Viking Star to sail Caribbean cruises from San Juan

Viking Ocean Cruises said its first sailings in North America and the Caribbean will occur from September 2016 to February 2017, when the Viking Star will sail from San Juan.

The ship will make a series of nine 11-night round trips from San Juan, visiting Tortola, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

Prior to arriving in San Juan, the Viking Star will do several re-positioning cruises, starting with a 15-day Bergen to Montreal trip that departs Sept. 18.

From Montreal, the ship will do a 13-day voyage up the St. Lawrence River, through the Canadian Maritime and New England to New York.  A 15-day Eastern Seaboard itinerary departs New York for San Juan on Oct. 18.

At the end of the season, the Viking Star will offer an 18-day San Juan-to-Barcelona cruise that departs Feb. 25, 2017.

Since its debut in April, Viking Star has been sailing in the Mediterranean and elsewhere in Europe.

Shower glass reinstalled on Viking Star after shattering incidents

Viking Cruises said it has re-installed the shower glass in virtually all of the cabins on its Viking Star ship because several shower panels have shattered unexpectedly at sea.

A spokesman for Viking said the incidents were isolated and were related to the installation process of the glass.

A Viking passenger posted an account on the Cruise Critic message board about how she was injured when the shower glass exploded in her cabin.

The 920-passenger Viking Star is the company’s first ocean ship. It debuted in April and has been sailing on European itineraries.

The spokesman said the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy where Viking Star was built has “taken care of the situation” by re-installing almost all of the shower glass.

“The safety of our guests and staff is always our top priority and we regret that some of our guests experienced this situation,” the spokesman said.

Viking Star draws thousands to christening

Viking Star’s Christening.

Viking Cruises christened its first new ship in Bergen, Norway, in a ceremony that attracted thousands on the nation’s Constitution Day.

The May 17 christening marks the formal debut of the 930-passenger Viking Star, which has been sailing with passengers since early April.

“We believe the arrival of Viking Star signals a new era in destination-focused cruising, and I could not be more proud that she will call my favorite city in the world home,” said Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen, who got his start in the cruise business four decades ago in Bergen.

The city’s mayor, Trude Drevland, served as ceremonial godmother and offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the 47,800-gross-ton  ship.