Exploring the ancient Egypt started with an overnight bus from Cairo to Luxor and then hopping on to the Nile cruise from Luxor. Distance between the ancient cities of Luxor & Aswan can either be covered by road or by a Nile cruise. As I hadn’t been on a cruise before, I was excited to go with the latter.
It was a small cruise with modern facilities, rooms to stay, with staff to cater to the needs of travelers. The Nile cruise consisted of four decks : the lower deck had a large dining area, the middle two decks had lots of rooms to stay along with some souvenir shops and a lounge. The upper deck could also be called as the chilling area as it consisted of swimming pools, sunbathing chairs coupled with mesmerizing views of sunrises and sunsets and the river Nile.
On entering the Nile cruise one could find the reception area decked with comfortable sofas to greet travelers on board. One another side was a notice board which detailed out all information about the cruise and places to visit. The staircase with a huge chandelier gave strong feel of being in a Titanic Movie every time one sees it. This always made me nostalgic as and when I had to climb up or down. The passenger cabins were twin bedded & was clean & well-equipped with all the amenities which one generally finds in a three star hotel. The windows in every passenger cabins were faced outward, towards the river Nile and one could see the beautiful views right from the cabins.
The entire lower deck was covered by dining area which served delicious food. All the breakfast,lunch and dinner were buffet style and one could choose from lots of options and always end up eating more than one should. The cruise also packed the breakfast for the travelers when the exploration started before the normal breakfast time and I found this to be really a good initiative on their part. The travelers are assigned table for the days, which was allocated on arrival. The meals were mouth-watering which contained not only the main course but also different types of desserts and fresh fruits. As the dining room was in the lower deck which was half submerged inside the river, one could enjoy river Nile touching right up till the windows of the cruise.
The lounge area consisted of a bar, a dance floor in the center surrounded by chairs, tables and sofas. One could plug-in their own source of music and play whichever song they preferred. The ambiance was great with small disco lights and this part of the Nile cruise was never crowded. It is where my friends even taught me how to dance to salsa and bachata. And it is where we met a brother sister duo from Liechtenstein and a middle-aged couple from Netherlands.
The upper most deck consisted of small swimming pool and Jacuzzi. Ideal for only 3-4 people to swim. The rest of the deck contained chairs for sun bathing. There were several indoor games on the deck and it could easily fit all the travelers at once. Everyday the Nile cruise stopped at varied locations, where travelers could get off and explore the ancient temples of Egypt.
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One can easily say that it was the best of both worlds (A modern cruise amidst the ancient city). In the entire 4 nights/5 days stay, I enjoyed every part of the cruise life. The river was calm throughout the journey. Every morning we used to loose ourselves into the history of Egypt and every night we used to party hard in the cruise. All in all it was really affordable trip to anyone who wishes to experience cruise life on a budget. And also all the temples are conveniently placed from various ports which helps reaching there all the more convenient.
IMPORTANT POINTS FOR NILE CRUISE :
- Carry your own water bottles as inside the cruise water/soft drinks and alcohol is available at an high price.
- Also the phone network on the cruise isn’t very strong and also the cost for WiFi is expensive.
ALSO READ: The complete travel guide to Egypt for all the information you need to plan your trip to this country.