Luxury Nile Cruise Ships: Which Is the Most Luxurious?

No single ship is the most luxurious for everyone: luxury Nile cruise ships differ in cabin size, guests on board and nights on the water. The Oberoi Philae has 22 cabins and suites, the smallest 36 square meters. Viking Osiris carries 82 guests within a 12-day program from Cairo. Choose the nights first, then the cabin type, then the ship.

Luxury Nile cruise ships side by side

The table lists each ship's cabins or suites, guests and itineraries as two independent sources state them. Where the sources disagree, the table says so instead of picking a number; "not confirmed" means no figure was found that two sources agree on.

Cabin sizes and categories

Space differs widely from ship to ship. The operators publish their categories as follows; sizes are given in the unit each operator uses.

How to choose by nights on the water

Three or four nights. Most of these ships sail one way between Luxor and Aswan in three or four nights: The Oberoi Philae in 4, the two Sanctuary Sun Boats in four, Historia and the two Sonesta ships in 3 from Aswan or 4 from Luxor. The classic stops on the way are Esna's Temple of Khnum, the Temple of Horus at Edfu and Kom Ombo, and every boat on the full stretch passes the lock at Esna. The site's Nile collection uses this length: Luxor to Aswan and Aswan to Luxor, 4 nights each on a 5-star ship with full board and private guided visits, with The Oberoi Philae proposed on both. The site's longer journeys with a 3-night cruise from Aswan to Luxor propose The Oberoi Zahra, with Sonesta St. George I as the alternative.

Six or seven nights. The Oberoi Philae also sails 6 nights, The Oberoi Zahra sails 7 nights between Luxor and Aswan, and the two Sonesta ships offer 7-night roundtrips from Aswan or Luxor. These suit travelers who want the river to be most of the trip rather than a few days within it.

A full cruise-line program. Viking and Uniworld place their ships inside their own Egypt programs. Viking's Pharaohs & Pyramids runs 12 days roundtrip Cairo, including an eight-day roundtrip Nile cruise from Luxor, on Viking Osiris or Viking Aton. Uniworld's Splendors of Egypt & the Nile runs 12 days, Cairo to Cairo, with the S.S. Sphinx on the Nile. In both cases the ship comes with the line's program.

How to choose by cabin type

If floor space matters most, compare the entry category. The Oberoi Philae's Luxury Cabin is 36 square meters and The Oberoi Zahra's is 26.4, while 26 of the 30 suites on Sonesta Sun Goddess are Presidential suites of 40 square meters. On Uniworld's S.S. Sphinx the entry French Balcony suites measure 233 square feet.

If you want private outdoor space, look at the suites. The Oberoi Philae's Luxury Suite with Terrace has a heated outdoor whirlpool, and The Oberoi Zahra's Luxury Suite is 115 square meters in total with 50 inside. Viking's ships have Veranda Staterooms and Veranda Suites. For a family of four, The Oberoi Zahra's Luxury Suite with Two Bedrooms sleeps 4.

Pools, spas and decks

• The Oberoi Zahra and The Oberoi Philae: an 11-meter temperature-controlled pool on the upper deck, The Oberoi Spa and a fitness center.
• Sanctuary Sun Boat IV: an upper sun deck with a pool heated in winter, daybeds and bar service, a massage room and a small gym.
• Sanctuary Sun Boat III: a plunge pool atop a cabana-dotted sun deck.
• Historia: a swimming pool on the Solaria sun deck and the Seneb Spa.
• Sonesta Sun Goddess: an outdoor pool with a Jacuzzi, a spa and fitness center, and a sun deck with a barbecue lounge.
• Sonesta St. George I: an oversize pool with a Jacuzzi, and a spa with a gym, massage, sauna and steam bath.
• Uniworld S.S. Sphinx: two dining venues, a swimming pool and a massage room.
• Viking Osiris and Viking Aton: a pool and sun deck with 360-degree views, the Aquavit Terrace for viewing indoors or out, and French balconies.

Cruise-line ships and ships in a private journey

The site's Luxury journeys propose The Oberoi Philae on the 4-night cruises, with The Oberoi Zahra or Sonesta St. George I as alternatives, and The Oberoi Zahra on the 3-night Aswan to Luxor cruises, with Sonesta St. George I as the alternative; the ultra-luxury level uses The Oberoi Zahra and The Oberoi Philae. On any of them the ship is shared with its other guests, but the guided visits ashore are private where the journey lists private guided sightseeing, and on land the guide, the vehicle and the driver are for your group alone.

The two Sun Boats and the Zein Nile Chateau dahabiya are Abercrombie & Kent's Sanctuary vessels; A&K offers Zein Nile Chateau as an exclusive private charter. Viking and Uniworld are sold as the lines' 12-day programs described above. Domestic flights to and from a cruise are not included in any journey on the site, and nor are tips.

If you would rather sail with fewer guests

A dahabiya has between four and 10 cabins. The site's ultra-luxury level uses the Nour El Nil fleet, whose boats each have 10 rooms and suites and sail 5 nights from Esna to Aswan. Sonesta Dahabeya Amirat has 5 Deluxe Cabins and 2 Elegant Suites with a private terrace, and Sanctuary Zein Nile Chateau has two suites and four cabins for a maximum of 12 guests. How the two kinds of boat compare on pace, stops and privacy is in dahabiya or Nile cruise ship.