Egypt Nile Cruise Tips

If you choose to go on a Nile cruise, make sure that the cruise is taken as “all inclusive”, i.e. accommodation, sightseeing tours, and transportation! This option is the best way for you to see all the possible Temples en route. We would, therefore, recommend, for health and safety reasons, to choose only the five star or 5 star + Nile cruises! The cost for one-night accommodation ranges between $90 and $150 per person per night in a twin room.  Today there are more than 220 Nile cruisers on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, I various classes of 4 star, standard 5 stars, and 5 stars deluxe and imperial Ultra Deluxe.

Your Cabin Location

Prices of accommodation depend largely on which deck you have chosen to stay, staying in the lower decks is generally cheaper than staying on the upper deck. Try and obtain a plan of the boat before you book. Your cabin will be fitted with air-conditioning and a TV set. Any good cruise boat will keep the cabins that are closer to the engine, for the staff! The guests staying away from engine noise.

There are 3 types of itineraries for Nile Cruises:

03 Nights Cruise
Usually departs from   Aswan to Luxor

*This is a short cruise, good for those who want to get just the cruise experience in a quick glance and still enjoy the temples in between.

Please Note: It is very important to have your tourist guide onboard during your cruise visits.

Day 01
Aswan / Nile Cruise	Check-in before lunch. Visit the High Dam and Philae Temple. Overnight on board.
Day 02
Nile Cruise	Sail to Kom Ombo Temple. Sail to Edfu Visit Edfu Temple. Sail to Luxor & overnight on board.
Day 03
Nile Cruise	A.M. Visit the Valley of the King, Queen Hatshepsut Temple and Colossi of Memnon. P.M. Visit Karnak and Luxor Temples. Overnight on board.
Day 04
Nile Cruise	Check-out after breakfast.

04 Nights Cruise
Usually departs from  Luxor to Aswan

*This is a Medium range type of Nile cruise, good for those who want more of the cruise experience. while adding one extra night for more leisure time Good for those who would like to extend their stay to see Abu Simbel.

Day 01
Cairo /  Nile Cruise	Arrival Luxor Airport and transfer to the pier to embark your 4 nights / 05 days Nile Cruise. Visit Karnak & Luxor Temple. Overnight in Luxor
Day 02
Nile Cruise	Visit the West Bank "Valley of Kings, Hatshepsut Temple and Colossi of Memnon. Sail to Edfu and overnight.
Day 03
Nile Cruise	Sail to Edfu and Visit Edfu Temple. Sail to Kom Ombo & Overnight in Kom Ombo.
Day 04
Nile Cruise	Visit Kom-Ombo Temple and Sail to Aswan .P.M.Visit the High Dam and Philae Temple. Overnight in Aswan.
Day 05
Nile Cruise	Abu-Simbel Excursion by Air from Aswan. A.M. Optional Abu Simbel excursion by air from Aswan visiting Ramses II and Nefertari Temples. Return back to Aswan by flight. P.M Felucca sailing around the Islands in Aswan. Transfer to Aswan Airport.

07 Nights Cruise either 
Direction: Luxor to Aswan or  Aswan to Luxor

This 7 nights itinerary basically includes all the visits mentioned above, ut divided over 7 nights, which gives you in total more free nights to relax. It is the very good choice for those who seek full relaxation.

Please Note: when leaving the ship for sightseeing you will be given a boarding pass. This is to help you identify your boat later on in case you got lost, as well it helps the boat to know if they have all passenger onboard so that they can continue sailing to the next stop of the cruise. While on tour Don't lose it! Keep it in a safe place and hand it over to reception each time you come back from a tour. 

What to know when on a Nile  Cruise

Food on board

Accommodation aboard the Nile cruise is entirely based on full board basis. (All meals are included ) mostly in an open buffet manner with many varieties, depending on type and quality of the cruise boat you have selected; these meals are served with a fixed timetable each day.

Tea and coffee are available on board, served every day around 5:00 pm to 5:30. Other drinks are offered in the bar area are with additional cost.

Dress Code

During the daytime, while touring, you can wear whatever you really like,(Shorts are ok)  though due to the extreme heat it is recommended you wear lightweight clothes. 

