A "Royal Nile cruise" can mean four unrelated ships, and the one you get depends on the seller: Royal Viking and Royal Beau Rivage are independent Egyptian ships sold by agencies, Royal Princess is a UK package ship, and Royal Lotus is part of Mövenpick's fleet. None is sold under its own name on GetYourGuide, Headout or Tiqets. Our verdict: Royal Viking is a fair-value, transparently priced agency ship, Royal Princess suits UK travellers who want flights and fees in one price, and Royal Lotus is the one with a hotel brand behind it.
- Operator
- Four unrelated ships with different owners
- Type
- Royal Viking, Royal Beau Rivage, Royal Princess and Mövenpick Royal Lotus
- Built / refurbished
- Royal Viking 2009; Royal Beau Rivage in service since 2002, renovated 2022 (agencies)
- Cabins
- Royal Princess 59 · Royal Beau Rivage 71 · Royal Lotus 62
- Route
- All sail Luxor ⇄ Aswan
- Embarks
- Royal Viking: Luxor Mon, Aswan Fri · Royal Beau Rivage: Luxor Sat, Aswan Wed · Royal Princess: 7 nights Luxor Mon–Mon · Royal Lotus: Luxor Mon, Aswan Fri
- How it is sold
- Egyptian agencies; Royal Princess via Classic Collection Holidays (UK); Royal Lotus via Mövenpick
- Status
- Sailing; 'Royal Viking' has no connection with Viking River Cruises
Our scores
- Royal Viking
- 3.5/5Clear agency fares including entry fees; built 2009; owner not published
- Royal Beau Rivage
- 3/5Cheap Saturday option, renovated 2022; fatal collision near Esna
- Royal Princess
- 3.5/5All cabins on middle and upper decks with Juliet balconies; UK package only
- Royal Lotus
- 4/5Mövenpick-run, 62 units; no sailings June–August
- Transparency
- 3/5Agencies swap names freely; ask which ship before paying
- Booking ease
- 3/5No platform sells any of them by name
Pros
- Royal Viking's agency fares include full board, transfers, guide and entry fees between Luxor and Aswan.
- Royal Princess has no lower-deck cabins: every cabin has a French (Juliet) balcony.
- Royal Lotus has a brand behind it (Mövenpick, part of Accor) and four meals a day on full board.
Cons
- The shared word causes mix-ups: agencies and listings confuse the ships.
- Royal Viking is not a Viking River Cruises ship, whatever the name suggests.
- Royal Beau Rivage's captain had his licence suspended after a fatal collision.
- Royal Lotus does not sail June–August; Royal Princess is sold only as a UK package.
Royal Viking Nile cruise: not Viking River Cruises
Royal Viking is an Egyptian ship built in 2009, about 75 m long and 14.5 m wide, with four decks and suites with a Jacuzzi. It sails 4 nights from Luxor on Monday and 3 nights from Aswan on Friday. The owner is not published.
It has no connection with Viking River Cruises, whose Nile fleet is sold only inside Viking's Cairo packages (see our Viking review).
Agency fares (USD per adult sharing a double): 3 nights $436 (May–August) / $646 (September–April); 4 nights $495 / $725. That includes full board, transfers, a guide and the entry fees between Luxor and Aswan, a complete package at this price. Drinks, tips and extras such as Abu Simbel or a balloon cost more.
Royal Beau Rivage Nile cruise: price, days and the collision
Royal Beau Rivage (also written "Royal Beaurivage") has 71 cabins: 57 double, 6 twin, 6 single and 2 suites, according to the agency that sells it. It has been in service since 2002, was last renovated in September 2022, and is marketed as a "smart" ship with voice and app controls in the cabins. It sails 4 nights from Luxor on Saturday and 3 nights from Aswan on Wednesday.
Agency prices start from $465 for 3 nights and $579 for 4 nights (June–August, per person in a triple cabin); winter and doubles cost more. Booking sites list it as "Royal Beau Rivage 1"; if an agency offers a "Beau Rivage II", ask for the exact ship name and its cabin plan.
The ship was still listed for sale when we checked; if you book it, ask the agency what changed after the accident. More on the lock is in our Luxor–Aswan cruise guide.
Royal Princess Nile cruise: the UK package ship
Royal Princess is sold in the UK by Classic Collection Holidays as one of its three chosen 5-star ships, alongside two Blue Shadow ships (see our Blue Shadow review). It has 59 cabins (30 double, 27 twin, 2 Royal Suites), all on the middle and upper decks with French (Juliet) balconies and none on the lower deck.
