Viking River Cruises has added four new Christmas itineraries for 2010.

Each of the 10-day programs will sail through the heart of Germany on either the Rhine or Danube Rivers during the Christmas holiday, with an emphasis on the region’s festive Christmas markets.

The four additional Christmas itineraries are:

• Winter on the Danube, from Nuremberg to Budapest, Dec. 18
• Winter Rhineland, from Amsterdam to Basel, Dec. 19
• Winter Holiday, from Nuremberg to Vienna, Dec. 19
• European Winter Sojourn, from Budapest to Passau, Dec. 18 or 19

“Christmas is such a special season in Europe that we wanted to share that with our guests,” said Richard Marnell, Viking’s senior vice president of marketing. “And because these itineraries offer such a great value, they make a great opportunity for families and friends to travel together for the ultimate Christmas getaway.”

Christmas cruise prices start at $1,622 per person.

The 2010 results, released on July 8, ranked river cruise lines as follows:

1. Abercrombie & Kent, Score: 91.72
2. Avalon Waterways, Score: 90.09
3. Tauck World Discovery: 89.83
4. Viking River Cruises: 85.33
5. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection: 85.14

Readers were asked to rank river cruise lines based on these six characteristics: cabins, food, service, itineraries/destinations, activities and value, with an optional category for families.

The eight new vessels will bring the total number of ships operated Viking to 26, an increase in capacity of more than 40%, according to Viking.

The first new ship, Viking Prestige, will launch in Europe in 2011. Additionally, the new Viking Emerald will replace the Viking Century Sun on China’s Yangtze River in 2011. Three additional European vessels will follow in 2012, and four in 2013.

“We believe that river cruising is still in its infancy, and has tremendous growth potential. Our fleet plans will benefit the industry as a whole, by increasing supply in a marketplace in which demand is exceeding available inventory,” Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking, said in a statement.

Richard Marnell, senior vice president of marketing at Viking said the company is running at about a 97% load factor for 2010.

The 189-passenger Viking Prestige, will be a sister ship to the Viking Legend, which launched last fall, and will feature some of the same green features such as a hybrid propulsion system. The prestige will sail Viking’s 8-day Romantic Danube itinerary, from Budapest to Nuremberg. It will also feature French balconies on the top two decks.

The Prestige is being designed by Norwegian maritime architects Yran & Storbraaten, and will be built by the Neptun Shipyard in Rostock, Germany, part of the Meyer Neptun Group.

In 2011, Viking will also introduce the 264-passenger Viking Emerald on the Yangtze River in China. It will feature 840-square-foot presidential suites with separate sitting and sleeping areas, two flat-screen televisions, panoramic windows and private wrap-around balconies. The 269-square-foot staterooms will have hotel-style beds and private balconies.

In addition to the new ships, Viking plans on completely refurbishing the Viking Pakhomov in Russia, which will undergo a bow-to-stern renovation like those of its sister ships, the Viking Surkov and Viking Kirov, relaunched in 2008 and 2009, respectively. It will feature hotel-style beds and flat-panel televisions. Public areas, such as the restaurant, lounges, library and bar, will also be completely remodeled.

In Europe, Viking Schumann, a ship purpose-built for the Elbe River with a shallow draft, will receive bow-to-stern refurbishments to match those of sister ship Viking Fontane, for 2010. All public areas, including the restaurant, bar and lounge, will be refurbished. Additionally, on the upper deck, eight 180-square-foot deluxe staterooms are being created.

Dear Editor:

Last month, we had 57 people booked on a 14-night Viking River cruise from Antwerp to Basil departing on April 18. Our group was to fly on April 17, but the flights were cancelled due to the volcanic ash.

On Monday, April 19, we contacted Viking River Cruises personnel and were told that our group would not be able to catch up with the cruise, as flights were still uncertain, and that the group members would need to go to their insurance companies for claims. What was striking about this was that other companies did the “right thing” and rebooked passengers for future cruises (Avalon, Uniworld, AMA Waterways, Collette Vacations to name a few).

