VIKING River Cruises will launch an
unprecedented six new ships in 2012, after
bringing forward the construction of two more
of its new Longships due to strong demand.
“Ever since we announced the introduction
of the Viking Longships earlier this year, the
response has been overwhelming,” said the
cruise line’s ceo Torstein Hagen.
“To accommodate the demand, we have
decided to accelerate the new builds schedule
and bring two more Viking Longships into the
fleet in 2012,” he said.
And passengers from Australia and New
Zealand are expected to be among the first to
experience the vessels, with local Viking River
Cruises general manager, Teresia Fors
confirming that local demand had also spiked
since the Longships were announced in March.
They’re part of the company’s US$250
million fleet development program, which
includes ten new Longships by 2014, along
with significant refurbishments of several of
the company’s existing vessels.
The latest ships to be announced will be
named Viking Embla and Viking Aegir and will
launch in July and August 2012, joining their
four slightly older sisters, Viking Freya, Viking
Idun, Viking Njord and Viking Odin which will
all be christened next March.
The Longship design features the “largest real
suites in Europe” as well as more full-size
rooms and full-size verandas than other
European river cruise vessels, Viking says.
