by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 9:20 AM ET, Fri March 6, 2026
UPDATE:
Viking will now resume Egypt river cruises beginning March 12
"The official travel advisories have been clarified, and the current advisory for Egypt remains the same as it was prior to the start of the recent conflict," Viking said in a statement, per Travel Weekly.
Original Text
Viking is cancelling its Egypt river cruises through the end of March because of the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Company leaders say they made the decision out of an abundance of caution and in consideration of new guidance from the U.S. State Department. The cruise line has contacted all affected guests and travel advisors directly.
“Our global operations team remains in close contact with relevant authorities and security advisors, and we will continue to assess developments as they unfold,” according to a statement from the company. “The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our highest priority. If conditions change, we are fully prepared to respond swiftly and appropriately.”
During an earnings call on Tuesday, Torstein Hagen, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, was optimistic that the conflict wouldn’t greatly affect the company’s business.
“Many, many years ago, events like this would be creating tremors in boardrooms,” Hagen said. “But I think American customers, and particularly the type we have, are well-educated about the world… What we've seen in the past is we haven't been significantly impacted. You have a little blip when things happen and then they go back to normal.”
He added: “Travel warnings are never nice and maybe they are basis for something real but our guests are really quite versed in where do bad things happen,” Hagen said. “We don't minimize it but things come and things go and we will deal with it, of course always taking care of our guests.”
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