Hustadvika, 23 March 2019
This ship has a history, and it is better read here than discovered the night
before departure. On 23 March 2019, in heavy seas off the Norwegian coast, the
lubricating oil pumps aboard Viking Sky stopped under the ship's motion, which
triggered an automatic engine shutdown. There were 1,373 people aboard. Four
hundred and seventy-nine were lifted off by helicopter, some thirty rotations
through the night. Three engines out of four were restarted and the ship reached
Molde under her own power.
Norway's accident investigation authority published its final report in 2024.
It concluded, among other things, that the ship should not have sailed from
Tromso given pre-existing technical problems. The ship was repaired and has
sailed normally since.
We write this because a traveller who searches the ship's name will find it
anyway, and it is better read alongside the investigation report than in a
newspaper headline.
The hull
Two hundred and twenty-eight metres, 47,842 gross tons, nine decks, 930 guests
in 465 cabins all fitted with a veranda. The crew numbered 458 on the day of the
incident, the official count. The configuration is identical to Viking Sea and Viking Star.
What the ship does today
Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and longer itineraries depending on the
season. Viking Mars and Viking Neptune do the same work on the same hull.
What the package covers, and what it does not
One excursion is included in every port of call. Meals are included too,
specialty restaurants among them, with no surcharge. Beer, wine and soft drinks
come with lunch and dinner. Wi-Fi is included, with the caveat Viking writes
itself: speed varies. Access to the Nordic Spa and the fitness centre is
included, as are port taxes and fees.
Gratuities are not included. Viking says so in its terms, and it is a real
difference from some luxury river lines. You prepay them or settle them
aboard.
Also on you: optional excursions, drinks outside mealtimes, spa treatments
and flights, unless you buy the line's air package.
What is not aboard
No casino. No children's programme. No large-scale production show. No formal
night and no dress code. The line accepts travellers aged eighteen and over, the
age assessed on embarkation day, and its cabins carry neither a third nor a
fourth berth.
These are choices rather than omissions. The programme plans long hours
ashore, and evening life turns on lectures, a pianist, a quartet and a library.
A traveller looking for the constant animation of a large ocean ship will be
disappointed. A traveller escaping it will find exactly what they came for.
Booking from Quebec
Ocean itineraries rarely start close to home. A departure from Bergen,
Barcelona or Ushuaia takes a connection and often a hotel night before
embarkation. That night is not a luxury: a delayed flight that makes you miss a
ship costs far more than a hotel room.
Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du
consommateur. Your payments move through the trust account required by law and
the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents covers your file.
