African Safari Club, M.S. Da Vinci

What made this holiday so excellent was the quality and helpfulness of all the staff. Those who looked after us on the boat, the tour leader who organised all the excursions and the excellent tour guides who gave limitlessly of their time.

Some people didn't feel that the food was of a high standard, but given the amount of money we were paying I had no complaints, and was most impressed. The food was plentiful and there was an amazing amount of choice for every meal given the small size of the boat.

We were there when the recent demonstrations started, and I missed my optional trip to Cairo so I will have to go back again and would go on the same boat.

The best holiday of our lives (so far). The range of ages on our cruise and our trip group, was from 18years to 84years NOT one complaint to be heard. Can be very hard work for all but the tours and Temple visits well worth the effort. Ten tours included but my wife and I managed to fit another two in. Our only mistake was not to book a week in a hotel to relax after the cruise. Tour guide was knowledgeable and attentive to us all(25 people at times). Loved his job and country in equal amounts so we do hope all Egypt's troubles are soon over. The boat 'M/S Da Vinci' was spotless, furniture and fittings in cabins a little tired but so were we! Slept like babies after our busy days. Met with a cold drink and a refreshing towel on returning from trips,brill idea. Could go on and on with praise but no space left.

This is by no stretch of the imagination a 5 star facility, that is, if one, compares it to a five star hotel in Luxor where the boat is moored for three days out of your 7 day cruise. If you do compare them, then it would only be in the region of a 2 star or less.

Cruising the Nile is a really nice experience and the staff do their best to make your trip enjoyable, but the ship is tired and poorly maintained.

In particular our room (208) bathroom was in disgusting state. This was not down to it not being cleaned regularly it was down to, a shattered plastic shower screen with pertruding edges, rotten and mouldy wood around the door frame, mouldy grout and sealant and really old and tired tiles. On the Upper Deck many of the chairs were damaged and broken and unsafe to sit on.

However the worst thing about this boat is when it is moored up, which you are for 3 out 7 nights of your trip. If you are to the rear of reception your room will be, most certainly noisy and smelly, due to the proximity of the other ships alongside. On our return to Luxor the ships were 7 deep at the quayside a most appalling sickly and choking experience for 2 night.

Booked this holiday through African Safari Club.

Despite the Da Vinci showing it's age a little it was certainly no worse than any of the other cruise boat that we saw this week and was very clean and comfortable. The whole experience was ecellent value for money and rates as one of the best family holidays we have taken. Yes drinks were expensive, but no more so than those experienced on our last holiday to france! Paying for tips up front was a relif and the staff on board certainly didn't pester for extras. Food was ok, plenty of it and what you would expect on an Egypt trip. Staff were excellent, very friendly and attentive. Our 2 teenage boys had a fantastic time 'chilling' with the other teens their age while we relaxed by the pool, This boat has come in for some criticism but our experience was excellent from start to finsih, a most memorable holiday and one to be recomended and noone in our party wass ill!.

the whole ship needs urgent refurbishment/modernisation it is by European standard very poor , it may be classed as 5 star in egypt but is sold in Uk and Europe without any description of the difference and class values or what they represent . You cannot drink the water on the ship so you have to continually buy bottled at inflated prices , if you buy a can of beer it will cost in the region of £ 4.

The crew take the " Egyptian culture of tipping " to the extreme even as far as asking for tips in advance of what they will or will not deliver , in essence a rip off.

If it were not for the things to see in the temples etc i would not sail on this ship for free.

This was our 4th Nile Cruise and this trip on the MS Da Vinci was at least as good as any we have taken before. The included excursions were excellent, as was our guide ("H"). The food was very good and despite eating everything we were offered, we did not have even one day of ilness (unlike on previous trips on other Nile cruisers). The discount price we paid was exactly the same as we paid 13 years ago, so value for money was outstanding, though drinks and optional excursions were expensive. The crew were highly attentive and cheerful. We would recommend this boat/cruise to anyone who wants either an introduction to the Nile or a relaxing week in the sun (it was 45 degrees centigrade in the shade while we were there, and 55+ in the sun!!!!!!!!!!!).

We had exactly the same problem and response . The sister ship travelling at the same time did not have any problems (only found this out on the trip to Cairo)only one person ill and we must have had 90%. Only 2 people on the Manchester bus had NOT been ill. I did call ASC on Monday to make sure that they sorted it before the next lot of people went on the trip. We are intending to make a claim for negligence - deciding on which way to go at the moment.

My husband and I,were really looking forward to this holiday and had spoken to a friend befor going who had gone on the same boat last year.We knew it would be quite hectic,with all the excursions but we were prepared for that.

The boat is lovely and the staff too.Egypt is awesome and somewhere everyone should see.

But the unfortunate thing was that after two days,every other passenger was suffering with violent diarrhea,some vomitting aswell.My husband was really ill for three days,quite worrying at one stage as he was burning up but shivering,very unreal when you in temps of 46degrees.

We had to miss a couple of days excursions as he couldnt even keep the soup down.

Reception were giving out tablets like boots the chemist as our english remedies did not help at all.

I starved as much as possible,for fear it was the food,which I have to admit wasnt great.

But towards the end I succumbed to hunger and ate little,salad,bread and a small amount of meat.Holy moses,what a mistake.I have now been back two weeks and I think I'm melting.Have been off work now for two weeks,cant keep any food in,gravity is too strong.Have submitted a sample to the hospital and am awaiting results.

ASC,read my return survey and sent me a email,saying that an unusual amount of passengers had this problem during the week,but it was due to the extremely high temps they were having,and not the food.At no point did anyone request to see a doctor,no because they were busy giving out tablets without him.My husband asked for a doctor on the third day but was given yet more pills to try.The restaurant manager was very good,he jokingly took my husbands pulse everyday to check he was still alive,maybe he is a doctor.

Well I'm sorry but I would love to recommend this trip but I have to be honest,yes its a fantastic place and the boat is excellent,but unless you can eat in the macdonalds in luxor ,which we didnt get,I think you would be better off

Might just have been a bad week.Ps did howard carter die of the trots?I did go in tuts tomb

Our Nile Cruise holiday on the MS Tarot (replacement for the MS Da Vinci) was our first experience of any type of cruising. What a fantastic trip! The holiday was excellent value for money, since the majority of the trips were included, and the prices of the optional choices were well worth paying - we loved the excursion to Abu Simbel, the ballon ride and the sound and light show.

I can't praise the level of service given on this trip highly enough -all the very hard working staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them. We were very well looked after on board and the travel arrangements were superbly managed. Everything worked like clockwork! A big thanks to Hany, our superb guide, by the way.

Although there were a few people who were affected by 'gippy tummy' most felt that it was due to too much sun.

May/June is a lovely time to visit since the days are long and the queues at the attractions short!(We had early starts to avoid the heat of the day but that meant that we also had lots of free time in the afternoons for relaxing.) Our guide told us that it is a very different story in high season!

The holiday was made more enjoyable by the excellent company of our fellow travellers - we made some lovely friends and feel very lucky to have landed with such a friendly bunch!

Can't recommendthis holiday highly enough.

Just back from a week on MS Tarot(replacement for MS Da vinci) with my wife Hazel and 2 boys Jack 7 and Sean 9 and we had the holiday of a lifetime. We are so happy that we went on this trip as it is quite amazing. The boys loved swimming in the pool everyday and we loved visitin g the teples. The country is thge best and the people are wonderful and warm hearted with sincere smiles everyday. Dont hesitate to book your trip of a lifetime and be fully alive !!