A group of 10 guests from the UK were on a Nile Cruise with a Radamis boat over the New Year. It was an old boat with a new name "Amira" after a refurbishment last year. The cabins showed clear signs of poor amateurish workmanship especially in the bathrooms and toilets with poorly applied untidy sealants and shower curtains that did not prevent water spillage onto the floor area. Equally bad, presumably to save costs, the air conditioning systems everywhere in the ship had dual hot/cold thermostat controls but the Reception staff said no heating systems were ever installed, presumably to save costs. With nightime temperatures dropping to 4°C over the New Year, comfortable sleep was often elusive due to the cold. Contrast this to other better equipped ships from other better companies which have installed hot/cold systems. Likewise, the swimming pool was not heated and those who used it did not swim for long. Worse of all, whilst the staff were all friendly and helpful, all food was overcooked, reheated and served lukewarm on stone cold plates (the heated plate trolley broke down after being used a couple of times and no one repaired it). Our guide said all food is washed and cooked with mineral water but also advised that he always avoided salad. Out of 10 of us from the UK, 6 of us were poorly with tummy troubles from the food provided. Back in the UK, we are still suffering and it is possible bacteria causing our illness was from kitchen utensils, plates, cutlery, etc being washed in ordinary tank filled water rather than bottled properly filtered clean mineral water. The chefs are probably not to blame for the quality of food which would be determined by Head Office (for budgetary control) but there is no excuse for badly seasoned, overcooked and reheated food served on stone cold plates We have been on many other river and sea cruises and have never suffered such bad food and tummy troubles during and after this Nile cruise. Needless to say, none of us will ever book with Radamis ever again.

We just finished our 3 nights cruise on Radamis II from Aswan to Luxor. The rooms are quite dated and need an upgrade. The cupboard made squeaky noises. The safe was too small and the TV did not work at all. This was for a suite room. Their Wifi also does not work in the room and they want $10 a night for this kind of WiFi. The food was good and delicious with a different cuisine being served everyday. The breakfast was ok. Lots of breads and pastries but nothing much other than that. Only one omelette counter so one had to wait in a long queue. The breakfast box they packed for us was very poor. The service overall was good. The housekeeping staff was very efficient and so were the restaurant staff. The evening entertainment hardly existed. One belly dancer came for 20 mins..phew!! Overall I would rate this experience average and would suggest you check other options as well.

Nice ‘floating’ hotels, clean with welcoming and friendly staff. Rooms were lovely and the boats are continually being upgraded. Our boat was due to be upgraded following our trip (could be improved with more power sockets and a level-access shower room; bath not really needed). Small ‘pool’ which you couldn’t swim in but nice to cool off in (could be cleaner though). Food was nice, excellent selection of fresh salads (not so much with desserts) and good priced local drinks. We were there on an organised tour with trips included but I believe tours can be arranged with the company also.

Honour to be on your cruise me and my wife had our best Nile luxury cruise the most popular mode of transportation the river can accommodate luxury cruise ships and similar reacts between our souls and look so a luxury cruiser includes excellent to obtain cabin accommodation and all of the cruise ships such as wonderful meals on board spa swimming pool lounges and of course you could see West Bank and east bank all the way up to Luxor and aswan one of the best time we have ever had and enjoyed during our trip thanks you so much to the staff and the manger Mr hany

No good sevices except the food. Gym broken, TV not working, any drink free (water and tea also not free), very bad night shows. Only food good and everything clan.

The Royal Esadora could do with a refurb, it says 5 star, I would give it 3 at best. Egypt, the land of Egyptian cotton, the linen and towels had seen better days. Could really do with replacing. The cutlery, especially the knives, looked as though they had been used as screwdrivers at some point? The plates were an odd assortment, well worn and plenty chipped and still in service. Most places would toss such poorly looking and chipped crockery. The staff are friendly, and try hard to please, I would not say English proficient- know some words. Buffets had wide assortment, one could always find something to eat, but certainly not 5 star, but there was food. It was a pleasant experience if you gear your head for 3 star.

Not worth the money!!!! Lots of people; walking on 3,000 year old stones in the dark. Lighting not great. No one in our group liked it.

Everyone on this trip made you feel like you were the only people that were important. Although the sound track is a little dated, it’s still a great experience for an evening in Luxor. The lighting up of the monuments in the dark gave an immersive atmosphere. Overall a great experience

Be prepared to tip from the moment you wake till the moment you sleep. very annoying behavior from the people here

We had an amazing time on the Concerto as part of our wider Egypt tour. The vessel is a bit old, and could do with some minor renovations to the rooms, but that was nothing major, and kind of what I expected on a Nile cruise. The food was pretty good as well, though the start time of 8pm for dinner service did seem a little late to me. The pool isn't big at all, but that seemed the norm looking at some of the other ships, and after a group of people got into the water after slathering on tanning lotion, the water did start looking a bit questionable after day 2 🤣. The staff though we're the highlight of the trip, they were absolutely beautiful to talk with. Mustafa and Ahmed in the bar were extremely friendly and very happy to stop and have a chat. Both were very helpful with anything that we needed the entire stay. Ibry (not sure if I spelt that right) in the dining room greeted us every meal with a warm smile, and always made sure we were looked after. All in all, it was a really great experience for us.

