What to Know About Viking’s Expansion Plans for Europe’s Rivers

We stepped off the ship and right into the heart of the bustling city of Frankfurt, Germany, ready to explore the old town, trace its extensive history, and sneak in a little shopping along the way. The modern city along Germany’s Main River was buzzing with energy on a sunny spring afternoon and we were excited to be there, having arrived on a brand-new Viking river cruise itinerary visiting Frankfurt for the first time in 10 years. 

The 11-day trip, which also included new port stops in the German towns of Karlsruhe and Marktheidenfeld, underscores Viking’s large-scale expansion plans in Europe.

In all, the company has planned 10 new ships across the continent for 2025 and 2026, along with several new itineraries designed to take advantage of new port options and maximize time spent at beloved Christmas markets along the Rhine, Main, and Seine rivers, Richard Marnell, Viking’s executive vice president of marketing, told Travel Market Report. 

Ultimately, Marnell said the expansion is necessary to keep up with demand. 

“The objective for many of our passengers that we’re seeing is to experience as many Viking-perfected itineraries as possible,” Marnell said, adding travelers — especially last-minute cruisers — are currently being blocked out of sailings because they sell out so quickly. 

Strong Growth for Viking’s River & Ocean Cruises

As of May 20, Viking has already sold out 92% of its itineraries across its entire fleet for 2025, and sold out 37% for 2026. For 2025, most of what remains open is departures at the end of the year in November and December.

While Viking’s ocean cruises tend to sell out a bit faster (typically they are longer itineraries that book out further in advance and have more repeat customers who are already sold on the product), it’s the river cruises that are growing at a faster rate.

River cruises are growing at a rate of more than 5% per year, Marnell said, higher than the 3% growth rate for ocean cruises.

Currently, Viking boasts 83 ships in its river fleet. By the end of 2026, that number will grow to 98 around the world.

“We have a pretty robust forecasting system,” Marnell said, calling river cruising a “young industry with lots of room to grow both in terms of awareness and capacity.”

“Ocean cruising [has] been around for a lot longer and it’s been much more mature for much longer, whereas rivers have been relatively new to a broad understanding,” he added. “We really have created the market over the last 10, 12 years or so and people realize… that it can be an absolutely fabulous experience.”

Viking’s Changing Demographic

Demographics have shifted as well. Viking’s key demographic tends to be older travelers — the average is in the mid-60s — but Marnell said the age range is broadening, a trend that began before the COVID-19 pandemic and started picking up again this year.

“We are seeing a greater percentage of folks on the older side of things travel longer in life because they’re taking better care of themselves… as well as we are seeing folks… who are traveling younger and younger,” he said. “So, the average is remaining the same, but the bell curve is flattening somewhat. We are seeing a broader base of appeal.”

He added: “What folks love is the all-inclusiveness of Viking, being able to walk off the ship and do whatever they want in the heart of the destination… but also the ease of river cruising allows you to see so much more of Europe in such a condensed amount of time. And rather than being in a car and having to pack and repack every night, you’re unpacking only once.”

Europe’s Crowded Rivers?

Of course, with expansion inevitably comes more crowding across Europe’s waterways. But Marnell said Viking is working hard to mitigate that by offering “exclusive experiences” that bring travelers to lesser-visited attractions. On the Danube, for example, some Viking guests visit the Göttweig Abbey, which boasts a history dating back nearly 1,000 years, as an alternative to the popular (and more crowded) Melk Abbey.

“As we add more ships, what we’re looking for is more and more exclusive experiences that we can offer to our guests that go to these [sights] that are often right next door to the most popular place, but still offer an equivalent or similar experience,” Marnell said. “There’s only one Eiffel Tower, and that’s a legitimate thing. However, there are many abbeys along the Danube. And [the] Melk [Abbey] is massively popular, it is interesting, it is historic, but the Göttweig Abbey is equally as historic, nowhere near as popular, and only Viking visits.”

Marnell said another way Viking is hoping to combat crowding is by docking in areas other ships are not.

“We have either complete control or priority access to about 100 of the best docking locations,” he said. “We’re very careful, we’re very deliberate, and this is where our scale has benefit for our guests and the experiences that they have.”

Speaking of Scale…

In the end, Marnell said Viking aims to offer value for its guests, designing ships with features like asymmetrical corridors to accommodate more passengers and keeping costs down.

“It’s a simple economics thing: We’re able to carry more folks, we’re able to offer better value,” he said. “Some of it we give back as a lower price to our guests, some of it we pour into the product. And because we have a comparable or better quality of experience at a lower price, we grow faster than everyone else.”

Once back in our own cabin on the Main River, we headed out to the balcony to sip strong cappuccinos and watch the world go slowly by. And as we lifted our faces to the warm spring sun, just halfway through our own cruise, we were already mentally planning our next trip back to the river and thinking about all the options Viking has for us.