Orbital Travel, MS Monica Reviews

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Orbital Travel, MS Monica
★★★★☆
4.5
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Latest Reviews

“Nile Cruise MS Monica”

★★★★★

written by Meg345 on 10/05/2013

My sister and I have just returned from a Nile cruise on the MS Monica. We had a fantastic holiday and one made memorable by the superb service we received throughout our trip. The ship was very clean, the food was excellent and the staff were exceptionally attentive and helpful. The boat manager was outstanding and provided information and assistance at every opportunity. His crew members from the waiters to the engineers were fantastic. We booked with Orbital travel and their tour guides were extremely knowledgable and spoke excellent English. They made our holiday one to remember. At no time did we feel unsafe or threatened even though the street vendors can be fairly harassing. The tour guides gave us information about what to watch for at every trip. It is time that Egypt as a tourist attraction is put back on the world map. We would not hesitate to recommend this trip

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Aniove's Response to Meg345's Review

Written on: 14/05/2013

Going on this ship in September, so nice to see a positive review.

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“MS MONICA NILE CRUISE”

★★★★★

written by iwanknott on 07/04/2013

We have just returned from a cruise on the MS MONICA and it was absolutely wonderful. The staff were both courteous and friendly and went out of their way to make your stay an enjoyable and special one. Even the cleaning staff were incredible with their 'towel' sculptures. The tour guides were excellent - our tour guide George was unbelievably knowledgeable. This rates as one of our best holidays ever!! We took our 2 adult sons with us and they both had a great time. The Knott family.

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“March cruise”

★★★★★

written by on 30/03/2013

Guides did great job ,our guide was Adil who was very helpful and well informed . All the staff where wonderful , food was pretty good and entertainment great.Would love to do again

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“Take a Chance!”

★★★★★

written by mortonan on 14/03/2013

A party of 4 of us have just returned from a 7 day cruise on the Monica and had a really good holiday. We were met at Luxor airport and cheerfully and quickly supplied with entry visas by Orbital's staff just at the entrance and then moved on to passport control. We collected our cases and were swiftly on the 20 minutes coach journey to the riverside.Once onboard we were allocted our cabins and ushered to the dining room on the lower deck for dinner.The meals are self service with a variety both hot and cold dishes. Our guide for the week was Romany who spoke excellent english, and who with great tact and a lovely sense of humour, melded our group together and held our interest throughout, with his vast knowledge of the wonderful sights we saw each and every day. Tours began early each morning and we were back onboard in time for lunch and a leisurely afternoon on the sundeck as we floated towards Aswan in the south.Afternoon tea was served around 4.30 and dinner was at 8.00pm. The lack of foreign visitors is a tragedy for the Egyptians who are so welcoming and friendly, but a bonus for us, with no crowds and whole temples and other sites virtually to ourselves. Yes there are hawkers but we found that by avoiding eye contact and walking on, we had absolutely no hassle. I cannot recommend Orbital Travel and our guide Romany highly enough. Every little detail is well planned and if there is any need for medical treatment, [name removed] the tour mansger,will organise things very swiftly and efficiently. Romany went out of his way to explain and answer any question in an understanding and patient manner.

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“loved the whole experience”

★★★★☆

written by on 29/04/2012

The MS Monica and all the staff on there were lovely.The cabins were spotless, cleaned twice a day although bathroom could do with a bit of a refurb and the towel sculptures were that little extra touch .The food was plentiful and okay-a few in our party did have tut's trots but think it was brought onboard by my sister in law who started to feel a bit ill on flight over,rather than the food. Peter the Rep was really helpful and made sure everything ticked over like clockwork. The excursions and sights were amazing, brought to life by our great guide Magic who is so knowledgeable, enthusiastic, with such a great sense of humour and love for his country-he made our holiday.Only downside of the trip was the hagglers and scammers who are everywhere wont leave you alone.One thing to remember especially at all the sights nobody does anything for nothing-if your shown a good photo shot it will cost you. Orbital transfer were to and from airport except from Luxor to Cairo when the rep passed an envelope around for a tip for the driver which we felt pressurised into giving(despite Peter telling us there was no need to)A couple with us refused and had all their hand luggage thoroughly searched at security before being allowed through for a possible knife which was definately not in there-not sure if this was just coincidence

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Guest's Comment

Written on: 12/05/2012

just an add-on to my review. I bought a 9ct gold rope bracelet from George whose shop is onboard the boat. It lasted 4 weeks before breaking and the jewellers I've taken it to said its not worth repairing-its so poor in places that it will keep breaking. I've been offered £7 as scrap gold which is less than a 5th of what I paid!

