“Raspberry Fields is a long, red and refreshing cocktail – exactly the kind our passengers enjoy at sea. It has taken its place alongside Aperol Spritz, which is quite an achievement, as Aperol has in recent years been something of a symbol of summer and holidays.”

“Here, classic cocktails may have an even stronger position than in many land-based restaurants. A cruise has its own distinct atmosphere, and that is reflected in our guests’ drink choices as well. Perhaps most surprisingly, Irish Coffee remains among the most popular cocktails all year round. It is followed by Whisky Sour, Dry Martini and Negroni, which has emerged as a trending favourite.”

“It is no longer just about avoiding alcohol, but about seeking quality and flavour experiences. The same trend can be seen in alcohol-free wines, where demand continues to grow year by year. I see this development as very positive, as it challenges the entire industry to create ever better alcohol-free products. Mediocrity is no longer enough – not even in the alcohol-free category.”

“Guests might choose an alcohol-free sparkling wine, sparkling tea or a mocktail as an aperitif, and later have wine with their meal. People no longer see drinking as an either-or choice.”

“We also receive applications from people of retirement age – even from individuals in their seventies who are drawn to working at sea. For many, it is a long-held dream that they now have the opportunity to fulfil. We also see applications from people looking to change careers or from those in other industries who wish to try something completely new during their holidays.”

“Many people appreciate, for example, the regular leave periods that come with working on board. In the past, the maritime sector largely recruited itself, but the summer job market has changed considerably in recent years. Although there are generally fewer jobs available now, young adults’ expectations have clearly increased – they know what they want and compare employers in a completely different way than before.”

“Aboard our vessels there are around 50 different professions, offering excellent opportunities to move between roles and departments, advance into leadership positions and pursue further training throughout one’s career. For many, a summer job is their first introduction to the maritime industry, which is why we take a long-term approach to the application experience and our employer brand. The starting point for summer recruitment is that candidates choose us first – before we have the opportunity to make our final selection.”

“We operate in a very dynamic and demanding market: high levels are maintained on vessels and in services, competition for passengers is tough and customer expectations continue to rise. So it feels especially nice to again achieve and retain first place in customer satisfaction. We won’t rest on our laurels but will continue our long-term development work and focus on every customer encounter.”

“The results show that our customers appreciate our service, our reliability and the overall experience we provide. In these times of economic uncertainty, more and more people are carefully considering how they want to spend their money. We have always wanted to offer a nice break from their everyday lives to as many people as possible.”

“The Tallinn route has maintained its strong position with Finns for summer travel. The ease, flexibility and affordability of local tourism attract people year after year. More and more people are also continuing on from Tallinn to other parts of the Baltic region. Travelling with a car is on the rise as travellers seek out destinations beyond Tallinn, which they are already familiar with.”

“This service has been developed for passengers who want to use the whole day in Tallinn without stressing about making it back to port in time. This works well for passengers who want to spend a full day in the city and for passengers travelling with their car who are returning, for instance, to Pärnu, Tartu or eastern Estonia. People can have a nice lie-in in their cabin until the vessel docks in Skatudden, or they can choose to enjoy a relaxing breakfast with sea views on board.”

“We’ve tested the option of overnight stays in past summers, for instance in connection with big concerts, and have had a really positive response. So we’re offering this option  several days a week during the most intense holiday period, when it fits in our timetables.”

“Visby is interesting to many Finns since the destination is still relatively new for many and is also surprisingly difficult to reach on one’s own. On a special cruise, people travel there conveniently and comfortably, which makes it easy to explore the island.”

“A new type schlager that also works as party music is now offered on our cruises. It’s exactly this kind of wide-ranging offering that draws people of all ages and new audiences on board. We see clearly that the new wave of European schlager has made a young audience enthusiastic about this traditional musical genre.”

“In the past, the big break for new schlager stars was closely linked to competitions such as Finland’s Tangomarkkinat tango festival. Now schlager is being driven by a new, young and talented generation of artists who use social media, with Komiat being an excellent example. Musicians in their 30s take the schlager tradition seriously but make the genre interesting and cool to young people.”

“The ship is a special venue, since live music is offered every day, and music is an important part of the cruise experience. Concerts are included in the cost of the journey and do not require the same coat check and ticket purchase procedures as on shore. Artists also like to play with us because we give them a big stage to perform on that is easy for people to get to and can be enjoyed by a large audience.”

“The biggest number of our international travellers are German, but the number of Chinese travellers is growing rapidly – in two years, the figure has quadrupled. In February 2025, in conjunction with the Chinese New Year, more than 4,500 Chinese guests travelled on our vessels. That is twice the number than the year before.”

