Cruise

Robust Demand Drives Viking Cruises to Open Season Early

Viking Cruises has opened up its 2026 ocean voyages early as vacationers are rapidly filling up the out there dates in 2024 and 2025. As well as, visitors also can now peruse the itineraries for the fleet’s latest ship – Viking Vesta.

Robust Demand Pushes Viking Cruises to Open 2026 Season Early

Due to sturdy seasonal bookings and its January “Uncover Extra Sale,” Viking Cruises introduced on January 24, 2024, that it might open up all 2026 voyages throughout its fleet. 

As well as, Viking has revealed the itineraries for its latest ship – Viking Vesta – which is because of start crusing in July 2025. Six new cruise extension packages have been added to the 2024 and 2025 seasons as nicely.

“We’re happy that our strategy has resonated with so many—and with the addition of the Viking Vesta to our ocean fleet, we sit up for introducing much more curious vacationers to the Viking manner of exploration,” mentioned Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking. 

Among the many greater than 80 itineraries out there for 2026 are some visitor favorites, together with Viking Homelands, a 15-day cruise between Stockholm and Bergen. Different stops on that voyage embrace Berlin, Copenhagen, and Oslo. Cities in Denmark, Poland, and the Åland Islands are also included. The itinerary features a passage by means of the Norwegian fjords as nicely. 

Viking Cruise Ship (Picture Credit score: EQRoy / Shutterstock)

A shorter itinerary that’s widespread with Viking visitors is the 8-day Iconic Western Mediterranean voyage. That journey between Barcelona and Rome additionally contains stops in Montpellier and Marseille in France, Monte Carlo in Monaco, and Florence/Pisa in Italy.

Different high itineraries now on sale for 2026 embrace a 10-day Empires of the Mediterranean voyage between Venice and Athens, a 15-day British Isles Explorer itinerary between Bergen and London, and a 11-day West Indies Explorer crusing roundtrip from San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

New Pre- and Put up-Cruise Extensions Coming in 2024, 2025

Additionally introduced on January 24 are six new pre- and post-cruise “extensions” for visitors who wish to discover the world’s most iconic locations in additional element.

Learn Additionally: Who Owns Viking Cruises?

These new 3-night extensions can be out there in Barcelona, Istanbul, London, Rome, Stockholm and Venice. The package deal contains unique entry to museums, guided metropolis excursions, lunches and dinners that includes native delicacies in addition to cooking courses and visits to native markets. 

Viking Cruises officers say greater than 45% of its visitors select so as to add these extensions to their journeys. Extensions beforehand out there embrace Lucerne, Budapest, Prague, Paris, the French Riviera, Amsterdam, London, Mumbai, Bergen, Bruges/Antwerp, and St. Louis.

Viking Vesta’s Maiden Season Introduced

Viking visitors who had been ready on information for the fleet’s latest ocean vessel Viking Vesta acquired some excellent news too. Attributable to start crusing in July 2025, the 998-guest ship will spend her inaugural season crusing the Mediterranean and Scandinavia.

Viking Neptune Cruise Ship
Picture Courtesy: Fincantieri

Itineraries will embrace the 8-day Iconic Western Mediterranean voyage between Barcelona and Rome, an 8-day Journey to Antiquities crusing between Rome and Athens, and the Iceland, British Isles & Iberia journey between Reykjavík and Barcelona.

Viking Vesta is ending up its building on the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. When full, she’s going to weigh about 54,300 gross tons and have room for 998 passengers.

Robust Demand Spurs Early Bookings

Earlier in January, Viking Cruises introduced a “Uncover Extra” sale that gives new and returning visitors financial savings of as much as $800 on cruises in 2024, 2025, and 2026. The sale is sweet by means of January 31, 2024, and applies to Viking river, ocean, and expedition voyages. 

In December 2023, Viking additionally introduced its 2026 river cruise season would open early for bookings. The entire early bookings and fare reductions got here after information that the cruise line had its largest reserving month up to now in January 2023.

As bookings start for the 2026 season, Viking Cruises additionally awaits 10 new longships at present below building. A keel laying ceremony for all 10 vessels was held in December 2023 on the Neptun Werft shipyard within the port metropolis of Rostock in japanese Germany. 

Robust Demand Drives Viking Cruises to Open Season Early

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