Viking is ordinary amongst main cruise strains in that it operates each ocean ships and river ships. In spite of this, it has some of the easiest-to-understand fleets.
The majority of Viking’s river ships — finally rely, there have been 90 — characteristic the similar design. Should you’ve observed considered one of them, you have got observed all of them.
Ditto for the road’s ocean ships. Twelve of Viking’s 14 ocean ships are just about similar. The 2 exceptions are two ocean vessels particularly designed for expedition cruising — a kind of cruising that comes to touring to faraway, hard-to-reach puts on hardy vessels that raise their very own touchdown craft.
Consequently, the majority of Viking’s vessels fall into considered one of simply 3 teams, with lots of the ships in every crew carrying very equivalent designs.
An advent to Viking cruise ships
Viking has expanded greatly in recent times with the addition of dozens of latest river and ocean ships.
Based in 1997 with 4 river vessels, the corporate operated simply 29 ships as lately as 2012. However a duration of fast expansion since then has introduced the entire selection of vessels in its fleet to greater than 100 today closing yr.
The majority of those ships are river ships — the corporate’s sole center of attention for its first 18 years in trade. The corporate dominates the marketplace for river cruises aimed toward North American citizens, accounting for roughly 50% of all such journeys.
However beginning in 2015, Viking started rolling out ocean cruise ships, too.
As of this spring, Viking has 90 river ships in its fleet — nearly all of that have the similar fundamental design. The exceptions are a couple of vessels that Viking operates on rivers in Egypt and Asia (extra on those ships beneath). The road additionally lately started providing cruises at the Mississippi River and its tributaries the use of a brand new form of vessel.
Praise your inbox with the TPG Day-to-day publication
Sign up for over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s professionals
Comparable: Without equal information to Viking cruise ships and itineraries
Viking’s 14 ocean ships fall into two distinct teams: a chain of 930- to 998-passenger conventional ocean ships that started debuting in 2015 and a chain of 378-passenger expedition ships that started debuting in 2022.
In contrast to maximum cruise strains, Viking does not use the time period “categories” to outline other 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 similar 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), Viking Yidun (2017), Viking Sky (2017), Viking Sea (2016) and Viking Superstar (2015)
Dimension: 47,800 to 53,769 heaps
For years, Viking simplest operated river ships, and a few cruisers nonetheless call to mind the emblem basically as a river cruise corporate. On the other hand, since 2015, Viking has been impulsively rolling out a chain of upscale ocean vessels; those new additions are more and more dominating the sector of higher-end ocean cruising.
As of this spring, Viking has 11 of those ships crusing the sector’s oceans, all however two of that 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 relatively larger 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 marketplace — greater than competition Oceania Cruises and Azamara blended.
The collection is a long way from completed. Ten extra of the relatively larger variations of this collection are on order from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for supply between this yr and 2031, and the corporate additionally has choices with Fincantieri for 6 extra of the ships to debut in 2032, 2033 and 2034. Assuming they’re all constructed, Viking’s ocean department will quickly be larger than Oceania, Azamara, Seabourn and Silversea Cruises blended.
The very first thing to grasp in regards to the ships on this collection is that they’re all just about similar. Even the 2 relatively larger vessels are not all that a lot other from the primary 9. When crusing on any considered one of them, you’ll be hard-pressed to inform what’s other.
They are additionally moderately upscale. Whilst Viking does not marketplace itself as a luxurious line, some nonetheless believe it so. The vessels are filled with luxurious touches, from luxurious bedding in cabins to heated flooring in cabin toilets.
Comparable: Viking cruise cabins and suites: A information to the entirety you need to grasp
Every of the ships on this collection has a classy, Scandinavian-influenced design that could be a Viking trademark, and the cabins are massive through cruise deliver requirements. Even the smallest cabins on every of the vessels have 270 sq. toes of area — a beneficiant quantity. Many cabins are considerably larger than that, with 14 two-room suites on every of the vessels ranging in measurement from 757 to one,448 sq. toes. Many of those larger suites be offering sweeping perspectives from wraparound personal balconies.
