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Why Viking

Cruise Critic: On The Rhone River: Mother and Son Take Their First River Cruise Together

Come along with us on this seven-night Lyon and Provence journey (it’s also offered by Viking in the reverse direction), as I share my day-by-day report on a trip with mom. The itinerary explores some of France’s most beloved territory — from Lyon, the culinary capital of France, through cherished wine regions of Beaujolais and Côte Rôtie, with stops to discover 2,000-year-old architectural treasures along the way.
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Condé Nast Traveler: Portugal's Douro Is the Next Big River Cruising Destination

January 22, 2020 – Tear into fresh-baked bread, pulled from an ancient oven fueled by wood and grapevines, in one of the last old-school bakeries in tiny Favaios. In Marialva (near the Spanish border), enjoy a picnic in the castle’s shadow of this 2,500-year-old town. Since this is Viking, where experiences are everything, you’ll learn the secrets to fine Port wine-blending at a quinta, and taste wine and popular regional delicacies, like bola de carne, an irresistible bread filled with a combination of meats and smoked sausage.
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Cruise Critic: On the Danube River: Two Longtime Pals Make Discoveries About Europe and Friendship

When I floated the idea of sharing a week-long Viking cruise down the Danube River with my longtime pal Jayne, we conjured similar takeaways: tantalizing glimpses of fairytale castles from a sun deck lounger, the chance to visit three capital cities and five separate countries in the heart of Europe, and plenty of pastries and pretzels - both on and off the ship.
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USA Today: 10 best river cruise lines in the world, according to readers

January 9, 2020 – Number 1: Founded in 1997, Viking River Cruises plies the waterways of Europe, Russia, China, Southeast Asia and Egypt with its fleet of more than 60 vessels. While Viking has also launched an award-winning ocean cruise line, the company built its reputation in river cruising.
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Cruise Critic: Floating through the heart of Europe. Join a Rhine adventure on the Viking Tialfi

December 9, 2019 – Lined by castles and cathedrals, the Rhine area is best visited by river cruise because the waterway brought life, trade and culture to the region, and remains the source of much its history today. Viking’s eight-day journey between Basel and Amsterdam dazzles visitors with medieval scenery and regional cuisine.
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CNN: Cruise Critic picks world's best cruise ships for 2019

December 4, 2019 – Viking Cruises dominated the 12th annual Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards for the third year in a row with five wins in 2019.
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Redbook: The 12 Best Cruises To Take This Holiday

November 19, 2019 – If you're a guest of Viking, you’ll be able to explore the Christmas markets of Europe while on port and visit some of the most beautiful locations. This Viking fleet also provides exceptional luxury and top tier service.
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USA Today: Are you too young to take a river cruise? Here's why the under-50 crowd is getting onboard

November 19, 2019 – Viking touts that central docking locations in Europe get guests closer to their destinations, often docking right in the heart of a city. This makes it easy for independent exploration, which younger guests might prefer.
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Condé Nast Traveler: Spend the Holidays on a Cruise This Year—Trust Us

October 30, 2019 – Viking is seeing an increased interest from travelers with adult children throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season. Its European Christmas market itineraries are a big hit with these types of families.
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Travel + Leisure: Visit Real-life Sites From ‘Downton Abbey’ With an Exclusive Look at Highclere Castle on Viking's New Cruise Extensions

October 21, 2019 – Thanks to a sponsorship with Viking, fans of the show, movie, and those fabulous costumes can head to the UK for privileged, private access to Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey — home to the fictitious Crawley family on screen, and the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon in real life.
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Food & Wine: Where to Eat, Drink and Shop Along a Rhône River Cruise

