The cruises compared here
The Cairo dinner cruise is the one Nile trip on this page that needs no flight, no cabin and no more than an evening. The listing sells it as a 2-hour sail on a 5-star boat, with a buffet dinner and a show, from €43.20 per person.
The question is whether the evening is a sightseeing trip or a dinner with a view, because the time on the water is shared between the two.
1What the €43.20 covers
The price covers hotel pickup and drop-off, the transfer by air-conditioned bus, the 2-hour cruise, dinner and the show, with an English-speaking assistant. Dinner is a salad buffet, a main dish to choose from two (Egyptian or international) and dessert. The show mixes belly dancing, whirling dervishes, folk dancing and live music.
Drinks are not included and are sold on board, and tips are extra. The listing says the boat is either the Nile Maxim or the Nile Pharaohs, both 5-star, and that the Nile Maxim has been named best boat on the Nile several times. That is the operator's claim, not ours.
2How the evening runs
There are two sittings: pickup at about 6:30 pm for the 8 pm show, or about 8:30 pm for the 10 pm show. The time on the voucher is only an estimate, because pickup depends on where your hotel is. The local operator contacts you the day before to confirm it.
Allow about three hours from pickup to being back at the hotel, which is the duration the listing gives. The cruise itself is 2 hours.
3When it is worth it
It is worth it when you are already in Cairo, want an evening that needs no planning and are happy to spend it on a dinner and a show. Nobody has to find a dock after dark, and the score of 8.4 from 375 reviews is higher than either multi-day Nile cruise in our comparison (7.8 and 7.4).
It also suits a group with a wheelchair user: the listing says it is wheelchair accessible, but this must be indicated when you book. Children under 3 travel free if they do not take a seat in the dining room or order food.
4When to skip it
Skip it if you want monuments or a guide. The listing describes Cairo lit up at night as the view, and nothing in it is a visit to a temple or a museum.
Do not treat it as a substitute for a multi-day cruise either. The dinner cruise is one evening in Cairo, while the Aswan and Luxor cruises are three to four nights on a ship with temple visits. If you have the days, the multi-day cruise is the trip and the dinner cruise is an add-on.