Viking's newest riverboat on the Mekong

#expeditioncruising .

Viking has taken delivery of its newest river ship, Viking Tonle, set to sail exclusively on Southeast Asia's Mekong River. According to Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking, the region's rich history and traditions make it especially compelling for travellers who value learning through exploration.

Viking Takes Delivery of Newest River Ship in Europe

#expeditioncruising .

Viking's newest river ship, the Viking Gyda, has officially joined its fleet and will sail exclusively on Portugal’s Douro River. The delivery ceremony for the Viking Gyda took place at the West Sea shipyard in Viana do Castello, Portugal.

New River Voyages in India for Viking

#expeditioncruising .

Viking has announced its first river voyages in India on the Viking Brahmaputra, a new 80-guest vessel designed specifically for the Brahmaputra River. Currently under construction and scheduled to debut in late 2027, the Viking Brahmaputra will set a new standard for modern river voyages in India. The ship will sail between Guwahati and Nimati Ghat in the northeastern state of Assam as part of Viking’s new 15-day itinerary, Wonders of India. In addition to an eight-day river voyage, the itinerary includes a fully guided land program with overnights in Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur.

Viking Takes Delivery of Newest Egypt Ship

#expeditioncruising .

Viking has taken delivery of the company’s newest ship for the Nile River, the Viking Hathor. The delivery ceremony took place when the new ship was presented at the Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt. The 82-guest Viking Hathor joins the company’s growing fleet of state-of-the-art ships for the Nile River and will sail Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

Viking River Cruises expands to Mississippi

#expeditioncruising

Report just in from Seatrade Insider, indicates the European river cruising giant, Viking, will soon have vessels on the Mississippi. Viking currently operates 60 vessels across Europe, Russia and Asia.

Viking's planned Mississippi vessels are more likely to resemble
their European fleet and will not feature paddle wheels.

Viking intends to build six vessels locally over the next three years at a cost of US$90m to US$100m each.

The vessels will be owned by Tennenbaum Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based alternative investment management firm, and chartered to Viking in line with US  maritime laws.

Viking chairman, Torstein Hagen, announced that New Orleans will be homeport for Viking's inaugural North American river cruise itineraries after having alluded to the plan two years ago with the famous quote, "We can show the Americans what a river ship should really look like!"

The plan is to deploy two vessels per year starting 2017, building to a fleet of six new boats in the first three years.

Cruises will depart New Orleans with stops in St. James, East Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes,sailing  upriver to Memphis, St. Louis or St. Paul, depending on the season. Each specially built riverboat will feature Viking's luxury amenities and accommodate up to 400 passengers.





 

Cruise Weekly: Awaken Burma

By Roderick Eime

It seems everyone’s eyes are on Burma as the new tourism destination. But after languishing for years with sanctions and restrictions, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar will struggle to cope with the anticipated influx of western travellers eager to experience this once mysterious destination.

A shortage of hotel beds and other critical infrastructure like air capacity, is set to play into the hands of cruise operators as the ideal means of exploring this newly opened nation. In 2012, Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism released figures that quoted a doubling of arrivals over six years to just over one million. Cross-border arrivals are static, while air arrivals are soaring.

Much of the romantic allure of Burma was formed during the British colonial era when the country was absorbed into the Empire in the closing years of the 19th century. Of course, life under British rule was not ideal for the devout Buddhist population of Burma, but stories of the steamy, mysterious land by the likes of 1907 Nobel laureate, Rudyard Kipling, set the scene with tales of adventure and derring-do for generations of imaginative English-speaking children.

One of the enduring visions of colonial Burma is that of the many hard-working steamboats of the 1865-formed Irrawaddy Flotilla Company that traversed the Irrawaddy and Chindwin Rivers in the service of the British Empire. When the British recovered Burma in 1945 after Japanese occupation, the IFC was reformed.

 

Original RV Indochina Pandaw

Today the original vessels of the IFC are gone, but their spirit lives on in a new and rebuilt fleet of replica vessels, constructed with absolute authenticity to recapture that romantic colonial spirit. Enter Pandaw.

Building on the overwhelming popularity of the nostalgic river cruising concept established on the Mekong with RV Indochina Pandaw, the company expanded river operations to include the Irrawaddy with an identical sister vessel, the Orient Pandaw.

The name Pandaw derives from the last of the original, Clyde-built vessels recovered and restored to its former glory in the late 1990s, thus reviving the name and the concept of Asian retro river cruising.

 

Orient Express: Road to Mandalay

While pioneering the riverboat trade along the Irrawaddy and Chindwin Rivers, Pandaw’s success quickly attracted new operators. Pandaw continued to profit from their exclusivity and many cruise wholesalers like Cruiseco and Viking employed the classic vessels while others like Orient-Express launched their own. Smaller, local operators like Yangon-based Myanmar River Cruises are also getting in on the action with a fleet of six varied vessels including day boats.

 

Myanmar River Cruises: Irrawaddy Princess

While more and more visitors are arriving in Burma and many looking at the floating option, knowledge within the retail cruise sector is limited to specialist agencies with actual on-the-water experience. A good reason to consult ICCA accredited cruise agents. See cruising.org.au for members.

Viking Launches 'Magnificent Mekong' For 2012

Ahead of the launch of its main 2012 brochure, Viking River Cruises has released its 'Magnificent Mekong' programme with massive savings for early bookers.

Double discounts, giving savings of up to £1000 per person, are offered on any Mekong departure booked by 30 June, 2011 for travel in 2012.

The early release of the programme follows huge demand for the 16 day 'Magnificent Mekong' itinerary, which combines a land tour of Vietnam and Cambodia with a seven-night cruise on the 66 passenger RV Tonle, a graceful, French colonial-style vessel hand finished in brass and teak.

For 2012, Viking has doubled the number of departure dates on this holiday to 38, with cruises year-round, from 2 January to 24 December 2012.

The comprehensive itinerary gives guests the opportunity to discover two countries, two cultures and two ways of life linked by Indochina's most important river, the Mekong.


Along the journey, highlights include visits to the ancient Khmer monuments at Angkor Wat; the chance to explore the floating markets of the Mekong Delta and the old city of Hanoi in Vietnam; as well as visits to the elegant French colonial capital of Phnom Penh and the bustling metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City.

Other escorted tours include a visit to hilltop Wat Hanchey and the Twin Holy Mountains of Phnom Pros and Phnom Srey; a small boat excursion through the Kampong Chhnang wetlands; a Cyclo tour featuring the Royal Palace and National Museum in Phnom Penh with an excursion to the Killing Fields; and a visit to the visit of Prek Touch.

Prices start from £2,699 per person (with £1,000 discount) and include return flights from London to Hanoi and from Ho Chi Minh City (or vice versa); a seven-night river cruise with river-view stateroom; two nights' hotel stay in Hanoi, three nights in Siem Reap and two nights in Ho Chi Minh; 14 guided tours with audio headsets; and the internal flight between Hanoi and Siem Reap. A programme of 'Cultural Highlights' featuring a traditional Vietnamese wedding ceremony and a visit to the Siem Reap arts and craft school, plus a 'Culture Curriculum' programme giving language lessons and talks are also included.

For those will more time to explore the region further, Viking also has two add-on packages with two nights at Ha Long Bay priced from £299 per person, or three nights in Bangkok from £599 per person with escorted tours included throughout.

Australian travellers should check local prices and conditions at:
www.vikingrivercruises.com.au