I was reading a fascinating article in the Guardian on Saturday about The Pharaohs which explained that the word “pharaoh” is derived from the Greek word for “great house”.  The word originally described the royal court or state but it is now used to describe the ancient Egyptian kings.
It also went on to explain that the pharaohs were not all one continuous family any more than British kings and queens are all one continuous family.
The most famous Egyptian dynasty was the 19th which was established by Paramessu, who ruled as Ramesses I. But Paramessu was not of royal blood – he was a high priest and a soldier appointed pharaoh by his predecessor, Horemheb, who was also a soldier and had no heir. His reign lasted for barely a year before he died and was succeeded by his son, Sety I, in turn succeeded by Ramesses II, known also as “Ramesses the Great“, the so-called “Greatest Pharaoh of All“.
If you are soon to undertake a Nile Cruise or if you are thinking of doing so you might want to read more about The Pharaohs and Ancient Egypt by doing some reading beforehand. Or, you might be looking for a book to take with you to read whilst on your Nile Cruise. (If you are actually reading about what you are seeing each day I think you are likely to get even more out of your time on the Nile).
A book I would recommend (and it was also one of the “books of the year” recommended the Economist) is Toby Wilkinson’s “The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt“. You can read more about it on Amazon but I’m sure you would get a lot out of reading the book either before sailing or whilst actually cruising the Nile.
