A JAZ Nile cruise is a sound upper 5-star choice if you pick the right ship. The Elite Viceroy and Elite Regent carry a high share of suites with balconies, while the Crown Jubilee has 80 cabins and no suites at all. Like its sister brand Steigenberger, JAZ publishes detailed itineraries but no fares, and a direct booking leaves the temple programme to pay on board.
- Operator
- JAZ Voyages, JAZ Hotel Group (Travco group)
- Type
- Egypt's largest branded fleet of 5-star Nile ships
- Class
- 5-star deluxe (operator's label)
- Cabins
- Elite Regent 56 (23 suites) · Elite Viceroy 37 (21 suites) · Crown Jubilee 80 (no suites)
- Pool
- Yes
- Route
- Luxor ⇄ Aswan: 3, 4, 5 and 7 nights
- Embarks
- Elite Regent: Luxor Mon, Aswan Fri · Elite Viceroy: Luxor Sat, Aswan Wed · Crown Jubilee: Luxor Thu, Aswan Mon · Elite Senator: Luxor Thu (5 and 7 nights)
- How it is sold
- Direct on jazcruises.com (sightseeing charged on check-in) and through agencies
- Sister ships
- JAZ Crown Empress, Crown Prince, Crown Emperor, Imperial, Nile Monarch, Celebrity, Al Qassida, Helio, Bahareya, Elite Senator; dahabiyas Molouky and Yakouta; the Steigenberger ships
- Status
- Sailing
Source: jazcruises.com ↗ · 19 October 2026
Our scores
- Choice of ships and days
- 4.5/5Luxor starts on Monday, Thursday or Saturday; 3- to 7-night options
- Cabins
- 3.5/5Viceroy and Regent suite-heavy; Crown Jubilee has no suites
- Itinerary
- 4/5Standard Luxor–Aswan; the Elite Senator adds Dendera on 7 nights
- Value
- 3/5No public fares; sightseeing extra on direct bookings
- Transparency
- 3.5/5Factsheets and day plans published; dahabiya terms published; cruise prices not
- Booking ease
- 4/5Online booking engine and wide agency sales
Pros
- Elite Viceroy: 21 suites with balconies out of 37 units, the best balcony odds in the fleet
- Many suites connect to a double or single cabin, useful for families
- Elite Senator's 7-night loop includes Dendera
- One operator, one booking site for JAZ and Steigenberger ships
- Clear deposit and cancellation terms on the JAZ dahabiyas
Cons
- No published cruise fares
- Sightseeing is charged separately at check-in when booked direct
- Crown Jubilee: 80 cabins and no suites
- Build years are not published
- Ship names have changed (Regent and Viceroy are now "Elite")
Who runs JAZ Nile cruises
JAZ Voyages is the cruise side of JAZ Hotel Group, part of the Travco group, with its office at the Travco Center in Sheikh Zayed City, Giza. The same office operates and sells the five Steigenberger ships, so a JAZ and a Steigenberger cruise are booked on the same site, jazcruises.com, under the same rules.
A few names to clear up before you compare listings:
- JAZ Regent and JAZ Viceroy now sail as the JAZ Elite Regent and JAZ Elite Viceroy; the Senator is the JAZ Elite Senator. Older agency pages use the old names for the same ships.
- Iberotel Crown Empress is now the JAZ Crown Empress, with its own review.
- "Jaz Omar El Khayam" does not exist. The Lake Nasser ship is the Steigenberger Omar El Khayam, sold by the same office.
The current JAZ fleet list also includes the Crown Prince, Crown Emperor, Imperial, Nile Monarch, Celebrity, Al Qassida, Helio and Bahareya, plus the Farouz El Nil boats. We review the ships with the most published detail below.
The JAZ ships: Elite Viceroy, Elite Regent and Crown Jubilee
Most Nile ships call themselves five-star, and every JAZ factsheet says "5-star deluxe". No public ministry list of rated Nile ships exists, so judge the ships on their layout instead.
