VIVA Cruises has launched its new luxury proposition, VIVA Boutique, following the christening ceremony of VIVA Beyond on 8 May

The vessel was christened on the Seine in Paris, with Norwegian travel industry leader Cecilie Kopperud named as the ship’s godmother.

This ship marks the debut of VIVA Boutique, a new upscale concept centred on three USPs.

Half of cabins will be suites, in response to booking patterns and guest feedback; ships will be more intimate at 110 metres long as opposed to 130 metres. VIVA Beyond has capacity for 112 guests, with the next ship in the new class, which will sail the River Po in Italy, accommodating just 104; and onboard culinary offerings and itineraries will be inspired by the areas the ships operate in.

Explaining the decision to launch a separate brand, CEO and co-founder Andrea Kruse told Cruise Trade News: “You need to have a clear message, because only by doing that do you increase sales.”

To mark the launch of the new brand, the team also revealed its strategy for driving sales:

No dynamic pricing

There is a price-stable approach across both VIVA Cruises and VIVA Boutique. Patrick Ell, vice president of commercial and marketing, said: “From the moment we launch the cruise to the day of departure, the price is always the same.”

Kruse added: “Whoever books now or anyone who has already booked is getting the retail price on cruises that we launched one and a half years ago. That is our promise to the market, to the trade and, of course, to our end consumers.”

That also means that the brand takes a stance against last-minute price reductions to drive demand.

Growing international demand

Ell explained: “It’s very important with everything going on in the world to have guests from different markets. It helps the company, of course, but we also want to have this international atmosphere on board.

“Now we see 55 per cent of guests are English-speaking. Some people think that because the company is headquartered in Germany, we only have German guests, but on the contrary, we have more international guests than German guests on board.”

In the UK, several initiatives are being launched to engage the trade. Michelle Daniels, country manager for the UK & Ireland and Australia & New Zealand, said: “We’re just about to launch an online training portal; we’ve refreshed it, and that will be video-based training that I think will be a bit of a game changer for our agents. We’re doing a number of webinars, too, and attending every event we can.”

Last month, VIVA Cruises also hosted agents aboard a fam trip ending in Amsterdam for the CLIA RiverView Conference 2026.

As well as targeting the UK, the brand is working closely with the trade across Scandinavia, the US and India.

 New audiences

Elements such as the simplified all-inclusive pricing model are designed to provide transparency that appeals to new-to-cruise guests, while shorter itineraries engage younger audiences.

Ell said: “There are some four-night cruises in the first quarter of the year that actually have an average age under 50 because it’s over the weekend. We go to Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Nijmegen, and it’s the perfect short getaway.”

There is also a greater focus on a digital-first approach to sales. Ell added: “A lot of our direct bookings are through our website, and a lot of our digital partners contribute a high number of bookings. It shows we are ready for the next generation.”

 What’s next?

VIVA Beyond is sailing its maiden season, with 85 per cent of cabins already booked until the end of the year. The next ship in the VIVA Boutique line will launch on the River Po, including an itinerary built around the 2028 Venice Carnival.

Next up, a new build in the VIVA Cruises line will launch in time for the 2029 season, hosting 160 guests on the Rhône.