If you are a regular reader of the Nile Cruise Blog you will have noticed that we use Wordpress as our blogging platform.  I have long been a fan of Wordpress.  It’s a great vehicle to create a website that is both easy to use on a daily basis and (most importantly) is optimised for the search engines.

I have created a number of websites for other people over the years and always use Wordpress as the platform to build the site on.  It’s a great content management system and there are so many free tutorials all over the web so it’s easy for a newcomer to quickly get to grips with it.

One website that I can personally recommend is Mark McLaren’s McBuzz.wordpress.com.  It’s full of great Wordpress tutorials and I find Mark’s way of explaining things is easy and straightforward.

If you are looking to create either a personal or business blog or you are hoping to create a new website then I recommend both Wordpress and Mark’s website as a good starting point.

This is a Nile Cruise recommendation!!

You can read it below or you can visit our Nile Cruise Testimonials page and read it along with 41 other Nile Cruise testimonials.

Hi,

Sorry not to have contacted you sooner but we have had a lot to catch up with since arriving home late Monday night.

The holiday was excellent, starting with the service from yourself.  Everything you told us was accurate.  I would recommend the ship to anyone.

The cabin was spacious and comfortable.  The crew were helpful and friendly and the food was very good.  Attention to hygene was thorough and we did not suffer from any stomach complaints.

The tours were excellent.  We have seen pictures of the various sites but to see them in real life is something else!  The guides were knowledgable and helpful.  It was also great to relax on the deck in the warm sunshine and watch the banks of the Nile.

The whole holiday was very well organised and we didnt’ have to worry about a thing.  The only thing that could be improved was larger seats on the Monarch flight.

John & Deanne
March 2010

We are now selling the excellent Chateau Lafayette Nile cruise ship which departs on a Monday and has a large number of suites available as well as standard cabins.

We can book either Full Board or All Inclusive Nile cruises on the Chateau Lafayette and of course the prices include a full excursion programme.

If you would like to know more about this excellent ship please call either Barbara or myself, Colin, on Freephone 0808 1089 100.

We have just received a really comprehensive testimonial from two of our clients who enjoyed a 1 week Nile Cruise and 3 days in Cairo over the New Year period.

They sailed on the Radamis II Nile cruise ship and you can either read the full testimonial here or visit our Nile Cruise Testimonials page where you can read 39 other testimonials from previous clients.

Here is Nino and Reg’s testimonial:

Radamis II and Cairo Trip December 2009

We had a great time in Egypt.  It is a fascinating place and all that is said about the amazing sights is true!  Our complicated itinerary worked remarkably smoothly – we heard stories of prblems.  Monarch was good. 

The Radimus II was excellent.  Very clean and tidy and we got our upper deck cabin and (they said) an upgrade to a bigger cabin though they all looked nice.  The staff were all very motivated, helpful and friendly andthey had excellent chefs.  Food was great and I ate everything and was fine.  They out put on a really great New Year’s Eve party and made a huge effort.  Again we heard others talk of awful boats when we were back at the airport.

Our guide on the cruise was quite good, he usually worked for one of the UK specialist tour companies.  He was a bit brief compared with some we listened in on but overall a nice guy.  The big advantage of a ship versus a more romantic felucca or dahabiyya is the fantastic views from the top deck as you go along the river.  I suppose as it was not a complete package our tour had an amazing mix of people: one New Zealand and one

Japanese couple from London, American family, South African couple, Indian family.  So that was a bonus.  We had to do our own thing the last Monday (when we had the day to ourselves in Luxor) and that worked fine.  We left our luggage at the Luxor train station which is a good travel tip for anyone doing the same as us – as there is nothing at the airport.  The day we left the boat we could leave our luggage there all day as we did not leave til 10pm but the ship was there overnight.

As we arrived so late in Cairo we decided to sleep in and take a taxi in to do the museum on our own.  It was nice to be able to potter about the museum rather than being whisked around from exhibit to exhibit by a guide.  We also went at lunchtime which was a nice quiet time to see the Tutankhamun section which of course is amazing.  I dont’ think the new museum will be have such a nice old-fashioned atmosphere as the existing one though no doubt it will be better for the exhibits.  We hired a car + guide in Cairo – the same company that did the pick up – to do the Pyramids and Memphis (that was a better price locally than we expected from your info) and that worked really well.  The lunch was delicious local food – it was out near the memphis/Saqqara are and although much frequented by big groups was excellent. I think the only thing we did not like is the constant “baksheesh” and the hassle in the markets.  Mostly it was friendly hassle but we came across one very aggressive guy outside the Le Merdien Hotel in Giza which was not very pleasant.

So everything was great!  Many thanks for putting the itinerary together for us.

Nino and Reg,
Ireland
January 2010

It’s just £699 for a 7 night All Inclusive Nile Cruise from Gatwick departing 1, 8, 15, 22 March.  (Manchester departures are just £40 more).

