Viking is uncommon amongst main cruise strains in that it operates each ocean ships and river ships. Regardless of this, it has one of many easiest-to-understand fleets.
The overwhelming majority of Viking’s river ships — finally depend, there have been greater than 80 — function the identical design. Should you’ve seen one among them, you have seen all of them.
Ditto for the road’s ocean ships. Twelve of Viking’s 14 ocean ships are practically an identical. The 2 exceptions are two ocean vessels particularly designed for expedition cruising — a sort of cruising that entails touring to distant, hard-to-reach locations on hardy vessels that carry their very own touchdown craft.
Consequently, the majority of Viking’s vessels fall into one among simply three teams, with a lot of the ships in every group sporting very related designs.
An introduction to Viking cruise ships
Viking has expanded enormously in recent times with the addition of dozens of recent river and ocean ships.
Based in 1997 with 4 river vessels, the corporate operated simply 29 ships as not too long ago as 2012. However a interval of fast progress since then has introduced the entire variety of vessels in its fleet to greater than 90, with the quantity set to cross 100 by the tip of this yr.
The overwhelming majority of those ships are river ships — the corporate’s sole focus for its first 18 years in enterprise. The corporate dominates the marketplace for river cruises geared toward North Individuals, accounting for about 50% of all such journeys.
However beginning in 2015, Viking started rolling out ocean cruise ships, too.
As of this summer season, Viking has 82 river ships in its fleet — virtually all of which have the identical fundamental design. The exceptions are just a few vessels that Viking operates on rivers in Egypt and Asia (extra on these ships beneath). The road additionally not too long ago started providing cruises on the Mississippi River and its tributaries utilizing a brand new kind of vessel.
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Viking’s 14 ocean ships fall into two distinct teams: a sequence of 930- to 998-passenger conventional ocean ships that started debuting in 2015 and a sequence of 378-passenger expedition ships that started debuting in 2022.
In contrast to most cruise strains, Viking would not use the time period “courses” to outline totally different units of ships in its fleet. As an alternative, it refers to its sequence of conventional ocean ships because the “Viking ocean ships” and its sequence of expedition ships because the “Viking expedition ships.” We have adopted the identical breakdown of the road’s ocean and river fleet beneath.
Viking ocean ships
Ships: Viking Vesta (2025), Viking Vela (2024), Viking Saturn (2023), Viking Neptune (2022), Viking Mars (2022), Viking Venus (2021), Viking Jupiter (2019), Viking Orion (2018), Zhao Shang Yi Dun (2017), Viking Sky (2017), Viking Sea (2016) and Viking Star (2015)
Dimension: 47,800 to 53,769 tons
For years, Viking solely operated river ships, and a few cruisers nonetheless consider the model primarily as a river cruise firm. Nevertheless, since 2015, Viking has been quickly rolling out a sequence of upscale ocean vessels; these new additions are more and more dominating the world of higher-end ocean cruising.
As of this summer season, Viking has 11 of those ships crusing the world’s oceans, all however two of which have a capability for 930 passengers. The exceptions are the 2 latest vessels within the sequence, Viking Vesta and Viking Vela, every of which is barely larger than the primary 9 vessels within the sequence and has a capability for 998 passengers.
That offers Viking 10,366 berths within the upscale ocean cruise market — greater than opponents Oceania Cruises and Azamara mixed.
The sequence is way from completed. Ten extra of the marginally larger variations of this sequence are on order from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for supply between 2026 and 2031, and the corporate additionally has choices with Fincantieri for 4 extra of the ships to debut in 2032 and 2033. Assuming they’re all constructed, Viking’s ocean division will quickly be larger than Oceania, Azamara, Seabourn and Silversea Cruises mixed.
The very first thing to know in regards to the ships on this sequence is that they’re all just about an identical. Even the 2 barely larger vessels aren’t all that a lot totally different from the primary 9. When crusing on any one among them, you may be hard-pressed to inform what’s totally different.
They’re additionally fairly upscale. Whereas Viking would not market itself as a luxurious line, some nonetheless take into account it so. The vessels are filled with luxurious touches, from luxurious bedding in cabins to heated flooring in cabin loos.
