Viking Cruises released the Viking Star less than a year ago. The cruise line plans to get even bigger by releasing even more vessels between now and 2020. Here are all of the details.
New Vessels
The first of the vessels to debut will be the Viking Sea on March 24th of this year. Next it will be the Viking Sky on February 15, 2017 and the Viking Sun on October 31, 2017. Another ship will be released in June of 2018 and the last one in September 2020. Neither of these ships have been named yet as Viking is still figuring out the details.
Viking Star
Viking debuted the Viking Star in April 2015. This ship was the company’s first ocean ship and all of the upcoming ships will be its sister ships. The Star can accommodate 930 passengers and features port-intensive itineraries. Many of the itineraries have overnight stays at each port. One of the drawbacks of this ship is that there are no activities for children and cruisers have to be at least 16 years of age to sail on the Star. For those that are looking for an adults only type cruise, this is the ship for them.
The Longship
Viking also recently christened six new vessels. They have a “longship” design that Viking first debuted in 2012. Each of these ships can accommodate 190 passengers and has some of the biggest suites available on any of Europe’s river ships. These ships include the Viking Vilhjalm, Viking Egil, Viking Kadlin, Viking Tialfi, Viking Alruna and Viking Tialfi. The Rolf and Kadlin will sail down the Seine River while the other ships will sail down the Main, Danube and Rhine Rivers. Viking will also be adding a 7th ship this month called the Viking Osfrid that will sail down the Duoro River.
If everything goes according to plan, Viking will surpass the rollout of new ships by some of its competitors like Ocean Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. Viking hopes to have 10 or more ocean ships as well as around 100 river ships. This cruise line is trying to become a big name in the cruise industry. They are hoping to lure passengers with perks like complimentary internet access and free tours at each port. They also offer guests complimentary beer and wine with their lunch and dinner and free self-serve laundry facilities.
Viking’s expansion reflects the growing popularity of river cruising. For a look at Viking’s newest North American offering, read our advisors’ guide to New Mississippi River Cruises with Viking.
