USA Today: Another New Viking Ocean Ship Takes to the Water
December 19, 2016 — River cruise giant Viking’s move into ocean cruising hit another milestone Thursday as the line’s fourth ocean-going ship took to the water for the first time.
Viking Oceans Archive (2016)
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The Daily Meal: On Viking Ocean Cruises, Mamsen’s Deli Serves Mum’s Recipes on Mum’s China
December 9, 2016 — To say that Hagen is hands-on would be an understatement. In a recent interview, he went on at some length describing how he had developed Viking’s Freya toiletries to make them supremely easy to open in the shower. This attention to every detail is unquestionably why Viking has taken the cruise world by storm.
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Departures: How Viking Changed Cruising
November 21, 2016 — In just under two decades, Viking Cruises skyrocketed from a small river cruise agency to one of the best cruise companies in the world, redefining guest expectations and converting non-cruisers into repeat customers while they were at it.
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The Daily Meal: Cuisine on the World’s No. 1 Cruise Line
November 21, 2016 — Chef Anthony Mauboussin, culinary director of Viking Cruises, has a lot on his plate, including 42 new dishes this year alone.
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TravelPulse: Viking Ocean Cruises Explores the Caribbean
November 10, 2016 — Viking Ocean Cruises has stretched its legs beyond Europe into the Caribbean for the company’s first time, and the Viking Star is taking guests to the frequented region with renewed interest. In newfound style, Viking is currently embarking on a season of 11-day “West Indies Explorer” sailings roundtrip from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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Fodor’s Travel: Inside the Viking Star, the Caribbean’s Fanciest New Cruise Ship
November 8, 2016 — The Viking Star, built in 2015, is Viking’s first ocean liner. Just 745 feet long, this small ship still feels expansive, with plenty of dining options, elegant outside decks, and a luxurious spa and salon.
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TravelPulse: What Sets Viking Ocean Cruises Apart in the Caribbean
November 1, 2016 — Viking is all about full immersion, and the Caribbean experience did not only begin and end ashore. Before heading out, wonderfully detailed port talks briefed guests with cultural and historical context as well as shore excursion details, and enrichment lectures weaved a narrative tying all the islands together in a larger tapestry.
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NY1: Viking Star Gets New Yorkers into Caribbean Fast with Cruises out of Puerto Rico
October 27, 2016 — Viking Star came steaming up the Hudson River recently paying a visit to New York City for the very first time.
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Travel Weekly: Viking Cruises’ Torstein Hagen
October 25, 2016 — Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking Cruises, announced plans to go into the ocean cruise business in 2013. Three years later, he has plans for a half-dozen ships on three continents. He spoke with senior editor Tom Stieghorst onboard the Viking Star as it repositioned for its first season of Caribbean cruising from San Juan.
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Travel By Terry: Who Set The Bar For The Viking Star?
October 20, 2016 — For anything to have “personality”, logic dictates that a “person” must be involved somewhere. (Sometimes I stun myself with my own profundity. Or, some would say, I just have a born knack for stating the bleedin’ obvious.) Either way, bear with me. Where I am headed with this should be clear soon enough.
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Cruise Fever: Viking Ocean Cruises Visits the Caribbean for the First Time
October 19, 2016 — Viking Ocean Cruises made their inaugural stop in the Caribbean this week when their award winning cruise ship, Viking Star, stopped in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Viking Star debuted in the spring of 2015 and quickly earned Viking the title of “World’s Best Ocean Cruise Line” by the readers of Travel + Leisure.
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Fodor’s Travel: This Fancy Scandinavian Cruise Ship Has a “Snow Room” on Board
October 14, 2016 — The Viking Star might be one of the fanciest new cruise ships on the seas. Built in 2015 with an eye toward Scandinavian design, this small and sleek vessel boasts a deluxe spa with Scandinavian specialties.
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TravelPulse: Viking Ocean Cruises Readies for Its First Ever Caribbean Season
October 13, 2016 — Viking Cruises is expanding well beyond its known European territories. The Viking River Cruises brand pioneered the inland waterways’ boom, and now the Viking Ocean Cruises brand has left from Norway to come across to the Americas for the first time ever.
