If you were asked to conjure up a mental image of the Viking age, it is very likely that you would come up with one featuring a longship moving sleekly through the water, its hull lined with shields as its crew of grizzled Norsemen pull hard on the oars.

1. Viking Longships in the Modern Age
If you were asked to conjure up a mental image of the Viking age, it is very likely that you would
come up with one featuring a longship moving sleekly through the water, its hull lined with shields
as its crew of grizzled Norsemen pull hard on the oars.
These elegant and efficient vessels can trace their evolution back to the Stone Age Umiak boats but
appeared in the form we are most familiar with today between the 9th and 13th centuries. Under
good sailing conditions, longships were capable of reaching a speed of 15 knots. When you think that
today’s modern, high-powered cruise ships travel at average of 21-24 knots, that’s some going. They
were built for speed and were double ended, allowing for better navigation through sea ice and
were highly valued by their owners.
One well-known example of an original longship which survives today is the Gokstad ship, which is
on display in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. Ever since the original longships were first
discovered in the 1800’s, however, boat-building enthusiasts have busied themselves constructing
replicas, with some making a few modifications to hull depths to allow them to better navigate the
ocean waves.
Some of these replica ships are used today on a small scale, with the aim of offering enthusiasts an
authentic Viking experience, but one particular cruise company has embraced the sleek spirit of
these iconic vessels and harnessed it in a revolutionary cruise experience.

2. To complement their existing fleet of river cruise ships, international company Viking River Cruises
began constructing their very own Viking Longships in 2012. With names such as Odin, Tor and
Skadi, they are named after gods and goddesses from Norse mythology and aim to combine the
spirit of adventure and exploration which Norsemen were renowned for with state-of-the-art
engineering and spacious, modern design. The line is currently in the process of producing eight
more longships due to set sail in 2013.
Showing real innovation when it comes to thinking green, Viking River Cruises longships offer
quieter, environmentally-friendly hybrid engines, solar panels and organic herb gardens. The ships’
new design meanwhile, allows for full-size staterooms with full-size verandas, French balcony
staterooms with floor-to-ceiling glass doors, premium bath products and HD in-room entertainment.
There is also a great choice of fine cuisine on-board, consistently good service and a range of
absorbing and interesting itineraries to choose from. There are some great shore excursions and
activities to choose from too, such as glassblowing, cuckoo clock-making, food-tasting, cooking
classes and traditional music performances. On-board multimedia talks, meanwhile, are aimed at
enriching your experience and teaching you a little more about each of the places that you visit.
They may be an ocean away from the narrow, oak-hulled vessels long ago, but the products of Viking
River Cruises’ exciting new take on river getaways hold the same Norse sense of graceful

3. architecture and pioneering adventure which made their ancient forerunners such iconic and
memorable vessels.
And when you’re ready to start exploring your next Viking river cruise, I’d like to invite you visit the
river cruise experts at www.rivervoyages.com.