“The trend in international tourism is strongly linked to improved flight connections. New direct routes from Asia and the US to the Nordic region increase traveller flows and also create significant opportunities for maritime transport.”

“The coolcation trend is shifting demand for travel from the Mediterranean to the Nordic region as more and more people seek alternatives to increasingly hot holiday destinations. The number of people travelling with us from Spain and Italy is also steadily on the rise.”

“We decided to build the menu around the Jean Leon wines. We went at it in the reverse order compared to normally: first we selected the most interesting wines and then we created dishes that enhance the flavour profile of the wines. La Scala’s menus from the 1950s were an important source of inspiratio.”

“The star of the menu is the interplay between the wine and the dish. During our development work, we adjusted the dishes several times to be sure that the wines and the food work optimally together. For example, if a wine brings out the acid in a dish too  much, we adjusted the recipe accordingly. That’s why I recommend that people try the combination of wines and dishes.”

long-haul coach service and rail transport with Viking Line’s sailings on those routes. “A sea journey also includes travel to and from the port. With Matkahuolto’s Matkat app, it’s easy for travellers to purchase all their tickets at the same time and for the timetable that best suits them. Along with being convenient, having your connecting journeys all in one booking is a sustainable way to get to the ports from different parts of Finland. The new service makes mass transit a truly competitive alternative for travellers.”

“Last-minute trips have become the new normal, which means that services and technology have to respond to the change. We have therefore created Finland’s most comprehensive mass transit app, which now serves people travelling on land, by sea and by rail. In the app, customers can compare alternatives and purchase tickets for their entire journey at the same time.”

“Our market share on the Turku–Åland–Stockholm route rose nearly 70 per cent already during Glory’s first few months and has remained at that level since then. Glory has been a very important investment for us strategically and has had a significant impact on the company’s financial success.”

“When I welcome cruise passengers, I notice how the heart of the vessel, the two-storey Torget with its floor-to-ceiling windows, impressive staircase and Stefan Lindfors sculptures, still makes visitors pause. Many of them say: Wow, this is much more impressive than I expecte.,”

The collaboration on the green corridor is a clear example of how Viking Line is driving the transition to emission-free shipping. In just two years, we have taken major steps forward, not least thanks to our investment in renewable biogas. But the work requires continued commitment and close cooperation between shipping companies and ports, as well as contributions from politicians, decision-makers, authorities and relevant companies

We are proud of the concrete progress made during the first two years of the Green Shipping Corridor collaboration. The investigation and planning work for onshore power has progressed as far as we have been able to prepare for future solutions with pipelines being built as part of the Ferry Terminal Turku project. Another important milestone is the launch of our first public charging station for heavy vehicles in Finnish ports, at our truck parking area

Last year, our greenhouse gas emissions on Glory and Grace were reduced by nearly 50,000 tonnes. For the first half of 2026, we have secured 50 percent biogas to cover our fuel needs, and our ambition is to maintain a high level throughout the entire year

Globally, there is no lack of initiatives to create fossil-free sea lanes, but most are still in the planning stages. Our investment in biogas and energy-efficient vessels is one of the clearest and largest-scale examples of how shipping can transition in practice

“Drydockings are a crucial part of maintaining the vessel’s safety, energy efficiency and value. Regular maintenance and technical improvements guarantee a high level of operational safety while reducing emissions. It is great that our Finnish-flagged vessel, which was built at the  Perno Shipyard, could be serviced in Naantali.”

In this uncertain economic environment, we are very pleased with the strong results for cargo. That is based on good long-term collaboration with our partners. Our customers rely on us, and we develop new solutions for them – now most recently by offering fossil-free transport

Consumers in our markets have been cautious – but towards the end of the year, we saw signs of a recovery. We are immensely pleased about the increase in our share of international passengers, which was 13.5 per cent, and our customer satisfaction, which continued to improve and reached record levels during the summer season on all routes. This shows that our efforts focused on service and staff as well as successful investments in our vessels have yielded results. For example, the extensive upgrades carried out on Viking XPRS further increase the vessel’s attractiveness on the highly competitive Helsinki–Tallinn route

“The evening sailing from Turku is known for having the best artists on the Baltic Sea, which entices passengers especially in the Turku region to travel, often spontaneously, to listen to music and party. It’s nice that we can offer new experiences to everyone who likes our evening departures in January, when the luxurious Glory fills in for its sister vessel Grace.”

“I really recommend trying out Gabriella’s Junior Suite and Seaside Premium cabins with a balcony. It’s a fantastic experience in the winter as well to see the world’s most beautiful archipelago pass by as dusk falls and the vessel leaves its berth in Turku.”