While relaxing on board, and indoors, you may wear shorts and swimming costumes if you wish. Breakfast and lunch can be taken dressed like this, but for dinner, please wear smarter clothes! But beware of too much exposure to the sun! Apply plenty of high factor sunblock! 

Nightlife

Every day there is an entertainment programme, which differs from one boat to the other. On most cruise ships the first day is usually a cocktail party, presented and run by the boat manager, where they offer free drinks and introduce the senior staff on board.

This party is also known as  “The manager’s party”, where the manager introduces his crew to the passengers onboard.  It is Advised to wear smart casual clothes during this cocktail.

•  A 2-Another night there is a “Galabia party”, where you will be encouraged to get Egyptian outfits and wear the local Galabia. To buy a Galabia, it will cost you around 50-70 LE, but if you do not wish to buy one, you can hire one from the bazaar shop located onboard.
• If you choose to buy your Galabia from outside the boat There are many bazaars outside the Temples that you will be visiting during your cruise. Don’t forget to haggle hard! 
• -Another night will have a Nubian show, where you will see Nubian dancers and singers in their local outfit.
• -The last evening’s entertainment usually has a belly dancing show, a juggler’s show (whirling dervishes) with local singers and bands. 

Your dress Codeonboard:

During daytime, while touring, you can wear whatever you really like, ( Shorts are ok)  though due to the extreme heat it is recommended you wear lightweight clothes. 

While relaxing on board, and indoors, you may wear shorts and swimming costumes, if you wish. Breakfast and lunch can be taken dressed like this, but for dinner, please wear smarter clothes! But beware of too much exposure to the sun! Apply plenty of high factor sunblock! 

How to pay your Extra bills:

All extras such as consumed beverages, laundry, and telephones bills, should be settled and paid on the last day of your cruise when you check out. Payment can be made with credit cards, traveler’s cheque, or cash. Make sure you have enough cash, just in case your credit card transaction didn't go through.

Please note: Many Nile cruise boats do not accept personal cheques or money orders! many others don't accept traveler's checks as well

Tipping:

Don’t forget to leave tips for the cruise staff, not less than $ 5-8  USD PER PERSON PER DAY!  

For 3 nights cruise, it  should be 15-25 USD per person ( in total)

For 4 nights cruise, it should be 20-35  USD per person ( in total)

For 7 nights cruise, it should be 35-55  USD per person ( in total)

This tipping should be given to the boat reception,  simply put your tip in an envelope and hand it over to boat reception. This money later will be distributed evenly among the crew onboard. This way each person will get his fair share.

Please Note: This does not include tipping to your Tourist Guide, this should be separate, and it is entirely up to you to decide the amount of tip that you will give to him/her. Know that these are only guidelines, gratuities are a personal matter and tipping is entirely at the discretion of the individuals.

 Health and Safety onboard Egypt Nile Cruises: 

• All Nile cruises are equipped with safety features and life jackets are normally placed under your cabin bed.
• You should avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol especially if you have equilibrium problems. You are not just putting yourself at risk but also the other guests and staff too. 
• People with equilibrium problems should not spend too much time on deck at night, on a fast moving ship; it is dangerous in case you fall over.
• Smoking in bed is dangerous; the mattresses are very flammable
• People who tend to sleepwalk should never take a cabin with a balcony, an inside cabin with a window would be far safer.
• Make sure that you know where the muster stations are, in case you have to abandon ship.
• If you get sick whilst on board, some cruise boats have a resident doctor on board. If not, they have doctors assigned in each town that can be called on in case of emergency.
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Nile Cruise other useful tips:

• Firstly after checking-in at a cruise, it is advisable to leave your valuables in your rooms' safety deposit box.  As all cabins have a private safe!
• If you wish to buy any items from the shops on board, the opportunity for shopping is generally limited due to the small size of these shops. But on the other hand, you will get plenty of time to check what you are buying, and haggle over the price!
• To call home, most of the cruise boats offer telephone facilities onboard, but the sound quality is not as good as onshore.
• We would recommend visiting a bank to change your money, before cruising, as most of the boats do not offer to exchange money facilities and you will not get access to onshore banks while you are cruising.
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