First Choice Nile Cruise: The Orchid details
Holiday offers in the popular 4 star First Choice Nile Cruise: The Orchid in Luxor, Egypt. This property is well presented and is great for couples looking for a holiday from the UK.
Airport transfer approx:
40 mins
All Inclusive
Lower deck cabins sleep up to 2. Twin beds; facilities include bathroom with half bath and shower, air-conditioning, mini-fridge, safe, hairdryer, telephone and window with Nile views while cruising (situated on lower deck). Rooms are approx. 14-16 metres square. Cabins on the upper and main deck are available with the same facilities at a supplement. Superior cabins sleep up to 2 with 2 twin beds, facilities as per basic cabin. Situated on the main deck and approx. 20 metres square. Junior suites sleep up to 2. 1 king-size bed; facilities as per superior cabin, with a small living area. Situated on the main deck at the front of the boat, and larger, at approx. 26 metres square. Please note: cabins do not have balconies.
Please Note
Passport Information: You will require a full 10-year British passport valid for at least 6 months after your return to the UK.
Visa Information: No visa required for British Nationals travelling to either Sharm El Sheikh or Taba. However, if travel is intended outside of Sharm El Sheikh or Taba, including excursions and diving, then a tourist visa is required. A visa is required for those travelling to Luxor and on the Nile Cruise. A tourist visa (approx. £15) can be obtained on arrival, or can be obtained in advance from:
The Egyptian Consulate
2 Lowndes Street
London SW1X 9ET
Tel: 0871 717 1595. Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras.
Departure Tax: Compulsory overseas departure tax of about £10 will be added at the time of booking.
Please note: All charges and visa requirements are subject to change. It is the responsibility of all guests to ensure they have the correct travel documents and we advise you to contact the appropriate consulate.
Departures for Winter 10 and Winter 10/11 will be on a Wednesday.
These cruises are not available for children under 12 years.
Due to the size of the restaurant, you may be asked to share tables.
Cruise itineraries may change due to unforeseen circumstances.
During docking, your boat will be moored next to others and you'll have to leave or enter by walking through these other boats.
This Nile cruise could operate on either the M/S Orchid or the M/S Jasmine. Due to this itinerary times could change between each boat but all planned excursions and sites will be visited during your stay.
Main Facilities
Buffet restaurant (serving a mixture of buffet and set menu meals), Christmas & New Year gala dinners, Sundeck with Swimming pool, Sunbeds, Parasols and Additional seating, Lobby & Reception area, Lounge & Bar, Quiet TV Lounge (with viewing area to front of boat).
All Inclusive: What's Included
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner (a mixture of buffet, set or themed), occasional snacks.
Drink: Unlimited local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, served by the glass between 10.00 and 24.00.
What else is included:
All transportation in air-conditioned vehicles
Services of an English-speaking Egyptologist
What’s extra:
Your optional excursions* to the ancient Egyptian sites
*These are purchased on board your cruise boat, from your First Choice Representative, and can be bought as a package or individually to best suit you (the package price is approx. £155 per person, not including trip to Abu Simbel)
• Tipping at guests’ discretion.
Your Excursions Explained:
The excursions included in this list can be either individually purchased or as part of a package:
Cruise the Nile and your photo album will be filled with snaps of Egypt’s sightseeing big guns. These are the ones you won’t want to miss. Visits to these sights can be bought on their own or as part of a package.
Edfu Temple
This popular attraction is considered to be the best-preserved cult temple in Egypt. Built from 237 to 57 BC, Edfu is the second largest temple in Egypt after Karnak Temple. It was dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus.
Kom Ombo
Once known as Pa-Sebak, this temple was built on the crossroads between Nubia and the eastern desert’s gold mines. It’s unusual because it wasn’t just dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, but also Haroeris, a form of the falcon-headed god, Horus.
Feluccas
Cruise the river like a local on one of these traditional canvas sailing boats.
Aswan Tour: Aswan High Dam
Built for practical reasons – to control the Nile and protect against flooding and provide more farmland – the dam has become a tourist attraction. The main drawcards here are the Lake Nasser reservoir and its green surrounds. More than 35,000 people worked on this project and 24 major archaeological sites and temples had to be relocated before its construction.
Aswan Tour: Unfinished Obelisk
Wondering how the ancient Egyptians were able to create such stone wonders? Get an insight at The Unfinished Obelisk. This column was abandoned after a crack appeared in the massive stone before it was finished. You can see the three finished sides and discarded tools.
Aswan Tour: Philae Temple
In the 19thCentury, the Old Dam and reservoir’s construction meant this temple was flooded for six months of the year. Tourists saw the site from the comfort of row boats. But UNESCO moved the temple in the 1960s and nowadays tourists flock to the site dedicated to the goddess Isis.
Abu Simbel
(This visit isn’t included in the excursion package price)
Lost in Egypt’s shifting sands for 600 years, the Great Temple of Ramses II is probably the country’s most recognisable site, after the pyramids. Listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Nubian Monuments, there are two stone temples and the Temple of Ramses II is one of the country’s most impressive.
Luxor’s East Bank
Whether you want to haggle for souvenirs with locals in the bazaar or walk around the impressive runs of the Luxor Temple or Temple of Karnak, there’s loads to explore.
Luxor’s West Bank
For ancient Egyptians crossing from the East to the West Bank of the Nile symbolised the journey to the afterlife. Today, tourists learn about life after death on their visits to the West Bank. Sights include the Valley of the Kings, where Tutankhamun was buried, the Valley of the Queens and Hatchepsut’s Temple.
Official Rating
5 Star
Charges may be made for some facilities in addition to those highlighted as payable locally above.
