On Friday two Viking Ocean cruise ships met up for the very first time in Santorini, Greece. The Viking Star which is the cruise line’s first ever ocean vessel, launched in on April 11,2015 met with the latest ship Viking Sea. Viking Sea was recently delivered to Viking Cruises and is only the second ocean vessel built so far for the cruise line which is well-known for river cruises.
Viking Star is sailing a Empires of the Mediterranean cruise which will come to an end in Venice, Italy on April 5. Viking Sea was sailing the opposite direction toward Istanbul, where her first guests boarded on April 3. From Istanbul, Viking Sea will make her way through the Mediterranean and into the Atlantic on the way to be officially christened on May 5 on London’s Thames River in Greenwich. Following the christening, Viking Sea will spend the summer with Viking Star, sailing itineraries in Scandinavia and the Baltic. The two 930-passenger sister ships are virtually identical and yesterday shared docking space in Santorini while guests enjoyed shore excursions on the island.
Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises said:
“It is hard to believe that less than one year ago, we were just setting sail with our first ship, and now we have two sister ships together”
“It is a proud day, and I am already looking forward to next year when we will have three ships to cross paths.”
Viking Sea and Viking Star each have a gross tonnage of 47,800 tons, boast 465 cabins and accommodate 930 passengers. Viking Sea is the second of six ocean cruise ships on order. The third ship, Viking Sky, will be delivered in early 2017; the three remaining yet-to-be-named ships will be delivered in late 2017, 2018 and 2020, respectively.
