The second ship to carry this name
Here is an oddity that explains many contradictory dates in the databases.
The first hull named Viking Sea was renamed Viking Sky before it was even
delivered. The ship you board today is therefore the second to carry the name,
delivered in March 2016.
Practical consequence: if you read a build year online that does not match,
check which hull the source is describing. We publish the delivery date of the
ship actually operating under this name.
The hull
Two hundred and twenty-eight metres, 47,842 gross tons, nine decks, 930 guests
in 465 cabins all fitted with a veranda, and about 465 crew. Precisely the same
plan as Viking Sky and Viking Star.
The ship was named at Greenwich, on the Thames, in May 2016. It was presented
then as the largest ship ever named in London, which gives a sense of its size:
big enough to cross an ocean, small enough to come up a river into the heart of
a capital.
What this size allows
A ship of 930 guests berths where a three-thousand-passenger ship anchors
offshore and tenders its people in. The difference is counted in hours gained
every day. On northern itineraries it is counted in accessible fjords too.
Viking Venus and Viking Jupiter belong to the same series and offer the same experience, itinerary
aside.
What sits inside the package
One included excursion at every port of call, meals including the specialty
restaurants, beer and wine at lunch and dinner, Wi-Fi with the speed caveat the
line writes itself, access to the Nordic Spa and the fitness room, port taxes
and fees.
Gratuities are not included. That sentence deserves a second reading from a
traveller coming off a high-end river cruise, where the practice is often the
opposite.
Optional excursions, drinks outside mealtimes, spa treatments and air tickets
bought elsewhere remain your cost.
The line's stance
No casino, no children's club, no music-hall revue, no dressy evening.
Eighteen and over, checked on embarkation day. No cabin takes a third
occupant.
The ship bets on time ashore rather than on entertainment aboard. Evenings go
to lectures, chamber concerts and the library. A traveller after noise and neon
will be poorly served. A traveller who wants to sleep after a day of sightseeing
will be well looked after.
Arranging the departure
An ocean cruise is built around the air ticket. Almost always a connection,
preferably a hotel night before embarkation, and a margin that accounts for the
season. A file built properly at the start avoids half the unpleasant
surprises.
Voyages AquaTerra holds a Quebec travel agent licence. Your payments move
through a trust account and the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents
protects your file.
