We picked a 3 night cruise from Aswan to Luxor and the attention that we were provided was second to none. Great and caring staff, extremely safe and clean.

Excellent tours, we had the day trip to Bahariya deseter and the sakkara, Dahrus trip and both were excellent. Punctual and clean with Knowledgable guides and engaging activities. Martina from the sun pyramid tours was very responsive and friendly Would definitely recommend

We just completed a four day Nile River cruise from Luxor to Aswan on the Sonesta Sun Goddess. It was an incredible experience! The boat is immaculate, the staff and crew are incredibly friendly and helpful and the food was outstanding. The manager of the boat went out his way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. Even the captain was great! We would highly recommend the Sonesta Sun Goddess. Thank you, Michael Cunningham and Shannon Bodnar

We were on the boat as part of a 7 day cruise from Luxor to Aswan and back. If this review was for the experience and the sights to be seen whilst cruising down the Nile, then it would be a full 5 stars and more. The other plus is the staff are very friendly. The food was variable - some meals were good and some very poor. The big letdown is the accommodation. It's very poor. Everything is tired and worn and the whole boat is in much need of a refurbishment. We were upgraded to this boat, and if this was the upgrade, I would hate to see the boat we were originally meant to be on

We had booked another cruise ship but after the initial shock that this was not the boat we were expecting we were actually pleasantly surprised. All rooms have a balcony with furniture if you’d like to sit outside. There is a welcome sun deck with plenty of shade and a clean jacuzzi type pool. The food is well presented with lots of staff on hand and all take pride in their work. Food hygiene was excellent. We had a guide Tony who we found to be excellent . Knowledgeable, approachable and a very decent guy. We were on the boat for 4 nights from Luxor to Aswan. A very memorable cruise with great service all round . Would definitely recommend .

This was a long awaited trip so a great deal of research went into ensuring we got this right. We decided on Orbital Travel in the UK as our operator and MS Mayfair as our boat. Both were the right choice. The entire experience was fantastic. Wonderful boat, exceptional crew, lovely food and service. Our guide however: Aymen Zieff (apologies if incorrectly spelled) was the highlight of our trip. A charming gentleman and an exceptionally erudite and articulate guide who made our trip so memorable.

One of the nicest boats on the Nile. food and crew were great. The cabins are suites which is nice to have extra room. Review would have been 5 star except our cabin was over the lounge and the music played until after midnight.

The highlight of our Egyptian holiday. The boat itself is lovely and the journey so smooth. The staff are what make this experience unforgettable, always smiling, always helping and always providing surprises. The attention to detail in everything that is provided is on another level to what I have previously experienced. The food was impeccable and so much choice. The agenda for when to visit the unbelievable tombs and temples is clearly thought out so that you miss the crowds. Emad, The Egyptologist that accompanied us was extremely knowledgeable and steered us through 2000 years of history at a pace that worked for the group. Typical groups were no more than eight people with ours being six and some even smaller. The cabins were pure luxury and so much more sizeable than we had imagined. I cannot fault any aspect of the 3 night cruise and I would highly recommend it.

We spent 4 days/nights on this horrid vessel. Best part of each day was leaving the vessel. It was part of a tour package by Luxury Vacations. Unfortunately all of our meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner were on the boat. The food was repetitive and bland. So horrible that it wasn’t even worth getting out of bed for breakfast. But on the bright side it didn’t give us the runs. The ship is in desperate need of a refurbishment, starting with the small green ringed (stained/algae?) pool. The entire ship was treated to a 4am wake up call one night/morning. How incompetent can one be to accomplish that feat? They charge for bottled water (in a country where the water supply is unsafe) and forbid you to bring your own water on board. Ridiculous. There are much better vessels to cruise the Nile.

