Dahabiya Dream Luxury Nile Cruise Bewertungen 72

My wife and I had a most wonderful holiday on board Dahabiya Dream and afterwards in Cairo. The ancient sites that we visited were fascinating and unforgettable. Cruising on this well run Victorian-style dahabiya was for us the perfect way to experience this magical river. The staff were unfailingly attentive, friendly and helpful, the guide was enthusiastic and informative, and and the food was excellent. The holiday surpassed our expectations.

For many years we wanted to visit Egypt. With the Gaza events we have been wondering if we would go, but the UK Foreign Office advice for Cairo and the Nile showed that it is safe. Linda who has been very professional in helping us organising our tour also reassured us so we decided to go. And we were right: we have felt completely and 100% safe during the whole trip. Not only safe but also welcomed as Egyptians are very friendly.

During our 2 days in Cairo and 8 days on the Nile we have seen all the wonders of ancient Egypt that we came for. And they are really worth the trip. We have learned a lot thanks to our guide Mohamed in Cairo to Ahmed during the cruise. Ahmed has a PhD in egyptology and is the most knowledgeable guide one can find between Luxor and Aswan.

The silent and slow pace cruise on the Nile offers stunning landscapes, sunrises and sunsets, and the local life (houses, farmers, fishermen, children playing, …) is extremely picturesque. We saw many species of birds (herons, egrets, king fishers, ibis, red kites, …), do not forget to bring your binoculars. Photography is one of my hobbies and the light was absolutely magical.

But what has made our trip so special is the Dahabiya Dream and its crew. All Dahabiyas are small ships in comparison with other ships cruising the Nile, but Dream is special in that it is an old ship which has been entirely restored back to its original splendour. The deck, the cabins and the small lounge are absolutely magnificent with all the old wood. We had one of the suite at the back of the boat with a private balcony opening on the Nile: the perfect place for an early morning coffee. The boat never docked with the bigger boats which are very noisy and smelling of gasoil, but always on docking areas reserved for the smaller sailing boats.

Last but not least every member of the crew is extremely professional, friendly and helpful. They all go at great length in making the experience a true dream. The boat manager Mahmoud pays attention to every detail, from safety to comfort. Youssef has attended to every of our needs with a smile, while Adam has surprised us every day decorating our room. The cuisine prepared by chef Alaa and sous-chef Mohamed is delicious and varied. We have enjoyed many Egyptian dishes and desserts. While taking care of the boat Captain Mahmoud, Mohamed and Hassan have been extremely friendly.
This crew feels more likely a family, and they create a wonderful atmosphere for the guests.

We are grateful to everyone at Explore Travel & Cruises for this amazing experience.

I have nothing but great things to say about the boat, crew, AMAZING FOOD, and the second home I could call the Dream. The crew made us all feel welcome and like family for our week stay on the ship. I felt so SAFE on each excursion and every port having a great guide with us in each moment of the trip. Can’t wait to sail with them again!

What an amazing experience!! The crew were so incredible and so welcoming and couldn’t do enough for you. We were so grateful for them all for going above and beyond, especially with the older members of our family. Also, we learned A LOT about Ancient Egypt and it was all so interesting.

Obviously once we started to hear about the problems in Gaza we were initially worried, but we genuinely had nothing to worry about. We followed the UK government guidelines and as far as we were concerned, if they were happy for us to travel, we were happy to travel and it was soooo worth it. The trip of a lifetime and would highly recommend. Do not let the war in Israel stop you from visiting Egypt. You will regret missing out on all the fun!! It was so great, we have already booked again!!

This was our third trip on Dahabiya Dream - we love Egypt and its history and each time we go we appreciate it more, however, what keeps pulling us back is Dahabiya Dream and the INCREDIBLE crew!

This time we travelled with family members and booked the entire boat - we wanted to share this most amazing experience with as many of our loved ones as possible.

Each time we have been on Dream we love it more and more but this time was above and beyond. To see everyone have the experience we have enjoyed and to have the same reaction to the friendliest, most caring and pleasant crew was a delight.

The relaxation and pace of life on the boat was heaven, we felt at home and like family to everyone on board. All of our cabins were spacious, comfortable and a haven to retreat to after a busy day seeing the wonders of Ancient Egypt.

The upper deck of the boat was so comfortable and provided us with 360 degree views of the incredible Nile and life on the banks of such an iconic river. The fact that there is no engine chugging away, vibrating the boat made for such a relaxing, calm experience.

The meals were absolutely amazing - we had varied dietary requirements but nothing was too much trouble for the superb chef. Such fresh, delicious, tasty and varied meals - every one of us loved each meal time.

