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Low Water Levels Disrupt European River Cruises, a Favorite of U.S. Tourists

As the continent faces a severe drought, companies have had to use buses to transport passengers along parts of the Rhine and the Danube, where water levels have become too low for riverboats.

By Jenny Gross

• Aug. 29, 2022

Mark Farmer’s two-week river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest got off to a bad start. For the first four days, there were no luxurious dinners overlooking the Rhine River or views from the top-deck balcony room that he and his wife had booked.

In fact, there was no boat at all. He and the other 150 or so passengers were shuttled around the Netherlands and Germany on buses, queuing up in long lines for bathrooms at highway rest stops and cramming into small restaurants.

“We were not happy,” said Mr. Farmer, a sales manager for a waste and recycling company. He and his wife, who live in Arizona, had booked the August trip, which had cost $18,000 including business-class flights, to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary.

One of Europe’s worst droughts in decades has left the water level of parts of the Rhine and the Danube Rivers too low for ships to pass, paralyzing commerce and causing disruptions for companies that transport goods and commodities like oil and coal. The drought has also affected river cruises, forcing passengers to cope with last-minute changes to their itineraries, long bus rides and missed excursions.

River cruising is a multibillion-dollar industry, with 1.6 million travelers, many of whom were over the age of 55, cruising European rivers in 2018, a number that had nearly doubled from 2013, according to Statista , a provider of market and consumer data. Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group, said the largest group of passengers come from North America.

Nearly 65 percent of European Union territory is currently under some degree of drought warning, according to the European Drought Observatory , which aims to improve drought resilience. Droughts are likely to become more frequent, researchers say, even as hurricanes and other large storms bring flooding to other places around the globe. Climate change from the burning of fossil fuels and other human behavior can play out differently, according to scientists, but the common theme is that extreme weather is becoming more frequent and intense.

Rudi Schreiner, the president and co-owner of AmaWaterways, a river cruise company with a fleet of 26 ships, said that when water levels in the Lower Rhine are too low, cruise passengers are taken on an excursion to a nearby town by bus and then brought back to a spot on the river where water levels are higher. For each day that the cruise itinerary differs from what was scheduled, a passenger receives a voucher for 15 percent off the next seven-night cruise, he said.

Rainfall in Germany last week has provided relief, but the reprieve may be temporary. “The question is how long it will last,” Mr. Schreiner said. AmaWaterways is looking for new technologies to lower the draft of its ships so they can pass through shallower waters. “I don’t see any death of river cruising ,” he said. “I see adjustments.”

Even ships that are able to pass through the Rhine have had to reduce the capacity of their loads, since heavy cargo weighs down ships and causes difficulties in shallow waters.

For Mr. Farmer, the last straw came on day three of his trip, when Viking, the operator, arranged for the guests to stay in a hotel that Mr. Farmer described as subpar, with a man in a building next to the hotel staring into their room when he and his wife walked in.

“That night, my wife and I had had enough. I wanted to go home,” he said. But after two hours on hold with customer service, it became apparent that Viking wouldn’t be giving him a refund. So, he said, he and his wife decided they would change their attitudes. They boarded the ship the next day, and the trip improved significantly.

Viking, which offers trips in Europe, said the circumstances that affected that trip were “highly unusual,” with the Rhine and the Danube Rivers experiencing historically low levels. “We recognized that this was not the experience that our guests expected, which is why we provided all guests with a 15 percent credit toward their next Viking voyage, in the form of a voucher good for one year,” a spokesman said. Customer ratings during the dry period have been “highly satisfactory,” he added.

The company also said in a statement last week that the vast majority of its trips faced no interruptions, even though water levels on the Danube remained unusually low. “Our nautical team is continually monitoring the situation,” the company said. “Guests and their travel advisers will continue to be notified directly by Viking customer relations if we think that their itinerary might be impacted.”

Another passenger on a different Viking cruise this month, Scott Myers, said he and his wife loved their trip, despite viewing one of the most picturesque stretches of the Rhine from a bus.

“It wasn’t as good as if you were sitting on top of the boat as you were floating through, but we were still able to see all the castles,” said Mr. Myers, the director of a county park district in Troy, Ohio. He and his wife were able to spend all but one day of their trip on the cruise they had originally booked. That one day on land involved six or seven hours on a bus, traveling from Cologne, Germany, to Strasbourg, France, with stops, he said.

