MS Emilio, March 2015

Just returned from a Nile cruise on the MS Emilio which can only be described as being well below expectation. Never the 5 star cruise, more like 3 star at best.

We joined the Emilio on the 8th March and were immediately greeted by the tour reps who appeared to have only one thing on their minds - how much money can be extracted out of these customers!!

In the first breath of the welcome meeting we were told that we should pay £27 per person up front to cover tips for the crew. Several on board (including my wife & I) declined to pay this until the end of the cruise. In fact some (including us) declined to pay this fee at all based on the poor attitude and service provided on the cruise. Waiters need more training on how to serve customers properly and at times were rude, crockery was rejected on numerous occasions because they were dirty. We did tip our cabin boy - because he did a great job in our cabin, and one of the waiters - because he was a cut above the rest in his service.

The food was less than inspiring - lunch & dinner consisted of a choice of Chicken, fish or beef in various forms or a basic salad. Note that sometimes they labelled liver as beef - quite common in Egypt it appears.

At no point did the crew conduct any safety procedure during the cruise.

The main reception desk was also unable to provide any currency exchange for us or change large denomination local notes for smaller values.

At no point did the tour reps. provide any itinerary for the cruise or local knowledge which we would have expected to enhance our experience. Additionally, we were very disappointed to be tied up alongside another vessel in Luxor for TWO days before commencing our cruise. This also applied in Aswan where we were tied up for another TWO days. So much for a 7 day cruise!!

Those unfortunate enough to be allocated cabins at the rear of the boat (cabins 326 - 331) on the middle deck suffered from excess noise & vibration, especially when cruising and the main engines were operating. We believe these rear cabins should be sold at a reduced price and not at full value.

There is a Jacuzzi on deck - it was not working for the entire cruise despite being reported to a crew member and it was cold water only.
The Emilio info states that there is a "swimming pool" - this is in fact a plunge pool.

They also claim that there is an open air gym - this in reality is "one" old bike located at the rear of the sundeck!

When we booked the Hotel-cruise package we were not offered the "All Inclusive drinks upgrade". A few were and included this in their booking at £80 per person for the week. We were offered this once on board by the tour rep at £40 per cabin per night - therefore £280 for the week instead of £160 if included at the time of booking. In our view this was an opportunity to "fleece" the customer. So if considering a cruise on this or any other vessel the tour operator needs to be asked about Inclusive packages.

The tour rep spoke at length about a "tour package" at £140 per person. At no point did they offer the £99 package which was available on the tour operators web site.

It should also be said that the local provider ("Meeting Point") of the transfers between the hotel and the MS Emilio cruise ship were incapable of organising the transfers properly. Several of us were left off the transfer listings creating heated discussions with the coach drivers to allow us to board the coaches.