We worked our way up the ladder and ended up talking with Milton Hugh, Sr. VP of Sales. He said they couldn’t get us out and wouldn’t reaccommodate us. He told us that the ship sailed and that it was not Viking’s fault that our group couldn’t get there, even though we purchased air through Viking’s air department.

We appealed, and Mr. Hugh told us that we would have an answer on Friday, April 23, a week after the flight cancellations. Of course, April 23 came and went with no answer, so I called and e-mailed on Monday April 26.

Mr. Hugh returned the call and left a message telling us that our clients were going to get their airfare back (actually coming from the airline) and a voucher for 50 percent off what they paid that could be used for a future 2010 cruise only. Not 2011, as some of our people were willing to do the same trip in 2011 that they missed in 2010.

I sent a letter and e-mails to the President (Tor Hagen ) and never had the courtesy of a return call or e-mail. I find the approach of Viking to be extremely poor. They have lost my company as a customer for the future. I would not recommend them for any future trips. If our clients choose to rebook them with the voucher, that is their decision.

Now for a completely different response: we had excellent communication and response from Travelex Insurance. Mike Ambrose was very responsive and worked with his people to do the “right thing.”

We will continue to use Travelex as a preferred partner. Also, to assist us with our group, AMAWATERWAYS and Kristin Karst stepped up to take care of our clients. AMA offered some great values on three future cruises as an option for our clients.

The point was not the fact that there was a problem with flying that made people miss their trip, but how a vendor handle the situation afterward. In that regard, I give thumbs up to Travelex and AMAWATERWAYS. I give thumbs down to Viking River Cruises.

Paul Seiferth

Terra Travel

Over the past couple of years, river cruise companies have begun to put greater emphasis on their culinary programs, introducing new dining areas, hiring new chefs and even creating entire itineraries around food and wine, such as with Uniworld River Cruises’ Epicurean Adventures program, which includes cooking demonstrations (like the one pictured above).

“Food is an absolutely integral part of the entire river cruise experience,” said Joost Ouendag, vice president of product marketing for Viking River Cruises. “We don’t see it as detached from the rest of the cruise. It is connected with the landscape, the traditions and the people along the rivers.”

At the end of January, Viking invested $48,000 to bring its European food and beverage team to Southern California for nine days of wining and dining to get a better sense of the evolving American culinary experience.

“The most important thing we came away with is that the American palate is not a monolithic thing, there are many American palates,” said Ouendag. “It was a good refresher to see just how diverse the offerings are in a city like Los Angeles … it offers a great opportunity to introduce people to Europe’s diverse cuisine in a playful, educational way.”

For instance, Ouendag noted Americans’ evolved taste and knowledge of wines, as well as the growing culinary trend of fresh and locally grown produce.

Consequently, some enhancements for 2010 that emerged following the trip, is that for 2010 Viking is introducing organic choices for breakfast and organic wines. It will also be increasing the number of cooking demonstrations on board. Depending on where guests sail, they can learn how to make Alsatian flammkuchen (a flat bread that looks somewhat like a pizza topped with ham and onions), French fondant au chocolat, or Austrian apple strudel.

And something Viking started in 2009 that it will increase in 2010 is chef visits to local markets with passengers in tow.

More dining options onboard

At this point, almost all new and refurbished river cruise ships have at least one, if not two, alternative dining areas to the main restaurant, including dining in the bar and lounge area, or increasingly in a smaller aft lounge that many new ships are having built in. There is also a new trend toward offering and marketing a more casual lunch grill on the outdoor sun deck when weather permits.

Avalon Waterways was one of the company’s to embrace the sky deck grill, available on four of it ships — the Avalon Scenery, Creativity, Affinity and Luminary — and will be available on the Avalon Felicity when it launches this month. At the grill, up to 40 diners can enjoy an open-air lunch.

Also, Avalon’s Royal Deck passengers can order a continental breakfast for their room (room service is not traditionally available on river cruises yet).

