PHOTO: A rendering of the Viking Star, the first of three sister ships for the new Viking Ocean Cruises. (Courtesy of Viking Ocean Cruises)
Viking Ocean Cruises celebrated the beginning of construction on its second ship, the Viking Sea, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. It is scheduled for delivery in summer 2016, more than a year after the first ship in the new cruise line, Viking Star, will enter service. A third ship, Viking Sky, will get started soon and also is scheduled for a 2016 delivery.
The shipyard cut the steel for the second ship, which will be about 47,800 gross tons in size and accommodate 930 passengers. The Viking Star will begin sailing in April in Scandinavia, the Baltic and the Mediterranean.
Viking Ocean Cruises is a sister company to Viking River Cruises, founded by Torstein Hagen. Indeed, the upper-premium ocean line will have similarities to its river cruising counterparts; for example, shore excursions will be included in each port of call and Wi-Fi is free as well.
Fares also will include all port charges and government taxes, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, self-service laundry and 24-hour room service.
All the staterooms and suites on the ocean ships will have verandas. There will be five accommodation categories, with the smallest being a 270-square-foot staterooms with king-size beds, large showers and LCD TVs.
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