MS Emilio Review

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MS Emilio
4.5 stars
Average rating for this product is: 4.5 out of 5

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bblake's Review of MS Emilio Nile Cruise

12th Oct 2006

Overall Rating

5 stars
  • Value for money
    5 stars
  • Nights on board
    7
  • Cabin Type
    4th Floor
  • Food - quality & variety
    5 stars
  • Date of Cruise
    October 2006
  • Itinerary Name
    Domina Prestige - Emilio Nile
  • Group description
    Couple
  • Entertainment on board
    4.5 stars
Good Points

Excellent cabins, food, excursions. In fact excellent everything


Bad Points

None


General Comments

The food on-board the MS Emilio Domina Prestige is excellent, with a variety of dishes every day. Tables are shared with fellow guests, but this proved to be a bonus, with our table mates being excellent company, and they added to our enjoyment. No one was ill at all during our stay. The cabins were cleaned twice a day without fail. The tour guides were excellent, although they seem rushed at first. We found the amount of time given at each destination was just about right, and the visits to the perfume, alabaster and papyrus factories proved entertaining, and gave us the opportunity to buy gifts without the usual harassment of the street vendors. Whenever the boat was docked you were free to come and go as you pleased. The main "ports" being Luxor and Aswan. Many fellow holidaymakers did just this, with different degrees of success (Taxi ride not quite getting to the required destination, but added to the experience.

ALL the staff, without exception, were more than helpful, and nothing was too much trouble, although you may have to ask for a teaspoon at breakfast!

My tips for an enjoyable cruise would be:

Take a pocketful of pound coins to buy cheap items from the street vendors (everything is £1 or "ten Egyptian").
Carry water all the time.
Sit on the sun deck as much as possible - the views are amazing.
Try the camel ride excursion. It was only £12, but so much more than just a camel ride. I won't spoil the surprises here.
Take twice the amount of camera film or memory that you think you need!

So to sum up, it was the best holiday we have ever had. Everyone we spoke to had a wonderful time, despite the early starts. If in any doubt, read all the other reviews here and ignore the negative ones.

Just go! You won't be disappointed. Any further questions please leave a comment, and I will endeavor to reply.

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Members' Comments onbblake's Review

  • sleepydumpling Rank: Lance Corporal on 16th Oct 2006

    I would just like to say thanks for your review. Myself and my partner are going on Domina in 4 weeks time. I feel happier now I've read your review. Do you mean to take English pound coins? Only I heard that the Egyptians wouldn't be able to exchange these!

    Also, I am a bit confused as to if it's OK to wear shorts and strappy t-shirts whilst out and about!?

    Did you go to Abu Simbel? And if so, what did you pay? Also, which light and sound show is best?
    Thanks in anticipation.
    sleepydumpling

  • bblake Rank: Lance Corporal on 17th Oct 2006

    Take UK pound coins, as they request these first (then Egyptian followed by Euro then USA $). Be aware, as you may get asked to change UK coins to Egyptian. These will usually be fake UK coins! All vendors, shops or locals, will take any of the above (even in the shops on MS Emilio).

    No problems with shirts/shoulders (for either men or women) when out.

    Didn't go to Abu Simbel, but those that did paid £70 by coach. All recommended it, even though it's a 03:30 start.

    Philae light show was most popular, being smaller than Karnak.

  • sleepydumpling Rank: Lance Corporal on 18th Oct 2006

    Thanks for the prompt reply. Any more useful tips would be much appreciated.
    Speaking of tips, do you pay tips at end of the cruise, and roughly how much can we expect to pay? Just to help with our budgeting. Many thanks
    s.d

  • bblake Rank: Lance Corporal on 20th Oct 2006

    Tipping for the MS Emilio boat crew is collected on the last day via a envelope and "post box". The recommended amount is £3.50 per person per day. Your guide will collect £7.50 per person on the first day, this then takes care of all tipping when out on excursions. It will also be "suggested" that you may like to tip your guide at the end of the holiday. The recommended amount being about £15 per person for the week. The £7.50 is required is UK notes, the others can be in any currency. Just a point, we only took £200 worth of Egyptian (approximately 2000 Egyptian pounds) and found this to be too much. I would recommend taking maybe £100 of Egyptian, in the smallest possible notes, and a few hundred in UK, plus those £1 coins!

  • sleepydumpling Rank: Lance Corporal on 25th Oct 2006

    Thanks once again for your helpful tips regarding the MS Emilio cruise, really appreciated! I did wonder how much to take in Egyptian.
    s d