ANOTHER FIRST for Viking with the cruise company having three river seasons open for sale at once.
Overwhelming demand has led to Viking opening its 2025 river voyages for sale. This response comes as the line celebrated record-breaking sales in January.
A large percentage of those bookings have come through its trusted travel agent network, with agents seeing exceptional volume of bookings.
Customers are particularly interested in Rhine Getaway and Lyon & Provence with many planning their European holidays with a Viking river cruise being the highlight of their trip, said Jacinta Blundell, Helloworld Travel Caboolture.
River highlights include:
- 15-day Grand European Cruise’ from Amsterdam to Budapest or v.v. and priced from $4,995 per person cruise only in a Standard stateroom
- 23-day European Sojourn’ from Amsterdam to Bucharest or v.v. and priced from $10,995 per person cruise only in a Standard stateroom
- Eight-day Paris & the Heart of Normandy’ from Paris to Paris and priced from $4,295 per person cruise only in a Standard stateroom
- 10-day Portugal’s River of Gold’ from Lisbon to Porto and priced at $5,995 per person cruise only in a Standard stateroom
- 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids’ from Cairo to Cairo and priced at $9,595 per person cruise only in a Standard stateroom
- 15-day Magnificent Mekong’ from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City or v.v. and priced at $6,795 per person cruise only in a French Balcony stateroom.
Viking has also announced a new 12-day river voyage that will visit destinations in England and France, honouring an historic Second World War milestone.
The Paris & D-Day 80th Anniversary’ voyage will have departure dates running from March through November 2024.
Travelling from London to Paris, the sailing will commemorate Operation Overlord and the historic battles of Normandy, which served as the catalyst to the liberation of Western Europe from German occupation.
Many of our guests, particularly those with family members who served in the armed forces, have a keen interest in World War II history, said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
In keeping with our commitment to offer experiences for The Thinking Person, we are pleased to unveil this special voyage that commemorates the 80th Anniversary of D-Day – one of the most significant milestones in modern history.
Guests begin their journey in London to visit historic Second World War sites including the Churchill War Rooms, where the D-Day landings were prepared in England, and Bletchley Park, the home of the World War II codebreakers.
You’ll also learn about Britain’s Special Forces and its allies during a visit to the Imperial War Museum London and experience Gunwharf Quays, the D-Day Museum and Southwick House – where Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower planned Operation Overlord.
After four days in England, guests continue on to Paris to embark on an award-winning Viking Longship.
Sailing roundtrip from Paris, guests may explore Giverny and visit the gardens and farmhouse where Claude Monet lived and worked, trace the footsteps of Joan of Arc in Rouen, visit the Pegasus Memorial Museum and walk the hallowed ground at Normandy’s Commonwealth Cemetery and Second World War beaches.
THE NILE IN STYLE
Meanwhile Viking’s new ship destined for the Nile has touched water for the first time.
Set to debut in August, the Viking Aton will sail the company’s bestselling 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids’ itinerary.
The 2023 season and much of 2024 has already sold-out prompting Viking to open 2025 sailing dates sooner than expected.
We are pleased with the continued strong interest for our Nile River voyages, said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
Our guests are curious explorers and Egypt remains a destination of great interest for its many cultural treasures.
We are proud to be the only western company to build, own and operate ships on the Nile, and with the float out of the Viking Aton, we look forward to welcoming more guests to experience this fantastic region.
The traditional float out ceremony took place in Cairo early last month. Aton will now be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the ship will join Viking Osiris and Viking Ra in the region. The cruise company will have six vessels sailing the Nile by 2025 with the addition of two new sister ships, the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, which are already under construction and will be delivered in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
