Post by Admin on Mar 20, 2022 10:24:44 GMT
www.forbes.com/sites/irenelevine/2021/12/23/viking-takes-delivery-of-viking-octantis-lines-first-expedition-ship/amp/
Dec 23, 2021,
03:37pm EST
|
1,490 views
Viking Takes Delivery Of Viking Octantis, Line’s First Expedition Ship
Irene S. Levine
Yearning to get away from it all? Viking just announced that it has taken delivery of the Viking Octantis, the first of two new purpose-built expedition cruise ships that will join the fleet in 2022. These additions will allow the line to transport its guests to all seven continents.
On route to South America for the line’s first voyages to Antarctica in January, Viking Octantis left the Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Soviknes, Norway today. After that, the new ship will head to the Great Lakes for a series of spring and summer voyages.
Expedition cruising is a rapidly growing segment of the cruise industry with many lines either building new expedition ships or retrofitting older vessels to enable them to sail in icy waters. These ships need to be smaller than those making ocean cruises so they can navigate remote polar regions up close, but large enough to provide superior handling and stability in rough seas.
Viking Octantis can accommodate up to 378 guests in 189 staterooms, less than half the capacity of 930-passenger Viking ocean ships.
These cruises are geared to adventure-oriented travelers who want to discover harder-to-reach destinations; more flexible itineraries allow the ships to seize unique opportunities that arise and to pivot based on changing weather and sea conditions.
Expedition cruises are staffed by a cadre of naturalists and other scientific experts. Viking has developed an exclusive partnership with the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create 36-person expert teams for each expedition. The teams include an expedition leader, photographer, field research scientists, general naturalists, mountain guides, kayak guides, submarine pilots, and other specialists and support staff.
While onboard, guests will enjoy daily briefing and lectures, working side-by-side with these scientists. Shore excursions will offer immersive activities, such as participating in monitoring the migratory patterns of birds and wildlife, collecting samples with the scientists, and learning from a professional photographer how best to capture views of scenic landscapes.
“Today is a proud day for the entire Viking family as we welcome our first expedition ship to the fleet and usher in a new era of exploration,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “We are now perfecting expedition voyages and offering curious travelers the opportunity to visit the world’s most pristine destinations in the most responsible way possible.
Viking ocean and river cruises have a devoted clientele who love the understated elegance of the ships and the all-inclusiveness of the fares. In Conde Nast Traveler’s 2021 Reader’s Choice Awards, the line was voted both Best Ocean Cruise Line and River Cruise Line.
Veteran Viking cruisers will be happy to find many of the same cabin configurations, luxury appointments, and amenities on the all-veranda expeditions ships that they’ve enjoyed in the past.
Nordic Junior Suites are comfortably sized at 322 square feet. Explorer Suites (580 square feet) feature two separate rooms, a Nordic Balcony, and a full outdoor veranda. In addition, those suites have oversized bathrooms with extended showers and double sinks.
Each ship has a 1,223-square-foot Owner’s Suite with a living room that accommodates a six-foot dining table, a bedroom, private garden, badestamp (traditional Norwegian wood-sided hot tub), and outdoor dining set.
The new ships have retained the beloved Explorer’s Lounge with double-height windows that bring the outside in, the Nordic Spa & Fitness Center, the Aquavit Terrace and pools, and a range of dining venues that build upon those from Viking’s ocean ships.
With these new ships, Viking hopes to raise the bar on standards for environmental sustainability with an integrated bow system, engines with heat recovery systems, and electric propulsion designed to minimize underwater noise pollution. The expedition ships also incorporate health and safety protocols established as part of the Viking Health and Safety Program, including being the first and only cruise line with full-scale, onboard PCR laboratories, frequent non-invasive PCR testing of all guests and crew, and new air purification systems designed to mitigate the spread of viruses.
A second sister ship, Viking Polaris is scheduled to launch in August 2022 for journeys to the Arctic and Antarctica.
Dec 23, 2021,
03:37pm EST
|
1,490 views
Viking Takes Delivery Of Viking Octantis, Line’s First Expedition Ship
Irene S. Levine
Yearning to get away from it all? Viking just announced that it has taken delivery of the Viking Octantis, the first of two new purpose-built expedition cruise ships that will join the fleet in 2022. These additions will allow the line to transport its guests to all seven continents.
On route to South America for the line’s first voyages to Antarctica in January, Viking Octantis left the Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Soviknes, Norway today. After that, the new ship will head to the Great Lakes for a series of spring and summer voyages.
Expedition cruising is a rapidly growing segment of the cruise industry with many lines either building new expedition ships or retrofitting older vessels to enable them to sail in icy waters. These ships need to be smaller than those making ocean cruises so they can navigate remote polar regions up close, but large enough to provide superior handling and stability in rough seas.
Viking Octantis can accommodate up to 378 guests in 189 staterooms, less than half the capacity of 930-passenger Viking ocean ships.
These cruises are geared to adventure-oriented travelers who want to discover harder-to-reach destinations; more flexible itineraries allow the ships to seize unique opportunities that arise and to pivot based on changing weather and sea conditions.
Expedition cruises are staffed by a cadre of naturalists and other scientific experts. Viking has developed an exclusive partnership with the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create 36-person expert teams for each expedition. The teams include an expedition leader, photographer, field research scientists, general naturalists, mountain guides, kayak guides, submarine pilots, and other specialists and support staff.
While onboard, guests will enjoy daily briefing and lectures, working side-by-side with these scientists. Shore excursions will offer immersive activities, such as participating in monitoring the migratory patterns of birds and wildlife, collecting samples with the scientists, and learning from a professional photographer how best to capture views of scenic landscapes.
“Today is a proud day for the entire Viking family as we welcome our first expedition ship to the fleet and usher in a new era of exploration,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “We are now perfecting expedition voyages and offering curious travelers the opportunity to visit the world’s most pristine destinations in the most responsible way possible.
Viking ocean and river cruises have a devoted clientele who love the understated elegance of the ships and the all-inclusiveness of the fares. In Conde Nast Traveler’s 2021 Reader’s Choice Awards, the line was voted both Best Ocean Cruise Line and River Cruise Line.
Veteran Viking cruisers will be happy to find many of the same cabin configurations, luxury appointments, and amenities on the all-veranda expeditions ships that they’ve enjoyed in the past.
Nordic Junior Suites are comfortably sized at 322 square feet. Explorer Suites (580 square feet) feature two separate rooms, a Nordic Balcony, and a full outdoor veranda. In addition, those suites have oversized bathrooms with extended showers and double sinks.
Each ship has a 1,223-square-foot Owner’s Suite with a living room that accommodates a six-foot dining table, a bedroom, private garden, badestamp (traditional Norwegian wood-sided hot tub), and outdoor dining set.
The new ships have retained the beloved Explorer’s Lounge with double-height windows that bring the outside in, the Nordic Spa & Fitness Center, the Aquavit Terrace and pools, and a range of dining venues that build upon those from Viking’s ocean ships.
With these new ships, Viking hopes to raise the bar on standards for environmental sustainability with an integrated bow system, engines with heat recovery systems, and electric propulsion designed to minimize underwater noise pollution. The expedition ships also incorporate health and safety protocols established as part of the Viking Health and Safety Program, including being the first and only cruise line with full-scale, onboard PCR laboratories, frequent non-invasive PCR testing of all guests and crew, and new air purification systems designed to mitigate the spread of viruses.
A second sister ship, Viking Polaris is scheduled to launch in August 2022 for journeys to the Arctic and Antarctica.