The Sonesta St George I Nile cruise is the safe upper-end choice on the standard Luxor–Aswan run: a large, well-equipped ship from a hotel group that publishes its timetable, its child policy and its sailing dates for two years ahead. The catch is in the small print. A direct booking covers the cabin and full board only, and the 3-night trip from Aswan leaves Karnak and Luxor Temple until after you have checked out.
- Operator
- Sonesta Nile Cruise Collection
- Type
- 5-star cruise ship, Sonesta's flagship
- Class
- 5-star
- Cabins
- 57: 47 Deluxe, 6 Presidential, 3 Elite and 1 Royal Suite
- Pool
- Yes: large sun-deck pool with shallow end and Jacuzzi
- Route
- Luxor ⇄ Aswan: 4 nights from Luxor, 3 nights from Aswan, 7-night round trips
- Embarks
- Luxor on Monday, Aswan on Friday (boarding 12:00)
- How it is sold
- Direct on sonesta.com (cabin and full board; sightseeing not included in the rate), and through tour operators and agencies
- Sister ships
- Sonesta Moon Goddess, Star Goddess, Nile Goddess, Sun Goddess; dahabiyas Amirat and Amirat II
- Status
- Sailing: weekly departures listed all year for 2026 and 2027
Source: sonesta.com ↗ · 19 October 2026
Our scores
- Rooms and suites
- 4/557 rooms, 10 of them suites; balconies not stated by Sonesta
- Facilities
- 5/5Oversize pool with shallow end, Jacuzzi, spa with sauna and steam bath
- Itinerary
- 4/5Full official day-by-day; Kom Ombo at 18:30 going south
- Value
- 3/5No public price; guide and entry fees extra when booked direct
- Transparency
- 4/5Timetable, sailing dates and child policy all published
- Booking ease
- 4/5Bookable direct like a hotel room, or through agencies
Pros
- Sonesta's biggest Nile ship, with 10 suites and a full spa
- Pool with a shallow-water area, good for children
- Official day-by-day itinerary in both directions
- Sails every week, all year, including summer
- Clear child policy: under 6 free, 6–11 half price
Cons
- Direct rate excludes sightseeing: guide and tickets are extra
- No price shown until you search specific dates
- The 3-night trip visits Karnak after check-out on the last morning
- No visit to Esna temple, Dendera or Abu Simbel in the programme
- Not sold on GetYourGuide, Headout or Tiqets under its name
The ship: rooms, suites and the pool
The St George I is the largest of Sonesta's five Nile cruise ships. Its 57 rooms split into 47 Deluxe cabins, 6 Presidential Suites, 3 Elite Suites and one Royal Suite, so about one room in six is a suite. Sonesta does not say on its ship page whether the standard cabins have balconies; if that matters, ask before you book rather than assume.
The sun deck has an oversize pool with a shallow-water extension and a Jacuzzi, which makes this one of the better ships for families with small children. Below deck there is a spa with gym, massage, sauna and steam bath, a lounge with a dance floor and nightly entertainment, a piano bar and a sun-deck bar. The main dining room on the lower deck serves buffet breakfast and lunch and an à la carte dinner; Sonesta asks for smart casual dress at dinner.
Sonesta does not publish a build year for the ship, and the figures quoted elsewhere disagree, so treat any "launched in…" claim with caution. The useful question is not the age but the cabin you are given: ask for the deck and room type in writing.
At busy moorings in Luxor and Aswan, ships often tie up side by side, and the St George is no exception. Your window may face the next ship, so do not pay extra for a "Nile view" on the strength of a brochure.
Sonesta St George itinerary: 4 nights from Luxor, 3 from Aswan
The ship runs a weekly loop: it leaves Luxor every Monday for a 4-night trip to Aswan and Aswan every Friday for a 3-night trip back. Join both halves and you have a 7-night round trip. Boarding is at 12:00 on both days. Sonesta's own day-by-day is on its itinerary page, with the usual warning that slight changes can happen.
Day 1
Luxor
Board at 12:00; Karnak and Luxor Temple at 14:30Night in Luxor
Day 2
Valley of the Kings
West Bank at 07:30: Valley of the Kings, Medinet Habu, Hatshepsut, Colossi of MemnonSail at 13:00, night at Esna
Day 3
Edfu
Temple of Horus at 10:00, then Kom Ombo at 18:30, after dark in winterSail 05:00 and 12:30; night at Kom Ombo
Day 4
Aswan
High Dam and Philae at 07:30; motorboat and the Botanical Garden on Kitchener's Island at 14:30Sail 03:30; night in Aswan
Day 5
Aswan
Disembark at 08:00
Day 1
Aswan
Board at 12:00; High Dam, Philae and a motorboat sail in the afternoon; Nubian showNight in Aswan
Day 2
Kom Ombo
Kom Ombo at 09:00, Edfu at 14:30, galabeya party in the eveningSail 06:00; night at Esna
Day 3
Luxor
West Bank at 07:30: Valley of the Kings, Medinet Habu, Hatshepsut, Colossi of MemnonSail 03:30 through the Esna lock; night in Luxor
Day 4
Karnak
Check out at 08:00, then Karnak and Luxor Temple from 08:30 to 12:00
The 4-night version is the better trip. It adds the Botanical Garden afternoon in Aswan, sees Kom Ombo lit up in the evening, and spreads Edfu and Kom Ombo over a day. The 3-night version packs both temples into one day and finishes with Karnak and Luxor Temple after you have left your cabin: book a flight after 13:00 that day. It also passes the Esna lock at 03:30, so you will sleep through it.
On the 7-night round trip, the second half repeats the route and Sonesta marks the repeated days as "free time at leisure"; the sites are not visited twice. Pay for seven nights only if you want slow river days on board.
