Presidential MS Nile Odyssey

Wemt october 2010. Couldn'tfault it. clean, excellent food for veggies (me) and carnivores alike. no fear of gippy tummy. staff welcoming and attentive. can't wait to go back

First impressions were mixed as we arrived at 21:30 and contrary to what we were promised no evening meal was laid on. Ship was clean with polished wood and good furniture, and our room was comfortable. Staff very friendly and smart. Food was very good quality, but we thought lacked variety (from one day to the next), however there was plenty of salad and fruit, which were also of good quality. The dining room was well presented. Our cabin was 2 floors up away from the engine room and quiet. Some other guests on lower decks said it was a bit noisy and smelly, but not unbearably so. Entertainment was a bit basic, but really you just want to crash out after a days sightseeing. Overall we enjoyed it and would go again.

We Booked with Kuoni over 12 months before we were due to go to Egypt and, the cruise was only part of our holiday;

we tried for months to find out what boat we were going to be on, only to be told " we will tell you nearer the time " and indeed thats what they did, when we were 10 Kms from the boat !!

[The Nile Odyssey !!]

The boat looked like a wreak, and our hearts sank but ! that was only the start of it, once on board we were shown our cabbins and, they were NOT, what were believed we booked and paid for, we had arranged adjoining cabins for my wife and I, and our disabled son, mother and father in law.

The cabins were in the staff quater of the boat, righ on the bottom next to the laundry and staff rooms, the windows did not open, so our son, our selves and in laws could not get any fresh air into the rooms, the smell of diesel, carpet adhesive and new carpet was over whelming, we could not sleep properly and, had to try to spend as much time on deck as we could as, to stay in the cabbins was just not on.

So much for Kuoni looking after our pre requested needs ! Thanks Kuoni for making this a time our disabled son will never forget !!

The staff told us that, this was the first sail since the boat had a refit ? refit !! it had a coat of paint [ the smell was awfull ] a coat of varnish [ Overwhelming smell once again ] new carpets [ Smell again ] and, the carpets were not even fitted in lots of areas, just overlapped the old carpets and, went a good 2-3 inches up the walls !! rubble was also underneath the new [laid ] carpets,

We had paint splattr all over our cabbins walls, you could not use the drawers as, they were full of wood chips etc, the curtains were cut offs, and shabby, the shower room was un finnished and, had mould growing in the cubicle, the closed windows had green fungi growing all over them, and vanish, so you could not even get a view out of them.

The deck covering, was not laid correctly, and posed a trip hazard, the joins were once again over lapped and not, stuck down correctly, so you needed to keep vigilant everywhere you walked.

We had a 7 night cruise yet ! spent the first 3 days docked in Luxor, we spent 2 days docked in Aswan, both of these were to accomidate 3 and 4 day cruise passengers ! we then spent another night in Edfu to pick up 3 day passengers, then cruised to Luxor for the last night ! not really a 7 day cruise;

We had 2 welcome evenings ? and 2 Egyptian evenings ? unusual for a 7 night cruise ! cant think why you need to be introduced twice to the ship and crew, and why you need to have 2 Egyptian evenings ?

All this was done to accomidate the 3 and 4 night passengers who, should have been on a diferent boat as, 3 and 4 night makes a 7 night cruise, and all the 7 night passengers had to wait on board while the other 3 and 4 nighters did the same trips we did, on the way to Aswan !

It has to be said though that, the food was very very good, as were all the staff on board, all of whome did every thing they could to be of help, unfortunatly ! they could not give back the holiday we booked for our son and our selves;

We had an amaizing time 9 years ago on the Nile Romance cruise ship and,this ship is nothing like the romance,we would not go again after this experience nor, would we reccomend this vessel to friends, go at your own wrisk.

We had an excellent experience. I can highly recommend a trip on the Nile Odyessy. It was tough going due to early starts to avoid the May heat, but well worth it. If you have the privilege to meet Tamar & Osama, the Egyptologists you will have a great time. The staff cannot do enough to be of service, the food was great and a good time was had be all in our party. Thank you Nile Odyessy for a truly memorable holiday

7 DAY 'NILE ODDYSSEY' CRUISE : We had a very enjoyable week, great food, good service and accomodation. The only minor nuisance was the two gentlemen who made up our room every day (one of whom bore a remarkable resemblance to Josef Stalin!).They resorted to knocking on our day in pursuit of a tip due to their (apparent) skill in replicating various animals or reptiles in bath towels!? Having received their last tip and when we had vacated the accomodation we were deemed not even worthy of a glance, let alone a smile. This attitude also reflected by 1 or 2 staff in the dining room and reception to a certain extent even though we left the (recommended!) £40 sterling as a tip for all. Tour guide,however, a perfect gent whose company we enjoyed and would love to meet again.

