This was our third Viking Cruise and it fully lived up our high expectations. We included the 5-day pre-cruise extension to Israel which allowed use to see the most important locations in Judeo-Christian history. Our guide, Ofer, was an fount of historical and cultural knowledge. Being there at the intersection of Passover, Ramadan, and the Christian Holy week made for a truly interesting experience. Surprisingly, most of the sites we visited were unusually quiet, perhaps because of the intersecting Holy observances. We then transferred to Cairo Egypt where we stayed 3 nights at the Fairmont Nile City, located on the west bank of the Nile River. The daily tours took us to the Mohammed Ali Mosque, Museum of Antiquities, the Sakkara step pyramid, Giza pyramids, and the Sphinx. Our guide for the entire time in Egypt was Tarek, who was not only a brilliant Egyptologist, but also a captivating story-teller. We then flew to Luxor to board the Osiris. This is the newest Viking ship on the Nile, which was launched in the fall of 2022. The ship was roomy, modern and spotlessly clean--making for a very comfortable stay. As always the entire crew took excellent care of us and our cabin. We spent a day and 1/2 in Luxor visiting the Karnack, Luxor and Dendra Temples. The next stop was Qena to tour the amazing Valley of the Kings and Queens--touring four different tombs including King Tut's, Ramses II (the largest), and Nefertari's (the most beautiful). Other stops included Esna, Edfu, Com Ombo, and Aswan. While in Aswan, we took the optional tour to the Temples at Abu Simbel. We experienced and learned so much! This was truly the trip of a lifetime, which will be hard to top. Our friend got sick while we in Cairo and Tarek arranged to have a doctor come to the hotel, conduct a thorough exam, and prescribe 4 medications--he stayed until the medicine was delivered to the hotel and then made sure our friend understood the use of the meds. Also, Viking provided an armed security guard who accompanied us on every tour -- we always felt safe, but it was nice to know that we had dedicated protection. Overall, we had every need covered--reception at the airport (help arriving and departing) and every transfer from when we left our home until we board the flight to go home.