Suntimes

After having been on a few ocean cruise ships, we were positively surprised at the spaciousness of our cabin. Unfortunately, it was not possible to open the panorama window, but as most of the "day time" was anyhow spent on excursions, in the restaurant, or up on the sun deck, and in the evenings we were moored up - sandwiched between other ships - it really did not matter that much. Still, it WOULD have been nice to switch off the air-conditioner and breath in the Nile air. By the way, for any asthma sufferers, the air on the Nile is most agreable!!! A safe, tv, minibar, telephone, beach towels, bathtub/shower, hairdryer, 2 easy chairs, double bed, and plenty of wardrobe space was available ... no complaints! Our room steward was lovely, and did his best to please. Every day he brought an extra smile onto our faces with his towel creations: a heart, swan, monkey, mummy, elephant, crocodile .... loads of imagination.... and patience! The sheets and towels could have used an extra dosage of bleach/whitener, but that was certainly not his fault! Same goes for the curtains and carpets - which have seen better days ... but for Egyptian standards are probably fir for a Pharao!

The food was delicious, and unfortunately both my husband and I managed to gain 2 kilos in one week!!! No matter whether you are a meat eater, vegetarian or even vegan ... there is plenty for every taste!!! Anybody who complains about the food should be shot!!! The MS Suntimes is an "ALL INCLUSIVE" ship. The coffee was excellent, with tea you can hardly go wrong, but the rest was a disaster. NO fresh fruit juice what so ever ... everything tasted like powdered chemicals! The wine was watered down, the cocktails ALL mocktails, and the strongest local "spirit" on board was an Egyptian ouzo with 24% alcohol (the Greeks would cry at anything under 36%). As we are not beer drinkers, I cannot comment on that beverage. To be fair though, softdrinks and the bottled water were good, and "all inclusive" drinks were available from 9:00 am until midnight.

Service was friendly and good ... up until the last day! The day before our departure we were asked to fill in a questionnaire. No problem, and something which we seasoned travellers are all used to. This form, however, was NOT anonymous! You were asked to give your full name, cabin number, plus dates of arrival and departure. Okay ... we did not have anything to hide .... however, whilst filling out the form, the crew breathed down our necks and told us which fields to cross in!!! Never before have I come across such audacity!!! We were literally TOLD to ONLY cross the "exceptional" box, as otherwise they would NOT profit by any tips or bonuses . When I laughed at this, and filled in the form according to my personal opinion, several crew members became very emotional and even aggressive, They implored me to rip up my form and fill out a new one - marking EVERYTHING as "exceptional". Although I consider myself to be a strong person, I actually did as asked, because I felt extremely intimidated. With a further 24 hours to still spend on board, I did not want to be confronted with food poisoning - and I am NOT joking!!!

During the day there was no animation, as we were out on day trips and excursions. Every evening after dinner some type of event was planned: belly dancing, folklore music, Egyptian evening, etc... All nice, amusing and easy going. If you wanted to join in - that was great - but if you just wanted to sit and relax, nobody was forced to participate.

We were extremely fortunate, and had a charming and very knowledgeable guide. Our "Mohamed" was a wealth of information - without drowning us with details. We had booked the 160 Euro package - which gave us a broad spectrum. On top of this we still went on the day trip to Abu Simbel, which despite getting up at 3:00 am was worth every minute and every penny! What was not so cool were the three organised visits to so-called government tourist outlets. A papyrus store, alabaster workshop, and a perfume outlet made up the trio. Again ... think twice before you make a purchase ...

January is the perfect month for those who do not care about getting a deep tan!!! We had an average of 20 degrees daily - which was fabulous for all of the excursions and site-seeing. Shopping can be a real pain in the "you know what"!!! The minute you make eye contact with a local "salesman" ... good luck in getting rid of him!!! Everything ONLY costs "1 Euro" ... until you are ready to pay ... then the price doubles, or quadruples!!! For those who love to bargain and haggle: Egypt is YOUR country!!! My suggestion is to first ask yourself "what am I willing to spend on this item?" ... then half that price and start bargaining. Do NOT pay a cent more than you truely believe the article is worth. 99% of the items sold are "made in China" .... so don't be fooled!