Fresh talent

This past fall, Uniworld River Cruises too decided to put greater emphasis on its food and beverage program by hiring a new culinary director, Bernhard Zorn, who has worked on Crystal Cruises and Silverseas Cruises, and has been tasked with enhancing the on board culinary experience.

The move comes on the tail of Uniworld having introduced a new Epicurean Adventurer program last year, which is available on 11 of its Europe itineraries, and includes wine pairings with dinner and cooking demonstrations. And this year Uniworld also added a Travelling Lite program, food options for calorie-conscious guests.

Uniworld also hosts an extensive annual cooking summit for senior kitchen and restaurant staff, which includes visiting local markets, cooking demonstrations and workshops, menu engineering and planning, baking and pastry classes.

New Italian-theme restaurants

Yet another dining alternative is being introduced on at least two river cruise lines: an additional Italian-theme restaurant. Already, the Australian-based company Scenic Tours, which has four river cruise ships — the Scenic Emerald, Sapphire, Diamond and Ruby — has in addition to its main dining room (which has a capacity of between 182 and 184 passengers, depending on the ship), an alternative Italian-theme restaurant called Portobello’s (pictured), which can sit up to 28 passengers on a reservation basis.

AMAWATERWAYS, too, is planning on introducing an Italian-theme restaurant on its two newbuilds, the Amabella and Amaverde, slated for 2010 and 2011 delivery, respectively. Both ships will be devoted entirely to the Australian market, so AMAWATERWAYS isn’t marketing the developments too heavily in the U.S.

On the Amabella and Amaverda,AMAWATERWAYS’ President Rudi Schreiner said the restaurant will be divided into two sides — on one side will be a regular restaurant, and on the other an Italian-theme restaurant.

And the alternative dining restaurant at the aft of the ships “is going to be a special experience restaurant,” said Schreiner. “It’s something that people might do once or twice doing the cruise. It’s not like in the front, where you have a choice of three or four entrees. The chef will be cooking something different [every night].”

“Absolutely, there are always doubts when you look at what you were looking at 12 months ago,” said Patrick Clark, president of Avalon Waterways, one of the more aggressive ship-ordering companies of late. Avalon introduced two newbuilds in 2009 and has two more coming on in 2010, ships that were contracted well before the economic crisis.

“With the two that we’re launching in 2010, that adds 30% in terms of berths,” said Clark. Avalon’s total fleet size will be 10 after the two ships launch this year. And while a year ago, that additional capacity coming on would have made any river cruise operator nervous, demand is returning just in time to fill the extra ships.

“Right now, if you look at the U.S. volume, we have literally doubled the number of passengers that we have on the books for 2010 compared to a year ago,” Clark said. Consequently, now “the commitment [to building new ships] is really being rewarded.”

Not that 2009 was all that bad — operators reported load factors up into the 90% range for the year, stimulated by aggressive discounts — but you can hear a virtual sigh of relief sweeping across the river cruise industry as demand starts to return.

“Currently, until July 1, we are 92% full,” said Rudi Schreiner, president of AMAWATERWAYS. “Until November, we are currently 84% full. We are really expecting to fill the ships close to capacity.” AMA added two ships in 2009 and is adding another ship in 2010, which will be devoted primarily to the Australian market and will bring the company’s fleet size to 11.

The bottom line, Schreiner said, is that despite the challenges and the added capacity, “Last year, we had an increase of 37% actual passengers over 2008.”

Bookings might be trending stronger now, but no one had that kind of foresight 12 months ago.

“We could see from the fall of ’08 and the financial crisis that things were going to be tough, so we reduced capacity,” said Mark Frevert, executive vice president and chief architect of Grand Circle Travel, which sold three of its vessels at the start of 2009: the River Symphony, the Debussy and the Ravel.

The 140-passenger River Symphony, built in 1998, was the oldest vessel in Grand Circle’s fleet, and the two other ships were smaller, 120-passenger vessels. The sales reduced Grand Circle’s fleet size to 12.

