Viking to increase capacity with 12 new river vessels

With no sign of slowdown on Eureopean river cruises, Viking River Cruises has ordered 12 new river vessels for next year comprised of 10 Viking Longships and two brand-new “Longship-esque” vessels on the Elbe River. The expansion will bring Viking’s total fleet to 64 vessels by the end of 2015.
In addition, Viking will introduce two new itineraries on the Rhine in 2015.
Ten of the twelve vessels on order are Viking Longships, which first debuted in 2012, which will bring the line’s total number of longships to 40.
The two other newbuilds will be designed specifically to operate on Germany’s Elbe River. Sister ships Viking Astrild and Viking Beyla will be smaller than the Viking Longships and will feature customised hulls and energy-efficient, hybrid engines specially designed to navigate the Elbe River. Accommodating 98 guests in 49 staterooms, the Scandinavian-themed ships will offer an Aquavit Terrace, a wide variety of stateroom choices, onboard solar panels and an organic herb garden.
The ships will double the capacity on Viking’s ten-day Elbe cruisetours.