These are a selection of recent comments from our clients. For more testimonials click here.
From: Kathleen Crane
Sent: 05 June 2010 08:19
To: Info
Subject: K Crane - Nile Cruise - 17th May
Hello
I just wanted to drop a line to say how very, very pleased and impressed I was with my cruise on M.s. Stephanie. The vessel, the food, the standard of accommodation and the boat was so very good and the staff went out of their way to make everyone's trip extra enjoyable. The organisation was superb and great consideration was given by all the staff to make the whole trip the best.
Both our guides on the excursions, Waheed and George, were so knowledgeable and so helpful, making every excursion an adventure and a delight.
Peter Barnett gets singled out for his attention to detail, his constant involvement that everything was as it should be. He was very efficient and friendly too, taking a personal interest in people and ensuring their holiday was the best it could possibly be.
I then went on to a week at hotel Jolie Ville, Kings Island, Luxor and this too could not have been better. Again the accommodation, the grounds, the location, the food and the staff were superb. It was a peaceful hotel but with enough to do in the evenings so one did not get bored.
I especially liked the sunset hour when everyone watched the sun go down over the Nile whilst classical music played, the birds sung and in the distance one could hear people being called to prayer. It was a delight. I would certainly go back again.
Many thanks and regards
Kathleen Crane
Subject: nile cruise on ms stephanie
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2010 20:37:44.
We have recently returned from a nile cruise on board the ms Stephanie We would like to say how much we enjoyed the experience and to congratulate your company on the professional manner in which all the arrangements were carried out.
The transfer to our Luxor hotel the second week was seamless and all the representatives were terrific.
Praise in particular must go to Peter Barnett the tour manager who was always on hand to keep everything running smoothly. The highest accolade must go to our guide Amir Helmy whose enthusiasm and knowledge of the ancient monuments was a revelation. He is a tremendous asset to your company. He did so much more than was ever required of him.We have told many people of the holiday and have no hesitation in recommending your company and the Ms Stephanie.
Kind regards,
Alan Ramsey and Christeen Ramsey
vacation dates 3/5/2010 to 17/5/2010
From: Sheila Hilton
Subject: MS STEPHANIE CRUISE
Date: Sunday, 30 May, 2010, 0:07
Hi, Weve recently returned from a 2 week holiday in Egypt ,the first week being on Stephanie. What a lovely time we had , there was nothing we could fault. Peter the cruise manager is worth his weight in gold.
Nothing was to much trouble he almost knew what was needed before we did!!
Our Egyptian guide Emad was excellent,he told the egyptian history in such a way we were hanging on his every word.Its a lovely ship ,the staff in the dining room were great ,the food was varied and there was entertainment in the lounge each evening ,though we were so tired after our excursions that we saw little of it.By the end of the week we were one big family.The second week was spent on the Red Sea at the Dana Beach which was good value too.
So, thank you Orbital travel for one of the best holidays ever.
We are thinking of going again for Christmas!!
RegardsSheila HILTON
Cruise date: 10th May 2010
Hi everyone at Orbital.
My friend and I have just returned from a wonderful cruise on the MS Stephanie and I have just got to drop you a line to sing the praises of everyone we came into contact with on this holiday.
The host Peter had everything organised like a well-oiled machine. There was nothing to complain about at all but should you find you needed something that they hadn't thought of (this was very unlikely), you only had to ask and it was done immediately.
The food and selection of same was fantastic as were the waiters.The standard of the ship was excellent and the reception area not short of glamorous. Very clean and shiny. When Stephanie was moored 3 or 4 abreast we never walked through another boat that could compare with our reception area.The room was kept to a very high standard of cleanliness by Ibrahim who also entertained us by arranging our towels in the shape of a different animal sometimes twice a day culminating on the last day by my opening the door of our cabin and walking straight into a swinging monkey!!