The itinerary is perfectly organised to avoid the bigger Nile cruise ships and the crowds and sometimes we really felt like we had the place to ourselves! We started at the smaller temples and progressively moved to the bigger and more stunning temples such as Karnak and Luxor. The week is topped off with a visit to Valley Of The Kings - which should be a bucket list item for everyone!

Our Egyptologist, Professor Ahmed (that’s right, they actually have Professor of Egyptology explaining everything to you - he is incredible!) explained everything to us in such entertaining and concise detail - he brought everything to life! Not only does he understand Ancient Egyptian history in great detail - he can read the hieroglyphics! It felt like someone from thousands of years ago was speaking directly to you - an incredible experience!

We had two elderly family members travelling with us and the crew provided wheelchairs for each. Every time we were off the boat, a crew member was present for both and they were extremely caring and kept us together as a group superbly so that we could all have the same experience. Only once was there an issue - some of the tombs in the Valley Of The Kings were steep, with stairs and ramps - it was not suitable for wheelchairs. Was that a problem? Hell no! Mahmood, the amazing boat Manager put my father-in-law on his back and carried him in and out of each tomb!!! It was unbelievable - Mahmood was absolutely not going to let him miss a thing and went so far above and beyond anything we ever expected it stunned us - we were in awe of his generosity and selflessness.

In addition to getting them around the temples etc. they were there at every step of the way, around the boat, getting on and off the boat, into the tour buses, around the areas surrounding the temples - we had absolutely zero issues with getting our Olds around and it should not stop anyone thinking of bringing people with limited mobility on this trip.

One of the things that we addressed as we approached our trip was the events on the Northern borders of the country. We checked the Foreign Office advice and the Nile was green - good to go. In particular the areas that tourists travel to in visiting the historic sites are very safe and well protected. The people in Luxor and Aswan were very welcoming and every time I said hello or waved to someone 100% of the time I got a smile and a wave back - I felt very welcome and valued.

The crew’s priority on Dahabiya Dream is the safety of their guests and at no point on our trip did we feel anything other than comfortable, safe and looked after. We felt no different to the last two times we have been and had we not known what was happening in the North, we would have had no idea whatsoever from our experience on this trip. It was spot on!

In summary - I cannot recommend Dahabiya highly enough. It is incredible and I am certain anyone booking a trip would enjoy it as much as my family and I did!

Stunning temples, service with big smiles, and total serenity. This is how I would describe our experience on the Dahabiya Dream - what a dream it was! Everything about our time on board exceeded our expectations, from the brilliant food, the company and sense of humour of the staff, to the knowledge and guidance of our wonderful Egyptologist. What experts you all are in the different roles you provide to make the holiday extra special. This started with excellent information and communication with Explore Egypt from day 1 of our enquiry with you. We enjoyed our time in Cairo - the pyramids could not fail to impress! And the Oberoi is beautifully quiet and the perfect place to relax, with the added bonus of the stunning house reef which we enjoyed every day. Please pass our thanks again to everyone. We would not hesitate to recommend Explore Egypt to family and friends.

We have been on Nile cruises several times and this was by far our best experience. The boat is delightful and very well equipped, manned by staff who are very helpful, friendly and professional. We very much enjoyed being in a small group and the sailing experience (mostly tugged) was a welcome contrast with the large cruise boats. Meals and other services very good indeed. They were very flexible and accommodating to personal dietary needs, particularly for one of our friends who is coeliac. Apart from 4 nights on the boat the company organised 9 nights in hotels in Aswan, Luxor and Cairo and all arrangements worked perfectly. If we plan another trip to Egypt we will certainly use Explore Egypt again.

If you are going to Egypt, and want personal attention, then use Explore. The Dream is a delight, but it's a low-stated luxury. If you want hot tubs, a big cabin, fancy dining and an onboard gym then go on a big cruise ship. But the 9 of us on this boat watched the endless parade of huge cruise liners and just felt smug. Be warned that if there is not enough wind you will be towed as there is no engine on board. But the 'tuggi tuggi' is on a long tow rope, and the engine noise was not an issue. Waking up and opening the shutter so I could sit in bed and watch the Nile go past, with egrets and pied kingfishers right outside was the perfect start to the day.

We travel in March to Cairo and then flew to Luxor for a cruise to Aswan and back.

From start to finish, it was fabulous - helpful assistance, knowledgeable guides and great crew - it really was the memorable holiday we wanted for our milestone birthdays.

Special thanks for Mohammed, tour manager, and Ahmed, Egyptologist and guide. And Linda who did all the booking and communication.