The pace of climate change has affected other aspects of summer tourism in Europe. With heat waves expected to intensify because of global warming, it is expected that travelers will shift their summer itineraries to destinations further north or on the coasts from destinations like Rome or Tuscany, according to travel agents.

Ellen Bettridge, the president and chief executive of Uniworld, a river cruise company, said that in response to the changing weather in Europe, the company last year expanded into luxury train travel, with itineraries that include both cruise and rail components.

“While we cannot predict future weather changes, we are preparing for it,” she said in a statement. “Our longstanding history and unparalleled relationships within the travel industry have allowed us to be flexible in creating alternate itineraries.” She said most trips had been unaffected, and that the company has had to cancel 7 percent of its cruises.

Lisa Wheeler-Pollington, who had booked a cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest with her husband, said low water levels in the Rhine caused Uniworld to cancel their trip nine days before they were scheduled to depart for Europe.

“My heart just fell,” said Ms. Wheeler-Pollington, a retired real estate worker, who lives in Sarasota, Fla. She and her husband could not reschedule because they had already arranged care for their two Labradors, Cruiser and Scooby-Doo, and contractors were scheduled to do repair work at the house. So Ms. Wheeler-Pollington and her husband accepted a refund and made their way from Amsterdam to Budapest by rail.

It ended up being the best trip of their lives. “Sometimes the unexpected is a lot more fun than things you’ve planned for a year,” she said.

Mr. Farmer, the sales manager from Arizona, said he wished that he and his wife had been offered a refund. On the second-to-last day of their trip, the cruise had to dock in a town far outside Budapest because of shallow waters in the Danube. Passengers then were back on the bus for a 90-minute drive to the city, he said.

The group toured the city by bus and then drove back to the boat for their final night, before waking up at 3 a.m. to get back on the bus to the Budapest airport for their departing flights.

Mr. Farmer and his wife received a $500 voucher each toward their next Viking cruise, but he said he was not rushing back for another river cruise any time soon. “I literally saw Budapest through a bus window.”

Jenny Gross is a general assignment reporter. Before joining The Times, she covered British politics for the The Wall Street Journal. More about Jenny Gross

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Low water levels force Viking to call off Mississippi River cruise for now

Us coast guard says parts of the mississippi river are closed as dredging commences..

Mississippi River cruise ship grinds to a halt due to low water levels

Water levels on parts of the Mississippi River are so low that traffic on the heavily traveled waterway is being impeded, including one company’s river cruise.

Water levels on parts of the Mississippi River are so low that traffic on the heavily traveled waterway is being impeded, including one company’s river cruise.

Data from the National Weather Service’s Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center showed levels are at or below the low-water threshold at several gauges from Tiptonville, Missouri, south to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Between Osceola, Arkansas, to Tunica, Mississippi, water is actually several feet below the gauges.

PARCHED WEST LOOKS TO MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI FOR SOLUTIONS TO WATER CRISIS

Brown dots along the Mississippi River show where water levels are at or below the low-water threshold Oct. 7, 2022.

(NOAA/NWS/USGS)

The U.S. Coast Guard said in tweets Thursday that the Mississippi River is closed in Memphis and Stack Island while crews work to make navigation safe again. Dredging is underway near Stack Island.

Officials at Viking Cruises said in a statement Wednesday that the unusually low water has caused delays for its 450-foot river ship Viking Mississippi.

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to deepen the shipping canal in some sections, but the closures have caused delays that will prevent the Viking Mississippi from completing the sailing underway and from reaching St. Paul for her next scheduled departure on October 15," the statement read in part.

Cruise company officials said passengers who have been affected by the cancellation have been notified.

"At this time, we expect to operate all future departures of the Viking Mississippi as scheduled," officials said in the statement.

The already-low water levels are not forecast to improve anytime soon, according to the LMRFC’s data. In Memphis, the level is forecast to drop to near -9 feet by next week.

The Viking Mississippi began sailing Sept. 3.

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Low Water Levels Cut Short Viking River Cruise

Passengers are left scrambling after drought-induced conditions halt traffic on this major U.S. river.

(CNN) – A Viking river cruise ship heading north up the Mississippi River can’t finish its voyage because of low water levels, according to a statement from the company on Thursday.

“Unusually low water levels along the Mississippi River have caused sections of the river to be closed, impacting all northbound and southbound shipping traffic,” the statement said.

