MS Nile Premium review: dark wood, balcony suites, Monday from Luxor

The MS Nile Premium Nile cruise is a mid-sized, five-deck ship launched towards the end of 2008, furnished in a colonial dark-wood style and sold by Egyptian agencies as "ultra luxury". Our verdict in one sentence: a solid upper-mid ship whose real selling point is its two Ambassador Suites, priced above platform cruises that cover the same temples.

The ship: decks, cabins and suites

Nile Premium has five decks and 60 units: 56 cabins, two Ambassador Suites and two Presidential Suites. The Ambassador Suites are the reason to choose this ship: each has a private balcony and a jacuzzi. Balconies you can actually sit on are rare on the Nile; many ships advertise "French" or "Juliet" balconies, which are opening windows with a rail.

The interiors follow a colonial theme in dark wood. The seller does not publish cabin sizes, bed layouts or whether lower-deck cabins have full windows, so ask before you pay, and ask for a cabin on a higher deck. At busy moorings ships often tie up side by side, so any window may face the next ship.

One agency, Ask Aladdin, sells the same ship as "MS Premium". If you see that name, it is this ship.

Nile Premium cruise itinerary

Nile Premium follows the standard Luxor–Aswan loop: 4 nights upstream from Luxor on Monday, 3 nights downstream from Aswan on Friday, and the two joined into a 7-night round trip. The route runs Luxor, the Esna lock, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan. The ship's own hour-by-hour timetable is not published; this is the usual shape of a Monday departure from Luxor:

The 3-night Friday version from Aswan covers the same temples faster: Kom Ombo and Edfu on one day, and Karnak and Luxor Temple may fall on the last morning after check-out, so book an afternoon flight. See Aswan to Luxor cruise and Luxor to Aswan cruise.

Nile Premium prices

The fullest price list comes from Egyptian agency Luxor and Aswan Travel, in US dollars per person for the whole cruise:

Triple-share fares are $20–30 lower. The agency's rates include full board, excursions, entry fees, an English-speaking guide, transfers from East Bank hotels, the airport or the station, and taxes; drinks, tips and optional tours are extra, and Christmas, New Year and Easter are priced separately. For children's fares, ask the agency.

Per night that is about $260 in summer and $367 in winter on the 3-night trip. Platform listings for the same route start lower but don't name the ship and may not include entry fees, which add EGP 4,060 per adult for the eight core sites at official prices:

GetYourGuide is cheapest today for this 3-night Aswan to Luxor cruise with Abu Simbel and a balloon flight; the ship, cabin, inclusions and dates may differ between listings, and the operator assigns "a 5-star ship or similar".

⛵ 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

GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan

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

4.3 (654)

from $450Check dates

⛵ Aswan

GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Aswan

Aswan: 4-Day Private Nile Cruise to Luxor with Balloon Ride

4.2 (261)

from $643Check dates

⛵ Aswan

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, and what to check

We have no reliable review themes for Nile Premium, and the ship has no listing of its own on the booking platforms. Before booking, ask the seller:

• which deck and cabin type you get, and the cabin size;
• whether the Ambassador Suites are available on your date (there are only two);
• whether entry fees are in the price, site by site;
• the departure weekday and the ship's own timetable for your direction.

How to book MS Nile Premium

Nile Premium is sold by Egyptian agencies such as Luxor and Aswan Travel and Ask Aladdin; we found no official website and no published owner. Get the ship name, cabin type and inclusions in writing before you pay. No GetYourGuide, Headout or Tiqets listing names this ship. If the platforms' cancellation terms and reviews matter more to you than the ship's name, book a comparable cruise there and ask the operator which ship you are on.

Alternatives to Nile Premium

• Other Monday/Friday ships: Nile Style, Royal Esadora, Tulip (two singles without a supplement) and Royal Ruby.
• Real balconies in 49 of 53 rooms: Sonesta Moon Goddess.
• Newer, with a spa and indoor pool: Soleil, on the same weekdays, or the best luxury Nile cruises.
• All ships compared: Nile cruise ship reviews.

Nile Premium cruise: questions