Has anyone cruised the Nile River, Luxor to Aswan, or vice versa?
Someone special to me and I are planning a trip this March. Right now we are booked on Presidential Nile Cruises ( http://pnccruises.com/ ). We had wanted to take Moevenpick Resorts cruises, but their boats aren't yet operating for the season.
Any experience? Any thoughts?
BTW, that special person and I are experienced travellers, and experienced in troubled lands. Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Pullman--
We've been to Egypt (Alexandria and Cairo) and did a brief cruise on the Nile but nothing long distance so can't help you there. In 2015 we will go through the Suez Canal enroute from Dubai to Rome and are hoping for a peaceful transit.
We DO have friends who did the Nile cruise and I'll see if I can contact them to see what they say.
Frank in clear and sunny SBA
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
We did look at cruising on the Nile but a lot of people - too many! - seemed to end up with Pharaoh’s Revenge (upset stomach and more). More so than those who went to Egypt but not on a boat. You can practice as much good hygiene as you like but it takes just one crew member to ruin the next few days for you. The same principle applies on land, of course, yet somehow on a boat it seems to be much more prevalent.
However, Egypt itself is still relatively safe to visit, if you choose your destinations carefully, and have your wits about you. The country depends too much on tourism to let troubles affect it. But you probably already know that, being an experienced traveler! Well worth a visit anyway.
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
@ sbalax Transited the Suez Canal during November 2011. One of the great thrills of my life.
The ship was filled with PullmanCompanies, very experienced travelers, who totally enjoyed the experience.
Interestingly, my ship did the opposite of what yours will do. We went Barcelona to Dubai via Rome, etc. Will you be on the Brilliance of the Seas?
I wish there was an easy way to post photos on Railforum, instead of having to duplicate my collection in Flickr. People seldom post images here. A shame.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Don--
We will be on Celebrity Century. SIN-DXB and DXB-FCO will be the last two cruises for this ship as a Celebrity ship. She will be turned over to one of the RCCL European subsidiaries as her sisters Zenith and Horizon have already been. (I think that's the two -- except for Century they had all left the Celebrity fleet when we started cruising actively.)
We are doing the Panama Canal on Century in March so will have done the world's two great canals on the same ship. We are also sailing on her SFO-SYD in September. That will be her last Transpacific.
Frank in cool and clear SBA -- soon to be wet they say.
Posted by HopefulRailUser (Member # 4513) on :
Way back in the 70's I took an overnight train from Cairo to Luxor. First class but still quite an eye opener. Food was inedible.
But we are talking cruises. Have only heard good things about the short Nile cruises. And visiting the cities up the Nile is a life changing experience. Go for it!
Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
Thank you all so far.
I have had other friends tell us do not eat fresh vegetables or fruit, there is the matter of the fertilizer they are grown in...
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
Avoid ice too. Some is okay though. And use a straw or something to drink from cans of coke or whatever.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
A 'positive' essay on the cruise experience will appear in this Sunday's Times Travel Section:
Good article. The more I read the more I realized that cruising isn't much different than an LD train trip - with the same small pleasures and occasional annoyances.
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