Unfortunately, we did not take the cruise but stayed in Luxor. We did however, see many of the cruise ships passing our hotel. It is difficult to assess the inside of these vessels, from their outside appearance, though I did ask many questions about several of them. Abercrombie & Kent was the company most often mentioned as a reputable English agent and the Da Vinci was described as very good. We had considered taking a cruise but the offer at Luxor was too good to miss. From there, the Valleys of the Kings and Queens, Karnak, Luxor Temple, Denderah, the Joli Ville complex and many other 'local' places are so easy to access. Our main observations about the area were: 1. In December there are still a lot of flies about. 2. The 'hassle' factor is considerable. In essence, a trip down the nile MUST be on a ship with no less than 5*. I was advised on this matter by a designer who had worked on several of these vessels. The zig-zagging of the vessels is evident, in order to see the sights on the river bank. We wereon the trip we took but we not able to get to Aswan, due to low demand but Aswan and Abu Simbel should be included in any Nile Cruise. In mentioning Abercrombie & Kent, this is not exhaustive, many other companies operate and are represented in this Country. The paramout consideration should be the 5* category, an acknowledged critera in your selection. I hope this gives you some insight and food for thought.

Thank you very much, food for thought Toni Stanczyk