Three options, one river
The fees listed below are for our planning and research service. They are separate from the cost of the cruise itself, which you pay directly to the operator we recommend. We keep it this way because we think it matters: when a planning service is free, the operator is the real client. When you pay for the planning, we work for you.
Single Voyage Match
For travellers who know they want a cruise and need a specific, current recommendation — the right boat for their dates, direction and budget, with an honest account of what it includes and costs.
- Initial enquiry form (dates, direction, party size, budget)
- One clarifying exchange by email
- Written comparison of 2–3 specific voyages (named boats, named operators)
- Current per-cabin pricing and inclusions confirmed
- Operator contact details and booking instructions
- Available for response during your booking process (7 days)
- Covers: standard cruiser, luxury cruiser, dahabiya, short cruise
Full Trip Plan
For travellers who want the full picture: cruise matched to brief, excursion programme designed around your interests, and all the practical logistics coordinated — transfers, temple entry, optional sites and the timing of every component.
- Everything in Single Voyage Match
- Extended clarifying exchange (up to 3 rounds)
- Excursion programme: recommended guides, optional sites, timing
- Shore excursion cost breakdown (what's included, what's extra, realistic totals)
- Pre-cruise and post-cruise logistics: transfers, hotel recommendations if requested
- Abu Simbel option assessed (road / flight / Lake Nasser cruise)
- Full logistics timeline: arrival to departure, day by day
- Available for response during booking and up to two weeks before departure
- Priority response time (within half a working day)
Charter & Group
For groups chartering a whole vessel — dahabiya, small cruiser or private charter boat — who need sourcing, negotiation, contract review and full logistics coordination as a single service.
- Group brief assessment (size, budget, interests, dates)
- Vessel sourcing from charter-available fleet
- Negotiation of charter terms with operator
- Charter contract review and key clause explanation
- Custom itinerary design within operator constraints
- Private guiding arrangement and excursion programme
- Group meal programme coordination (dietary requirements, special dinners)
- Full logistics: transfers, Abu Simbel options, Aswan extensions
- Available through departure day
What each option includes
| Feature | Single Voyage Match | Full Trip Plan | Charter & Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vessel database search | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Written voyage comparison | 2–3 options | 2–3 options | Charter-specific sourcing |
| Named operators & current pricing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Excursion programme | No | Yes | Yes (custom) |
| Logistics timeline | No | Yes | Yes (full) |
| Abu Simbel assessment | On request | Yes | Yes |
| Contract review | No | Booking guidance | Full charter contract |
| Private guiding coordination | No | Yes | Yes |
| Post-booking support | 7 days | To 2 weeks pre-departure | Through departure |
| Response time | One working day | Half working day | Half working day |
| Fee | $85 per party | $210 per party | $380 per group |
Fees are in USD. Payment by international bank transfer or card. All fees are for the planning service; cruise costs are paid directly to the operator.
From first message to departure day
Every planning engagement starts the same way regardless of which option you choose: you fill in the contact form with the basics — travel dates, number in the party, rough budget, your first instinct about vessel type — and we respond within one working day with any clarifying questions needed to narrow the search.
For Single Voyage Match, the clarifying exchange is typically one round by email. We then consult our current vessel records, check which boats have availability on your dates, verify the current pricing with the operators, and produce a written document comparing two to three specific voyages. That document lands in your inbox within two to three working days of the clarifying exchange. You read it, you contact the operator we recommend, you book. We are available for questions during the booking process for seven days after we send the comparison.
For Full Trip Plan, the process is extended: we build in the excursion programme, the logistics around the cruise (arrival and departure transfers, what to do in Luxor before boarding, how to handle the Aswan time after disembarking, whether the Abu Simbel visit should go by road, air or via the Lake Nasser cruise). Dalia and Tamer are both involved in a Full Trip Plan — Dalia on the vessel selection and general planning, Tamer on the excursion detail and logistics. The full plan document is typically six to ten pages, broken into the cruise selection, the excursion programme and the logistics timeline. Read more about the team and their respective roles.
For Charter planning, the process starts with understanding the group: who they are, what they want the trip to feel like, what constraints exist (dietary, physical, budget, dates). We then go to the charter market, identify available boats and negotiate. This takes longer — allow a week to ten days for the full sourcing and negotiation phase — and requires a deposit payment at the start to cover the sourcing work.
Not sure which option to choose?
If your trip is a straightforward Luxor–Aswan cruise with no complex logistics, Single Voyage Match is sufficient. If you are planning multiple components — a cruise plus days in Luxor, Aswan and possibly Abu Simbel — Full Trip Plan saves time and produces a more reliable outcome. If your group wants a private boat, Charter & Group is the right starting point.
