Tag Archives: Antarctica

Viking Octantis Floats Out Ahead of 2022 Debut

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Viking has announced its first expedition ship – the 378-guest Viking Octantis – was “floated out” at VARD, marking a major construction milestone and the first time that the new ship touches water.

Scheduled to debut in early 2022, the Viking Octantis will spend her maiden season sailing voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.

A second, identical expedition ship, Viking Polaris, is set to debut in summer 2022 and will sail journeys to Antarctica and the Arctic. 

“Working with Fincantieri over the last eight years, we have built the world’s most beautiful ocean ships. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Fincantieri’s VARD and celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our first expedition vessel,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.

“In creating ‘the thinking person’s expedition,’ we are perfecting polar expedition cruising, and we will usher in a new era of comfortable exploration in the heart of North America. Viking Octantis and her sister ship, Viking Polaris, will allow our guests to explore further – to the ends of the earth as well as closer to home. I would like to thank our partners at VARD and everyone working at the yard for the hard work and dedication on the building of Viking Octantis; we look forward to welcoming her to our fleet in early 2022.”

The float out is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. The float-out ceremony of the Viking Octantis took place on December 22; she was then moved to a nearby outfitting dock for further construction and interior build-out. After final outfitting, Viking Octantis will be delivered at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Søviknes, Norway.

Holland America Line extends cruise cancellations until December

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Holland America Line has become the latest cruise line to extend its pause of cruise operations, cancelling departures on all ships in its fleet until 15 December 2020.

The extended pause affects the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, Pacific Coastal, South America, Antarctica, Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia and Asia itineraries.

The line said the pause was due to “the continuation of travel and port restrictions due to global health concerns”.

Those guests with impacted cruises automatically will be cancelled, and no action is needed for guests opting for the future cruise credit (FCC).

Guests who paid in full will receive 125 per cent FCC of the base cruise fare, while those with bookings not paid in full will receive an FCC of double the amount of the deposit paid for the cruise. The minimum FCC is $100 and the maximum will be an amount up to the base cruise fare paid.

The FCC is valid for 12 months from the date of issue and may be used to book sailings departing through 31 December 2022. All other funds paid to Holland America Line may be transferred to a new booking or will automatically be refunded via the method of payment used to purchase the services.

Guests who prefer a 100 per cent refund can visit the cruise line’s Cancellation Preferences form to indicate this preference no later than 15 September 2020.

Holland America Line has said that it will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full and for the total amount of the FCC when rebooked.

Holland America Line previously paused global cruise operations and cancelled all Alaska, Europe and Canada/New England cruises for 2020; additional departures from the port of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 2020; and select Hawaii itineraries for early 2021.

This week, both P&O Cruises and Seabourn announced that they too would be extending their cruise cancellations due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Viking extends suspension of cruises until end of year

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Viking extends suspension of cruises until end of year

The first cruise line to cancel cruises in March due to the Covid-19 crisis has now extended its suspension of operations until the end of the year.

All Viking Cruises departures will be suspended until December 31.

“If itinerary changes are required, impacted guests and their travel agents are notified directly by Viking guest services,” the company said.

Affected passengers are being offered a 125% future cruise voucher or a refund which needs to be applied for by August 24.

Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen said: “We are committed to maintaining the safest and healthiest fleet in the industry.

“We are fortunate to have a fleet of small, Norwegian-registered ocean ships with only 930 guests, and Switzerland-registered river ships with only 190 guests.

“We believe that our smaller ships – which feature spacious public areas and staterooms – provide a much safer environment than mega liners.

“We have always had the highest standards for health and cleanliness – and we are currently finalising additional protocols to make Viking safer, in co-operation with leading international experts. We will be sharing more information about this very soon.”

The line is continuing with the planned fleet expansion of its fleet next year with the launch of its seventh ocean ship, Viking Venus, as well as a new vessel on the Mekong, Viking Saigon.

New expedition vessels, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are due for delivery in 2022 to operate in Antarctica, the Arctic and North America’s Great Lakes.

Eighth ocean ship, Viking Mars, is also due to be introduced in 2022 alongside Viking Mississippi, Viking’s first ship on a US river.

Hagen said in a message to customers: “On March 11, when we became the first cruise line to temporarily suspend operations at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, I would not have imagined that in August we would still not be sailing and that I would be writing this letter to you.

“Every day I am encouraged by the scientific advancements toward Covid-19 therapeutics and a vaccine.

“But as you well know, recent events have shown us that the recovery from this pandemic will be sporadic, and the ability to travel freely across borders remains some time away.

“As keen as we may be to get back to exploring, for now, international travel must wait.

“Just last week, on August 5, we celebrated our 23rd anniversary.

“Viking is a very different company today from when we started in 1997 with four river ships. But one thing has not changed in the last two decades. Since Viking’s very first day, our commitment to the safety and welfare of all those onboard our vessels and to our mission – to deliver experiences that focus on the destination, allowing you to explore the world in comfort – has never wavered.

“I have said before that we will only sail again when it is safe to do so. We are a private, closely-held company, which means we do not have to rush the decision to return to service.”