A Waste of Money and a Miserable Experience: We Left This Nile Cruise Early
We disembarked early because of the extremely disappointing quality of our experience.
This is not what we would consider a 4-day Nile cruise. In reality, the experience consisted of two days based in Aswan, with multiple bus tours and very little time actually cruising on the Nile. The boat does not really begin its journey until the end of day two, arriving in Luxor on day three, after which there are further bus tours.
The excursions were poorly organised and coordinated. We spent a considerable amount of time standing around waiting, often with no explanation as to what we were waiting for or what was happening next. We were told at the beginning of the cruise that we would be woken before 3:30 a.m. for some of the tours, only to then spend significant amounts of time waiting around.
The gratuity arrangements were also disappointing. We were informed that a set amount, determined by the tour guide, was expected to be paid before departure and before receiving the services, with additional gratuities expected at the end of the cruise.
The food was another major disappointment. Both the buffet meals on board and the boxed breakfast provided were of poor quality.
At checkout, we also had to challenge charges for an ironing service that was overcharged and drinks we had not ordered. There was also an incident where unsecured luggage fell and injured a passenger. What was particularly concerning was the apparent lack of concern from staff following the incident.
The one positive aspect was the tour guide taking the group to a local shop to purchase food and drinks. This allowed us to avoid the extremely high prices charged on the boat and meant we had supplies available when needed.
Overall, this was an extremely disappointing experience, and we chose to disembark early rather than continue. As highlighted in other reviews, the customer support team were unprofessional and unhelpful. Despite this extremely disappointing and poor experience, I have not requested a refund.
T
Trip00893681701
September 24, 2026
Nile cruise
He is a good tour guide, explains very clearly, has a wealth of experience in scheduling the itinerary
J
johnmarcf2026
September 24, 2026
Excellent value for money Nile Cruise
King Mina is the best tour guide in the world.
Booking this cruise is cheaper than booking the tours separately and having a hotel. Plus you'd need time and money to get from Aswan to Luxor had you not booked the cruise.
Downside to cruise is tour boats arrive at same time so it's crowded. Our tour guide already had tickets ready so we didn't waste time lining up for them.
Tour guide is an egyptologist and is currently doing his PHD, so is very knowledgeable.
O
obscurefolkhero
September 24, 2026
Excellent tour, very worth it!
I booked relatively last minute when I decided I wanted to see Aswan and Luxor. The tour surpassed all my expectations! King Mina was the best guide and handled everything perfectly, including the tricky elements like the variable time it takes the shop to get through the docks. He was knowledgeable and friendly and gave us all great advice throughout the trip. I got lucky in that he helped me join the hot air balloon trip late, which was one of the many highlights of my trip! It was fantastic, and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you can get King Mina as your guide!
T
Travel30180764854
September 24, 2026
Mina is a very responsible and confident guide with rich historical knowledge.
Mina is a very responsible and confident guide, with rich historical knowledge and strong leadership.
9
92lyarav
September 20, 2026
Room, food, service, and guide were great!
The entire experience was amazing! The employees were super nice, supportive, and with a great sense of humour. The food was delicious and the room was much better than our expectations. A special highlight for Michael Edward, our tour guide, that was amazing in so many ways. He is full of knowledge, the explanations were always very clear and with humour, but also he is very human. He supported us and the group in so many ways, making everything to give us the best experience ever. We travelled through Egypt, from Sinai to Abu Simbel, but Michael was far away the best tour guide we had.
7
741c_lyag
September 20, 2026
Disappointed with the experience but perfect guide
Very disappointed with the "cruise" experience; we remained stuck for a whole day. We saw nothing of the Nile for the price, it’s quite pathetic.. we pay for a cruise and we stay in one place without moving. We only saw 3 hours of navigation to enjoy the landscapes… disappointing when you pay for a cruise!!
Also disappointed with the experience compared to other boats, better organization should be done to avoid more than 10 boats visiting the temples at the same time, it’s not pleasant to visit. The hot air balloon was also canceled even though apparently it resumed in the last few days (organizers offer it in any case)
On the other hand, nothing to say about the cleanliness and kindness of the staff (servers, kitchen staff, housekeeping staff), very beautiful room and boat always very clean.
Our guide, however, was great, Michael Edward was very attentive, gives very good explanations, and takes the time to explain well. Very smiling and of appreciable kindness!!
R
randyetzel
September 18, 2026
Fun and relax guide, boat tour was good
Upon arrival we had some issues at the airport, out guide was able to coordinate with customs and we had our luggage delivered to the boat. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. The tours are set on certain days with the exception of the 3rd day. In our case we got late to Luxor so we had to see all the Luxor temples on our last day. We did not had paid for the temple entrances but our guide offered to pay for the entrances upon arrival which made it very convenient.
2
204xabierv
September 18, 2026
KING MINA THE BEST ONE
King mina is the better guide in Egypt is a wonderfull man and very good explication of alls temples and trips.
F
FarAway41024260708
September 17, 2026
King Mina is the best English Speaking Egyptologist guide
King Mina is the best tour guide. Super knowledgeable and friendly. He made lots of arrangements special for my mom and sister who were having trouble walking and for my Dad who has a bad heart to help keep him cool and in the shade. He made the trip so much better. We were unable to go on the hot air balloon ride due to bad weather, but the ship staff was very nice. The beds on the cruise were super hard and uncomfortable.
Aswanの類似ツアーを比較
最安値: Full Day Tour to Abu Simbel Temples from Aswan — $25
最高評価: 4-Day 3-Night Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor&Abu Simbel+Balloon — 4.8 (2,840 件のレビュー)
最短: Private Day Tour to Abu Simbel Temples from Aswan — 10 時間