September 12 - 28, 2023
For MANY years I've wanted to visit the ancient pyramids and sail the Nile River. When I first became serious in the fall of 2018 I discovered all 76 itineraries on Viking cruises for 2020 - yes two years in advance - were sold out. Then in early 2019 Disney Adventures announced they were beginning tours to Egypt in 2020. Kim and I were very interested and asked our travel agent to contact them on the day dates opened. We could not get a 2020 trip but had one for 2021. But like all trips during the global pandemic, the trip was cancelled. Then January 2020, Viking launched a new ship on the Nile and opened dates in 2023. We jumped in - and one benefit to the Viking itinerary is SEVEN nights on the ship AND a post extension to Jordan and the amazing ruins of Petra!
Day 0-1: September 12-13 – Travel Day
Day 2: September 14 – Cairo
Day 3: September 15 – Cairo
Day 4: September 16 – Travel Day / Luxor
Day 5: September 17 - Luxor
Day 6: September 18 - Luxor
Day 7: September 19 - Esna
Day 8: September 20 – Aswan
Day 9: September 21 – Aswan
Day 10: September 22 – Edfu
Day 11: September 23 – Travel Day Luxor to Cairo
Day 12: September 24 – Travel Day Cairo to Jordan
Day 14: September 26 – Petra, Jordan
Day 15: September 27 – Amman, Jordan
Happy Birthday Kim!
Day 16: September 28 - Travel Home
An amazing amount of followers who made up a "record" number of social media hits for this epic trip. Was very happy that so many of my "girls" on social media not only followed and "liked" but reached out with comments.
Our adopted daughter Jillian wished us well early on the adventure, on she and my "Friend-versary" on Facebook.
When we rented in Cape Coral to help my son Jeff with his high school football job I became good friends with Jessica Jordan who was our favorite waitress at our favorite restaurant, Ford's Garage. We've since remained friends and she was a follower as well.
CBS-4 anchor Lauren Pastrana also was following along, which I was happy that she was.
Former CBS-4 Weekend anchor Karli Barnett not only followed along but several times took time to write me private messages.
CBS-4 Morning Weekend anchor Teri Hornstein and her partner in crime, weather girl KC Sherman also followed our trip.
And finally, while on the trip we became good friends with our favorite Viking staff girl, Petra. She joined me for a video clip for the highlight video and we became Facebook friends leading to messaging throughout the remainder of the trip once we'd left the ship and continuing after we returned home. Hopeful she can visit us in the future here in So Fla.