“The closures have caused delays that will prevent the  Viking Mississippi  from completing the sailing underway and from reaching St. Paul [Minnesota] for her next scheduled departure on October 15, the statement said.

The cruise line said guests have been notified of the issue, though they did not provide details on how many passengers have been affected.

The  Viking Mississippi  can hold up to 386 guests and was built in 2022, according to the company’s website. Viking was advertising a 15-day trip in October from St. Paul to New Orleans starting at $12,999.

Mississippi River caught in growing drought

The ship isn’t the only one facing problems on the country’s premier river.

Amid drought conditions, low water levels along the Mississippi have forced several barges to run aground over the past week, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains a drought information website.  Its most current report  said almost 53 percent of the lower 48 U.S. states are in a drought. Much of the West is in some state of drought.

Drought and abnormal dryness “continue to develop and intensify from the Plains through the Mississippi River Basin, and have now extended further into the Midwest and Southeast. Low water levels are impacting barge traffic on the Mississippi River during the harvest, a crucial time,” NOAA’s site said.

CNN Weather  forecasts on Thursday evening don’t point to much relief in sight either: No rain is expected in key river cities such as Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Memphis.

Extreme weather has taken lives and messed up travel plans across the United State this summer and fall: Wildfires threatened Yosemite National Park;  flash f l ooding  crippled normally bone-dry Death Valley National Park; and Hurricane Ian impacted tourist sites in hard-hit Florida and the Carolinas.

Replay of Europe’s summer?

The Mississippi River situation has played out in other parts of the world this year.

For instance, a merciless heat wave baked Europe this past summer, and the continent's fabled waterways fell to shockingly low levels.

The Rhine River is one of Europe’s most crucial trade routes – and a wildly popular cruise itinerary replete with fairytale castles and stunning views. Those cruises took a hit.

Some river cruise ships were able to lighten the load and carry on. Others had to change itineraries while some river ships had to cancel voyages altogether.

And now those same decisions are being revisited on America’s mightiest river.

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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Europe's Drought Will Happen Again: Here's How River Cruises Are Preparing

Adaptability is the name of the game

You've likely heard the news: extreme drought in Europe this summer has drained rivers, and the low water levels have been causing some river cruises to alter their itineraries. Sometimes, passengers rode buses between specific ports of call rather than sail the river on the ships.

While such disruptions are a significant frustration for travelers, they are, unfortunately, a fact of life for river cruising. Ship traffic, including cargo traffic, is continually impacted by rivers' water levels. And while droughts like this one come and go, there is an overall trend toward droughts becoming more common—and more severe—as time goes on. Fortunately, river cruise lines are doing everything possible to prepare for ever-changing weather conditions.

"During the summer, droughts are common in Europe and many other places. Recent significant droughts in Europe occurred in 2003, 2015, 2018, and 2019," said Stephen Bennett, chief climate officer of climate impact consultancy Demex . He also serves as the American Meteorological Society's Financial Weather and Climate Risk Management Committee chairman.

But Bennett notes that this drought was particularly severe because it was so widespread. "According to the European Drought Observatory, 64 percent of the E.U. territory is under drought conditions," he said. "This is qualified as a one in 500-year drought, which means that it is so severe that it has only a 0.2 percent chance of happening in any given year. Scientists in France have declared this the worst drought since records began in 1958."

This is certainly not the last time Europe will face such conditions. "The frequency of droughts has substantially increased over the last half-century, and there are strong links between these droughts and climate change. Climate change is making droughts more frequent, severe, and pervasive," said Marty Bell, chief science officer at WeatherFlow , which provides weather data and AI-driven modeling for consumers and businesses.

To make matters worse, it's not just droughts that affect river cruises—the opposite conditions can impact them, too. "On the flip side, if there is heavy spring rain or unusually high temperatures that cause a drastic snowmelt—many rivers originate high in the mountains—or if there is torrential rain for a prolonged period of time at any time of year, the rivers may swell or flood, which could also cause problems by preventing ships from passing under the bridges," said Ming Tappin, a freelance cruise writer and founder of Your Cruise Coach .

Because river cruising is so dependent on water levels, whether in drought or flood conditions, cruise lines have come up with solutions to minimize interruptions. "River cruise lines always have multiple ships sailing on the same river from opposite directions. So in the event that a part of the river becomes impassable, a 'ship swap' is performed," added Tappin. In that case, both ships approach the troublesome point on the river, and the passengers transfer from one vessel to the other. Then the ships return to their point of origin, so the passengers get to sail the complete itinerary.

