On 15 October, Viking named seven new river ships in a single ceremony. The event was hosted in Amsterdam alongside two of them and linked by video to ships waiting in France, Germany and Luxor in Egypt. Four are Longships for the Rhine, Main and Danube: Viking Haki, Halogi, Sjofn and Rota. One, Viking Fjolvar, is built for the Seine. The two that stand out are for the Nile: Viking Ptah and Viking Sekhmet, the latter delivered at the Massara shipyard in Cairo at the end of September.
Each ship was given a godparent from the travel trade, including Michael Consoli of Cruise Planners for the Sekhmet and Michael Londregan of Virtuoso for the Ptah. Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø and violinist Tor Jaran Apold performed. It is the biggest single river-fleet moment of the year, and the Nile additions are where the news is for travellers.
Viking Sekhmet and the Six Other New Ships: Key Facts
- Named: 15 October 2026, ceremony hosted in Amsterdam
- Nile: Viking Sekhmet and Viking Ptah; Viking says the Sekhmet begins sailing in 2027
- Viking Sekhmet: 82 guests, 48 crew, 236 ft, 41 outside staterooms — 12 Standard, 21 Veranda, 6 Veranda Suites and 2 Explorer Suites of 677 sq ft including a 195 sq ft veranda; pool, sun deck and Aquavit Terrace
- Rhine, Main and Danube Longships: Viking Haki, Halogi, Sjofn and Rota
- Viking Haki: 190 guests, 53 crew, 443 ft, 95 staterooms, hybrid engines, solar panels and a herb garden on the sun deck
- Seine: Viking Fjolvar — 168 guests, 46 crew, 410 ft, 84 staterooms, hybrid engines
The Nile Ships
The Sekhmet carries 82 guests in 41 outside staterooms, every one of them with a view of the river. The two Explorer Suites, at 677 square feet including a 195-square-foot private veranda, are the largest on board, and Viking includes its Silver Spirits drinks package with them. Up top there is a pool, a sun deck and the Aquavit Terrace. Viking has not published photographs of the Sekhmet herself yet; the images here show Viking Aton, the sister ship it uses to illustrate the class.
The Total Eclipse Sailing
The most distinctive itinerary on the new Nile ships is one Viking can only sell once. Its 2027 programme includes a new 12-day Total Eclipse on the Nile voyage, timed for the total solar eclipse over Egypt in August 2027. The regular Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, 12 days round trip from Cairo, runs alongside it.
Why It Matters
Trade press reports the Sekhmet as Viking’s tenth Nile ship, with two more due in 2027, so this is a line steadily building out its Egypt programme rather than testing it. Small, modern ships with every stateroom facing out mean more departures and, eventually, more choice of dates. The eclipse sailing is the one to watch. It is the kind of departure that sells out early, and it is already on Viking’s website.
The Lens I’m Reading This Through
My own river reference point is at the opposite end of the scale: three days on the Rungan River in Central Kalimantan aboard a traditional river boat with five cabins, which I rated 4.5/5 for orangutans and river life done gently. A Viking Longship carries 190 guests. That is a different kind of trip, built around ports and excursions rather than a single river at walking pace — the small-ship model of andBeyond’s new 32-guest Amazon ship is not what Viking is selling. The Nile ships, at 82 guests, sit closer to the intimate end — which is exactly why they are the ones I would pick from this list.
Prices and How to Book
Viking’s website listed these 2027 fares per person when I checked on 19 October 2026: Pharaohs & Pyramids, 12 days round trip from Cairo, from US$6,999, with free airfare on select dates; Total Eclipse on the Nile, 12 days, from US$10,999; Rhine Getaway, 8 days, from US$2,399; and Paris & the Heart of Normandy, 8 days, from US$2,799. The new ships are bookable through Viking and cruise specialists.
This article contains affiliate links. If you book through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
This preview is based on official announcements — I haven’t sailed aboard these new Viking ships yet. Read more about how I review or visit my Work With Me page.
