I note recent postings from JohnandFran and nickchapman asking about the RA II boat.
We enjoyed a very pleasant cruise a few months ago ( October ) on this boat joining it at Luxor. We had opted to split our holiday and had the previous 4 nights at Cairo in order to take in the Great Pyramids.
The RA II is a very pleasant boat. Everything is very laid back with willing and helpful staff there to make sure you enjoy yourself and relax.
You board the boat ( apologies to anyone who knows the difference between a boat and a ship ) a deck above the waterline and enter the reception. All of the tour parties tend to congregate here at the start of each trip. Very spacious area with staircases leading down to the restaurant and up to a couple of shops. The central area is open at this level adding to the perception of space. Corridors run from both these floors along the centre of the boat - with cabins to both left and right.
This second storey is where the bar is located. The bar is also used by the reps for both introduction and closing meetings. This is a large area and easily holds all of the guests for the fancy dress party night ( Do join in its great fun ). The stairs continue up to the top ( open deck ). Most of the top deck is covered by canvas awnings with tables and chairs for guests. There are sun decks at both front and back for sun lovers and one side of the boat is lined up with sun loungers. There is a small pool at the front and the back sun deck could double as a helipad. There is a bar on this top deck. As we went during ramidan there is little point in describing the opening hours of this top bar as it may change during the seasons. It is worth being aware of the sunset times - when we were there it was about 5.15 with it remaining light for a little while and then getting very dark. The top deck had lights on ( powerful enough to read if you sat close but not too overpowering if you just wanted to sit ). Neither of us are real sun lovers and as we had made use of the swimming pool in Cairo and we had very nice table companions for meals we never rushed from meals up to the sun deck. By the time we arrived all of the sun loungers under the awning area were often taken. However sitting at the tables affords views of both banks.
The food is great mainly buffet style ( only table service for 2 of the 7 nights we were on board ) but with a wonderful selection ( this is probably one of the marked differences between this and cheaper cruises ). My wife is a vegetarian and was very pleased with what was on offer.
Do not overlook the Omelette / pancake chief at breakfast and always look to this corner at mealtimes as some dishes are hiden away and not on the central counter area. All food is included in the price but drinks are extra. Whenever you order drinks on the boat you will be given a copy of a triplicated docket. A copy of this is sent to reception so when you come to leave you settle your total bill. Drinks are not overpriced - the 2 litre bottles of water cost 60p each and could be obtained chilled. Cans of coke etc were again 60p with the soft drinks on the top deck a little bit more ( maybe £1.00 - £1.20 ) Lager Beer ( the local Stella was also about £1.20 although I have a feeling that some of these may have been (£2.00 - perhaps difference is between bottles and cans? ) Wine was about £10 to £12 a bottle - not huge selection.
Most of the tables are circular and we were placed on a table. They tend to keep the tour parties together. We tended to rotate seats each day between the 6 of us rather than have our own place. But this was just us it was not compulsory.
Passengers join and leave the boat at different times so there were always different faces on board ( Tour groups tend to stick together - We went with Somak - only the 6 of us with Somak onboard. We joined up with Longwood between 10 and 15 of them - for trips ). You also find that not all of the passengers go on the inclusive trips let alone the optional extra excursions which again is not a bad thing as it enables passengers to plan their own programmes.
You can read about these many excursions on this forums many pages and seek further information from its many contributors. I have a great passion for history and never tire of looking at buildings and ruins but I can understand it when people state that the trip can leave them 'templed out' ( a reference to the many similar temples you can visit. We had an excellent guide who appears to operate from the RA II boat. His name is Wallid and if you get this guy you know you are in for a great time. Upon our first visit to a temple he sat us down in the shadows and explained the relationship between the varios gods by pulling us passengers forward one at a time and naming us. I was Seth for the week and the lady in the cabin next door to me was my mother, someone else my father, brother etc. Fortunately my wife was also my wife if this amkes sense. It had the effect of making us bond quicker as it was easier to remember some fellow passengers by their egyptian name rather than their own. There after as we visited each temple we were shown how to read the hieroglyphics and work out which characters were depicted. Wallid would call forward the various passenger when pointing this out. My only regret was going in Ramidan as Wallid observed his belief in not letting food or drink ( including water ) pass his lips during sun up he had to pace himself with his speech. I came back thinking how much more I could have learned had he been more able to discuss with us. ( Please accept I am in no way being critical - the afternoon we spent with Wallid in a mosque in Aswan talking about Religion and cultural differences was a wonderful experience and taught me a lot more about the country, its culture and people than I could have picked up from any book - like I said above I crave knowledge on history )
The rooms on board the RA II are small but functional. We had our own bathroom ( bath with shower over ) WC and washbasin - twin beds 2 upright padded chairs ( comfortable ) and a small table. There was a TV ( only turned on once to see what stations they receive) and a radio. A wardrobe and drawers, somewhere to place the cases and a small fridge. Independent lights in case you both do not want to turn in at same time. No kettles or irons in rooms ( laundry service on board with price list in cabin ). Hairdryers in main cabin. However one of the things that attracted us to the RA II was its balcony. Ok it is not huge - once you open the doors you can only just get a foot outside and lean against the handrail. But I had this picture in my head of opening the window and standing or sitting down as the boat went along and whenever the opportunity presented itself this is what I did. Upon arrival on the boat in Luxor one of the first things I did was open these doors and look out across the Nile ( We had cabins on the reception deck on the right as you look at the front of th boat - We were lucky because most of the times we moored up on the other side - the cabins here would look onto the bank a few yards away ). The smells were fantastic - a heady heavily scented smell occassionally wafting on the light breeze, the moonlight shining back up to me from the water a few feet below ( no clouds - I live in Uk so I do not see many clear cloud free skies ) no ambeient street lights leaving a hazy shadow across the horizon, complete darkness and a stillness - and this was just my initial opinion after a few minutes on board.
We had a fantastic time. Would go again and have no hessitation in recommending this boat or holiday to anyone. If you want answers to specific questions about boat, what it has or has not got etc then please feel free to ask and I will get back to you.
Someone asked about pictures I do have a few of the boat - plenty of dusky old buildings and piles of rock but very few of boat. Some of interior and some of deck. Never posted a picture onto one of these forums so will need some guidance unless you would be happy for me to e-mail direct.
