Articles from Viking

Viking Holdings Ltd (the “Company” or “Viking”) (NYSEVIK) today announced the appointment of Leah Talactac as President of the Company, effective immediately.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today announced the Explorers’ Sale, providing North American travelers with new booking incentives across the company’s extensive range of river, ocean and expedition voyages. From now through January 31, 2025, Viking is offering special fares starting at $1,999 per person and up to free international airfare on select itineraries, as well as a $25 deposit for all itineraries—plus additional savings for new and returning guests.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today announced 10 new ocean itineraries in the Mediterranean, United Kingdom, Ireland and Northern Europe are now available for booking in 2026 and 2027. The new itineraries range from eight to 22 days and feature 12 additional recurring ports that are new for Viking ocean voyages: Fowey, England; Bordeaux, France; Limerick (Foynes), Ireland; Riga, Latvia; Klaipeda, Lithuania; Londonderry, Northern Ireland; Haugesund, Norway; Palma de Mallorca and Bilbao, Spain; Fort William and Tobermory, Scotland; and Karlskrona, Sweden.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today celebrated new accolades from Cruise Critic®, the world’s largest online cruise resource. In the 2024 Best in Cruise Awards, Cruise Critic honored Viking with seven awards across the Luxury (Ocean), River and Expedition categories. In the Luxury (Ocean) category, Viking received two awards: Best Enrichment and Best Spa, an award Viking has won every year since introducing ocean voyages in 2015. In the River category, Viking was recognized with Best Enrichment and Best New River Cruise Ships for its new ships on the Nile. In the Expedition category, Viking was named the #1 Cruisers’ Choice Cruise Line. Additionally, for the second consecutive year, editors awarded Viking Best for Light Expedition and Best Spa. Viking also received high ratings from travelers, ranking as a top Luxury (Ocean) line and a top River line in the Cruisers’ Choice category.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today named its newest ocean ship, the Viking Vela®, with a traditional ceremony in Trieste, Italy. The naming of the Viking Vela also served as a celebration of Viking’s longtime partnership with Fincantieri, which is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and is based in Trieste. With its rich maritime history, Trieste is considered the endpoint to the maritime Silk Road and is now Italy’s most important commercial port. Serving as ceremonial godmother of the Viking Vela was Ivana Elice, Vice President and Project Manager of the Fincantieri Cruise Business Unit, who has overseen the design and engineering of Viking’s ocean ships for 12 years.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today announced it has taken delivery of the company’s newest ocean ship, the Viking Vela®. The delivery ceremony took place this morning when the ship was presented at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy. Classified as a small ship, as are all Viking ocean ships, the Viking Vela has 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests. The Viking Vela joins the company’s growing fleet of award-winning ocean ships and will spend her inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.

For the fourth consecutive year, Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) has been named Best Luxury Line, Best Line for Couples and Best Line in the Mediterranean by U.S. News & World Report in the publication’s 2025 Best Cruise Line rankings. The U.S. News & World Report travel rankings reflect a comprehensive analysis of expert opinions and traveler reviews, as well as recommendations and insider knowledge from the publication’s in-destination seasoned writers and editors.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today announced it has taken delivery of the company’s newest ship for the Nile River, the Viking Sobek. The delivery ceremony took place when the new ship was presented at Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt. The 82-guest Viking Sobek joins the company’s growing fleet of state-of-the-art ships for the Nile River and will sail Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today named its newest river ships, the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, with a special celebration in Luxor, Egypt. The Hon. Edward Herbert, served as ceremonial godfather of the Viking Hathor; his great-great-grandfather, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was Howard Carter’s benefactor and co-explorer, whose excavation uncovered the tomb of King Tutankhamen near Luxor almost exactly 102 years ago on November 4, 1922. Mohamed El Banna, founder of Cosmos Egypt and a member of the Egyptian Senate, served as the ceremonial godfather of the Viking Sobek. The Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek are identical sister ships to the Viking Aton and the Viking Osiris and are state-of-the-art vessels designed specifically to navigate the Nile River on Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary and built at Massara shipyard in Cairo.

For the second year in a row, Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) has been voted #1 for Rivers, #1 for Oceans and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the publication’s 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. This achievement marks the first time a travel company has won these three categories in back-to-back years. Viking made history in 2023 by being the first travel company to be voted #1 in all three categories simultaneously.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today is celebrating its historic return to China as the Viking Yi Dun completed her first voyage from Shanghai to Hong Kong (Shenzhen). Viking’s new itineraries include a domestic sailing of China’s coast that highlights rarely-visited destinations and ports to which only Viking has access—something that has never been offered for international visitors. The itineraries operate from September to November on the 930-guest Viking Yi Dun—formerly the Viking Sun—a sister ship featuring the same award-winning design and service as all other ocean ships in Viking’s fleet.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today announced six new itineraries in Asia that will expand exclusive access for guests to Japan and China, with Tibet (Xizang) in 2025. The new voyages range from 15 to 22 days and explore iconic destinations in China, including Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an and Lhasa in Tibet (Xizang), as well as Osaka, Japan. The itineraries will continue to highlight rarely seen destinations and ports in China to which only Viking has access. Each voyage will offer guests immersive destination-focused experiences, insightful lectures and regionally inspired cuisine. Now open for booking, the new itineraries will operate from September 2025 to November 2025 on the Viking Yi Dun—formerly the Viking Sun—a sister ship featuring the same award-winning design and service as all other ocean ships in Viking’s fleet.

