JAZ Crown Emperor Nile Cruise - Every Thursday from Luxor for 07 & 04 Nights - Every Monday from Aswan for 03 Nights

I could leave the ship while it was docked by walking through the ships beside us, and I went out for walks several times. The reception staff were helpful, and I had two massages on board with my privacy respected, as the massage area has thick curtains around it. The pool is mostly shallow, though one section is 150cm, 5 foot deep. There are several tour groups on board with different schedules, so questions about your itinerary need to go to your tour leader. Each day’s itineraries are printed and posted by reception. My 7 nights on the Steigenberger Legacy Nile River cruise from Luxor were great, apart from the minor lack of decaff coffee and no boiling water tap for making hot drinks. Food had a wide selection at breakfast, lunch, and dinner: about 10 pasties, 6 breads, cooked western and Egyptian dishes, cereal, cheese, cold meats, fruit, yogurt, juice, tea including herbal, coffee without decaff, milk including 2 non-diary options, a diet section, soups, plenty of deserts, vegetarian items, salads, vegetables, and 3 meats or fish. The ship was super-clean, with an army of cleaners seemingly working nonstop, and the sundeck towels were thick and long. Meal service was excellent. My coffee was regularly topped up without asking, thanks Youseff. The buffet chefs were friendly and helpful in explaining the dishes, and never looked at me “angrily” as another review claimed. Drinks generally cost less than in the UK, not 10 times more as described elsewhere. For example, wine bottle £13.28; wine glass £3.12; beer can / Heineken £3.44; nescafe £1.95; cocktail £8.60, spirits (local) £6.25; large water bottle £1.50. They also serve proper coffee eg expresso, but not decaff. I want to correct comments in an earlier review that wrongly put me off my holiday. There are 3 sets of curtains: the outer blackout curtains meet in the middle, the middle net curtains also meet, and the inner decorative curtains do not meet, though they don’t need to.

Half of our group of 100 got food poisoning from the boat’s food on the same night, with vomiting and diarrhea. They took no responsibility. It’s a cheap cruise, so you get what you pay for. DO NOT GO.

The air conditioner leaked onto our clothes in the wardrobe until the trip ended, even though I asked the staff to fix it many times. The hair dryer also shut off every 5 minutes. Staff were generally unwelcoming and often seemed angry. At the buffet, they gave us sharp looks as we served ourselves, and I felt intimidated about taking extra, even though I wasn’t eating much. On the last day of our trip from luxour to aswasn, all the staff suddenly seemed sad and stopped welcoming us. When we asked what was happening, they asked us to collect tips for them, around 1000 le from each room. We objected, and they agreed to 400 or 600 le instead, I actually don’t remember. Worst experience ever walahy! I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m traumatized by it.

The rooms were cramped, about 8x8 feet, and the ground floor smelled of petrol. Food was bland and very poor, and breakfast ended by 7am with no flexibility to extend it to 8/8.30. Even while docked, we couldn’t go out for a walk. The cruise and service were extremely pathetic. Avoid at all costs.