Every of the ships’ inner areas is constructed round a sublime three-deck-high atrium full of relaxed seating spaces that experience a residing roomlike really feel. Every additionally has a bar and a visitor members of the family table. On the height of the ships, you’ll be able to in finding two-deck-high, glass-walled lounges that supply surprising perspectives over the bow. Different inner areas come with a gym and a fashionable spa with a thermal suite house this is open to all passengers at no further price (one thing that isn’t commonplace on cruise vessels).
More than one eating places on board every of the vessels come with Italian eatery Manfredi’s (named after former Silversea proprietor Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, a chum of Viking founder Torstein Hagen) and The Chef’s Desk. The latter options rotating set-course themed menus with wine pairings.
The center-piece of every deliver’s height deck is the principle pool house, which includes a glass magrodome that may shut all the way through inclement climate. The principle pool house on every deliver sits subsequent to an attractive glass-topped front room with relaxed seating known as the Wintergarden, which is house to afternoon tea. A den of serenity, it is considered one of our favourite puts on those vessels.
A secondary pool house with an infinity pool is behind every of the ships.
Whilst the entire ships on this collection are necessarily similar, you’ll in finding small variations on a couple of of them. Maximum particularly, two of the vessels within the collection — Viking Orion and Viking Jupiter — have a small planetarium constructed into the highest point of the two-level front room at their fronts (referred to as the Explorers’ Living room). One of the later ships within the collection have relatively higher health facilities and relatively smaller hair salons.
Observe that along with the 11 Viking ocean ships formally within the Viking fleet, a twelfth deliver from the similar collection, Viking Yidun, caters most commonly to the China marketplace as a part of a three way partnership between Viking and a Chinese language corporate. When it debuted in 2017, the deliver firstly catered to the North American marketplace and was once known as Viking Solar.
Viking river ships
Ships: Viking Annar (2025), Viking Dagur (2025), Viking Eldir (2025), Viking Honir (2025) and greater than 60 different Longships constructed since 2012, in addition to further river vessels
Dimension: 4,000 to five,000 heaps
River ships firstly put Viking at the map, and they are nonetheless on the core of the emblem.
As famous above, the road has 90 river ships in its fleet as of this spring. The majority of them have the similar fundamental design and are referred to as Longships — a connection with the ancient vessels utilized by Vikings within the Center Ages.
Unveiled in 2012 and designed particularly to suit into the locks used throughout lots of Europe’s rivers, the Longships broke new floor in river deliver design in more than one techniques.
For starters, they’ve a configuration that incorporates one of the greatest suites ever for river ships in Europe. They actually have a important selection of cabins with balconies, which is made imaginable through an leading edge (and patented) cabin house structure that offsets primary corridors. (In different phrases, the corridors do not run down the center of the deliver, developing a much broader aspect with area for balconies and a narrower aspect with cabins grew to become sideways to additionally create room for verandas.)
Comparable: Why I really like Viking ocean ships for exploring the sector
Different inventions come with a patented squared-off bow that permits for 8 extra cabins than in a similar fashion sized ships operated through competition. Additionally, quieter engines permit for extra cabins on the rear. A huge quantity of groundbreaking engineering went into redesigning the bow spaces of the ships, particularly, to allow further cabins whilst nonetheless leaving room for wanted equipment.
Because of such inventions, the Viking Longships can raise extra passengers than in a similar fashion sized ships operated through competition. This has allowed Viking to supply decrease costs than different river cruise strains and nonetheless usher in a equivalent quantity of income consistent with deliver, a indisputable fact that has contributed very much to the corporate’s fast expansion.
Like many river ships, every of the Viking Longships has one primary eating place the place passengers consume maximum in their foods, in addition to one primary inner front room with a bar. There is additionally a secondary, informal eating house 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 front room all the way through off hours.) In contrast to many river ships, the vessels haven’t any spas or health facilities.
As is standard for river ships, the highest of each Viking Longship is roofed with an expansive front room house. There also are a strolling monitor and an herb lawn — the latter utilized by the kitchen team of workers to develop herbs used all the way through the preparation of onboard foods.
Maximum Viking Longships are 443 toes lengthy — the very best duration to suit into the locks on lots of Europe’s rivers. Viking additionally constructed relatively smaller variations of the Longships, measuring 361 toes or 410 toes in duration, particularly to sail on rivers the place lock sizes or different navigational components require smaller vessels. The 410-foot-long variations of the vessels, as an example, have been particularly constructed to sail into the guts of Paris at the Seine.
