I have a vacation in the late spring I would like to start booking for. I hope to spend approximately 14-16 days in Egypt and Jordan, and the biggest issue is determining what flights I need to book. I have heard that Aswan<->Luxor cruises are wonderful, but I have the following questions:
Should I do an Egyptian cruise if I don’t like cruises? I hate cruise ship-type entertainment (i.e., the shows or concerts), I don’t like relaxing by pools, I don’t like being forced to buy things out of convenience (ex $10 water bottle), I prefer exploring on my own time/pace/in-depth. The ruins of Egypt are the most important thing to me.
Are Egyptian cruises worth it for the ease of transportation alone? If we didn’t do a cruise, we will most likely fly or drive between cities, but I’m unsure how feasible that is. Is it just easier/more time efficient to take a cruise instead of booking several flights?
Do the cruises give enough time to delve deep into Luxor/Aswan?
What type of person should do a Nile cruise?
I’ve watched a lot of videos and read a lot of posts about this stuff, but it’s hard to know,
Thank you so much!
I don’t think I’ve seen a cruise ship bigger than about 3 floors on the Nile. They typically have a lounge area, dining room, workout room, gift shop, and spa room. The ships usually don’t sell you so much as all the peddlers off the boat do. It is a great way to see the area, but because you are on a schedule, you might have to speed up your explorations. Plus, Egyptian airports can be a real pain so I would rather take the boat and not be so stressed.
I’m not a cruise person and loved our Nile cruise. Efficient way to see the sights and the scenery along the river is gorgeous. Spend as much time as you want in Aswan and Luxor before and after the cruise to customize your itinerary. You can also do cruises of different lengths that travel faster/slower and make more/less stops according to what you want to see.
We enjoyed a 10-day Egypt tour, 7 of which was a Nile Cruise with Gate1 Travel. By looking at the itinerary on their website, you can get some idea of the time spent at various popular sites. They have 2 different river boats that sail the Nile; neither of which carries more than 100 passengers. Comparing this boat trip to an ocean cruise is apples to doorknobs.
You are missing that there are plenty of different types of cruises. Viking (1,000 people) is different from Royal Caribbean (3-5k people) from local ship or from Emerald cruises (80 people). There are a few destinations where a cruise makes sense. if that’s the case here, you need to research what type of options you have.
@Keegan
I know what options I have for the Nile cruise, I’m asking if there’s a logistic benefit to the cruise or if a cruise is worth it if I usually don’t like them.
Archer said: @Keegan
I know what options I have for the Nile cruise, I’m asking if there’s a logistic benefit to the cruise or if a cruise is worth it if I usually don’t like them.
Without knowing what this cruise up the Nile is like, how do you know that it bears any resemblance at all to a cruise that you’ve been on?
@Shannon
Please refer to my post. I am asking for people’s experience with Nile cruises and if it would be worth it to do if at my baseline I’m not a fan of past cruises I’ve already been on. I have a feeling that being on a boat in the ocean versus being on a boat in a river are more alike than not.
My issue with the original comment is that the answer is ‘do research,’ which I already have. I know that there are different types of boats you can do on the Nile River, I know that they are smaller than an ocean cruise and different. But I want to hear firsthand experiences of anyone who did a Nile cruise who doesn’t like cruising usually. Or, if the Nile cruises are logistically worth it even if you don’t like to be on a cruise.
@Archer
I did a Nile cruise last year from Aswan to Luxor. I love being on boats but am not a big boat cruising person but I really enjoyed it and would recommend. The boats aren’t that big and mine had about 80 people on board. It was so relaxing sitting out on the deck and watching life go by on the river banks; locals farmed the land. Had some superb sunsets and the food was pretty good too, better than I expected. Brought some beers on board too so didn’t have to spend much at the bar as the room had a mini fridge for me to cool them. It was harder finding a liquor store in Aswan; there is only one in the entire city and it’s government run with limited opening hours. But it is right along the riverside where the boats dock. Logistics-wise, it is worth it as the alternative is a boring long drive between the temples.
My only slight qualm was, of course, you are seeing these temples when they’re packed with tourists. Even one we pulled in to at 3 am had a couple of hundred other cruise passengers there in the middle of the night. When you dock next to these temples, there can easily be another 10 cruise boats there. Often after visiting the temple I was glad to get back on the boat and back to the bedroom just for a bit of peace and quiet! But other than that I loved it and would recommend. I would say it is a totally different experience than that of the big giant cruise ships in the Caribbean; Nile cruising is a lot more quaint.
Archer said: @Keegan
I know what options I have for the Nile cruise, I’m asking if there’s a logistic benefit to the cruise or if a cruise is worth it if I usually don’t like them.
Are the cruises port heavy? How long are you between ports? If there isn’t a stop daily or every other day, I’d pass if I didn’t like cruises.
I’ve done one once and wouldn’t do one again. Next time, I’ll hire a driver to take me between sites. The cruise ships just aren’t very efficient and you can’t set your own timetable and stay at sites as long as you’d like.
@NOTHIE
Thank you for this information! With your experience, do you think that you can get between Luxor, Aswan, and other smaller Temple sites easily with a private driver instead of a cruise?
Archer said: @NOTHIE
Thank you for this information! With your experience, do you think that you can get between Luxor, Aswan, and other smaller Temple sites easily with a private driver instead of a cruise?
Here’s an article I found with some more details. We travelled with Memphis Tours, and they’d probably also be able to set up a driving itinerary.
Archer said: @NOTHIE
Thank you for this information! With your experience, do you think that you can get between Luxor, Aswan, and other smaller Temple sites easily with a private driver instead of a cruise?
If this is your goal, hire a driver. We hired one from Hurghada to Luxor and for what we paid, you’ll get much more insight and value from a local than you will from a cruise.
Viking river cruise is very nice, about 50 or so people, see the big things in Egypt including the pyramids, temple of Karnak; add ons like Petra, Dead Sea in Jordan (safe, very empty because of war) good accommodations. Downside is rather more plane travel than I cared for, vendors more abusive because fewer tourists means they make less money, so they’re more aggressive.
the riverboat cruise itself is very nice. It’s worth it.
When we went to Egypt, we started with Aswan / Abu Simbel, and hired a driver and guide to take us to Luxor with stops along the way. Then a few nights in Luxor, flight to Cairo, and 5 nights there.
I didn’t see a need for a cruise. I just felt like it moved too slow. We hit Daraw, Edfu, and Kom Ombo in 1 day.