5 Tips for Choosing the Best Nile River Cruise

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How to Choose the Best Nile Cruise

When I started planning our trip to Egypt, to say I was overwhelmed by all the Nile River cruise options would be an understatement. There are so many travel agencies and cruise lines and itineraries, how am I supposed to narrow it all down?

After hours and hours of googling, I realized most of the options actually seemed very similar. And because I couldn’t really tell what the big differences were, it made it even more difficult. Talk about decision paralysis.

Since there are way too many options, the key is to figure out exactly what you want to do and look for cruises that fit those perimeters until you find your perfect Nile cruise.

Establish Your Budget

One easy way to narrow down the seemingly endless Nile Cruise options is to decide how much you are willing to spend. If you’re on a tight budget don’t worry, there are options for every kind of spender from frugal to luxurious.

How much does a Nile Cruise cost?

Fortunately, Nile River cruises range drastically in price point. Standard Cruises start around $350 while the Luxury Cruises can go up to $1700, and everything in between.

Some cruises include entry to all the sites in their initial pricing, but some do not. If the cruise does not include this, add an extra $100 or so to estimate what you will actually pay. Our tour package also gave us the option to add the hot air balloon in Luxor for an additional $80.

All cruises are 5 star accommodations, meaning guests are catered to at the highest level. They also include all your meals on the boat, and often an afternoon snack with tea and coffee. Drinks such as beer, wine, and water cost extra and are added to your tab to be paid at the end of the cruise, along with any tips for the staff. WIFI is also not included on the boat but you can pay per gig at reception.

To save money, consider stocking up on alcohol beforehand at the Duty Free in the airport in Aswan. They aren’t really strict about bringing outside beverages onto the ship. Water is another thing you can buy outside the ship to save a little money. There is usually even a guy on the street just before you get on the cruise selling waters for slightly cheaper.

Remember to account for tipping when considering your budget as well. It is expected to tip drivers, cruise staff, and your tour guide. Most tour guides will help you navigate the appropriate amounts for each of these scenarios.

Another way to save money is by booking through a site like Viator instead of the official cruise agencies. We were able to get a Deluxe cruise on Viator for the same price as a Standard on the cruise’s website.

Choose a Route

The majority of the Nile River cruises start in Aswan and travel north to Luxor. This popular route takes 3 nights and 4 days. I recommend this option because you get to see a ton of sites in a short amount of time and the itinerary keeps topping itself as you get closer to Luxor, where Karnak is the grand finale.

However there are also some that go the opposite way, which adds an extra day (4 nights, 5 days). If you really want to start in Luxor and end in Aswan, it is important to find those specific cruises as they are less common.

There are also even longer 5 day or 8 day cruises traveling north if you have the extra time. You can even cruise all the way up to Cairo! It really depends on the rest of your trip’s itinerary and what you can reasonably accomplish in that time.

Define Your Desired Quality

Nile River cruises are offered in four different tiers: Standard, Deluxe, Ultra Deluxe, and Luxury. After looking at hundreds of cruises online, I honestly had a hard time seeing a huge difference between them. All of the cruises look a bit dated and traditional, and all have similar amenities such a bar, roof deck, gift shop, and pool.

In person, the subtle differences are a bit more noticeable. I walked through several cruises when we docked, and although some were definitely nicer than others, I’m not sure what tier each of them fell into.

Quality of food could be another differentiator between tiers, but I am only speculating. We stayed on a Deluxe cruise and I thought the food was great.

All levels of cruises still boast 5 star accommodations and stop at the same sites along the journey.

Select an Itinerary

Selecting the best Nile Cruise is not only which boat you want to stay on, but what sites and tours you want. All tours make the same core stops: High Dam, Philae Temple, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo, Luxor Temple, Temple of Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings, and Karnak.

But there are some additional activities to consider to really personalize your cruise experience. Some of these other options include Abu Simbel, hot air balloon over Luxor, Valley of the Queens, and the Karnak Sound and Light show.

There is also the option to have a private guide or group tour. The group tour will obviously be the cheaper option and you can meet new people. But the private guide can really personalize your tour and give you his full attention.

Typical Itinerary from Aswan to Luxor

Day 1: High Dam and Philae Temple

Day 2: Abu Simbel (optional) and Kom Ombo

Day 3: Edfu Temple, Karnak and Luxor Temple

Day 4: Hot air balloon (optional), Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Hatshepsut and Valley of the Kings

Shop Around

There are tons of cruises and tour companies offering essentially the same thing. There’s no sense in settling or paying a lot of money. Shop around until you find exactly what you want; and if you don’t know what you want, you can’t really go wrong with any of them.