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“From the minute we stepped onto the the Terramar we...”

written by Nefer on 08/06/2008

Good Points
Everything about the cruise

Bad Points
None

General Comments
From the minute we stepped onto the the Terramar we knew it would be something special. Our arrival was around 7.30pm and we were immediately shown into the dining room, whilst our bags were taken to our cabin.

General observations -

The cabin on the lower deck was spacious, clean, comfortable with two huge windows. Change of bed linen daily - towels twice daily - it makes a big difference. The bathroom was small but the shower was amazing - continuous hot water whatever the time of day.

The staff were extremely friendly and polite and we certainly didn't see any pushy staff asking for money.

The service at meal times was fast and efficient. Most meals were buffet style and there was always a good choice.

We went on the 7th May 2008 for one week and the guide was brillaint. This guy knew everything there was to know about Egypt and even more. He was funny, he was friendly and he made everyone feel at home. He well deserved his tip at the end of the cruise, as did the rest of the staff.

The guys who came into our cabin whilst we were at dinner to do their thing with the towels etc. just wanted to be praised for their efforts. One night, we opened the door to see a monkey hanging from the ceiling, made out of towels and a pair of my sunglasses!

The trips were organised like clockwork. You only had to step off the boat and the bus was there, fully air conditioned with bottles of water.

There were 13 English and 11 Germans so it wasn't a full ship as there is 20 cabins. It was spacious with plenty of room on the upper deck for lounging on the beds or sitting in the shade.

The entertainment was OK. The Galabya night had everyone up and mixing and it was an absolute riot! Most of the time we would sit on the top deck chatting into the early hours of the morning.

We included the two extra trips which were the flight to Abu Simbel and the Hot Air Balloon - both amazing. There has been some criticism about early starts on these cruises but believe me it's worth it. When you are out in the heat of the day and temperatures reached upwards to 120 degress you can understand. We were always back on board before mid day, ready for lunch and sunbathing round the pool. The Hot Air Balloon trip had us up and off at 4am but when you get to the site and see the balloons already for take off, it's a sight you'll never forget. As for sailing over the Valley of the Kings at sunrise it has to be probably the most awe-inspiring experience we've had on holiday.

A truly magical place is Egypt and one we will visit again.

If you want to book a Nile cruise book the M/S Terramar. It's more intimate than the bigger cruise ships.

We have to mention the barman/waiter. It was a priviledge to have met him. He was funny and friendly.

It was so hard to say goodbye to all the friends we made on the boat.