Every Nile cruise ship in Egypt is licensed locally as a five-star vessel. Almost none of them would be called five-star in Europe or North America, and pretending otherwise is how people end up disappointed on day one. So we grade our fleet the way our guests actually measure it.
Standard Nile cruises Egypt are our 3.5-star tier by that honest measure. What you get is a clean, compact cabin with a private bathroom and a window on the river, three full meals a day, a sun deck with a small pool, and a qualified Egyptologist who takes you into the temples. What you do not get is a suite, a spa, or a menu with four choices at every course.
For most first-time visitors that trade is the right one. You are on the river to see Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae — and the ship is where you sleep between them. A Standard cabin and a Luxury suite arrive at the same temples with the same guide at the same hour. The difference is what the room looks like while you are not in it.
If you would rather spend the difference on the ship itself, the Deluxe, Ultra Deluxe and Luxury tiers are all on the same routes.
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Valley of Kings , Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple ,Felucca Ride in Aswan are very Good. Had wonderful time. The guide Mr.Essam Ali is Wonderful and Knowledgeable. He had taken very good care of us through our the trip at every place . We strongly recommend Mr.Essam Ali.
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Standard is our 3.5-star tier measured against US and European hotel standards. Every Nile cruise ship in Egypt holds a local five-star licence, including these, but Egyptian licensing is not calibrated to what a European or American traveller means by five stars. We publish the honest equivalent so nobody boards expecting something the ship was never going to be.
The ship, and only the ship. Cabin size and finish, the range at meals, the public spaces, and the staff-to-guest ratio. The route, the temples, the sailing schedule and the calibre of your Egyptologist are identical. A Standard cabin and a Luxury suite moor at the same bollard in Edfu and walk into the same temple at the same hour.
Yes. Cabins are compact — roughly 16 to 18 square metres — with a private bathroom, air conditioning and a river-facing window, serviced daily. What you are trading away is space and polish, not hygiene. If a ship in this class stops meeting that standard we take it off sale.
From $590 per person in a triple cabin and $620 in a twin, for a 3-night cruise in low season. Prices rise through six seasonal bands to a peak over Christmas and New Year — the full table is above. Solo travellers pay the twin rate plus a 70% single supplement.
Luxor to Aswan is four nights, sailing upstream; Aswan to Luxor is three nights, running downstream with the current. Both cover the same temples. Most people take the southbound route because it follows Cairo naturally, but the northbound one is shorter and cheaper and works better if you are starting in the south. Your flights usually decide it.
Karnak and Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon at Luxor; the Temple of Horus at Edfu; the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris at Kom Ombo; and the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple at Aswan. Entrance fees to all of them are in the price.
Because the ship has to clear the Esna lock on a schedule it does not control. Every vessel on the river visits Edfu before breakfast on the 3-night and 4-night itineraries — it is not a quirk of the cheaper ships. Coffee is served before you go.
No. Full board covers three meals a day; all drinks are charged on board, including bottled water outside meal times. This is standard across every class of Nile cruise in Egypt, not specific to this tier.
Yes. Solo travelers pay the twin rate plus a 70% single supplement, which is the same across all four ship classes. There is no shared-cabin option on Nile cruise ships.
Generally yes. Triple cabins make them one of the cheaper ways to move a family of three or four. For older travellers the daily rhythm suits well — one or two sites a day, back on board for lunch. The one thing to check is mobility: ships in this class rarely have lifts, and temple sites involve uneven ground and steps.
Yes, and it is how most people book it. The usual shape is Cairo for the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a domestic flight south, then the cruise. Tell us your total number of days and we will build it around the sailing dates rather than selling you two products that do not connect.
Two to four months for October to April, which is the busy window on the river. Cabins on the cheaper ships in this class go first, and once they are gone the next available berth is usually a tier up rather than a different date.