The deck and swimming pool was just right with a large shallow area for laying in when it was too hot to just lay on the beds.The trips were wonderful, well organised, with the added bonus that they were mostly included in the price we had paid. They were led by our very knowledgeable and lovely guide, Emad, who spoke very good English and who made them all so interesting even in the early hours of the morning.
I have never been on such a well organised, whilst not regimented, holiday and I shall certainly recommend this holiday to anyone thinking of taking a cruise on the Nile and especially the MS Stephanie as the ship to go on.
Thanks once again.
Sent: 26 February 2010 16:12
To: Info
Subject: Monica Cruise
Hi Orbital,
My wife and I have just returned from a week on the Monica from Luxor to Aswan. We have had a fantastic week and would like to say that we were treated so well by everyone on board we did not want to leave.In particular, our guide,Amir, was incredible.
We felt as if he was only there to look after us personally and that is the way the rest of our group felt.He was so helpful and willing to go out of his way to look after us. We are in our 60's and have been on lots of tours and I have to say I think he is the best guide we have ever had.
We intend to go back to the Monica again next year if we can and are hoping we see him there so we can ask only for him. Thanks again for a lovely holiday.
Regards John and Lynne Zamorski.
John and Lynne travelled with us during February 2010
Sent: 26 February 2010 16:12
To: Info
Subject: Monica Cruise
We’ve just completed a Nile Cruise on MS Monica. This trip exceeded all our expectations despite the flight delay on the return journey to the UK.
The organisation by Orbital Travel was excellent, everything went like clockwork. The process of getting our visas on arrival and going through immigration went without a hitch.
We stayed on MS Monica. You can’t help but be impressed by this traditional and stylish ship (or boat, I’m still not sure which is correct) – the public areas and particular the reception has the “wow” factor. She carries about 140 passengers and 90 crew (many of whom, are never seen), this makes for an intimate experience.
Our cabin (a suite as we were upgraded) was excellent and had everything you would expect. It was of a good size with a double aspect window and balcony. We hardly used the balcony except when we went through Esna Lock and on few evenings before dinner. On the first evening you are seated with a group and you stay with this group for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m not keen on shared tables, but this worked out fine.
Meals are generally buffet style except on the “special” night when it is table service only. The food was presented to a high standard, was of excellent quality and there was a good choice. The range and quality of desserts was probably the best I’ve seen for a long time. We loved the fresh dates, very different from those we get at home. All inclusive is highly recommended.
The staff are very pleasant, efficient and are very keen to please. The housekeeping was very good and the “towel art” added a personal touch – we were left guessing what would happen next!
We were split into groups for the trips and remained in the same groups throughout. Our guide George was outstanding (I’m told the others were as well.) His English was impeccable, he was organised, extremely knowledgeable and always keen to make sure everyone was OK; he also had a great sense of humour.
As for the temples, fantastic! You have to be there. No words or pictures can adequately describe these. If you are thinking of going to Abu-Simbel take the coach, despite the 3.00am start going across the Sahara and seeing the sunrise is an experience not to be missed.
One point to note is that optional trips must be paid in cash, credit cards are not accepted.
Did we enjoy the trip…YES, YES, YES!
The Bylett Family
Sent: 26 February 2010 16:12
To: Info
Subject: Monica Cruise
Hi Orbital,
My wife and I have just returned from a week on the Monica from Luxor to Aswan. We have had a fantastic week and would like to say that we were treated so well by everyone on board we did not want to leave.In particular, our guide,Amir, was incredible.
We felt as if he was only there to look after us personally and that is the way the rest of our group felt.He was so helpful and willing to go out of his way to look after us. We are in our 60's and have been on lots of tours and I have to say I think he is the best guide we have ever had.
We intend to go back to the Monica again next year if we can and are hoping we see him there so we can ask only for him. Thanks again for a lovely holiday.
Regards John and Lynne Zamorski.
John and Lynne travelled with us during February 2010
Alan and Sharon Stone .
Who travelled on board Ms Stephanie 23rd March 2009.