River cruise ships are also specifically designed to have shallow drafts, which means their keels, or the lowest points of the vessel, are not that far beneath the water's surface. That allows the ships to sail in shallow rivers. Some ships can adjust their ballast, making their drafts even shallower.

There are, of course, times when rivers become entirely impassable. "In extreme circumstances where the water levels prevent ships from sailing, and a ship swap is not possible, the river cruise will become a land-based holiday," said Tappin. "Guests will continue their tour on motorcoaches and stay in hotels along the way. Everything that would have been included on the river ship—meals, tours—would still be included on the land trip."

So, what if you're a passenger on an affected river cruise sailing? Are you entitled to a refund? "In all cruise contracts, it is written that the cruise line has a right to alter itineraries if necessary," said Nancy Yale, a travel advisor with Cruise and World Travel , a Virtuoso Agency. There's an argument to be made here for purchasing cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) travel insurance, which would get you your money back if you decide to back out of the trip before departure. (Bennet's company Demex has even started offering extreme weather insurance , though it's primarily for homeowners and business owners.)

But despite what's in the fine print, river cruise passengers are not necessarily out of luck for some form of compensation from the cruise lines. "I have seen them offer their guests a pro-rated refund or a credit towards booking a future cruise," said Tappin. "Some cruise lines may even offer a full refund of their current cruise in addition to a booking incentive for a future cruise."

If your trip is affected by water levels, remember that it's out of your cruise line's control—no one wants to change the itinerary. Your best bet is to take the trip in stride, as you'll likely still be visiting the same ports advertised when you booked the sailing. "They make every effort to fulfill the itinerary either by land or river," said Yale.

The New York Times. " Low Water Levels Disrupt European River Cruises, A Favorite of U.S. Tourists. " August 29, 2022.

Global Drought Observatory. " Drought in Europe ." August 2022, Page 1.

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Minimal Impact, So Far, From Low Rhine River Water Levels

Scenic Crystal on the Rhine River. Credit: Elliot Gillies

Low water levels on the Rhine River, particularly in Germany, are so far having a minimal impact on river cruising this summer, but that may change as levels are predicted to go down further.

According to Reuters , water levels rose earlier this month in some southern sections of the river after some much needed rain, but levels are still too low in northern parts including around Kaub and Cologne.

Near Kaub, water levels on July 10 were measured at somewhere between 1 and 1.25 meters (3.28 to 4.92 feet). By July 19, water levels are expected to be just above 0.75 meters (2.46 feet).

Low waters near Kaub are particularly problematic as that stretch of the river is an essential piece of the route for many Rhine River cruise itineraries, including those that sail from Amsterdam through Cologne and Rudesheim and on to Basel in Switzerland.

“Due to the ongoing high temperatures and low rainfall amounts across Europe, some stretches of the Rhine River in areas we sail are experiencing low water levels,” said a spokesperson for Scenic and Emerald Waterways. “As river conditions can change relatively quickly, and to ensure as little disruption as possible to our guests’ experience, we are closely monitoring the situation and proactively planning to revise the routes of some cruises.

Where possible, we will ensure the ports of call are not impacted by these changes, and our team is working hard to find the best possible solution for each individual cruise. Our guests are notified of any changes to their itinerary and/or sailings. “

At AmaWaterways, it’s business as usual, said Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and president.

“Water levels on certain rivers can change quickly but we are well prepared and able to adapt quickly to any given situation to ensure our guests still have their long awaited vacation,” he told Travel Market Report. “… our ships and itineraries have been purposely designed to minimize the impact on our guests’ experience should a low water situation develop.”

In addition to alternative ports of call, docking sites, and excursions on standby, AmaWaterways schedules ships to sail towards each other on the same (but reversed) itinerary, which allows for a “ship swap” should river authorities stop traffic at a critical point on the river.

River cruise operators faced sailing complications on the Rhine last summer after unusually dry weather and a heat wave led to record low water levels.

Danube River On the Danbue River, where water levels have mostly been okay, at least one river cruise line has had to make a small change.

“Our team is constantly monitoring water levels and we are not currently experiencing low water issues on the Rhine,” Pam Hoffee, president of Avalon Waterways told TMR. “The only water challenge that Avalon is currently facing is at Pfelling on the Danube. It is affecting a very small number of cruises that sail to Nuremberg, so we are starting/ending in Vilshofen or Passau instead of Nuremberg.

