4 New Ships for Viking River Cruises

Viking River Cruises, the world’s leading river cruise line, today announced the next phase of its $250 million fleet development program as it unveils details of four, state-of-the-art vessels set to launch at the start of its 2012 sailing season. This is the second time in a decade that Viking River Cruises has engaged in four new ship builds in one season—an accomplishment that no other river cruise company has matched since Viking did it in 2001.

Scheduled to sail four of Viking’s most popular European itineraries, including the 10-day Tulips & Windmills, 8-day Romantic Danube, 15-day Grand European Tour and 8-day Danube Waltz, each of the new Viking Longships will be 443 feet (135 meters) long, and feature 95 staterooms per ship. Representing a $120 million investment, each of the new ships will boast key innovations such as:

• Two Explorer Suites, which will be the largest river cruise suites in Europe at 445 square feet, each featuring a separate living room, bedroom, bathroom and private wraparound veranda, offering 270-degree views.
• Seven 270-square-foot Veranda Suites with full-size verandas in the living room and French balconies in the bedroom.
• 39 Veranda Staterooms with full-size verandas at 205 square feet.
• Sustainability upgrades such as energy-efficient hybrid engines, solar panels and an onboard organic herb garden.
• 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.

The Viking Longships are currently available for booking. Dates and pricing as well as ship and itinerary information are available on the company’s website at www.vikingrivercruises.com.

For an overview of Viking River Cruises visit the Royal Viking River Cruises Profile at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine

TWO NEW SHIPS FOR PRINCESS CRUISES

Topping up the WOPPING number of 11 new ships scheduled to be delivered between March 2010 and May 2012, Carnival Corporation & plc has signed a memorandum of agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of two 3,600-passenger cruise ships for its Princess Cruises brand.

At an all-in cost of approximately €155,000 per lower berth, the two new ships are scheduled to enter service in spring 2013 and spring 2014. At 139,000 tons each, the as-yet-unnamed ships will be the largest in the Princess Cruises fleet.

The Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe and Australia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, The Yachts of Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Ibero Cruises, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia.

Together, these brands operate 95 ships totaling more than 184,000 lower berths.

For cruise experiences on any one of these major cruise lines, take a look at Prows's Edge Cruise Magazine cruise reviews at http://www.prowsedge.com/cruises-reviews.html