Torstein Hagen, CEO of Viking Cruises, discussed the company’s unique ship designs during the fourth quarter and full year 2024 earnings conference call, noting their small and nearly identical nature.
The similarity among ships simplifies marketing and sales processes, allowing guests to choose itineraries rather than individual vessels, leading to higher and more consistent yields.
Viking’s extended booking window enables strategic fleet positioning to match guest demand, optimising revenue by allocating ships where demand is highest.
The design of the ships streamlines onboard operations, allowing crew to move with minimal retraining while also enhancing maintenance efficiency and reducing disruptions through the river longship design.
Viking boasts one of the youngest fleets in the river cruise industry, which contributes to technological advancements, lower fuel consumption, and reduced capital expenditures, allowing for fleet expansion and new offerings.
Torstein Hagen shard “The square bow (on the European river ships) allows more usable space. The same is the case with three full decks, which enable us to accommodate more guests and therefore improve the profitability of the ships. Most other vessels feature only two decks.”
“This strategy also allows us to generate higher and more consistent yields across the entire fleet, regardless of ship age. It results in no wasted space or extra weight onboard and maximized guest comfort. This is seen with the river longships,
“Since our ships are almost identical, we can optimize revenue and net yield by allocating them where demand is highest. We also gain efficiencies in shipbuilding. By designing almost identical ships, we can streamline the shipbuilding process. Also, our ship construction timeline is accelerated due to a reduced design phase.”
“Another benefit of our fleet is its age. We have one of the youngest fleets in the industry, which offers a significant advantage.