Comparable: Rapid-growing Viking unveils 4 new cruise vessels on France’s Seine
Whilst the Longships come in different other lengths, they’re necessarily similar of their choices and decor. The one notable distinction is that the smaller variations of the ships have fewer cabins and thus cling fewer other folks. The 443-foot-long variations of the deliver are designed for 190 passengers, as an example, while the 410-foot-long variations of the vessels cling 168 passengers (since they’ve 11 fewer cabins).
Whilst maximum Viking river ships are Longships, there are a couple of exceptions within the Viking river fleet. Viking operates a number of smaller, purpose-built vessels at 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 international locations are on cling because of the struggle in Ukraine.)
Viking additionally lately started sailings at the Mississippi River with a brand new deliver particularly designed for the river and its tributaries, and it plans river ships particularly constructed for river cruising in India that may start rolling out in past due 2027.
Along with its current fleet of river ships, Viking has 24 further new river vessels on order for supply later this yr into 2028. 9 new river ships are at the means for 2026, as an example, and there are some other 8 new river vessels on order for supply in 2027.
On height of that, the road has choices with shipyards for some other 16 new river vessels to debut between 2029 and 2032.
Comparable: First glance: Viking Osiris, the trendy new Nile deliver from upscale line Viking
Viking expedition ships
Ships: Viking Polaris (2022) and Viking Octantis (2022)
Dimension: 30,150 heaps
Designed to carry simply 378 passengers, the Viking expedition ships are particularly designed to take vacationers to probably the most off-the-beaten-path portions of the sector, together with Antarctica and the Arctic.
As of now, Viking operates simply two ships within the collection, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, either one of which debuted in 2022. However previous this yr, it ordered two extra vessels that might be a part of this collection to debut in 2030 and 2031, respectively.
As is standard for expedition ships, those are tricky vessels with strengthened bows that allow them bump thru ice in polar areas; the ships even have further tanks for gasoline and meals.
Every of those vessels has its personal touchdown craft on board to deliver other folks ashore in faraway places, in addition to kayaks or even submarines for exploring. (The latter is the recent new factor for expedition ships — upscale cruise manufacturers Scenic Luxurious Cruises & Excursions and Seabourn had been including submarines to expedition ships, too.)
Like different expedition ships, each Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are designed to perform with a big and seasoned “expedition staff” that incorporates biologists, botanists, geologists, glaciologists and ornithologists who lecture continuously.
Comparable: The 5 absolute best locations you’ll be able to discuss with on a Viking cruise deliver
Every of the vessels has a number of new and ordinary options, too. Maximum notable is The Hangar: an enclosed marina that permits passengers to switch to a 12-seat tour craft whilst nonetheless within the secure inner of the deliver. It is a first for an expedition cruise deliver.
In some other first for a polar expedition cruise vessel, each cabin has floor-to-ceiling glass partitions that slide in part open from the highest to create a balconylike really feel.
Each Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are designed to be upscale. Like every Viking vessels, they’ve chic Scandinavian designs. The eating places on each vessels come with a model of Viking’s signature Italian spot, Manfredi’s, and the Scandinavian-inspired Mamsen’s outlet.
Some other characteristic of each ships that might be acquainted to common Viking consumers is a top-of-the-ship, glass-walled Explorers’ Living room providing surprising perspectives of passing surroundings.
For those who’re curious, Viking Octantis is known as after Sigma Octantis, the present South Superstar that hovers over the South Pole (often referred to as Polaris Australis). Polaris is known as after the present North Superstar that hovers over the North Pole. The names are a nod to the polar areas the place those expedition ships will most probably spend a lot in their time.
Final analysis
Viking operates extra cruise vessels than every other main cruise corporate that caters to North American citizens. That is, partially, as a result of it is interested by each the sea cruise and river cruise companies. In spite of its massive measurement, its fleet of vessels is somewhat simple to grasp. The majority of each its ocean ships and river ships are nearly similar of their designs.
Making plans a cruise? Get started with those tales:
