Every other cruise on this site sails the Luxor–Aswan stretch of the Nile. The Mövenpick Prince Abbas sails somewhere entirely different: Lake Nasser, the vast reservoir behind the Aswan High Dam, between Aswan and Abu Simbel — a genuinely different route reaching sites no standard Nile cruise ever touches.
Sailing since 2001 and named Best Floating Vessel on Lake Nasser by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism in 2007, the ship carries 65 cabins and suites — 43 deluxe cabins, 18 junior suites, and 4 royal suites, each around 22 square meters with panoramic windows and individually controlled air conditioning. Arriving at Abu Simbel by water rather than by the standard road or flight route is, by most guest accounts, an experience in its own right.
Beyond Abu Simbel itself, itineraries include the Temple of Amada and the Kasr Ibrim fortress — remote sites along Lake Nasser’s shores that are essentially inaccessible except by this specific route, genuinely off the standard Egypt itinerary even for well-traveled repeat visitors.
Arriving at Abu Simbel by water, after days on Lake Nasser, reaches sites no standard Luxor–Aswan cruise ever touches.
A mosaic-lined plunge pool with whirlpool sits on the sun deck alongside loungers and a shaded seating area for taking in the Nubian desert landscape. The main restaurant, Robaeyat, serves three meals daily; a library, gym, and lounge with evening entertainment round out the ship’s public spaces.
Sails 3-night (from Abu Simbel) and 4-night (from Aswan) itineraries. Since it operates on a lake rather than the river, this cruise doesn’t connect to the standard Luxor–Aswan circuit — typically booked as its own dedicated leg rather than combined with another Nile cruise. Bookable directly through Mövenpick/Accor or standard cruise platforms.
This is the one ship on the site that answers a different question. Lake Nasser is not the Nile: it is a vast artificial reservoir, the temples along it were cut up and moved there in the 1960s, and there is almost no other traffic on the water. If you have already done Luxor to Aswan, or you want Abu Simbel without the pre-dawn convoy from Aswan, Prince Abbas is the reason to look at Lake Nasser at all.
For a first trip to Egypt it is the wrong choice. The classic temples are on the Nile stretch, not here.
It has no real equivalent among the other 25 ships, all of which sail Luxor to Aswan. The nearest comparison in spirit is Nour El Nil, which is also about quiet water and small numbers, though on the opposite end of the river and under sail. Travellers pairing both usually do the Nile first and Lake Nasser second.
Arriving at Abu Simbel by boat, and mooring in sight of the facade, is a genuinely different experience from the road convoy. That, more than the ship itself, is what people book this for.
