The whole trip was amazing. The crew and our guide (Mostafu Molattam) were so kind and helpful. Everyone coordinated the trip well so that the time was wisely used. I learnt so much about Egyptian antiquities and Mostafu answered all the questions I had. The Hot air ballon ride at Sunrise over Luxor was something not to missed and to celebrate my 70 th birthday on this trip made the occasion extra special. I was touched by the birthday cake and celebrations on board the ship.

This was an amazing 5 day 4 night cruise from Luxor to Aswan which included all the highlights of the Egyptian antiquities including visits to Karnak and other temples as well as valley of Kings and hot air balloon ride at sunrise. Our guide- Mustafa Molattam - was extremely knowledgeable and expertly organised to get the best out the very memorable trip. Thanks Mustafa!!

The room was very comfortable, spacious, and clean. The cruice was very nice, with a wanderful terrace to see the sunset on the Nile. The food (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) was excellent and very varied. A special note for our guide, Mahmoud, who was very kind and competent, and was always attentive to our comfort.

We did the the cruise from Luxor to Aswan and had an amazing time especially with the help of our fantastic guide Mido. Mido was great at explaining the history at every location and gave us meaningful anecdotes without overwhelming us with information. Mido was extremely knowledgeable and was definitely an expert in Egyptian History. At every location, he would give an overview of the site, what we should look for and then always gave us some time to explore and take pictures ourselves. Mido's special ability of story telling kept a party of 8 with varied ages engaged and intrigued all through the week. He made sure the entrance tickets were purchased ahead of time and helped navigate the huge crowds at all the locations. In some of the down time in the boat Mido even taught us a few magic tricks! The boat was a fantastic way to travel between Luxor and Aswan. It was beautiful to look around and observe the natural Egyptian landscape from the sun deck while we were sailing. The staff on the boat were incredible. A special shoutout to Ahmed who take care of us during all our meals on the Sonesta Moon Goddess boat. A note for taller travelers, the bathrooms are small on the boat and the showers might be too short for some folks.

The cruise offered by Sonesta is very good. The Nile journey between Luxor and Aswan was pleasant as we got a view of daily life at Egypt. The tour guide Mido is excellent as during each location, he prepares us well and provides the necessary background info. The server at cruise, Ahmed, took care of us very well and his care was very genuine.

On the plus side-An incredible week, full of temples and magnificence, but not to be underestimated in its gruelling schedule. I’m 67 and with only one dodgy knee! Think if I’d left it any longer and it would have been a trial rather than a pleasure and definitely glad we went at the cooler time of year. The boat Ruby Nile 1 was as I expected, this is Africa so please lower your expectations of 5 star and you will be ok. The food was lovely, I was very cautious at first and must admit I didn’t touch any salad the whole we Our tour guide Abdallah was great, really helped make the trip, we were a small group of 12 and he gave us just enough information before leaving us to look around. Talking to other people it seems not all were so lucky with guides going missing and not giving them enough time to see things. The temples were very busy and you had to be savy avoiding people to get photos , but what a privilege to be there, just wish the tourists could be spread out a bit! The downside is the diesel! Apparently 15 years ago a few boats traveled together-now it’s more like 40or 50. Our boat wasn’t to bad but some belched out fumes and diesel all the time-your snot turns black!!!! Felt like a London smog of the’50’s! If I had asthma or a chest condition I would have been seriously worried! The steps down the quayside to the boats mostly don’t have handrails so my husband and stick were constantly needed-health and safety is non existent, our catch phrase became “Trip hazard!!” 3men of our group had various falls, trips and bumps. The street vendors-I’d read all about the relentless nature of them, it’s out of our comprehension-our guide said , ignore them they aren’t offended, but boy is it tiresome-one glance and they are on you. At Aswan dam where the vendors actually let you browse I looked, bartered and bought but everywhere else it was just to busy. Oh the boys riding alongside the boat, throwing up goods got a sale off me-that was fun! Be prepared to tip everyone, and have plenty of change for the loos, which are mostly really clean ( much better than some in UK or France) We went with Travel o deal and I think we were very lucky with our boat, guide and itenery , we were moved one day back to start the cruise but other people had it changed loads. Some flew in to Hurghada to be told their cruise started the next day on a different boat than they thought, you really need a day or to to relax first as once you get on the boat it’s early morning trips-especially Abel Simble which they tell you leaves at 5am but turned out to be 4am! Adrenaline got me up at 3am and we saw the sunrise in the desert and managed to get there ahead of hundreds of others so saw first temple in relative peace-just a shame our travelling companions from another boat thought it was acceptable to talk loudly for the first 1 and a 1/4 hours of the trip when we could all have been dozing! All in all, glad I’ve done it, watch Alice Roberts documentary as taster ( no crowds for her!and remember its Africa- not Austria!)

