Earlier this month, Travel Agent journeyed to Egypt for the christening of Viking’s two new, 82-passenger river vessels—Viking Sobek and Viking Hathor. They’re identical sister ships to the Viking Aton and Viking Osiris, already sailing the Nile. All Viking vessels including the two new ones operate the 11-night “Pharaohs & Pyramids” cruisetour itinerary.
Per Viking's website, Viking Hathor and the line's previously launched vessels have availability for that itinerary in 2025, while Viking Sobek's first availability for "Pharaohs & Pyramids" is in early 2026. Whenever guests go, though, they'll begin with a three-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo. The river line uses a range of properties from the InterContinental Citystars to the Semiramis Cairo InterContinental, the Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino, Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah and The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo.
Upon arrival in Cairo, Travel Agent stayed at The Nile Ritz-Carlton, which had superb guest services, accommodations, dining and security, as well as gorgeous Nile River views. On our return to Cairo, we overnighted at the InterContinental Citystars, a modern hotel that we liked for its friendly service and interior design touches reflecting ancient Egypt. It's also adjacent to the Citystars Mall, a big hit with those who love to shop.
Cairo and Giza
In Cairo, Viking's guests have opportunities to travel to top sites via Viking motorcoaches and then take a walking tour led by an expert guide or Egyptologist. For instance, guests can tour the ancient Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx; the necropolis and step pyramids of ancient Sakkara; the Mosque of Muhammad Ali; and the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza. While the museum isn't officially open as yet, it accepts a limited number of visitors daily during this testing period.
Overall, the GEM experience was incredible. We viewed impressive ancient artifacts, most notably the gigantic statue of Ramses the Great in the entrance hall. Plus, the building reflects inventive architecture and gorgeous interior design. Good to know: Right now, GEM admission is limited to the main galleries, grand hall, commercial area, exterior gardens and a stunningly gorgeous grand staircase of multiple levels; the walk upward delivers close-up access to ancient monuments and large artifacts on every level.
But for those who prefer, there's also a parallel, upward-moving flat sidewalk, as well as a glass elevator to accommodate guests with walkers and wheelchairs. Both provide great views of the artifacts as well. What's not yet open at GEM? Access to the Tutankhamun galleries and Solar Boat Museum is restricted until the official opening.
After exploring Cairo, guests on Viking's "Pharaohs and Pyramids" itinerary will be transported to Cairo International Airport for Viking's “included” air flight to Luxor. There, they'll board the luxurious Viking Sobek or another of the line’s Nile vessels for the next week.
While in Luxor, travelers will also have the opportunity to visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak and explore the ancient tombs of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and Tutankhamun and other pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. While in Luxor, Viking guests can also choose an optional (added fee) hot-air balloon ride over the Nile River's west bank. For those intrepid ballooners, Viking nicely serves a "Ballooner's Breakfast" from 3:45 a.m. to 4:15 a.m. on the ship. Then, they depart at 4:15 a.m. for the soaring experience, which ends around 7 a.m. Some guests on our cruise who took this aerial ride said it was the absolute highlight of their trip.
Beyond, Luxor, river cruise guests will have opportunities to take shore tours to Esna’s Temple of Khnum, Qena’s Dendera Temple and the magnificent Abu Simbel temple site near Aswan. They'll also view the Aswan High Dam and visit a Nubian village's elementary school. Then the journey will end with a return flight to Cairo and one more night in the city.
While we experienced an "abbreviated" stay on Viking Sobek, which incidentally is named for the ancient Egyptian crocodile god, we truly enjoyed our sailing. So, here's some initial insight from our brief time aboard this new river vessel.
Intimate Yet Spacious
While a Viking Longship in Europe can typically serve 190 guests, the Viking Sobek, Viking Hathor and their two other sister ships serve just 82 guests. Comparatively, these four Nile River vessels are also each 236 feet in length, compared with 443 feet for a European Viking Longship.
So, with Viking Sobek's more intimate size, we couldn't help wondering prior to boarding if we'd feel the ship was cramped? Well, as we strolled into the Middle Deck’s lobby area of Viking Sobek, the answer was an emphatic "no." We immediately noticed the spacious, airy look and feel of this vessel. The entrance's open area extended from the Reception Desk across the ship's beam to a seating area with floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
On higher decks, guests can relax in intimate seating areas adjacent to a "cut out" between decks—mimicking "a bit" of a soaring atrium approach found on larger ships. That, too, creates a sense of space. Around that on several decks are more seating areas, a small boutique (selling jewelry, clothing, Viking-logo items and gifts), plus an area with computers for guest use. These areas are all adjacent to walls of glass, providing stunningly gorgeous Nile River views.
