Orbital Travel, MS Monica

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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 :-)

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.

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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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