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Viking Floats Out Newest Ocean Ship, Viking Neptune

Viking Floats Out Newest Ocean Ship, Viking NeptuneViking made a major announcement this week when it revealed that its newest ocean ship the Viking Neptune was “floated out.” On January 13 the cruise line announced that the 930-guest Viking Neptune made history with its first foray into the water. It is scheduled to make its official debut in November 2022. The float out is significant because it signifies that the ship has moved into its final stage of construction.

The magnificent ship will spend her maiden season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean. It will then be put into service when it sets sail for the line’s 2023-2024 Viking World Cruise. The global journey departs from Fort Lauderdale for a 138 day, 28 country, 57 port cruise that culminates in London.

Viking is the Leader in the Small Ship Travel Company

The traditional float out ceremony for the Viking Neptune took place at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard. At approximately 11:00 a.m. local time a Viking team member severed a cord which signaled that water was allowed to flow for the first time into the ship’s building dock. The next step for the Viking Neptune is a move to a nearby dock for its final construction which includes its interior build-out.

Viking Makes a Major Announcement

Torstein Hagen is the Chairman of Viking and he said of the momentous occasion: “It is always a special day when a new ship meets water for the first time, and we look forward to welcoming guests on board the Viking Neptune this fall. Together with Fincantieri we have built the world’s most elegant vessels, which truly allow our guests to explore the world in comfort.”

He added, “We are marking several milestones in 2022, including our 25th anniversary and the 10th year since starting our ocean project. With the arrival of the Viking Neptune and her identical sister ship, the Viking Mars, this year—along with the debut of our two new expedition ships and new river ships—we are proud to firmly establish Viking as the leading small ship travel company.”

Viking Neptune Has Been Floated Out

Viking Neptune will join the cruise line’s award-winning fleet of identical sister ships which includes Viking Star®, Viking Sea®, Viking Sky®, Viking Orion®, Viking Jupiter® and Viking Venus®.

The cruise line’s Viking Mars® is set to be delivered in May 2022 and the Viking Saturn® will be delivered in early 2023.

Each of Viking’s ocean ships can accommodate 930 guests. The line strives to ensure the wellbeing of all guests via its industry-leading Viking Health & Safety Program which was developed in partnership with an international team of medical advisors, including the cruise line’s Chief Health Officer Raquel C. Bono.

Viking Neptune Will Debut in November

Dr. Bono is a board-certified trauma surgeon and is a retired Vice Admiral of the United States Navy Medical Corps. In 2020 she spearheaded Washington State’s COVID-19 medical and healthcare systems response.

Viking requires all of its guests and crew members to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and it is the first and only cruise line with full-scale PCR laboratories on board its ocean and expedition ships. The PCR laboratories, together with a dedicated network of shoreside labs, streamlines guests’ travel experience by ensuring that a final COVID-19 test taken onboard satisfies the requirement for pre-flight testing before arrival into the U.S. Additional protection for Viking guests and crew is implemented via health checks, sanitization and physical distancing measures throughout the journey.

Additionally, all Viking ships have been outfitted with new air purification technology and all guest staterooms feature independent air handling units. Guests can review the Viking Health & Safety Program at: www.viking.com/health-safety

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