September 20, 2019 – When you travel north by boat up the wide, calm Rhône River, you are following the route of the ancient Romans and so tracing the lifeline of French wine. Julius Caesar’s army brought wine with them, lots of it, because who wants to subdue barbarians without a little liquid courage? Then the conquerors settled and began making their own. Their vines arrived via the Rhône, too, albeit at a time when the river had no dams—those vines would have had a much wetter and bumpier ride than my own glide from Avignon to Lyon aboard the Viking Buri on the eight-day Lyon & Provence itinerary. Unlike the Romans, I had the good fortune of sleeping in a cleverly constructed stateroom, complete with a balcony from which to admire the changing landscape and time-bleached cities along the banks.
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Architectural Digest: Visit Downton Abbey’s Most Beautiful Filming Locations

September 16, 2019 – No filming location, of course, is more heavily associated with the series than the estate that became Downton itself: Highclere Castle. And as it's the central filming location, themed tours here abound. Viking Cruises offers special access tours for its river cruise guests.
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Condé Nast Traveler: 5 Downton Abbey Filming Locations You Can Actually Visit

September 12, 2019 – As we get closer to the movie's long-anticipated September 20 release date, a number of tour packages have been announced to get travelers to the filming sites. Viking recently announced that cruise guests can get access to Highclere Castle as part of a special Great Homes, Gardens & Gin excursion.
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Vanity Fair: The Cast of Downton Abbey Returns: “It Felt Like We Never Left”

September 10, 2019 – When the lights finally went down in the theater, in typical film-premiere style, the audience clapped just as loud for the film’s production companies and for Viking Cruises, the series’ longtime sponsor, as they did for the Dowager Countess’s cutting zingers.
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Smithsonian.com: From Nazi Prisons to Cat Sanctuaries, Explore the Many Lives of These Russian Palaces

August 19, 2019 – The Romanovs left behind a legacy of palaces and residences throughout Russia that in the following years continued to live storied and unusual lives. Take your own self-guided tour to these famous former czar residences that you can still visit in Russia today.
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Town & Country: How to Visit Highclere Castle, the Real-Life Downton Abbey

August 8, 2019 - Consider booking one of Viking River Cruises' excursions. Viking was a sponsor of Masterpiece, when Downton Abbey was on the air, and now, Viking has taken that partnership one step further, offering trips to Highclere Castle as an add-on to a number of their existing itineraries.
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The Epoch Times: Cruising the Elbe River

July 22, 2019 – European river cruising seems to increase in popularity every year, and trips along the Danube, Rhine, and Seine are apparently the most popular; however, I’ve just discovered a fantastic cruise, run by Viking, between Prague and Berlin, along the Elbe River. And it’s definitely worthwhile.
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Travel + Leisure: World’s Best: Top 10 River Cruise Lines

July 10, 2019 – Many companies on the list operate on major rivers in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and a few are also expanding into China with new ships. “If you want to see China, the Viking cruise is the way to go — great value, service, food, everything,” wrote one respondent, of this year’s fourth place cruise line.
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Condé Nast Traveler: The 2021 Cruise Itineraries We’re Most Excited About

July 8, 2019 – This 12-day Nile tour sails on the Viking Ra, a ship launched in 2018 that was specifically built for the longest river in the world. You won't spend all of your time on the ship; instead, you'll start with three days in Cairo before flying to Luxor to disembark officially. With room for just 52 travelers, this cruise offers an intimate look at Egyptian history—and plenty of face time with the on-board Egyptologists as you stop in Luxor, Edfu, Aswan, and more.
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Business Insider: 10 of The Best Cruises To Take if You’re Retired

May 23, 2019 – Viking River cruises are an excellent option for retirees who want an intimate journey to smaller ports throughout the world. Guests can choose from itineraries that include exclusive destinations larger cruise ships typically cannot access, such as UNESCO world heritage sites and smaller, riverside towns throughout France, Russia, Austria, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Asia, and Egypt.
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Elite Traveler: The 5 Best Cruises in Remote Locations

May 21, 2019 – Aboard Viking’s new luxury River ship, Viking Osiris, you will see some of the remaining wonders of the world sailing the Nile River. Though the river is beautiful, the real exploration happens when you disembark the ship.
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Forbes: Viking Saga: The Tale of Tor Hagen And His Voyage From Ousted CEO To Cancer Survivor To Cruise Ship Billionaire

