Before you book
Which cabin to book on a Nile cruise
Book an upper-deck cabin, mid-ship, away from the engine room, the bar and the kitchen. The two cabin complaints that come up most in guest reviews are engine noise on the lowest deck and a window facing another boat when ships moor side by side. A higher deck helps with both. If space matters, an all-suite ship gives you a suite and a balcony for less than the top cabin on a standard ship.
1. Go up a deck
Most Nile ships have three or four cabin decks under an open sun deck. The lowest cabin deck sits closest to the waterline and the engine room, and it is where guests most often mention engine hum, vibration and footsteps overhead. Its windows are usually smaller and fixed. Cabins on the middle and upper decks have bigger windows, often a French balcony or a real one, and less noise.
The lowest deck is the cheapest, which makes it fine for travellers who sleep well and spend their days ashore. If you are a light sleeper, pay for the upgrade.
2. Know that the view depends on the mooring
At Luxor, Aswan, Edfu and Kom Ombo, ships moor side by side, several deep, and guests walk across one ship’s lobby to reach the next. A cabin on the side facing the bank or another hull can lose its view for the whole stop. Which side faces the river changes from mooring to mooring, so no cabin is guaranteed a view.
What helps: a higher deck, because upper windows often clear a neighbour’s lower decks; and asking where your ship usually moors in Luxor and Aswan, where it spends most nights. If a view every night matters, a dahabiya moors at islands and quiet banks instead.
3. Stay away from the noisy corners
Wherever you are, ask to avoid cabins next to the engine room at the stern, beside or under the bar and lounge, and next to the kitchen. On ships with an evening show or a disco, the cabins directly under the lounge hear it last thing at night.
4. Decide whether a balcony is worth it
A balcony is lovely while sailing, when you can sit out as the river passes. Moored, it may face another hull. Many ships offer a French balcony (a sliding door with a rail) rather than a full balcony, so check what the word means on your ship. Big panoramic windows give much of the same view for less.
5. Consider a suite on a suite-heavy ship
On most ships suites are a handful of cabins at the top. A few ships are built mostly or entirely of suites, which is the simplest way to get space and a balcony without paying for the best cabin on board. See the table below.
Space for less
Ships built mostly of suites
From each ship’s own cabin specification. Sizes are approximate.
| Ship | Cabins | Sizes | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonesta Star Goddess | All-suite, 33 suites | 35 to 52 m² | Every suite has its own balcony |
| Sonesta Sun Goddess | All-suite, 30 suites | 40 to 60 m² | Includes family suites of 60 m² |
| Jaz Senator | All-suite | 32 m² | Private balconies; 5- and 7-night trips |
| Jaz Regent | 23 suites of 56 cabins | Suites 38 m², cabins 19 m² | Suites have private balconies |
| Jaz Viceroy | 21 suites of 37 cabins | Suites 38 m², cabins 19 m² | Built 2022; French balconies on cabins |
| The Oberoi Zahra | 27 cabins and suites | Cabins 26.4 m², suites 50 to 115 m² | Terrace suites with a private heated whirlpool |
| Historia | 44 cabins incl. 12 suites | Themed suites | Built 2021; one wheelchair-accessible suite |
| Sonesta St George | 57 cabins incl. 10 suites | Classic large ship | Presidential, elite and royal suites |
See each ship: Sonesta Star Goddess, Sonesta Sun Goddess, Jaz Senator, Jaz Regent, Jaz Viceroy, The Oberoi Zahra, Historia, Sonesta St George.
Your situation
Travelling solo, as a family, or with limited mobility
Solo: true single cabins are rare, and most ships charge a single supplement on a double. See what a Nile cruise costs on your own.
Families: ask for connecting cabins or a family suite (Sonesta Sun Goddess has two of 60 m²), or take a small dahabiya you can fill. See which boat fits your group.
Limited mobility: choose a ship with a lift and a cabin near it. See Nile cruising with limited mobility.
Checklist
Five questions to ask before you pay
- Which deck is my cabin on, and is it near the engine room, bar or kitchen?
- Is it a full balcony, a French balcony or a window?
- Where does the ship usually moor in Luxor and Aswan?
- Twin or double beds, and can they be joined?
- Is this cabin guaranteed, or a category with the cabin assigned on board?
The common complaints guide covers the rest: what Nile cruise guests complain about, and how to avoid it.
Asked often
Nile cruise cabins, answered
- Which is the best cabin on a Nile cruise ship?
- An upper-deck cabin, mid-ship, away from the engine room, bar and kitchen. Lower-deck cabins are cheaper but are the ones guests most often say hear the engine. No side is guaranteed a view, because ships moor side by side and the side facing the river changes at each stop.
- Is a balcony worth it on a Nile cruise?
- It is worth it while sailing, when you can sit out as the river passes. When the ship moors beside another, a balcony can face a neighbouring hull. A large panoramic window gives much of the same view for less.
- Which Nile cruise ships are all-suite?
- Sonesta Star Goddess (33 suites, each with a balcony), Sonesta Sun Goddess (30 suites) and Jaz Senator are all-suite. Jaz Regent and Jaz Viceroy are close, with about a third to more than half of their cabins as balcony suites.
- Are lower-deck cabins on a Nile cruise bad?
- Not bad, but they are noisier. They sit nearest the waterline and the engine, with smaller windows. They suit travellers who sleep well and spend their days ashore, and they are the cheapest cabins on board.
- Do dahabiyas have better cabins than cruise ships?
- Dahabiya cabins are fewer and usually all face the river, with no lower deck near an engine and no neighbouring hulls at the mooring. They can be smaller, from about 9.5 square metres on some boats to 20 to 35 on the newest. The stern suites are the best cabins.
