If you go back and look at runic inscriptions from the Age of the Vikings, you will find medieval texts using the verb "fara I Viking." It means "to go on an expedition."
This was refined a bit in the Icelandic sagas, when the phrase "to go Viking" clearly implied more than an expedition. Going Viking meant you were on a raiding party, and it is unlikely that you meant to take prisoners.
The latest Viking raiding party is being led by its chairman, Torstein Hagen, a physicist by training, an MBA from Harvard and the driving force behind Viking River Cruises' transition from launch in 1997 to current dominance in the river cruise market. The company operates 41 vessels in Europe, Russia, Ukraine, China, Southeast Asia and Egypt.
In March, Viking did something remarkable. It launched 10 ships in one incredible ceremony in Amsterdam. They were all newly designed vessels, longer than any previous river cruise ships. Hagen named them "Longship," which was probably not coincidental.
Longships were a breed of Viking vessel specifically designed for exploration followed by warfare. The ancient longships had long and narrow hulls and shallow drafts which enabled the Vikings to get aground quickly.
Hagen's Longships up the passenger capacity by as many as 70 guests on traditional river vessels built to transit the Main, Rhine and Danube rivers. Those 70 or so additional guests can spell profit if the ships go out full.
There are two large balcony suites with living rooms on each of the new ships; a lovely, two-deck atrium that fills the ships' centers with natural light; and an open-air cafe called Aquavit Terrace that will enable Viking to claim "alternative dining."
But the real revolution was the design of an off-center corridor. This unique approach to river ship construction means that one side of the corridor on each deck can accommodate 275-square-foot veranda suites, many with standing-room balconies. Smaller, 205-square-foot cabins take up the other side.
The new ships are green, using hybrid engines. They have a distinctive look, including a signature snub-nosed bow that allows for additional seating in Aquavit.
Hagen, characteristically, was not modest about the launch of 10 vessels. He invited the folks at Guinness World Records to send a certification adjudicator to capture the fact that his naming event was "the most ships inaugurated in one day by one company."
Moreover, during the ceremony, he promised this was only the beginning. With worldwide media awaiting his pronouncements, the 70-year-old entrepreneur, who has increased his share of the marketplace from 16% in 2007 to 41% currently, outlined his belief that Viking will be operating 100 river cruise vessels by 2020.
The Vikings are coming, and Hagen shows no signs of slowing down. Moody's Investors Service observes that the company's B1 corporate rating is based on "stable ... good forward-looking trends including higher pricing." It feels that Viking is positioned to achieve a solid return on its vessels unless demand or pricing seriously deteriorates.
It is important to note that all the guests on Viking's 10 new Longships would fit on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, with room for 3,500 additional passengers.
But river ships, and Viking in particular, have one major advantage over their blue-water cruise cousins. It is relatively easy, in an economic downturn, to simply take vessels out of service on an as-needed basis.
Three years ago, I decided to invest a fair amount of my personal time gearing our company up to be positioned as authentic specialists in this, the fastest-growing segment of the entire industry. Everyone at our company went on a learning program, and we set out to evaluate all the major brands and experiences on Europe's rivers and beyond.
I was editing our new website, and I decided I needed a quotation to dramatize this new upstart, cruising Europe's interior rivers instead of exterior ports accessible by ocean. I knew my search for the right quote would end up with Tor Hagen, the Viking Invader in a suit. And sure enough, I found this: "I like to say that ocean cruising is a drinking man's cruise. River cruising is a thinking man's cruise."
After throwing down that particular gauntlet, the Viking Invader surprised many in the industry with a promise that he would soon "revolutionize" the cruising industry. He was next going to invade the cruise industry on its home turf, no longer hiding his forces along narrow rivers. The Vikings would fight the cruise lines on the world's oceans, their home turf, as well.
Last month, at a media-packed event in Beverly Hills, Calif., Hagen announced that those who sail premium lines feel that ships have gotten too big, do not spend enough time in port, and do not represent good value.
Perhaps fearing that he had not offended smaller ship brands adequately, he pointed out that small ships are "too expensive and old."
That said, he announced that Viking will be launching Viking Cruises, with the 928-guest Viking Star, scheduled for delivery in May 2015. And Viking has options for four additional vessels from the Italian shipyard Fincantieri.
"We invented river cruising," Hagen asserted in a meeting with the news media. "Now we must revive the destination part of river cruising."
In order to save cruising as we know it, the Vikings will launch cruise ships that will feature more time in port, at least one included shore excursion in each port and competitive pricing, with estimated average per diems of $420, all housed in a contemporary Scandinavian design with "no nickel-and-diming."
Onboard, guests will have the option of "no additional charge" restaurants, but Hagen has already informed the media that the best dining on the ship "will be in the main restaurant." An infinity pool with a retractable roof and a fire pit and movie screen will occupy part of the upper deck.
But these new ships might be known for what they don't have on board: a casino. That is because the Vikings will have guests off their ships for an average of 12.1 hours in each port.
"There will not be time to gamble," Hagen stated.
Interesting, since that comes from a man, or rather a force of nature, who is the biggest gambler in the industry. I think that those who dismiss him and his pronouncements do so at their own risk.
Batten down the hatches. The Vikings are coming.
Contributing Editor Richard Bruce Turen owns Churchill & Turen Ltd., a luxury vacation firm based in Naples, Fla. He is also managing director of the Churchill Group, a sales training and marketing consultancy. He has been named to the list of the World's Top Travel Specialists by the editors of Conde Nast Traveler for the past 13 years. Contact him at rturen@travelweekly.com.