Then in June, news that Peter Deilmann Cruises would be shuttering its river cruise business at the end of the ’09 season not only cast a shadow of doubt on the health of the European river cruise market but also reduced the market’s capacity by the eight river cruise ships Deilmann took out of service in the fall.

Additionally, Viking River Cruises scaled back some of its operations in 2009. Viking did not renew the long-term charters on either of its France vessels, the Viking Burgundy and Viking Seine, which are being replaced by the Viking Spirit and Viking Neptune for 2010.

On the flip side, four ships — the Viking Legend, Viking Fontane, Viking Danube and Viking Lomonosov — are sailing a full season this year compared with a partial season in ’09, either because the ship was new, as was the case with the Viking Legend, or was dry-docked for part of the 2009 season. And two ships (Viking Peterhof and Viking Helvetia) are being switched over to the U.S. market from the European market. Consequently, Viking estimates it has an additional 10,000-passenger capacity for the U.S. market in 2010 compared with 2009, according to Richard Marnell, senior vice president of marketing at Viking.

And it might need it. With river cruise capacity cut in 2009 and the building pace slowing in 2010 just as demand starts to grow again, it is possible capacity won’t keep pace with demand.

“I’d prefer to be one ship short than have one ship too many,” said Frevert.

But while river cruise operators are optimistic about 2010, no one is quite ready to go so far as to predict a capacity shortfall just yet.

“I think there will be adequate capacity among the operators that will take care of the capacity over the next 24 months,” said Avalon’s Clark. “Then you might see something beyond that in 2012 … there will be more ships coming online for 2012.”

Peter Deilmann Cruises brought luxury river cruising into the 21st century, and now its successors are carrying the torch into the future, innovating and updating river cruise ships and services to create a modern, high-end travel experience.

European river cruising takes place in what is, at maximum, a 38-by-410-foot vessel, dimensions dictated by the locks and bridges the vessels must past through and under along Europe’s rivers.

But even within that box, the 21st century river cruise experience has evolved.

“If you compare the amenities of the Avalon Artistry [built in 2004] at introduction with the Creativity at her christening [in August],” said Patrick Clark, managing director of Avalon Waterways, “we have added an elevator, rear club lounge, whirlpool on the sundeck, sundeck grill and outside forward viewing area; increased the percentage of floor-to-ceiling windows/French balcony staterooms; enlarged the shower; added flat-screen TVs, additional dining options — the late-riser breakfast, afternoon cake and coffee and an alternative lunch option — and added beer or soft drinks as a choice with wine at dinner.”

With companies like Avalon Waterways and AMA Waterways building new ships with new amenities at a rapid pace, older companies like Uniworld River Cruises and Viking River Cruises have had to work hard to stay relevant in this new, young-ship market.

“With the added competition and rapid growth, the river cruise sector has undergone changes, to the ultimate benefit of the customer,” said Guy Young, president of Uniworld. “What we have seen is a very marked evolution in the service standards onboard the ships. Basic service no longer satisfies the needs of travelers attracted to river cruising.”

Consequently, Young said, the number of onboard staff has increased, and the quality of the staff has improved.

As for the ships themselves, “20 years ago, you did not have a river cruise ship with spacious staterooms, hotel-style beds, comfortable mattresses, luxurious linens and other fine amenities,” Young said. “You also didn’t have all-inclusive wine with dinner, an all-English speaking staff, Internet, TV.”

To keep up with the evolving demands of the marketplace, Uniworld, for one, adopted an aggressive refurbishment schedule.

“All of our ships have been completely refurbished since 2005, and we have a strict capital improvement plan whereby all of our ships undergo a refurbishment every four years,” Young said. “Our two oldest ships are the River Ambassador and the River Baroness, and these are also two of our most successful ships in terms of load factors.”