The boat is one of the smaller ones on the Nile along with with the companies others, you actually feel like you are on a boat cruise not just a disneyland style floating palace. The cabins are functional if you want glitz and flat screen TV's etc this is not for you there are lots of others serving that end of the market at a price so choose which you want.

We are a family of four so had two cabins next to each other and with the exception of the first night the food was very good mostly a european menu except for the Egyptian buffet nights linked to themed dressing up parties, the variety and quality of the food is very good.

The boat has 5 stars and if you go full board you can expect to pay extra for all drinks including water, with the exception of tea/coffee in the afternoon on board and tea/coffee with some meals.

As Egypt is an Islamic country alcohol is expensive so if you are expecting an all in booze cruise at rock bottom prices prices you will be disappointed but you would not go to Egypt for that, 30.00 EGP for a bottle of the very good local beer at 8.5 EGP to the £1.00 sterling, 1.5 litres of water 10.00 EGP on the table a coke 2EGP other soft drinks similar.

If you board at Luxor the boats tie up by the Sheraton hotel which has an ATM and it also has a small corner shop super market which will sell you bottled water at 2.5 EGP for 1.5 litres and if you have children soft drinks in 750 cl bottles for 5 EGP plus a whole range of other stuff. There ar eother shops at the stops along the Nile you just have to ask your guide or one of the reception staff and be prepared not to pay the first price asked.

The service from the crew is what makes this boat (we were on the Odyssey) so good, the service is fantastic the waiting staff and all the crew cannot do enough for you, now the cynics will say maybe be with a little justification that this is simply because they rely on tips at the end of your cruise, but I think it's because they genuinely want to make your stay enjoyable there is a big difference between genuine helpful service and toadying for a tip.

The manager Peter was very helpful and the Egyptians take your security and that of the boat very seriously with tourist/antiquities police on the boat and at every stop it makes, it is a little disconcerting at first as in the UK it is not usual to see armed police on the streets on a day to day basis.

The boat is a great way to see the sites and relax, I recomend you take the inclusive trips via the tour operator we went with Longwood and the reps and transfers and the guide Medhat were excellent no problems with arrangements etc.

If you want the last word in exclusive 5 star mega luxury cabins this cruise company is not for you, pay the price and book another , if you want excellent service and food and the feel of a boat cruise on the Nile then this is for you. Book it I would recomend them to anyone who wants to see the Nile and the sites and do it in a relaxed way.

The crew and staff on boards were fantastice, you didn't want for anything. From early morning call to last thing at night nothing was to much trouble for the staff. I will be back. Next tiem two weeks.

we had a weeks nile cruise on the odyssey had a fantastic time , food was great staff so helpful, our room spotless what more could you ask.iman the matra d very helpful when there was something on menu we didnt eat. bassen our egyptologist was lovely very infomative helpful and kind. we were,nt so keen on the sphinx sofitel when we got to cairo staff unhelpful they did,nt seem to care wont be going back there. would fully recommend nile cruise on the odyssey will be going again soon.

We spent 3 weeks in Egypt booked through Longwoods who were excellent throughout.We had 7 nights on the Nile Oddyssey which was the highlight of our holiday.The food and service were superb.Our Egytologist Mehmet was both informative and entertaining.The evening entertainment was a bit naff with the exception of the Egytian night which was great.Overall it was a great experience and great value for money.

We have just returned from a 2 week Egypt trip, taking in the Presidential Nile cruise - Nile Odyssey (4 nts) which we booked with Kuoni - this boat is not up to their usual standards of quality. The boat cabins were shabby, in need of full redecoration and updating, they were dirty and old, which was a real disappointment. The bathroom was cleaned once in the 5 days we were on it. The only saving grace was the wonderful view outside to keep our sanity. The buffet breakfast and lunch was good, but the KFC deep fried style dinner was not enjoyable each night. We have since discovered that other tour operators charge £200 less for these days than what we paid! As with other reviews on here, we were only sailing for 2 days, after being docked in Luxor for the first 2 and visiting sights by coach - not what it implied 'on the tin' and heartbreaking when you can see true 4 - 5 star hotel and other true 4-5 star cruisers from your crappy cabin.