# Sonesta St. George I The Sonesta St. George I has 47 Deluxe cabins and 10 suites, each with opening French windows onto the Nile and a bathroom with steam bath and Jacuzzi. Departures on Mondays from Luxor and Fridays from Aswan, full board, with a pool and spa; temple visits are booked separately. Source : https://sabaro-travel.com/en/hotels/sonesta-st-george-i/ The Sonesta St. George I is the Nile river cruise ship of Sonesta, the American hotel chain. It has 47 Deluxe cabins and 10 suites spread over three decks, for 114 passengers and a crew of 70. It sails between Luxor and Aswan on a fixed weekly schedule: every Monday from Luxor, every Friday from Aswan. You can take the one-way trip in 3 or 4 nights, or the full round trip in 7. It suits couples and friends who want a classic cruise with a pool and spa, and travellers with a whole week to give to the river. ## Three options on one schedule The ship runs a one-week cycle: it leaves Luxor on Monday, reaches Aswan on Friday morning, leaves again the same day for Luxor and arrives there on Monday morning. Each passenger picks the stretch that suits them. - **Luxor → Aswan, 4 nights**, Monday to Friday, sailing upstream. - **Aswan → Luxor, 3 nights**, Friday to Monday, with the current. - **Round trip, 7 nights**, from Luxor on Monday or from Aswan on Friday. Sonesta publishes departure dates for the whole of 2026 and 2027, summer included. On the round trip each site is visited only once: the visits are spread over both legs, leaving free half-days on board. Our view: the 7-night cruise adds no temples, but it gives you the time the shorter trips lack, with two evenings in Luxor, two in Aswan, and free half-days to go back to the West Bank or the Aswan islands at your own pace. If you only have four or five days, we would choose Luxor to Aswan: one more night, and you end in Aswan, the gateway to Abu Simbel. ## Four nights from Luxor to Aswan, hour by hour Sonesta's published programme runs to a precise timetable, in local time, with a warning that slight changes are always possible. - **Monday.** Boarding at 12 noon, lunch at 1 pm, then the East Bank at 2.30 pm: the Karnak complex and Luxor Temple. - **Tuesday.** The West Bank from 7.30 am: the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu, Queen Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. The ship leaves for Esna at 1 pm and spends the night there. - **Wednesday.** The ship sails at 5 am for Edfu, where the Temple of Horus is visited at 10 am. In the afternoon it heads on to Kom Ombo, whose double temple, dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and to Haroeris, Horus the Elder, is visited at 6.30 pm as the light fades. - **Thursday.** Sailing at 3.30 am, the ship reaches Aswan by breakfast. The High Dam and the Temple of Isis at Philae at 7.30 am; in the afternoon, a motorboat trip on the Nile and the botanical garden on Kitchener's Island. - **Friday.** Disembarkation at 8 am. The 3-night trip the other way is tighter: the High Dam and Philae on Friday after boarding, Kom Ombo and Edfu on Saturday, Luxor's West Bank on Sunday. On Monday, Karnak and Luxor Temple are visited from 8.30 am to noon, after the 8 am disembarkation, so plan where to leave your luggage and how to get on to your hotel or the airport afterwards. The stops are described on our [Nile cruise](/en/egypt/nile-cruise/) page, and our guide [Choosing a Nile cruise](/en/guides/choosing-a-nile-cruise/) compares the ships and the dahabiyas. ## What the price covers The cruise is full board. Breakfast and lunch are buffets in the main dining room on the lower deck; dinner is à la carte, smart casual, and afternoon tea is served on the sun deck. Once on each leg, dinner moves up to the deck as an oriental buffet. Sonesta does not say whether drinks are included, so ask when you book. Sightseeing is not included in the ship's rates, as Sonesta states on its departures page. The guided excursions in the programme are organised on board, but they are paid for separately or form part of a tour operator's package. Before booking, check exactly what the price covers: Egyptologist guide, transport to the sites, entrance tickets. Our guide to [Egypt site tickets](/en/guides/egypt-site-tickets/) lists the official prices. Children are