JAZ Elite Viceroy: the suite ship
The Elite Viceroy has 21 suites and 16 double cabins: 37 units, more than half of them suites. Suites measure 38 m² and have balconies; the 19 m² cabins have panoramic sliding windows opening to French balconies (a door you can open, not a balcony to sit on). Fourteen suites connect to a double cabin. It leaves Luxor on Saturday for 4 nights to Aswan or 7 nights round trip, and Aswan on Wednesday for 3 nights. If you want a balcony on a JAZ ship, this is where your odds are best.
JAZ Elite Regent: suites on the Monday pattern
The Elite Regent has 23 suites, 31 double cabins and 2 single cabins (56 units), with the same 38 m² suites with balconies and 19 m² cabins with French balconies. Sixteen suites connect to a double cabin and two to a single, which suits families who want separate rooms side by side. There is a pool, a sun-deck bar, a gym and a sauna. It leaves Luxor on Monday (4 or 7 nights) and Aswan on Friday (3 nights).
JAZ Crown Jubilee: the large standard ship
The Crown Jubilee has 76 double cabins and 4 single cabins and no suites. Cabins are 19 m² with panoramic sliding windows on the main and upper decks. It leaves Luxor on Thursday (4 nights to Aswan, or 7 nights round trip) and Aswan on Monday (3 nights). Its factsheet photo shows the hull lettering of its sister, the Crown Prince.
JAZ Elite Senator and Crown Prince: the 7-night ships
The Elite Senator leaves Luxor every Thursday for 5 or 7 nights, and its 7-night loop sails north to Qena for Dendera, a temple almost no standard Luxor–Aswan cruise visits, and adds the Valley of the Queens. Nefertari's tomb there has been closed since March 2024, so do not count on it. The Crown Prince runs a "Super Saver" 7-night Luxor–Aswan–Luxor round trip every Monday.
Molouky and Yakouta: the JAZ dahabiyas
JAZ also runs two dahabiyas (traditional sailing houseboats), Molouky and Yakouta, with six suites each, embarking in Luxor for 5 nights to Aswan or 7 nights round trip. Unusually, the terms are published on dahabeyat.com: a 25 % deposit at booking, 50 % at 60 days and the balance at 45 days; free cancellation more than 90 days out, then 25 %, 50 % and finally 100 % inside 45 days. For other small boats, see the best dahabiyas.
- 0 kmLuxorStart or end of every standard cruise. Ships moor along the East Bank and at private docks south of town; Karnak, Luxor Temple and the West Bank are visited from here.
- 50 kmEsnaAbout 50 km upriver. Ships pass the Esna lock (two ships per lockage), often at night; many ships stop here overnight without visiting the temple.
- EdfuBetween Esna and Kom Ombo. The Temple of Horus is visited by horse carriage or coach from the quay, usually in the morning.
- Kom OmboRiverside temple, open for entry until 20:00: upstream ships stop at dusk, downstream ships come early in the morning.
- 200 kmAswanAbout 200 km by river from Luxor. Philae, the High Dam and a felucca or motorboat round Kitchener's Island; last night of a dahabiya trip at the Aswan bridge dock.
Distances along the river, rounded; ships also stop at the Esna lock and sometimes moor at Kom Ombo for the night.
JAZ Nile cruise prices and what is included
JAZ publishes no fares; prices come from a dated search on its booking engine. Every JAZ itinerary page carries the same line: sightseeing in the itinerary "is not included in the room rate and would be charged separately upon check In". So a direct booking is cabin and full board, and the guided programme is an extra.
