Viking River Cruises has announced plans to launch an ocean cruise, according to USA Today. The new line will be called Viking Ocean Cruises and will launch in 2015.
The company is not launching a large ship that would be competitive with the rest of the ocean cruise market, but is instead sticking to their market of small, intimate cruises and keeping the new line of cruise ships small.
"It is our view that in the race to build bigger ships, many cruise lines have lost sight of the destinations to which they sail," Torstein Hagen, the founder of Viking Cruises, said at a California event where he spoke to the media, according to USA Today. "With our new ocean cruises, we are applying the same principles behind our award-winning river cruises to our itinerary and ship design, privileged access excursions, and on-board experiences to make destinations the true focus."
The new ocean cruises will be an all-inclusive experience with shore excursions in every port and all on-board meals, as well as beer and wine with lunch and dinner included. There will also be free Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service, an addition that isn't offered on the Longships, included in the rate.
The company has ordered two 928-passenger ships for the new line and has conditional orders for up to four additional ships. The first ship will begin offering journeys in May 2015. It will be called the Viking Star and will sail its maiden voyage to Scandinavia and the Baltic, and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.
Viking River Cruises launched 10 new Longships this year and has plans to launch 12 more in 2014. This has allowed the company to expand their capacity and itineraries, including cruises along the rivers of Europe, Russia, China, Southeast Asia and Egypt.
Viking Ocean Cruises is the first major ocean line to debut in almost a decade and enters a market filled with very large-scale ships, such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruises.
The first ocean cruises are expected to start at $2,999 per person for a 10-night trip
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
