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Fast-growing Viking adds 7 more new ships from Europe to Egypt
As TPG's cruise team lead, Gene Sloan oversees the site's cruise content and also writes many of TPG's main cruise guides. He has spent nearly 30 years writing about cruise ships and cruising, and he is one of the world's best-known authorities on the topic.
October 16, 2026 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
Viking has expanded its fleet by adding seven new river ships, bringing its total to 109 vessels and solidifying its position as the cruise company with the most ships worldwide.
The new ships will operate on major rivers in Europe, Egypt and France, with two debuting in Amsterdam and others joining the Nile and Seine fleets.
Viking's rapid growth includes 36 more river ships and 17 ocean ships on order or under option for delivery over the next decade, further increasing its industry presence.
The brand focuses on upscale, adults-only cruises designed for travelers aged 55 and older, emphasizing destination immersion and Scandinavian-inspired design.
What to consider
Viking ships are smaller than those of some competitors, resulting in fewer passengers per year despite a larger fleet.
All Viking cruises are adults-only, with no passengers under 18 allowed, which is uncommon in the cruise industry.
Viking leads the North American river cruise market and holds a significant share of the luxury ocean cruise segment.
What you'll miss from the article
Details on Viking's unique onboard experience, ship design features and how its itineraries cater to destination-focused travelers.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
One of the greatest growth stories in the history of cruising continued on Thursday as Viking unveiled yet another large crop of new vessels.
The 29-year-old cruise brand officially welcomed seven new ships to its fleet during an intimate naming ceremony along the waterfront of Amsterdam, bringing its total to 109.
The addition of the new vessels, all designed for river cruising, puts Viking firmly in the top spot among cruise companies of the world for the title of the cruise company with the most ships.
The nearest competitor in terms of total ship count is Carnival Corporation, which currently operates 92 vessels among its eight brands after reducing its fleet size in recent years from a high of 104 ships. Carnival Corporation is the parent company of Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America, among other major lines.
"We are very proud to celebrate our seven newest river ships, and as we approach Viking's 30th anniversary in 2027, our best years are still ahead of us," Viking CEO and president Leah Talactac said at the event, which began with pierside festivities and ended with a gala dinner at Amsterdam's historic Koepelkerk.
Viking executives and ship godparents arrive at the seven-ship christening ceremony in Amsterdam. VIKING
More than 100 Viking executives, port officials, business partners and media were on hand for the event, which included a performance by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos, and Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold.
New ships for Europe and Egypt
Only two of the seven new vessels, the 190-passenger Viking Rota and 190-passenger Viking Haki, were physically present in Amsterdam for the naming ceremony. Both ships will sail on Europe's Rhine, Main and Danube rivers, with itineraries that often begin or end in Amsterdam.
Three of the seven new ships were located on the two rivers where they will be sailing, the Nile in Egypt and the Seine in France. Two more were at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock, Germany, where they were undergoing the last stages of construction.
Still, the captains and godmothers (and, in a couple of cases, godfathers) of all seven vessels were present at the pierside event for the ceremony, which included video feeds from each of the vessels as, one by one, they were officially named with a smash of Norwegian aquavit against their hulls.
The use of bottles of aquavit instead of bottles of Champagne to name the vessels was a nod to Viking's Norwegian heritage. (Viking founder Torstein Hagen is Norwegian.)
All seven of the godmothers and godfathers for the ships were owners or top executives of travel advisor companies that sell Viking cruises.
Enormous growth
Thursday's event was just the latest milestone in what has been an extraordinary period of growth for Viking.
With the addition of the seven new river ships, Viking now operates 94 river ships around the world, as well as 13 traditional ocean ships and two expedition cruise vessels.
The captains and godparents for each of Viking's new river ships assemble on stage during a gala dinner in Amsterdam. VIKING
As recently as 2012, the company fielded just 29 river ships and not a single ocean ship.
The recently public company, which now has more than 12,000 employees, has been one of the fastest-growing cruise companies in history and shows no signs of slowing its growth.
As Viking executives noted in a briefing for media on Thursday before the naming event, the company has 36 more river ships on order or under option for delivery by 2032 — an astounding number. It also has 17 ocean ships on order or under option for delivery by 2034.
The latter total includes two additional expedition cruise ships the company has ordered for delivery in 2030 and 2031.
The additions will further cement Viking's position as the fastest growing major cruise company in terms of number of ships.
Viking founder Torstein Hagen and CEO Leah Talactac with a display showing rods that represent each river ship added to the Viking fleet over the years. VIKING
Still, while Viking is adding ships faster than its biggest cruise company competitors, it still carries significantly fewer passengers per year than several of them, including industry giants Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Group, as its average ship size is considerably smaller.
That said, by one other significant measure, Viking is now bigger than Carnival Corporation, which long dominated the cruise world by almost every metric from ship count and passenger capacity to profitability. As of Thursday's close, Viking's stock market capitalization, at $37.4 billion, had pulled ahead of Carnival Corporation's market capitalization by nearly a billion dollars.
Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises, currently has the biggest stock market capitalization among cruise companies with a value as of Thursday's close of nearly $75 billion.
Viking has seen enormous success since its founding 29 years ago with intimate, upscale cruises aimed at the 55-plus traveler — a segment of travelers that has more time and money for travel than younger segments of the traveling population.
Designed for the "thinking person," as founder Hagen likes to say, they are trips that revolve heavily around the destinations that the ships visit, with longer stays in ports that allow for more in-depth exploring and included tours in every port. In the case of the line's ocean ships, they also feature expert lecturers on board to explain the things passengers are seeing.
A Viking river ship sailing the Rhine. VIKING
All Viking cruises, notably, are adults-only, with no children under the age of 18 allowed — something that is rare in the world of cruising. On many sailings, most passengers are retirees.
Viking ships also are particularly known for their elegant, Scandinavian-influenced design, which is modern, upscale and residential in its feel.
It is a combination that has proved to be hugely popular.
Thanks to strong demand for its cruises and its rapid expansion in ships to meet the demand, Viking is now the leader by far in river cruises for North Americans with 52% of the market. It accounts for about 27% of the market for luxury ocean cruises, which also makes it the leader in that space.
The seven new river ships that Viking welcomed on Thursday include four — Viking Rota, Viking Haki, Viking Halogi and Viking Sjofn — that will sail the brand's most popular itineraries along Europe's Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