It sails a 7-night round trip from Luxor, Monday to Monday. The package includes return UK flights, transfers, a PhD Egyptologist and entry fees for 11 excursions. Classic suggests tipping about £10 per person per night. The owner is not named. For a 7-night trip at one UK price it is the simplest of the four; compare it in our 7-night cruise guide.
Names travel loosely: one agency page for the King Tut I calls it "Royal Princess" in its inclusions.
Royal Lotus Nile cruise: a Mövenpick ship
Royal Lotus is Mövenpick's MS Royal Lotus, sister of the Royal Lily, and belongs with the rest of the Mövenpick fleet. It has 60 cabins of about 22 m² plus 2 Royal Suites, and a sun-deck pool. It sails 4 nights from Luxor on Monday and 3 nights from Aswan on Friday, and there are no sailings from mid-June to the end of August. Full board means four meals a day (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner).
Mövenpick publishes no fares; you book through Accor or by emailing the ship (Mövenpick Nile cruisers). The Egyptian agency Memphis Tours also sells it by name (see our Memphis Tours review).
Royal Adventure, Royal Ruby and Royal Esadora
We found no Nile cruise ship called Royal Adventure. If a seller offers one, ask for the ship's registration name, a deck plan and photos of the actual cabins before you pay.
Two more "Royal" ships have their own pages and no proven link to the four above: the Royal Ruby (often called "Nile Ruby") and the Royal Esadora. The "Royal" names are marketing, not a shared company.
Prices: Royal ships vs a platform cruise
No platform sells any of the four by name. The closest thing you can book online today is a standard 3-night cruise from Aswan on a "5-star ship or similar", where the operator chooses the ship.
| 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.
Today the GetYourGuide version (from $580, 4.5 from 555 reviews, with Abu Simbel and a Luxor balloon) is cheaper than both Headout listings ($600 and $700); ship, cabin and inclusions differ. The plain 4-day cruise from Aswan with a guide starts from $450, close to Royal Viking's summer fare, but it doesn't say whether entry fees are included. If they aren't, budget EGP 4,060 per adult for the eight sites of a standard cruise.
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
Prices checked on 19 October 2026
How to book a Royal ship without the mix-up
Booking a "Royal" ship safely
- Write the full ship name on your enquiry: Royal Viking, Royal Beau Rivage, Royal Princess or Mövenpick Royal Lotus.
- Match the sailing day: Saturday from Luxor means Royal Beau Rivage; Monday means Royal Viking, Royal Lotus or the 7-night Royal Princess.
- Ask which entry fees are included; Royal Viking's agency fare includes them, others may not.
- Ask for the cabin deck: on some ships lower-deck cabins have only portholes (Royal Princess has no lower-deck cabins at all).
- Check the New Year's Eve gala: many ships charge a compulsory supplement (agencies quote roughly US$50–180 per person).
- Get the ship's name on the confirmation; "or similar" means the agency can swap it.
Alternatives on the same days
- Saturday from Luxor, like Royal Beau Rivage: Esplanade (published rates including fees), JAZ Elite Viceroy, Steigenberger Regency and Sonesta Star Goddess.
- Monday from Luxor, like Royal Viking: Sonesta St George, Mövenpick's Royal Lily and Hamees and Nile Dolphin.
Royal ships: questions
Is Royal Viking part of Viking River Cruises?
No. Royal Viking is an independent Egyptian ship built in 2009 and sold by agencies. Viking River Cruises runs its own Nile fleet, sold only in its Cairo packages.
What happened to the Royal Beau Rivage?
On 21 December 2025 it struck another cruise ship near the Esna lock and one passenger died. The authority suspended its captain's licence and the case went to the prosecutor. The ship was still listed for sale when we checked.
How much is a Royal Beau Rivage Nile cruise?
Agencies quote from $465 for 3 nights and $579 for 4 nights per person in a triple cabin in summer; winter and double cabins cost more.
Who sells the Royal Princess Nile cruise?
Classic Collection Holidays in the UK, as a 7-night Luxor round trip from Monday to Monday with flights, transfers, an Egyptologist and entry fees for 11 excursions.
Is Royal Lotus a Mövenpick ship?
Yes. MS Royal Lotus is Mövenpick's ship, sister of the Royal Lily, with 60 cabins and 2 Royal Suites. It does not sail in June, July or August.
Is there a Royal Adventure Nile cruise ship?
We found none. Ask any seller for the registered ship name and cabin photos before paying.