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Town & Country: These Are the Best Cruises in the World
October 6, 2016 — Town & Country awarded Viking River Cruises Best For Suites and Best for Design in their 2016 Cruise Awards, noting: The simple Scandinavian design of Viking's nearly 50 newly built Longships makes the best use of space we've seen. They don't feel cramped, and they have a lovely indoor/outdoor dining area, the Aquavit Terrace.
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Forbes: Premier Cruise Ship Or Fine Art Museum?
August 31, 2016 — The Viking Star collection is so comprehensive that even as you work out in the well-equipped fitness room you’re staring at a wall-size photograph of a fjord by Polish-British photographer Henryk Hetflaisz. The water ripples slightly, the mountains are majestic, the sky is stunning.
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Forbes: The Smart New Kid On The Seas
August 30, 2016 — Since its christening in the spring of 2015, the Viking Star, and its sister the Viking Sea (christened this past spring), have wowed the cruise critics as the first of two ships in the new Viking Ocean Cruises line. And more importantly, legions of passengers who had already experienced their popular Viking River Cruises are instant fans.
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Huffington Post: 10 Reasons a Viking Ocean Cruise Should Be On Your Midlife Bucket List
August 29, 2016 — Viking prides itself on its wide variety of destinations and its focus on education and experience. There are always guest experts on board, offering talks about the history and culture of the places you’re going to see, and the chefs make sure you get a taste of those places, as well. But, as much as we’ve loved the destinations we’ve visited on our cruises, we’ve equally looked forward to our days at sea. And honestly? We would go anywhere with Viking.
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Forbes: Discovering Denmark's Diminutive Aalborg City With A Viking Ocean Cruise
August 25, 2016 — One of the best ways to discover Aalborg is on the Viking Star, or her sister the Viking Sea, which are the largest cruise ships that can navigate the shallow 120-mile-long Limfjord waterway that divides North Jutlandic Island from Jutland proper where Aalborg lies on the south bank. Which is to say that on the 900-passenger vessels you won’t be swamped at port by behemoth ships disgorging visitors by the thousands.
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Porthole: Home Is Where the Heritage Is
August 23, 2016 — In many ways Viking Ocean Cruises’ newest ship, Viking Sea, is a welcome return to basics — comfortable destination-based cruise travel at its heart and soul without any unnecessary bells and whistles. It’s elegant simplicity by design. And it’s something special.
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Travel + Leisure: The World’s Best Ocean Cruise Line
August 1, 2016 — Just one year after launching its first oceangoing ship, Viking Cruises pulled off a surprise win, beating out the competition. What truly makes a statement on the line’s twin 930-passenger ships, Viking Star and Viking Sea, is the Scandinavian aesthetic, which translates to airy cabins (all of which have full-size balconies) and public spaces.
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TravelAge West: Viking Cruises' Viking Star
July 31, 2016 — It was clear to me after only one week onboard Viking Ocean Cruises’ luxurious Viking Star that it is, first and foremost, a home to its passengers. And for good reason — the designers have found a way to combine elegance and comfort, making the vessel not only a ship, but also a residence.
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Cruise Fever: 7 Ways Viking Ocean Cruises Reinvented Ocean Cruising
July 18, 2016 — Viking launched their first ocean cruise ship, Viking Star in May 2015, and currently has a fleet of two cruise ships (Viking Star, Viking Sea) with four more either under construction or on order. Viking Cruises has not only created a vision to reinvent ocean cruising in seven different areas, but exceeded on every one of them.
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The Avid Cruiser: Viking Wants To Be Your Best Choice
June 26, 2016 — With its Norwegian roots and Norwegian-flagged ships, Viking says no other company does Scandinavia cruises better.
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Travel Daily News: Viking Cruises Chairman Torstein Hagen commemorates five Norwegian ports of call for new ship
June 21, 2016 — Viking Ocean Cruises announced that its chairman, Torstein Hagen, has commemorated the arrival of the company's new ship, Viking Sea, in five new Norwegian ports of call. A Norwegian native, Hagen celebrated his family's heritage during the traditional maritime plaque ceremonies attended by local officials, harbor masters, directors of tourism, and mayors.