But the most spacious interior spot on Viking Sobek from our perspective is the large Lounge. This enclave of relaxation offers a large bar with high-topped stools; individual tables and chairs; and many other comfortable seating areas with upholstered chairs and sofas. In addition, the venue has a large movie screen and is the spot for live nightly entertainment such as a pianist.
As it can accommodate a large number of guests, the Lounge also hosts onboard enrichment lectures—everything from an “Egypt and the Nile” talk to a discussion about “Medicine in Ancient Egypt." Viking's guests can also expect such other scheduled activities as an Egyptian hieroglyphics class or a backgammon class.
Highly popular is the ship's Aquavit Terrace, a great indoor-outdoor spot with tables and chairs for casual dining, plus exterior loungers and a narrow, elongated "water stream" (essentially, the ship's pool-like feature), perfect for cooling off on a hot day. During one day on our voyage, Viking Sobek's Executive Chef Camil and Chef Ahmed conducted a culinary demonstration at the Aquavit Terrace. They taught guests how to make falafel, a Middle Eastern culinary treat that consists of deep-fried balls or patties made from chickpeas or fava beans, herbs and spices.
As for dining in the Restaurant (the main dining room), service is prompt and guests have a choice of a robust buffet for breakfast and lunch as well as "order from the menu" items, too. Dinner is full service with servers and sommeliers circulating to serve guests. We felt the culinary choices were good. Tables are also of various sizes, allowing dining as a solo traveler, a couple or with others—perhaps newfound friends met on a Viking tour.
Atop Viking Sobek, guests will find a lovely outdoor area. After a long day of traipsing through ancient ruins and bustling markets, we enjoyed having a lovely perch for relaxing while sailing to the next spot. This area had many comfortable seating areas and bar service at certain times. In addition, guests will discover solar panels and plenty of greenery.
While Viking Sobek wasn’t totally full on our sailing, even envisioning two dozen or more additional guests, we still believe it wouldn't have seemed crowded. Pleasing to the eye? We liked Viking Sobek's sleek yet comfortable Scandinavian interior design with clean lines and light color tones. Yet, there were also vibrant pops of color here and there.
Lovely Staterooms
We stayed in No. 210, a Veranda (Category A) stateroom with 239 square feet of space, including the private veranda. A wall of glass provides superb river viewing, even from inside the stateroom. A floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door also opens to the veranda, which is equipped with two chairs and a small table.
Inside, we like the one very comfortable leather chair with a moveable ottoman. It's a good spot to watch the large flat-screen TV on the opposite wall. That TV's infotainment system offers live TV channels, complimentary movies on demand and in-house programming.
The lounging chair faces a desk area with a separate chair. So, if a couple is staying in this stateroom, they can simply turn that desk chair to be part of their living room area. The space is modestly sized but workable. A well-stocked minifridge is within the cabinetry adjacent to the desk. Complimentary bottled water is positioned on the desk area surface and replenished daily
The desk area also extends into a lengthy, elongated surface—perfect for storing items, such as two Quietvox receivers with charging stations; guests can use those during their shore excursions to listen to live commentary. That way, they don't always have to be standing right next to their tour guide at every moment.
A bit about plug-in outlets and Wi-Fi service? Viking Sobek's Wi-Fi is free and, generally speaking, our connectivity was good throughout the voyage. As for plug ins, outlets in this stateroom were both 110-volt and 220-volt; plus, there were USB ports.
One big plus? This Veranda (Category A) stateroom had an amazing amount of drawer storage space for a river ship—located both below the elongated desk/armoire surface (shown in the photo above), and in the adjacent vertical cabinet. That cabinet also contained a personal safe.
Guests will sleep on a queen-sized Viking Explorer Bed (convertible to an optional twin-bed configuration) with luxury linens and pillows. We'd assess the closet space as "quite good" and both sides of that closet could accommodate long hanging items. The closet also had an umbrella, two robes and slippers (upon request) for guest use.
The bathroom in No. 210 has a singular, elongated sink, but space on both sides. So, a couple or two friends can get ready at the same time, given the individual counter space, one drawer under each counter area and one lower-level shelf on both sides.
We liked the bathroom's glass-enclosed shower and heated floor. Travelers will also find an anti-fog mirror, premium Freyja toiletries and a hair dryer.
