Viking Turns 25
By Anne Kalosh.
Twenty-five years ago this month — August 1997 — Viking launched on the rivers of Russia.
It has blossomed into a global cruise operator plying 20 rivers, five oceans, five Great Lakes and all seven continents.
From the start, “We wanted Viking to be different. We had a vision that travel could be more destination-focused and culturally enriching. We wanted to offer experiences designed for the thinking person,” Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen said.
“We’re just getting started,” Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen said. * Photo: Viking
Enrichment — a Viking Strength
Viking focuses on enrichment, with included tours in ports and, onboard, music performances, cooking demonstrations, informative destination talks and expert guest lecturers.
A Science Lab in conjunction with the University of Cambridge is a feature of Viking’s expedition vessels, and other scientific partners include the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, the Norwegian Institute of Water Research (NIVA), Oceanites and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Species Monitoring Specialist Group.
The Science Lab on expedition ship Viking Octantis. * Photo: Viking
Scale & Scope of Viking is Remarkable
Besides its distinctive approach to cruising, Viking has achieved remarkable scale for a small-ship company.
By my count, Viking fields 76 river vessels (soon to be 77 with Viking Mississippi), nine ocean ships (10 if you include joint-venture China ship Zhao Sun Shan Yi Dun, formerly Viking Sun) and one expedition vessel (soon to be two with Viking Polaris).
The ocean vessels each carry 930 passengers, making them too big for QuirkyCruise’s 300-passenger upper limit, but small compared to most of today’s cruise ships.
Viking’s first U.S. river entrant, Viking Mississippi, carries 382 passengers, while expedition ships Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris have capacity for 378 passengers each.
A rendering of Viking Mississippi in St. Louis, with the city’s landmark Gateway Arch. * Rendering: Viking
More vessels enable wider itineraries, and Viking covers the globe.
Its European river cruises range from eight to 23 days, with itineraries on the Rhine, Main, Danube, Seine, Rhône, Douro, Moselle, Elbe, Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde.
Before the war, Viking operated five vessels in Russia and one in Ukraine.
RELATED: Gene Sloan reviews the Viking Sineus in the Ukraine (in 2019).
It also sails Egypt’s Nile and Southeast Asia’s Mekong.
The new Mississippi cruises range from from eight to 15 days, and span from New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Paul, Minnesota.
Viking’s foray into expedition cruising added Antarctica and the Great Lakes to the offerings, while its 930-passenger ships explore Scandinavia and Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Alaska, North and South America and Africa. World cruises are available, too.
2022 — A Year of Launches for Viking
This 25th anniversary is a year of significant capacity growth across all its cruise segments.
In January, Viking debuted expeditions on the purpose-built Viking Octantis, currently sailing its inaugural Great Lakes season. Sister Viking Polaris is soon to follow.
Expedition ship Viking Octantis in the Welland Canal, part of the St. Lawrence Seaway connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. * Photo: Viking
In the spring, the company welcomed eight new Viking Longships and its newest 930-passenger ship, Viking Mars. Mars’ sister, Viking Neptune, is due in November.
This month, Viking is bringing out three purpose-built vessels for the Mekong, Nile and Mississippi.
RELATED: Writer Peter Knego Reviews Viking’s 8 New Long Ships
Viking Saigon Plies the Mekong
Viking Saigon has just begun its inaugural Mekong season. The 80-passenger vessel sails between Kampong Cham, Cambodia, and Mỹ Tho, Vietnam, as part of a 15-day “Magnificent Mekong” itinerary.
Viking Saigon was built for the Mekong River. * Photo: Viking
This highlights the cultural treasures of Vietnam and Cambodia with 16 guided tours. Hotel stays in Hanoi, Siem Reap (for UNESCO World Heritage Site Angkor Wat) and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) bracket an eight-day river voyage.
The triple-deck Viking Saigon has the sleek Scandinavian design for which Viking is known. The vessel offers 40 outside staterooms including two enormous Explorer Suites.
