Hagen had become involved in cruising as a McKinsey and Company consultant who helped the Holland America Line survive the 1973 oil crisis, then was CEO of the Royal Viking Line from 1980 to 1984, made money in the Russian private equity markets, then bought a controlling stake in a Dutch shipping company that failed in the mid-1990s, leaving him almost bankrupt.

The lack of frills, like gyms and pools, and the fleet's standardization also maximized the number of people the ships could accommodate and consequently, Viking's profit.

[19] In January 2020, the company shortened its name to Viking, citing the brand's added emphasis on destination-oriented enrichment and experiences.

[12] It began operating its first vessel, Viking Star, in 2015, with itineraries in Scandinavia, the British Isles, the Baltic and Mediterranean Sea.

[41] Viking's itineraries feature travel in Northern Europe, the Baltic, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

[35] Their ships spend more time in port than is common at other ocean lines, emphasizing a focus on the culture of their destinations.

[4][34][42] In 2017-2018, Viking Sun made the company's first round-the-world cruise, which departed from Miami, and sailed south to head through the Panama Canal, and planned to visit five continents, 35 countries and 64 ports before ending its 141-day journey in London.

[86] Planned to be built in Romania and Norway, the value of the contract was estimated to be worth around 5 billion Norwegian krone (about $611 million).

[20] (Norwegian Explorer and skier)[90] (Arctic Explorer & Author)[90] Since 2011, Viking has sponsored programming on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre, including Downton Abbey, Sherlock and Poldark,[4][8][91] and is a sponsor of National Geographic's Genius, a scripted series about the life of Albert Einstein.

[92] Viking has also sponsored the Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl, Metropolitan Opera, BBC, Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, and Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.

[91] On 11 September 2016, Viking Freya collided with a bridge near to Erlangen, Germany, crushing the wheelhouse and killing two crew members.

[93] On 23 March 2019, Viking Sky put out a mayday call after she suffered an engine failure off the coast of Norway.

Six of Norway’s fourteen rescue helicopters were sent to the scene, and 460 passengers were evacuated before the ship travelled to Molde under her own power.

On 1 April 2019, Viking Idun collided with the oil tanker Chemical Marketer (IMO 9304291) in Terneuzen, in the Netherlands, not far from Antwerp.

[95][102] The Dutch Safety Board would not reveal the identity of captain of the ship during 1 April incident to the news media.

[103] A report from Hungary in mid October stated that the captain of the Sigyn, Yuriy Chaplinsky, was not impaired at the time of the crash and was on the bridge in control of the vessel.

Although news reports stated that he was not to "blame" for the crash, Captain Chaplinsky remained under pre-trial arrest as a suspect in "endangering water transport resulting in a fatal mass catastrophe and of failing to offer aid at the time of the crash", according to CBS News.

[109] On 18 August 2023, a crew member on Viking Mars died after falling overboard in the port of Cromarty Firth in Invergordon.