MS Blue Shadow Nile cruise: three ships, one name

A Blue Shadow Nile cruise is a solid five-star-label cruise on the standard Luxor–Aswan route, with one standout: Classic Blue Shadow IV puts a Juliet balcony in every cabin and no guests on the waterline deck. The catch is the name — three ships share it, cabin figures differ by seller, and none of them is sold on the booking platforms by name.

Which Blue Shadow is which?

MS Blue Shadow is sold online under a "Nile Cruisers" brand and by Egyptian agencies. One seller lists 58 cabins including 2 Royal Suites and 2 Junior Suites, for up to 108 passengers, with standard cabins of 28 m² and suites of 37 m². An Egyptian agency describes the same ship with 54 standard cabins of 21.8 m², 2 Junior Suites of 37.25 m² and 2 Royal Suites of 42.8 m². The suites match; the standard cabin size does not. Ask your seller which figure applies to the cabin you are offered.

Classic Blue Shadow II has 54 cabins plus 3 suites and a pool. Classic Blue Shadow IV has 62 cabins and suites, each with a Juliet balcony, and no guest cabins on the lower deck. Both are sold in the UK by Classic Holidays, which calls them five-star. Whether "Classic" marks a charter or a rename for that company is not stated.

Blue Shadow I and III: no current seller lists a ship by either name. If an agency offers one, ask for photos, the cabin count and the weekday — and treat the answer with care.

A Juliet balcony is a full-height window you can open with a rail across it; you cannot sit outside. It still beats a fixed picture window, and being off the lower deck means no cabin at water level. On a Nile ship that is a real upgrade.

The ship on board

On MS Blue Shadow the sun deck has the pool, and the ship has a sauna and a massage room. Beyond that, sellers' descriptions are thin: no published deck plan, no build year, no owner. Most ships sold to foreigners call themselves five-star; the label covers a wide range, and no public ministry list of rated Nile ships exists.

At busy moorings ships often tie up side by side, so your window may face the next ship, Juliet balcony or not.

Blue Shadow Nile cruise itinerary

MS Blue Shadow sails the classic route: 4 nights Luxor → Aswan from Saturday, and 3 nights Aswan → Luxor from Wednesday, joined into a 7-night round trip. The route runs Luxor – Esna lock – Edfu – Kom Ombo – Aswan, with Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple at the Luxor end and the High Dam and Philae at Aswan. The upstream run is the fuller one, and upstream ships often reach Kom Ombo in the evening, when the temple is lit.

The Classic ships sail 7-night round trips in Classic Holidays' packages. Seven nights does not mean twice the temples: the second leg repeats the river, so it suits people who want time on board rather than more sightseeing. See the 7-night Nile cruise for how round trips work, and the Luxor to Aswan cruise for the day-by-day of the upstream run.

Blue Shadow Nile cruise prices

• MS Blue Shadow, 4 nights from Luxor on Saturdays: from US$993 per person, taxes included, for departures listed through the autumn and early winter.
• Agency tier prices: one Egyptian agency shows Blue Shadow from about US$750 per person for 3 nights in summer — but the same table appears for several other ships, so treat it as a price band, not this ship's own fare.
• Classic Blue Shadow II and IV: 7-night cruises in packages from £1,895 per person with flights; a Cairo plus 7-night cruise tour from £2,495. Classic's packages on its other ships list flights, transfers, an Egyptologist and entrance fees for 11 excursions — check what your Blue Shadow package includes, and Classic suggests tipping £10 per person per night.

Compare that with the platforms. A 4-night cruise from Luxor with Abu Simbel on an unnamed "5-star ship or similar" costs less — here are today's prices for the same product on two platforms:

Ship, cabin, inclusions and dates may differ between the listings. Neither names its ship, and you will not know if your ship is a Blue Shadow until the operator tells you.

⛵ Aswan

GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan

Aswan to Luxor: 3-Nights Felucca Sail to El Silsila, Luxor

5.0 (1)

from $450Check dates

⛵ Aswan

GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan

From Aswan: 4-Day Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor with Guide

4.3 (654)

from $450Check dates

⛵ Aswan

GetYourGuide2 nightsFrom Aswan

Aswan to Luxor: 2-Night Felucca Sail to Kom Ombo, End Luxor

No reviews yet

from $340Check dates

⛵ Aswan

Headout3 nightsFrom Aswan

4-Day 5-Star Nile Cruise with Egyptologist, Transfers and Entrance Fees

No reviews yet

from $325Check dates

⛵ Aswan

GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan

From Aswan: 4-Day Nile Cruise to Luxor with Abu Simbel and Balloon Flight

4.5 (555)

from $580Check dates

⛵ Aswan

GetYourGuide7 nightsFrom Aswan

From Aswan: 8-Day Nile River Cruise to Luxor with Guide

4.5 (2)

from $1,258Check dates

Prices checked on 19 October 2026

If entry fees are not in your price, the eight sites of a standard cruise cost EGP 4,060 per foreign adult (students half) on the ministry's official ticket shop. Tips are extra on most bookings; there is no official rule, but agencies suggest roughly US$5–10 per person per night for the crew plus US$10–15 per person per day for your guide.

What travellers should check

We have not gathered guest reviews for these ships, and with three ships under one name, online reviews are easy to misread. When you read them, check which Blue Shadow the reviewer sailed, which deck they were on and when. Before you book, ask the seller:

How to book Blue Shadow

There is no official Blue Shadow website, and no phone number we can vouch for. MS Blue Shadow is sold through online sellers and Egyptian agencies; the Classic ships only inside Classic Holidays' UK packages. GetYourGuide, Headout and Tiqets do not sell any Blue Shadow by name — their cruises are "5-star ship or similar". Our booking platforms guide explains what each one does and doesn't tell you.

Alternatives to Blue Shadow

• Also Saturday from Luxor: Concerto and Concerto II, and Salacia, an all-suite conversion.
• Another ship in Classic's UK packages: Royal Princess, with Juliet balconies on its middle and upper decks.
• Balconies elsewhere: Tulip, with 40 Juliet-balcony cabins and two singles with no supplement.
• A cheaper five-star label: best budget Nile cruises.

The full directory is on our Nile cruise ships page.

Blue Shadow Nile cruise questions