Viking River Cruises is adding three itineraries for 2010, including the eight-day Danube Waltz through Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia and the 10-day China Discovery cruise-tour featuring all the imperial treasures of Beijing, plus a 6-day Yangtze River cruise through the Three Gorges. Guests on this China Discovery itinerary also enjoy a final afternoon and evening adjacent to Beijing’s Olympic Village, where they can see some of the distinctive venues constructed for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games. Finally, the company’s Nile Explorer is a nine-day itinerary that showcases the highlights of Cairo and features a five-day Aswan-to-Luxor cruise rich with comprehensive tours and experiences.
The 2010 season will also feature the 189-guest Viking Legend. The much-anticipated ship will make its debut in July with all outside staterooms featuring either picture windows or French balconies. The company claims the largest suites on Europe’s rivers with the Legend, in addition to an innovative, energy-efficient propulsion system that produces an exceptionally quiet, smooth ride. Viking Legend will join the fleet on Grand European Tour, the line’s most popular itinerary.
In total, Viking River Cruises is offering 19 ships to the North American market for 2010. Cruise fares cover accommodations, all onboard meals, shore excursions each day and cultural enrichment activities such as lectures, discussions, workshops, demonstrations of handmade crafts like glassblowing, embroidery and ceramics, and local food and wine tastings. If airfare is purchased through Viking, transfers are included as well.
“Viking offers river cruises in four of the world’s regions, from eight to 17 days in length, visiting anywhere from one to eight countries. There is truly something for everyone. We hope that our past guests will choose to join us again in 2010 — perhaps traveling to a different region — and that we can introduce Viking to new guests as well,” Viking River Cruises chairman Torstein Hagen said.
Viking River Cruises
www.vikingrivercruises.com
