Viking Egdir

The 2021-built Longship Viking Egdir cruises on the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers, visiting the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria. The vessel departs from homeports Amsterdam, Bucharest, and Budapest.

Unlike her older sister ships, Egdir (delivered on March 25, 2021) is equipped with a hybrid propulsion system combining three marine diesel engines and two battery units. The original Longship design typically includes five diesel engines in total (including one emergency diesel generator and one auxiliary diesel).

Viking Egdir (ENI number 7002151) is currently Switzerland-flagged (MMSI number 269057766) and registered in Basel.

This Viking longship is named after Egdir (Eggder) – in Norse mythology, the giantess Angrboda’s herder who raises monstrous wolves. From Old Norse, the name translates as “edge-servant,” “servant of the sword,” or “one who provides victims for battle.”

Viking Longships are fitted with solar panels (mounted aft on the Sun Deck) and hybrid (diesel-electric) powerplants based on energy-efficient marine engines.

Decks and Cabins

Viking Egdir staterooms (95 total, in 8 categories) include 9 Suites, 39 Balcony cabins, 22 French Balcony cabins, and 25 Standard cabins (with non-opening windows). The ship features two aft-located Explorer Suites with wraparound balconies offering 270-degree panoramic views. The seven Veranda Suites have two separate rooms and include a step-out balcony (accessed from the living room) and a French balcony (in the bedroom). The 39 Veranda Staterooms also feature step-out balconies.

The vessel has 4 decks (3 with cabins) and a maximum passenger capacity of 190. All guests are provided with modern hotel-style amenities and high-quality travel and leisure services.

Cabin types and categories (number, location), from highest to lowest:

• Suites – ES (Explorer, x2, Deck 3 aft), AA (Veranda, x7, Deck 3 portside)
• Balcony Staterooms – A (x20, Deck 3 starboard), B (x17, Deck 2 starboard)
• French Balcony Staterooms (with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors) – C (x5, Deck 3 portside aft), D (x15, Deck 2 portside)
• RiverView / Standard Staterooms – E (x18, Deck 1 midship), F (x7, Deck 1 midship-aft)

Shipboard facilities

The Observation Bar Lounge features floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening onto the Aquavit Terrace, a bow-located indoor-outdoor venue designed for relaxation and al fresco dining. The Sun Deck is serviced by the Aquavit Terrace staff and offers 360-degree unobstructed river views. This top deck includes a forward sundeck with Sky Bar (outdoor seating area with tables and deckchairs), SkyLight (glass roof over the Atrium), Wheelhouse (navigation bridge), a midship shaded seating area (covered by a retractable awning and surrounded by a walking track), a sunbathing area (with loungers), and an aft sundeck with a putting green (mini-golf), organic herb garden, and deck games area (shuffleboard and giant outdoor chessboard).

Dining options onboard include the Egdir Restaurant (main dining room) and the Aquavit Terrace (Lido buffet with sliding glass doors opening to the outdoor terrace). Additional facilities include a two-deck Atrium (lobby with 24-hour Reception Desk), Library (Internet lounge), and Shop (gifts and souvenirs).

Viking Cruises longships do not have a fitness/gym room, swimming pool, jacuzzi (outdoor whirlpool), spa/beauty salon, or self-service laundry facilities (laundromats). One elevator connects only Decks 2 and 3. All decks are also accessible via stairs located forward (Grand Staircase in the Atrium), midship, and aft.

River Cruise Itineraries

A list of Viking Egdir river cruise itineraries by theme has not yet been officially announced by Viking Cruises.

Viking Egdir cruise fares include Internet (Wi-Fi), all tours and excursions, ground (bus) transfers, live evening entertainment, daily lectures and presentations, food and wine tastings, 24-hour coffee and tea, and daily replenished bottled water. River cruise prices are per person and based on double occupancy. These rates are indicative and may vary depending on travel agency promotions, special offers, discounts, group bookings, or last-minute deals.

Transfers to/from the Viking Egdir and airport meet-and-greet services are included in the fare only when airfare is purchased through Viking Cruises (via the company’s Viking Air package).

Viking Egdir is one of the last longships (65 in total) built by Neptun Werft for Viking Cruises. This patented river cruise ship design allows for larger passenger accommodations without reducing the size of public areas or compromising overall comfort. The Longship Egdir represents Viking Cruises’ latest design, featuring energy-efficient hybrid engine technology, solar panels, and interior design developed by Yran & Storbraaten (Norway). The patented “longship” concept, created by Rottet Studios (USA), enables significantly larger accommodations with full-size (step-out) balconies. The additional cabin space is achieved by shifting the deck corridor approximately 1 m (3.3 ft) off-center.

The vessel’s powerplant consists of two main Caterpillar marine diesel engines (model CAT32-ACERT, total power output 2 MW) supported by two battery units. These engines are V12 configurations (12 cylinders arranged in a V layout driving a single crankshaft). The propulsion system includes two Caterpillar marine propulsion engines (model CAT18-ACERT, combined output 2 MW), two Schottel bow thrusters (model SPJ 82RD, total power output 680 kW), and four double propellers (model Schottel STP 200).

Group christening 2022

On March 16, 2022, a joint christening ceremony officially named eight riverboats – four in Paris (Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid, Skaga) and four in Amsterdam (Hervor, Egdir, Gersemi, Gymir), connected via video link.

• The four Seine River-based vessels (Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid, Skaga) are shorter sister ships. As part of a modified Longship design (LOA length 125 m / 410 ft), they were specifically built for Seine River navigation and homeporting at Pont de Grenelle (Paris), meeting the dock’s maximum length requirements.
• The other four vessels (Hervor, Egdir, Gersemi, Gymir) follow the classic Longship design (LOA length 135 m / 440 ft).
• The group christening ceremony was attended by Torstein Hagen (Viking’s Chairman) in Amsterdam, onboard Viking Kari.
• During each naming ceremony, the ship’s godmother delivered a speech and blessing, followed by the traditional breaking of a bottle of Gammel Opland Aquavit (a herb-flavored spirit distilled from grain and potatoes, based on a recipe from 1872 by Oplandske Spritfabrik) against the hull.

The ships’ godmothers are as follows:

• Viking Gymir – Alma Deutscher (violinist, pianist, composer, conductor, daughter of Janie Deutscher)
• Viking Egdir – Helen Deutscher (violinist, pianist, vocalist, daughter of Janie Deutscher)
• Viking Radgrid – Janie Deutscher (author, educator, musician)
• Viking Hervor – Brenda Hunsberger (AAA Club Alliance’s Senior Vice President of Travel Services)
• Viking Gersemi – Karryn Christopher (Signature Travel Network’s Executive Vice President of Preferred Partnerships & Marketing)
• Viking Fjorgyn – Ghislaine Wood (Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, Deputy Director)
• Viking Skaga – Muriel Wilson (Virtuoso Ltd’s Director of Event Strategy & Sponsorships)
• Viking Kari – Kari Garmann (Norwegian politician, Oslo City Council member 1979–1987, deputy representative to Norway’s Parliament in 1985 and 1989)

Note: You can view CruiseMapper’s list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the “itinerary” section of our River Cruises hub, where all companies and their fleets are listed.