We meet some lovely couples in Cairo who travelled on to Luxor with us, and we all had a great trip.

The boat was perfect, we had a private balcony for our room, and the communal dining on deck was perfect.

We'll definitely look at the other destinations for 2024!

Visiting Egypt with all it’s cultural wonders has been a long time dream of ours that came true in March 2023. The experience started a few months earlier when Linda crafted an itineray including all internal flights, hotels and guides in Egypt including the stay at the Dahibiya. She was very responsive and accomodating to make sure the itinerary was optimal for us. I was overwhelmed when visiting the Pyramids, standing face to face with Ramses in Abu Simbel, or admiring tutankhamun’s mask. The highlight of our trip was our stay at the Dream. I don’t know what to write without copying all positive earlier comments since they all reflect back to our experience. The lovely rooms, the beautiful deck, the wonderful food, the interesting visits of tempels and monuments. All were grand. What turned our stay from a cruise into an experience was the staff who with their kindness and attention made us feel welcome and special. Thank you all for making our stay such a wonderfull experience. Our stay at the Dream was one of the best trips we ever made! (And we’ve made a few)

We got back from our trip on the Dehabiya Dream in early March and we are still processing all the amazing things we experienced in Egypt. It's an astounding place and it will take us a long time to absorb all we saw. The Dehabiya Dream is a beautiful boat and a serene way to travel. The deck was cool and comfortable and the best place to sit and watch the Nile go by. But what made our trip so perfect was the crew - we were so well taken care of for our journey, those wonderful people were a real highlight. Mahmoud, our tireless host, went beyond the call of duty to make sure we were all happy. It was a pleasure to meet him and the impression he made will last when memories of temples and monuments have faded. Ahmed, our guide, whose knowledge and passion for the history of his country transformed the silent stones into a technicolour epic of character and events. Talking to him about his country was an even more profound and enriching experience. We so wanted to make him happy by remembering everything we had learned! Then there was super Zac - attending to our needs even before we knew we needed something - an absolute star. The food - always delicious and plentiful - I still think we need a Dehabiya Dream cook book! The rest of the crew, who we didn't get to know so well because they were doing their jobs so expertly - we thank them all. The whole trip was very well organised with lots of highlights and we were so glad we went to Abu Simbel - it was really magical. We saw so much and shared our experience with a wonderful group of fellow travellers. We wish we could do it all over again.

An absolutely amazing and memorable holiday. Everything ran like clockwork. The hotel in Cairo was superb as was the extension in Hurghada. On board the Dream was a real privilege.All the crew were so lovely, involving us all as a family on board for the week. Our fellow sailors were great company and we all had such fun together. Mahmoud was a great host along with Captain Mohammed , Zak , Mimi and everyone. How our chef managed to create the delicious dishes which were both tasty and varied, beggars belief in a small galley. Our rooms were fabulous and we enjoyed the outside space when sailing. A truly amazing experience sailing along the Nile, watching everyday life as we went by. Ahmed our guide was so knowledgeable and fun, enabling us to gain some insight into the days of the Pharaohs. I hope we didn’t dismay him too much when we gave the wrong answers to his questions ! We all felt so much at home with just the right balance of culture during our stops and sunbathing on the deck. It has given us a real taste for small group cruising; we were so lucky having only 7 of us for most of the journey. It was a delight meeting like minded people, enjoying their company and learning a little about the life in today´s Egypt. Thank you so much Linda also for her excellent communication and organisation. As seasoned travellers ourselves we would highly recommend this to everyone.

We've just come back from the most wonderful week on The Dahabiya Dream. It was incredibly relaxing on the boat. The whole crew were amazing and looked after us with infinite care and humour; they clearly love their work and are completely focussed on making sure the passengers have the best time.

Our on-board Egyptologist, Ahmed, was a brilliant source of information, delivered with humour and clarity as he guided us through the visits to the Temples and Tombs along the Nile.

The boat manager, Mahmoud, looked after us superbly, also bringing humour and warmth to his relationship with us.

The food was excellent, especially given the tiny kitchen the chef had to work in.

It was great to watch the skills of Captain Mohammed and his sailing crew, the highlight being putting up and taking down the sails.

The holiday was very well paced - starting quite gently and then building towards the end of the week. We were also amazed at how often we appeared to be the only boat on the river, testament to the way the sailing times were scheduled.

Linda, who managed all the admin for our trip was brilliant too, responding to every enquiry promptly, and providing good quality advance information, including a suggested reading list.

We shared the week with a lovely group of fellow passengers, none of whom we knew when we set sail. As bigger cruise ships and larger Dahabiya's passed us, we were all in agreement that our boat, with its six cabins, was the best place to be.