For instance, Uniworld’s River Ambassador (pictured below) entered service in 1993 and was refurbished in 2006. The River Baroness entered service in 1994 and was refurbished in 2005. Truth be told, the Ambassador’s refurbished interior is not all that different in look and feel from Uniworld’s newest ship, the River Beatrice, which launched in 2007 and was refurbished this year.

Part of the reason is that Uniworld’s parent company TravCorp also owns the Red Carnation Hotel Collection of luxury boutique hotels, which consults on Uniworld’s interiors.

That investment in creating fresh design appeal is not unwarranted in a market where Avalon is on course to introduce two new ships in 2010 and recently announced that it will add three new vessels in 2011.

AMA plans on introducing an additional ship in 2010, one more in 2011, and possibly an additional program on the Mekong River in 2011.

And this year, Tauck World Discovery unveiled its third Tauck-branded river ship, the Swiss Jewel.

“You keep your customers enthralled with new ships,” Ron Santangelo, vice president of business development at AMA, said of the recent emphasis on newbuilds.

Meanwhile, Viking River Cruises, whose 19 ships constitute one of the biggest river fleets in Europe, has a huge amount of inventory to sell compared with even the fast-expanding fleets of its competitors. Uniworld will have 10 company-owned ships when its first Nile vessel launches this fall, and Grand Circle Travel, a direct-to-consumer operator, owns 15 river vessels in Europe and Russia.

It’s no surprise, then, that travel agents say Viking is the go-to river cruise line for competitive pricing, such as ongoing two-for-one river cruise deals. It is, many in the industry have said, what keeps Viking in the running against its younger contemporaries.

Which isn’t to say, Viking isn’t innovating as well. Viking’s Legend, which launched this summer, has only three engines, as opposed to the standard five. The engines are diesel-electric and are linked to a computer that determines how much energy is needed for propelling the ship as well as for all other functions. Viking estimates the technology will help cut fuel costs by 15% to 20%.

As for whether there’s room for further innovation on river cruise ships, “I absolutely believe that will continue,” Santangelo said. “People will continue to come up with some unique ideas and make the product interesting. And any limitations onboard are compensated for by the opportunities ashore.”

River cruising has evolved.

The river cruising model of touring Europe on an overnight passenger vessel dates back to the late ’70s and early ’80s, when pioneers like Uniworld, KD River Cruises and Peter Deilmann Cruises first explored the idea.

Since then, KD River Cruises was acquired in 2000 by Viking River Cruises, and this June, Peter Deilmann Cruises announced that its 2009 river cruise season would be the company’s last.

Deilmann was one of the grandfather’s of river cruising. So, what has changed? Well, quite a bit during the last few decades.

For one, there are a lot more river cruise companies today with a lot more river cruise ships in Europe, which “made it more competitive for Deilmann,” according to Patrick Clark, managing director of Avalon Waterways, which along with AMAWATERWAYS and Tauck World Discovery are some of the newer entrants into the market.

But, he added, “There’s no real plausible reason that I can understand [for Deilmann exiting the river cruise business]. And I say that because if you look at the market, river cruising as a travel style has held up remarkably well.”

Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking River Cruises, said the problems at Deilmann were specific to that line and have no bearing on what many say continues to be a thriving river cruise market in Europe.

“I’ve always had a very high regard for the Deilmann product,” said Hagen, adding that his first river cruise ever was on Deilmann’s Mozart in 1990. “They;ve always had a great product in many ways. But there have been some developments away from the Deilmann product.”

Deilmann had the additional challenge of catering to several different markets.

“They had this dichotomy of being English- and German-speaking, which is very complicated,” Hagen said.

In addition to language challenges, there are also cultural differences between the North American and European markets. For instance, Germans prefer leisurely cruising with long, high-quality meals because they are familiar with the towns along the way, said Rudi Schreiner, president of AMAWATERWAYS. Americans prefer longer stops in towns and shorter meals, he added.

