Started August 27, 2021, By The contract's potential value is approx NOK 5 billion (USD 611 million = EUR 525 m) for both ships, and also includes optional two more vessels of the same series. Fleetwide operations were planned to resume on October 1, 2020. During the 2015 christening, 8 longships were in Amsterdam. Photo: Courtesy of Viking Cruises. They offered us a 150 dollar non refundable credit to be used onboard. The first boat (Viking Mississippi) starts operations in August 2022. Starting operations in 2022 with 1 ship (out of all 6 planned newbuilds), Viking's USA-based river cruise ships will be 5-deck, with all-balcony staterooms, aft-located infinity pool, bow ramp (for passenger landings). Each tour boat is fitted with latest Safety Equipment (satellite phone, VHF radio, ropes, life jackets, survival kits). It is fitted with benches and has dark stone walls illuminated by blue light. Aula Auditorium (Deck 2 aft) is a glass-walled auditorium (with tiered seating) hosting lectures, media presentations, itinerary-themed port talks, live entertainment programs. Powered by Invision Community. Pricing starts at US$4,000 per person with discounted airfare. These riverboats are also chartered by other major European lines, like AmaWaterways, Avalon, and Uniworld. If they have for example four pairs of ships for the Rhine Getaway, they may only sail with three pairs. Itineraries include "In Search of the Northern Lights", "Into the Midnight Sun", "British Isles Explorer" and "Viking Homelands". There isn't enough demand for all the originally scheduled sailings, so they are taking certain ships out of the rotation, and moving passengers to another ship likely a few days from the original sailing date. The Rhine cruise program includes a shipboard overnight in Amsterdam and 3 days (2 shipboard overnights) in Basel with Lake Lucerne tour. He advised us that if we were thinking about rebooking in 2021, we should wait to see if Viking cancelled our 2020 cruise making us eligible for a 125% voucher. Northern Europe/Baltic cruises depart from Norway (Bergen) and Sweden (Stockholm). Also they sent a new flight itinerary for us. Viking ships in Russia are with average capacity 200+, the ships in China - up to 246. Viking is the only cruise line to have a full PCR testing labratory onboard. The company plans to add cruise ships on Mississippi River (USA). For 2020 were planned the launches and inaugurations of 6 more Longship-Class boats - 4 with smaller capacity (168 pax) and deployed year-round on Seine River in France (Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid, Skaga) plus 2 standard (190 pax) and deployed on Rhine River (Gersemi, Hervor). Viking Cruises has announced that its river and ocean operations will remain on hold through May 31, 2021, which means cruises won't resume until June at the very earliest. Passengers can experience the exciting scenery of Meteora, with its medieval monasteries, or explore the religious center of Dion, situated on the foothills of Mt Olympus. All itineraries have at least one tour or guided shore excursion per day (complimentary / cruise fare-inclusive). As part of new measures, Austria has paused leisure travel . Viking emailed Mar 2 2020 offering a voucher for the 75% cancellation fee those on cruises in Apr. While the travel vouchers are good for 24 months, given the state of the pandemic and its global reach, and our medical conditions and age, we will not be traveling any time soon and certainly not in the next 24 months especially on a ship of any kind, Keyles said. Exceptions to this payment policy apply for cruise tours more than 35 days, including Viking's World & Grand Cruises which require a 20% deposit of the Full Fare at time of booking the cruise tour. It sounds to me as if they may be sailing with a reduced fleet, meaning not all ships on the Rhine will go back into operation this year. They additionally include hotel stays in a variety of cities, mainly in Shanghai and Beijing. In 2000 Viking acquired Koln-Dusseldorfer (KD River Cruises). The experience (touted beneficial to the body's blood circulation) includes heating in a sauna (steam bath), then walking into this small room. Hopefully they let everyone know soon. The 65-day itinerary (March 2 through May 5, 2023, on Viking Octantis) visits 29 ports (9 countries, 3 continents) departs from Buenos Aires Argentina, visits the Antarctic Peninsula, continues northward around Cape Horn, along South America's coast (Chile, Peru, Ecuador), passes through Panama Canal, then up to Mexico, Florida USA, NYC New York, Canada (Nova Scotia and Quebec) and via St Lawrence River to Ontario and via Detroit MI, ending in Milwaukee WI. The "16-fleet" news was announced on March 6, 2018, when Viking entered an agreement with Fincantieri for 6x more ocean vessels, to be delivered in the period 2024-2027. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. I know a lot of this was not their fault and up till now I have been very pleased with how they were handling things, but this is just biting the hands that feed them! In mid-July 2020, Viking Ocean announced the company's "Viking World Cruise 2021-2022" planned for MS Viking Star. Alright, I did mean to be precise, but you prefer to very precise, so of course you are correct . CruiseMapper provides you with free-of-charge schedules with listed cheapest ticket prices per person per itinerary. Viking river cruise itineraries range from 7 to 23 days. We'll try for something in 2022. In November 2020, Viking Cruises announced investments from its minority shareholders TPG Capital (fka Texas Pacific Group) and CPP Investments (Canada Pension Plan Investment Board) that added ~USD 500 million net proceeds to support Viking's development. Viking Cruises' ocean liners made the company world's largest "small ship cruise" brand with a dominant share on the luxury travel market (23,9 % by year 2020). Viking Venus is scheduled for the August 13-23 cruise. Line's river cruises are targeted primarily to English-speaking travelers in the UK, North America and Australia. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/icelands-natural-beauty/pricing.html. All the 6 ships will be built and owned by ECO Shipyards (subsidiary of Edison Chouest Offshore) and operated under charter. Call us at 800-454-0927 to speak to a Cruise Concierge today. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. The largest cruise ship to ever sail on the Mississippi River is scheduled to set sail after June 2023. Patience. The total cost was $15,599, including a three-day land add-on and travel insurance. The company is responsible for vessels berthing (cruise terminal arrangements), logistics, freshwater supply, customs, crew changes, passenger disembarkation/embarkation. I called Viking last week and was given a very weak answer that its sold out to moving folks from the Prestige (we were originally booked on Prestige and then in August last year moved to the Embla as Prestige taken out of service). The 7-day American itineraries include roundtrips from NOLA/New Orleans, as well as one-ways between New Orleans and Memphis TN, and between St Louis MO and Minneapolis-Saint Paul MN. Finse Terrace also provides alfresco dining and drinking when weather permits. She talked about Vikings new safety protocols and while they sound good, I emphasized that group travel is not in our future.. That is one scenario and pure speculation. Effective Date: November 1, 2021 Sailing Window: All 2022 sailings Ultimately she said that she would honor his statement, even if he wasnt authorized to make any offer to us, and would offer us a $500 cash settlement as a gesture of goodwill, Keyles said. But on Mar 11 (9 days later), a notice on Viking site stating all cruises cancelled and offering full refund or 125% voucher and refund if not used in 2 years. MS Amarco Antares (Nile River, Egypt) is an Amarco-owned hotelship operated by Viking under a charter. 44-day "From the Arctic to Antarctica" (from Tromso to Ushuaia), 19-day "Antarctic and South America Discovery" (from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro), 18-day "South America and Antarctic Discovery" (from Rio de Janeiro to Ushuaia), 15-day and 13-day "Antarctic Adventure" (from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia), 15-day "Atlantic and Equator Sojourn" (from Cork to Rio de Janeiro), 13-day "Arctic Adventure" (roundtrip from Tromso Norway), 13-day "Viking's Northern Isles" (from Tromso to Cork), 13-day "Canadian Discovery"(from NYC New York City to Toronto), 10-day "Caribbean Connections" (from Bridgetown to NYC New York), 8-day "Niagara and the Great Lakes" (from Toronto to Milwaukee), 8-day "Undiscovered Great Lakes" (from Thunder Bay to Milwaukee), 8-day "Great Lakes Explorer" (from Milwaukee to Thunder Bay). 