Viking Cruises has grown to be the world's largest and leading river cruise line, designed for experienced travellers with an interest in geography, culture and history. Featuring onboard cultural enrichment and included shore excursions, Viking prides itself on enabling its guests to get closer and deeper to the countries they are travelling to. Viking's fleet of award-winning, state-of-the-art river vessels offer scenic cruising along the rivers of Europe, Russia, China, Southeast Asia and Egypt. In May 2013, the company announced the launch of a new small-ship ocean cruising division, Viking Ocean Cruises, which began with the maiden season of Viking Star in spring 2015, and features itineraries in the Baltic, Mediterranean, Caribbean and the Americas.