Viking® (NYSEVIK) today announced it has taken delivery of the company’s newest ship for the Nile River, the Viking Hathor. The delivery ceremony took place when the new ship was presented at Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt. The 82-guest Viking Hathor joins the company’s growing fleet of state-of-the-art ships for the Nile River and will sail Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

Viking® (NYSEVIK) today announced the launch of its new and improved Travel Advisor Portal (Viking.com/advisor), which is designed to provide advisors with the tools and resources needed to sell Viking. As part of Viking's ongoing commitment to providing the best support to travel advisors and their clients, the updated platform offers a comprehensive suite of features to enhance the booking experience and streamline the marketing process. Advisor partners can access a wide range of tools, such as engaging marketing content and assets for building co-branded websites, as well as the popular Travel Advisor Academy to learn how to sell Viking’s river, ocean and expedition voyages.

As France prepares to take center stage for the Paris Games, Viking® (NYSEVIK) today announced the launch of Summer of France (Viking.com/France), aiming to provide curious travelers with all the inspiration needed to plan a river or ocean voyage in France in 2025. Every Viking journey in France brings travelers even closer to the country’s rich culture, history and cuisine, with unique offerings that include an exclusive docking location for Viking Longships on the Seine River in the heart of Paris and Privileged Access experiences in Bordeaux and the French Riviera. The launch of Summer of France also coincides with the start of the Paris Games, during which viewers can see Viking’s advertising on NBC beginning July 26.

Travel + Leisure readers have voted Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) a “World’s Best” for oceans, rivers and expeditions in the 2024 World’s Best Awards, which were announced today. Viking was once again named #1 for Oceans and #1 for Expeditions and was again voted one of the World’s Best river lines. Viking is also rated #1 for Oceans, #1 for Rivers and #1 for Expeditions by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. No other travel company has simultaneously received the same honors by both publications—something Viking has achieved two years in a row.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today announced its newest ocean ship, the Viking Vesta®, was “floated out,” marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water. Classified as a small ship, as are all Viking ocean ships, the Viking Vesta has a gross tonnage of 54,300 tons, with 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests. The ship is scheduled to debut in July 2025 and will spend her inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today is celebrating a new set of accolades from leading travel industry publication TravelAge West. The company earned five category wins—securing recognition across its river, ocean and expedition product lines—in the 2024 WAVE Awards. Voted on by travel advisors and readers, Viking earned top honors in three river categories: River Cruise Line Providing the Best Travel Advisor Support, Best River Cruise Line for U.S. Sailings for its voyages on the Viking Mississippi, and Best New River Cruise Ship for the newest vessel on the Nile River, the Viking Aton. Additionally, Viking was awarded Cruise Line with the Highest Client Satisfaction (less than 1,300 passengers) for its ocean voyages and Expedition Cruise Line with the Highest Client Satisfaction.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today is celebrating the start of its third season in the Great Lakes, with both of its identical expedition ships, the Viking Octantis® and the Viking Polaris®, now deployed in the region. Voted #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the most recent Readers’ Choice Awards, Viking offers a variety of itineraries that operate between Toronto and Duluth and explore all five Great Lakes. The 378-guest expeditions vessels, which were designed specifically to transit the historic Welland Canal, will remain in the lakes until early October before returning to Antarctica for the austral summer.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today announced its latest scientific advancement on board the company’s expedition fleet with the addition of real-time environmental DNA (eDNA) sequencing of phytoplankton. With scientific support from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), the PCR lab on board the Viking Octantis® has been converted into an advanced scientific environment where visiting scientists contributing to the Genomics at Sea Program (GASP) are able to monitor the environmental impact on phytoplankton without the need to transport samples to a distant shoreside facility. This marks a significant milestone in marine research and exploration, as Viking becomes the first travel company to support real-time environmental genetic sequencing capabilities on board its vessels.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today announced its newest ship for the Nile River—the 82-guest Viking Sobek—was “floated out,” marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water. Set to sail in the fall of 2024, the Viking Sobek will join the company’s growing fleet of state-of-the-art ships for the Nile River and will sail Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSEVIK) today announced that Carola Mengolini has joined the company as Vice President of Investor Relations, effective May 6, 2024. In this role, she will be responsible for developing and executing the company’s investor relations program and communicating with the financial community.