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“Fantastic, Fantastic, Fantastic!”

★★★★★

written by on 16/04/2012

What more can we say except we would come back tomorrow if we could!

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“Can't wait to do it again!!!”

★★★★★

written by Clarewitco on 15/04/2012

Words alone can't really describe the week we had on the MS Monica. There were 7 of us, all family, and not too sure what was in store, we weren't disappointed. The boat looked a little dated when we saw it but is was beautiful inside and spotless. The cleaning staff never stopped and our rooms were very comfortable, always a surprise in store when we returned in the evenings to find a 'towel art' animal waiting for us on our bed! Nothing was too much trouble, the staff were attentive and remembered all our names, especially Meena, who looked after us at meal times. Our tour guide Sam made our trips out fun and exciting. His knowledge of ancient Egypt was awesome and his enthusiasm shone through when he was telling us the history of this wonderful country. For anyone who is uncertain about visiting because of recent events, please come, Egypt's economy and people are suffering terribly because of the fall in tourism. You do get pestered by the locals to buy their goods, but that is understandable given that they depend totally on tourism to survive. PLEASE COME AND TELL EVERYONE WHAT A FANTASTIC TIME YOU HAD :-)

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“Best ever holiday”

★★★★★

written by hatshepsut on 01/04/2012

We stayed on the MS Monica from the 7th-14th of March 2012. We had never done this type of holiday before and were not sure what to expect. What a surprise - it was the best holiday ever!! The staff were out of this world. Nothing was too much trouble, they were very friendly and always had a smile on their faces even after a long day and a lot of hard work. We would especially like to thank Mena our waiter who worked so hard - we loved him. We had the best tour guides ever. Waleed and Sam. Sam was our guide during our excursions. He was amazing, his love of Egypt and it's history was exceptional. It never got boring and his sense of humor came across quite a few times. Sam made it special for us. The ship was a bit dated in some places but spotlessly clean as the staff never stopped cleaning. Our rooms were ok. Again a bit tired but cleaned to a very high standard every day. The towel arrangements were an added bonus and we could not wait to see what would appear next. The food was very good and varied, something for everyone - loved the birthday celebrations! Thanks also to Emad at reception who always had a smile on his face and took time to chat to us. Peter our Orbital rep had everything very well organized and all our transfers etc went like clock work. We really enjoyed all the entertainment on the ship and loved getting dressed up in our galabeyas. Never did we feel unsafe and anyone thinking about going should not hesitate as it is a life changing experience. For us though it was the staff that made this holiday so special :) and we will try our hardest to save up so we can return and see more of this beautiful country.

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“Great one week trip down the nile”

★★★★★

written by on 29/03/2012

My wife & I have just returned from a weeks cruise down the nile. On the M.S.Monica Cannot fault the whole experience. Very well organised right from the start at Gatwick airport. The boat was first class as was all the crew & staff members. always very helpful nothing was to much for them to do.Food was very good with a large choice to select from.Entertainment also was enjoyable In the evenings. Marco our tour guide was very knowledgeable & gave us an insight into ancient Egypt Again nothing was to much For him to do or explain.. Manager Peter was always at hand if required. We did not have any tummy trouble during the trip.Eat on board only And drunk bottle water.We would recommend this boat & trip to anybody thinking of going down the Nile. .

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“Excellent ship with attentive,hardworking crew”

★★★★☆

written by Moles48 on 16/03/2012

We had a great Nile cruise on Ms Monica. The boat was very clean and the staff were friendly and efficient. We were particularly impressed by the orbital staff who escorted us from and too the airport. We also were very impressed by our tour guides, Walid and Sam, who were knowledgeable, approachable and always ready to help. The food was varied and had something for everyone. The entertainment was good especially the Nubian show done by some of the staff. Cabins are a little worn but they are immaculately clean with fresh linen/towels daily. The towel sculptures were amazing. We would not hesitate to recommend this holiday

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“Wonderful !”

