Q – On the recommendation of our agent, who says she knows you, we are looking at a cruise on a ship called the Misr in Egypt. This is going to be a 13-Day trip from Aswan to Cairo and we’ve already worked out all the silly safety concerns etc. We live in Baltimore, we don’t frighten easily, and we’ve always wanted to experience an authentic Nile Cruise. Our question is the boat itself. Any information would be helpful. We do realize there may not be many, if any, Americans on-board. We’re well traveled. And we both have black belts!
A – Well the black belts are really going to be useful as you travel throughout Egypt. Leaving bodies in your wake as you go from port to port should make for an enjoyable vacation.
The ship is called the MISR and it is catalogued as a luxury steam cruiser first commissioned in 1907. MISR means “Egypt” in Arabic. This was a luxury yacht used for years by Egypt’s Royal Family. The country’s last monarch, King Farouk, used it for his birthday celebration. That is not small thing as Farouk liked to throw nice parties. We credit him with throwing the most expensive private party in travel agency history when he had the grand ballroom of the Savoy Hotel in London flooded and he had real gondola’s and gondoliers, flown over from Italy for a “Venetian Night” theme party. Guests were boated across the ballroom to stop and disembark at various food stations set up along the way.
But we digress. In 2003, the MISR was purchased by a company called Traveline. They did extensive renovation on the vessel. The boat is classic and lovely with fine China and a 2-1 guest ratio. One of the things that makes a Nile Cruise essential to any serious traveler is the fact that 94% of Egypt’s residents live along its banks. You cannot see Egypt if you have not sailed the Nile. You can talk to a MISR representative office in the US at 800-729-2651. It has, in our opinion, the most beautifully furnished staterooms and suites in the entire universe of riverboat accommodations.