Not in the programme: Abu Simbel, Dendera, Abydos, the extra-ticket tombs (Tutankhamun, Seti I), and Esna temple, even though the ship moors at Esna overnight. Abu Simbel is an add-on from Aswan with a very early start (Abu Simbel guide).
- 1LuxorTown · East bankDirections ↗
- 2EsnaLock · West bankDirections ↗
- 3EdfuTemple · West bankDirections ↗
- 4Kom OmboTemple · East bankDirections ↗
- 5AswanTown · East bankDirections ↗
- 6PhilaeTemple · IslandDirections ↗
Sonesta St George Nile cruise prices: what a direct booking includes
Sonesta sells the ship like a hotel room: you search dates on sonesta.com and get a rate for the cabin with full board. The sail-dates page states that "Sightseeing activities are not included in the rates". The guided temple programme and the entry tickets come on top, so a direct price is not comparable with an agency package that bundles a guide and tickets.
Entry fees alone for the eight sites of a standard cruise come to EGP 4,060 per foreign adult (half for students), before Tutankhamun's tomb (EGP 700), Seti I (EGP 2,000) or Abu Simbel (EGP 822). Add tips: there is no official rule, but agencies suggest roughly US$5–10 per person per night for the crew and US$10–15 per person per day for your guide; the ship usually announces its suggested figure at the welcome briefing. Drinks are extra.
Children: under 6 sharing their parents' room go free, ages 6 to 11 sharing pay half the adult rate (one child in each case), and from 12 they pay the full rate. Ministry sites are free for children under 6.
| 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) ↗
How to book the Sonesta St George I
There are two routes, and the one you choose decides what is included.
Booking the St George without surprises
- Choose the direction first. Monday from Luxor (4 nights) or Friday from Aswan (3 nights). Your dates choose the trip.
- Direct on sonesta.com: you pay for the cabin and meals. Budget separately for a guide and EGP 4,060 per adult in entry fees, or book excursions on board.
- Through a tour operator or agency: ask for the inclusions in writing, including the guide, entry fees, transfers and whether Karnak on the last morning is covered.
- Get the ship's name on your confirmation. Many agency cruises are sold as "a 5-star ship or similar"; if you are paying for the St George, the voucher should name it.
- Check the cabin type and deck, and whether a New Year's Eve gala supplement applies if you travel over the holidays.
One name trap: TUI's Luxor cruise-and-stay holidays use the Sonesta St George Hotel, a hotel on the Luxor Corniche. It is not the ship. TUI's Nile cruises sail on TUI's own ships (TUI review).
No platform sells the St George under its name. If you would rather book a comparable 4-night cruise from Luxor on GetYourGuide, the operator assigns a 5-star ship "or similar": ask for the ship's name, deck and the entry-fee list before you pay.
GetYourGuide4 nightsFrom Luxor
Luxor: 5 Days Nile Cruise with Guided Tours & Abu Simbel
4.4 (69)
from $840Check dates
GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Luxor
Luxor: 4 Days Nile Cruise with Guided Tours & Abu Simbel
4.6 (132)
from $690Check dates
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
Prices checked on 19 October 2026
Our pick, the 5-day Luxor cruise with Abu Simbel (from $840, 4.4 from 69 reviews), sails the same 4-night direction from Luxor and adds Abu Simbel. For the 3-night direction from Aswan, the 4-day cruise with Abu Simbel and a balloon is from $580 with 555 reviews.
What travellers should check
Before you book, check four things that make the difference on any Nile ship, this one included:
- Which cabin and deck you are getting, and whether it has a balcony or a window.
- What time Karnak happens on the 3-night trip, so your flight does not clash.
- Whether a guide is included, and how big the group will be.
- The tipping guidance given at the welcome briefing, so the final-night envelope is not a surprise.
Alternatives to the Sonesta St George
- Same days, similar level: the Historia sails the same Monday/Friday pattern with 44 rooms and is bookable like a hotel through SLH (Small Luxury Hotels of the World); agencies sell it from $1,339 for 3 nights.
- Same fleet, balconies: the Sonesta Moon Goddess has 53 rooms, 49 with private balconies, on the same weekdays.
- Different days: the Sonesta Star Goddess is all-suite and leaves Luxor on Saturday and Aswan on Wednesday.
- Entry fees included: the Oberoi Zahra includes entrance fees and a guide in its rates, at a much higher price.
For the wider picture, see the luxury Nile cruise guide, the Luxor to Aswan cruise and the Aswan to Luxor cruise, or browse all ship reviews.
Sonesta St George Nile cruise: questions
How many nights is the Sonesta St George Nile cruise?
4 nights from Luxor (Monday), 3 nights from Aswan (Friday), or 7 nights as a round trip from either city. The 7-night version repeats the route with free time instead of second visits.
Is sightseeing included on the Sonesta St George?
Not if you book direct on sonesta.com: Sonesta states that sightseeing activities are not included in the rates. Tour operators and agencies often add a guide and tickets; ask for the list in writing.
Is the Sonesta St George hotel in Luxor the same as the ship?
No. The Sonesta St George Hotel is a hotel on the Luxor Corniche, used in TUI's cruise-and-stay holidays. The Sonesta St George I is the cruise ship.
What are Sonesta St George Nile cruise prices?
Sonesta shows a price only for specific dates on its site, and that price covers the cabin and full board. Budget on top for entry fees (EGP 4,060 per adult for the core sites), a guide, drinks and tips.
Does the Sonesta St George have a pool?
Yes, an oversize sun-deck pool with a shallow-water extension and a Jacuzzi.
Can children sail on the Sonesta St George?
Yes. One child under 6 sharing the parents' room sails free, and a child aged 6 to 11 sharing pays half the adult rate. From 12, the full rate applies.
