This boat is six star. Why 1. The crew is so friendly and helpful. Service quality is very high. 2. Food is excellent quality 3. Rooms are spacious 4. Very clean ship 5. Top deck and pool are lovely 6. The guide that Oberoi hired, Emad, for the group we were in, spoke English well, was very knowledgeable and excellent to be around 7. Mamdouh helped us out well in the booking arrangements months ago 8. Last but not least the boat is excellently run during the cruise by Shamden Tamang. I would not hesitate in recommending the Oberoi Zahra for the 5 day Luxor to Aswan cruise we took with them.

We just finished a 6 day Nile cruise aboard the Oberoi Philae. Our high expectations were exceeded in every regard. The recently refurbished boat is lovely and luxurious. Spacious cabins with beautiful bathrooms, fantastic quality king beds with high quality sheets and towels refreshed twice daily by attentive housekeeping staff. Meals are all a la carte and the quality and variety of the menu was outstanding. With only 22 cabins aboard the staff quickly learn your preferences and driver excellent service. Of course the daily tours of the magnificent sites and antiquities are outstanding. Maximum group size is 8 guests per Egyptologist (our group had 4). The Egyptologists were outstanding and accompanied us throughout the week. Each transfer was in a comfortable luxury van with plenty of chilled water. We have travelled extensively and had the opportunity to experience numerous luxury brands. This is truly a world class experience. Highly recommend!

Going to see the Pyramids is on many a bucket list, but I found the true highlight of my two week holiday in Egypt to be my cruise down the Nile aboard the Oberoi Philae. This incredible river cruiser is built to house approximately 40 to 50 people, considerably less than most other boats of the same size, but travelling during the off-season means there's far fewer guests aboard. When my wife and I checked in, we found that not only had we been upgraded but we were also only 2 of 4 guests aboard, and essentially had the boat to ourselves like a private cruise. Despite this small number, the boat ran with a full roster of staff, determined to make our experience memorable. With the small number of guests onboard, we began to get to know some of the incredible staff, all of whom share the same exceptional passion for their jobs. Emad, Nasser, Rahman, Alaa, Ellia, Farida, and many others turned what we expected to be good to great. From every meal, every interaction, every jaw dropping towel creation during turn down service, every booking at the spa, and every chat about football (which always ended in laughter), the memories the crew have left us with will stay with us forever. Additionally, as my wife and I were also celebrating her birthday, the kitchen went out of their way to bake a custom cake to mark the occasion. But travelling down the Nile and stopping at various sights also meant we needed a guide, and the person assigned to us made us fall in love with Egypt and history in general. Tarek's knowledge and enthusiasm has now set the bar so high that I'm afraid no guide may ever be able to match it. Sightseeing with him felt like retracing the steps of the people from 1000s of years ago, an interactive experience like none other and truly the history teacher I wish I had in school. If you want to be absolutely blown away, make sure you ask for Tarek Ibrahim as your guide and you will not regret it. To sum up this rather long review, I'll simply say that you can't possibly go wrong with this team. They're all collectively pulling in the same direction and that's set a new standard of excellence for hospitality and made us feel like we were travelling with friends. If given the opportunity, I'd love to take the cruise again, if only to experience the amazing service once more.

My husband and I stayed with the Oberoi Philae for our 4-night journey from Luxor to Aswan, and we couldn’t have made a better choice. The rooms are modern and spacious, and compared to most of the large cruise liners, the Philae has a relatively smaller capacity of just around 22 rooms. The staff was extremely welcoming and made us feel truly at home during our time onboard. By the end of our stay, we knew many of them by name, and looked forward to chatting with them during meals (where there was a different menu every time!) or in the hallways. The spa is also a must-visit after a long day walking around Egypt’s ancient wonders. The itinerary is perfectly balanced so you can enjoy the historic sights, while leaving enough downtime to unwind on the boat. We wanted to add a couple of additional tours to our schedule, and they organized everything seamlessly. Finally, I have to give a special shout-out to our Egyptologist guide, Tarek, who took the entire experience from great to unforgettable. His passion and knowledge for his country’s history was infectious, and we learnt more than we could have ever imagined from him. Truly one of the best tour guides we have encountered on any of our travels. If you have the chance, definitely ask for him as your guide. Overall, I can’t recommend this cruiser enough. And if you can bear the heat, I’d highly recommend going in the off season. We visited in August and were 2 of only 4 passengers onboard!

