Travcotels, MS Nile Pearl Review

Overall Rating

Everything was brilliant about this ship. We booked with Thomas Cook and the rep on board , was great. The 2 Egyptian Tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. They were also so amusing. The staff on board can't do enough for you and the food (buffet style all 3 meals per day) were plentiful and choices varied. Loved the Salad bars. Drinks were also cheaper than pub prices: Beers £2, shorts (local) £1.25, mixers (bottles) 80p, water 3 bottles for £1 and cocktails (my favorite) £2.50.
Cabins are cleaned twice a day by very helpful cabin boys. Every night they made different animal shapes with the towels which amused everybody. Dining room staff were extremely pleasant and always a joy to meet.
Massages are a must, half hour massages cost £10 or 1 hr (all over) £20. Really good value for money. We had 2 full massages each.
Gift shop on board is slightly limited but at Luxor dock, there are small shops in the car park where the coaches park, and the town centre is very close by. Actually at all the docks, there were endless shops to choose from and sellers come up to the ship (they do hassle you, so haggle to get a good deal).
Cabins are very spacious and air-conditioned with large picture windows, which you will find very useful as the scenery is amazing when sailing.

Bathrooms whilst very clean, need updating a bit. Shower cubicle is small (same as in UK). Only thing I disliked (and this is no reflection on the boat), we had to place all toilet paper in the bins, not down the toilet, but the bins are emptied at least twice a day or more if you requested it. The cabin boys can't do enough for you.

Don't take too many clothes as the laundry service on board is excellent and very cheap. All washing is ironed and brought back to your cabin in less than 24hrs. I gave 3 lots of washing in and was extremely pleased with the results and pricing. E.G: 70 per skirt, 30 per bra, 40p per shirt/T-shirt. All washed and ironed.
If you have any Egyptian fancy dress costumes or items take them with you as they have an Egyptian fancy dress party on Friday night but you can buy the costumes on board (app £12 for a full outfit.. ladies or gents) an they are authentic items of clothing.
If you are going to Egypt, take plenty of pencils, colouring pencils, colouring books, children's clothes (even second hand) , small toys (not battery operated) and sweets as they don't get any of these things.They are so grateful for small gifts. The highlight of their day is watching the ships sail by and they wave like crazy when they see you.
This is a once in a lifetime experience so enjoy it. The sights are amazing and there is a lot of walking to do on the excursions. We went end May this year (last week) and the temperature reached 50-51 on most days so a hat and loads of sunscreen are a MUST.
Enjoy !! We certainly did and so did all the other guests on board with us. We all plan to return very very soon (next year hopefully).