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Every of the ships on this sequence has a trendy, Scandinavian-influenced design that may be a Viking trademark, and the cabins are massive by cruise ship requirements. Even the smallest cabins on every of the vessels have 270 sq. toes of area — a beneficiant quantity. Many cabins are considerably larger than that, with 14 two-room suites on every of the vessels ranging in measurement from 757 to 1,448 sq. toes. Many of those larger suites provide sweeping views from wraparound personal balconies.
Every of the ships’ inside areas is constructed round a chic three-deck-high atrium stuffed with comfy seating areas which have a residing roomlike really feel. Every additionally has a bar and a visitor relations desk. On the prime of the ships, you will discover two-deck-high, glass-walled lounges that supply gorgeous views over the bow. Different inside areas embrace a health heart and a trendy spa with a thermal suite space that’s open to all passengers at no further cost (one thing that’s not frequent on cruise vessels).
A number of eating places on board every of the vessels embrace Italian eatery Manfredi’s (named after former Silversea proprietor Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, a pal of Viking founder Torstein Hagen) and The Chef’s Desk. The latter options rotating themed menus.
The centerpiece of every ship’s prime deck is the principle pool space, which contains a glass magrodome that may shut throughout inclement climate. The primary pool space on every ship sits subsequent to a beautiful glass-topped lounge with comfy seating referred to as the Wintergarden, which is dwelling to afternoon tea. A den of serenity, it is one among our favourite locations on these vessels.
A secondary pool space with an infinity pool is behind every of the ships.
Whereas all of the ships on this sequence are primarily an identical, you’ll find small variations on just a few of them. Most notably, two of the vessels within the sequence — Viking Orion and Viking Jupiter — have a small planetarium constructed into the highest degree of the two-level lounge at their fronts (generally known as the Explorers’ Lounge). A few of the later ships within the sequence have barely bigger health facilities and barely smaller hair salons.
Word that along with the 11 Viking ocean ships formally within the Viking fleet, a twelfth ship from the identical sequence, Zhao Shang Yi Dun, caters largely to the China market as a part of a three way partnership between Viking and a Chinese language firm. When it debuted in 2017, the ship initially catered to the North American market and was referred to as Viking Solar.
Viking river ships
Ships: Viking Fjorgyn (2022), Viking Kari (2022), Viking Radgrid (2022), Viking Skaga (2022) and greater than 60 different Longships constructed since 2012, in addition to further river vessels
Dimension: 4,000 to five,000 tons
River ships initially put Viking on the map, and so they’re nonetheless on the core of the model.
As famous above, the road has 82 river ships in its fleet as of this summer season. The overwhelming majority of them have the identical fundamental design and are generally known as Longships — a reference to the historic vessels utilized by Vikings within the Center Ages.
Unveiled in 2012 and designed particularly to suit into the locks used throughout a lot of Europe’s rivers, the Longships broke new floor in river ship design in a number of methods.
For starters, they’ve a configuration that features a few of the largest suites ever for river ships in Europe. In addition they have a big variety of cabins with balconies, which is made attainable by an modern cabin space structure that offsets important corridors. (In different phrases, the corridors do not run down the center of the ship, making a wider facet with area for balconies and a narrower facet with cabins turned sideways to additionally create room for verandas.)
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Different improvements embrace a squared-off bow that permits for eight extra cabins than equally sized ships operated by opponents. Additionally, quieter engines enable for extra cabins on the rear. An infinite quantity of groundbreaking engineering went into redesigning the bow areas of the ships, particularly, to allow further cabins whereas nonetheless leaving room for wanted equipment.
Because of such improvements, the Viking Longships can carry extra passengers than equally sized ships operated by opponents. This has allowed Viking to supply decrease costs than different river cruise strains and nonetheless usher in an analogous quantity of income per ship, a undeniable fact that has contributed enormously to the corporate’s fast progress.
Like many river ships, every of the Viking Longships has one important restaurant the place most passengers eat their meals, in addition to one important inside lounge with a bar. There’s additionally a secondary, informal eating space on the entrance of every vessel with indoor and outside seating. (The outside portion, referred to as the Aquavit Terrace, additionally serves as a forward-facing outside lounge throughout off hours.) In contrast to many river ships, the vessels don’t have any spas or health facilities.