Beautiful 5-star ship; spacious rooms; panoramic sliding windows; relaxing sundeck, pool and cabanas; wonderful variety of foods; decadent desserts; friendly, attentive staff. Highly recommend!

My family and I spent 9 days in Egypt and the last 4 days were spent aboard Sonesta Moon Goddess Nile River Cruise. The ship was great, I have cruised other river cruises (Avalon, Viking and American) and this experience was unique and specific to Egypt (the entertainment, the food and the shopping). The ladies (4 of them) enjoyed the massages (they are still talking about them) and the cabins were very nice, spacious and clean. The highlight of our trip was our tour guide Khaled Fouad. He was very knowledgeable about his country and shared his enthusiasm for all of the Egyptian sites with us. He creatively included our group into the historical events we saw each day by incorporating us as characters in history. This really helped to keep us engaged, especially the teenagers. He expertly guided us past all of the “street vendors” and made us feel safe when the onslaughts occurred by sending them away. We toured in June, so it was HOT and he made sure we were OK and not overheated. He adapted his tour to keep us in the shade and air conditioning when he could. We learned a lot from Khaled at each stop on the tour and I shared it daily in my social media travel logs, which has created an interest in people who follow me to come to Egypt. My experience in Egypt has changed my life and I plan to return. Thank you Sonesta and Khaled for making our Egyptian experience so memorable.

As part of our 12 day trip through Egypt, we spent 4 nights on the Philae travelling up the Nile from Aswan to Luxor. Cruising the Nile is really magical and should be on everyone’s bucket list. We experienced so many unforgettable moments during the cruise, be it lazy lunch on deck while sailing, sipping on a cocktail during sunset watching the river, and all the great sightseeing included. I don’t believe there is a more comfortable way to cruise on the Nile than onboard the Oberoi Philae. With its very generous size considering its only twenty something cabins, it never felt crowded or was there any wait for anything. It felt very exclusive and we were oftentimes the only people on the sundeck, in the lounge or in the gym. The facilities are excellent and also include a full-sized Spa with large treatment rooms with very moderately priced treatments and super professional SPA staff from their Bali property. The overall design is very understated and not as “colonial” (or tacky) as on other Nile cruisers. Our cabin (standard “Deluxe Cabin”) was extremely spacious, with twin beds and a separate seating area, large dressing area and HUGE bathroom. The size of the standard cabins was also the reason we picked the Philae over the Zahra. Every day, the house keepers would create some towel animals and caused a lot of fun and surprise. Housekeeping was immaculate and otherwise invisible. As regards sightseeing and activities, the Oberoi team gets in touch with you long before the departure and checks what you want to include on the itinerary and makes sure they customise the itinerary for you. Most sightseeing is included in the rate, but there are certain sights not covered. We did the Philae temple at night and made a day trip to Abu Simbel on top of the regular itinerary, both highly recommended and very well-organized by Oberoi. There is also hot air ballooning and many other activities you can pick from (all for a charge). Since we were the only German speaking guests on board, we got a Egyptologist guide to ourselves and our private van just for the 2 of us (although not a Mercedes Benz van any longer, but Hyundai or Toyota). But normally, they would put a small group of max 6 people together. Our guide and driver were excellent and have repeatedly worked with Oberoi. One advice: Since not all sights are covered, we would encourage everyone to extend your stay in Aswan and Luxor prior/after the cruise. We did 3 nights at the Sofitel Winter Palace and 2 nights at the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract before the cruise which was enough time to cover the most important sights (there is just so much to see in Egypt!!!). Temples of Dendara and Abydos are amazing!!! So is the temple of Khnum in Esna with its gorgeous columns. The stretch of Nile between Assuan and Luxor is not very long, therefore, we opted for the shorter cruise (as opposed to the 6 night itinerary which includes more sights) in order to be able to experience these legendary historic hotels. Although we enjoyed very much the journey, mostly thanks to the incredible team and food, the ship unfortunately already shows its age and could use a retouch: We saw many chipped tiles in the swimming pool and also in the bathroom and a couple of mouldy corners (for which we have deducted a point)… This did not impair our experience overall, but paying USD 1,600 per night (yes, per night, not per cruise!), you don’t want/expect to see something like this. Further, while we understand that they are striving for the “clean” look, I do think that Oberoi could make the ship a bit less “cold” and a bit more “cozy”: e.g. the sun beds are just grey sun beds without any toppers on them. This really does not look nor feel very comfy: As we passed by a couple of Sanctuary Boats, while we understand that these are less “exclusive”, we could not help but think that their sundecks looked much more inviting as the sun beds and chairs all had thick, striped toppers and cushions and they placed some plants and lanterns here and there. To end on a positive note: The entire team onboard was outstanding! Very attentive, welcoming and chatty, but at the same time keeping the right level of distance. Kudos to Oberoi who always manages to train the staff to a level which is rarely met by any other hotel company! We will never forget this cruise. It is a trip of a lifetime!

It is rare to find a review that literally supports perfect service but the Zahra is perfect. The cabins are superb and the food literally fantastic, but what makes the experience even better are the team who work aboard. Professional, knowledgeable, friendly, efficient etc they cannot be faulted and work tirelessly to make your stay on board special. The meal times offer plenty of variety the boat is spacious, light and airy and so clean. Wi- Fi on board is strong once you have the individual Wi-Fi connector. The experiences and visits are superbly organised and messages from travel agents and companies are swiftly conveyed to you. Heartily recommend this as the best boat on the Nile.

The whole experience was faultless. Not often a company far exceeds your hopes, but they did. The cabin, food, service and excursions were well planned and organised. They even took us through security and check in at the airport on the way home, saving us an hour of queueing. Don't even think about using any other tour company for your Nile trip.

We cruised through a tour company. It was really a mixed bag. First off, Egypt was amazing. The sights are truly breathtaking. The people are nice and we felt safe throughout the trip. Positives: The room was very nice and very roomy for a ship. The staff was overall very helpful and pleasant. Could be better: The food was very average. Mostly buffets. probably a step above a Norwegian or royal Caribbean cruise line. The spa staff were like hawks circling prey. They waited outside and pounced when you walked by. They also changed prices when pushed. Really disappointing: They do not tell you that the ships dock side by side so 3 out of 4 nights/days our patio faced another ship. Literally the other ship was 5 feet away! We could shake hands with the people on the other boat. as a result, we had to keep the shades drawn and we had absolutely no view! It was terrible!

Went as a family - had the most wonderful time . The Boat manager and the team was always there for you - accommodative and flexible . Don't think they have a "no" on their vocabulary. Got an independent and knowledagable guide for the family. The Egypt trip would not have been as good if not for this experience

We had the pleasure of traveling with extended family ages 10-74 and we could not have had a better experience. The boat is lovely, the staff warm and welcoming, and the food outstanding (including going out of their way to accommodate my daughter who is vegan and gluten free). Our guide as phenomenal and we simply could not have asked for a better trip! Our only complaint was that the trip had to end!!

Do NOT use their massage services. The guy made a good presentation and sold me and my husband for a massage. But he let a young inexperienced person to do the work instead as promised to do the massage himself. I total him to pay $20 tips total on the final bill, which is 10% and he somehow charged me $30 when I see my credit card statement. Just very desperate and sleazy.

