Karim and Juliana Palace Cruise Ship Review

Overall Rating

Value for money, very clean, comfy beds, staff friendly and helpful.

Small cabin, bathroom in need of attention

Firstly please disregard older reviews that are negative, we had a great time on the Juliana Palace and would definitely go back on her.
She is an older ship and yes there are more luxurious on the Nile but with regard to value for money I could not fault it. Listing as 4* is pushing it a bit I would say more 3* plus. We booked two weeks fully expecting it to be substandard and having to find other accommodation for the second week, we could not have been more wrong
I was advised that she had a refit approximately 6 months ago and most of the negative feedback has been made prior to the improvements.
Cabin:- was small and clean but it did have the most comfortable mattress and quilt ( all new as far as I could tell) bathroom very small and needing some attention, e.g. bath/shower chipped and shower hanging off the wall but our cabin steward did all he could to look after us, towel arrangements on beds are so much fun but I think we exhausted his talents having stayed for two weeks. I would recommend that the front, right hand side of the ship is best due to engine noise at the back and town noise on the left when in Luxor can be a bit of a pain.
Pool area:- again was nice and clean with new wicker furniture and a sun bed, pool however was clean but cold (would have been nice to have it slightly heated) hence we only paddled.
Lounge area:- very comfortable and cozy, entertainment on three nights, Nubian show, Belly dancing and Galabia night added to this they did put on a disco most other nights.
Dining room:- again clean, buffet style with the occasional set menu, the food was varied and of a reasonable standard (as long as you like chicken) as this was presented in various forms on most meals.
All Inclusive:- We would not do this again, it did seam to cause a bit of confusion as it is only available for the three days at sea and then only from 1pm till 7pm, we were aware of this but quite a few other passengers were not. Drinks on board were not too expensive 70p bottle water, £2.00 large bottle beer.
Staff:- staff could not do enough for us, a few in particular were extra special and we were really sad to say "goodbye" to them. The man in the shop was nice and helpful. Do treat yourself to a massage, its cheep and sooooo relaxing.
The sister ship Karim Palace returned to Luxor the day before we departed and as far as we could tell she is identical. I am not able to comment if the staff were as good as the Juliana but I am sure they are.
If you are looking for a Nile Cruise on a budget then I don't think you can go far wrong with the Juliana Palace, very good value for money.