* - payable locally
** - deposit required
† - Minimum age 14 years
†† - Minimum age 16 years
††† - Minimum age 18 years
*** - Must be accompanied by an adult
40 mins
All Inclusive
Lower deck cabins sleep up to 2. Twin beds; facilities include bathroom with half bath and shower, air-conditioning, mini-fridge, safe, hairdryer, telephone and window with Nile views while cruising (situated on lower deck). Rooms are approx. 14-16 metres square. Cabins on the upper and main deck are available with the same facilities at a supplement. Superior cabins sleep up to 2 with 2 twin beds, facilities as per basic cabin. Situated on the main deck and approx. 20 metres square. Junior suites sleep up to 2. 1 king-size bed; facilities as per superior cabin, with a small living area. Situated on the main deck at the front of the boat, and larger, at approx. 26 metres square. Please note: cabins do not have balconies.
Please Note
Passport Information: You will require a full 10-year British passport valid for at least 6 months after your return to the UK.
Visa Information: No visa required for British Nationals travelling to either Sharm El Sheikh or Taba. However, if travel is intended outside of Sharm El Sheikh or Taba, including excursions and diving, then a tourist visa is required. A visa is required for those travelling to Luxor and on the Nile Cruise. A tourist visa (approx. £15) can be obtained on arrival, or can be obtained in advance from:
The Egyptian Consulate
2 Lowndes Street
London SW1X 9ET
Tel: 0871 717 1595. Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras.
Departure Tax: Compulsory overseas departure tax of about £10 will be added at the time of booking.
Please note: All charges and visa requirements are subject to change. It is the responsibility of all guests to ensure they have the correct travel documents and we advise you to contact the appropriate consulate.
Departures for Winter 10 and Winter 10/11 will be on a Wednesday.
These cruises are not available for children under 12 years.
Due to the size of the restaurant, you may be asked to share tables.
Cruise itineraries may change due to unforeseen circumstances.
During docking, your boat will be moored next to others and you'll have to leave or enter by walking through these other boats.
This Nile cruise could operate on either the M/S Orchid or the M/S Jasmine. Due to this itinerary times could change between each boat but all planned excursions and sites will be visited during your stay.
Main Facilities
Buffet restaurant (serving a mixture of buffet and set menu meals), Christmas & New Year gala dinners, Sundeck with Swimming pool, Sunbeds, Parasols and Additional seating, Lobby & Reception area, Lounge & Bar, Quiet TV Lounge (with viewing area to front of boat).
All Inclusive: What's Included
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner (a mixture of buffet, set or themed), occasional snacks.
Drink: Unlimited local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, served by the glass between 10.00 and 24.00.
What else is included:
All transportation in air-conditioned vehicles
Services of an English-speaking Egyptologist
What’s extra:
Your optional excursions* to the ancient Egyptian sites
*These are purchased on board your cruise boat, from your First Choice Representative, and can be bought as a package or individually to best suit you (the package price is approx. £155 per person, not including trip to Abu Simbel)
• Tipping at guests’ discretion.
Your Excursions Explained:
The excursions included in this list can be either individually purchased or as part of a package:
Cruise the Nile and your photo album will be filled with snaps of Egypt’s sightseeing big guns. These are the ones you won’t want to miss. Visits to these sights can be bought on their own or as part of a package.
Edfu Temple
This popular attraction is considered to be the best-preserved cult temple in Egypt. Built from 237 to 57 BC, Edfu is the second largest temple in Egypt after Karnak Temple. It was dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus.
Kom Ombo
Once known as Pa-Sebak, this temple was built on the crossroads between Nubia and the eastern desert’s gold mines. It’s unusual because it wasn’t just dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, but also Haroeris, a form of the falcon-headed god, Horus.
Feluccas
Cruise the river like a local on one of these traditional canvas sailing boats.
Aswan Tour: Aswan High Dam
Built for practical reasons – to control the Nile and protect against flooding and provide more farmland – the dam has become a tourist attraction. The main drawcards here are the Lake Nasser reservoir and its green surrounds. More than 35,000 people worked on this project and 24 major archaeological sites and temples had to be relocated before its construction.
Aswan Tour: Unfinished Obelisk
Wondering how the ancient Egyptians were able to create such stone wonders? Get an insight at The Unfinished Obelisk. This column was abandoned after a crack appeared in the massive stone before it was finished. You can see the three finished sides and discarded tools.
Aswan Tour: Philae Temple
In the 19thCentury, the Old Dam and reservoir’s construction meant this temple was flooded for six months of the year. Tourists saw the site from the comfort of row boats. But UNESCO moved the temple in the 1960s and nowadays tourists flock to the site dedicated to the goddess Isis.
Abu Simbel
(This visit isn’t included in the excursion package price)
Lost in Egypt’s shifting sands for 600 years, the Great Temple of Ramses II is probably the country’s most recognisable site, after the pyramids. Listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Nubian Monuments, there are two stone temples and the Temple of Ramses II is one of the country’s most impressive.
Luxor’s East Bank
Whether you want to haggle for souvenirs with locals in the bazaar or walk around the impressive runs of the Luxor Temple or Temple of Karnak, there’s loads to explore.
Luxor’s West Bank
For ancient Egyptians crossing from the East to the West Bank of the Nile symbolised the journey to the afterlife. Today, tourists learn about life after death on their visits to the West Bank. Sights include the Valley of the Kings, where Tutankhamun was buried, the Valley of the Queens and Hatchepsut’s Temple.
Official Rating
5 Star
Charges may be made for some facilities in addition to those highlighted as payable locally above.
* - payable locally
** - deposit required
† - Minimum age 14 years
†† - Minimum age 16 years
††† - Minimum age 18 years
*** - Must be accompanied by an adult