When in doubt, start with the contact form and describe what you are thinking. We will tell you which option fits.
Questions about the planning process
The fee covers the research, matching and written comparison work we do on your behalf — accessing and updating our vessel database, comparing specific boats against your brief, producing a written voyage comparison with named operators and current pricing, and staying available during your booking process. It does not cover the cruise itself, which you book and pay directly with the operator. Think of it as paying for an informed, independent planning resource rather than a booking service with a commission baked in.
For Single Voyage Match, the fee is due when we send the written comparison document — before you proceed to booking with the operator, but after you have seen what we are recommending. You pay for a document you have seen, not blind. For Full Trip Plan, we ask for 50% ($105) to begin the detailed work, with the remainder ($105) on delivery of the full plan. For Charter enquiries, the initial deposit ($190) covers the sourcing and negotiation phase; the balance ($190) is due on delivery of the charter contract and custom plan.
We check availability before producing the comparison. If the first-preference boat is unavailable, we substitute with the closest comparable alternative and explain why. If no suitable option exists for your exact dates, we tell you this before charging the fee and suggest the nearest available window, or we discuss adjusting the dates by a few days if that is feasible for you. We do not send a paid comparison that doesn't have bookable options in it.
Yes. If you receive the Single Voyage Match document and decide you want the excursion programme and logistics planning as well, you pay the difference ($125) and we extend the engagement to the Full Trip Plan scope. This is fairly common — travellers often decide after seeing the cruise options that they also want help coordinating the wider trip. We don't require you to re-brief us; we build on what we already know from the initial exchange.
We don't book accommodation but we do recommend it in the Full Trip Plan and Charter options. Specifically, we include a shortlist of Luxor and Aswan hotels appropriate for the days before and after the cruise, with notes on location (east bank versus west bank in Luxor, Corniche versus island in Aswan), the proximity to the embarkation and disembarkation points, and which hotels have consistently good early-morning departure handling — which matters if you are catching a 4am Abu Simbel flight, for example. The actual booking is done by you directly or through your travel agent.
For a dahabiya in peak season (December through January), start planning four to six months out — the best boats have limited cabins and genuine advance demand. For a standard or luxury cruiser in peak season, three to four months is sensible. Outside peak season (February through November, with summer being cheapest and hottest), one to two months is usually sufficient for cruisers; dahabiyas still benefit from earlier planning due to limited cabin count. For a charter of a dahabiya, six months in advance is not excessive for the most sought-after boats. See the best season guide and booking tips for more on timing.
This is one of the practical reasons to have done the planning work properly before booking. When an operator substitutes a vessel, changes the itinerary or alters the inclusions, a traveller who knows exactly what they booked and why is in a much better position to push back. The written voyage comparison we produce is a useful reference in this situation — it documents what you were told the cruise included, which is the baseline for any complaint. If a significant change occurs before your departure and you are on Full Trip Plan or Charter, contact us and we will assess whether the change is material and what options you have.
What to have ready when you contact us
The more specific the brief, the faster and more accurate the recommendation. You don't need to know everything before reaching out — that's partly what the planning conversation is for — but the following points help us move quickly.
Your travel window
Specific dates are best; a two-week window is workable. We need to know the season you are travelling in, since it changes the vessel recommendations significantly. If you know your flights and have flexibility of only a few days either side, tell us that — it helps us check availability on the specific boats that fit your window rather than a broad date range. Check when the best time to cruise is for your destination priorities.
Party composition
Number of travellers, whether any are children (and ages), and whether anyone has mobility considerations that affect cabin deck access or boarding logistics. For groups of four or more, whether you want to travel together on one boat or whether separate bookings work. For couples, whether privacy or a social atmosphere is the priority — this changes whether a small dahabiya or a large cruiser is the right recommendation.
Budget indication
A rough range per cabin per night is enough to start — we don't need a hard ceiling before we can produce a comparison. The range helps us avoid presenting options that are obviously out of reach or obviously beneath what you are willing to spend. If budget is open, say so; we will give you the best-value and best-quality options in the category that fits your other requirements. All-inclusive versus room-only expectations are also useful to know here.
Vessel instinct (if any)
If you have already decided you want a dahabiya, tell us. If you are undecided between a small sailing boat and a large cruiser, tell us that instead — we will include both in the initial comparison and explain the trade-offs in practical terms. If you have already seen a specific boat mentioned somewhere and want to know if it is any good, ask directly. Our dahabiya page and cabins and ships page give a starting point if you want background before contacting us.
Ready to start planning?
Send us the details of your trip and we will confirm which planning option fits and what the next step looks like. First response within one working day.
Open the planning form