Nile cruise: MS Sonesta St George or MS Nile Adventurer
 

We (husband and I) are going to spend 3 months travelling around the Middle East. Our first stop is Egypt, and one of the things we really want to do is a Nile cruise.

I have looked at many, however, our first pick, the MS Oberoi Philae is going to be refurbished and therefore will not be sailing for 18 months. That leaves us with the MS Sonesta St George or MS Nile Adventurer (Sanctuary Retreats).

They are both rated as 5 stars, they both do the same itinerary and excursions and cost more or less the same. So it all comes down to which boat is prettier and/or has a better service.

We don't know which one to pick. Please help!

Check Cruisecritic.com boards but Sonesta St Geoege best for me

Has all the whistles and bells for upscale cruise

Luxurylink.com zicasso.com deals on luxury Egypt for me sometimes

We did the Sonesta St. George and liked it fine. Two downsides: they had us further back than we wanted so a fair bit of engine noise and the "Egyptian buffet" dinner made us both violently ill. So beware! But the ship is nice and the excursions enjoyable.

Can't comment on specifics and believe the St. George has been in service longer than the Nile Adventurer. However, Sanctuary Retreats usually provides a good product. Guess you should read the Cruise Reviews for further input.

Hi Silvia_B, we spent three glorious nights aboard the Sonesta St. George I in April, 2011. The boat was beautiful and the staff were outstanding. There were only 7 tourists when we sailed and we had a gorgeous, comfortable suite. We loved all the food--fresh, sit down meals, no buffets, delicious, great variety. The staff were lovely and never overbearing even with such a small number of tourists. We absolutely loved our time on the boat and wished we had at least one more night. The decor is elaborate but so pretty that we thought our room at the Winter Palace in Luxor was underdecorated! I posted pictures on my blog (www.herewegoagain-egypt.blogspot.com) if you want to see.

Good luck with your choice--I highly and wholeheartedly recommend the Sonesta St. George I. Cheers!

My recomendation is to follow noal77382's advice as she seems to have been on the boat recently enough to trust that what she says is probably still true.

ALL boats have to go under restoration on a regular schedule, so if you should see a boat just after it's been refurbished, of course your opinion will be different than someone that drew the short straw and was on it just before it went in for repairs.

Of course, on the other hand, you don't say when you will be visiting us. You only indicate that it will be sometime in the next 18 months during the time the Oberoi boat is out of service. If you aren't here for over a year, the Sonesta boat could be well worn by then. Tourists tend to use and abuse these boats pretty well, so you never know for certain what shape it will be in unless you know it's dry dock schedule too.

Good luck, hope you get what you want. Nile cruises are nice.