Christmas on the European rivers becomes more feasible with additional voyages announced for 2013. Image: Viking River Cruises
	Viking Freya will be christened in late March in Amsterdam. Image: Viking River Cruises

Two more Longships have been announced for the Viking River Cruises’ fleet next year, bringing the total number of Longships launching in 2013 to a record-breaking ten.

Viking Baldur and Viking Magni are slated for launch in late August and September 2013 respectively and will sail on the 15-day Grand European Tour from Amsterdam to Budapest.

Viking Baldur will also sail on an eight-day Rhine Getaway from Amsterdam to Basel and Viking Magni on an eight-day Danube Waltz voyage from Passau to Budapest.

Accommodating 190-passengers in 95 staterooms, the move will ensure Viking River Cruises has the youngest and largest river cruise fleet in the world.

“As river cruising is a growing as a popular holiday option in Australia and New Zealand, Viking River Cruises has been growing both as a fleet and in bookings,” Viking River Cruises managing director Teresia Fors told e-Travel Blackboard.

“Hence, the need for more ships and more dates across the popular itineraries in Europe, which has been received by the Australian and New Zealand markets in a promising way.”

Viking Longships feature the largest river cruise suites in Europe and are environmentally aware with onboard solar panels, organic herb gardens and energy efficient hybrid engines that reduce vibrations for smoother sailing.

2014 will see eight more Longships launched, bringing the total fleet expansion to 24 in a three-year period – an unprecedented amount in the cruise industry.

The company is set to christen the first eight Viking Longships launched in 2013 at a simultaneous ceremony in Amsterdam next March, the first time that such a large number of vessels have been christened together.