We have just finished our trip on the MS Mayfair after a 4 night journey from Luxor.
We booked the cruise directly over the companies website and emailing the booking staff was no problem at all. All questions were answered promptly and satisfactorily.
It was our first cruise and we weren’t sure if we would enjoy it but it turned out to be an outstanding experience.
We started our egypt holiday in Cairo, followed by the western desert and Alexandria were we stayed at the Steigenberger Cecil Hotel. The service, rooms and facilities in general can definitely be compared with the quality of a very good Hotel in Egypt.
The food, incredibly friendly and professional staff as well as the tour guides really made the trip a unique experience.
Breakfast and lunch are usually a buffet with changing menus and a great mix of western and egyptian dishes (the latter were exceptional).
Dinner is a four course menu that you can customize out of some choices during lunch.
The combination of hanging out on the comfortable and elegant deck with amazing tours to the sites throughout the journey was great.
The guides are very knowledgeable and lead you through the at times chaotic cities and sites. We were so fortunate to spend the four days with a small group and our guide George who was simply the best.
While on the trip we got to see some of the other ships and witness other guided groups which leads us to the conclusion that all in all the Mayfair trip offers an excellent package that is definitely worth the price (even though it might be a little more than for other cruises).
I've always wanted to do a Nile cruise. The last time I was in Egypt was 45 years ago, as a student, and didn't have the money to do a Nile cruise. My travel agent booked myself and a friend on the MS Mayfair. The ship was nice and the room was clean. Since this was my first visit back to Egypt in 45 years, I wanted a room with a veranda, to be able to enjoy sitting outside and watch the Nile go by. However, when we checked in for our cruise, the management and our tour guide pulled us aside. Apparently they didn't feel that we would like our veranda room, with only a queen sized bed and tried to get us to take a non-veranda room, which had two twin beds. Of course there was no mention of any refund of the obvious price difference. After 10 minutes, they said we should go look at the rooms and let them know which one we wanted. They watched us as we walked down the hallway. I went into the veranda room first, poked my head back out of the door, yelled that this room was fine and then went back in and locked the door. We had no problem throughout the rest of the cruise, all the staff being pleasant. Apparently, in Egypt, they're not too keen about two men sharing the same bed. The same might even go for two women or an unmarried couple, but I don't know for sure. As I looked at the other cruise ships on the Nile, there weren't that many which appeared to have veranda rooms. I wanted a veranda to sit out on, I didn't care if we had to sleep in hammocks. FYI: the cruise ships park each night in tandem to other ships, so those with verandas on the right side of the ship, looked right at the side of another ship at night, not the Nile and the opposite shore. I heard a couple complain about the gas fumes. The food selection was fine, but in Egypt they tend to cook all meat well done, so it can be a little dry. The nice thing about the Executive suites is that the drinks (alcohol and soft) are included, free and they let you take your drinks down to meals, to the sun deck and to your room. Overall, it was a nice cruise, but my travel agent should have been aware of the bed issue and found us a veranda room on another cruise ship which had twin beds.
Took the cruise from Luxor to Aswan for four nights and we loved it. The boat is immaculate. The staff is GREAT. They really go above and beyond. The dining and bar staff are wonderful. Housekeeping staff is fun, creative and timely. We booked a suite so we did not have to pay for drinks. We had drinks included from 11 am to 11 pm (including alcohol) but really…we didn’t get any additional charges for any drinks outside that time frame. On any other cruise, you’d be required to have a drink package. I know that some cruises, since covid, are now including soda packages but many are not so this is no different. Yes, the base price is more but you’re paying for the experience, the security and the service. I mean…you’re docked at the Temple of Luxor and docked right at Kom Ombo. It doesn’t get much batter than that. The other reviewer is right, the food is just ok. Most things are, in fact, overcooked but its decent and, once again, the service is exceptional. The Wi-Fi is not great but that is NOT specific to the Mayflower. We brought a hot spot so we planned accordingly. The sun deck is gorgeous and sitting up there and watching the scenery of the Nile go by the in the afternoon after touring is heaven. Also got a massage and while the atmosphere is not like a spa in the US, the therapist is really good. Often, the boats dock, two, three or four across. One day we even had five across. It was a good opportunity to get a look at the lobby area of several other ships. Quite frankly, none of them were nearly as nice and clean as the Mayflower.