★★★★★

written by elpond on 03/02/2012

Review of our cruise on MS Monica- January 2012 To celebrate my 60th birthday my sweetheart, Harry secretly organised a Nile Cruise on the MS Monica from Luxor to Aswan and back again. He could not have chosen a more wonderful holiday. I knew very little about Egypt (past and present) beforehand, but now I know so much about this beautiful country and its warm, friendly people. I can’t wait to return. This was far from a slow resort holiday. Everyday was full of new experiences. But the smooth organisation of Orbital Travel and Peter Barnett, the tour manager, the professional hospitality and steady, silent , every present river achieved the perfect balance of rest and interest. Excursions were varied but all was beautifully explained and made accessible by Ayman our Egyptian Egyptologist and guide. He made sure we learnt about the present strengths and challenges of Egypt as well as it history and past triumphs and treasures. He kept us well entertained, combining the skills of teacher, performer and shepherd ! The Monica itself is a very beautiful boat and the crew looked after us perfectly and with great good humour. I would recommend this cruise to anyone……… Jo Engelkamp Aberystwyth

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“ a wonderful experience - everyone should have one ! ”

★★★★★

written by marilyn hayes on 31/03/2011

a wonderful experience - everyone should have one !
m.s. monica/orbital travel operates so professionally in egypt from the minute you land until you come home. Sam (prince of thebes) was our tour guide - what he didn't know about egypt wasn't worth knowing. he has a degree in this field and spoke passionately - he was the best ! Peter Barnett is the orbital rep.on board who was also very helpful and couldn't do enough to make your trip a most memorable one - well done !
Egypt is not a war zone the people are fantastic and are very welcoming - PLEASE GO !!!!!
you don't need to change any money before your cruise as all english pounds are excepted and if you do its a better rate over there.

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“Orbital Nile Cruise Luxor to Aswan.Everything we hoped...”

★★★★★

written by janmasterson on 29/03/2011

Orbital Nile Cruise Luxor to Aswan.Everything we hoped for-The Egyptian people most welcoming, shouting "Thank you for coming". NO PROBLEMS ANYWHERE WE WENT. The Monica was just as in the photographs,our room was lovely and the balcony just made it perfect. Service with a smile at all times, Abraham our waiter was just wonderful, and our room was cleaned and serviced with clean towels to a high standard. Our Tour Guide, Mena, was the best we have ever encountered- so knowlegable, but explained in a way we could all take it in and have fun everywhere he took us- a very special gift. He didn't smoke either which is nice. Peter Barnett, the Tour Manager did an excellent job as everything ran as smooth as clockwork- never a hitch, and his team well organised too. The only critiscism was that the pool was too cold for most of us to dip into. Otherwise, the deck area was very good. In all, a most memorable and wonderful cruise in this most interesting country.Abu Simble and balloon ride are a MUST

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“Overall impression is good.Saying this the Ms Monica...”

★★★★☆

written by on 03/03/2011

Overall impression is good.Saying this the Ms Monica is by no meens a 5star ship,it could do with a refurb.The good points are that the staff are very good and helpful.The ships is kept to a good standard of cleanlyness is also good.Our guide George was extreemly good being informative but not boring.We were spoilt on our cruise was one of the first to go up the river after the revolution so we got to see all the temples and sights without the throng on hundreds of tourist.All in all a great holiday and one we would certenly repeat.I would engourage anybody to good to Egypt and not be ptu off you may regret it.

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“We have returned from a week on the MS Monica, we did...”

★★★★★

written by on 18/02/2011

We have returned from a week on the MS Monica, we did three nights in Cairo first then flew to Luxor to pick up the boat Monica from the 1 st January 2011 to the 8 th january 2011. The boat is lovely, very clean and a great hallway and staircase! The cabins are small and it can feel quite closed in when you are moored as there are boats either side of you, however once sailing it's fantastic to open the full length windows and watch the Nile go by! The sundeck is great as well, the only day it was crowded was the day we were sailing back to Luxor so everyone wanted their last bit of sunshine
The staff is brilliant; they can't do enough for you. The waiters will serve you drinks on your sunlouners and make sure your glass is always topped up! The room boys do the most fantastic towel art we've ever seen, I won't spoil the surprise by telling you about some of them

The guides are really knowledgeable about all the sites you visit and they really make it interesting and bring it all to life...it's really unbelievable to think how long ago it was all built..and how

All in all a fantastic holiday, loved every minute and I would definitely recommend the M/S Monica

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“My wife and I cruised on the MS Monica from the 16th...”

