The Carnival Nile cruise is a small mystery: a ship that trades on hotel-booking sites as "Nile Carnival Cruise", listed with a pool and a Thursday/Monday timetable, with no official website, no named owner and no published cabin count. Our verdict in one sentence: it may be a perfectly good ship, but you cannot check it before you pay, so the comparable 5-star cruises on the platforms are the safer booking.
- Type
- Cruise ship sold as 5-star (no link to Carnival Cruise Line)
- Class
- 5-star (seller's label)
- Pool
- Outdoor pool (booking-site listing)
- Route
- Luxor ⇄ Aswan: 4 nights from Luxor, 3 nights from Aswan
- Embarks
- Luxor on Thursday, Aswan on Monday (booking-site listing)
- How it is sold
- Booking sites and Egyptian agencies; owner not published
- Status
- Listed for sale
Our scores
- Cabins
- 2.5/5No cabin count or layout published; ask for photos of your cabin category
- Itinerary
- 3.5/5The standard Luxor–Aswan loop, on days that suit Thursday or Monday starts
- Value
- 3/5No public price; compare any quote with 3-night platform cruises from $450
- Transparency
- 2/5No official site, operator or inclusions list
- Booking ease
- 3/5On hotel-booking sites; agency packages vary
Pros
- Thursday from Luxor and Monday from Aswan: an alternative when the Friday/Monday ships are full
- Sold on hotel-booking sites, so you can see it listed and compare dates
- Outdoor pool on the sun deck, per its listing
Cons
- No official website, owner, cabin count or build year published
- "5-star" is the seller's label; no public ministry list of rated Nile ships exists
- A hotel-site booking may not include the temple programme, guide or entry fees
Not Carnival Cruise Line
The name causes the main confusion. Carnival Cruise Line has no Nile product. Nile Carnival is an Egyptian river ship with a similar name, sold on hotel-booking sites. If you have seen "Carnival" in a Nile itinerary, it is this ship, and none of Carnival Cruise Line's policies, loyalty points or booking channels apply.
The same pattern runs through the Nile: "Royal Viking" has nothing to do with Viking River Cruises (see the Royal ships), and many ships carry grand names. Judge each one on what its seller can show you.
The ship: what is known
Very little. The booking-site listing describes a 5-star ship moored on Luxor's East Bank with an outdoor pool. No cabin count, deck plan, build year or refit date is published, and we found no official website.
Most ships sold to foreigners on the Nile call themselves five-star; the label covers a wide range, and no public ministry list of rated Nile ships exists. On Nile Carnival's own listing the star rating is the seller's, not an inspector's. Ask for recent photos of your cabin category and the deck it is on before paying.
The itinerary: Thursday from Luxor, Monday from Aswan
The listing title reads "4nt Lxr Thursday 3nt Asw Monday". Decoded: 4 nights from Luxor every Thursday, 3 nights from Aswan every Monday, the two halves of one weekly loop. The ship carries no published day-by-day, but every ship on this route visits the same core sites: Karnak and Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut on the West Bank, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae and the Unfinished Obelisk.
The Thursday/Monday rhythm is shared with Steigenberger Minerva and Royale, JAZ Crown Jubilee and Mövenpick Sun Ray. Its practical bonus: Lake Nasser ships arrive back in Aswan on Monday morning after their 3-night trip from Abu Simbel, so a Monday departure from Aswan lets you join the Nile leg the same day. Check the boarding time first. See Lake Nasser cruises.
For how the two directions differ day by day, read Luxor to Aswan and Aswan to Luxor.
Prices and what they include
No public price for Nile Carnival was found. A hotel-booking site may price the cabin with meals but without the temple programme. A package from an agency may include the guide and entry fees. The two are not comparable until you see the inclusions.
If entry fees are not included, budget about EGP 4,060 per adult for the eight sites of a standard cruise (students half), more for Tutankhamun's tomb or Abu Simbel. Agencies suggest tips of roughly US$5–10 per person per night for the crew and US$10–15 per person per day for the guide.