The hapi 5 nile cruise ship was a little bit in need of updating but the service and cruise along the nile was 5 stars the boat has since been upgraded and would recommend anyone to use this boat.. The tours were amazing though a little rushed at times. It's very hot in luxor and lots of people visiting and the horse and carts are used a lot for tourist but please only use one that has a fit healthy horse and just 2 person to a carriage and to not make the horses speed along the hot roads.. This is a lot of locals only source of income and it's a very poor country but so rich in history and most of the people are kind

We’ve just got back from a 7 night Nile cruise which we booked through classic holidays. We were very wary of the whole thing given that we’d never been on a cruise before and usually book our holidays independently. We were relieved to find that classic holidays were most efficient, all comms and transfers ran on time and without any problems. First worry over. Second concern was sharing a boat with people we didn’t know.All our fellow travellers ( around 30 from classic holidays) were wonderful, like minded people . We were able to enjoy the tour experience with other people who had the same interests. Third concern was the dinner arrangements.All was well there. We ate around a small collection of tables designated to our tour group and it was all vary informal . You could sit where you liked each meal time and chat to fellow guests .The buffet ( this was also worrying me ) turned out to be a good option.Given the amount very early starts, delayed returns from sightseeing trips and very tired passengers at the end of an evening, waiter service would have been just too much . The boat was very clean and well looked after. Our room was immaculate and a decent size with lovely French doors opening onto a Juliet balcony. Rooms were cleaned daily . The sun deck was just too hot to spend much time on,maybe a few more sunshades would have helped there. We did have a drink or two up there in the evening though . What made our Nile cruise a true success was our guide Marco who works as an independent guide . He was truly amazing with his enthusiasm and knowledge of Egypt. What we noticed was how he was able to read the room so to speak. He was aware of the severe heat, and people with mobility issues etc. He had the ability to work around issues effortlessly which allowed our whole group to enjoy the experience. On one occasion he switched itineraries so we were visiting temples on a much quieter day, arranged a coach transfer so we could arrive at another temple before closing time ( Esne lock can cause boat delays) he allowed us free time and always did his best to give us his guide info in the shade . Small things make a big impact. We will be forever grateful for his consideration. One last thing, while having tea at the Old Cateract hotel he arranged for us to have a tour of Agatha Christie’s suite. This was a true highlight. All optional excursions were sold so well by Marco that we booked them all. They were truly fabulous. Abu simbel, ballooning , Philae temple by night and high tea in Aswan. Book them all if you go, worth every penny . I thought this cruise offered good value for money, even with the optional ext it worked out a great way to see so much of Egypt while cruising along the beautiful Nile. There is one thing which is a little bit of a shame though. The options of international wine brands were pretty poor as was the lack of any drinks being served cold . There should be no instance where a drink is not served chilled . Because of this we purchase hardly any alcohol and our total bill for two people over seven nights was £109!! This include coffee and soft drinks . Cannot award 5* because of this . Don’t book the upgrade drinks package . Get your refrigerator sorted,stock up on some half decent bottles of vino and you will make a killing at the bar !!

My wife and I had 3 nights in Cairo and a 7 day Nile cruise. The cruise on the MS Esadora was alright apart from the food. The brochure said it was 5-star standard but they must have meant Egyptian standard. The food was always the same, beef, chicken and rice with some sauted potatoes. The majority of the time the food was cold and the potatoes were often very hard. Orbital travel and Classic holidays were amazing with their organisation and using the reps they used were fantastic. Ahmed and Ayman (I think that's what his name was) were truly extremely knowledgeable, friendly and personable - a great choice of reps to employ. The early morning trips and amount of walking involved was immense and even I began to struggle at the end but it was all worth it, even the early morning balloon ride was exhilarating. Over all a brilliant experience. The service all round on the boat was good.

