Oberoi Group

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Excellent

Oberoi Philae, Luxury Nile Cruiser

Exceptional Service!

Curacao

We traveled aboard the Philae with Tauck and were onboard Sept. 9-13.  The ship is wonderful. It is intimate and very well appointed.  The cabins are spacious, the crew was incredible and very service oriented. The food on board was delicious and fresh. There were always several delicious options to choose from at each meal. The pool water looked a little murky- but otherwise, our experience was exceptional in every regard. The upper deck offered a wonderful vantage point to view the landscape. This is an adult environment- which is why I gave it a low score on family- this would not be a ship for young children.   We really thought the crew was exceptional and friendly, professional and very responsive. It was a special experience all the way around and we would  not hesitate to stay at an Oberoi property in the future.  Highly reccomended! (And the towel sculptures were very creative!)

St. John (U.S.V.I.)

My wife and I joined other relatives for a 4-night cruise on the luxury cruise ship Oberoi Zahra from Luxor to Aswan during 23-27 Nov 2021.

I enjoyed my river cruise on the Oberoi Zahra from Luxor to Aswan along the Nile river. It was mostly a 5-star experience. The Boat Manager Shamden Tamang does a good job overseeing operations and looking after passengers on the trip. 

My cabin was roomy enough. The bed was comfortable. There were nice toiletries in the bathroom. There was no balcony, just a large picture window. There was sufficient storage space throughout the room. The room was cleaned every day. Even if you hung up a towel to reuse, you would get a new towel after the room was serviced. 

The ship was not fancy. It had a small gym, a spa area, a library, a lounge, and a dining room on the lower level. The upper deck was spacious and had a small pool, lounge and sitting chairs, and a bar. Towels were available so you didn’t have to carry any from the room. The staff spoke and understood English very well. I enjoyed the views as we sailed along the Nile.

We even went through 1 lock on our first night in Esna. The ship stopped at Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Aswan. Shore excursions were provided in Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Aswan. I was with some family members and relatives, and we did our own private touring with our own guide. 

For my cruise in mid-November, most of the passengers were with a Tauck tour. There were a few passengers on their own.

We ate all meals in the dining room. Each person received a scroll with the menu upon arrival at their table. The breakfast menu offered options for eggs, pancakes, etc. There was a central area that you could visit and get served cereal, cheese, yogurt, pastries, etc. The lunch and dinner menus changed every night. There were typically 3 to 4 appetizers, a couple of soups, 3 to 4 main courses (vegetarian, fish, chicken, lamb, beef), and 3 to 4 desserts. One night was “Egyptian night” and featured Middle Eastern specialties. The food was well-prepared and delicious. The dining room attendants had no problem serving you if you wanted to get seconds of any dish. Special requests could often be honored. Egyptian wines were available at reasonable prices; imported wines were much more expensive. Some Egyptian wines were popular and sold out of the vintages on the wine list; newer vintages were sold instead. 

It was cheaper to buy a bottle of wine and have the dining staff to save it for later consumption, than to buy wine by the glass at each meal.

Every day, the itinerary for the day would be posted around the ship and delivered to your room at night. I enjoyed the multimedia presentations on some of the sites (e.g., Kom Ombo Temple, Edfu Temple). The only entertainment on board during these coronavirus times was an entertaining music and dance show by locals at the end (or beginning) of the cruise. 

It was evident that the staff implemented numerous measures to deal with COVID-19. A detailed handout was provided to passengers in their cabins. Sanitizers were available in many places. Medical masks were available as well. There were no ship parties, but there was a welcome reception with Nubian music and dancers at the end of the cruise, in the Lounge area. 

I think the Oberoi Zahra staff could do a better job communicating to the guests. I and others showed up for the welcome reception at 7 pm on our first night on the ship, only to learn the reception was postponed until the last night when we would be in Aswan. Management was gracious and did offer us a welcome drink that night. 

On our way to Esna, I was taking a nap, only to be awakened by someone outside my window calling out “Hello … Hello”. Apparently some enterprising locals would row out to the ship, tie up to the ship (and get pulled along), and then try to call out to passengers to sell stuff from their boat. The manager told me this is common practice. My niece, who was getting a relaxing massage during that time, didn’t appreciate the interruption (the manager graciously allowed her to get another massage free of charge). The boat stayed with us through the Esna Lock. In the lock, one of the guys on the boat was throwing plastic bags containing merchandise up onto the top deck for people to look at. Some passengers almost got whacked in the head from such “advertising”. I suggested to the manager that he just forewarn guests about when these sales tactics might happen on a cruise. 

Wi-Fi was problematical on the ship. Coverage was spotty, even when the ship was docked. It would work some places, not others, and that would change day to day. Even when I was connected, I could not get my Virtual Private Network (VPN) to work with the Wi-Fi. 

Despite these issues, I’m glad I sailed on the Oberoi Zahra. I think a river boat is a nice, relaxing way to visit the area between Luxor and Aswan.

Loved cruising on the Nile on Oberoi Zahra

Sailed southward (upriver) in Master Suite D06 on port side of ship.

Overall excellent boat, service & food.  Boat Manager Mahmoud Nourelden was ever-present overseeing things (I'm not sure he ever slept).

Decent breakfast buffet, good choices for lunch & dinner.  Food prepared and presented well.  Wait staff was very attentive, though could have been a bit more attentive; orders were sometimes mixed up or missing sides.

Room attendants were very careful in prepping room and keeping clean.  Cute towel animals each night on our bed - just like Disney World!

Remarkably good WiFi while on board; no need to use cell data

Suite D06 was HUGE (bathroom bigger than some ship cabins I've seen!)  Hot tub on our private deck was a luxury we enjoyed.  Though not a big deal, wish we'd been in D08; we always docked port-side, and thus only had river views looking astern; not a big deal.

Beautiful River ship, Good Service & Food

We were on this ship for 6 nights cruising the nile, we had a top floor room which was just fabulous. 

From the delicious coffee machine, to the wonderful shower, sitting room, lots of storage and just the atmosphere was in perfect harmony.

Every need was met on each of the gourmet meals, from sitting on the top deck eating outside to the dining room.  the attention to every need of each patron was amazing to me.  it is  a small ship and our group had the whole ship, i travelled with lindblad expeditions.  

During our cocktails at the bar we were given great munchies.

The ship was totally immaculate, and the pool was something special along with being able to get massages.

I would gladly take this ship again if it were offered on another trip.

The staff that took care of our rooms always made sure we had beautiful fresh white towels everyday!

JUST PERFECT IN EVERY WAY

I chose this cruise as part of a cruise/tour booked with Memphis Tours.  Since it was a 'slow' season cruise, there was 3 to 1 crew to passengers, and we were all made to feel incredibly special.  Food was excellent, and the staterooms were spacious and comfortable.  Our steward entertained us with an unusual variety of towel animals.  Views of the river were beautiful, and since the Zahra has its own dock, we felt both safe and uncrowded.  The private tours in Cairo and in the Nile cities were informative and very personally created.  The guides were attentive to our pace and constantly assisted an 85 y.o. man in our party. There were two special meals of Egyptian and Indian food that were delightful, and the Nubian dance troupe was a lot of fun to watch and participate.  Alcohol is not included in this cruise except for the entertainment nights, so it's a little expensive if you like a martini, but it was hardly noticeable to our group.  Desserts were sublime.  This holiday crossed off a big trip on our 'bucket list', so I'm particularly pleased at how well it all went.

Oberoi Zahra Nile River Cruise

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