With an entire fleet of new, Suite Ships, Avalon was built for low water conditions. Not only are our drafts extremely low, our ships are identical if a Ship Swap is ever needed, providing cruisers the same experience, down to the stateroom number.”

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First look: Viking Osiris, the stylish new Nile River ship from upscale line Viking

Call it a new era for cruises on the Nile.

This week's unveiling of Viking Osiris — the new Egypt-based river ship from fast-growing Viking — marks a significant turning point for sailings on the river.

The 82-passenger vessel is, notably, elegant and upscale on a level that is rarely seen among river ships on the Nile. It's also the first of what is likely to become a steady stream of new Viking vessels on the river that we suspect will come to dominate upscale Nile River cruising for Americans in the way that Viking vessels have come to dominate river cruising for Americans in Europe.

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Viking founder Torstein Hagen said at the ship's unveiling Monday that three more sister vessels to Viking Osiris already were on order to debut on the river over the next three years, and he hinted that even more could be coming. If so, it would be classic Viking, which is known for going in big and fast when it decides to commit in earnest to a destination.

Viking has been selling cruises on the Nile for quite a few years — since 2004. But Viking Osiris is the first Nile vessel specifically built to the line's specifications. It's also owned and operated by Viking. That's unusual in a market where most Western lines charter local vessels for their trips.

In Viking's eyes (and ours, too), that means Viking will be able to offer one of the most consistent products on the river. Unlike many other Western companies operating in Egypt, Viking will have complete control of the experience.

TPG is getting a sneak peek at Viking Osiris this week in advance of its first sailing with paying passengers Friday. Here, we take a closer look at what sets it apart from many of the other ships on the Nile, and what you can expect if you book a voyage on it.

Viking Osiris offers elegant, high-end rooms

Viking is billing Viking Osiris as the most luxurious vessel on the Nile, and from what I'm seeing this week, that's no idle boast.

The ship features an entire deck of sprawling suites that rival anything else found on the river for luxury and comfort. Each comes with two full-size rooms — a large living room with a residential feel and an adjacent bedroom with a walk-in closet and bathroom. Each of the suites also has its own outdoor balcony with seating for two — something you don't always see on Nile ships.

Two of the biggest suites have stunning glass walls that wrap around the front of the vessel.

Not just the suites but every cabin on the ship is filled with high-end touches, such as luxury linens and pillows on beds, heated floors in bathrooms and roomy wardrobes with wooden hangers.

Suites on the ship are stocked with complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks that are replenished daily, and they come with such extras as complimentary laundry and shoeshine services.

Related: The ultimate guide to Viking cabins and guides

Even the smallest cabins on Viking Osiris are generous in size, measuring 232 square feet. Suites range in size from 409 square feet to 529 square feet. Most cabins have balconies.

Notably, all the cabins on Viking Osiris have the same clean-lined Scandinavian-influenced design that can be found on Viking vessels around the world. If you've stayed in a cabin on Viking river ships in Europe or its ocean ships deployed from North America to Asia, you'll recognize the look immediately and feel right at home.

It's a hallmark of Viking that all its vessels have a consistent feel, albeit with some variations from ship to ship that offer nods to where they sail. Along those lines, on Viking Osiris, cabins feature photographs taken in Egypt in the early 1900s by George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. The British lord was the benefactor and co-explorer of famous Egyptologist Howard Carter. Together they discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun nearly 100 years ago.

Lord Carnarvon's family has an unusual tie not just to Egypt but to Viking. The family was and still is the owner of Highclere Castle, the English country house that was the setting for the historical drama "Downton Abbey." Viking rose to prominence as a cruise company in the past decade in part due to its well-timed sponsorship of "Downton Abbey" on PBS. Highclere Castle features in some of Viking's tour programs.

Lord Carnarvon's great-grandson, also named George Herbert and the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, notably is Viking Osiris' "godfather" and named the ship in a ceremony in Luxor, Egypt.

It's small and intimate

Viking Osiris is notably smaller than the typical Viking river vessel at just 236 feet in length. That's about half the length of most Viking river ships in Europe. It's also home to far fewer cabins — just 41 as compared to 95 for the typical Viking river ship.

The result is a vessel that is strikingly intimate, both in the onboard experience and the experience of touring on land — something that is its own type of luxury. When visiting such sites as the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of Egyptian pharaohs, passengers travel in small groups, with private guides, for an experience that — as I saw this week during several sample tours — feels very personal.

