New cruise ships for 2016: Viking Sea
Six major cruise lines that market to North Americans are rolling out new ships this year. Here, Paste BN profiles one of the new offerings: Viking Cruises' Viking Sea. For information on the year's other new vessels, click HERE to return to the main page of our Guide to the New Cruise Ships of 2016.
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VIKING SEA
Line: Viking Ocean Cruises
Maiden voyage: April 3
Home ports: Various
Size (in tons): 47,800
Passengers: 930
The buzz: River cruise giant Viking continues its push into ocean cruising with its second new ocean vessel in a year.
Like its one-year-old sister, Viking Star, the Viking Sea will be less than a third the size of the latest megaships from the likes of Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, and it's being designed to mix on-board elegance with a focus on destinations that executives say has been lost across much of the cruise industry in recent years (scroll through the carousel above for our deck-by-deck look at the Viking Star).
As with the Viking Star, the Viking Sea's itineraries also will feature more time in ports than at many other lines, and in a relatively rare twist, shore excursions that are included in the price. Also included will be beer and wine with lunch and dinner; and even WiFi access -- something that can cost up to 75 cents a minute at other lines.
Nearly identical to the Viking Star, the Viking Sea will have a modern Scandinavian design, and cabins will be large for a cruise ship, with the smallest of five cabin categories having 270 square feet of space. In addition, every cabin will have a balcony. Fourteen two-room suites on the ship will range from 757 to 1,448 square feet and offer sweeping views from wrap-around private balconies.
Itineraries: A diverse range of eight- to 50-day sailings around the Baltic and Mediterranean starting at $2,499 per person.
Information: 866-984-5464; vikingcruises.com.
For an insider's look at accommodations on the Viking Star, which will be identical on Viking Sea, click through the carousel below.