Whist our time on the BR was not private (given is has 70 add cabins don’t really know what private is), however we did go as a group of 12 who then shared the boat with about another 80 people. The rooms are anything but luxury, cleanliness is questionable, our first room came with the noise of the generator and the perfume of diesel, our second room came with the joy of a wall whole to the next cabin so that we could vicariously enjoy their television at 1.30am in the morning. The room did have windows that opened, the water pressure in the (bath) showe combo was good although the shower had a mind of its own in terms of change in water temperature and it decision to randomly lurch itself of its fixture. I you did want a bath you had to lean around a fixed shower screen to turn the taps on. Definitely not for a person with reduced mobility. Moving onto the service, well the crew is all male …a little disconcerting for myself, especially given that Egypt has rules around practices of males and females (eg at airports). I felt (and purely my opinion) they were a little misogynistic and I would even say rude, in fact will say some were quite rude, although the younger crew members appeared to have a little more sensitivity. The kitchen staff appeared a little friendlier. (In defense of staff We did get a better response from some staff after our guide spoke to them, although he should not have needed to.) In fact we were very lucky to have someone to speak on our behalf otherwise it could have been far worse. Day 2 of the journey my husband was ready to do anything to avoid staying on the boat, hence the benefit of our guide. Speaking of the kitchen leads to food quality, the question I had was ‘where is the Egyptian food? The dining consisted mostly of mass cooked chicken pollo, and overcooked beef. The salads were a little better. Dining was literally like going to a soup kitchen except there were about 80-100 vying to eat at the one time. It was pretty woeful of course you were expected to pay extra for water (tap water not potable), again this was resolved after our guide spoke to management. Tea and machine coffee were freely provided ONLY at breakfast The experience, whilst on the river cruising was nice, you could escape from the masses and enjoy the passing scenery which Egypt has in spades. On docking you were up against another boat and we had the joy of being level with the kitchen workers on the next Baat staring into our cabin, hence had to close the curtains, which did not cover the window completely. For us overall the experience was very substandard and did dampen our enjoyment of a Nile cruise, If you still wanted to ‘chance’ the BR make sure you have a room that is: not under the dance floor, is away from the engines, has twin beds (double reduces room size and is not that comfortable), would suggest towards the very front of the boat. Also suggest you hide plenty of water in your suitcase as the first night I was told in no uncertain terms that “you cannot bring outside water into the dining room”, and there are signs not to bring any food or drink onboard. It is a cruise that is very much one of nickel and dining. Facilities on board included a small pool, dance floor and bar gift shop that was reasonable in price, and they did try to have themed nights. There are over 100 Nile cruise ships, many looked much better than ours so really do your research before signing up to the BR.

We just recently finished a 4 day river cruise on the Mayfair and had absolutely the best experience, it greatly exceeded our expectations. The service was top notch and the kind you’d see at a 5 star hotel or resort. For us the greatest surprise was the food. We were expecting bland or over salted food and instead felt we had gourmet meals for every sitting, even the buffets were incredible. Now granted the steak I had the second night was not as good as what I would normally get in the US, but it was good, just not a thick steak like I’m used to. Secondly we worried about the noise or gas fumes but the first night we were docked alone, one night with a few boats and then one night we were docked with the Mayflower in Luxor so we didn’t think the noise or fumes were bad at all. Overall these guys did a great job and we would absolutely return and highly recommend.

Excellent service from time of check in to time of check out , very professional staff, very decent and polite, full board is excellent, nice suites with a balcony, excellent tour guides well organized. The experience was amazing, they celebrated my wife birthday which was a very nice touch. If you ever think of a Nile cruise , this is it .

My family and I were looking for the perfect Nile cruise and we came upon Sonesta Sun Goddess 4 nights Monday to Friday, I can’t Express, how impressed we are, from amazing, welcoming staff, the most delicious top quality food, clean, comfortable cabinet with awesome balcony views to the amazing leadership and management. I would like to express my gratitude to the Regional Manager who happened to be on the ship, his name is Mr. Khaled Fathalla, he was checking in all the guests, making sure that all our needs and wishes has been fulfilled, And gathering the staff daily to ensure they are doing their best service to their clients. If you are skeptical about a Nile Cruise or upper Egypt visit, I would highly highly recommend soonest our cruise, especially sun goddess!!

This all sweets boat did meet our expectations. Very courteous staff at all levels from the moment you arrive, until departure. Be it reception, restaurants, bell boys, house keeping which by the way cleans the room twice a day with towels replenishments and bed folding while you have breakfast and dinner. All the meals provide a decent variety, the tours are well catered to, the buses used, the guides provided are knowledgeable and all people handling the trip details are all professional ensuring your experience is satisfactory in every aspect. Well worth it. Recommended.

First the photo is not of the Nile Goddess. The actual NG is the most basic of the Sonesta ships. Having said that, the crew are wonderful and the food very good. Public areas very smart - dark wood and brass everywhere, although brass was left unpolished for the whole week. The cabins were the most disappointing part of the cruise. Shabby and in desperate need of a deep clean and/or refurb.