Cruises

New in Cruise: Low Water, High Hopes for Viking's New CEO

By Erica Silverstein Sep 1, 2026 9:30am

Viking Leah Talactac Torstein Hagen

It's finally raining in Europe, and for once nobody in river cruising is complaining. After a summer of drought, river cruise lines will take every drop.

A month of low water levels, ship swaps, and unplanned bus tours did nothing to dent Viking's outlook for 2026 and 2027. On its second-quarter earnings call, the line's executives reported revenue up 16.5% from a year ago, thanks to more ships and higher revenue per passenger cruise day, and said 96% of 2026 capacity is sold out. For 2027, Viking is 53% booked (62% on ocean, 42% on river), despite adding 15% more capacity, with advance bookings running 29% ahead of last year.

The line introduced 10 new river ships and two new ocean vessels this year, with six river ships and one ocean ship due in 2027. That might sound like plenty of room, but tell your clients to lock in 2027 and start thinking about 2028 now if they have their hearts set on a specific Viking itinerary and sail date.

Viking is also not letting a month of disrupted river cruises yuck its earnings yum.

"Viking's purpose-built river fleet, deployment flexibility, and well-established ship swap capabilities are significant competitive advantages that enable us to minimize disruptions as much as possible," Leah Talactac, Viking's president and newly appointed CEO, said on the call.

This year's historically low water levels haven't forced Viking to cancel a single voyage outright, but half of its sailings have hit some kind of disruption, and 10% to 12% of affected guests have canceled.

That has pushed the cruise line to step up. Viking says it's reaching out to guests earlier and sharing more frequent operational updates, and it's offering future cruise vouchers to those on impacted sailings in hopes of keeping their trust.

Torstein Hagen, Viking's executive chairman, acknowledged the initial response was slow but said his daughter Karine had been in Europe talking with guests, who were pleased with how Viking was handling things. Do your clients agree?

Talactac and her fellow executives were adamant that Europe's ongoing drought won't lead the line to cut back on summer sailings there in future years. High and low water have always been part of river cruising, they said, and the company has spent decades learning how to adapt and keep disruptions to a minimum.

"I see no reason whatsoever for lowering ambitions in terms of what volume on the river should be," said Hagen.

Expect Viking to keep sailing Europe nearly year-round, but set expectations for summer departures the same way you would for hurricane season in the Caribbean.

Umbrella or not, the Viking team had plenty to be upbeat about. The line plans to debut 20 new river ships between 2026 and 2028, with options for 36 more from 2029 to 2032; 11 ocean ships between 2026 and 2032, with options for four more in 2033 and 2034; and two expedition ships in 2030 and 2031.

Its new India cruises are sold out for 2027 and 2028, and 2029 is selling well. Clients who want to see India with Viking will need to plan far ahead.

Viking has also added new pre- and post-cruise land extensions, including a four-night St. Moritz, Lombardy, and Alpine train package that takes in the Swiss Alps aboard the Bernina Express. New optional shore excursions keep coming, too, among them a Zeppelin flight over Cologne, Germany.

Some analysts wondered how Viking squares those add-ons with its all-inclusive pitch, but executives weren't worried. Guests can stick with what's included, like beer and wine at meals, free Wi-Fi, and one shore excursion in every port, or pay extra to go deeper.

"Our guests that take pre- or post- or optional shore excursions with us … tend to rate their experience better," said Talactac. It's worth telling clients that spending a bit more gets them the destination experience they actually want.

On that note, Viking's optimism aside, it might also be worth spending a bit more for a Danube or Rhine cruise in spring or fall. Just in case.

In Case You Missed It…

New Ships and Launches

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that its newest ship, Norwegian Aura, will introduce an expansive Thermal Suite with 11 new wellness experiences, the line’s first Indian restaurant and the high-tech Panorama Room restaurant, which will employ LED displays, audio, and dynamic lighting to create an immersive dining experience.
Viking has taken delivery of its newest river ship in Egypt, the 82-passenger Viking Ptah, custom built for the Nile River.
American Cruise Lines revealed names for its 29th and 30th ships: American Beauty, a new Mississippi riverboat launching in 2028, and American Rhapsody, a new riverboat for the Columbia and Snake Rivers, debuting in 2029.
Tauck announced its newest riverboat in France, ms Harmonie, which will double the line’s Rhone River capacity and become the fifth new riverboat to debut for Tauck in France since 2026.
Disney Cruise Line will launch a new class of three ships beginning in 2029. They’ll be sized between Disney’s classic and new vessels to offer more itinerary flexibility and will bring the fleet to 13 ships by late 2030.

Itinerary Roundup

Virgin Voyages sold out its inaugural Scandinavia and Baltics seasons within hours, recording the biggest revenue day of the company’s history.
Celebrity Cruises unveiled its 2028-2029 deployment, with an expanded Europe season featuring four Edge Class ships and sailings to every continent.
Atlas Ocean Voyages announced its 2028 Europe sailings featuring 37 epicurean and cultural expeditions; highlights include more Baltic sailings and a return to Egypt and Turkey.
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions announced its 2028-2029 deployment, including a return to French Polynesia, expanded Arctic itineraries, holiday Antarctica voyages and European river cruises.
MSC Cruises has updated its winter 2027-2028 deployment; MSC World Asia will now sail the Southern Caribbean and MSC World Europa will remain in the Western Mediterranean (replacing its original Middle East itineraries).
Royal Caribbean has expanded its Asia-Pacific schedule in 2027-2028, now with three ships sailing Australia (Ovation, Anthem and Voyager of the Seas) and extended season for Navigator of the Seas out of Singapore.

On Sale Now

Cunard’s upcoming Labor Day Sale will offer fares from $999 and up to $300 per cabin in onboard credit on select voyages through December 2027.
Costa Cruises’ Labor Day sale has started early with free balcony upgrades on weeklong cruises departing through May 2027.
Aurora Expeditions opened its 2028 Northern Hemisphere sailings for booking, including new cultural expeditions in Europe.
Seabourn’s 2028-2029 Caribbean season is now on sale, offering 10 unique itineraries on Seabourn Ovation and Seabourn Quest.
Princess Cruises’ 2028 Alaska season is now on sale, featuring 14 itineraries aboard eight ships.
Norwegian Cruise Line opened bookings for its summer 2028 season, featuring Norwegian Aura in the Caribbean, Norwegian Jewel’s Morocco debut, Northern Europe cruises on Norwegian Getaway, and new visits to Zadar, Croatia, and Cagliari, Sardinia, on Norwegian Dawn.

For the Advisor

Jorge Serrano Martín de Vidales replaces Dario Rustico as Costa’s director of the Americas region.
Scenic Group appointed Marilyn Cairo as Vice President of Sales & Trade Relations and Nicole Shrem as Key & National Accounts Manager within its U.S. and Latin America sales organization.
Cunard promoted Ruth Fernandez to Business Development Manager, Key Accounts, Western USA & Canada, and welcomed two new business development managers, Florentina Florescu in the Northeast Region and Ian O’Ryan in the Southeast.