Viking Cruises is getting bigger, both on oceans and rivers, with the launch of another ocean vessel and the announcement of ten more of its iconic ‘Viking Longboat’ river cruisers.
Viking Vesta, the 11th ship in the ocean fleet, was ‘floated out’ last week at a shipyard in Italy, and is now ready for its interior decoration and facilities to be added before entering service next year. A sister ship, Viking Vela, will follow soon. The pair are nearly identical to the previous ships except for being just a little longer than the others, accommodating 998 passengers instead of 930.
The river ships, which have room for 190 passengers, are to sail on European rivers including the Seine, Rhine, Main and Danube. Five will enter service next year and the other five the year after. The new ships are virtual duplicates of the current fleet. Viking’s river fleets, which also operate in Asia, Africa and the U.S. total 80 vessels.
