Seti First Group, MS Pascha

Would not recommend the MS Pascha ship, others may be better!

Cruising the Nile is a wonderful way of seeing lovely scenery and numerous temples and historical sites. However be aware that the crew expect a large tip at the end of the week. Medhotels recommended £25 per head and although they added that it was not mandatory, they were most annoyed when our group refused the stated amount, in principal. Our group included a family with 5 daughters. We ourselves had a 15 year old son. Everyone is expected to pay. On the last night there were tears and tantrums from the ships captain. We decided to collect in two envelopes. One for the crew and one for the tour guide. We witnessed the guide giving over his envelop to the captain. There was also a suggestion? That the guide made up the deficit. We explained that this tip should have been explained to us at the time of booking. The family of 7 certainly did not budget an extra 7 times £25.

Despite the system, we were also intimidated throughout the week with some staff giving us a free drink in return for personal tips at the end of the week. It certainly put a damper on the holiday.