Well, this is a bit of deja-vu.
Viking River Cruises has decided that the past couple of months without new ships announcements has been too long, so the company has now announced plans for 2015. It wouldn’t be like Viking if it wasn’t a big announcement – another 14 ships will be added to the fleet, the same number as in 2014.
To add 14 ships to a fleet over any period of time is a massive growth. To do it all in one year is astounding. To do it in again in consecutive years is something that I find hard to quantify with an adjective. It means the cruise line will have eventually quadrupled in size by the end of 2015.
And don’t forget that 2015 will also see the launch of the first ocean ship from the offshoot company of Viking River Cruises. The Viking Star will sail around Europe all year, offering a new premium luxury way to explore and unwind at the same time.
What’s scary is that it seems the only reason Viking River Cruises doesn’t want to build more ships in 2015 is because of the logistics of launching them in Avignon. So if that wasn’t a problem, they would look to break the record again for the most ships launched in one go.
It’s safe to assume that eventually this growth will slow down. I doubt by 2017 we’ll have seen another doubling of the number of ships to take it past 120 – unless the domination of Viking ends up seeing other river cruise companies begin to fold.
But that’s not something I see happening. Cruise lines need competition to survive, and in my own personal opinion there’s very little between the top companies including Viking River Cruises, Ama Waterways, Riviera Travel, Avalon Waterways, Uniworld River Cruises and more.
Of course I could be wrong, and by 2045 we could see Viking River Cruises operating a fleet of one million river cruise ships. I doubt it, but the sums hold up.
Being serious again, I think it’s commendable that Viking River Cruises has been able to secure these new ships in their plans, and has shown such financial growth coupled with demand to justify such an outlay on an expanded fleet.
It’ll be fascinating to see if we get any more updates on other river cruise lines adding such numbers to their respective fleets in the coming years. I’m sure new announcements won’t be far behind. Of course we’ll keep you updated but in the meantime, give our Cruise Concierge a call to book your river cruise.