What's Included on a Nile Cruise? Food, Drinks & Tipping (2026)

Quick answer: Most Nile cruise fares include the cabin, three meals a day (usually buffet), and the guided temple visits with an Egyptologist. Usually extra: all drinks (often even bottled water at dinner on budget boats), tips (budget US$8–12 per person per day), the Abu Simbel excursion (US$85–120), the domestic flights to Luxor or Aswan, and — on some budget boats — the temple entry tickets. Always confirm whether your fare is "cruise-only" or "full-board with guided visits" before you book.

"All-inclusive" means different things on different boats, and the gap between a cheap cruise-only fare and a genuinely full-board one is where first-time cruisers get surprised. Here's exactly what your money covers.

What's included on almost every boat

• Your cabin, cleaned daily.
• Three meals a day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, usually buffet; the better boats add a set-menu night, an on-deck barbecue, or a themed Egyptian/Nubian dinner.
• The guided sightseeing. A licensed Egyptologist guides the boat through the temples between Luxor and Aswan — Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae. On mid-range and luxury boats the temple entry tickets are included; on some budget boats they're not (see below).
• Onboard facilities — the pool, sun deck and lounges on the ships; the deck and shaded salon on a dahabiya.

What's usually extra — and what to budget

• Drinks. Nearly always extra, including soft drinks and sometimes even bottled water at dinner on budget boats. Budget US$30–60 over a few nights, more if you drink alcohol.
• Tips. Expected, not optional. Budget US$8–12 per person per day for the crew tip box, plus a separate tip for your Egyptologist guide.
• The Abu Simbel excursion. Not on the standard route; the day trip from Aswan is a paid add-on, typically US$85–120 per person by road (or more by short flight).
• Domestic flights to reach Luxor or Aswan, unless you booked an international package that bundles them.
• Temple tickets on some budget boats. A few quote a low headline fare then bill entry separately, which can add US$60–100 over the trip. Ask directly.
• Optional extras — a hot-air balloon over the Valley of the Kings (~US$100–150), spa treatments, a felucca ride.

Roughly what the extras add up to

To make it concrete, a couple on a typical 4-night mainstream cruise might add, per person: drinks US$40–60, crew and guide tips US$40–50, the Abu Simbel day trip US$100, and the domestic flight to Luxor or Aswan. That's easily US$200–250 per person on top of the cabin fare before any optional balloon flight or spa treatment — not a reason to skip the trip, but a real number to hold in your head when a "cruise-only" headline looks temptingly low against a dearer full-board fare that has most of it already baked in.

A word on tipping, done right

Tipping (baksheesh) is woven into Egyptian travel and the crew rely on it. The clean way to do it: put the crew tip in the shared box at the end (US$8–12 per person per day covers it), tip your Egyptologist separately and directly, and keep small notes for the housekeeping and bar staff you deal with daily. It isn't a scam — it's how the system works, and budgeting for it upfront saves awkwardness.

Budget boat vs luxury boat: what "included" really means

The word "included" stretches a lot between tiers. On a budget boat, expect the basics done plainly: a clean cabin, three buffet meals with limited choice, a shared Egyptologist across a large group, and almost everything else — drinks, sometimes even bottled water, occasionally the temple tickets — billed on top. On a mainstream 5-star, the temple tickets and guiding are included, the buffet is broader with a set-menu night or two, and only drinks, tips and excursions are extra. On a boutique or all-suite boat, more is folded in: à-la-carte dining, sometimes some drinks, a smaller group and a better guide-to-guest ratio, and the odd boat runs genuinely all-inclusive. The practical takeaway: two fares that both say "full board" can deliver very different experiences, so read what each specifically lists — meals, tickets, guide, drinks — rather than trusting the label. The cheapest headline is often the one with the longest list of extras waiting behind it.

Cruise-only vs full-board: the question that settles it

Before you compare two fares, get this straight: a "cruise-only" fare is the cabin and meals but often little else, while "full-board with guided visits" folds in the temples, the guide and the tickets. A cheap headline can cost more than a dearer all-in fare once you add the extras back. See the full price picture in how much a Nile cruise costs, and compare what each sailing includes on This is Egypt.