These will go really fast so please call eithe Barbara or myself on our Freephone number 0808 1089 100 to book one of these great offers.

Colin (0930 23 Feb).

(I’m the dopey looking one on the right – nothing changes then!!).

The band was called “Petticoat & Vine“.

It was a great time.  Single, carefree and playing guitar.  What could have been better?

Well I came across this video on YouTube and thought I’d add it to the blog just in case you hadnt’ heard it for a while as it always bring a smile to my face.

Not much to do with Nile Cruises I know but it’s a Saturday and I thought it might make a change.

Reading The Observer Magazine yesterday I was delighted to see an article about Aswan entitled “Aswan – Destination Romance“.

In a series of the most romantic destinations in the world the first one mentioned was Aswan.  TV presenter Sarah Beeny described her visit to Aswan at age 19 as one of “the most romantic places I have ever been”.

She talked about a visit to the Old Cataract Hotel, a hotel that Barbara and I first visited 3 years ago and I can confirm that its’ a great hotel, full of character.

Barbara and I were in Aswan in December and I have to say the view of Aswan from our cabin on the Royal Viking first thing in the morning was beautiful.  The photograph at the top of this post, showing Barbara looking towards Aswan, was one of several I took whilst we were sailing towards this lovely Egyptian town.

If anyone has any other suggestions for beautful desitinations in Egypt I’d love to hear from you.

On the 22nd of February, flying from Gatwick, we can offer you a price of just £599 for a 7 night, full board Nile Cruise with full excursion programme.

There are only a few cains left so please call us asap on Freephone 0808 1089 100.  (We’re here until 10pm Monday to Thursday evenings).

If you are thinking of taking one of the Nile Cruise and Cairo trips that we can arrange for you you might be interested to read more about the various Cairo excursions that you can experience.

There are a number of one-day, two-day and half-day excursions available and having enjoyed a full day Giza and The Great Pyramid excursion myself I can heartily recommend them as great value and a wonderful experience.

We can pre-book them for you or you can arrange a selection of excursions with the concierge of the hotal that you are staying in.

If you’d like to know more about the Cairo excursions that we offer or chat about our Giza and Great Pyramid experience please call either Barbara or Colin on Freephone 0808 1089 100.

This is a new ship to us and comes to us in the same stable as the MS Stephanie and the MS Monica and is an All Inclusive ship.

For more details please see iur Nile Cruise gallery page or call either Barbara or Colin on Freephone 0808 1089 100.

The lastest in their series “Secrets Of  Egypt” tonight’s programme explores the life of Ramses II and focuses on why he is regarded as ancient Egypt’s greatest leader.

Last week’s programme was about The Valley Of The Kings and tonight’s programme will give you a real “taste of Egypt”.  Highly recommended.

The first Nile Cruise ship featured is the excellent Viking Princess but we’ll be adding more ships over the next week or so.   I hope that you will find the page useful in making your choice of ship.

We are able to offer availability at the time of writing  on the 5 Star Beau Soleil Nile Cruise ship which offers full board and a full excursion programme for £849 per person departing from Gatwick and also from Manchester for a £40 supplement.

If your stuck to that date and are hoping to get away on a Nile cruise please call us on Freephone 0808 1089 100 and we’ll check the availbility for you.

Those of you who follow us here on the Nile Cruises 4u blog know that we have just come back from visiting the Royal Viking and the Viking Princess out in Egypt and you will have read how impressed we were with both vessels.

We have some great prices for departures in February and March and here are just a few of them:

1 & 8 February:

7 nights 5 Star Viking Princess – Full Board now just £749
7 nights 5 Star Deluxe Royal Viking – Full Board now just £949
7 nights Deluxe Boutique Alexander The Great – Full Board now just £1949

22 February:

7 nights 5 Star Viking Princess – Full Board now just £849
7 nights 5 Star Deluxe Royal Viking – Full Board now just £1049
7 nights Deluxe Boutique Alexander The Great – Full Board now just £1949

Please call Barbara or Colin on Freephone 0808 1089 100 for more details.

Whilst we were cruising the Nile in late November we saw a lot of the ships that we sell and recommend.

Here’s a short video taken from the deck of the Royal Viking as the Jaz Royale Nile Cruise ship departed from Aswan. If you choose 720p from the menu bar of the video you get a better resolution, I think.

On our late November trip we had a great full day Giza and The Pyramids excursion with a wonderful guide called Ahmed,  our own driver and air-conditioned mini-bus.  We visited Memphis, Saqqara and the Great Pyramid at Giza.

What we didnt’ realise until we visited Saqqara is that the Great Pyramid wasnt’ the first or the oldest Pyramid.  That honour goes to the Step Pyramid at Saqqara which you can see above.