April 15, 2019 – As the sparkling blue waters and red-roofed towns of Croatia drift by, Torstein Hagen makes his way through the minimalist, Scandinavian-style lobby of the Viking Jupiter cruise ship, explaining what makes Viking’s voyages successful. The secret is in what the ships don’t have. There are no casinos, no kids, no umbrella drinks, no formal nights, no waterslides and absolutely no butlers. Hagen has been in the cruise industry long enough to know what he doesn’t like.
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Forbes: The Norwegian Billionaire Behind Viking Cruises

April 15, 2019 - Torstein Hagen, the founder and CEO of Viking Cruise Lines, shows no signs of slowing down and has embarked on his biggest endeavor yet: To make a name for himself in ocean cruises.
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Cruise Critic: Viking River Cruises Christens 7 New Ships

March 19, 2019 – With christening ceremonies that spanned Germany, Portugal and Switzerland, Viking River Cruises added seven new ships to its continuously growing river fleet. A group of Viking employees, journalists, travel agents and other invited guests gathered pierside Tuesday in Basel, Switzerland, for the event, which saw two ships christened live and an additional five christened in other countries; those namings were simulcast on large screens in Basel.
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Condé Nast Traveler: How to Choose the Right European River Cruise for You

March 13, 2019 – Virtually identical, the company's 190-passenger Longships possess a contemporary Scandinavian design, emphasizing natural wood, neutral hues, and windows. Enthusiasts praise the alikeness, preferring the same onboard experience wherever they go. With such uniformity, Viking cruises purr along like Bentleys.
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CNN: Cruisers’ choice: Best cruise ships of 2019

March 6, 2019 – Viking has conquered the small to mid-sized cruise ship market. Viking Ocean Cruises, which was established in 2015, racked up 10 first-place awards in the 9th annual Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards on Wednesday. Viking's long-established river cruise line also earned top honors, with Viking Vidar named best for river cruises in a new category.
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Forbes: From The Amazon To The Nile: Your Guide To River Cruising In 2019

March 5, 2019 - Viking River Cruises Passage to Eastern Europe itinerary aboard the Embla takes passengers from Bucharest to Budapest (or vice versa), stopping in your less-than-typical, but still completely spectacular, European cities – which is exactly what’s to love about this river cruise.
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Travel + Leisure: These Cruises for World War II Buffs Combine Travel With History Lessons

February 23, 2019 – Paris, Prague, Berlin, London, China, Japan and more are all exciting but different destinations today — perhaps because of the events of 75 years ago. Visiting these places with the added insight of historians and military experts can provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences, as well as memorable vacations. River cruises on Europe’s narrow waterways allow guests to understand the landscape of the countries as they pass, and shore excursions with expert guides bring history to life.
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Forbes: Travel That Moves You: How Award-Winning Viking River Cruises Wows

January 6, 2019 - Looking for a relaxing, yet horizon-stretching vacation that gently steers you to enchanting, enriching and entertaining destinations chock full of culture, history and nature? Add to that wish list deluxe accommodations, gourmet cuisine and attentive service by polished staff — plus no-fuss planning and booking. A best bet? River cruising. This growing travel trend is a friendly, easy way to explore the world. An industry leader, Viking River Cruises deftly navigates more than 60 Nordic-style vessels on rivers around the globe — in Europe, Russia, Egypt, Southeast Asia and China — and orchestrates passengers' trips from start to finish, including air flights.
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USA Today: Best river cruise line? Readers vote Viking River Cruises

January 5, 2019 – Founded in 1997, Viking River Cruises plies the waterways of Europe, Russia, China, Southeast Asia and Egypt with its fleet of more than 60 vessels. While Viking has also launched an award-winning ocean cruise line, the company built its reputation in river cruising. These all-inclusive cruises feature outside staterooms, Wi-Fi, wine and beer with meals, shore excursions in every port and Viking's signature Culture Curriculum program.
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