welcome. A child under 6 sharing the parents' cabin travels free, children aged 6 to 11 pay half the adult rate, and the adult rate applies from 12; only one child can share the parents' cabin. ## Which cabin to choose Every cabin and suite has the same fittings: opening double-glazed French windows onto the river, a 43-inch TV with a live channel showing the ship's progress, and a bathroom fitted with a spa unit offering a steam bath, Jacuzzi and water massage. Sonesta publishes neither the sizes nor the differences between categories. For 3 or 4 nights spent mostly sightseeing, a Deluxe cabin is enough. For the 7-night round trip, one of the 6 Presidential Suites, the 3 Elite Suites or the single Royal Suite gives you more room: ask for the layout and size of the suite on offer before paying the supplement. ## On board, between visits The sun deck has an oversize pool with a shallow-water area, a Jacuzzi and the Sun Deck Bar, serving cocktails and drinks with a view of the river. The spa offers massages, with a gym, a sauna and a steam bath; the ship's fact sheet adds a table-tennis table. Inside, the lounge, its walls and ceiling decorated with classical motifs, has a dance floor and a bar; the piano bar is lit by a large handmade chandelier. The evening programme changes daily: the captain's welcome cocktail, a Nubian show in Aswan, a belly dancer in Luxor, a galabeya party (the long traditional Egyptian robe), karaoke. During the day the captain shows passengers round the ship, and a cooking class is held while sailing. This classical décor appeals to those who like the feel of a grand hotel, less to those who prefer a pared-back style. ## When to go According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) normals for Luxor and Aswan, the average daily high stays between 23 and 30 °C from November to February, the best season for sightseeing, with cool evenings on deck. In March, April and October it climbs to 30 to 36 °C. From May to September it tops 39 °C: the ship sails all year round, and the West Bank and Philae visits start at 7.30 am. ## The embarkation quays The St. George I does not board in the town centres. In Luxor its quay is about 8 km south of Luxor Temple as the crow flies; in Aswan, about 4 km north of the town centre. The official website gives the exact location of each. Arrange a transfer from the airport or your hotel, and arrive before boarding time at 12 noon. For entry requirements, see our [Egypt visa](/en/guides/egypt-visa/) guide. ## How it compares within our selection The St. George I is the Sonesta ship in our selection between Luxor and Aswan. The Oberoi [Zahra](/en/hotels/oberoi-zahra/) and [Philae](/en/hotels/oberoi-philae/), with 22 to 28 cabins, are more intimate and include the visits in their programme; the [Nour el Nil dahabiyas](/en/hotels/nour-el-nil-dahabiyas/), sailing boats of around ten cabins, travel under sail from Esna to Aswan. The St. George I suits travellers who want a large ship, with a pool, spa and evening entertainment, and fixed weekly departures. Our [Nile cruise](/en/themes/nile-cruise/) theme page brings together the ships and the trip ideas that include the river. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which days does the ship sail? Every Monday from Luxor, for 4 nights to Aswan or a 7-night round trip, and every Friday from Aswan, for 3 nights to Luxor or a 7-night round trip. Dates are published for 2026 and 2027. ### Are temple visits included? Not in the ship's rates. The guided excursions in the programme are paid for separately or included in a tour operator's package, so check what the price covers before booking. ### Are meals included? Yes, the cruise is full board: buffet breakfast and lunch, afternoon tea and an à la carte dinner. Sonesta does not mention drinks. ### Can I bring children? Yes. A child under 6 travels free in the parents' cabin, children aged 6 to 11 pay half the adult rate, and the adult rate applies from 12. ### Is there a pool on board? Yes, on the sun deck, with a shallow-water area, a Jacuzzi and a bar. The ship also has a spa with a gym, sauna and steam bath. ### What time is boarding? Boarding is at 12 noon and disembarkation at 8 am, local time. In Luxor the quay is south of town; in Aswan, north of the centre.