The inaugural 2022 Mississippi River cruises were officially announced in April and already several sailings have completely sold out, including all 2022 departures of the 15-day America's Great River itinerary. This strong demand has led Viking to open additional 2023 sailing dates sooner than originally expected.
The company's first custom vessel, Viking Mississippi, will debut in August 2022 sailing voyages on the Lower and Upper Mississippi River between New Orleans and St. Paul, with the new cruises expected to bring more than 5,800 guests to the region in 2022 and 17,600+ during the first full sailing season in 2023.
"We are very pleased at the initial response and support we have received from guests and community partners along the Mississippi River,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
"Like me, many travellers are planning ahead for when we will once again be exploring the world in comfort. We look forward to welcoming guests as we bring modern river cruising to the Mississippi River in 2022,” he concluded.
Michelle Black, Viking's Managing Director ANZ, said that Viking has seen a remarkable level of interest and bookings from Australian and New Zealand travellers.
“Though we can't travel overseas right now, exploring this part of America has captured the attention of our guests and clearly Viking Mississippi is hitting all the right notes. In particular what has surprised us is the demand for the longer itinerary – America's Great River – and we expect the newly opened sailings will fill fast,” she said.
“We couldn't achieve this without the support of our travel trade partners. The importance of the trade during this time can't be understated, particularly when it comes to providing confidence and peace of mind to book future travels,” she concluded.
2022-2023 Viking Mississippi voyages:
- 15-day America's Great River from New Orleans, Louisiana to St Paul, Minnesota or v.v. Priced from $16,995 pp including savings of up to $1,000 per couple* as part of Viking's 'Journeys Worth Planning' offer and backed by Viking's Risk-Free Guarantee*
- 8-day Heart of the Delta from New Orleans, Louisiana to Memphis, Tennessee or v.v. Priced from $5,695 pp, including savings of up to $1,000 per couple* as part of Viking's 'Journeys Worth Planning' offer and backed by Viking's Risk-Free Guarantee*
- 8-day Southern Celebration roundtrip from New Orleans, Louisiana. Priced from $5,795 pp, including savings of up to $1,000 per couple* as part of Viking's 'Journeys Worth Planning' offer and backed by Viking's Risk-Free Guarantee*
- 8-day America's Heartland from St Louis, Missouri to St Paul, Minnesota or v.v. Priced from $6,695 pp, including savings of up to $1,000 per couple* as part of Viking's 'Journeys Worth Planning' offer and backed by Viking's Risk-Free Guarantee*
Purpose-built for the Mississippi and currently under construction in Louisiana, Viking Mississippi will be the largest and most modern cruise ship sailing America's great river. The ship will blend the best of Viking's river and ocean cruise product to create a sleek, spacious and comfortable way to explore the heart of America.
The five-deck ship will feature cutting-edge design and Scandinavian-inspired spaces that Viking guests will know and love, such as the Explorers' Lounge, the Living Room and an infinity plunge pool at the aft of the ship. Viking Mississippi will host 386 guests in 193 all-outside staterooms, with seven spacious stateroom categories to choose from. Dining options will include The Restaurant, known for its ever-changing destination-inspired menu, as well as the River Café, a casual al fresco setting serving Mamsen's Norwegian specialties.
This announcement is the most recent milestone as Viking continues to expand its destination-focused travel offerings. The company's seventh ocean ship, Viking Venus, will join the fleet in early 2021; an eighth ship will arrive in 2022 as planned. Also in 2022, Viking will introduce its new expedition cruises, with the first 378-guest purpose-built expedition ship, Viking Octantis, launching in January 2022 for voyages to Antarctica and then North America's Great Lakes. A second expedition vessel, Viking Polaris, will debut in August 2022, sailing to Antarctica and the Arctic.
In the last eight years alone, Viking has introduced more than 60 new river cruise ships and six ocean cruise ships to become the largest small ship cruise line with a current fleet of 79 river and ocean vessels around the world.
For additional information, visit vikingcruises.com.au or phone Viking on 138 747 (AU) / 0800 447 913 (NZ).
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