Viking River Cruises Recognized as 'World's Best'

[Jason]

Viking River Cruises Recognized as 'World's Best' By Travel + Leisure Magazine

Leading River Cruise Line Named 'Top 10'

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, Viking River Cruises was honored by readers of top travel publication Travel + Leisure as one of the "Top 10 Small Ship Cruise Lines" in their 11th annual "World's Best Awards." Travel + Leisure magazine's annual "World's Best Awards" allows its readers to provide insights on their favorite cities, hotels and cruise lines

"We are extremely honored to be included on the 2006 list, and for the past three years," said Torstein Hagen, Founding Chairman, Viking River Cruises. "As the world's largest river cruise line, we provide our passengers with diverse and in-depth experiences on the majestic rivers of Europe, Russia and China. Our inclusion on the list indicates that we're doing something right... and we're committed to continuing to surpass our customers' expectations."

2007 European Offerings

Viking River Cruises offers 14 different itineraries in 2007 ranging from seven to 14 nights along the Rhine, Main, Danube, Seine, Saone, Rhone, and Elbe Rivers, plus Russia's Waterways of the Czars and Ukraine's Dnieper River. Various itineraries highlight Amsterdam, Vienna, Paris, Budapest, Berlin, Prague plus quaint small European towns and villages along the rivers. All feature included tours with English-speaking guides, non-smoking shipboard environments, gourmet food, and an English-speaking crew.

2007 China Offerings

Viking Century Sun and Viking Century Sky, 5-star sister ships each carrying 306 passengers, are the newest and most deluxe ships on the Yangtze River. Viking River Cruises offers three different China cruisetour itineraries, each including a Yangtze River cruise plus overnight five-star hotel stays in Beijing, Xian (home of the Terra Cotta Warriors) and cosmopolitan Shanghai.

From favorite cities and islands to favorite domestic airlines and car-rental agencies, Travel + Leisure uncovers the best in travel. For each category in the "World's Best Awards," readers weighed in on their travel experiences and provided feedback in a number of areas. Cruise lines in particular are rated on cabins, food, service, itineraries/destinations, activities, and value. Cruise lines are also divided into two categories based on passenger capacity. The majority of small cruise lines have a maximum capacity of 400 per ship. Viking River Cruises falls into this category, with a typical passenger capacity of 150 passengers in an intimate, comfortable setting.