Viking Skaga

The 2020-built Longship Viking Skaga sails exclusively on the Seine River in France’s Normandy region. The riverboat is homeported year-round in Paris City, departing weekly on 7-night roundtrip voyages.

This Viking longship is named after the valkyrie Skaga. According to Norse mythology, the valkyries ("choosers of the slain," handmaidens of the god Odin) are horse-riding female entities bestowed by the goddess Freya with the power to decide which warriors die in battle and which survive.

Longship Skaga is one of the Viking riverboats specifically designed for navigation on the Seine River and docking directly in downtown Paris. Her sisterships Skaga, Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid, Nerthus and Fjolvar are all smaller (max passenger capacity 168, rather than 190) and feature customized hulls and different engines compared to the standard Viking River Cruises Longship-class vessels.

The boat (ENI number 7002139) is currently Switzerland-flagged (MMSI 269057744) and registered in Basel.

Cabins

Viking Skaga has a total of 84 staterooms (including 9x Suites, 35x Balcony, 18x French Balcony, and 25x with a non-opening window) across 8 cabin grades.

Longship Skaga features two aft-located Explorer Suites with wraparound balconies providing spectacular 270-degree views. The seven Veranda Suites offer two separate rooms and include a step-out balcony (off the living room) and a French balcony (in the bedroom). There are also 35 Veranda Staterooms, each with a private step-out balcony.

Viking Skaga accommodates 168 passengers, all enjoying complimentary modern hotel-style amenities and high-quality travel services.

Cabins Types/Categories (number, location), high to low

• Suites - ES (x2, deck 3), AA (x7, deck 3)
• Balcony Staterooms - A (x18, deck 3), B (x17, deck 2)
• French Balcony Staterooms (with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors) - C (x3, deck 3 aft), D (x15, deck 2)
• RiverView Staterooms - E (x8, deck 1 forward), F (x14, deck 1 midship)

Shipboard facilities

All Viking Cruises Longships are equipped with solar panels (mounted aft on the Sun Deck) and hybrid (diesel-electric) powerplants based on energy-efficient marine engines. The Observation Bar Lounge features floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening onto the Aquavit Terrace, a bow-located indoor-outdoor venue designed for relaxation and alfresco dining. The top-deck Sun Deck includes a large shaded seating area (covered by a retractable awning) and offers 360-degree river views.

Onboard dining venues include Skaga Restaurant (main dining room) and Aquavit Terrace (alfresco). Other facilities include an Atrium (lobby with 24-hour Reception Desk), Library (Internet Lounge), Shop (gifts and souvenirs), Sky Bar, and a walking track.

One elevator (passenger lift) connects only decks 2 and 3. All decks are interconnected by stairs located forward (Grand Staircase in the Atrium), midship, and aft.

Viking Cruises Longships do not feature a swimming pool, Jacuzzi (outdoor whirlpool), wellness facilities (Spa/Beauty Salon, Sauna, Fitness/Gym Room), or self-service laundry facilities (laundromats).

Unlike standard Viking Longships, Skaga also lacks the aft sundeck’s putting green (mini-golf course), herb garden, and deck games area (shuffleboard).

Viking Seine River Cruise Itinerary

Longship Skaga operates Viking River Cruises’ signature itinerary, "Paris and the Heart of Normandy."

The 8-day Seine River cruise is themed around French culture, cuisine, history, and art.

Follows the review of Viking Skaga river cruise itinerary as ports and ashore activities/tours.

• (Day 1) Le Pecq (docking and embarkation) – located in the western suburbs of Paris. After boarding and check-in, guests can explore independently or join an organized walking tour.
• (Day 2) Paris City (Port de Grenelle) – after breakfast, a guided city tour includes the Eiffel Tower, École Militaire, Musée d'Orsay, the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Opera House, and Champs-Élysées. In the evening, guests return onboard to begin the cruise.
• (Day 3, docking in La Roche-Guyon) Giverny and Vernon – Vernon features cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses. A guided tour visits Maison du Temps Jadis and Notre Dame Church. After lunch, a bus excursion goes to Giverny to visit Claude Monet’s house and gardens.
• (Day 4) Rouen – arrival followed by an Old Town walking tour, including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Gros Horloge (astronomical clock).
• (Day 5) Normandy Beaches – a full-day excursion to historic D-Day landing sites (Gold Beach, Juno Beach, Omaha Beach, American Military Cemetery, Arromanches Museum). Alternative tours include Bayeux and Pegasus Memorial Museum.
• (Day 6) Les Andelys – excursion to Château Gaillard (12th-century fortress built by Richard the Lionheart).
• (Day 7) Mantes-la-Jolie – visit Château de Malmaison, with an optional excursion to Château de Versailles.
• (Day 8) Paris City – disembarkation after breakfast and optional transfer to Charles de Gaulle Airport (included only with Viking Air package). Optional 3-night Paris extension available.