“The same goal unites us all: keeping the Baltic Sea and its archipelagos alive and promoting biodiversity for future generations. Like before, the money being donated was collected through the sale of plastic carrier bags on board our vessels, so our passengers are once again  contributing strongly to the work to protect the Baltic Sea. We hope this donation also pleases them and inspires as many people as possible to play a part in protecting the Baltic Sea.”

“We are incredibly grateful for Viking Line’s donation, which helps us to continue our ambitious, long-term work. Thanks to donations, we can among other things help landowners in the archipelago to establish private marine conservation areas in their own water areas. With this protection, these valuable marine environments can be protected from further strain, such as water use and dredging.”

“Since August, we have purchased European biogas equivalent to the amount of fuel used by Viking Glory. This tremendous increase in our purchase of renewable biofuel has made it possible for all of Viking Line’s passengers and cargo customers to now choose a 100% fossil-free trip. Our Helios concept, which we presented over the summer, also shows that a fully electric sea journey on a large scale is no longer a utopia, but can become a reality as early as the next decade.”

“We got so much positive feedback for last year’s Christmas buffet that we didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. The most important thing for people is that they actually find their favourite dishes. Naturally, the Christmas buffet should be impressive, and the place filled with Christmas spirit.”

“However, last year’s Christmas buffet guests had one clear wish – more sweet options on the dessert table. So this year, along with our metre-long chocolate cake with black currants, we’re serving glögg-flavoured cheesecake, tartlets, Christmas sweets, fresh fruit and of course rice à la Malta (rice pudding with mandarin orange) – without it, it wouldn’t be a real Christmas for Swedes.”

“This is a big honour for all of us more than 2,000 Viking Line employees and wonderful recognition of our long-term efforts. Over the years, we have invested in domestic sourcing, among other things, and all five of our vessels sail under a Finnish flag. Every encounter with customers is important to us, and our customer satisfaction is higher than ever.”

“Even now, people can pay a supplementary fee to travel, arrange meetings and transport goods completely fossil-free on all our vessels. This year, we have increased our purchases of renewable biofuel by 600 per cent. Emission-free maritime transport is no longer a utopia, which was the case only a few years ago, and we want to be pioneers in this field.”

“Our seafood buffet celebrates the delicacies of the Baltic Sea, which are mostly sourced from the west coast of Sweden. Our seafood platter has long been one of the most popular dishes in our à la carte-restaurants. In Sweden, seafood is an important part of the country’s food culture, and year after year our Finnish passengers are also increasingly interested in seafood.”

“Guests choosing our generous buffet can try different delicacies or focus on their favourites. If it’s the first time that someone is eating seafood, our staff is happy to help with instructions.”

“People rely on the views of friends and acquaintances, and they like to talk about restaurant experiences. That’s good, because then the focus is on actual experiences and what customers themselves think is most important for a good restaurant experience. Recommendations are really important in the restaurant industry, and they also encourage restaurants to try to provide as good an experience as possible. Every customer today is a ‘mystery shopper’.”

“The outcome of the project surprised us since our goal was to reduce food waste per passenger to under 100 grams. Each year we serve more than 2,3 million guests in the restaurants on Glory and Grace so every gram counts. When less food is wasted, we can invest even more in the quality of our ingredients – for instance, from an environmental perspective, products that are sustainable and locally sourced.”

“It’s been fantastic to see how our staff have actively started to come up with ideas to use ingredients even more efficiently. For example, we can use every part of root vegetables, even the last bits, by making stock out of them. We can use the stalks from tomatoes when we make pizza sauces. With the croissants left over from breakfast, we create delicious desserts,”

“From an environmental perspective, it’s best that the remaining food waste is converted into a carbon-neutral fuel that replaces fossil fuels. This biogas can also be used as fuel on our vessels that serve the Turku route.”

“Finns are clearly looking for experiences and pleasure when they dine out, which is not limited just to good food. For many people, eating in a restaurant is a shared experience that makes everyday life a little more enjoyable. For our own customers too, it’s very common for them to plan their meals in advance, and they increasingly make restaurant reservations already when they book their journey. Moreover, the different seasons and everything that’s a bit special, like the traditional Nordic crayfish season, the Christmas buffet or special menus in the à la carte restaurants, generate great curiosity and are one reason why many people book a sea journey.”

“We have seen how important language is for the customer experience and customer satisfaction in practice, especially when we re-registered Viking XPRS and Viking Cinderella under a Finnish flag. We always strive to have staff on board that can speak Finnish, Swedish and English. Language skills are an important criterion when we hire staff for our restaurants and other services.”

“Many people have traditions they associate with sea journeys since they were children, and one of the most enduring ones is the buffet. Based on the survey findings too, the buffet is attractive because it is varied, convenient and gives good value for money. People don’t need to worry about how much it will end up costing or how much they can afford to eat because everything is included – starters, main courses, desserts and even drinks..”