Though the vessel is starting to look dated for its 15 years of commission, it is still the best luxury option for a river cruise of the Nile. While not as warm or as fun as the Delfin river cruise I enjoyed last year on the Amazon, the Oberoi Zahra is perfectly suitable as a floating hotel and fine dining restaurant as you sail to see Egypt’s glorious sites along the Nile. I boarded in Luxor for a 4-night cruise to Aswan (preferable to the reverse itinerary 3-night cruise of Aswan to Luxor, which abridges key excursions). The ship has a very subdued, borderline boring-at-times atmosphere, perhaps due in part to it’s almost all-male crew (due to local custom women are not allowed to sleep overnight for work) or that most passengers were of retirement age. A party cruise this is not, and more times than not you will find yourself seated alone at the bar or the sole passenger in any of the common spaces. The food aboard the Oberoi Zahra is about as good as any fine dining establishment in a major metropolis you’ll find on land. The breakfast menu remains the same each day, with western classics and an Egyptian breakfast option. Lunch and dinner menus changed daily varying among Egyptian, Asian, European and Indian cuisines, with one night designated as “Egyptian night” that was served family-style. All passengers cruising together as assigned the same table in the main dining room for each meal, or may choose to dine on the sun deck for breakfast or lunch (limited menus). Crew aboard the Zahra does warm up to guests as the cruise progresses. They do learn guest names and preferences. One bartender even took the time to adjust my new Egyptian headdress into “Arabian style,” making for me both a nice memory and photos that popped in Luxor and Valley of the Kings. Shaady and Markos were two of my favorite crew members. As was Sabry and his colleague who left towel creatures on our beds each day (the mummy was a true hit!). The cabins on the ship are starting to look dated after 15 years, with finishes that could use a major overhaul. The two cabins we had also had a musty smell sometimes that was alleviated once the crews unlocked the windows (upon request) allowing for fresh air. Each cabin is provided with a portable wi-fi device for the duration of the cruise, which works even during excursions on land. The devices can be temperamental and need to be reset by the front desk, but worked well for the majority of the time. Pool is good, deck loungers are in plenty supply. Gym has very limited equipment with 3 cardio machines and dumbbells only. Spa menu looked decent, but price list is only available upon request from the spa desk. Steam room is free to use but reservation must be made. The only items available to purchase on board are textile goods by Malakai. Where the Oberoi Zahra could truly improve besides cosmetic upgrades to its decor and finishes is its programming. There is almost none of it, which is a real miss, especially on sailing days. Besides one performance of an Egyptian stringed soloist, there was no other on-board entertainment or enrichment. No music, no dance, no lectures, no demonstrations of any kind. There is a screening room with preview videos about the excursions, but I never asked them to be played. I never saw a single cigar smoked in the cigar room, and nary a game played in the game room. No one attends the “tea in the lounge” offered daily on the schedule, neither indoors nor on the sun deck. A social atmosphere is not what you’ll get on the Oberoi Zahra, but it is the best option to get you from site to site down or up the Nile. If you go in with expectations that it’s a 4-star level floating hotel (true luxury on a Four Seasons, Ritz, or St. Regis standard it is not) with very good to excellent food, you’ll be good. If you want to socialize with other passengers or expect programming on-board, you’ll be let down. It’s a comfortable, quiet passage.

Absolutely wonderful. I can’t imagine there is a more luxurious & comfortable way to experience the Nile. The accommodations are spacious & beautiful. The service is so warm & personal. The ship is beautiful & it never feels crowded. And the food is INCREDIBLE! Egyptian, Indian & continental cuisine at every meal. Our guide & driver was excellent. Tours scheduled so that there are few others visiting a site. Massage therapist the absolute best. I can’t think of any improvement that could be made. Bring good walking shoes!