As is typical for river ships, the highest of each Viking Longship is roofed with an expansive lounge space. There are additionally a strolling observe and an herb backyard — the latter utilized by the kitchen workers to develop herbs used in the course of the preparation of onboard meals.
Most Viking Longships are 443 toes lengthy — the proper size to suit into the locks on a lot of Europe’s rivers. Viking additionally constructed barely smaller variations of the Longships, measuring 361 toes or 410 toes in size, particularly to sail on rivers the place lock sizes or different navigational components require smaller vessels. The 410-foot-long variations of the vessels, as an illustration, have been particularly constructed to sail into the center of Paris on the Seine.
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Whereas the Longships are available a number of totally different lengths, they’re primarily an identical of their choices and decor. The one notable distinction is that the smaller variations of the ships have fewer cabins and thus maintain fewer folks. The 443-foot-long variations of the ship are designed for 190 passengers, for instance, whereas the 410-foot-long variations of the vessels maintain 168 passengers (since they’ve 11 fewer cabins).
Whereas most Viking river ships are Longships, there are just a few exceptions within the Viking river fleet. Viking operates a number of smaller, purpose-built vessels on the Nile in Egypt. It additionally has a number of older river vessels that predate the Longships and historically have operated on rivers in Russia and Ukraine. (For now, river cruise itineraries in each nations are on maintain as a result of warfare in Ukraine.)
Viking additionally not too long ago started sailings on the Mississippi River with a brand new ship particularly designed for the river and its tributaries.
Along with its present fleet of river ships, Viking has fairly just a few further new river vessels on order for supply later this yr into 2028. Six new river ships are on the best way for 2026, as an illustration, and there are one other 12 river vessels on order for supply in 2028 and 2029.
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Viking expedition ships
Ships: Viking Polaris (2022) and Viking Octantis (2022)
Dimension: 30,150 tons
Designed to carry simply 378 passengers, the Viking expedition ships are particularly designed to take vacationers to probably the most off-the-beaten-path components of the world, together with Antarctica and the Arctic.
As of now, Viking operates simply two ships within the sequence, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, each of which debuted in 2022. No extra are at present on order.
As is typical for expedition ships, these are powerful vessels with bolstered bows that allow them bump by ice in polar areas; the ships even have further tanks for gas and meals.
Every of those vessels has its personal touchdown craft on board to convey folks ashore in distant places, in addition to kayaks and even submarines for exploring. (The latter is the recent new factor for expedition ships — upscale cruise manufacturers Scenic Luxurious Cruises & Excursions and Seabourn have been including submarines to expedition ships, too.)
Like different expedition ships, each Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are designed to function with a big and seasoned “expedition group” that features biologists, botanists, geologists, glaciologists and ornithologists who lecture recurrently.
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Every of the vessels has a number of new and weird options, too. Most notable is The Hangar: an enclosed marina that permits passengers to switch to a 12-seat tour craft whereas nonetheless within the protected inside of the ship. It is a first for an expedition cruise ship.
In one other first for a polar expedition cruise vessel, each cabin has floor-to-ceiling glass partitions that slide partially open from the highest to create a balconylike really feel.
Each Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are designed to be upscale. Like all Viking vessels, they’ve elegant Scandinavian designs. The eating places on each vessels embrace a model of Viking’s signature Italian spot, Manfredi’s, and the Scandinavian-inspired Mamsen’s outlet.
One other function of each ships that might be acquainted to common Viking clients is a top-of-the-ship, glass-walled Explorers’ Lounge providing gorgeous views of passing surroundings.
In case you are curious, Viking Octantis is called after Sigma Octantis, the present South Star that hovers over the South Pole (also referred to as Polaris Australis). Polaris is called after the present North Star that hovers over the North Pole. The names are a nod to the polar areas the place these expedition ships will probably spend a lot of their time.
Backside line
Viking operates extra cruise vessels than some other main cruise firm that caters to North Individuals. That is, partly, as a result of it is concerned in each the ocean cruise and river cruise companies. Regardless of its massive measurement, its fleet of vessels is comparatively simple to grasp. The overwhelming majority of each its ocean ships and river ships are virtually an identical of their designs.
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