SS Sphinx
The boat that we were on during our recent trip to Egypt was the SS Sphinx, a luxury boat through Uniworld. This is the fourth boat we have had the pleasure to be on through Uniworld, but it was probably our most unique experience. As I mentioned in a previous post, the crew on the SS Sphinx was an all-male crew. Due to the level of care on a Uniworld boat, there was no difference in the service provided to the guests on the boat.
Both breakfasts and lunch were served buffet style with wait staff coming to the tables to service for beverages and any other needs you may have while eating your meal. Each night at dinner, there was usually a menu with different choices of a starter, soup, main course and then dessert. If you wanted to try more local fare, the menu would highlight those choices on the menu for easy selection when ordering. Lunch and dinner was paired with an Egyptian white or red wine. I enjoyed being able to try some of the local fare and found all the food to be very tasty. Overall the food and service were exceptional and special praise to Head Chef Hamdy and his team as well as to the Dining Host Ahmed and his team.
I am a huge Cosmopolitan (Cosmo) fan (the drink, not the magazine). I generally enjoy it with Belvedere Vodka, but the boat had a good second choice of Grey Goose. The first happy hour on the boat, I ordered a cosmo with Grey Goose vodka. The bartender, Moses, greeted me with a smile and promptly started to fix my drink. After I grabbed my drink, I sat down next to my husband and took a sip. It was probably one of the best cosmos that I have ever had. I went up to the bar to let Moses know how pleased I was with my drink and his face lit up. Every night on the boat, Moses made to sure to make my drink (or two) and went out of his way to take care of me. One of the nights, he actually came up to me during dinner and brought me a cosmo without me asking for it. It’s this sort of attention to guests that make you feel special and make trips memorable. So thanks, Moses for making the perfect cosmo!
When we travel, most of our trips I bring along Cora the Corgie (she’s a stuffie from Bellzi). She is jokingly referred to as my emotional support travel dog. She is often seen in my backpack on our way to our destination. When we arrive, I usually take pictures of her in various places as a silly way to highlight our travels. Our cabin steward, Magdy, was so sweet and attentive when it came to Cora. Every day when we would return from one of our excursions, Magdy would have Cora placed on my pillow. In the evenings for turn-down service, if Cora had been moved to a different spot, he would again return her to my pillow with our treat left close by her. There were a couple of times where Magdy would have Cora by the sliding glass window as if looking out to view the scenery. He took incredible care of our room and his attention to detail was absolutely phenomenal. It touched me that he would go out of his way to also add to the fun by including Cora in the caretaking of our room.
If you ever have the opportunity to stay on the SS Sphynx, you have to check out their beautiful selection of Egyptian style jewelry, much it made with stunning 18K gold. You will receive excellent service from Mahmoud, the jeweler on the ship. My beloved purchased a gorgeous necklace for me with a cartouche, an Egyptian name plate that has my name spelled out in hieroglyphics. Mahmoud takes great pride in his work. I love that I have such a beautiful piece of jewelry that I will be able to wear for years to come attached to such an incredible trip.
Special shout-outs go to Mohamed, the well-being coach. My beloved enjoyed an hour long massage by him for a very reasonable price. I also had a lot of fun dancing with him on the dance floor. Thank you to both Sameh, the Cruise Director/Hotel Manager and his team for the attentive care for the guests and to Captain Taeeb and his crew for an absolute seamless and incredible journey on the Nile. All of the men on the boat were absolutely phenomenal in their care for the guests. All of them were helpful, friendly and took great pride in their work. It’s my understanding that much of the crew have worked together for many years, which I think shows how much they enjoy their work and the guests they have the opportunity to interact with.
Finally, a very huge thank you to Hazem, our Egyptologist. As I said in my last post, Hazem makes learning about Egyptian history and culture fun. He has a truly remarkable amount of knowlege about Egypt and a lot of love and pride for his country.
This has been our fourth Uniworld trip and our third Riverboat cruise through Inspirato. This was probably our most memorable experience and so much of it was due to the crew of this boat. This was truly a trip of a lifetime and one I will never forget.
