MS Crown Prince Cruise Ship Review

Overall Rating

All excellent from the choice of ship, to the crew, food and entertainment. The staff on board were very pleasant, friendly and helpful. The food was excellent, my partner was vegetarian so the chief prepared special meals every evening although there was plenty of food to eat. Don't believe stories about the food and local trots- all the food and salads were prepared using bottled water. The entertainment was good and getting dressed up added to the fun. You must see the temples etc you cannot comprehend what you see in real life and what you see in a photograph. We would definitely do it all again. This is much much better that sitting in a hotel. Onboard you get to see life as it is on the Nile (11/10).

The only bad point onboard was a lack of a temperature gauge is we Brits just like to see what temperature we are surviving in (highest was 58 celcius), although the waiter kept us informed. Extreme poverty, and hassle from the venders onshore; they would not take no/la for a answer. They would have sold lots more if we were able to look around without feeling intimidated, in the end we bought nothing, all you can do is ignore them and walk on. You must also keep your self between your partner and the hasslers, this is no place for single females (bouncers aloud). You cannot even go to the toilet in peace, not that you went often, your body held on to every drop of water it could to survive.

We arrived at 6pm in august and it was 40 degrees celcius; the heat just hit you as you stepped off the plane. As we traveled to the MS Crown Prince Cruise Ship from the airport we saw very old shanty buildings I thought were to put live stock in, how wrong was I they lived in the buildings with no roofs, just some palm leaves, I suppose why have a roof if it never rains, our guide at 38 years has only seen rain twice in her life. Luxor exists I believe because of tourism so you will get hassled a LOT I mean a LOT here. It depends how you handle it. It also depends on what you want to do in Luxor. Each time we went ashore we were glad to get back onboard. Water was always the first item on your list, you need at least 2 litres day, The ship was great, air-conditioning throughout. The tombs were amazing, a once in a lifetime experience and entry entitles you to visit 3 of them. We saw Ramses II 1V and nine Tutankhamuns temple is an extra cost, an many people advised us that it was not worth it, so we did not visit. But it was amazing to think they were done so long ago, conditions must have been very very bad in those days. On our way back to Luxor we visited an alabaster factory and saw the craftsmen working with the material. I'm not a great buyer of souvenirs, but we bought a beautiful, ornament which we got home to England safely. Each time we arrived back onboard from a trip out we were greeted by the staff who gave us mint tea. The final part of my trip included Aswan and a visit to the unmissable Abu Simbel. Sailing down the Nile from Thebes was an incredible experience, you could see how the river was essentially the source of all life with a small patch of green farmland on either side which soon disappeared into sand and mountains. Aswan is in the south of Egypt and consequently has a more Nubian influence. The main things to visit here are the impressive Aswan Dam (if you like that kind of thing) and the Kom Ombo Temple, which is on an island.

The visit to Abu Simbel cost around £135 extra because you have to fly down to it we had to get up at 4.45 to travel. I would stress that this trip is well worth the money, I guarantee you have probably never seen anything like this incredible monument before in your life. It was built by Ramses II and had to be moved piece by piece when the Aswan Dam was constructed to save it from the rising water. The temples and ancient face of Ramses II and his queen, I must admit, it took my breath away. Try not to allow yourself to be intimidated into buying anything you don't want by avoiding eye contact and walking away. Also remember that the heat is intense so be prepared.
Sun lotion is a must if you miss a tiny square inch on your body, expect to be burnt late.
All in all Egypt is fantastic, the monuments are among the most impressive in the world, the people are friendly if you make an effort and you will feel as if you have really travelled after immersing yourself in this unique culture. Go with an open mind, it's no use feeling sorry for them as it will spoil your holiday, it's a way of life for them it's nothing your ever expected and never will again. Listen to your rep, ask lots of questions about tipping and how to avoid all the hassle, but most of all enjoy this unique experience and don't miss any trips to see what life was like 4.500 years ago.

Members' Comments onDuncan MacDonald's Review

• mairimcewan on 28th Aug 2007

  I found this review helpful because...it gave useful info for our forthcoming Nile cruise