“Peter Deilmann had a different philosophy of river cruising then what I had planned during my times at Uniworld, at Viking and now at AMAWATERWAYS,” said Schreiner. “Peter Deilmann focused primarily on serving the German passengers whereas I always focused on the North American market.”

Meanwhile, the fate of Deilmann’s eight river cruise ships remains in question. The company’s flagship river cruise vessel is the 200-passenger Mozart, built in 1987 and refurbished in 2007.

Even though the Mozart stirs much nostalgic sentiment from former passengers, it’s also an older vessel in an increasingly youthful market. That’s not to say that one or some of the Deilmann ships won’t sail again.

Uniworld, for one, said it is making inquiries as to the status of the Deilmann ships.

The transfer of the ship from the shipyard to Cologne, Germany, was delayed by low water levels on the Elbe River and unfavorable weather conditions in the North Sea, Viking said.

The brand new ship is still expected to be delivered in time for her maiden voyage, which starts in Amsterdam on July 5. Viking said that cruise departures for the summer months are heavily booked and that the christening will be rescheduled for the fall.

The Viking Legend will be the company’s first new river cruise ship in Europe since the Viking Helvetia launched three years ago. It will also be one of the first river cruise ships with a greener diesel engine that propels an electrical generator.

“At any given moment the ship’s energy needs are automatically calculated and the engines produce and supply only as much energy as needed,” Viking’s VP of nautical operations Thomas Bogler said. “This allows the ship to use 20% less energy than a comparable ship.”

According to Viking, the new ship will also be a quieter ride with four smaller propellers instead of two large propellers. “The diesel engine is smaller than a conventional engine, so it vibrates less, making it very quiet,” Bogler added. “The system also allows us to continue cruising even if one of the engines has to be taken offline for scheduled maintenance — remaining engines will simply produce more output to compensate.”

The 189-passenger ship will sail the 15-day Viking River Cruises Grand European Tour itinerary along the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers between Amsterdam and Budapest. The Legend has 10 scheduled departures on that itinerary in 2009, five in one direction and five in the opposite direction, between July 5 and Nov. 8.

The 443-foot ship will be the longest in the Viking fleet. It will feature 98 staterooms, of which two are 310-square-foot suites. Cabins will include 26‑inch flat-screen televisions, refrigerators, hairdryers and in‑room safes. The Legend will also feature a restaurant, library, sun deck, onboard boutique and an observation lounge.

Viking worked with Norwegian design firm of Yran & Storbraaten to design the ship’s interiors, which will be similar to the that of the Helvetia, Viking Surkov and Viking Kirov, according to the company.

Yran & Storbraaten’s “signature look is a warm neutral palette of colors, bright woods and Scandinavian-inspired design,” stated Mr. Bogler.

The Viking Legend, which will debut with a classic Grand European itinerary of 15 days on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers between Amsterdam and Budapest, features cutting-edge hybrid propulsion systems that use 20% less energy than a comparable all-diesel ship. The new ship will also provide a quieter ride for guests by using four smaller propellers instead of two large propellers. With electric power supplementing the ship’s propulsion, a smaller diesel engine is required, which further reduces noise and vibration. Viking River Cruises is the first to bring this innovative technology to European river cruises.

Viking Legend has been designed to provide a high standard of luxury. At 443 feet, the three-level Viking Legend will be the longest in the Viking fleet, and will accommodate 189 guests in 98 staterooms.

Amenities include 26-inch flat-screen televisions, refrigerators, hairdryers and in-room safes. The ship’s restaurant will feature seasonal menus and local specialties to complement every destination.

Public spaces include a cozy library, a sun deck with 360-degree panoramic views, an onboard boutique and an observation lounge. Staterooms have been configured to match the shape and dimension of high-end American hotel rooms, and for guests who insist on plenty of elbow room, Viking Legend takes river cruising to a new level with two of the largest suites in Europe, measuring 310 square feet each. Viking Legend’s décor will be similar to that of the line’s newest ship, Viking Helvetia, and most recent renovations, like Viking Surkov and Viking Kirov.