Viking River Cruises to offer largest suites in Europe

Viking River Cruises vessels will boast the largest suites ever for a river ship as well as other features which the line says will revolutionize the industry

Details of the new vessels, dubbed Long-ships by the line, will be announced and include top suites that measure 445 square feet and feature a separate living room, bedroom, bathroom and private wrap-around balcony.

The vessels will also feature all-weather indoor/outdoor terraces at their front’s which is a new concept for river cruises in Europe. The terraces will have retractable floor to ceiling glass doors along with al fresco dining areas with grills on the upper deck, adjacent to the lounge.

Viking is spending $120 million to build four ships due for delivery in 2012, this being part of a huge $250 million expansion the line announced last year.

Viking River Cruises chairman and CEO Torstein Hagen said "We are appealing to the people who have been on ocean ships, noting the ships also will have large balconies with many cabins. "People have become so used to balconies on ocean ships (that) they are demanding balconies when they go on river cruises."

The 443-foot-long vessels, the Viking Freya, Viking Idun, Viking Njord and Viking Odin will have 95 cabins each. They'll sail four of Viking's most popular European itineraries spanning the Rhine and Danube rivers. They were designed by maritime architects Yran & Storbraaten, who also worked on Disney Cruise Line's new Disney Dream and a number of Seabourn ships.

Large suites, and cabins with large balconies are very uncommon on river ships in Europe as they must be narrow to fit through the Continent's locks and low enough to fit under its bridges. Space on river ships is at a premium, and balconies in particular are considered difficult to add due to how narrow the ships must be. But Viking has come up with an unusual solution to carve out more space for balconies: The line is off-setting the central corridor between cabins by about three feet.

Viking made a few other decisions in the design stage of the ships to make more space for the larger suites. The ships won't have one of the small spas that sometimes are found on river ships. Instead, the line will offer passengers spa and health club packages at four- and five-star facilities in key ports of call.