As for the room temperature, this stateroom has individual climate control. We'd say that the air-conditioning worked well, although the weather when we visited was not as hot as in the Egyptian summertime. Another stateroom feature is that guests can nicely place their suitcases under the bed for storage.
Land Experiences/Operations
In Egypt, Viking uses Cosmos Egypt, the country's oldest destination management company (DMC), as its sole operator of tours and motorcoaches. The cruise line also turns to the DMC for assistance in sourcing English speaking tour guides and Egyptologists.
In fact, Mohamed El Banna, founder of the Cosmos Tourism Company, the previous name of Cosmos Egypt, was honored as Viking Sobek's godfather for the Luxor christening of the ship earlier this month. A member of the Egyptian senate, he also continues to run Cosmos Egypt with his son Sherif El Banna, now serving as the DMC's CEO.
Our guide and Egyptologist, as well as others, were excellent. In particular, we loved the walking excursion within Esna to the Temple of Khnum, followed by a market visit and demonstrations of local services and crafts. Our guide led the group back into the market (amid aggressive sellers popping up throughout our walk) but told us that she was tipping all the artists and craftsmen that we were about to visit, so "there is no need to tip them. I've handled that."
So, within the bustling market, we watched artisans and craftsmen "writing" notes for fellow Egyptians who didn't know how to write; watched one man iron a jellabiya (a traditional, long robe-like attire worn by Egyptian men); gazed at people creating textiles on looms; and observed lots of other crafts or trades. It was a fascinating window into the world of local residents. We were encouraged to take as many photos as we wanted. Our guide was a strong woman who was a kind but assertive—not putting up with any shenanigans by vendors in bothering guests. In addition, a Cosmos Egypt security person also rode with us on motorcoach rides and walked with us on tours.
Overall, the quality of the Viking guides and tours were very good. Worth mentioning, too, is that the Cosmos Egypt buses were modern, well-equipped and comfortable. All of them offered bathrooms. Interestingly, the guide actually encouraged guests to use that bathroom if it was needed. That's unlike most tour companies who often try to discourage that as they prefer to avoid the need for cleaning later.
Evaluate Accessibility
One factoid about accessibility: Viking Sobek has one elevator for guest use and some accommodations considered accessible, given their size. Those using a walker, wheelchair or motorized chair/scooter can access almost every part of the ship except the outdoor top deck, accessible only via stairs. We also found the hotels in Cairo highly accessible, as well as the new Grand Egyptian Museum.
That said, particularly at ancient sites and when the ship docks along riverbanks, the destination infrastructure may not be accessible-friendly. Just to reach the motorcoaches or Viking walking tours at street level above the river at Luxor and Esna required guests to walk up several sets of stairs; there were no ramps. Once at street level, paved surfaces and sidewalks are often uneven, damaged and bumpy. So, be sure to chat in advance with any Egyptian river cruise line about accessibility needs before booking.
Parting Thoughts
This was our fourth visit to Egypt over the years. Just looking at such amazing ancient structures built by the ancient Egyptians is mesmerizing for travelers. That's particularly true when considering that many temples or pyramids were built without modern equipment or tools, and also several thousand years before the Romans!
We enjoyed our stays at both Cairo hotels (The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo and InterContinental Cairo Citystars) and would stay at them again on any independent trip or a future river cruise. We also felt the security for travelers in hotels, airports, motorcoaches and river vessels was quite good. And it goes without saying that we loved sailing the Nile River—gazing at small villages and scenes of everyday life; touring markets and magnificent ancient temples; watching people herd water buffalos into the Nile; spotting young children playing along the riverbanks and waving at us; and much more.
Egypt's landscapes also surrounded us with incredible contrasts. Adjacent to the Nile, lush ribbon-like bands of green grasses, palm trees and banana trees hugged that "lifeblood" waterway, yet immediately behind those mostly thin green spaces were dry Sahara Desert landscapes, including soaring bluffs.
Most of all, as we "soaked in" the aura of Egypt, modern and ancient, we enjoyed our luxurious, comfortable "home away from home"—the new Viking Sobek. Intimate yet open and airy in feel, it delivered what was needed and more. We enjoyed comfortable accommodations, plus lovely public spaces, tasty dining experiences, and excellent tours with skilled guides and Egyptologists. We had great onboard service, good motorcoach experiences and an abundance of Egyptian cultural enrichment. So, our only question is "When can we go back?" Soon, we hope.
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