I, being a simple Scouser, initially thought that the reason it looks a little “rough” is because it was the ancient Egyptians first attempt (!) and that they got steadily better as they went along and built other Pyramids.  However, I soon realised that one of the main reasons it doesnt’ look as good as the Great Pyramid is because it’s also the oldest.

It’s probably their first large construction in stone and in some ways its’ probably one of the most important monuments in Egypt.

The full day’s excursion was great value at £63 per person including our own guide, driver and mini-bus and Ahmed was so knowledgable and such a nice guy we had a wonderful day and learnt so much.  He also knew the best vantage points for the best photo opportunities.  I’d highly recommend the tour, which you’ll find details of on our Cairo Excursions page.

We visited the Valley Of The Kings and the Valley Of The Queens when we were in Egypt cruising on the Royal Viking in December and took lots of photos using both our new Lumix digital camera and our iPhone.  Both cameras are excellent for different reasons.

I bought the  Lumix,  (model DMC-TZ6) at Manchester Airport’s Dixon’s shop on the way out to Egypt after one of the sales guys, who was a really enthusiastic photographer, showed me a portfolio of his own photos taken with the same model.  They were taken in the Lake District and had been enlarged and the level of detail was fantastic.  So I bought the camera there and then.

It’s been great and very easy to use.  It has a 12 x optical zoom which means you can “snatch” portraits without the “model” being aware of the photo being taken.  Plus you can edit the photos on the camera itself and crop and re-size your photos.  I’ve since had one enlarged to 30 x 20 inches at Staples and printed on canvas and it looks great.

The other “camera” I took with me was my iPhone.  I’m a mad fan of iPhones and cant’ recommend them enough.  The inbuilt camera is great for grabbing quick photographs and as long as you hold it really steady you can get great results.  There are also loads of great iPhone Apps available for next to nothing too so it’s a great “extra” camera to have in your arsenal when travelling.  I took some great panoramic photos using the iPhone which I would have found less easy to do with the Lumix.

Anyway, to finish, here is a photo of me at the Valley Of The Queens, taken by Barbara on the Lumix.  I could really crop it tightly and have much more detail of any portion of the photo but I have left it as wide as possible to try and give you a sense of the scale of the location.

I’ll add some iPhone photos over the coming weeks.

This is an “action” picture taken of the MS Stephanie from the rear of the Royal Viking when we were cruising the Nile in November.

Barbara and I were relaxing on the Royal Viking’s sun-deck when she woke from her slumbers and noticed that we were passing the Stephanie.  Of course we have lots of passengers each week on the Stephanie and so, after Barbara’s shrieks woke me I grabbed my trusty Lumix camera and stumbled to the rail….…and grabbed a couple of shots before it disappeared from sight.

I have to admit that most of our fellow passenegers thought that Barb and I were a couple of “train-spotters” by the end of the week as we were constantly jumping up taking photos of other Nile Cruise ships.

Over the coming weeks I’ll share with you my selection of “action shots” of Nile Cruise ships which could possibly send you to sleep, or, if your a Nile Cruise Geek like me will fascinate you.  (Not!!).

We had a great time in both places of course but sitting here typing this out today as the snow falls outside the office and the UK comes to a grinding halt I can honestly say if I had to choose between the two destinations now I’d be back to Luxor like a shot.

I’m just hearing that Liverpool and Manchester Airports are closed and all flights have stopped and we were told last night that Liverpool had run out of grit which must have made travelling into work this morning a lot of fun!!

We’re located between Liverpool and Southport on the coast in a place called Formby and normally we get slightly different weather than Liverpool but the snow started about an hour ago and its already pretty white outside the office windows.

When we were travelling to Andorra on the 20th of December Manchester Airport was closing down as we checked in and we ended up eventually being coached down to Luton Airport and we finally arrived at our Andorran hotel 24 hours later than was planned.  During that time we were on three planes (that didnt’ take off) and two different coaches, sleeping when and where we could.  So I really feel for those passengers trying to get out of Liverpool and Manchester Airports today.

The funny thing is, looking back on the experience, we actually had a lot of fun whilst the chaos was going on and the holiday we enjoyed when we finally reached our destination was fabulous.  Perhaps one of the best family holidays we have ever had.  I suppose it’s all down to your approach to things.  The old “glass half full – glass half empty” approach to life.

Anyway today’s photo is of Barbara and her tasteful day-glow orange ski outfit standing on the snowy slopes of Arinsal, Andorra.  I know its’ not very “nile cruisey” but I just thought it matched the weather we are all experiencing today.

Cant’ complain as phone calls are the lifeblood of our business but I’m keen to get the video up on to the website as I’m sure a lot of people will get a better idea of what a Nile Cruise and Cairo trip will entail.

I’m thinking of staying up all night one day and bashing through it but as my eyelids start to droop around 11.00pm each evening my best intentions seem to slip away.

But I’ll get it done asap so please watch this space.

In the meantime here’s a photo I took of the boatman on our trip across the Nile to Kitchener’s Island.