Viking Cruises will begin ocean cruises on Viking Star in 2015
Viking Cruises announced Friday that it’s getting into the ocean cruise market -- in a small way.
The luxury river cruise line brings its all-inclusive model to the seas in May 2015 with the newly built Viking Star, a sleek ship that will accommodate 928 passengers. It features two swimming pools, a spa and private verandas with each stateroom.
“It is our view that in the race to build bigger ships, many cruise lines have lost sight of the destinations to which they sail,” Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking Cruises, said in a statement. The company expects to add a second ocean ship in 2016 and has orders for four more in the works.
Like for Viking’s river cruises, the price covers extras such as shore excursions, meals with wine and beer and Wi-Fi. And the Viking Star will stay in port late into the evening or overnight to give passengers a chance to experience a city’s night life or attend the opera.
Maiden voyages for 2015 include a Viking Homelands cruise (Stockholm; St. Petersburg, Russia; Copenhagen; and Bergen, Norway), a Western Europe cruise (Bergen, London, Paris and Barcelona, Spain) and two routes in the Mediterranean.
Prices start at $2,999 per person for those who book before July 31. Maiden voyages are being offered initially in the United States only, adding Britain, Australia and New Zealand later this year.
Info: Viking Cruises
Follow us on Twitter @latimestravel, like us on Facebook @Los Angeles Times Travel.
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
