The ship people mean by "Nile Ruby" is MS Royal Ruby: an ordinary-sized five-star cruise ship with a deep pool, two single cabins and the standard Monday–Friday rhythm, sold only through agencies. Verdict in one line: a sensible mid-market ship at a fair agency price, held back by muddled details from its sellers.
- Operator
- Nile Sun Nile Cruises (per seller)
- Type
- Cruise ship sold as 5-star Grand Deluxe
- Class
- 5-star Grand Deluxe (seller's label)
- Pool
- Yes
- Route
- Luxor ⇄ Aswan: 4 nights from Luxor, 3 nights from Aswan
- Embarks
- Luxor on Monday, Aswan on Friday
- How it is sold
- Egyptian agencies
- Sister ships
- M/S Ruby and M/S Emerald (Nile Sun fleet, per seller)
- Status
- On sale with agencies; no ship called 'Nile Ruby' found
Source: ask-aladdin.com ↗ · 19 October 2026
Our scores
- Cabins
- 3/5Doubles of about 21 m², two 18 m² singles, one suite; no balconies mentioned
- Pool and decks
- 4/5Large sun deck; pool listed at 185 cm deep
- Itinerary
- 4/5Standard Luxor ⇄ Aswan sites, Monday and Friday departures
- Value
- 4/5$555–795 per person through one agency, depending on season and length
- Transparency
- 2/5Conflicting cabin lists, tier pricing, no official site
- Booking ease
- 3/5Agencies only; no platform sells it by name
Pros
- Two single cabins: rare on a Nile ship
- Deep pool on a large sun deck
- Monday/Friday weekdays fit most flight plans
- Published agency fares with summer and winter rates
Cons
- No official website; facts come from sellers
- Cabin layout differs between sellers' pages
- One agency's price is a tier rate shared by several ships
- Easily confused with its older sister, M/S Ruby
Is there an MS Nile Ruby?
No ship called "Nile Ruby" is on sale. The ship behind the name is MS Royal Ruby, which Ask Aladdin, an Egyptian agency, lists under Nile Sun Nile Cruises together with two sisters: M/S Ruby, sold as "5-star Deluxe", and M/S Emerald, sold as five-star. So if a seller offers you "the Ruby", ask which one. Royal Ruby is the one marketed a grade higher.
No link has been shown between Royal Ruby and the other "Royal" ships on the river, such as Royal Esadora or Royal Viking; don't read anything into the shared prefix. Our Royal ships page sorts those out.
The ship: cabins, pool and decks
According to its sellers, Royal Ruby is 72 m long and 14.8 m wide, with a shallow draft of 1.5 m. One agency page lists 66 doubles of 21 m², 2 singles of 18 m² and one 42 m² suite; another lists a Presidential Suite, 2 singles and 68 double or twin cabins. Treat it as a ship of about 70 cabins. The restaurant seats 160, and there is a Panorama bar and a disco.
The sun deck has a large pool, listed at 185 cm deep. That is deeper than the shallow-end pools some families look for, so younger children will need supervision.
No source mentions balconies, so assume windows. As on every ship of this size, at busy moorings ships often tie up side by side, and your window may face the next ship. Don't pay extra for a "Nile view" cabin.
Solo travellers: the two single cabins are the ship's best feature for you. Singles are scarce on the Nile, and Ask Aladdin prices a single at $815 for 3 nights in summer, against $555 per person in a double. Book early if you want one.
Royal Ruby itinerary: Luxor Monday, Aswan Friday
Royal Ruby runs the standard weekly loop: 4 nights upstream from Luxor every Monday, 3 nights downstream from Aswan every Friday, and the two joined as a 7-night round trip. Both agencies that sell it give the same days. Here is the usual order of the Monday run; the agency confirms the exact times.
Day 1
Luxor
Board around midday; Karnak and Luxor Temple in the afternoonNight in Luxor
Day 2
Valley of the Kings
West Bank in the early morning: Valley of the Kings and HatshepsutSail south through the Esna lock
Day 3
Edfu
Temple of Horus, then Kom Ombo, usually in the late afternoon or eveningDaylight sailing to Kom Ombo
Day 4
Aswan
High Dam and Philae; optional felucca or Nubian villageNight in Aswan
Day 5
Aswan
Disembark after breakfast; Abu Simbel or flight
The Friday 3-night run from Aswan visits the same sites faster: Kom Ombo and Edfu on one day, and the Luxor sights at the end. Ask whether Karnak happens after check-out on the last morning, and book your flight for the afternoon. Our guides to the Luxor to Aswan and Aswan to Luxor cruises explain the difference.
