Presidential Nile Cruises RAII

It was an amazing holiday that I would recommend for anyone. The food was amazingly varied and the crew catered for your every need. The room was small but nice and clean. It had balcony doors that could be opened to the Nile and light insect curtains, even though it was the economy room. The staff were all very nice and helpful. Our tour guide was marvelous, and was always happy to chat at mealtimes, in the bar, and after tours. He was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful.

Levels of expectation were raised after reading the many reviews about the RA II. We did the 7 day cruise from Luxor in March 2010. The service from the crew and staff aboard was outstanding. They were helpful, courteous and cheerful throughout and added their own enthusiasm to many of the events. The food was consistently good, plentiful and hot if a little lacking in variety. The cabins were of a reasonable size but were looking a bit tired and in need of a refurbishment. The fridge wasn't cold and for the tea and coffee addicts amongst you, you may like to take a travel kettle as there are no refreshment facilities in the cabins. Plenty of tea and coffee at breakfast though and the opportunity to purchase onboard throughout the day. The cappuccino at just over £2 a cup is highly recommended!

Trips were well organised and the Egyptologist with our group (Hani) was extremely knowledgeable. The sites we visited were stunning, the explanation of them expert and the time to explore and photograph just right. The timetable gave you a good balance between trips and time spent aboard to relax.

The 'not so good bits' include bar prices higher than central London, £4 plus for a can of beer, £5 for a small G&T. After day 1 most guests were buying their alcohol off the boat - just go to any of the local drinks stalls and ask, most have a stash of booze and they charge less than half price. The bar was almost deserted for the rest of the cruise - a direct impact of the extortionate prices.

The hassle from street sellers and beggars is a pain; they are persistent and have a variety of tricks to part you from your money. Best shopping was the long street market in Aswan, surprisingly little hassle and the opportunity to pick up many items at a good price. The boat has an Egyptian night and guests are expected to dress up so be sure to buy your costume in the market!

Tipping is a way of life in Egypt so make sure you budget for it. Tips for crew and guide are organised on board, about £30 per couple for each. Our guide also collected another £25 for coach drivers etc and of course off boat everyone expects a tip for everything! Watch out at sites as tourist police and locals will try to show you items or offer to take your picture and then stick their hand out for money.

Overall a Nile Cruise on the RA II proved an excellent way to see the major attractions of old Egypt and 'not so good bits' aside is something we would recommend.

Just come back from cruise on Ra2. The staff are excellent, couldn't fault them but the cabins are in desperate need of redecoration and refurbishing down to the carpet. This also includes the very very small bathroom. We changed cabin as the first one was in a worse state than the 2nd one offered to us. Once we were over the initial shock of the state of the cabin, the rest of the holiday was an absolute dream. An experience I wouldn't have missed for the world. Food was OK but would have liked more Egyptian style food as it was very 'school dinnerish'. The night there was Egyptian food, everyone was very excited.

Cruise ship Odessy was fantastic - Food, staff, guides everything was brilliant. A great holiday !! Excellent couldn't fault a thing. Thanks again.!!

I am a vegetarian, they provided really good veg food and was well looked after by the kitchen staff and the waiters I will give 10 out of 10 very good service. Not much bad points, but the Nile cruise can do better with entertainment on board eg card games, pool table, darts Overall, excellent, enjoyed very much, very good guide thank you is all I can say.

I really liked the holiday and had a lot of fun. The food and the service was great. It was my first abroad holiday on the Nile Commodore.

This was an excellent ship. First class for everything. Staff all very friendly would recommend this holiday to anyone. Very large cabins again I say first class would go on the Ra II again and again.

7 nights cruise on the Nile this February on the Presidential Cruise ship Commodore - just about the best holiday ever. The accommodation and facilities on board were excellent, food wonderful and as for the crew - marvellous. Our tour guide didn't just give us facts and figures he brought ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs to life. The organisation and planning from beginning to end was excellent - a winning combination as far as I'm concerned Thomsons and Presidential. Would definitely do it again.

What a fantastic holiday we had on the RAII Presidential Nile cruise. From the moment we set foot in Luxor Airport everything went so well. The airport is very efficient, (at least it was when we were there). The ship is wonderful. The beds are so comfortable. The food is excellent. The staff are friendly, and the sights are of course amazing. Thanks to our wonderful tour guide and to Thomson for making this such a perfect holiday. We will definitely try to do it again very soon.