Viking, which began with river cruises and added ocean cruises in the past couple of years has dropped a broad hint its next foray may be into the fast-growing world of expedition cruising.
The company announced Tuesday that it had finalized contracts for two new ships to be delivered in 2021 and 2022, will be built by Vard, a division of cruise-ship builder Fincantieri. The speculation that Viking is headed for exhibition cruising is based on Vard’s specialization in expedition-style ships.
Ships for that segment are usually substantially smaller than regular cruise ships (although Viking’s ocean cruisers are already small, at 930 passengers) and built for rugged conditions. They normally sail into remote or hard-to-access areas such as Antarctica, the Amazon, and more; often passengers leave the ship on small craft rather than docking.