- 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.
Royal Ruby prices
Two agencies publish fares, and they are not the same kind of number.
| Seller | 3 nights from Aswan | 4 nights from Luxor | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ask Aladdin | $555 (May–Sep) / $675 (Jan–Apr) | $635 / $795 | per person, double cabin |
| Luxor and Aswan Travel | $750 (May–Aug) / $925 (Sep–Apr) | — | per person, double; tier price |
The Luxor and Aswan Travel figure is a tier price: the same table appears on several other ships, so it buys you "a ship of this class" as much as Royal Ruby itself. Its package includes full board, excursions, entry fees, an English-speaking guide and transfers, and excludes drinks, tips and optional tours. For children's fares, ask the seller. Ask Aladdin's lower fare is the ship-specific one; ask exactly what it includes, especially entry fees, which cost EGP 4,060 per foreign adult for the eight core sites if you pay them yourself.
Budget on top for tips (there is no official rule; agencies suggest roughly US$5–10 per person per night for the crew plus US$10–15 per day for the guide), drinks, and a compulsory New Year's Eve gala on many ships. Our Nile cruise prices page puts these numbers in context.
The comparable cruise you can book today
No platform sells Royal Ruby by name. The nearest equivalent is GetYourGuide's best-reviewed 3-night cruise from Aswan with Abu Simbel and a Luxor balloon flight, on a "5-star ship or similar". It is the cheapest of the three platform listings for that package today; ship, cabin and inclusions may differ.
| 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.
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
Prices checked on 19 October 2026
What to check before booking
We have no reliable traveller reviews of Royal Ruby to summarise. Ask the seller these questions instead:
- Is it Royal Ruby, or the older M/S Ruby or M/S Emerald?
- Which cabin type and deck, and is it one of the two singles if you are travelling alone?
- Are entry fees, the guide and transfers included, or only the cabin and meals?
- On the 3-night cruise, are Karnak and Luxor Temple visited after check-out?
- What is the festive supplement if you sail over Christmas or New Year?
How to book Royal Ruby
Book through an Egyptian agency that names the ship in writing on your confirmation. Ask Aladdin and Luxor and Aswan Travel both list it; compare their inclusions, not only the headline price. There is no official Royal Ruby website, so a seller's page is the only source; save a copy. If you would rather book a platform cruise with cancellation terms you can read, choose a 3-night listing from Aswan and ask for the ship's name after booking.
Alternatives to Royal Ruby
- Same weekdays, similar price: Royal Esadora and Nile Premium also leave Luxor on Monday and Aswan on Friday; see the Esadora review.
- Cheaper: Nile Shams, one of the lowest agency fares on the river; see the Nile Shams review.
- Solo-friendly: Tulip has two single cabins with no supplement.
- Want to compare every ship? Our ship reviews list them all, and best Nile cruises ranks them.
Nile Ruby cruise: questions
Is MS Nile Ruby a real Nile cruise ship?
No ship called "Nile Ruby" is on sale. The ship people mean is MS Royal Ruby, which sellers list under Nile Sun Nile Cruises with two sisters, M/S Ruby and M/S Emerald.
When does the Royal Ruby Nile cruise sail?
Every Monday from Luxor for 4 nights to Aswan, and every Friday from Aswan for 3 nights to Luxor; the two join into a 7-night round trip.
How much is a Nile Ruby cruise?
Ask Aladdin quotes $555 per person in a double for 3 nights in summer and $675 from January to April; 4 nights cost $635–795. Check whether entry fees are included.
Does Royal Ruby have single cabins?
Yes, two singles of about 18 m². Ask Aladdin prices a single at $815 for 3 nights in summer.
Does the Royal Ruby have a pool?
Yes, a large sun-deck pool, listed by one seller as 185 cm deep, so younger children need supervision.