RV Star of Luxor: 53 cabins, 8 suites, a 2023 refit
The RV Star of Luxor carries 106 passengers in 53 cabins across 3 decks. She is 72 metres long and 13.60 metres wide. She was built in 1994 and refurbished in 2023: the hull is 32 years old, the fit-out 3. That is the most favourable gap in the whole fleet between the age of the vessel and the age of what you touch.
Standard cabins measure 14.5 to 16 square metres, with 8 suites of 22 square metres. For comparison, the fleet's European river ships go down to 10 square metres and the RV Ganges Voyager reaches 37. The Star of Luxor sits in the upper half without leading the field.
CroisiEurope does not publish the crew size for this vessel. We will not invent it: on the fleet's other non-European boats the ratio sits around one crew member for 2 passengers, but we will not present an average as a verified figure.
The Nile, and why the season decides everything
The cruise links the great sites of Upper Egypt along the Nile. CroisiEurope offers the itinerary alone or combined with a stay in Cairo, port to port. Temples are visited early in the morning or late in the afternoon, not at midday: between May and September the valley passes well beyond 40 degrees, and a badly timed visit turns a major site into an ordeal. The November to March season is what makes the trip pleasant, and it is also the most sought after.
The vessel then becomes what it should be: a cool, fixed place between two visits, with your belongings unpacked once for the whole week. The sun deck carries a solarium with loungers, a pool and a jacuzzi — of the 60 vessels CroisiEurope publishes we counted only 12 with a pool, and this is the only one of the 2 on the Nile to have one. On a hotel circuit you would repack every second day.
The vessel in figures
Seventy-two metres long, 13.60 metres wide, 3 decks, 53 cabins of 14.5 to 16 square metres, 8 suites of 22 square metres, 106 passengers, built in 1994, refurbished in 2023. CroisiEurope operates 2 vessels on the Nile: this one and the SB Dahabieh Abydos, 45 metres and 18 passengers. The 88-passenger gap between them makes for 2 very different trips on the same river.
Getting to Egypt from Montreal
No non-stop flight links Montreal-Trudeau with Luxor or Cairo. Plan at least one connection, often two, and a full day each way. Egypt applies entry formalities to Canadian travellers. We check them at booking and give you the current list.
We always place arrival at least the day before embarkation.
What is included and what is not
Full board, drinks with meals and at the bar, excursions in the programme depending on the departure. Gratuities are not included. Travel insurance never is. We itemise every line and explain the scope of Quebec's FICAV fund before you sign.
Who she suits
Travellers who want the Egypt of the temples without repacking every second day, and who prefer a recent fit-out on an older hull. Anyone wanting a far more intimate format should look at the SB Dahabieh Abydos, 18 passengers on the same river. In an entirely different register, compare with the MV La Belle des Océans. The full fleet is on our CroisiEurope cruises page.