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TravelPulse: Torstein and Karine Hagen Discuss Viking Ocean Cruises
June 21, 2016 — While traveling aboard Viking Ocean Cruises’ new Viking Sea along the line’s equally new itinerary – Into the Midnight Sun – I had the privilege to exclusively interview the company’s chairman, Torstein Hagen, and senior vice president, Karine Hagen. These two are father and daughter, respectively.
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The Daily Meal: Viking’s New ‘Kitchen Table’ Culinary Arts Program
May 19, 2016 — Since last year's launch of its first ocean cruise liner, the Viking Star, Viking Cruise Line has stunned passengers and cruise critics alike with its gleaming ship and emphasis on learning and discovery through travel.
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Travel + Leisure: Travel + Leisure’s Take on Viking Cruises’ Brand New Ship, Viking Sea
May 18, 2016 — You will not find a casino on this cruise ship. I repeat: You will not find a casino on this cruise ship. For some folks, that might be a turn off. But for many, it’s an enticement, and it is certainly an indication of the kind of tone the Viking Sea is trying to set. Quiet. Restrained. Calming.
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Toronto Sun: Viking Sea Stretches its Sea Legs
May 9, 2016 — The ultra stylish Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, may not have been the most fashionable lady on the London scene last week. Stiff competition came from the new Viking Sea, which turned heads as she sailed along the Thames on May 5.
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Fox News: Viking Cruises Unveils Second Luxury Ocean Liner
May 6, 2016 — When it comes to modern cruising, increasingly massive ships dominate the high seas. But Viking Cruises is bucking that trend with its new destination-focused Viking Sea – a 930-guest sister ship to last year’s Viking Star, the company's first vessel designed for the ocean.
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USA Today: Fast-Growing Viking Cruises Christens Second Ocean Ship
May 6, 2016 — Under a sky blanketed with fireworks, the 930-passenger Viking Sea was officially welcomed into service by her godmother, Karine Hagen – Viking’s vice president and daughter of company chairman Torstein Hagen.
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Yahoo! News: Viking Ocean Cruises Launches New Ship in London
May 6, 2016 — Viking Ocean Cruises has officially welcomed its second ship, Viking Sea, during a celebration on the Thames River in Greenwich. Viking Sea's debut follows the launch of the cruise company's first ship Viking Star, less than a year ago and signals the growth of Viking Ocean Cruises, which last year became the travel industry's first entirely new cruise line in a decade.
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Condé Nast Traveler: Viking Plans a 141-Day World Cruise for 2017
May 3, 2016 — Cross 35 countries and 66 cities off your bucket list in a single cruise. Since launching the first new ocean cruise line in a decade, Viking Cruises is making good on its promise to shift the cruise industry's focus to cultural experiences over, say, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.
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The Daily Meal: Viking River Cruises Take to the Oceans
February 19, 2016 — It’s hard to tell which is larger: the ship, the amount of dining options, or the value. For the past five years, Viking River Cruises has consistently topped numerous “World’s Best” travel lists.
Viking Rivers Archive (2016)
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USA Today: Viking River Cruises Wins Best River Cruise Line
December 23, 2016 — Founded in 1997, Viking River Cruises plies the waterways of Europe, Russia, China, Southeast Asia and Egypt with its fleet of 35 vessels. While Viking has also launched an award-winning ocean cruise line, the company built its reputation in river cruising. These all-inclusive cruises feature outside staterooms, WiFi, wine and beer with meals, shore excursions in every port and Viking’s signature Culture Curriculum program.
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Chicago Tribune: Cruising the Waterways of the Czars in Surprising, Sprawling Russia
December 5, 2016 — A river cruise like Viking’s Waterways of the Tsars is an ideal way for first-time visitors to get a sense of sprawling, surprising Russia.
