going through nile valley tours, and have been incredibly happy w/them so far. they were one of the few companies who managed a good rate on the SS Sudan, which we had our hearts set on. here's the website:

http://www.steam-ship-sudan.com/en/index.asp

Elizabeth_S

As sandi says, the boats don't travel in convoy, but when they are at dock (which is a lot of the time) they can be tied up 3 or 4 deep on the dock, which means you walk through another boat to get to yours. And - most importantly for me - it's noisier and you have no privacy in your cabin. As sandi says, Oberoi has their own docks so they don't raft (although we did once for a very brief period).

sandi

That sure is a beauty!

Marianna

Yes, the SS Sudan is lovely!

Does anyone know anything about the Amarco II?

Thanks so much for the information and advice.

glsebs

Another boat that was suggested to us for a luxury 3 day cruise is the Alexander the Great. Can anyone give me any reviews or opinions regarding this ship? I know the luxury travel agency Cox and Kings use this boat for some of their tours.
Thanks for any info.

Marianna

Glsebs, I have looked at that boat also. It is a beautiful yacht! There are a few reviews in 2007 on TA - all favorable - but, as Casual_Cairo said on the other Nile Cruise thread, you really need up to date reviews as things change.

Marianna

I found another Alexander the Great boat, not the yacht. Not sure which one you are referring to, glsebs.

BeniciaChris

We will be on the Oberie Philae October 5-9th. I am using the same guilde as Elizabeth and I especially wanted this boat with the private balcony. We are also having our own guide throughout the cruise as she did. She was my reference point for our trip to Egypt/Jordan. We leave on the 28th Chris

glsebs

Marianna,

Thanks for the post. I think that there is one Alexander the Great that has been called a yacht and a boat. I found reviews from 2007 also, but I think the fact that Cox and Kings uses this boat/yacht is a good recommendation.

Marianna

Glsebs, after talking to the the travel agent about what we were looking for in a Nile River Cruise, she came back yesterday with another one for us to consider which she felt is exactly what we want for our trip. It was Cox and Kings and the Alexander the Great!

pirouette

Not to discourage anyone- but there are some negative reviews about the Alexander the Great that I came across while researching this question a couple months back. The only problem is that I cannot remember where I saw them. (there was more than one). I have booked on the Sonesta Moon Goddess-it worked best with our itinerary and was seemingly a level above the boat that Lady Egypt initially suggested. I will report back next spring!

Marianna

Piroutte, I think I came across those reviews a short while ago but cannot find them either. I did see two different boats in my research which were both named Alexander the Great. Is that possible? The one that Cox and Kings uses is the one resembling a yacht. If you find those negative reviews, please post them.

I have been reading your posts from June, along with others, and find all the responses most helpful. I don't know what I would do without this Fodors resource. I appreciate your comments and opinon. We will most likely be booked in the next month or so. Hope you have a fabulous trip!

pirouette

Hi Marianna,

I did a very quick search on the "other" travel forum (TA) and you may wish to take a look there. The recent reviews suggest that the boat is nice but very expensive. I have spent many hours researching hundreds of boats-it is overwhelming! I would suggest posting in the Luxor or Aswan forum for something up to date.

Marianna

Thank you, pirouette. I have looked at TA and found some helpful information. The research is overwhelming but we are enjoying it! That's part of the fun of a trip - the research and planning. As for the boat, we definitely decided that we want a suite with a balcony so we are back looking at the Amarco II, also known as the Antares, and the Oberoi Philae.

indianapearl

Elizabeth_S: What month of the year did you travel to Egypt? I notice you and Richard are wearing light jackets. My friend and I are trying to decide when the weather will be best, knowing that it's much hotter in Abu Simbel than it is in Cairo.