Current catalogue Flight Center - Valid from 01.01 to 31.12 - Page nb 8

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THE VIKING STORY How one man’ vision led to a new way to sail “When we started Viking ocean cruises, very few people gave us a chance, but one shouldn't care too much about what other people think. I thought it could be done, and we did it.” Torstein Hagen, Chairman, Viking WHEN TORSTEIN HAGEN FOUNDED VIKING in 1997 with four river ships in Russia, he had few supporters and even fewer who believed in his vision He was 54 years old and had spent much of his career in Norway in shipping, bearing witness to an RL na Mts hd industry that was ripe for change. Our Norwegian- born patriarch had a deep desire to create something different — and as anyone who has travelled with us Pacific, the Danube or even the Mississippi, if it’s a will tell you, different is exactly what you get ona waterway you've heard of, chances are Viking sails it. Viking voyage. And with the recent float out of state-of-the-art ship, | , Viking Octantis, and Viking Polaris on the way, Viking In the 24 years since those ships set sail on Russia’s . . is embarking on one of our greatest missions yet — rivers, Chairman Torstein — who the Viking family polar expeditions. knows simply as ‘Tor’ — has built an award-winning fleet of ships over 80 strong. Now the largest small A family-owned and operated business when it ship ocean cruise line in the world, whether it’s the began, Viking remains a family-owned business to Viking River Cruises established by With the purchase Torstein Hagen of KD River Cruises, with the purchase Viking becomes the Viking is the first of four Russian river largest river cruise to use hybrid diesel ships 1998 __ operatorinEurope §—- DQQ5 electric engines 2012 aE —E>EE 1 997 Viking purchases 2000 Viking introduces 2009 Four state-of-the- nine additional French balconies — art Viking Longships ships and expands the first river cruise launched, with operations into the line to doso patented layout rivers of Europe and largest river cruise suites in Europe