The week was everything we wanted and more - truly a holiday to remember and one which we recommend unreservedly.

This holiday (we put at 5 star) rates in the top three equal best holidays we have done (along with Antigua in 2005 and Myanmar in 2018).
To clarify my comments:
Administration: Nothing to say beyond praise. As you know we rolled this over twice because of covid. You stood by us and delivered our holiday. You have been easily available for questions and advice. Thank you Linda.
Crew: Nothing but praise. Mahmoud has extraordinary interpersonal skills and carries the show. What a tremendous person he is. Your captain has great skill and averted a near calamitous collision at the lock on our return. Professor Ahmed; what a lovely person and the long-standing bond he has with Mahmoud was obvious. Your chef was fantastic, hard to think how the food could have been better. This is a happy ship and that means things are running well behind the scenes. Congratulations.
Tours: All the tours were well worth doing apart from the Nubian Village tour which was over-priced and not worth it, culturally embarrassing and intrusive. The best part of the NV tour was the boat ride up the cataract. Consideration needs to be given to the timing of the day allowing more time at the museum and more time to relax at the Botanic Gardens which are great.
Boat: Dream in name and provider of a Dream in reality. Cabins were all you need and bit more. Beds comfortable. Facilities all working. Plenty of hot water. Upper deck a wide open, inviting and comfortable space. Downstairs the lounge is cosy but worked well given it was cold week with a persistent north wind and so used a lot on our tour.
We are so grateful for the chance to enjoy the pleasure of your boat. Every time one of the five story monster cruise boats passed us by, we were reminded of our superior surroundings.

From the moment we arrived on Dream until we left a week later we couldn’t fault our holiday. The crew were great, every meal was fabulous, cabin extremely comfortable with good shower and loads of hot water. Our guide on board was incredibly knowledgeable and brilliant at getting us round the many temples and museums.
With only 12 passengers if you like ‘small’ couldn’t recommend this cruise enough.

WOW! Perfection in every tiny detail... from beauty of the "Dream" to the smiling and expert crew. Our family of 8 senior/retired adults sailed the Nile as titled gentry of old must have done. Only, this was in modern luxury and comfort unequalled.Each member of the entire crew performed duties as the pros they are, with the single goal of making us comfortable, enlightened. informed and HAPPY! The Egyptian culture and magnificent history was alive with Ahmed's enthusiastic and informative description of each site of this rich excursion down the river of dreams. From the fantastic food prepared expertly by Aladdin to the smooth and picturesque voyage, Mahood and his crew ensure our entire venture was flawless. As a family who tries to take a special trip every two or three years, this is the ultimate! Each member fell in love with Egypt and the "Dream." Once more, please.

My experience on this cruise was nothing short of perfection. I went with my family.

Ahmed, the Egyptologist, hosted us through our journeys of ancient Egypt. His knowledge and enthusiasm of the subject was engrossing.

Mahmoud is a wonder! He keeps up with everything with so much energy! He seems to be master of everything on this boat.

The food was great! Everything was so fresh! Aladin is a wonderful cook!

The entire crew took such good care of us. I felt pampered and safe. They all became as family to me
It was a teary farewell when the cruise was over.
I really felt like this was a home away from home.

I will be coming back to see my Egyptian family as soon as I possibly can

Just returned from a wonderful week on the Dahabiya Dream.
The holiday exceeded our expectations and this was because of the boat and the crew who looked after us. Nothing was too much trouble, we were treated like Kings and Queens as we majestically sailed down the Nile. I could not recommend this highly enough. I wish I was still onboard !!

I chose this fabulous holiday largely on the strength of these glowing reviews, all of which I agree with.Although at 81 I was a little anxious about my ability to cope, Mahmoud, Ahmet and the rest of the crew took such good care of us that a week on the Dream has taken years off me! The trip to Abu Simbel was the highlight of my son’s holiday and we loved the balloon ride.The balance of relaxation and activity is very well judged.
When you compare the cost of a week on the Dream with that of a similar cabin on board a European river cruise this is amazing value for money, with better food and incomparable service. Thank you to all for such a memorable experience

Honestly its there in the title, Dream. The trip was amazing. The crew onboard were amazing from start to finish making sure we had everything we needed, even giving us a wonderfull supprise dinner on the banks of the nile filled with good food, Music and dancing.
The guide was amazing and made the trip that much more enjoyable knowing more about the history of each temple.
The boat its self was an amazing 1920s? boat that actually carried some of the early explores over 100 years ago.

It was an incredible experience from start to finish, one week was not long enough.