Adel Guided us on Excursions really well and the Ship was Beautiful. We were picked up from Luxor Airport by our amazing guide Adel, of Orbital tours and taken to MS Royal Princess. This is a small cruise ship, (less than 70 cabins), decorated very grandly with an impressive central staircase. As we had arrived very late, there was a large selection of rolls and fruit waiting for us in our cabin. The cabin was spacious and well equipped with a decent shower room, comfortable double bed with side tables, a dressing table, wardrobe, a small table and 2 armchairs (facing a large Juliet balcony). In fact it was a mini suite with top quality, dark wooden furnishings. Towels were often displayed on our bed in various amusing shapes too.One of our favourite things was to look out from the floor to ceiling Juliet windows at the bank and passing ships as we sailed along. One of our least favourite - but which cannot be avoided and is totally understandable- was the times when we were moored up between other similar cruise ships. On those occasions we could not see out of our balcony windows at all. The only view was the side of the ship beside us. However, this was a small price to pay for the wonderful things were were taken to see. The food on the ship was of good quality, with an excellent salad selection and a good variety of meals and desserts. Always a delicious soup and plenty of bread and fruit too. Sadly, the pre-prepared 'hot' meals were barely warm. However, there was always one freshly cooked, hot item available, just inside the door of the restaurant - this could be hot meat, hot fish or even pizzas. Drinks were readily available and reasonably price both in the restaurant, at the lounge bar and on the sun deck, where afternoon tea and cake was also served free of charge daily. It should also be mentioned that a large bottle of water was provided to each of us every evening. There was some very good evening entertainment provided too but it had to be said that, with the early starts, we were usually too tired to go along to it, All the ship's staff were polite, respectful, friendly and helpful. We were fortunate enough to be part of a small group, 8 in total, under the excellent care of our Orbital Excursions Guide, Adel. This extremely caring, personable and very knowledgeable man organised our excursions. He ensured we were both well informed and very safe. Adel was also a great deal of fun and made our holiday experience very special, not least his use of fun English phrases, of which he had learned many, e.g. after warning us of uneven steps etc, he would say, 'brace yourself Rodney!', and on completion of a successful excursion 'Bob's you uncle.' But Adel was more than a well organised guide who took care of us, he was also able to give us a great deal of in depth information about the places we went to see. He had personal experience of the excavations and discoveries in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens too and was able to show us areas that tourists don't normally have access to. We will always be extremely grateful for the opportunity to have been guided by him. He went above and beyond for us on many occasions and made our holiday truly memorable. Our fellow travellers in the Orbital group were a very friendly, easy going, interesting, eclectic mix and we were fortunate enough to have a couple who had frequented Egypt many times,(brothers- -in law, Oliver and Gordon). Oliver knew a great deal about Egypt and spoke fluent Arabic, which added an extra dimension to our trips, and Gordon was a great deal of fun, frequently making us laugh out loud. We hold a special place in our hearts for them both. So, we would highly recommend going on a 7 night Nile Cruise with Orbital (booked via Classic Holidays) on the MS Royal Princess, especially in the cooler times of the year. It will be the experience of a lifetime - especially if you are guided by Adel.

The driver was very prompt, polite and friendly. We had friends who stayed at a different hotel in Luxor. They didn't charge us extra for the additional pick up location. The van was clean and comfortable. For this particular transfer, the price booked via Viator was much better than those from booking.com.

Thank you team, and especially Mahmood, my guide, for a spectacular experience. The trip took me back in time and left me wanting to come back someday soon!!!

The experience with Hany & Zyan as our guides was impeccable! Top notch! Cannot overstate how wonderful they were in both their knowledge & hospitality. I can’t recommend them highly enough. While I was disappointed in the actual boat and it’s accommodations and did not feel it was remotely close to a 5 star experience, the staff and the service was unmatched. Again, can’t go wrong with Hany and Zyan!

We really loved Philae temple and all the temples in Luxor. Our guide Mohammed (Mo 'Awad) really took care of all our needs. He's very kind, considerate, a good listener, and very very knowledgeable of all the ancient Egyptian sites. We learned so much about Egyptian history and culture from him, truly an unforgettable experience 💖

Mohammed went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and had a good time. We love Egypt and Mohammed added to the whole experience. His knowledge of the Egyptian history was vast and he e answered our questions about everything.