The middle deck is the safe choice: full-height windows, away from the engine and below the deck-chair noise. The upper deck has the best view and the most footfall overhead. The lower deck is cheapest and often has smaller windows near the waterline. On most ships the difference between decks is smaller than the difference between ships.
Book a middle-of-the-ship cabin on the upper deck. Upper decks get larger windows and more light; the middle of the hull is furthest from engine noise at the stern and anchor noise at the bow. Avoid the lowest deck, where windows sit close to the waterline and cannot open. The difference between the best and worst cabin on the same ship is usually $80 to $200 per person for four nights.
This is the cheapest upgrade available on a Nile cruise and the one most people do not know to ask for. It costs less than the balloon ride and affects every night of the trip.
Almost every vessel follows the same arrangement, which makes this easy to reason about.
| Deck | What is there | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sun deck | Pool, bar, loungers — no cabins | — |
| Upper deck | Best cabins, suites, lounge | Highest |
| Main deck | Standard cabins, restaurant, reception | Middle |
| Lower deck | Cheapest cabins, near waterline | Lowest |
Three decks of cabins on most ships, four on the largest. The restaurant is usually on the main deck and the lounge on the upper, so a main-deck cabin means the shortest walk to dinner and a bit more corridor traffic outside your door.
Bigger windows. This is the real difference. Upper-deck cabins typically have full picture windows, sometimes floor to ceiling. Lower-deck cabins have smaller, higher windows because they sit close to the water.
The view actually works. On the lower deck you are near river level, so a good deal of what you see is water and bank rather than landscape. On the upper deck you are looking across the fields.
Less engine. Engines are at the stern on the lower deck. Every deck you go up puts distance between you and the vibration, which matters because a fair amount of sailing happens overnight — including the Esna lock transit.
Closer to the sun deck. Where you will spend most of your afternoons.
If you can only optimise one thing, optimise position along the hull rather than height.
Stern cabins sit over the engines. Vibration, and on some ships exhaust smell when moored with the generators running. These are the cabins that get discounted, and there is a reason.
Bow cabins are quieter under way but get anchor and mooring noise, which happens at unsociable hours — ships tie up and cast off in the early morning.
Midship cabins avoid both. They also pitch and roll least, which is largely academic on a flat river but does matter on a windy day at Aswan.
A midship cabin on the main deck beats a stern cabin on the upper deck. If you have to choose, choose position.
Setting expectations, because Nile cruise photography is generous.
| Standard cabin | Suite | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 15–20 m² | 25–40 m² |
| Bed | Double or twin | Double, sometimes king |
| Window | Fixed, does not open | Large, sometimes French balcony |
| Bathroom | Compact, shower | Larger, occasionally a bath |
| Storage | Narrow wardrobe | Proper wardrobe |
| Extras | Safe, hairdryer, AC control | Plus minibar, sitting area |
Note the window: on the overwhelming majority of Nile ships, cabin windows are sealed. You cannot sleep with the river air coming in, which surprises people. Air conditioning is the only ventilation and it runs cold at night — another reason to pack a layer, as covered in what to wear on a Nile cruise.
Housekeeping services the cabin daily with an evening turndown. Towels change daily, linen usually every second day.
Usually not, and we will talk people out of them.
A suite typically costs 40 to 80 percent more than a standard cabin on the same ship. What you get is more square metres and sometimes a French balcony — a door that opens onto a railing rather than a usable balcony.
Here is the thing: you are barely in the cabin. Mornings are excursions, afternoons are the sun deck, evenings are the lounge. Four nights on a Nile cruise involves perhaps two waking hours a day in your room.
The better use of the same money is a standard cabin on a better ship. Moving from a mid-range vessel’s suite to a premium vessel’s standard cabin buys you better food, a smaller passenger count and a better guide ratio — all things you experience all day. Use compare ships to see the difference.
The exceptions: honeymoons, anyone with mobility difficulties who will spend more time aboard, and the 7-night round trip, where the extra space starts to earn its keep.
Nile ships are quiet compared with sea-going cruise ships, but the noise that does exist is concentrated in predictable places.
Engines sit at the stern on the lower deck. Under way you get a low vibration rather than a roar; at anchor the generators run all night to keep the air conditioning going, and that is the sound stern cabins live with.
Mooring happens at unsociable hours. Ships tie up and cast off between four and six in the morning, and when boats moor abreast the hulls touch, with crews calling to each other across the gap. Bow cabins hear this most.
The lock at Esna is the one everybody notices, usually somewhere between midnight and four. Engines change note, the hull scrapes the wall, and the boat rises or drops about eight metres.
Public spaces. Cabins directly under the sun deck can hear chairs being dragged in the early morning; cabins next to the lounge hear the evening entertainment until about eleven. On a small ship there is often no cabin more than twenty metres from the bar.
None of it is severe. But if you sleep lightly, a midship cabin one deck below the lounge is the quietest place on the boat, and it is worth asking for by name.
Cruise pricing assumes two people to a cabin. Alone, you pay a single supplement of typically 50 to 80 percent on top of the per-person rate.
Some ships have a handful of dedicated single cabins — smaller, usually on the lower deck, and priced far more sensibly than a supplement. They are not advertised much and they sell out early. Ask specifically; do not accept the supplement as the only option.
Supplements also soften in low season, sometimes dropping to 30 percent or being waived when boats need occupancy.
Most Nile cabins do not take a third and fourth bed comfortably. A rollaway in a 20 m² room with four people in it is a long four nights.
What to ask for instead: connecting cabins, which many ships have and few list online, or a genuine family cabin. Two connecting standards usually cost less than two separate doubles booked independently, and considerably less than a suite.
Our family package is built around ships that have these.
That third question is the sneaky one. In busy season ships moor two, three or four abreast at Luxor and Edfu, so for part of the trip your window may look directly into somebody else’s cabin. Nothing can fully prevent it, but a higher deck reduces it considerably.
Full pricing context is in what a Nile cruise costs. Tell us your dates and we will tell you which cabins are actually free on the ship you are looking at — get in touch.
The upper deck, midship. Bigger windows, better views, furthest from engine noise at the stern and mooring noise at the bow.
Not bad, but noticeably worse. Windows are smaller and closer to the waterline, and you are nearest the engines. They are the cheapest cabins for a reason.
Usually $80 to $200 per person over four nights compared with the lowest deck on the same ship. It is the best-value upgrade on the boat.
Rarely. You spend about two waking hours a day in the cabin. The same money spent on a better ship buys better food, fewer passengers and a better guide ratio.
Almost never. Windows are sealed and air conditioning is the only ventilation. It runs cold at night, so bring a layer.
15 to 20 square metres with a double or twin bed, a narrow wardrobe, a compact shower room and a fixed picture window.
Typically 50 to 80 percent on top of the per-person rate. Ask about dedicated single cabins instead — some ships have a few and they are priced far better.
Technically on some ships, comfortably on very few. Ask for connecting cabins or a family cabin instead; two connecting standards usually cost less than two separate doubles.
Send us your dates and a rough budget — a specialist replies with three ships across categories, live availability and a written price. No online payment.
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Written by
Magdy Fattouh
38 guides published on this site
Magdy Fattouh is a Cairo University history graduate and the writer behind the guides on this site. Over 13 years he has researched and written about Egypt's history, its monuments and how to travel to them — from the pharaohs and the temples to month-by-month planning, ship comparisons and day-by-day itineraries. He speaks English and Arabic, and reviews every guide here for accuracy before it is published.
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