The spacious living room of one of the two top-of-the-line Explorer Suites on Viking Saigon. * Photo: Viking
Public rooms include a restaurant, spa and fitness center, infinity pool and open-air Sky Bar on the Upper Deck.
Viking Saigon’s Scandinavian style is reflected in the restaurant. * Photo: Viking
Viking Osiris is Based in Egypt
Meanwhile, in Egypt, the 82-passenger Viking Osiris is debuting on the 12-day “Pharaohs & Pyramids” itinerary.
A rendering of new Nile riverboat Viking Osiris. * Rendering: Viking
This coincides with several key events in Egypt during 2022, including the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum outside Cairo on the Giza Plateau and the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb by Howard Carter and his benefactor, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon.
Building on Viking’s longstanding relationship with the Carnarvon family (whose Highclere Castle is the setting for “Downton Abbey”), passengers who sail on Viking Osiris will experience “privileged access” to two new curated programs that retrace the steps of Carter and the Earl.
Viking Osiris has 41 staterooms including two Explorer Suites, Scandinavian interiors, the line’s trademark Aquavit Terrace for indoor/outdoor dining and lounging, a pool, restaurant and indoor lounge with bar.
RELATED: Stay tuned for our review of Viking Osiris, which writer John Roberts will cover for us soon!
Viking Mississippi Explores 7 States
The five-deck Viking Mississippi has 193 all outside staterooms, Scandinavian design and familiar public spaces reimagined for the Mississippi.
For example, a two-story Explorers’ Lounge faces forward and The Bow provides an outdoor seating area for big river views. There’s an Aquavit Terrace and a glass-backed pool, aft.
Currently scheduled ports span seven states: Louisiana (Baton Rouge, Darrow, New Orleans and St. Francisville), Mississippi (Natchez and Vicksburg), Tennessee (Memphis), Missouri (Hannibal, St. Louis), Iowa (Burlington, Dubuque and Davenport), Wisconsin (La Crosse) and Minnesota (Red Wing, St. Paul).
Viking Mississippi at its float-out in February. * Photo: Viking
A Viking Little History
After Viking’s 1997 start on the Russian rivers, in 2000, the company acquired Europe’s KD River Cruises to grow its fleet, leverage 40 years of river cruising experience and secure rights to prime docking locations in key European cities.
At the same time, the company expanded into the U.S. market, establishing an office in Los Angeles. Back then, most European river cruises were taken by Europeans.
Viking cultivated North American clientele, who drove the explosive growth of river cruising.
To do this, the company poured many hundreds of millions of dollars into marketing and advertising, becoming a household name to PBS viewers by sponsoring the celebrated “Masterpiece” series and “Downton Abbey.”
And Viking built and built and built. In 2012, it introduced the first of a new style of vessel, the Viking Longship. These now make up 55 of its 76 river vessels.
The first ocean ship arrived in 2015, and one or two sister ships a year have followed since.
Women in bunader, traditional Norwegian dress, at the Viking Longships naming in Paris in March. * Photo: Viking
“We Didn’t Get Here Alone”
“We still think of ourselves as a little company, but what we have accomplished is remarkable,” Hagen said. “One thing is for sure: we didn’t get here alone,” he added, acknowledging the “extended Viking family” of guests and staff (employees now number 10,000).
While Hagen’s proud of everything to date, he said: “We’re just getting started.”
Viking is working its way toward 100 river vessels. Bernard Meyer of the Meyer Group of shipyards, left, watches Torstein Hagen keeping track of the numbers. * Photo: Viking
Interested in a Viking river cruise?
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HEIDI SARNA
What a sensational overview of Viking’s amazing success and growth. I never thought Viking would actually make it on the Mississippi, a long long time in coming but then voila!
My Viking experiences were a terrific Danube itinerary from Budapest to the Black Sea and equally interesting waterways of Russia between St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Thank you for your splendid write up.
Thanks for your kind words! That Budapest ot the Black Sea trip sounds extraordinary, and the Russian rivers, too!