The 3 types of Viking cruise ships, explained

Viking is uncommon amongst major cruise lines 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 — eventually depend, there have been greater than 80 — characteristic the identical design. When you’ve seen certainly one of them, you have seen all of them.

Ditto for the road’s ocean ships. Twelve of Viking’s 14 ocean ships are practically similar. The 2 exceptions are two ocean vessels particularly designed for expedition cruising — a sort of cruising that includes touring to distant, hard-to-reach locations on hardy vessels that carry their very own touchdown craft.

In consequence, the majority of Viking’s vessels fall into certainly one of simply three teams, with many of the ships in every group sporting very related designs.

As of this summer time, Viking has 82 river ships in its fleet — virtually all of which have the identical primary design. The exceptions are a number of vessels that Viking operates on rivers in Egypt and Asia (extra on these ships beneath). The road additionally just lately began offering cruises on the Mississippi River and its tributaries utilizing a brand new sort of vessel.

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Viking’s 14 ocean ships fall into two distinct teams: a collection of 930- to 998-passenger conventional ocean ships that started debuting in 2015 and a collection of 378-passenger expedition ships that started debuting in 2022.

In contrast to most cruise traces, Viking does not use the time period “lessons” to outline completely different units of ships in its fleet. As an alternative, it refers to its collection of conventional ocean ships because the “Viking ocean ships” and its collection 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 collection of upscale ocean vessels; these new additions are more and more dominating the world of higher-end ocean cruising.

As of this summer time, 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 collection, Viking Vesta and Viking Vela, every of which is barely greater than the primary 9 vessels within the collection and has a capability for 998 passengers.

That provides Viking 10,366 berths within the upscale ocean cruise market — greater than opponents Oceania Cruises and Azamara mixed.

The collection is way from completed. Ten extra of the marginally greater variations of this collection 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 greater than Oceania, Azamara, Seabourn and Silversea Cruises mixed.

The very first thing to know in regards to the ships on this collection is that they’re all just about similar. Even the 2 barely greater vessels aren’t all that a lot completely different from the primary 9. When crusing on any certainly one of them, you can be hard-pressed to inform what’s completely different.

They’re additionally fairly upscale. Whereas Viking does not market itself as a luxurious line, some nonetheless think about it so. The vessels are filled with luxurious touches, from luxurious bedding in cabins to heated flooring in cabin bogs.

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Every of the ships on this collection has a classy, 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 house — a beneficiant quantity. Many cabins are considerably greater than that, with 14 two-room suites on every of the vessels ranging in dimension from 757 to 1,448 sq. toes. Many of those greater suites provide sweeping views from wraparound non-public balconies.

Every of the ships’ inside areas is constructed round a sublime three-deck-high atrium crammed with comfy seating areas which have a dwelling roomlike really feel. Every additionally has a bar and a visitor relations desk. On the high of the ships, you may discover two-deck-high, glass-walled lounges that provide gorgeous views over the bow. Different inside areas embody a health middle and a classy spa with a thermal suite space that’s open to all passengers at no additional cost (one thing that isn’t frequent on cruise vessels).

A number of eating places on board every of the vessels embody Italian eatery Manfredi’s (named after former Silversea proprietor Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, a good friend of Viking founder Torstein Hagen) and The Chef’s Desk. The latter options rotating themed menus.

The centerpiece of every ship’s high deck is the principle pool space, which encompasses a glass magrodome that may shut throughout inclement climate. The principle pool space on every ship sits subsequent to a stunning glass-topped lounge with comfy seating known as the Wintergarden, which is dwelling to afternoon tea. A den of serenity, it is certainly one of 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 collection are basically similar, you can find small variations on a number of of them. Most notably, two of the vessels within the collection — Viking Orion and Viking Jupiter — have a small planetarium constructed into the highest degree of the two-level lounge at their fronts (often known as the Explorers’ Lounge). A few of the later ships within the collection 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 collection, Zhao Shang Yi Dun, caters principally 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 known 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 time. The overwhelming majority of them have the identical primary design and are often 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 number of the largest suites ever for river ships in Europe. Additionally they have a major variety of cabins with balconies, which is made potential by an progressive cabin space format that offsets most important corridors. (In different phrases, the corridors do not run down the center of the ship, making a wider aspect with house for balconies and a narrower aspect with cabins turned sideways to additionally create room for verandas.)

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Different improvements embody a squared-off bow that permits for eight extra cabins than equally sized ships operated by opponents. Additionally, quieter engines permit for extra cabins on the rear. An unlimited quantity of groundbreaking engineering went into redesigning the bow areas of the ships, specifically, to allow additional 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 traces and nonetheless herald the same quantity of income per ship, a undeniable fact that has contributed vastly to the corporate’s fast development.

Like many river ships, every of the Viking Longships has one most important restaurant the place most passengers eat their meals, in addition to one most 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, known 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 employees to develop herbs used in the course of the preparation of onboard meals.

Most Viking Longships are 443 toes lengthy — the right 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 elements require smaller vessels. The 410-foot-long variations of the vessels, for example, 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 completely different lengths, they’re basically similar 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 a number of exceptions within the Viking river fleet. Viking operates several 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 battle in Ukraine.)

Viking additionally just lately started sailings on the Mississippi River with a brand new ship particularly designed for the river and its tributaries.

Along with its current fleet of river ships, Viking has fairly a number of further new river vessels on order for supply later this yr into 2028. Six new river ships are on the best way for 2026, for example, 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 essentially 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 collection, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, both of which debuted in 2022. No extra are presently on order.

As is typical for expedition ships, these are robust vessels with bolstered bows that permit them bump by ice in polar areas; the ships even have additional tanks for gas and meals.

Every of those vessels has its personal touchdown craft on board to carry folks ashore in distant areas, in addition to kayaks and even submarines for exploring. (The latter is the new new factor for expedition ships — upscale cruise manufacturers Scenic Luxurious Cruises & Excursions and Seabourn have been adding 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 staff” that features biologists, botanists, geologists, glaciologists and ornithologists who lecture commonly.

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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 embody a model of Viking’s signature Italian spot, Manfredi’s, and the Scandinavian-inspired Mamsen’s outlet.

One other characteristic of each ships that will probably 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 doubtless spend a lot of their time.