Discover Egypt, Viking Premiere Review

Overall Rating

Overall our cruise was a memorable experience. The boat itself is a little old fashioned especially when contrasted with others moored along the river. Cabins are clean but compact. The food offers a more than average choice but is of a reasonably high standard, with a creative and enthusiastic Head Chef and the service albeit buffet style is efficient. The bar service is also of the highest quality. It is also very apparent that major steps have been put in place to ensure food hygiene. During our stay nobody complained of illness.

The small group we were had three major gripes, firstly the engine noise when moored up and the frequently noxious smell of diesel fuel and exhaust from both our boat and others adjacent. This frequently percolates into the cabins via the air-con. Prospective travellers need to be aware that all Nile cruise boats spend a long time during the cruise moored up, and whilst doing so all electrical power is self generated, [the boats don't plug into the mains!].

Secondly, when moored, it is often the case that there is at least one other ship alongside, if not a couple either side. Thus it's very likely that for at least three days of your cruise the only view from any cabin window, on any deck, is likely to be the windows of another boat! And as this boat is only four decks high even on the sun deck the view is limited by five deck boats.

Thirdly; tips & tipping aboard, put simply this is controlled by the tour guides. Their advice is initially very helpful, and done in a way that makes the tourist fully trust what is being said, and put them at ease. Only later do Guests realise that Egyptian society in the main thrives on the art of bartering, and only a fool accepts the initial price offered, [here speaks a fool!]. For example the guides ask guests each to pay at the outset of the voyage £7.00 for the tip paid to the coach drivers. That's not at all an unreasonable amount in UK terms until you realise after a few days that you haven't used a coach that day! And, given that each of approximately 100 guests was advised or even instructed to give £7.00 ea it makes a very tidy sum, particularly when you consider the average male wage in Egypt.

For example, Viking guides charge £55.00 for the trip to the temple at Abu Simbel, the journey each way does take 2.5 to 3 hours, [and you leave the boat at 4.00 am!] but the actual admission charge to the temple is only £7.00, it's a great place to see, but also a very very expensive non-stop featureless coach ride. In addition, the "extra" trips such as the Balloon Trip [£70.00 from Viking, £45.00 locally], Sound & Light Show [£17.00 Viking, £8.00 locally], and Nubian Village visit are approximately double the price available locally by reputable independent local tour organisations. The problems are that you believe everything the guides tell you, and follow their instructions to the letter. It's obviously impossible to shop around once you are aboard but if we were to cruise again with Viking we would be very very tempted to seriously try bartering for Trip Prices, and consider at our own time and pace who, when and how we would reward individuals for their service. Incidentally, the itinerary published on the Discover Egypt website, and that mailed to us with our tickets bears little resemblance to what we actually did. We still saw everything, but in a different order.