2021 Mediterranean cruises start in September while any river cruise I checked still starts in July. The final balance is due based on offer at So I will have a look tomorrow. While in port, passengers can walk the waterfront promenade with its many restaurants and cafes, or head outside the port city to the remains of the Macedonian kingdom of Alexander the Great. Published on May 21, 2021. Each of the swimming pools is at a different temperature. The newbuilds were launched in 2019 and christened together on March 19. Viking's longship fleet totals 65 boats, delivered in the period 2012-2021. It is not the geographical location of the trip as much as being in any enclosed space with a large group of people and the U.S. has not been a model of controlling the virus anyway, Keyles said. Started June 21, 2021, By However, as a business decision, it was the right move---just not done in a customer friendly way. In China (on Yangtze River), Viking River Cruises operates under charter the large-sized boat Viking Emerald. We reached out to the company to ask it to reconsider, especially because some of its customers did indeed receive full refunds. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. On March 20, 2013, the newly renamed company "Viking Cruises" launched 10 ships at one time, thus entering Guinness Book of World Records. It is expected to allow passengers to explore the Aegean Sea's ancient empires of antiquity during the quiet season. Powered by Invision Community. Viking's Arctic cruises visit Tromso Norway, Svalbard Islands Norway, Polar Ice Cap (scenic cruising), Spitsbergen Island (Barentsburg, Smeerenburg, Barentsburg, Alicehamna/Alice Harbour, Hornsund, Nordfjorden, Liefdefjorden), Bjornoya (Bear Island), Barents Sea (cruising). Posted elsewhere, but we received our official cancellation email this am from Viking for our Oct 4 Trade Routes Bergen to Barcelona. . The company's turnover (gross revenue) from both river and ocean shipping operations for 2015 was about USD 2 billion. The new 8-day "Ancient Mediterranean Treasures" itinerary (between Athens and Istanbul) features overnights in both cities. The fact that Viking has so many ships on a route means that when they hit low water there is very likely another ship nearby going in the opposite direction. Fingers crossed that it will all work out in the end. In Strasbourg, passengers take the high-speed TGV train to Paris. On May 17, 2013, the company announced the launch of its "Viking Ocean" division. CC Help Jenn Viking.TV targets primarily non-cruising people (those staying home) rather than travelers. This is CruiseMapper's page for the three Viking Cruises subsidiary companies - the sister-brands Viking RIVER, Viking OCEAN and Viking EXPEDITIONS, their fleets (riverboats, liners, polar ships), cruisetour itineraries, destinations, homeports, cruise tracker. Similarly named is the Finland-based cruiseferry company VIKING LINE (1959-founded). In March-April 2021, Viking OCEAN announced plans to restart operations with, European rivers Rhine, Main, Danube, Saone, Rhone, Seine, Elbe, and Douro. The vessel's hull and superstructure are assembled at the shipyard in Tulcea Romania, then towed to VARD Soviknes Shipyard (Alesund Norway) for outfitting. The itinerary includes 3 new ports of call for the cruise line: Nafplio, Volos and Thessaloniki in Greece, as well as a visit to Ephesus marking Viking's return to Turkey. By the year 2027, the company's 16-ship ocean fleet will have a combined capacity of 16,930 berths, ranking Viking OCEAN the world's largest cruise company with ship capacity under 1000 passengers. In 2009, the newly-launched Viking Legend became the company's first riverboat fitted with hybrid (diesel-electric) engines. Their claim was denied and the couple let Viking know. Bookings made by September 30, 2020, receive USD 2000 pp in "shore excursion credit" plus USD 1000 pp in OBC (onboard credit). The inaugural cruise itineraries of both expedition vessels are 13-day polar voyages - one in Antarctica, the other in the European Arctic. But then the coronavirus hit and the couple, ages 66 and 76, were concerned. Most passenger staterooms (189 total) are with French balconies, excluding only Deck 6's Suites (OS-Owner, ES-Explorer). By Funky Fusion FoodsJ, November 19, 2021 in River Cruising. This looks to me like a lot of cruises that they have been taking reservations