Mövenpick runs six Nile cruise ships between Luxor and Aswan: Royal Lily, Royal Lotus, Hamees, Sun Ray, Darakum and the old steamer SS Misr. They share a name and a standard, but they are not the same boat, and it is easy to book one thinking you are getting another. Here is how the six differ, what each one costs through us, and which one fits which kind of traveller.
- Six Mövenpick ships sail Luxor to Aswan. Three of them, Hamees, Royal Lily and Sun Ray, have published prices on this site from $939 per person for three nights. The other three are priced on request.
- Royal Lily and Royal Lotus are the safe choices: a manageable size, a simple layout, and on the Royal Lily a panoramic window in every cabin.
- Hamees is the biggest of the six. On Sun Ray the lowest deck has portholes, not windows, so check which cabin you are given.
- Darakum has the best fitted cabins and also runs the long cruise to Cairo. SS Misr is a 1918 steamer with 24 cabins, the only historic ship of the six.
- Sailing days differ. Sun Ray leaves Aswan on Mondays and Luxor on Thursdays; the others leave Aswan on Fridays and Luxor on Mondays.
What every Mövenpick Nile cruise ship has in common
All six are five star ships in what we call the luxury class. Full board is the rule, served as buffets in a single main restaurant, with a lounge bar for the evenings and a sundeck with a pool. Every one of them runs the classic route: three nights from Aswan down to Luxor, four nights from Luxor up to Aswan, or the two joined into a week without changing ship. The temples, the guide and the programme are identical whichever you choose, so the decision comes down to the cabin, the size of the ship and the day it sails. The programme itself is written out in our three night and four night pages.
Royal Lily
Fifty-six cabins of about 22 square metres and four royal suites, and every one of them faces the river through a panoramic window. That is the point of the Royal Lily: there is no bad cabin. The suites have a jacuzzi, there is a small spa with massages, a gym, and a rectangular pool on the sundeck with a bar at the front. It leaves Aswan on Fridays and Luxor on Mondays.
Through us: three nights $939, four nights $1,179 per person. Royal Lily page.
Royal Lotus
The closest to the Royal Lily in size and layout, and the easiest to recommend to a family. Sixty cabins of around 22 square metres plus two royal suites. Mövenpick allows a third person in a standard cabin and up to four in a suite, so parents with one child can share without paying for a second cabin. Pool on the sundeck, one restaurant, a lounge bar. Same sailing days as the Royal Lily: Fridays from Aswan, Mondays from Luxor.
Through us: priced on request. Ask for dates and we will quote it against the Royal Lily.
Hamees
One of the largest ships on the river at 72 metres long. Mövenpick currently lists 66 cabins and suites in six types, from 21 square metre classic cabins on the lower deck up through superior and deluxe cabins on the higher decks to junior, deluxe and executive suites of 37 to 43 square metres. The sundeck is the reason people choose it: a round pool, a recreation area and plenty of shade, with a reading and games room and a gym inside. A big ship means more people at the buffet and at the gangway, but also more space to find a quiet corner. Fridays from Aswan, Mondays from Luxor.
Through us: three nights $939, four nights $1,159 per person. Hamees page.
Sun Ray
Fifty-four outside cabins of 20 square metres and eight suites, from a 34 square metre junior suite to a 39 square metre executive. The one thing to know before you book: the classic cabins on the lowest deck have two closed portholes rather than a panoramic window. They are the same size as the cabins above, but they feel different, so if the view matters to you ask for a superior or deluxe cabin on the second or third deck. Pool and poolside bar on the sundeck, one restaurant, a lounge bar with panoramic windows.
Sun Ray also sails on different days from the rest of the fleet: Mondays from Aswan and Thursdays from Luxor. If your flights land on a Sunday or a Wednesday, it is often the one that fits.
Through us: three nights $989, four nights $1,149 per person. Sun Ray page.
Darakum
Cabins on three decks. The classic cabins sit at water level with portholes, the superior and deluxe cabins above them have panoramic windows, and the senior suites come in 34 and 40 square metre versions, the larger ones with two bathrooms. Every cabin has a bathtub and an espresso machine, and the espresso machine is something none of the other five list. There is a pool, a gym, a main restaurant and a lounge bar. Mövenpick does not publish the cabin count on its own site, so we have not printed one here.
Darakum is also the ship Mövenpick uses for the long cruise between Aswan and Cairo, which is a different and much longer trip from the one on this site. Between Luxor and Aswan it runs the same route as the others.
Through us: priced on request.
SS Misr
The odd one out, and the one people fall for. The hull was built for the British Royal Navy in 1918 and later converted into a private steamer for King Farouk, and it has been kept looking the part. There are only 24 cabins and suites. The deluxe cabins are 21 square metres with a private terrace, the panorama suites have two balconies, and there is a pool on the sundeck.
With 24 rooms rather than 60 or 70, the Misr is quieter at every stage of the day, and the price reflects that. It is the closest thing on the river to a dahabiya that still has an engine and a pool. If that is what you want, we have also written up the difference between a dahabiya and a cruise ship.
Through us: priced on request.
How to choose between them
If you want the simple answer, take the Royal Lily or the Royal Lotus. They are a manageable size, the Lily has a window in every cabin, and the Lotus takes a third person in a cabin.
If the sundeck is where you plan to spend the sailing hours, the Hamees is built around it. If your dates only work with a Monday or Thursday departure, it is the Sun Ray, and ask for a cabin above the lowest deck. If you want a bathtub and an espresso machine in the cabin, it is the Darakum. If you want the ship itself to be part of the trip, it is the Misr, and with only 24 cabins it is worth asking early.
Whichever one you pick, the price on a Mövenpick ship sits in the middle of the luxury range, so it is worth checking it against the other luxury ships we price. The full spread across all three classes is in how much does a Nile cruise cost, and if you are still deciding between three nights and four, that is written up too. We did the same comparison for the five Sonesta ships.
Send us your dates and which of the six you are leaning towards, and we will confirm the cabin, the deck and the price before you commit to anything.
