Viking Takes Delivery of Two New Ships Headed for Different European Rivers

No company has more river ships around the world and in Europe than Viking. And now, two more are being added to the fleet.

Viking has officially taken delivery of its two newest river ships, Viking Annar and Viking Fjolvar.

Both vessels were built at the Meyer Neptun Werft shipyard in Germany and are preparing to begin offering sailings in two different parts of Europe.

The announcement comes right on the heels of Viking expanding its ocean fleet as well. Cruise Fever recently reported on the delivery of Viking’s newest ocean ship, showing that the cruise line is not slowing down its fleet growth any time soon.

Where the New Ships Are Going

These two new vessels are stepping right into some of Viking’s most popular European itineraries, but these ships are in two different classes.

Viking Annar is a traditional, full-sized Viking Longship built to navigate the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers.

• It can accommodate 190 guests across 95 staterooms.
• It features the traditional Longship layout with the patented square bow and the indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace.

Viking Fjolvar is a modified, slightly shorter version of the Longship design built specifically for France’s Seine River.

• It can accommodate 168 guests across 84 staterooms.
• The shorter configuration allows it to navigate the locks of the Seine and secure Viking’s exclusive docking location right in the heart of Paris.

A Look at the Total Capacity

Viking is already the largest player on the rivers by a wide margin. Looking at the company’s lineup, their river fleet sits at roughly 89 active vessels.

These river ships alone have a total fleet capacity of about 15,000 guests at full double occupancy.

As a side note, just last year Viking celebrated a 100-ship milestone with vessels across all three categories: river, ocean, expedition.

The river fleet capacity includes smaller 106-guest vessels built for the tight turns of Portugal’s Douro River, specialized 98-guest ships for the shallow Elbe River, and custom 82-guest vessels built for the Nile.

The largest ship by volume is the Viking Mississippi, which accommodates 386 guests.

Commitment to Long-Term Growth

In the announcement of the two new ships being added to the fleet, Leah Talactac, President and CEO of Viking, stated:

“We are proud to welcome the Viking Annar and the Viking Fjolvar to our growing fleet of award-winning river ships.”

“Exploring by river offers an unmatched way to discover a destination’s history, culture and local life, and these new vessels allow even more curious travelers to experience Europe in Viking comfort.”

Viking’s current orderbook shows that the cruise line is still very much focused on its long-term strategy. The company expects to take delivery of 22 additional river ships by 2028.

Viking also has nine additional ocean ships and two additional expedition ships scheduled to join the global fleet by 2031.

When these plans are realized, Viking will operate an unprecedented 114 river ships in 2028, alongside 26 ocean and expedition ships by 2031.

Bottom Line

Having sailed with Viking several times, I could see first-hand that the cruise line has a specific formula that works, and they are doubling down on it.

Cruisers love the lack of “nickel and diming” on board and attention to the simple details. The company is known for their list of things you won’t find on their ships: no casino, no art auctions, no waterslides, no kids.

As the travel brochure says, it’s the thinking person’s cruise, and Viking does a great job of providing an immersive experience to each location the ship visits.

And with each ship in the same category relatively the same, you always know what to expect on board.