Viking Cruises

Profile

Viking was founded in 1997 with the vision that travel could be more destination focused and culturally immersive.

The company expanded into the American market in 2000, establishing a sales and marketing office in Los Angeles, California. Since then, Viking has grown to a fleet of more than 90 vessels, offering river, ocean and expedition voyages on all seven continents. Viking provides destination-focused itineraries for curious travelers, with each journey including a shore excursion in every port and an onboard and onshore enrichment program that provides deep immersion in the destination through performances of music and art, cooking demonstrations, informative port talks and carefully selected guest lecturers.

With more than 450 awards to its name, Viking is a leader in the industry and was rated #1 for Rivers, #1 for Oceans (for ships sized 500 to 2,500 berths) and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards. This is the first time a travel company has been voted #1 in all three categories simultaneously.

Sailing Europe’s storied rivers, the award-winning fleet of identical Viking Longships® offer a variety of stateroom categories and true two-room suites with full-size verandas. Onboard amenities include a restaurant, bar and lounge, library and expansive sun deck. The ships feature al fresco dining on the revolutionary indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace, elegant Scandinavian design and environmentally considerate features, such as solar panels, an onboard organic herb garden and energy-efficient hybrid engines for a remarkably smooth ride.

Europe river voyages range from 8 to 23 days, with itineraries featuring Europe’s Rhine, Main, Danube, Seine, Rhône, Douro, Moselle, Elbe, Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde Rivers.

Viking also offers voyages on Egypt’s Nile River and Southeast Asia’s Mekong River.

In 2015, Viking introduced its first ocean ship with the naming of the 930-guest all-veranda Viking Star. One year later, Viking launched its second ocean ship, the Viking Sea, which was joined by sister ship the Viking Sky in 2017, the Viking Orion in 2018, the Viking Jupiter in 2019 and the Viking Venus in 2021. Identical sister ships the Viking Mars and the Viking Neptune joined the fleet in 2022; the Viking Saturn joined in 2023.

The company’s award-winning ships are engineered at a size that allows direct access into most ports, so guests can easily and efficiently embark and disembark—allowing for more time in port. Viking’s ocean fleet features modern Scandinavian design with elegant touches, intimate spaces and attention to detail. Each ship boasts a private veranda in every stateroom, a choice of restaurants offering a variety of fine dining options, the most al fresco dining at sea, an infinity pool, a Nordic-inspired spa, the two-deck Explorers’ Lounge with panoramic views, thoughtfully curated book collections throughout the ship and more.

Ocean itineraries are designed to maximize the amount of time travelers spend in their destination. These enriching itineraries include base and combination voyages around the world—with particular focus in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Alaska, North and South America and Africa.

Viking’s ocean ships have been designed to be environmentally considerate, with energy-efficient hull, propeller and rudder arrangements and engines with heat recovery systems. This allows ships to reach the best Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI)* in its class, exceeding the current International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements by approximately 205 percent and will exceed the 2025 EEDI requirements by almost 20 percent. Additionally, Viking ships are the first newbuilds in the world with a closed-loop exhaust cleaning system designed so that pollutants can be removed and disposed of safely.