Before you book
What Nile cruise guests complain about, and how to avoid it
We read recent guest reviews of the cruise ships and dahabiyas we recommend, from five-star ships to five-cabin sailing boats. The same handful of complaints came up whatever the boat or the price: a cabin facing another boat, engine noise, extras nobody mentioned, tipping, quiet evenings and weak Wi-Fi. Almost all of them can be avoided by choosing the right boat, the right cabin, or asking one question before you book.
1. Your window looks straight at another boat
The most common complaint about big ships has nothing to do with the ship itself. At the main landings, cruise ships moor side by side, several deep, and guests walk across one ship's lobby to reach the next. If your cabin is on the dock side or between two hulls, your balcony and window can face a neighbour's wall for the whole stop.
How to avoid it: Ask for an upper-deck cabin on the river side. Or choose a dahabiya: these small sailing boats tie up at islands and quiet banks, and guests on them almost never mention it.
2. Engine noise, vibration or fumes in the cabin
Guests on lower decks are the ones who mention hearing the engine, footsteps or generators, and on older ships some notice diesel smell when moored among other boats. On a few small boats, guests found the air conditioning switched off late at night when the generator stopped.
How to avoid it: Book an upper deck, prefer a newer or recently refitted ship, and ask whether the air conditioning runs all night.
3. Extras nobody mentioned
Guests rarely complain about the price they agreed. They complain about costs they found out about on board. The usual ones are Tutankhamun's tomb, the Abu Simbel trip from Aswan, drinks, Wi-Fi and spa treatments.
How to avoid it: Before you pay, ask for a written list of what is included and what is not, with the price of each common extra.
4. Tipping surprises
Tips are expected on every Nile boat. The complaints come when guests are asked for more than they were told, or asked partway through the trip rather than at the end.
How to avoid it: Ask for the suggested tipping amount in writing when you book, bring it in cash, and hand it over on the last day.
5. Quiet evenings
Even on the best-reviewed ships, guests say there is little to do after dinner. Shows are short and often staged in a lounge without a stage. Many guests turn in early, because temple visits start at dawn.
How to avoid it: Expect the quiet, and enjoy it. If evenings matter to you, a dahabiya's island dinner or a night or two in Luxor before or after the cruise will suit you better than a ship's show.
6. Weak Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi on the Nile is slow on almost every boat, sometimes paid, and drops out between towns.
How to avoid it: Buy an Egyptian eSIM or local SIM before you board. Mobile data along the river is usually better than the boat's Wi-Fi.
7. Being taken to shops
Some guests felt pressured when tours stopped at papyrus, perfume or alabaster shops.
How to avoid it: Tell your guide on day one that you would rather skip shopping stops. On a private or small-group tour, this is easy to arrange.
8. The same menu by day five
On seven-night trips, a few guests found lunches and dinners began to repeat, especially with buffets.
How to avoid it: A three- or four-night cruise avoids it. If you want the full week, choose a ship that serves dinner at the table, or a small boat whose chef cooks to order.
9. Heat at the sites, cold on deck
Guests underestimated the heat at the temples outside winter, and some were caught out by cold early mornings on deck between December and March.
How to avoid it: Carry water, a hat and sun cream to every visit, and pack a warm layer for winter mornings. See when to go.
10. A 3 am start from the Red Sea
Guests joining from Hurghada sometimes found out late that their coach to the boat left in the middle of the night.
How to avoid it: Check the transfer time before you book, or spend your first night in Luxor and board rested.
The other side
What guests praise, whatever the boat
The crew and the guide decide most five-star reviews. Guests name the waiter who remembered their coffee and the Egyptologist who brought a tomb to life. When choosing, a boat with small groups and a good guide matters more than the size of the pool.
Boats whose guests praise exactly that include Historia, the Oberoi Zahra and Sonesta St George among the ships, and Iris, Akhnaton and The Orient among the dahabiyas.
Asked often
Nile cruise problems, answered
- What is the most common complaint on a Nile cruise?
- On the big ships, it is the view from the cabin. Ships moor side by side at the main landings, so a dock-side or inner cabin can face another hull for the whole stop. Ask for an upper-deck cabin on the river side, or choose a dahabiya, which moors at islands and quiet banks.
- Which cabin is best on a Nile cruise ship?
- An upper-deck cabin on the river side. Lower-deck cabins are the ones guests most often say hear the engine and footsteps, and dock-side cabins lose their view when the ship moors beside another.
- What is not included on a Nile cruise?
- It varies by boat, but the usual extras are Tutankhamun's tomb, the Abu Simbel trip from Aswan, drinks, Wi-Fi, spa treatments and tips. Ask for the list of inclusions and the price of each extra in writing before you pay.
- Is a dahabiya better than a cruise ship?
- Not better for everyone, but guests on dahabiyas rarely raise the big-ship complaints: no view of another hull, little engine noise under sail, and small groups at the temples. Cruise ships offer more facilities, a pool and a larger crew. Choose a dahabiya for quiet and space on deck, and a ship for amenities.