for and collecting payment for may be cancelled. In earlier months, the dates change, but always the same day of the week, i.e. Viking Expeditions (as a travel brand) was officially launched on January 15, 2020, with cruising operations starting in January 2022. Hope this is right as our September Amsterdam to Bergen no longer shows on Viking website. Anything unspent WILL NOT rollover to your shipboard account. At additional cost are only spa massages, beauty salon services; specialty beer, premium alcohol (wine and spirits), and some shore excursions. I hope you get an answer from Viking very soon. (14-nights) "Mediterranean Explorer" (visits 5 countries, included 12 land tours). We think we were able to reach a reasonable settlement and are glad to put this behind us, Keyles said, noting that Viking asked them to sign a non-disclosure form that prevented them from giving the details of settlement. LauraS In 2015, Viking's European river cruise sales became a bit slower than expected. We have listed all Viking ships as schedules (itinerary calendars with prices) and current position tracking maps. All excursion programs ashore are organized by Viking River Cruises. They offered a $250 per person onboard credit for the inconvenience. (Barcelona to Rome, 7-nights) "Romantic Mediterranean" (visits 4 countries, included 8 land tours), (7-nights) "Mediterranean Getaway" (visits 3 countries, included 6 land tours), (9-nights) "Empires of the Mediterranean" (visits 5 countries, included 7 land tours), (12-nights) "Mediterranean Odyssey" (visits 6 countries, included 10 land tours). The itineraries are operated by three new riverboats - Viking Ra (March 2018), Viking Osiris (August 2022) and Viking Aton (September 2023). The Hangar is an aft-located indoor marina for launching the smaller-sized RIBs (rigid inflatable boats). I have so far only paid a deposit so will only get a relatively small benefit from the 125% FCC. China Merchants Group's shipbuilding subsidiaries will design and construct the newbuilds for the new company. A 121-day segment (Viking World Journeys) allows travelers to join the cruise ship in Los Angeles CA, from where the itinerary continues to Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East, Europe (Mediterranean and Atlantic Coastal) ending in London-Greenwich, England UK. In 2023, celebrating the company's 25th anniversary, Viking EXPEDITIONS offers "Longitudinal World Cruise I". The B2B itinerary started with Valletta overnight and visited Kotor, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Sibenik, Mgarr Malta, Valletta (overnight), Kalamata, Piraeus-Athens (overnight), Santorini, Rhodes, Souda Crete. Like most cruise lines, Viking canceled all of its sailings during the pandemic. Viking Ocean's port agent for China is Wallem Ship Agency China. The note proceeds were used for repaying all the company's loans used to finance the building of the Viking Ocean liners Star and Sky, as well as for repurchasing Viking Sea (operated on sale-leaseback agreement). Today our group of four received emails confirming our Vikingtrip is a go! The boats are constructed by the Norwegian shipbuilder VARD (subsidiary of Fincantieri Italy). Only says "Additional 2021 Voyages Coming Soon". Keyles said she expected it would not be approved because they were not sick at the time of the planned travel. Viking Expeditions ships operate in Arctic-Antarctica, Great Lakes, USA and Canada), Viking Ocean (global). The 8-day cruisetours include roundtrips from New Orleans, as well as one-ways between New Orleans and Memphis TN, and between St Louis MO and Minneapolis-Saint Paul MN. Scenic cruising: Mt Athos: On sea days, passengers will sail past Mt Athos, the "Holy Mountain" (UNESCO Site, the spiritual capital of Orthodox Christianity). Just got the official email from Viking saying our cruise has been canceled with the details of the 125% future cruise voucher which must be used on a 2021 or 2022 cruise. This was the reason for modifying the parent company's name to "Viking Cruises". Exclusively for Viking Expeditions voyages, Viking Cruises partnered with Cambridge University's Scott Polar Research Institute (Polar Museum) that specializes in polar researches and glaciology. Curiously, in August 2021, Viking OCEAN announced a "double world cruise 2023-2024" with two ships (Neptune and Sky) sailing on an identical itinerary from Florida to the UK.