If you pay the gates yourself, the eight sites of a standard cruise cost EGP 4,060 per foreign adult (students half price):
| Site | Ticket | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Karnak Temple (incl. Open-Air Museum) | EGP 600 | Student EGP 300 · opens 06:00, last entry 16:00 · the Mut precinct is a separate ticket |
| Luxor Temple | EGP 500 | Student EGP 250 · opens 06:00, last entry 19:00 — visit after dark |
| Valley of the Kings (general ticket) | EGP 750 | Student EGP 375 · opens 06:00, last entry 17:00 summer / 16:00 winter |
| Hatshepsut Temple (Deir el-Bahari) | EGP 440 | Student EGP 220 · last entry 17:00 summer / 16:00 winter |
| Edfu: Temple of Horus | EGP 550 | Student EGP 275 · opens 07:00 (06:00 Sun and Wed), last entry 16:00 |
| Kom Ombo Temple (incl. Crocodile Museum) | EGP 450 | Student EGP 225 · last entry 20:00 — ships visit at dusk |
| Philae: Temple of Isis | EGP 550 | Student EGP 275 · boat to the island not included · last entry 15:00 |
| Unfinished Obelisk | EGP 220 | Student EGP 110 · last entry 15:00 |
Official ticket prices checked on 19 October 2026. Many cruise packages include these, many don't: read the listing. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ticket shop (egymonuments.com) ↗
Agency packages usually bundle a guide and transfers; ask which entry fees are in. No GetYourGuide, Headout or Tiqets listing names a JAZ ship; their cruises run on "a 5-star ship or similar". The closest platform match is the 3-night Aswan → Luxor cruise with Abu Simbel and the balloon, from $580 and rated 4.5 from 555 reviews, also sold on Headout:
| 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; ship, cabin and inclusions 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
GetYourGuide2 nightsFrom Aswan
From Aswan: 3-Day Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon
4.3 (657)
from $1,000Check dates
GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan
From Aswan: 4-Day Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor with Guide
4.3 (654)
from $450Check dates
Headout4 nightsFrom Luxor
From Luxor: 5-Day Nile Cruise with Hot-Air Balloon Ride & Abu Simbel Visit
No reviews yet
from $590Check 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
Prices checked on 19 October 2026
What travellers say
We have not collected guest reviews of individual JAZ ships, and we do not invent them. Check these points with the seller instead:
- The ship's name. "JAZ" covers about 13 ships; the weekday narrows it down.
- Suite or cabin. Only suites have sit-out balconies; cabins have French balconies or sliding windows. At busy quays ships often moor side by side, so a view is never guaranteed.
- The sightseeing. Included or charged at check-in, and which entry fees?
- Tips and drinks. Agencies suggest roughly US$5–10 per person per night for the crew and US$10–15 per person per day for the guide; drinks are extra.
How to book a JAZ Nile cruise
Booking a JAZ cruise without surprises
- Pick the ship by weekday: Elite Regent Monday, Crown Jubilee or Elite Senator Thursday, Elite Viceroy Saturday from Luxor.
- Ask for a suite if you want a balcony; on the Crown Jubilee there are none.
- Search dates on jazcruises.com, or ask an agency for a package with guide and entry fees.
- If booking direct, budget for the sightseeing charged at check-in.
- Get the programme, inclusions and cancellation terms in writing.
Alternatives
- Steigenberger: the same operator's other brand, including the 52-cabin Royale and Regency and the Lake Nasser ship.
- Sonesta Star Goddess: 33 suites with terraces, also leaving Luxor on Saturday.
- Mayfair Cruises: published per-night rates that include entry fees.
- Mövenpick: eight vessels, from Luxor–Aswan to Lake Nasser and the long Cairo cruise.
For a ranked overview, see the best Nile cruises.
FAQ
Which JAZ Nile cruise ship is best?
The Elite Viceroy, for its 21 suites with balconies out of 37 units, leaving Luxor on Saturday. On the Monday pattern, the Elite Regent has 23 suites. Avoid the Crown Jubilee if you want a suite: it has none.
Is the JAZ Regent the same as the JAZ Elite Regent?
Yes. JAZ now markets the Regent and the Viceroy as the JAZ Elite Regent and JAZ Elite Viceroy. The Senator is the JAZ Elite Senator.
Is sightseeing included on a JAZ Nile cruise?
Not when you book direct: JAZ's itinerary pages say sightseeing is charged separately at check-in. Agency packages usually include a guide; check which entry fees are covered.
Which JAZ Nile cruise visits Dendera?
The JAZ Elite Senator's 7-night cruise from Luxor on Thursday sails to Qena for Dendera and adds the Valley of the Queens.
Are JAZ and Steigenberger Nile cruises the same company?
The ships are operated and sold by the same company, JAZ Voyages of the Travco group, from the same office and booking site. Steigenberger is the hotel brand on five of them.