As is typical on Viking river ships, cabins are stocked with Quietvox audio devices that passengers can carry with them to listen to guides during tours. But on outings from the ship this week to such historic sites as the temples of Karnak and Luxor, our group was so small that I didn't even bother putting in the Quietvox earpiece most of the time. I could hear the guide just fine without it.

In addition, the tour buses that took us from the ship to the historic sites never were full, by design. There was plenty of room to spread out. Viking typically operates its buses in Egypt with just 25 or so passengers on board, far fewer than they can hold.

When sitting in the lounge listening to speakers, there was never a problem hearing what was being said or seeing the presentations.

But it still offers a lot

Viking Osiris may be smaller than the typical Viking river ship, but that doesn't mean it feels cramped. In fact, it feels spacious, as there is a lot of space on a per-person basis. The ship offers an impressively wide array of public venues, spread over several interior and exterior decks, for a vessel designed with just 41 cabins.

Related: The ultimate guide to Viking ships and itineraries

Unlike on the waterways of Europe where Viking sails, there are no low bridges on the Nile that force the line to limit the ship's height. As a result, it rises a deck higher than its European counterparts. It's also nearly 20% wider than Viking's typical European river ship, as it's not constrained by the narrow locks found on European waterways. This allows for more spacious public venues.

The ship's main lounge, called simply the Lounge, feels particularly roomy and offers commanding views of the Nile's lush riverbanks through floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

The views are almost as grand from the main restaurant, which sits high on the ship and also features floor-to-ceiling glass walls. River ships in Europe, by contrast, typically have their restaurants buried at the waterline of the vessel, due to the limited space.

Viking Osiris designer Richard Riveire, who has designed all of Viking's vessels around the world, cleverly realized that the best design for the side walls of the main lounge and dining room was to essentially give them no design at all — that is, to keep them as unadorned and open as possible with a wide expanse of clear glass. In short, his job, as he saw it, was to "get out of the way" so the beauty of the region could shine through. As a result, the light-greenish water of the Nile, the rich green papyrus and tall bamboolike grasses of the riverbanks, and the tan desert cliffs in the distance become the "art" and focal points of these spaces.

Unlike many Nile River ships, which are wrapped in dark or metallic glass to reflect the sun, and thus feel closed off to the splendors of the river, Viking Osiris allows the Nile in in all its glory. Viking has used a more expensive glass than is found on many Nile ships. It can keep out the heat without tinting — allowing for the best possible views. At times, it feels like you're sailing down the river in a giant glass dome.

Viking Osiris also has a glass-enclosed version of the Aquavit Terrace found on many Viking vessels. Located at the top of the ship and meant for alfresco dining, it has glass walls facing each bank of the river that can open partway from the top down to allow a cross-breeze. The back wall of the venue also is a glass wall that can slide completely open.

The ship also has a swanky sun deck where you can kick back on shaded teak-and-cushion-covered chairs and sofas while enjoying 360-degree views of the Nile's most famous treasures. Unconstrained by height limits, the deck is designed with an abundance of permanent seating areas and is a lovely space.

At the back of the ship, just beyond the Aquavit Terrace, is a narrow pool. This, too, has been specifically designed to maximize views of the river, with an in-pool bench that faces out over the ship's wake.

The pool area features plush loungers, more of which can be found toward the front of the ship's top deck.

Viking Osiris boasts superb design

If you've been on Viking ships before, you'll recognize the overall look of Viking Osiris. In a nod to the company's heritage (Viking founder Torstein Hagen is Norwegian), the interior spaces of all Viking ships feature clean-lined, Scandinavian-influenced design and decor and a residential feel (Viking designers sometimes call it "residential modernism"). Viking Osiris is no exception.

The ship's decor is all about simplicity and authenticity. You'll find lots of light-wood walls; subdued blue, gray and brown fabrics; and modern furniture on Viking Osiris — as you will on vessels across the Viking fleet.

But the ship also boasts a number of delightful design touches that tie specifically to its home on the Nile, some immediately noticeable and some so subtle that you probably won't notice them without being told. Though, like all great design, even if you don't consciously notice some of these touches, they'll surely have an influence on how you feel while on board.