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Condé Nast Traveler: Plan Now, Take A River Cruise
November 20, 2016 — If you’re still on the fence, consider that booking during 2016 will lock in this year’s prices, which could save you a few hundred dollars, depending. You’ll also have your pick of itineraries and the first choice of the best cabins on the best lines (Viking and Grand Circle topped our RCA list this year).
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Travel Weekly: Viking Cruises’ Torstein Hagen
October 25, 2016 — Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking Cruises, announced plans to go into the ocean cruise business in 2013. Three years later, he has plans for a half-dozen ships on three continents. He spoke with senior editor Tom Stieghorst onboard the Viking Star as it repositioned for its first season of Caribbean cruising from San Juan.
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Town & Country: These Are the Best Cruises in the World
October 6, 2016 — Town & Country awarded Viking River Cruises Best For Suites and Best for Design in their 2016 Cruise Awards, noting: The simple Scandinavian design of Viking's nearly 50 newly built Longships makes the best use of space we've seen. They don't feel cramped, and they have a lovely indoor/outdoor dining area, the Aquavit Terrace.
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Huffington Post: The Best Way To See The Sights Of Russia
August 10, 2016 — I was going with Viking River Cruises on the Waterways of the Tsars cruise. Viking River has a longstanding relationship with the Russian government. I knew I would feel confident and safe seeing Russia with them.
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JustLuxe: Coasting Along the Mekong on Viking River Cruises’ 15-Day Trip
August 10, 2016 — Since my last three Viking trips were all one-week cruises in Europe, I decided to embark on a 15-day Magnificent Mekong cruise which goes through Vietnam and Cambodia. Initially, I had some reservations about the hassle of a hotel/cruise ship combo and the longer time frame. Plus, this time I wouldn’t be luxuriating on one of their signature Longships. The Viking Mekong, which was specifically built to traverse the “Mother River of Southeast Asia,” is a much smaller wooden ship, accommodating just 56 guests. However, it turned out to be my favorite Viking trip to date.
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Cruise Critic: We Try It With Viking River Cruises
August 1, 2016 — Viking River Cruises offers the perfect opportunity. The line's truffle, wine and cheese cruise excursion not only shows you what everyday life in rural France is like, but also a taste of its most sought-after delicacies.
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Huffington Post: Finding Peace on the Mekong River
July 25, 2016 — Watching the blood red sun drip into the Mekong River makes me feel cinematic and I dream of romance and adventure. I chat with fellow travelers, murmuring about the intoxicating beauty of the region.
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Cruise Currents: Sailing On A Viking River Longship
July 9, 2016 — My entire cruise career has seen me sailing on cruise ships of all sizes. From the largest ships at sea to the classics that are tiny by today’s standards, so I was intrigued and admittedly nervous about trying out my very first river ship with Viking River. The Viking Lif, which spans a total of four decks and has a tonnage of just a few thousand, would be my very first experience with a ship of this size and on a river. And wow, did I fall in love with her.
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Canadian World Traveller: Perfection with Viking River Cruises
July 1, 2016 — A new destination each morning without having to look for hotels, pack and unpack luggage, drive through unknown roads, find parking… Viking has taken all the guess work and hassles out. It is truly a perfect way to travel, so much so that the only thing to do is remember what time the boat leaves.
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Boston Herald: Set sail for Europe on river cruise
June 26, 2016 — The popularity of cruising the continent’s scenic rivers shouldn’t come as a surprise. Europe has more navigable waterways than any other region in the world — and arguably more diverse cultures and visitor attractions along its riverbanks than any place else.
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Condé Nast Traveler: Why You Should Book a River Cruise Right Now
February 11, 2016 — Eyeing a river cruise getaway? You’re in luck: award-winning Viking River Cruises has brought back its risk-free booking promotion for the month of February, a limited-time only no-fee cancellation policy that you’re more likely to see when booking a dinner cruise than two-week river trip.
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Bon Appétit: Take Me to the (Danube) River
January 27, 2016 — Bigger isn’t always better—especially when it comes to the cruise life. We went sailing down the Danube in search of stunning views and the ultimate week of R&R. (Spoiler: We found both.)