My wife and I would like to thank yourselves and Holiday Experts for our recent Nile cruise on Ms Stephanie. The ship was immaculate with good food. The only complaint we had was the condition of the towels provided in the cabin, which were worn and not pristine white.
The staff were all very friendly and polite and very honest. My wife lost her gold necklace with diamond pendant on it on the evening of the Egyption night where we all dressed up. Later that evening after we reported the loss ,one of the staff found the necklace without the diamond pendant on it and handed it to reception.
Two days later after we had given up hope on anyone finding or handing in the diamond pendant, we were asked to go to reception by our cabin steward as he had found the diamond whilst cleaning in the main lounge bar where the entertainment took place. In this day and age, with the world as it is, we cannot thank them enough for their honesty, particulary as the value of the item was probably more than they earn in a year.
We would also like to inform you of how well Marco our tour guide, organised our trips and how knowledgable and informative he was , along with his ability to be humourous and keep the British group, who had never met each other before the cruise, all together, everyone said it was one of the best holiday experiences they have had.
Perhaps you would be good enough to forward a copy of this to Holiday Experts Ltd.
Mr and Mrs Ray and Jill Heathman.
Travelled on board Ms Stephanie during 23rd February 2009.
To everyone at Orbital travelI just had to write in to say a big thank you for your organisations management of one of the best holidays in my life.
After cancelling due to Excel going bust then re booking and a change of boat at the last minute I thought I was going to regret booking this holiday. I can honestly say my family and I had the best time ever and we have travelled on many holidays. The boat was clean and the service was impeccable. The food was excellent and none of my family were ill. Peter the rep was knowledgeable and helpful when needed which was not often. Amal our Egyptologist was unbelievable in the knowledge that she had about Egypt and she was able to answer the most unusual questions. The tours were well organised and brilliant and I went on every one!!! I was knackered by the end of the holiday!!
I have been and will be recommending your company to all my friends and colleagues and will travel with your company again to re do a Nile cruise
Thank you from my family and I.
Regards Stephanie Johnson.
Stephanie travelled with us during December 2008
Apologies for not sending this email earlier but since we returned from our wonderful holiday in Egypt our feet don’t seem to have touched the ground.
The holiday you arranged for us was indeed wonderful; far better than we ever imagined. It was made so good because of the great organisation that Orbital has in Egypt. Everything went like clockwork- if somebody said that they would meet us at a certain time it was always with punctuality, even in Cairo with the traffic problem!
The Egyptologists were both good and John, who was with us throughout the Nile cruise was exceptional. Even though he called for early starts it paid dividends as we were always among the first to arrive at the various temples which, particularly at Abu Simbel, meant we had the place to ourselves.
Many thanks for arranging our holiday which turned out to be an experience of a lifetime.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and all your colleagues.
Best wishes.
John Doyle.
Mr Doyle's holiday was our Classical tour program (Cairo and Nile cruise) during November 2008.
Everything has been perfect. The tours and information given by the guide were amazing - the food and waiters were excellent and all the staff have been friendly and helful. We would not have changed anything and have had the experence of a lifetime. Thank you!
Client Thompson who travelled on board King Tut III on the 8th September 2008
This is one of the best holiday's I have had been on. I have travelled the world but the ease at which everthing was organised was excellent a big thanks to the guide for his knowledge. I will come back.
Margaret Willis travelled with us on the 8th September on King Tut III
From: christine lane
Sent: 01 July 2010 13:29
To: Orbital Travel
Subject: Holiday
Dear Orbital,
We have just returned from our holiday in Luxor, I would like to let you know that the service and attention we received while on the M/S Monica was outstanding. That was our 4th holiday in Egypt and our 3rd Nile cruise and certainly the best so far.The cabins were great and nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff We enjoyed it all.
Also the service we received from Orbital Travel with dealing with our booking, Jane was always there with any problems we may have had. We very much look forward to dealing with you again on our next Egypt holiday which we hope will be in the very near future.
Thank you once again
Regards
Mrs Christine Lane (Booking ref;28601)