The cruise line's newest ship on the Nile will be joined by a sister ship next year.
Viking has floated out “Viking Osiris”, the newest ship for the river Nile in Egypt. The cruise line named its newest river ship with a celebration in Luxor at the end of August. As part of the event, the company's first ceremonial godfather, George Herbert, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the ship—an evolution of the naval tradition that dates back thousands of years. Designed specifically to navigate the Nile, the state-of-the-art ship was built at Massara shipyard in Cairo and will sail Viking's “Pharaohs & Pyramids“ itinerary.
Egypt marks several key events this year, including the opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum outside of Cairo on the Giza Plateau and the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter and his benefactor and co-explorer, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. “Egypt has always drawn curious explorers for its rich history and ancient antiquities, and ever since we first began operating on the Nile River in 2004, our guests continue to be amazed by the country's many cultural treasures”, said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
The new river ship hosts 82 guests in 41 staterooms and features such aspects as a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace. The new ship joins the “Viking Ra“, which launched in 2018. In response to strong demand, the Viking Aton, an identical sister ship to the Osiris, will join the fleet in 2023. Two more sister ships, the “Viking Hathor” and the “Viking Sobek”, are already under construction and will be delivered in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
During the 12-day “Pharaohs & Pyramids” itinerary, guests begin with a three-night stay at a hotel in Cairo, where they can visit sites such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Beginning in late 2022, guests will also be able to visit the new Grand Egyptian Museum. Guests then fly to Luxor, where they visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding a Viking river ship for an eight-day, round-trip voyage on the Nile River, featuring access to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and other historic sites. The journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city.
