Discover “The Viking Difference” with Leslie Marshall
Hi I’m so happy to share with you about the Viking difference 25 years ago our chairman believed that Travelers needed to be more immersed in their experience with the cultures and the destinations they were visiting therefore we created Viking and our mission then just as our mission is today is to create
Destination focused culturally enriching and carefully curated experiences for that curious Traveler 25 years ago we started with Just Four River ships and today Viking has over 80 River ships with 190 guests or less we visit Europe South Asia as well as Egypt we have 10 ocean ships that hold 930 guests
Traveling worldwide from 8 days to 180 days last year we introduced two Expedition ships that carry 378 that explore Antarctica as well as the great lakes and also last year we introduced the world to the Viking Mississippi and now our Viking family can explore the world in all seven
Continents over 95 countries 400 ports of call five oceans 20 rivers and the five Great Lakes what is unique about Viking and a part of the Viking difference is our philosophy and we do not try to be all things to all people we are as I mentioned a very destination
Focused experience those are the people that Viking attracts we are not for families no one is allow on any of our vessels under 18 years old you won’t find casinos you won’t buy white glove service it’s a very casual atmosphere everything about Viking is about the destination itself we are an
Efficient operator so because of our size we are able to negotiate some wonderful contracts and we pass those savings on to our guest and we also have the best staff in the industry we have over 85 countries represented we have an 81% retention so we have crew that keep
Coming back again and again and part of that is when we had our downtime during Co we contined to pay our crew the entire time so we could still provide to you the service levels that you would expect and anticipate on a Viking ship now we are the experts in small ship
Cruising with over two decades of experience we have incredible Innovative ships Scandinavian Style we love to bring the natural light in you feel it when you come on board the ships are very warm and inviting we also own and operate all our own vessels worldwide so
That is a big plus for us and we also get into the heart of the destination our chairman again had the for Sight many years ago when we first started and purchased 60 of the Premier docking locations in Europe so we are in the premere spots close to anything
That’s like iconic that you would want to see within walking distance and the part part of our tours we are an inclusive value as I mentioned early chor versions in every port provided all meals we also include wine and beer with lunch and dinner specialty coffees we
Also have bottled water in your room and bottle water as you leave the ports to to uh go on your journey for that day free Wi-Fi and also all Port taxes and government taxes are included in your fair so everything that you would need is part of what you would experience
When you pay for Viking we are known as the thinking person’s Cruise again very destination oriented and one of the areas that I find most appealing about the Viking difference is because we attract a certain type of traveler the Curious traveler we provide from the time you actually book your Viking Cruise your
Experience begins then now your advisor will do an amazing job of giving you wonderful re resarch and tools to learn more about your exciting trip that’s coming up but you can find a lot of those tools also on Viking at the direction of your adviser some of those
Tools for example are we have something we created years ago called Viking TV still going on to this day and you can learn about behind the scenes there’s interviews there’s so many enriching um educational things you can learn at Viking TV we also have a fascinating website you can click onto your
Itinerary and learn more about the destination you’re visiting by breaking it down for itinerary we have videos that show you more specifically about where you’re visiting in fact we ever have over 200 videos on our website we also recommend books to read about the destination you’re visiting as well as
As films to watch so it’s a great resource and that is a true Viking they want to learn more they want to grow then when you get on board you’re going to be with people like yourself people that also have the same desires and the same goals and in that Journey with them
You’ve developed some lifelong friendships and possibly travel with them more and more down the road so it’s it’s really a very enriching experience then when you get on board of course we will have more entertainment for you that again focuses on the destination we’ll have enrichment lectures we have
Historians there’s a port talk every single evening so you get to really explore where you’re going and and discover more on board the vessel so we also do um food tasting wine tasting so we immerse yourselves in the destination and food is no different The Culinary
Experience is very much a part of a cruise especially so we bring in the destinations we’re visiting we focus on the foods that they’re famous for the cuisine they’re famous for the wines from the area we even have special evenings uh the taste of we call them
Maybe the taste of Germany the taste of France our crew will dress up in that costume of the area the food is around you with Germany it’s pretzels and beers and all kinds of great sausages just depends on where you’re traveling the music is playing from that area when you
After dinner we have destination entertainment so we really again immerse you in the destination and want you to feel like you’re a part of that experience now I mentioned before about our on board enrichment but this is part of it um we just touched light on it but
Really our historians are amazing we have a lot of connections with many many organizations that we’re sponsors of many of you probably have heard of us through PBS and some of the commercials that we and organizations that we sponsor we have a lot of that on board
Our ship as well of the relationships that we’ve built and if you also besides our shore excursions that are included in every port and we have local guides that are amazing you can also personalize your experience as well by using our service on board that can help you with individual things that you
Would like to do but our short Excursion program we actually have besides our included excursions which are the mustsee sites in any place we’re visiting and it could be walking tours Motor Coach Tours a combination of the two we also have um what we call the
Viking Way and the Viking Way is how we focus on the local life working world and privileged access so local life might be going with our Chef to a local market and learning more about you know how it operates and picking up some fresh herbs and and things for the the
Dinner he’s going to be preparing for you that night working world one of the places we stop is in Kinder Dy which is um an area where we have there’s 19 18th century windmills and you can actually go into the windmill and see how it operated and how the families lived
There and it’s it’s very interesting interesting not only that I was able to do go to a cheese farm and actually made cheese so a lot of Hands-On things that you can do and of course privileged access is really a liking difference because of the connections that our chairman and his daughter have
Throughout the world through all the things that we’ve sponsored and the relationships they’ve built there’s a lot of opportunities that you could go behind the scenes and do things that other people just don’t have access to so it there’s a a number of things we also have our short excursions for you
To be able to to either participate in something very active or perhaps you have need to have a more leisurely Pace there’s a lot of ways your can visor can help you and find those tools as you’re doing your research so I invite you again to learn more about the Viking difference we
Would love to have you on board any of our vessels whether it be River ocean Mississippi or Expedition and we look forward to exploring the world and Comfort together
Join Leslie Marshall, our San Diego-based Business Development Manager, as she delves into “The Viking Difference,” our distinctive approach to creating meaningful travel experiences—all while providing outstanding value. From destination-focused dining to our award-winning ships, learn more about the Viking experience and how you can explore the world in comfort with us.
Broadcast on Viking.TV on February 12, 2024.
Understand The Viking Difference:
https://www.vikingcruises.co.uk/oceans/why-viking/viking-difference/main.html
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