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Viking River Cruises announced two more ship builds in 2012 in response to the high demand for 2012 & 2013 bookings.
The new ships are in addition to the four already in production. The new builds will copy that of Viking’s "green" Longship river cruise vessels, including the Viking Prestige and Viking Legend. The Longships will be 443 feet long, feature 95 staterooms per ship and will boast key innovations such as:
Two Explorer Suites-which will be the largest river cruise suites each featuring a separate living room, bedroom, bathroom and private wraparound veranda, offering 270-degree views. Seven 275-square-foot Veranda Suites with a full-size veranda in the living room and a French balcony in the bedroom. Thirty-nine Veranda Staterooms with full-size verandas. A new all-weather indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace that reinvents the lounge by bringing the outdoor river scenery indoors with retractable floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Al Fresco dining areas on the Upper deck, adjacent to the lounge to present more dining choices to guests. Sustainability upgrades such as energy-efficient hybrid engines, solar panels, efficient, hybrid propulsion system and an onboard organic herb garden.
"The two additional Longship builds represent our continued commitment to delivering quality on the river and once again, show how we are setting the bar for river cruising globally" comments Wendy Atkin-Smith, Managing Director Viking River Cruises UK Limited. "River cruising is ever growing in popularity with 134,000 people from the UK taking a river cruise in 2010. The new builds are bringing our ships into the modern era and ensuring that our customers guaranteed the best river cruise ships on the market."
"This is a very exciting time for Viking River Cruises" continues Atkin-Smith. "We cannot wait to welcome our customers onto the next era of Viking River Cruise ships and continue to explore the world from the unrivalled position of the river".
The six ships are scheduled to sail Viking’s most popular European itineraries including the 15-day Grand European Tour, 8-day Romantic Danube, 8-day Danube Waltz, 10-day Tulips & Windmills and 8-day Rhine Getaway.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