Viking Skaga cruise deals are inclusive of Internet (Wi-Fi), all tours and excursions, ground transfers, live evening entertainment, daily lectures, food and wine tastings, 24-hour coffee and tea, and replenished daily bottled water.

Viking Skaga Seine River cruise prices are per person based on double occupancy and are indicative only. Final pricing may vary depending on promotions, special offers, group bookings, or last-minute deals.

To/from ship transfers and airport meet-and-greet services are included only when airfare is purchased through Viking Cruises (Viking Air program).

Viking Skaga is part of the new generation of Viking Cruises longships. This patented river cruise ship design allows for larger passenger accommodations without reducing the size of public areas or compromising overall onboard comfort.

Longship Skaga represents Viking Cruises’ latest design, featuring energy-efficient hybrid engine technology, solar panels, and interiors developed by “Yran & Storbraaten” (Norway). The patented “longship” design (by “Rottet Studios,” USA) enables significantly larger accommodations with full-size, step-out balconies. The additional cabin space is achieved by shifting the deck corridor approximately 1 m (3.3 ft) off-center.

The vessel’s powerplant consists of two main Caterpillar marine diesel engines (model CAT32-ACERT) with a combined output of 2 MW. These are V12 engines (with 12 cylinders and 12 pistons driving a crankshaft). The propulsion system is based on two Caterpillar marine engines (model CAT18-ACERT) with a combined output of 1 MW.

Group christening 2022

On March 16, 2022, a joint christening ceremony officially named eight riverboats—four in Paris (Skaga, Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid) and four in Amsterdam (Hervor, Egdir, Gersemi, Gymir), connected via video link.

• The four Seine River-based ships (Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid, Skaga) are sisterships and shorter in length. As modified Longship designs (LOA 125 m / 410 ft), they were specifically built for Seine River operations and homeporting at Pont de Grenelle (Paris), meeting the dock’s maximum length requirements.
• The other four ships (Hervor, Egdir, Gersemi, Gymir) follow the standard Longship design (LOA 135 m / 440 ft).
• The ceremony was attended by Torstein Hagen (Viking’s Chairman), who was in Amsterdam onboard Viking Kari.
• Each naming ceremony included a speech and blessing by the ship’s godmother, followed by the traditional smashing of a bottle of Gammel Opland Aquavit (a herb-flavored spirit distilled from grain and potatoes, based on an 1872 recipe by Oplandske Spritfabrik) against the hull.

The ships’ godmothers are as follows:

• Viking Gymir – Alma Deutscher (violinist, pianist, composer, conductor; daughter of Janie Deutscher)
• Viking Egdir – Helen Deutscher (violinist, pianist, vocalist; daughter of Janie Deutscher)
• Viking Radgrid – Janie Deutscher (author, educator, musician)
• Viking Hervor – Brenda Hunsberger (AAA Club Alliance’s Senior VP of Travel Services)
• Viking Gersemi – Karryn Christopher (Signature Travel Network’s Executive VP of Preferred Partnerships & Marketing)
• Viking Fjorgyn – Ghislaine Wood (Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, Deputy Director)
• Viking Skaga – Muriel Wilson (Virtuoso Ltd’s Director of Event Strategy & Sponsorships)
• Viking Kari – Kari Garmann (Norwegian politician; Oslo City Council member 1979–87; deputy representative to Norway’s Parliament from Oslo in 1985 and 1989)

Note: You can view CruiseMapper’s list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the “itinerary” section of our River Cruises hub, where all companies and their fleets are listed.