Invasion of the Viking River Longships!

Excerpts from an article written by James Shillinglaw editor in chief of TravelPulse on March 22, 2012

Torstein "Tor" Hagen, the brash, confident, highly entrepreneurial chairman and CEO of Viking River Cruises, has always had a streak of the gambler in him. While he was educated as a nuclear physicist, he ended up at Harvard Business School and eventually at Royal Viking Line, the fabled but long defunct cruise company. Hagen then transferred his attentions to the rivers of Russia and Europe to build what arguably is the largest river cruise line in the world at 19 ships, if you’re counting before this past week. Now Hagen is doubling down big time with the launch the first four of 12 planned "Longships," the newly designed Viking River standard for river cruising. Four ships – Viking Odin, Viking Idun, Viking Freya and Viking Njord – were christened on March 21, 2012. Viking River will then introduce two more ships – Viking Embla and Viking Aegir – in July and August. And Hagen isn’t done yet. He’s building another six Longship class ships set for delivery in 2013. Each ship carries 190 passengers, so the entire new fleet of Longships will add another 2,280 berths to the Viking fleetWith that kind of wager on the river cruise market, Hagen must be convinced he’s betting on a sure thing. Indeed, he probably is. The river cruise market has expanded dramatically in the last 20 years and is on pace to grow even more extensively now with Viking’s newbuilds, as well as new ships this year from AmaWaterways, American Cruise Lines, Avalon, Great American Steamboat and Scenic, among others. Meantime, the pace of new oceangoing ships has slowed dramatically, with only five newbuilds set for delivery this year. That said, the passenger capacity of the entire river cruise fleet could probably fit into a couple of oceangoing mega-ships, though I believe that’s going to be tested in the next few years. For their part, Americans have discovered what European travelers have known for years: a cruise on the rivers of Europe is a great way to see the cities, culture, culinary attractions and history of the Continent. River cruise companies also are applying their formula to other destinations, including the Nile (where river cruises have been offered for years), Southeast Asia, South America and the United States.

So what makes a Viking Longship different from its competition in Europe? Well, first off there are going to be a lot more of them in the next two years – more than any other river ship afloat. More importantly, Viking River has fundamentally altered the design of the vessel to accommodate more cabins with verandas. The new design, which Viking River says is patent-pending, also includes two 445-square-foot Explorer Suites with private wraparound verandas and 270° views. All cabins also have rather large (32-inch minimum) flat-screen TVs and some very good Wi-Fi Internet service due to the introduction of new technology. One of the most innovative features is the new Aquavit Terrace, an indoor/outdoor area at the bow of the ship where passengers can relax, engage in casual dining and do what they came to do – namely view the scenic river views. No other river ship has such an area in the bow of the ship with or an area that combines a more classic lounge with a large outdoor space. Each Longship has 95 outside staterooms (including two Explorer Suites, two Veranda Suites, 39 Veranda Staterooms, 22 French Balcony Staterooms, 25 Standard Staterooms). All suites feature two rooms with a veranda off the living room and a French balcony in the bedroom. The ships also feature a sun deck with 360-degree views and shaded sitting area, an organic herb garden and solar panels.

With the introduction of the Longships, Viking River has developed a revolutionary design that represents yet another leap forward for river cruising. But that also seems to be the norm over the past few years, with most of the major river cruising companies unveiling new products, new designs and revolutionary features designed to appear to a new generation of river cruise passenger. Indeed, river cruising today just happens to be one of the most innovative and exciting categories in all of travel today – and one that is attracting increasing numbers of customers. For more information on river cruising and Viking River call 203-288-1884.