In an event that has become an annual tradition, Viking River Cruises recently launched six more of its award-winning Longships. Although this year’s ceremony in Amsterdam didn’t quite live up to the excitement of 2014 (when 18 ships were christened at once, creating a new Guinness World Record), it was still a moment to savour for the cruise line and those who love the Viking experience.

New Arrivals

With the arrival of Viking Rolf, Viking Kadlin, Viking Alruna, Viking Egil, Viking Vilhjalm and Viking Tialfi, the fleet of Longships now stands at an impressive 43. Each year, the company honours a group of people that have helped them with their success. And whilst former godmothers have included the company’s own valued employees, this year it was the turn of agents from other companies to smash the traditional bottle of bubbly against the hulls of each vessel.

The Longship has broken the mould for river ships in Europe, with their streamlined design, inventive features and ability to be sustainable earning them praise from all corners of the industry. They include an extra dining venue, in the form of the Aquavit Terrace, which allows guests to eat alfresco when the weather is favourable. Also, the communal areas and the lobbies have been designed in a way that lets maximum light flood into the ship whilst offering fantastic panoramic views in the other direction. This style of ship also houses the largest suites on the European waterways, as well as solar panels and onboard herb gardens that show the operator’s desire to be environmentally friendly.

A Significantly Shallower Seventh

As for the newest Longships, most of them are destined to sail the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers through countries such as Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The other two will grace the waters of Paris, sailing up and down the beautiful Seine. Later in March, Viking is planning the launch of a seventh Longship. Viking Osfrid will have a significantly shallower draft to enable her to comfortably sail throughout Portugal on Douro River Cruises. With many other cruise lines launching ships in this part of the world, it seems that the Douro is one of the hottest destinations for 2016.

If you would like to book your river cruise on any of the new Longships, or you would like more information on the Viking River Cruises itineraries we can offer, call our helpful team today.