More than satisfied with the boat Blue shadow iii, it was very clean, good food, staff very friendly and funny. Then our private tour was just perfect with our guide Ashraf who was joining the two of us to share his knowledge about ancient/new egypt. Very good guide we recommend ! The tour we bought with tripadvisor is quite complete in my opinion as it includes all the key monuments on the nile river between luxor and aswan and the fifth day we went by car to abu simbal. The fact that the guide is only apointed to the couple (as private tour) is very convenient! Finally, the tip is given to the entire cruise staff in an enveloppe at the end which is more comfortable than having to give a tip at every service like it is mostly the case in all egypt (I for example gave +- 10% of the price for tips divided to the guide and the staff)

AVOID this ship (Semiramis I) !!!! Everything on this ship is outdated, dirty and smelly. Very bad experience for our 7 days cruise. Part of the staff was trying to do the their best, but that not clear overall bad experience. Cabin and ship facilities 2 stars maximum. The food was OK.

March 2023 Royal Esadora The Classic Holidays and Orbital Travel service was first class and I agree with a previous review about Addi, the food and that it's best to avoid the drinks-inclusive package. We are not heavy drinkers but still went for this package as we thought it might help us get more easily served. How wrong we were! It might be better to pick a different boat anyway, as the Esadora's crew's attitudes to their guests and to service generally was very mixed and the boat always moored far away from anywhere you would want to be. Tony P

Nice cabins with 2 beds, two chairs,large sliging glass window, footstool and desk. Safe, Kleenex and fridge but no coffee maker. Small flat screen TV which could have travel documentaries on TV because of the sit around time at lock and cruising. BBC and CNN were available while docked at Aswan. Wine only by the bottle only but screw top and they will keep it for you or take it to your cabin. Depending on direction of travel on the Nile select either right or left side for the sun. All meals buffet style. A/C appears to be controllable but our room always stayed at 22 degrees...72 Fahrenheit. Ship wi-fi was untested by me at 170EP per 24 hours. I used my Verizon cellphone (a month of foreign travel for 100USD or 10USD per day) as a wi-fi hotspot for our laptops. Caution try it out at home because you may have to use some added software e.g. pdaNet to make it work. The ships stack up at the docks so don’t expect a Nile/shore view. We did a three day Aswan to Luxor cruise. I’m pretty sure all run similar programs. The biggest problem is that there are so many ships they are stacked at the dock. We were the second of four ships and everyone except the outermost ship was just looking right into another stateroom 10’ away. If your were lucky to be the outermost ship you still would only have a 50% chance of seeing the Nile. Day 1 check-in and look at your neighbor..Day 2 either get up at 4AM to drive 3 ½ hours to Abu Simbel OR get picked up at 6AM to fly to Abu Simble and fly back by 1230PM...once everyone back on the ship it sails, stopping around 5PM to visit to a most interesting Temple Kom Ombo. Back on ship for dinner and continue to dock at Erfu for overnight. The next morning most leave at 6AM for a horse carriage ride to another Temple (we slept in). Day 3 spent cruising the Nile to Luxor (we chose a right side cabin to avoid afternoon sun) the only attraction being a lock. The tour programs indicate that you arrive in Luxor early enough to see all the main attractions on both side of the Nile. We managed Luxor Temple from 6PM until they turned the lights out at 8PM. Day 4 by 8AM you are off the boat. Our tour took us to Karnak Temple and check-in to a hotel. That afternoon we did the West Bank Valley of the Kings etc. Hours of sit-around punctuated by a few early get-ups and frantic touring.

1 week Nile cruise booked through Classic Holidays with 3 nights in Cairo beforehand. Overall, definitely value for money & recommended as an excellent trip. Couple of top tips: - don’t take £1 or €1 coins to use as tips. The Egyptians can’t change coins. Best way to tip is using US $1 bills or local currency which you can withdraw from an ATM of which there are plenty! - Be aware if you have booked an excursion to the Pyramids via Classic holidays; the price only included entry to the site of the pyramids. There is an extra cost to go inside the pyramids & to be taken via horse & cart to the extreme of the site for a decent photo opportunity. I wouldn’t recommend the horse & cart as the horses are not treated well at all. Otherwise the info from Classic holidays was spot on and all excursions & transfers worked as expected. The Cruise: MS Royal Esadora is a decent boat. It’s not as smart as some of the others but it was spotless, with decent cabins & good facilities. Classic Holidays use Orbital Travel to look after you on the cruise & we lucked out with our tour guide Ahmed. Exceptionally knowledgable, he proved an excellent guide & really helped make every excursion engaging. Unless you’re planning to drink yourselves silly every night (there’s little opportunity to do so in reality) I don’t think it’s worth paying for the drinks package. It’s doubtful you’ll drink enough to warrant it. Prices of on board drinks are pretty reasonable. Be aware that most excursions start early morning (6am wake up calls). This is necessary as the afternoon sun gets extremely hot so they try & get you back to the boat for lunch. All the temples were unique in their own way & as the week went on increasingly awesome! There are optional excursions; we did 3. Coach trip to Abu Simbel involves a long drive through the desert with a very early start but is absolutely worth doing. The Sound & Light show at Philae Temple was a nice experience but grossly overpriced. High tea at the Old Cataract Hotel in Awsan was pure joy & well worth doing. Food onboard the boat is buffet style. It’s as you’d expect; a mixed bag and a tad repetitive but with some excellent salads. Staff on board generally very polite & helpful. We can definitely recommend the onboard masseur. She was excellent!!