New Viking ocean ship will undergo final construction and interior outfitting before November 2022 debut
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Viking’s newest ocean ship, Viking Neptune, has been floated out of the building dock at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy.
Marking a major construction milestone, the traditional ceremony started at 11:00 local time on 13 January when one of Viking’s team members cut a cord to let water flow into Viking Neptune’s building dock for the first time. Once the vessel is fully afloat, she will be repositioned to an outfitting dock where Fincantieri will complete final construction and build out the interiors.
“It is always a special day when a new ship meets water for the first time, and we look forward to welcoming guests onboard Viking Neptune this autumn,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking. “Together with Fincantieri we have built the world’s most elegant vessels, which truly allow our guests to explore the world in comfort."
Set to begin sailing in November 2022, the 930-guest Viking Neptune will operate a series of inaugural cruises in the Mediterranean. She will then embark on a 138-day world cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to London, UK, taking guests to 57 ports in 28 countries. The itinerary will also include overnight stays in 11 cities.
Viking Neptune will be one of six ships to join the Viking fleet, which spans the ocean, river and expedition cruise sectors.
“We are marking several milestones in 2022, including our 25th anniversary and the 10th year since starting our ocean project. With the arrival of the Viking Neptune and her identical sister ship, the Viking Mars, this year – along with the debut of our two new expedition ships and new river ships – we are proud to firmly establish Viking as the leading small ship travel company.”