★★★★★

written by on 12/02/2011

My wife and I cruised on the MS Monica from the 16th December 2010 to the 23rd December 2010. We booked on the Internet with Classic tours
The whole experience of seeing and exploring the sights and sounds of the Nile is totally awesome and the Monica is one of the best boats on the river
The MS Monica appears typical of its type. The public areas are smart and clean. The foyer on the boat is really beautiful with sweeping marble staircases, brass rails and chandeliers. The dining room on the lower deck is practical with tables arranged around a central buffet. The bar area on the main deck is large and comfortable. On the top deck is the swimming pool and the outside seating area, with plenty of comfortable seats and sun beds.
The entertainment in the evening included the Galabia party. Everyone dresses up in Arab costumes for a special table service dinner and then the entertainment in the lounge/bar afterwards.
All in all I would certainly recommend the MS Monica

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“Super holiday.Guides Very Knowlegable and Friendly :) ”

★★★★☆

written by on 28/11/2010

Super holiday.Guides Very Knowlegable and Friendly :)
Food good..always something tasty, although initially concerned at the "Grilled Aborigine" which turned out to be Aubergine :)
Cabins..fine and plenty of power points for essential electical appliances like Ghd's!!
Nice Clean boat with superb friendly staff.Good value for money and would recommend to friends.
Thanks for a great holiday xx

One negative comment..water should be available 24/7 for all inclusive guests.Being expected to pay for water after 23.30hrs is a bit mean.

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“We just returned from a 16-day trip to Egypt. We...”

★★★★★

written by on 26/11/2010

We just returned from a 16-day trip to Egypt. We started our journey in Luxor, boarding the ms Monica Nile Cruiser for a 5 day trip from Luxor to Aswan. Two words -- simply remarkable.

The beauty and cleanliness of the ship was incredible, the service was so personal and genuine, the food was delicious and plentiful, and the excursions were very well organized and informative. Thank you to our fabulous guide who's passion about the Egyptian history and culture made it so delightful.

Every room has a balcony, something that most Nile ships do not have. Many times when we were relaxing in our room we would sit on the balcony and just say wow, we are sailing the Nile, a long time dream of mine.

The roof deck had a pool and plenty of chairs for sunbathing or lounging in the shade, whichever you prefer.

The food was incredible, usually mixing up Egyptian, Lebanese, Indian and We ate Egyptian, after all, we were in Egypt. The wait staff was extraordinarily friendly and courteous.

We had Egyptian night as well where we all bought galabiyas, and wore them for the party. I dressed up like Cleopatra. After the dinner, there was belly dancing music in the bar lounge. So much fun.

Would I go again? In a heartbeat. This was a fantastic way to start our trip in Egypt -- highly recommended. Thank you to the entire staff of the ms Monica

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“We definitely had value for money.The cabins were a...”

★★★★☆

written by on 25/11/2010

We definitely had value for money.The cabins were a little tired & the bedding & one mattress was not perfect, but everything else was superb. The Guides were !st class.Knowledgeable, friendly & helpful.The organisation of the trips was outstanding. The food was good &plentiful & the staff great.
The top deck enabled us to sunbathe or sit comfortably under a canopy with a table to hold our drinks.An all round super holiday.

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“Just returned after a week on the MS Monica 10-17th...”

★★★★☆

written by VinR on 22/11/2010

Just returned after a week on the MS Monica 10-17th November All Inclusive. Had a good holiday on this ship but maybe we had been spoiled in 2005 on the then 4star MS Liberty. Some honest comments below:

FOOD: plentiful but not over tasty, deserts very good but be beware of queue jumping Germans! But you won't go hungry. Best meal of the day is breakfast except no bacon of course.

ALL INCLUSIVE DRINKS: Stella beer 'Egyptian version' OK, wine seriously watered down - lots complained and folk were buying their own! -much better on last night! Whisky and soft drinks surprisingly good - so overall Ok.

EXCURSIONS: superb, but optional light shows disappointing to some. Luxor City trip by horse and carriage brilliant, a real eye opener on city life. The monuments and tombs visits well organised and well worth the effort. A couple of the excursions were in the afternoon - not good as temperatures were at their highest.

CABIN: Ok, I'd rate as our 3*. Cleaning was minimal wipe-over, all towels replaced daily and wonderful towel sculptures. Patio doors and balcony a nice extra.