One of the ship's greatest design features of Viking Osiris is its atrium, which is the first thing you see upon walking onto the vessel in Luxor — its home base. Located at the center of the ship, the atrium is lined on both sides with glass walls, such that you are looking across the vessel as you enter it to the far bank of the Nile, which is home to the Valley of the Queens. You can see the lush greenery of the river's edge and the desert landscape of the valley behind it framed in the window.

It's a "wow" moment similar to what you get at the iconic "look-through" lobbies of resorts in Hawaii and some other tropical hideaways.

The ceiling of the atrium also is pierced with a pair of four-deck-high openings that rise to glass ceilings above, opening up the center of the ship. Four narrow, modern slabs of gray-brown Egyptian onyx rise along one side of these openings — a subtle nod to the four colossal statues of Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II at the temple of Abu Simbel.

Unless someone explains the latter connection to you, you would never know it, of course. But the monumental nature of the slabs, and their vertical shape, is a design motif that is distinctly Egyptian. So are the wooden horizontal panels that cover parts of the railings between decks. They mimic the horizontal walls of Egyptian temples such as those at Karnak and Luxor.

Other subtle ties to the local region worked into the modernist design of the ship include the geometric blue-on-blue wood "wallpaper" that descends along one wall of the stairway rising from the atrium, which brings to mind the geometry of Islamic design.

The soaring openings in the atrium also have the effect of creating little nooks to their sides on several decks. Filled with comfortable seating looking out to the banks of the Nile through glass walls, these seating nooks may be the best place to sit on the ship.

Other little nods that subconsciously remind you that you are in Egypt include a reed partition separating the pool area from the Aquavit Lounge on the pool deck, which evokes the reedy banks of the Nile. (There also are two papyrus plants on each side of the pool, another homage to the local landscape.)

Finally, like the ship's cabins, the public areas throughout the ship are sprinkled with black-and-white photographs of Egypt taken by the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. These include images Lord Carnarvon took while excavating the tomb of Tutankhamen in the early 1900s but also many scenes of daily life in Egypt at the time.

Viking Osiris designer Riveire first saw the images when visiting the current earl of Carnarvon and his wife at Highclere Castle, where they were kept in a giant photo album. The Carnarvons agreed to allow the photos to be displayed on the ship — the only place in the world they currently can be seen by the public.

In a hidden surprise for passengers, Riveire has scattered four Carnarvon images from Egypt around the ship that contain the lord's beloved dog, Susie. It's meant as a bit of an Easter egg hunt for passengers to try to find them.

The ship's lounge also is home to a wall of watercolors showing 1900s scenes from Egypt collected by Lord Carnarvon.

It's mostly all-inclusive

The initial itineraries Viking Osiris is operating aren't inexpensive. Eleven-night "Pharaohs and Pyramids" tours that include seven nights on the ship sailing the Nile and a four-night stay at a hotel in Cairo (three nights before the cruise and one night after) start at $5,299 per person, based on double occupancy. And that's for the least desirable offseason month of August, when the temperatures in Egypt are very high. Sailings in prime months such as February and March, when temperatures in Egypt are cooler, start at $7,399 per person.

Still, as is typical for cruise lines at the high end, Viking is including a lot in its base price. In addition to a room on board and all meals, the fares include wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner; shipboard Wi-Fi; and — perhaps most notably — guided excursions in every port where the ship visits.

Indeed, a notable part of what you'll be paying for on Viking Osiris is access to extremely knowledgeable Egypt experts who travel with you on the trip and explain the many ancient temples, tombs and other historic sites you'll be seeing.

In a sign of the ship's luxury level, it sails with a crew of 65 in all to serve a maximum of 82 passengers — an unusually high ratio of nearly 1-to-1.

Some higher-level cabins also come with complimentary laundry service and a premium beverage package.

Among the few extra charges passengers will encounter are a suggested $25-per-person daily gratuity for shipboard staff on days you're on the ship. (Viking recommends a $10-per-day gratuity for Viking staff during the land portion of trips.)

Some special shore excursions, such as a balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings, come with an extra charge.

Bottom line

Viking Osiris is a lovely ship, and it's likely to take a prominent place among the top vessels on the Nile River, along with its sister ships scheduled to debut over the next few years. Intimate, upscale and elegant, it brings Viking's signature clean-lined, Scandinavian-influenced design to the waterway in a way that no Viking vessel has before.

TPG's Gene Sloan is reporting live this week from Viking Osiris as it operates a short, non-revenue preview sailing for media in advance of its first voyage with paying passengers. You can find all of his dispatches on his author's page .

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