On the platforms, comparable 3-night cruises from Aswan to Luxor start at $450. They don't name the ship either ("5-star ship or similar"), but they do show reviews, cancellation terms and a price today:
| Platform | Listing | Rating | Price | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuide | From Aswan: 4-Day Nile Cruise to Luxor with Abu Simbel and Balloon Flight · 3 nights | 4.5 (555) | $580 Lowest | See on GetYourGuide |
| Headout | From Aswan: 4-Day Nile Cruise with Luxor Hot-Air Balloon Ride & Abu Simbel Visit · 3 nights | 2.0 (1) | $600 | See on Headout |
| Headout | 4-Day Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor with Abu Simbel and Luxor Hot Air Balloon · 3 nights | — | $700 | See on Headout |
Lowest price per person in US dollars, checked on 19 October 2026. Ship, cabin, departure day and what is included differ between listings: open each one before you pay.
GetYourGuide is the cheapest of the three today for this package; ship, cabin, inclusions and dates may differ.
GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan
From Aswan: 4-Day Nile Cruise to Luxor with Abu Simbel and Balloon Flight
4.5 (555)
from $580Check dates
GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan
From Aswan: 4-Day Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor with Guide
4.3 (654)
from $450Check dates
GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan
Aswan: 4-Day Private Nile Cruise to Luxor with Balloon Ride
4.2 (261)
from $643Check dates
GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan
From Aswan: 4-Day, 3-Night Nile Cruise with Hot Air Balloon
4.5 (168)
from $550Check dates
GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Cairo
From Cairo: 4-Day Nile Cruise to Luxor with Balloon Flight
4.5 (157)
from $1,300Check dates
GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Luxor
Luxor: 4 Days Nile Cruise with Guided Tours & Abu Simbel
4.6 (132)
from $690Check dates
Prices checked on 19 October 2026
What travellers say
We could not collect review themes for Nile Carnival. Rather than rely on scattered comments, check these yourself before booking:
Checking a little-known Nile ship
- Ask the seller for the ship's exact name as it appears on the hull and the voucher.
- Ask which deck your cabin is on and whether it has a picture window or a porthole.
- Get the list of sites whose entry fees are included, in writing.
- Compare the star rating on hotel-booking sites with the seller's label.
- Confirm the weekday: Thursday from Luxor or Monday from Aswan.
How to book Nile Carnival
The ship appears on hotel-booking sites, and Egyptian agencies may offer it in packages. A hotel-site booking is a cabin and meals; an agency package usually adds transfers, guide and some or all entry fees. Platform cruises name no ship, so you cannot choose Nile Carnival on GetYourGuide or Headout.
If you want certainty about the ship, choose one that publishes its facts. Steigenberger and JAZ ships on the same weekdays publish cabin counts and itineraries on jazcruises.com, although sightseeing is charged separately if you book them direct. Mövenpick lists its ships and timetables on its Nile cruise site.
Alternatives
- Same weekdays, published facts: Steigenberger Minerva or Royale, JAZ Crown Jubilee, Mövenpick Sun Ray (no sailings June to August).
- Budget ships with published agency prices: Nile Shams and the Semiramis ships, priced by agencies from about $406 for 3 nights in summer.
- No ship research at all: the 4-day Nile cruise listings on the platforms, with reviews and free cancellation on most bookings up to 24 hours ahead (multi-day cruises may differ; check the listing).
All reviewed ships are in the ships directory.
Carnival Nile cruise: questions
Is the Carnival Nile cruise part of Carnival Cruise Line?
No. Carnival Cruise Line has no Nile product. Nile Carnival is a separate Egyptian river ship sold on hotel-booking sites.
What days does the Nile Carnival cruise sail?
Its booking-site listing gives 4 nights from Luxor every Thursday and 3 nights from Aswan every Monday. Confirm the date with your seller.
Is MS Carnival a 5-star Nile cruise ship?
It is sold as 5-star, but that is the seller's label. No public ministry list of rated Nile ships exists, so compare the hotel-site rating and ask for cabin photos.
Does the Carnival Nile cruise include entry fees?
It depends on who sells it. Hotel-site bookings may cover only the cabin and meals; agency packages often add the guide and fees. If fees are excluded, budget about EGP 4,060 per adult for the core sites.
What can I book instead of Nile Carnival?
A 3-night Aswan → Luxor cruise on the platforms (from $450), or a Thursday/Monday ship that publishes its facts, such as JAZ Crown Jubilee or Steigenberger Minerva.