DOCKING: We were very disappointed on arrival at Luxor as the Monica was docked 8 miles outside Luxor for almost 2 days with nothing in the immediate vicinity - not even a bazaar! and no possibility of walking into and around Luxor in our free time after the morning excursions. I did complain and all the following dockings fortunately were excellent. (maybe lots more were not happy)

BAZAARS/SOUKS: Expect to get lots of attention from these sellers. All the excursions without exception have been designed to funnel all visitors through these purposely constricted areas so just repeat 'la shookran' if not interested (no, its not 'bogger off' its 'no thank you'. It's a bit of a shame really as there were lots of people like us who wanted to look at the stalls but when being continually confronted and your way barred by these guys we just got peed off with them and got through as quickly as possible.

TOUR GUIDES: Exceptionally knowledgeable, our guide was Amir, what a guy! We were the 'FAMILY' group and this chap just could not do enough for us. Any complaint we had he acted on and based on the Egyptian *star* rating I reckon he would be 10*!! I was a very bad pupil wondering off taking photos and missed a lot he was telling us about the various monuments but I would be interested in his theory regarding the reason for the careful chiselling off of the faces and bodies on some of the monument figures. We have heard several versions for these desecrations.

BAR STAFF: great guys especially Michael and Pijou, I learnt quite a lot of Arabic here, ok maybe the usual swearwords no doubt but lots of usable polite expressions so to you Michael and Pijou; "anta hellerwa, anna hellerwa, mama hellerwa"!

PHOTOGRAPHY: It has always been a rule that no photographs were allowed in any of the tombs to protect the remaining coloured sculptors from flash photography. Unfortunately, because of individuals who abused this rule all cameras are now banned when visiting the Valley of The Kings. This was very disappointing to me personally as a landscape photographer as I was denied the chance to retake previous shots in panorama mode that I had taken 5 years ago with a 'lesser' camera. So maybe I count myself lucky that thankfully I had already got a good panorama shot.

AIR QUALITY: I am surprised that nobody has mentioned this factor in previous posts. In 2005 there was a very faint hint of a blue haze around the Nile barely noticeable but more apparent in the town/city docking areas. This problem has now increased quite dramatically because of the 300 plus ships running between Luxor and Aswan with very large diesel engines running continuously 24/7 throughout the year. We were only there for a week, but the Egyptian people living in the towns where we docked suffer this pollution all year round. The diesel pollution in the Nile water itself is very evident in the ports. We noticed the air pollution fallout when I stubbed the soul of my foot on the bottom of one of the upper deck canopy supports. We had just left the sundeck pool barefooted and when examining my injured foot the soul was found to be pitch black! Many passengers including my wife developed chesty coughs. On discussing this issue with other guests at our table it was a consensus of opinion that the recently constructed dams reportedly delivering one third of the country's electricity needs would be better served providing electrical power to the docking ships to allow their lighting, heating and cooling systems to run without the need for diesel engines so protecting the health of the Egyptian people and its visitors. A very big issue against Egyptian produced electricity is the cost of installing equipment to allow its delivery to the ports against a diesel fuel cost per litre at less than 0.20gbp(20p) per litre.

INFORMATION MEETING: in the lounge on the first day. This was in the main a solid hour of sales talk that ended in a request that we pay the tip charge of £28 per person plus any addition optional trips. Our group voted not to pay the tips charge till the day prior to departure in line with normal tipping for services rendered and in line with the advertised documentation.

DAY OF DEPARTURE: At 12noon passengers still on board were allowed lunch with water or soft drinks. Anyone requesting wine had to pay. After lunch no drinks whatsoever including water were allowed unless you paid for them and our departure time was 3pm. The manager Peter was challenged regarding this issue but he refused to give way on this. This left a very sour taste in the mouths of those who had little left for the journey home and like us were ALL INCLUSIVE. So stock up on your free water while it is free and remember to save a little for the flight home. 2 cabins were made available for refreshing/changing after cabin vacation at 11am but only one set of towels were left for 40 odd people to use - people did complain but no more towels.

All in all, this holiday was definitely good value for money and the small disappointments were well outweighed by the tours, very helpful guides and serving staff and the superb evening entertainment.

Also copied to holidaywatchdog and Orbital Travel. Sorry its so long winded.

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