Viking “Floats Out” New Egypt Ship – Viking Aton
Viking announced its newest ship for the Nile River was "floated out," marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water.
Photo courtesy of Viking
Set to debut in August 2023, the Viking Aton will join the company's fleet of purpose-built for the Nile River and sail Viking's 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary. Viking has seen very strong demand in Egypt, with the 2023 season now sold out and many 2024 sailing dates already sold out. The surge in demand has led Viking to open 2025 sailing dates sooner than originally expected.
The traditional float out ceremony took place at Massara shipyard in Cairo on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The float out of Viking Aton began at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time when Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen and Sayed Farouk, Chairman of The Arab Contractors (Osman Ahmed Osman & Co.), together pressed the button that signaled to lower the ship-lift of the yard. She will now be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
The Viking Aton & Viking's Growing Egypt Fleet
Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the new Viking Aton is inspired by Viking's award-winning river and ocean ships with the elegant Scandinavian design for which Viking is known. The identical sister ship to the Viking Osiris, which was named in 2022 by Viking's first ceremonial godfather, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, the Viking Aton features several aspects familiar to Viking guests, such as a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace. In addition to the Viking Osiris, the Viking Aton will join the Viking Ra, which launched in 2018. In response to strong demand, Viking will have six ships sailing the Nile by 2025 with the addition of two new sister ships, the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, which are already under construction and will be delivered in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Viking's Pharaohs & Pyramids Itinerary
During the 12-day, Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, guests begin with a three-night stay at a hotel in Cairo, where they can visit iconic sites such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, or the 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 roundtrip cruise on the Nile River, featuring Privileged Access to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, and excursions to the Temple of Khnum in Esna, the Dendera Temple complex in Qena, the temples at Abu Simbel and the High Dam in Aswan, and a visit to a colorful Nubian village, where guests can experience a traditional elementary school. Finally, the journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city.
Article ID: ART5065
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